Flight Safety Information October 19, 2012 - No. 211 In This Issue Minor accident at Costa Rica airport as plane from El Salvador skids across runway Glasgow Airport: Seventeen injured as aircraft aborts take-off High drama at airport, pilot presses hijack button PROS IOSA Audit Experts Hawker to get out of business jets after talks with Chinese firm fail Position Available:...Plant Senior Environmental, Health and Safety Specialist Minor accident at Costa Rica airport as plane from El Salvador skids across runway No injuries were reported, but flights were suspended for two hours. Juan Santamaría, in the province of Alajuela, is Costa Rica's principal airport. TACA airlines flight 621 from El Salvador was carrying 146 passengers and seven crew members when it skidded across the runway at Costa Rica's Juan Santamaría International Airport, outside San José. The incident occurred at 4 p.m. Thursday, and there have been no reports of injuries. The plane, an Airbus 321, had trouble touching down when three of its tires burst, although pilots managed to keep the aircraft on the runway until it stopped, airport authorities reported. Héctor Chaves, chief of Costa Rica's Fire Department, said the airport was closed for at least two hours to evacuate passengers, and all flights were suspended during that time. Capt. Alex Romero, from the Air Surveillance Department at the Public Security Ministry, said that a wet runway caused problems when the tires hit the pavement. http://www.ticotimes.net/Current-Edition/News-Briefs/Minor-accident-at-Costa-Rica- airport-as-plane-from-El-Salvador-skids-across-runway_Thursday-October-18-2012 Back to Top Glasgow Airport: Seventeen injured as aircraft aborts take-off passengers were injured during the emergency evacuation of an aircraft at Glasgow Airport after smoke was detected in the cabin. passengers have been injured during the evacuation of an aircraft that made an emergency stop during take off at Glasgow Airport after smoke appeared in the cabin. crew and 189 passengers on the Jet2 flight bound for Alicante left the aircraft using emergency chutes. Four people, including one elderly woman, were taken to hospital after suffering leg and chest injuries, and 13 people were treated at the scene. There were not thought to be any serious injuries. passenger said he was "about to scream out to the cabin crew" to alert them to the smoke when the captain braked hard and brought the plane to a halt. Graham Divers, from Glasgow, added: "I was sitting in row 11 and I could smell smoke as we were accelerating hard. "One or two passengers, including myself, had our reading light on and when I looked up to the lamps and the ceiling, I could actually see smoke swirling around and I thought, oops, there's something not right here. "We were accelerating very, very hard down the runway at this stage and I was about to scream out to the cabin crew when obviously the pilot realised there was something wrong and he immediately throttled the engines back and put the brakes on. It's the hardest braking I've ever experienced in my life. "There was a stunned silence when we stopped, everyone was in shock. The captain called the cabin crew into the cockpit and a few minutes later yelled 'evacuate, evacuate'. It was only afterwards that people began to shake and realise exactly what had happened." Mr Divers said the crew were "brilliant" and the captain should be praised for running up and down the cabin to ensure everyone was off the plane before him. Natalie Crawford, from Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire, said it was a "scary experience", adding: "Just as the plane was about to lift off, there was a strong smell of smoke and the cabin instantly filled up. What made it worse was the lights were out because it was an early morning flight. Myself and my family were going for a long weekend to Benidorm for my dad's 50th. Although we're all ok it has been a scary experience." The incident happened at around 7.40am and the runway was closed until 10am, causing serious disruption to flights to and from the airport. flights were cancelled, including two inbound flights from London City and Gatwick airports, 14 departures were delayed and six arrivals were diverted to Edinburgh, Manchester, Prestwick and Aberdeen airports. police spokesman said passengers on the Boeing 737-800 had been evacuated as a precaution. A statement from Jet2 said: "This morning's flight LS177 from Glasgow Airport to Alicante made an emergency stop on the runway just prior to take-off. The aircraft was forced to curtail take off due to smoke in the cabin." A passenger plane has made a safe emergency landing at Dublin Airport after crew detected smoke in the cockpit. Meanwhile, another aircraft en route from Manchester to Tenerife had to make an emergency landing at Dublin Airport after smoke in the cockpit. All passengers were safely evacuated from the Thomas Cook plane. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/aviation/9619600/Glasgow-Airport-Seventeen- injured-as-aircraft-aborts-take-off.html Back to Top High drama at airport, pilot presses hijack button High drama unfolded at the airport here today when the pilot of an Abu Dhabi-Kochi Air India flight pressed the hijack button in panic after passengers created a ruckus in the cockpit following diversion of the plane to Thiruvananthapuram. According to airport officials, protesting passengers allegedly entered the cockpit of the aircraft after having waited in the plane for over four hours to go to Kochi. The pilot then pressed the hijack button, they said. Following the message, police and other security personnel surrounded the aircraft which was parked at the airport. The plane was diverted to Thiruvananthapuram due to bad weather, the officials said. Passengers refused to deboard the aircraft despite repeated requests by the airlines. Aviation regulator DGCA has ordered a probe into the incident, official sources said in New Delhi. Premjit, one of the passengers, said the flight was supposed to land at Kochi at 3:30 AM but due to fog at the airport, the plane, which had already been delayed from Abu Dhabi, landed at Thiruvananthapuram at 6:30 AM. Nothing was done to take the passengers to Kochi and they were told that the plane had to wait at the Thiruvananthapuram airport for refuelling, he said. "The passengers kept waiting," he said. Sources said police was unlikely to register case against passengers and felt a humane approach should be taken. Police felt the passengers were upset because they had to wait for a long time and there was no security issue, the sources said. They said another pilot had been sent to the aircraft and "there is no emergency of hijack as claimed by the previous pilot". As per rules, pilots can press three separate transponder codes for different emergencies. One code is pressed in case of "unlawful interference" in the operation of the aircraft which in effect means hijack. The second code is pressed in case of loss of communication between the aircraft and the authorities on the ground while the third code is pressed for a situation of emergency on board. http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/current-affairs/high-drama-at-airport-pilot-presses- hijack-button_771122.html Back to Top Back to Top Hawker to get out of business jets after talks with Chinese firm fail A pilot stands by his plane, a Hawker Beechcraft T-6C Texan II, during the second day of the Dubai Airshow November 14, 2011. (Reuters) - Debt-laden aircraft maker Hawker Beechcraft Inc HKBCH.UL said it will go it alone after plans to sell itself to a Chinese firm fell through, but will get out of the corporate jet business. The Wichita, Kansas-based company, owned by Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N) and Onex Corp (OCX.TO), filed for bankruptcy protection in May, unable to support a $2.5 billion debt load. Hawker, which makes general aviation turboprops and military aircraft as well as business jets, said in July that it was in exclusive talks with the China's Superior Aviation Beijing Co over the sale of the company for $1.79 billion. It said on Thursday it could not agree on terms with Superior, a 60-40 joint venture between privately owned Beijing Superior Aviation Technology Co and government- backed Beijing E-Tong International Investment & Development Co. "We are disappointed that the transaction did not come to fruition, but we protected ourselves by obtaining a $50 million deposit from Superior that is now fully non- refundable and property of the company," Hawker CEO Robert Miller said. Hawker said it now intended to emerge from bankruptcy in the first quarter of 2013 as a standalone company focusing on turboprop, piston, special mission and trainer/attack aircraft. The company said it was evaluating strategic options with creditors for its Hawker product line, which includes the struggling business jet division and that the business would be closed if there are no satisfactory bids. Under the proposed deal with Superior, Hawker's politically sensitive defense business would have remained a separate entity that analysts said would probably be sold to a U.S. buyer. Prospects for the jet business look grim, analysts said. "I don't see any of the established players like Bombardier (BBDb.TO) taking an interest in the segment," said Neal Dihora, an analyst at Morningstar Inc. "The summer bookings (for business jets) have been slow and it is a very crowded space. The prospective buyer would have to be a new entrant with deep pockets." Hawker's competitors include General Dynamics Corp's (GD.N) Gulfstream and Textron Inc's (TXT.N) Cessna, as well as Brazil's Embraer SA (EMBR3.SA) and Canada's Bombardier. Hawker, which will file an amended reorganization plan, said general unsecured claims will be canceled and holders will receive equity in the reorganized company. Under the new plan, the company will receive a new loan and will be able to repay its $400 million in debtor-in-possession financing. The new reorganization plan, which is subject to approval from the bankruptcy court, has the support of major creditors, Hawker said. A hearing is expected on November 15, it said. Goldman Sachs's private equity unit and Canada's Onex, bought Raytheon Aircraft Co from Raytheon Co (RTN.N) for $3.3 billion at the height of the buyout boom in early 2007 and renamed it Hawker Beechcraft. The company, loaded down with debt from the buyout, went into a tailspin after 2008 financial crisis and subsequent economic downturn. The case is In re: Hawker Beechcraft Inc, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of New York, No:12-11873. Back to Top Position Available: Plant Senior Environmental, Health and Safety Specialist The opportunity available in the EastTexas area with a focus on safety and health initiatives for a very large, non-union heavy manufacturing plant. Must have at least 4 years of industrial safety experience, a bachelor's degree offering a salary range up to $82,000 (based on experience) plus bonus potential. Forward Resume/CV to staff@curt-lewis.com Curt Lewis