Flight Safety Information October 31, 2012 - No. 219 In This Issue 'Air accident' probed at Edmonton International Airport Avantair, Still Grounded, Retains Aviation Safety Expert and Furloughs Pilots Aircraft repair company exec pleads guilty Air France seeks Airbus compensation for A380 glitches Pacific Aviation Safety Office council meets in Tonga Tanzania: Plans Underway to Recruit Pilots PROS IOSA Audit Experts Boeing says 787s for United Airlines are delayed CEOs Seeking Global Range Tilts Market to 8,000-Mile Jets New FSF Committee Addresses Maintainer Concerns Today in History:...Roselawn Accident - October 31, 1994 'Air accident' probed at Edmonton International Airport Crews investigate after a small plane went off the runway at the Edmonton International Airport on Tuesday, October 30, 2012. Authorities are still determining what caused the injury-free incident. The Transportation Safety Board is probing an "air accident" at the Edmonton International Airport. A small Cessna Citation 563 aircraft with two people on board slid off a runway during a landing sometime around 6:30 a.m. "They both walked away from the plane," said Traci Bednard, a spokeswoman with the Edmonton International Airport. Safety board spokesman Jon Lee says one of the two people on board the plane did suffer from minor injuries. A team of investigators were called in to "gather information and assess the occurrence," the safety board said in a release. The investigation and the mishap could cause also cause headaches for passengers flying out of Edmonton as airport is down to one runway, says Bednard. "That, and the freezing rain, may cause delays for passengers," said Bednard. "This may cause some delays, but we are asking people to watch our website." Lee says a mechanical crew will be looking at the plane tomorrow after it's recovered from the airport Tuesday. A cockpit recorder will also be transported to board investigators in Ottawa. Icy conditions will also be an aspect in the investigation, said Lee. "There were hours of darkness when it happened," said Lee. "We have requested runway (condition) reports from the airport." http://www.edmontonsun.com/2012/10/30/air-accident-probed-at-edmonton- international-airport Back to Top Avantair, Still Grounded, Retains Aviation Safety Expert and Furloughs Pilots Fractional provider Avantair continues to stand down operations and has retained safety expert Nick Sabatini to help complete a thorough examination of its fleet of about 60 Piaggio Avantis, including a comprehensive review of records and supporting maintenance documentation. It has also furloughed all of its pilots and operations staff. Avantair's fleet has been "voluntarily" grounded for the past 10 days, a move that was prompted by an incident in late July where a Piaggio Avanti was operated on two flights with a missing elevator surface. http://www.ainonline.com/comment/2576 Back to Top Aircraft repair company exec pleads guilty SACRAMENTO, Calif.(AP) -- An executive at a California airplane repair company has pleaded guilty to endangering aircraft by cutting corners with replacement parts not certified by regulators. The U.S. attorney in Sacramento said Tuesday that Jerry Edward Kuwata, of Granite Bay, admitted to using uncertified parts and falsely certifying that the Federal Aviation Administration approved their use in aircraft repair. Kuwata was the operations manager at Lincoln-based WECO Aerospace Systems Inc. Six other company executives and supervisors also have been indicted. Michael Maupin and Anthony Zito each pleaded guilty to similar charges. Four others have pleaded not guilty. Kuwata faces a maximum of 20 years in prison when he's sentenced. A sentencing date hasn't been scheduled. Investigators say they found no evidence of any accident caused by the allegedly fraudulent repairs. Back to Top Air France seeks Airbus compensation for A380 glitches: report PARIS (Reuters) - Air France-KLM is seeking compensation from Airbus for service disruptions caused by technical glitches affecting its fleet of A380 superjumbo aircraft, French daily Les Echos reported. The carrier wants compensation for the loss of revenue from grounding its fleet as well as inspecting and repairing wing cracks, which have led to delays and flight cancellations, Les Echos said on its website without citing sources. European air safety regulators this year ordered checks for A380 wing cracks in the entire superjumbo fleet after engineers found cracks in almost all planes inspected. The plan to inspect and repair Air France's superjumbo fleet would be equivalent to idling one of the jets for a year and a loss of revenue of between 30 and 50 million euros ($64.53 million), according to the newspaper. Emirates Airline, the world's largest operator of A380 jets, has said it plants to seek compensation from the planemaker. Air France-KLM and Airbus declined to comment. The airline is separately continuing to discuss the details of its order for 25 long-haul A350 aircraft, announced in September 2011, the newspaper said. ($1 = 0.7749 euros) Back to Top Pacific Aviation Safety Office council meets in Tonga Meeting in Tonga today, the council of the Pacific Aviation Safety Office, discussed issues relating to the safety of aviation in its 13 member states and also looked for sustainable ways to finance its operations in the future. Tonga's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Civil Aviation Hon. Samiu Vaipulu opened the one-day meeting this morning. Attending were representatives from PASO's 13 member states of Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. Donor Agencies including the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank were also present. The Deputy Chairman of the PASO Council, Hoe Viale, said that one of the main issues to be discussed was the financial sustainability of the organisation. "We need to find a sustainable method of financing our operations. So to have this meeting in Tonga where the World Bank representatives are present, is timely because Tonga is a recipient and the executing agency of its Pacific Aviation Investment Program," he said. PASO was set up with a loan from the Asian Development Bank and its operation was mainly funded by member states subscriptions along with work that their inspectors undertake in a member countries and charge to operators. He said this was the first council meeting in Tonga. PASO had proven to be a good model as its primary role set by Pacific Island leaders was for one body to offer regulatory advice in aviation safety and security regulations, at an affordable price. "Before that, Pacific countries outsourced their regulatory work to New Zealand and Australia and it was costly," he said. PASO was created in June 2005, as a result of the Pacific Islands Civil Aviation Safety and Security Treaty (PICASST) and is managed by a permanent staff based in Port Vila, Vanuatu. Safety The Deputy Prime Minister said PASO played an important role in the region because aviation safety could never be comprised. "The meeting is an important part of the process to develop the capability of the Pacific region to handle its own aviation issues to the highest international standard, at an affordable cost," he said. Pacific members states had supported PASO's efforts throughout the years. "We must adhere to what it is leading us to and help PASO continue its job in supporting the region," he said. Tonga Tonga and the World Bank had signed a US$26 million grant to make air travel safer and more efficient to and from Tonga, through its Pacific Aviation Investment Program. He expected the project would start next year and include rehabilitation of the terminals at Fua'amotu International Airport and Lupepau'u Airport in Vava'u. Work would include strengthening and extending of runways and setting up fire rescue facilities, he said. PASO Council initially held a two-day informal meeting from October 29-30, before the main meeting was held today. http://matangitonga.to/2012/10/31/pacific-aviation-safety-office-council-meets-tonga Back to Top Tanzania: Plans Underway to Recruit Pilots THE government plans to spend 2.7 million US dollars (about 5bn/-) to recruit and train pilots and aircraft engineers as most are expected to retire from public service in the next five to ten years. The move is expected to make up for the shortage that would hit the aviation industry once the pilots approaching retirement age leave office. Tanzania has only 252 local pilots and 168 aircraft maintenance engineers and 40 per cent of them are aged between 51 and 60 years. The remaining 60 per cent are aged between 20 and 40 years. To address the problem, the National Institute of Transport (NIT) and the Air Tanzania Company Ltd (ATCL) yesterday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for a joint training programme. The agreement will see both institutions collaborating in providing training to aircraft engineers and aircraft crews, to start with, which are expected to be in high demand in the coming five years. Speaking at the signing ceremony in Dar es Salaam, the NIT Rector, Dr Zacharia Mganilwa said Tanzania projects to utilize local capacity and expertise in training the experts than sending them abroad at a high cost. "The Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA) plans to solicit about 800,000 million US dollars by next year and about 900,000 US dollars the following year ready for the training programme and save nearly 80 of the cost if they are trained overseas," he said. He said that TCAA is now working on some important steps before introducing the courses such as accreditation of curricula expected to be used in teaching students who will be admitted at NIT and receive practical training at ATCL facilities. He said the country has to be well prepared as surveys anticipate a huge boom in aviation industry due to growth in tourism and other economic activities like oil and gas exploration. He said Tanzania will need over 77 pilots more and at least 50 aircraft engineers in the coming five years while 36 aircrafts more will be needed up from the current 215 plying in local and international routes. Speaking at the event, ATCL Acting Managing Director, Engineer Milton Lusajo said taking flights should no longer be a luxurious affair but a convenient means of travel. http://allafrica.com/stories/201210310166.html Back to Top Back to Top Boeing says 787s for United Airlines are delayed A Boeing 787 sits on the assembly line at the company's operations in Everett, Washington, October 18, 2012. (Reuters) - Boeing Co (BA.N) said delivery of at least two 787 jets for United Airlines (UAL.N) was taking longer than expected, a surprise hitch in delivery to its first U.S. customer that is set to disappoint some customers wanting to ride the new fuel-efficient aircraft. Boeing said it is working diligently to complete United Airlines' next 787s for delivery but that the process is "taking a few days longer than anticipated." The delay, while short, is another missed date for the 787 program which was delayed for nearly 3-1/2 years to address quality problems with the jet that uses substantial amounts of lightweight composite materials to replace aluminum in the fuselage and wings. United took delivery of its first 787 in September and is due to start carrying customers with it on November 4. The airline is scheduled to receive five of the jets this year. United said on Tuesday that Boeing told it the second plane was not ready for delivery and the airline said it believes all of the four remaining jets could be delayed. It has begun notifying customers who were scheduled to fly on the second 787 jet that they will travel on a different model of plane instead. "We're offering to refund or re-book customers who specifically intended to fly on one of the early Dreamliner flights," said Christen David, director of corporate communications for United Continental Holdings Inc. "We believe this year's subsequent 787 deliveries could be delayed as well, but we are hopeful that we will still receive four more 787s this year," said David. She declined to say what issue had delayed the plane delivery, or when it was due to be delivered now. Boeing said it was not one specific issue with the plane and declined to elaborate. It said the issues would not affect delivery of 787s to other customers. "The process for completing an airplane requires thoroughness and a disciplined adherence to process," said Tim Bader, a Boeing spokesman. "We've laid out a challenging schedule for the team. But we've also told them we cannot compromise on the rigor with which we finish our work, test our products and certify them for delivery." The 787 Dreamliner, a wide-body jet, seats 219 passengers in United's configuration, and is billed as Boeing most fuel-efficient jet. It was initially scheduled to enter service in May 2008, but delays pushed its first flight back to December 2009 and it entered service on October 26, 2011, with launch customer All Nippon Airways (9202.T). Back to Top CEOs Seeking Global Range Tilts Market to 8,000-Mile Jets Corporate executives are increasingly seeking jets that can fly as far as New York to Shanghai and cruise just under the speed of sound, tilting the market toward the biggest, most luxurious models. Jets sold over the 11 years through 2022 will average $25 million per plane, according to a study by Honeywell International Inc. (HON), up 8.7 percent from an estimate of $23 million last year. The market is likely to reach $250 billion for the 11-year period, up from $230 billion in a similar period through 2011. "It has to do with the global growth patterns and the need for companies to reach out to other parts of the world to do business and to do it productively," said Robert Wilson, president of the Business & General Aviation unit of Honeywell, which released the survey before this week's National Business Aviation Association conference in Orlando, Florida. Demand for jets that don't need refueling on intercontinental flights is propping up the market after deliveries of mid-size and light planes fell last year. Canada's Bombardier Inc. (BBD/B) is leading the drive with the Global 8000, which will travel 7,900 nautical miles (14,631 kilometers). General Dynamics Corp. (GD)'s Gulfstream is set to deliver the first G650, which travels 7,000 nautical miles and boasts a top speed of Mach 0.925, this year. $50 Million Those jets have $50 million-plus price tags, more than 10 times models that can't make it across the U.S. without refueling. Of jet deliveries last year, heavy jets rose by 2.8 percentage points to 41 percent while light jets' share of deliveries slipped 3.1 percentage points to 40 percent, according to JPMorgan Chase & Co. Gulfstream already is studying the next jet product even before buyers get to fly the G650, its longest-range plane, Chief Executive Officer Larry Flynn told journalists at the conference. "We look at it on what the customers want to pay for and then go build what they want," Flynn said. "So far, they like bigger cabins, they like faster airplanes and they like the range. So more of that is in the future." Large Companies Large plane sales have been buoyed by big companies that have better weathered weak growth and can afford long-range jets, said Brad Thress, chief of business jets for Cessna, a unit of Providence, Rhode Island-based Textron Inc. (TXT) Earlier this year, Cessna announced its longest-distance jet ever, the Citation Longitude, with a range of 4,000 nautical miles. The rapid growth for jets in emerging markets also favors large planes, Steve Ridolfi, president of Bombardier's business- jet unit, said in an interview. In countries like China, corporate jets are used mostly by company owners who travel to Europe or the U.S. Also, China doesn't have the general-aviation airports and services that allow more use of small aircraft for domestic flights. "These emerging markets grow first from the top. It's the billionaires who buy first, and then you go down the pipe," Ridolfi said in an interview. "So when you talk about China, it's big airplanes first." In the next five years, the number of jets in China will increase an average of 30 percent per year, Wilson said. Russia will grow 15 percent and India 18 percent per year. Participants in the survey of 1,500 companies with private fleets pointed to range as the top reason for choosing an aircraft, Wilson said. Lighter Jets From 2012 through 2022, large jets are forecast to account for 42 percent of planes sold and 69 percent of the total dollar cost, Wilson said. Mid-size jets will make up about 28 percent and only a fifth of the dollar value. Light and mid-sized jets, which sell best in mature markets like the U.S. and Europe, will rebound when smaller companies have more clarity about the U.S. taxes and budget cuts, Europe's recession and the slowdown in Asia, Thress said. Many people start out with a light jet, such as the four-seater Citation Mustang, and then trade up for larger ones as their business grows, he said. "The interest is out there," Thress said in an interview. "We just think that people could use a little bit of confidence and stability in the economy." The longer-range jets from Bombardier and Gulfstream have created more competition for customers of Boeing Co. (BA)'s business jets, which have less range at 6,200 nautical miles although about three times the cabin space, said Steve Taylor, president of Boeing's business-jet unit. City Pairs "While we're still pretty different products, there are some customers in between those products," Taylor said. "When they were able to do city pairs we couldn't, well, that would drive some customers across." Embraer SA's Lineage 1000, which has a range of 4,400 nautical miles, is the Brazilian company's longest-range plane, leaving it without an aircraft to match the ultra long- range G650 and Global 8000, Ernie Edwards, president of Embraer's executive jet unit, said in an interview last night in Orlando. "We know that we have a gap in our product portfolio that we one day will fill," he said in an interview. "But, there's no immediate plan to fill that. At some point in the future we may announce something." NetJets Order Altogether, Honeywell forecasts deliveries of 680 to 720 new business jets this year compared with 683 planes last year, excluding Boeing and Airbus (EAD) SAS private jets. Purchase expectations for new jets weakened in Asia, which makes up about 4 percent of the world fleet, Wilson said. In Latin America, which has about 10 percent of the world fleet, they rose. NetJets Inc., the private-jet unit of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (B), ordered as many as 120 of Bombardier's longest-range Global aircraft last year in a deal valued at $6.7 billion. The Columbus, Ohio-based provider of private jet services also placed a $9.6 billion order in June for as many as 425 new mid-size aircraft from Cessna and Bombardier on expectations that market will eventually rebound, Pat Gallagher, chief of sales at NetJets, said in an interview. For now, flying farther and faster is what's in demand, he said. "We're doing a lot more flights to Russia and Brazil and China and other faraway places than we used to," Gallagher said. "As companies start to do business more globally, they need aircraft that can get them there." http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-10-28/ceos-seeking-global-range-tilts-market- to-8-000-mile-jets#p2 Back to Top New FSF Committee Addresses Maintainer Concerns The rise in global demand for commercial and business aircraft has not been accompanied by a proportional increase in the number of technicians ready to service those airplanes and helicopters; in fact, the number of qualified maintenance personnel continues to dwindle. The Flight Safety Foundation (Booth No. 3532) recently formed a new Maintenance Advisory Committee (MAC) to examine issues affecting aircraft maintainers and find ways to encourage new talent in the field. Committee members are consulting with industry personnel on these topics throughout NBAA'12. FSF COO Kevin Hiatt told AIN the MAC is tasked with developing programs to assist the aircraft maintainer segment on safety issues, as well as identifying and offering solutions for maintenance and engineering concerns. "We took a look at our committee structure and determined there was a gap where maintenance organizations weren't being adequately represented in our international, European, and business advisory groups," he said. "We simply didn't have many maintenance people involved to discuss the safety issues needing to be addressed." Fatigue and Filling the Ranks Formed in August, the maintenance committee met for the first time in early September. Hiatt said members came away from that gathering with two key areas to address, including concerns about fatigue. Though many think of pilot and crew rest concerns when discussing fatigue issues, it's a significant problem for aircraft maintainers as well, especially in Part 91 operations. "Technicians work long hours, often outside their normal circadian rhythm," Hiatt noted. "The bottom line comes down to when the operator wants to use the airplane; they expect to use it now; and maintainers are expected to work until a problem is fixed. Fatigue inevitably begins to set in when the mechanic is continually working, and many operations don't have a lot of structure to deal with that." Of arguably even greater concern, though, is the lack of new personnel choosing to enter the aircraft maintainer field. "The industry isn't as lucrative for people coming out of college and going into the job as it's been in the past," Hiatt acknowledged. "People are starting to retire, and there are not enough people with the time and experience coming up to replace them. We're not seeing as many people getting excited about those career paths, and the places that educate pilots and mechanics aren't seeing the enrollment numbers we'd like." The number of qualified and eager candidates transitioning from other aviation-related fields or coming out of the military has also declined, leaving commercial training programs as the primary source for new candidates. "There are particular schools that turn out mechanics, but we're not seeing the enrollment there to support today's number of business aircraft, never mind the growing market in the future," Hiatt said. "We'll have to do the best we can by working with these people to develop a suitable talent pool and maintain the high current level of safety." Competition While pay rates certainly factor into the low numbers, Hiatt believes another significant reason lies in competition from other career fields that might appear "more glamorous," many of which offer technically skilled job candidates the opportunity to work in plusher surroundings than a maintenance hangar. "In Europe and Asia, aircraft maintenance is considered a more professional trade, with a specific path to follow through schooling and into a job," Hiatt said. "The situation is somewhat sketchier in the U.S., and to compete, those offering jobs in these fields have to modify their hiring practices and style. There needs to be a better path for moving that individual from the learning role to being an employee." A greater focus on ad initio training-with companies assisting not only with hiring the student but also in tailoring the educational program-may be one possible method to address this issue. Hiatt noted the MAC "will be taking a look at the industry from a global perspective. Worldwide demand for commercial airline maintenance personnel is tremendous; we're already seeing a shortage there, and that leaves the business aviation community clamoring for people to work on their aircraft." As with other FSF committees, the MAC will function primarily in an advisory role to companies and the industry. "We'll definitely point out the gaps that need to be covered and then use the resources available within the committee and the foundation to speak on those topics," Hiatt said. "Like all of our committees, the MAC will examine the issues to ensure that aviation safety remains paramount. "We try to stay out of the political, labor and industrial sides of the issue, and instead focus on particular issues affecting aviation safety and ways to keep aviation among the safest forms of transportation," he concluded. http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/nbaa-convention-news/2012-10-30/new-fsf- committee-addresses-maintainer-concerns Back to Top Today in History: Roselawn Accident - October 31, 1994 Status: Final Date: 31 OCT 1994 Time: 15:59 Type: Aérospatiale/Aeritalia ATR-72-212 Operating for: American Eagle Leased from: Simmons Airlines Registration: N401AM C/n / msn: 401 First flight: 1994 Total airframe hrs: 1352 Cycles: 1671 Engines: 2 Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127 Crew: Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4 Passengers: Fatalities: 64 / Occupants: 64 Total: Fatalities: 68 / Occupants: 68 Airplane damage: Destroyed Airplane fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: near Roselawn, IN (United States of America) Phase: Approach (APR) Nature: Domestic Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Indianapolis International Airport, IN (IND) (IND/KIND), United States of America Destination airport: Chicago-O'Hare International Airport, IL (ORD) (ORD/KORD), United States of America Flightnumber: 4184 Narrative: American Eagle Flight 4184 was scheduled to depart the gate in Indianapolis at 14:10; however, due to a change in the traffic flow because of deteriorating weather conditions at destination Chicago-O'Hare, the flight left the gate at 14:14 and was held on the ground for 42 minutes before receiving an IFR clearance to O'Hare. At 14:55, the controller cleared flight 4184 for takeoff. The aircraft climbed to an enroute altitude of 16,300 feet. At 15:13, flight 4184 began the descent to 10,000 feet. During the descent, the FDR recorded the activation of the Level III airframe deicing system. At 15:18, shortly after flight 4184 leveled off at 10,000 feet, the crew received a clearance to enter a holding pattern near the LUCIT intersection and they were told to expect further clearance at 15:45, which was revised to 16:00 at 15:38. Three minutes later the Level III airframe deicing system activated again. At 15:56, the controller contacted flight 4184 and instructed the flight crew to descend to 8,000 feet. The engine power was reduced to the flight idle position, the propeller speed was 86 percent, and the autopilot remained engaged in the vertical speed (VS) and heading select (HDG SEL) modes. At 15:57:21, as the airplane was descending in a 15-degree right-wing-down attitude at 186 KIAS, the sound of the flap overspeed warning was recorded on the CVR. The crew selected flaps from 15 to zero degrees and the AOA and pitch attitude began to increase. At 15:57:33, as the airplane was descending through 9,130 feet, the AOA increased through 5 degrees, and the ailerons began deflecting to a right-wing-down position. About 1/2 second later, the ailerons rapidly deflected to 13:43 degrees right-wing-down, the autopilot disconnected. The airplane rolled rapidly to the right, and the pitch attitude and AOA began to decrease. Within several seconds of the initial aileron and roll excursion, the AOA decreased through 3.5 degrees, the ailerons moved to a nearly neutral position, and the airplane stopped rolling at 77 degrees right-wing-down. The airplane then began to roll to the left toward a wings-level attitude, the elevator began moving in a nose-up direction, the AOA began increasing, and the pitch attitude stopped at approximately 15 degrees nose down. At 15:57:38, as the airplane rolled back to the left through 59 degrees right- wing-down (towards wings level), the AOA increased again through 5 degrees and the ailerons again deflected rapidly to a right-wing-down position. The captain's nose-up control column force exceeded 22 pounds, and the airplane rolled rapidly to the right, at a rate in excess of 50 degrees per second. The captain's nose-up control column force decreased below 22 pounds as the airplane rolled through 120 degrees, and the first officer's nose-up control column force exceeded 22 pounds just after the airplane rolled through the inverted position (180 degrees). Nose-up elevator inputs were indicated on the FDR throughout the roll, and the AOA increased when nose-up elevator increased. At 15:57:45 the airplane rolled through the wings-level attitude (completion of first full roll). The nose-up elevator and AOA then decreased rapidly, the ailerons immediately deflected to 6 degrees left-wing-down and then stabilized at about 1 degree right-wing-down, and the airplane stopped rolling at 144 degrees right wing down. At 15:57:48, as the airplane began rolling left, back towards wings level, the airspeed increased through 260 knots, the pitch attitude decreased through 60 degrees nose down, normal acceleration fluctuated between 2.0 and 2.5 G, and the altitude decreased through 6,000 feet. At 15:57:51, as the roll attitude passed through 90 degrees, continuing towards wings level, the captain applied more than 22 pounds of nose-up control column force, the elevator position increased to about 3 degrees nose up, pitch attitude stopped decreasing at 73 degrees nose down, the airspeed increased through 300 KIAS, normal acceleration remained above 2 G, and the altitude decreased through 4,900 feet. At 15:57:53, as the captain's nose-up control column force decreased below 22 pounds, the first officer's nose-up control column force again exceeded 22 pounds and the captain made the statement "nice and easy." At 15:57:55, the normal acceleration increased to over 3.0 G. Approximately 1.7 seconds later, as the altitude decreased through 1,700 feet, the elevator position and vertical acceleration began to increase rapidly. The last recorded data on the FDR occurred at an altitude of 1,682 feet (vertical speed of approximately 500 feet per second), and indicated that the airplane was at an airspeed of 375 KIAS, a pitch attitude of 38 degrees nose down with 5 degrees of nose-up elevator, and was experiencing a vertical acceleration of 3.6 G. The airplane impacted a wet soybean field partially inverted, in a nose down, left-wing-low attitude. Based on petitions filed for reconsideration of the probable cause, the NTSB on September 2002 updated it's findings. PROBABLE CAUSE: "The loss of control, attributed to a sudden and unexpected aileron hinge moment reversal, that occurred after a ridge of ice accreted beyond the deice boots while the airplane was in a holding pattern during which it intermittently encountered supercooled cloud and drizzle/rain drops, the size and water content of which exceeded those described in the icing certification envelope. The airplane was susceptible to this loss of control, and the crew was unable to recover. Contributing to the accident were 1) the French Directorate General for Civil Aviation's (DGAC's) inadequate oversight of the ATR 42 and 72, and its failure to take the necessary corrective action to ensure continued airworthiness in icing conditions; 2) the DGAC's failure to provide the FAA with timely airworthiness information developed from previous ATR incidents and accidents in icing conditions, 3) the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA's) failure to ensure that aircraft icing certification requirements, operational requirements for flight into icing conditions, and FAA published aircraft icing information adequately accounted for the hazards that can result from flight in freezing rain, 4) the FAA's inadequate oversight of the ATR 42 and 72 to ensure continued airworthiness in icing conditions; and 5) ATR's inadequate response to the continued occurrence of ATR 42 icing/roll upsets which, in conjunction with information learned about aileron control difficulties during the certification and development of the ATR 42 and 72, should have prompted additional research, and the creation of updated airplane flight manuals, flightcrew operating manuals and training programs related to operation of the ATR 42 and 72 in such icing conditions. " www.aviation-safety.net Curt Lewis