Flight Safety Information October 24, 2012 - No. 214 In This Issue FAA seeks $359K penalty against El Cajon's Aerospace Chem-Tronics Ditched Super Puma pilots 'feared gearbox problem State radio says Air Zimbabwe to resume international flights to meet IATA ban deadline Aviation Official Blames Crew for Deadly Kamchatka Crash Baggage handler arrested for stealing $20,000 in U.S. currency from airplane New FAA Wake Turbulence Rules Could Boost FedEx Capacity Emirates A330 turns back with mechanical engine failure Hawker 4000 at Risk of Being an Orphaned Airplane Eurocontrol chief assumes FSF role Foundation Recognizes Aviation Safety Contributions in Award Ceremony PROS IOSA Audit Experts Airbus unveils new aircraft assembly expansion Singapore Air places US$7.5B Airbus order Latin America Makes Great Improvements in Aviation Safety New USAF website for proactive safety A350 cockpit offers improved workspace for pilots Aviation Research Survey FAA seeks $359K penalty against El Cajon's Aerospace Chem-Tronics Company accused of violating screening regulations EL CAJON - The Federal Aviation Administration is seeking a civil penalty of $359,350 against an East County aircraft-repair station for allegedly violating drug and alcohol testing regulations, the government agency announced Tuesday. GKN Aerospace Chem-Tronics Inc. of El Cajon allegedly failed to conduct required pre-employment drug tests and receive verified negative results before hiring 17 people to perform "safety sensitive" functions, according to the FAA. The violations purportedly took place between May and December of last year. The federal agency also alleges that the company failed to screen four randomly selected workers for alcohol use in 2011, that it did not carry out required drug testing for two employees as part of their return-to-duty processes and that it conducted inappropriate post-accident testing for two staffers. The FAA discovered the alleged violations during an inspection of GKN's testing program in January of this year. The West Bradley Avenue company has 30 days from receipt of the agency's enforcement letter to issue an official response. A company representative did not immediately return a telephone call seeking comment. http://www.10news.com/news/faa-seeks-359k-penalty-against-el-cajons-aerospace-chem-tronics Back to Top Ditched Super Puma pilots 'feared gearbox problem The helicopter arrived in the north east of Scotland early on Wednesday A helicopter ditched in the sea off Shetland after the pilots feared there was a problem with the aircraft's gearbox, it has emerged. Manufacturer Eurocopter said the crew had reported that their control panel indicated a possible fault with the oil and lubrication system. The aircraft, operated by CHC, ditched in the North Atlantic on Monday. All 19 on board escaped injury. The helicopter was brought into Peterhead early on Wednesday. The ditching happened south of Shetland on Monday afternoon The Super Puma EC 225 was taken ashore by the support vessel Olympic Zeus. The helicopter will now be taken for examination by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB). A meeting of the Helicopter Safety Steering Group will be held in Aberdeen later. The group is made up of senior figures from the oil and gas industry and union representatives. The Unite union has questioned whether the make of Super Puma aircraft is "fit for purpose". CHC, Bristow and Bond have delayed operations of EC 225 and L2 Super Pumas, during the investigation. Back to Top State radio says Air Zimbabwe to resume international flights to meet IATA ban deadline HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) - Zimbabwe state radio says the nation's indebted airline plans to resume international flights by Oct. 31 to avert an IATA ban on flying foreign routes. The radio reported Tuesday that Air Zimbabwe this month took delivery of two Airbus aircraft to replace its aging Boeings and meet safety standards. The International Air Transport Association had given the carrier a three-month deadline to comply with safety standards or be barred from international airports and airspace. State radio quoted airline officials saying "everything is on course" to resume international flights that were grounded earlier this year after a series of pilots' strikes and debts soared to more than $140 million. The radio says China has been linked to a possible bailout plan. An official announcement by the airline is expected soon. Back to Top Aviation Official Blames Crew for Deadly Kamchatka Crash A senior aviation official on Wednesday blamed the crew of an An-28 propeller plane that crashed last month in the Far East for the deaths of 10 people on board and called for those operating the flight to be fired. Alexander Neradko, head of the Federal Air Transportation Agency, said that the pilots of the An-28 plane had "not followed landing rules" and that this was the likely cause of the Sept. 12 crash, Interfax reported. The plane, which was carrying 14 people, four of whom survived, was found on the side of the 500-meter-high Pyatibratka Mountain near the town of Palana, to the west of the far eastern peninsula. On Wednesday, Neradko announced a string of additional safety measures put in place to prevent similar crashes from occurring on Kamchatka. In particular, he said that his agency had established a mandatory approach route for pilots flying into the Kamchatkan airports of Palana, Ozyornaya and Nikolskoye - independent of weather conditions. Neradko added that additional checks would be run on all aircraft operated by the Kamchatkan airline whose plane crashed and that a ground proximity warning system had been installed on the company's sole functioning An-28. He also demanded that those those responsible for the upkeep of the airline's craft be fired and noted that pilots on Kamchatka regularly violated air traffic rules. In the weeks following the incident, crash investigators determined that both pilots on the flight from the regional capital, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, had alcohol in their blood. The Investigative Committee subsequently opened a criminal case on charges of violating air traffic rules, which carry a maximum sentence of seven years in prison. No one has been charged in the case. Read more: http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/aviation-official-blames-crew-for-deadly- kamchatka-crash/470370.html#ixzz2ADcdmzde Back to Top Baggage handler arrested for stealing $20,000 in U.S. currency from airplane A baggage handler suspected of stealing $20,000 in U.S. currency from an airplane transporting money to the United States Federal Reserve was arrested by police according to an NBC news report. The report claims that $96-million was on its way from Dallas to the Federal Reserve Building in East Rutherford, NJ back on October 11. When it arrived at Philadelphia International Airport, $20,000 worth of $100 bills were missing. The heist wasn't discovered until the packages of cash were being unloaded off a Dunbar armored car for inventory. That's when officials saw one package had been opened. "The money was taken sometime between the flight landing at Philadelphia International Airport and the arrival at the Federal Reserve facility in East Rutherford, NJ," said FBI special agent John Cosenza. The stolen bills are brand new and aren't scheduled to be put into circulation until next year. They're very distinctive, with an orange 100 and an orange image that's supposed to be the Liberty Bell. On Tuesday, officials announced Alex Price, 25, was arrested and charged for the currency theft. Investigators say Price was one of the many baggage handlers they interviewed the day of the theft. When he was initially interviewed, Price claimed he didn't see anyone take anything from the airplane without permission, according to police. Price was interviewed a second time on October 17 where he claimed he was the only baggage handler who had direct access to the stolen currency, according to investigators. Investigators say Price denied any involvement in the theft and was even willing to undergo a polygraph examination to prove his innocence. On Tuesday, around 9:30 a.m., an FBI agent picked up Price and took him to Philadelphia FBI headquarters where he underwent the polygraph exam. At the end of the exam, police say Price confessed to stealing $20,000 of Federal Reserve currency from the flight. He also claimed the stolen money was hidden in a Nissan Maxima that he owned, according to investigators. Police say Price led FBI agents to his vehicle. The agents searched the Maxima and recovered a string bag containing the stolen U.S. currency, according to investigators. Price was arrested and charged with theft from interstate shipment. http://guardianlv.com/2012/10/baggage-handler-arrested-for-stealing-20000-in-u-s-currency-from-airplane/ Back to Top New FAA Wake Turbulence Rules Could Boost FedEx Capacity FedEx could see a double-digit increase in capacity at its Memphis hub after Nov. 1, when new FAA wake turbulence recategorization (RECAT) rules go into effect. The new rules are the result of 10 years of study by a "WakeNET USA" working group that includes industry, the FAA , Eurocontrol, NASA and others. Following Memphis , the FAA says RECAT will go into effect at other airports in the U.S. between 2013 and 2014. An FAA safety alert for operations issued Oct. 18 outlines the changes. Currently, the agency uses six wake turbulence separation categories based primarily on aircraft weight, but with RECAT , categories and required separations will now be based on weight , certified approach speeds and wing characteristics, "along with special considerations given to aircraft with limited ability to counteract adverse rolls," says the FAA . Categories are labeled A-F, with A being the largest ( Airbus A380 and Antonov An-225) and F the smallest (includes the Embraer EMB-120 Brasilia and the Beechcraft 1900). "For the FedEx fleet mix, what we will see on the line is approximately a one-mile reduction in the separation that occurs today," says the master executive council of the FedEx Air LinePilots Association chapter in a recent letter to members. "When spaced out over the size of our arrival and departure banks, this possibly could result in almost a 20% increase in capacity ," the union adds. Additional benefits, according to the pilots union, will include shorter-duration final approaches to the airport and the associated reduction in fuel burn and emissions, improved schedule reliability, less pilot fatigue and better delay mitigation. "When thinking a bit further 'outside the box,' getting aircraft in and out faster can reduce the down time while hub turning and give us more time at the hotel," the union says. "Last package pickup at outstations could occur later, increasing our customer base through improved customer service." http://www.aviationweek.com Back to Top Emirates A330 turns back with mechanical engine failure Rolls-Royce has confirmed that an Emirates Airbus A330 turned back to Lusaka, Zambia with an engine failure on 21 October, and that it is "working with [its] customer" to establish what happened. The aircraft (A6-EAP), which was in the cruise about 30min into its flight to Dubai, landed safely at Lusaka, where passengers told local press that there were holes in the left engine cowling. The aircraft is fitted with Rolls-Royce Trent 700 series engines. The manufacturer tells Flightglobal it expects to be able to provide more technical detail in the next 24h. http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/emirates-a330-turns-back-with-mechanical-engine-failure-377982/ Back to Top Hawker 4000 at Risk of Being an Orphaned Airplane With only 75 in service, the Hawker 4000 could become an orphaned airplane as Hawker Beechcraft sheds its jet lines to emerge from bankruptcy as standalone company Beechcraft Corp. The post-bankruptcy company would focus only on its piston and turboprop aircraft lines. In a reorganization plan filed in June with the bankruptcy court, Hawker Beechcraft listed a number of options and assumptions available during the process, among them that the company might cease all jet production- something the company reiterated it planned to do last week when announcing it would emerge from bankruptcy as standalone company Beechcraft Corp. In the June filing, the company also noted that it would stop supporting the Hawker 4000 and Premier installed base, cease engineering support and transfer warranty support to a "residual" buyer. While the number of in-service Premiers would underpin a business case for aftermarket support, the Hawker 4000 might not, according to Mike McCracken, a former HBC employee and now president of Hawkeye Aircraft Acquisitions. "The Hawker 4000 is a completely different game," he told AIN. "There are only about 75 airplanes in service and nobody knows yet whether the SupportPlus program with its five-year guarantee on parts and labor will be honored." He added, "Face it, without service and support, a business jet isn't much more than an expensive lawn ornament." As for pricing, he said pre-owned Hawker 4000s are selling in the $12 million range, about half what new ones were selling for in 2008. "I don't see any upside in resale values until the company's future is established, and definitely not until the new aircraft prices reach a point where they are able to raise [used airplane] prices." http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/ainalerts/2012-10-23/hawker-4000-risk-being-orphaned-airplane Back to Top Eurocontrol chief assumes FSF role Eurocontrol chief David McMillan has become the new governing board chairman of the US-based Flight Safety Foundation. Flight Safety Foundation is an independent, non-profit, international organization engaged in research, education, advocacy and publishing to improve aviation safety. "With his world-wide reputation, David brings a wealth of experience in representing the sterling FSF brand," said Bill Voss, FSF president and CEO. "We're particularly pleased to have David take the helm," said Dave Barger, JetBlue President and CEO, and FSF Treasurer, "The Flight Safety Foundation will benefit greatly from the perspective David will bring, as its first truly international global leader." McMillan is currently director general of Eurocontrol, a role he will continue until the end of 2012. Prior to his time there, McMillan was the director general of civil aviation at the UK Department of Transport and served in the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office as a diplomat in various postings. In accepting the chair position, McMillan said: "We cannot rest or become complacent in aviation safety. The Foundation's key global advocacy role is more important than ever in today's economic climate. I call on everyone with an interest in aviation safety to consider contributing to the important work of the Foundation." McMillan welcomed the attendees to the 65th annual International Air Safety Seminar in Santiago, Chile as one of his first actions as chairman. He is the first FSF Chairman from outside the US. http://www.airtrafficmanagement.net/2012/10/eurocontrol-chief-assumes-fsf-role/ Back to Top Foundation Recognizes Aviation Safety Contributions in Award Ceremony Santiago, Chile, October 23, 2012 - During the first day of the 65th annual International Air Safety Seminar in Santiago, Chile, the Flight Safety Foundation presented four awards to acknowledge important safety contributions in the aviation industry. The FSF-Boeing Aviation Safety Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to the Regional Aviation Safety Group- Pan America (RASG-PA) leadership team. The team consists of Oscar Derby, Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority, Loretta Martin, International Civil Aviation Organization and Alex de Gunten, Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association and has led RASG-PA in efforts that have reduced risks in the North American, Central American, Caribbean and South American Regions through harmonization and coordination of efforts. For the complete release about this award, please click here. The Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award was awarded to Robert Sheffield of Shell Aviation (retired). Mr. Sheffield founded the International Helicopter Safety Team and worked for many years to gain its support from the helicopter industry. The IHST was founded in 2006 and began developing data-driven safety recommendations. His influence encouraged the spread of the principles espoused by the IHST. For the complete release about this award, please click here. The Cecil A. Brownlow Publication Award recognized Alan Bradbury of Karusafe, the flight safety magazine of Air New Zealand. The magazine is produced for ANZ crewmembers and ground personnel and covers perennial issues such as time pressures, night and winter operations and bird strikes, as well as growing concerns such as lithium battery fires and volcanic ash impact on operations. For the complete release about this award, please click here. The final award of the ceremony was the President Citation, presented to William E. Chiles of "Target Zero" - the Bristow Group's Culture of Safety Team. The Bristow Group created the Target Zero Team to achieve three major safety goals - zero accidents, zero harm to people, zero harm to the environment. For the complete release about this award, please click here. About Flight Safety Foundation Flight Safety Foundation (www.flightsafety.org) is an independent, non-profit, international organization engaged in research, education, advocacy and publishing to improve aviation safety. The Foundation's mission is to be the leading voice of safety for the global aerospace community. Flight Safety Foundation Emily McGee Director of Communications mcgee@flightsafety.org +1 703 739 6700, ext. 126 Back to Top Back to Top Airbus unveils new aircraft assembly expansion FRENCH Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault officially unveiled the £9bn Airbus A350 XWB final assembly line (FAL) yesterday. The A350 XWB is Airbus' all new family of mid-size wide-body airliners. The Toulouse facility will be named after Airbus pioneer and founding father, Roger Beteille, who was in attendance. The plant will employ 1,500 people who will build up to 10 aircraft a month from 2018. Wings for all aircraft assembled at the site will continue to be built by the 6,000-strong workforce at the Airbus plant at Broughton, near Chester. Mr Ayrault and Airbus president and chief executive officer Fabrice Bregier inaugurated the FAL in front of hundreds of workers, politicians, customers and suppliers. "Innovation is deeply rooted in our DNA and this is fully demonstrated on the A350 XWB, the world's newest, most advanced airliner," said Mr Bregier. Mr Beteille added: "It is a great honour for me to have my name associated with this magnificent, state of the art FAL. "Airbus' success is a concrete example of how European partners working hand-in-hand can achieve incredible things together and this has been an essential ingredient to becoming the world's largest and premier aircraft manufacturer." Guests at the ceremony saw the A350 XWB coming to life, with the first two aircraft - a static aircraft which will be used solely for ground tests and the first flyable aircraft - at different stages of final assembly. The static aircraft has nearly completed assembly and will be transferred to the test hangar for tests to start in spring 2013. The first flyable A350 XWB is also progressing well, with the fuselage already joined. The wings, vertical and horizontal tail plane are inside the FAL and will be joined to the fuselage in early November. The new FAL covers an area equivalent to nearly 300 tennis courts and the roof is partially covered in 22,000 square metres of solar panelling producing more than half the building's energy needs. Read More http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/ldpbusiness/business-local/2012/10/24/airbus-unveils-new- aircraft-assembly-expansion-99623-32088375/#ixzz2ADQMGumS Back to Top Singapore Air places US$7.5B Airbus order Singapore Airlines Ltd. said Wednesday it would acquire 25 new aircraft from Airbus--five A380s and 20 A350s--in an order valued at US$7.5 billion. The carrier already has orders for 20 A350s due for delivery from 2015 and operates 19 A380-800 aircraft. The most recent orders are due to begin in 2017. "This major order will provide us with additional growth opportunities and is consistent with our longstanding policy of maintaining a young and modern fleet. It demonstrates our commitment to the Singapore hub, and our confidence in the strength of the market for premium full-service travel," Singapore Airlines Chief Executive Goh Choon Phong said in a statement. "The aircraft will enable us to further enhance our network, providing more travel options to our customers. They will also feature the next generation of in-flight cabin products to keep us at the forefront of airline product innovation." Separately, Singapore Airlines said its low cost unit Scoot has placed orders for 20 Boeing 787 aircraft, which are expected to be delivered in 2014. These will replace Scoot's current fleet of Boeing 777-200s. http://www.marketwatch.com/story/singapore-air-places-us75b-airbus-order-2012-10-24 Back to Top Latin America Makes Great Improvements in Aviation Safety Back to Top New USAF website for proactive safety Greetings from the USAF Safety Center. We have just launched a new website dedicated to proactive aviation safety that may interest you. Here's the news release: http://www.afsec.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123323288 The pages contain a philosophical overview and descriptions of our three leading proactive programs (FOQA/ASAP/LOSA), plus an explanation of how they fit into human factors. Please take a minute to visit our pages. Click on the "Proactive Aviation Safety" icon on the right-side of the AFSEC website under Safety Center Links: http://www.afsec.af.mil/ Proactive Aviation Safety (MFOQA, ASAP, LOSA) HQ U.S. Air Force Safety Center (AFSEC) Kirtland AFB, NM Back to Top A350 cockpit offers improved workspace for pilots Pilots transitioning to the A350 from other Airbus types will be greeted with a familiar cockpit layout, but one which boasts key improvements to their workspace. Guy Magrin and Frank Chapman, experimental test pilots at the airframer, have been leading the design effort on the cockpit since the twinjet's inception in 2004. Chapman says: "We have taken advantage of the technological advancements available without changing the basic concept too drastically. "We have made some changes, but it is based on the A380's design." Even pilots flying the A320 narrowbody should notice similarities in the way information is presented and in the location of switches, says Chapman. The time required to transition to the new type will be as short as five days for A380 crews, eight days for those operating A330s and 11 days for A320 pilots, says Magrin. Information for the crew is displayed on five screens laid out across the console, with a sixth positioned below this array. Pilots will be able to tailor the information displayed on each to suit the operational need. This also means if one display fails in flight then the layout can be quickly reconfigured, says Chapman. In addition, the screens at either end of the row are angled to be visible to each pilot, says Magrin, reducing the tendency for the workspace to become "two separate offices". And as a means of further segragating the flight crew from the rest of the aircraft, the entrance to their rest area will be accessible without the need to enter the passenger cabin. Although no changes were made to the cockpit layout in the wake of the findings into the 2009 crash of an Air France A330 over the South Atlantic, Chapman says some systems have been updated in order to avoid "some of the issues AF447 had" in the way data was processed and presented. However, he declines to be drawn on the specific changes Airbus has implemented. The pair are now beginning preparation for the first flight of the type, due to take place using aircraft MSN1 in mid-2013. This includes flying simulated scenarios "to see how the aircraft systems are integrated", says Magrin. Given their lengthy involvement in the project they have become the "focal point for the cockpit design", says Magrin, with their role even extending to helping to decide on the shape of the cockpit windows and picking the colour for its furnishings and the tone of the lighting. These may sound like friperies, but as Magrin points out: "Although we need an efficient cockpit, it's also important that it is comfortable." http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/a350-cockpit-offers-improved-workspace-for-pilots-378011/ Back to Top Aviation Research Survey This research, Impact on Aviation Safety due to Cultural Differences between East and West, is granted by National Science Council, Taiwan (101-2918-I-156-001). The main purpose of this research is to investigate pilots' perception on three key elements of Safety Culture, i.e., Just Culture, Reporting Culture, and Learning Culture, plus their opinions on Cultural differences between east and west in commercial aviation. Department of Tourism Information, Aletheia University Assistant Prof., Meng-Yuan Liao Survey Link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dDFDUF9JV1pheUxMcUVoSkEtZW92WFE6MQ Curt Lewis