Flight Safety Information December 10, 2012 - No. 246 In This Issue Japan's ANA plane overruns runway, no injuries reported Learjet-25 Fatal Accident - Mexico FAA requires automated de-icing for 737NG pitot tubes Philippines to get night rating for 14 airports Boeing-777 Smoke in Cockpit, Emergency Landing, China Boeing-767 Air Return, Flap Disagreement, Russia F-22 jet used in Pearl Harbor ceremony scrapes tail on landing, causing $1.8M in damage Tenn. woman suing Southwest Airlines for hot-water burns Flights carrying passengers without surveillance: report (India) Runway Incursion, Threat to Air Safety in Nigeria PROS IOSA Audit Experts F-35B Sea Trials - Video; No catapult, No hook! First pics: X-47B Unmanned Aircraft at sea aboard carrier TRUMAN WestJet takes delivery of its 100th Boeing Next-Generation 737 FIJI HOSTS CIVIL AVIATION TALKS Alaska names head of in-flight General Aviation Flight Data Monitoring Survey Japan's ANA plane overruns runway, no injuries reported An All Nippon Airway (ANA)'s overran airplane is seen at Shonai Airport in Sakata, in this photo taken by Kyodo, Dec 9, 2012. An ANA Co flight from Tokyo's Haneda airport overran the runway at Shonai Airport in Yamagata Prefecture on Saturday night. TOKYO - An All Nippon Airways flight from Tokyo's Haneda airport overran the runway at a northern Japanese airport, the airline said Sunday. None of the 161 passengers and six crew members were injured and no damage to the Boeing 737-800 plane was reported after the incident late Saturday, ANA said in a statement. Japan's transport ministry however considered it a serious incident that could have caused a disaster and sent investigators to the scene. An ANA spokesman denied an earlier report that the aircraft's automatic braking system failed. http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/asia/story/japans-ana-plane-overruns- runway-no-injuries-reported-20121209 ************** An airplane overshoots runway at Shonai Airport in Japan TOKYO, Dec 08, 2012 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- An airplane overshot the runway at the Shonai Airport in Japan's Yamagata Prefecture late Saturday and injured no one. The flight, which belongs to All Nippon Airways Co., was from Tokyo's Haneda airport to the Shonai airport. The plane's automatic braking system did not work after landing at the airport. The pilot put on the brake manually, but most of the plane's body overran the runway, according to the company. About 161 passengers and six crew members were on board. No one was injured and the plane was also not damaged, said the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. It was snowing at the time of the accident. The plane hovered more than an hour over the airport before ground crew finished snow removal. Back to Top Learjet-25 Fatal Accident - Mexico Status: Preliminary Date: 09 DEC 2012 Time: ca 04:40 Type: Learjet 25 Operator: Starwood Management LLC Registration: N345MC C/n / msn: 25-046 First flight: 1969 Crew: Fatalities: / Occupants: 2 Passengers: Fatalities: / Occupants: 5 Total: Fatalities: / Occupants: 7 Airplane damage: Missing Location: 100 km (62.5 mls) S of Monterrey (Mexico) Phase: En route (ENR) Nature: Executive Departure airport: Monterrey (unknown airport) (), Mexico Destination airport: Toluca Airport (TLC) (TLC/MMTO), Mexico Narrative: A Learjet 25 corporate jet went missing en route between Monterrey and Toluca Airport (TLC), Mexico. There were two pilots and five passengers on board. The airplane had been chartered to transport Mexican-American singer Jenni Rivera and four others to Toluca following an evening concert in the Monterrey Arena. Back to Top FAA requires automated de-icing for 737NG pitot tubes US airlines will be required to more than 1,000 next generation 737s with automated air data systems under an airworthiness directive to be published on 10 December. The US Federal Aviation Administration has approved the directive 10 months after proposing the rule change. The airlines operating the 737NGs will have 24 months to complete the changes estimates to cause $17,300 per aircraft or $17.7 million fleet-wide, the FAA says. The agency increased its cost estimate from a total of $15 million after several carriers complained that was too low. The FAA added up to 30h of additional labour needed to remove and reinstall galleys and lavatories behind the cockpit to make the changes, as suggested by Southwest Airlines. But the airlines failed to persuade the FAA to extend the timeframe from making the changes from 24 months to at least 30 months, despite arguments that the timing of the rule will require modifications outside of the heavy maintenance cycle. The hardware change was initiated after three reports of pilots failing to manually activate air data sensor heating systems on 737NGs. Air data sensors, which include pitot tubes, can provide incorrect or misleading information to the pilots if partially or fully blocked by ice. The automated system will eliminate the risk of a "loss of control" event because the pilot neglected to manually activate the 737NG's air data de-icing system. http://www.flightglobal.com/news/ Back to Top Philippines to get night rating for 14 airports The Philippines has committed to ramp up facilities at 14 of its airports to equip them with night-landing capabilities. The country's department of budget and management has released Philippine pesos (Ps) 934 million ($22.8 million) to the department of transportation and communications (DOTC) for a public-private partnership project to make 14 of the country's airports capable of night-landing operations. The airports involved are Tuguegarao, San Jose (Mindoro), Busuanga, Naga, Legazpi, Roxas, Tagbilaran, Dumaguete, Dipolog, Pagadian, Ozamis, Cotabato, Butuan and Surigao airports. These airports will be equipped with facilities such as airfield light systems, communications equipment, power supply systems, air disaster management systems, which are necessary for night-landing operations. "Because there's greater tourist interest in our local destinations, our airports are busier than ever. We're seeing a larger volume of human traffic and more flights weaving their way in and out of our runways," says budget and management secretary Florencio Abad. "The night-rating of these 14 airports will enable them to accommodate additional flights in the evening, so that their operations are no longer limited to the daytime." No time frame, however, has been set as to when the upgrading will be completed. Statistics gathered by the DOTC show that the country's air fleet population has almost doubled to 119 aircraft from 62 in 2008. The country transported 30 million passengers in 2011, up by 67% from 2006, while aircraft movements at Ninoy Aquino International Airport rose to 255,000 in 2011, up by 49% from 2006. The country has thus been moving to upgrade its airports and changes to take-off and landing fees have also been mooted to encourage more flights to be operated at night. http://www.flightglobal.com/news/ Back to Top Boeing-777 Smoke in Cockpit, Emergency Landing, China Date: 09-DEC-2012 Time: 01:45 Type: Boeing 777-367ER Operator: Cathay Pacific Registration: B-KPK C/n / msn: 36158/783 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 268 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Unknown Location: Near Wuhan - China Phase: En route Nature: International Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: HKG Destination airport: LHR Narrative: The plane was operating flight CX251 en route to London Heathrow. Smoke was detected in the cockpit and emergency landing was made at Wuhan Tianhe International Airport (WUH). All passengers and crew were evacuated and no one was hurt. www.aviation-safety.net Back to Top Boeing-767 Air Return, Flap Disagreement, Russia Date: 09-DEC-2012 Time: 11:48 LT Type: Boeing 767-306(ER) Operator: Nordwind Airlines Registration: VQ-BMQ C/n / msn: cn 28098 / l Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 279 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: None Location: Yemelyanovo International Airport (KJA/UNKL) - Russia Phase: Landing Nature: Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: (KJA/UNKL) Destination airport: (HKT/VTSP) Narrative: Returned to land following flap disagreement warning on the flight deck. www.aviation-safety.net Back to Top F-22 jet used in Pearl Harbor ceremony scrapes tail on landing, causing $1.8M in damage HONOLULU (AP) - An F-22 fighter jet used in a flyover during a remembrance ceremony at Pearl Harbor scraped its tail on a runway as it landed, causing $1.8 million in damage. A Hawaii National Guard spokesman says nobody was hurt in the incident Friday morning on the 71st anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Back to Top Tenn. woman suing Southwest Airlines for hot-water burns SMYRNA, Tenn., Dec. 9 (UPI) -- A Tennessee woman is suing Southwest Airlines for $800,000 for burns suffered when she spilled hot water for tea on herself during a flight, her attorney says. Angelica Keller, 43, of Smyrna, a passenger on a Southwest Airlines flight last year, suffered second-degree burns and skin blisters when she spilled the water on her lap. She accuses the airline of negligence, The (Nashville) Tennessean reported Sunday. Southwest Airlines' court-filed responses say Keller picked her front-row seat, where she knew there was no drop-down table, and was thus negligent when she spilled the hot water on herself. Since the 1992 case of a New Mexico woman who won a $2.7 million judgment against McDonald's after she spilled hot coffee on herself -- an amount later reduced to $640,000 and then chopped further in an undisclosed settlement -- states nationwide have passed tort reform legislation to stop such suits and cap jury awards, The Tennessean noted. Tennessee passed its version of the legislation in 2011.The state's cap for awards in such tort cases is $750,000 in pain and suffering damages. If the case is considered "catastrophic," the award cannot exceed $1 million. About $300,000 of the amount Keller is seeking is for damages for pain and suffering. About half of the states in the country cap pain and suffering awards, but suits have been filed in recent years challenging those limits, the newspaper reported. Back to Top Flights carrying passengers without surveillance: report (India) Mumbai - Several flights ferrying thousands of passengers in the country operate without the aviation regulator's surveillance, according to the report submitted by a government independent air safety committee. The report by the Civil Aviation Safety Advisory Council (CASAC), a body set up after the Air India Express crash at Mangalore in 2010, states that majority of the flight operation inspectors (FOIs) appointed by the aviation regulator for the critical surveillance job barely turn up at work. The FOIs' job entails regular monitoring whether airlines are following the safety procedures prescribed by the DGCA that includes cockpit en-route inspection, aircraft cabin inspection and evaluating simulator checks by aircrew. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had appointed these senior pilots on deputation to make up for its shortage of full time FOIs. As a result, the pre-condition for the job was serving the regulator's office for at least four days a week. But an attendance sheet for the month of September produced by CASAC shows that none of the 21 pilots selected for the job reported to work for 16 days. In fact, 12 of them were present for less than 10 days. "The CASAC has pointed out this violation several times but the nobody is willing to take action," said Captain Mohan Ranganathan, member CASAC. Considering the time-consuming nature of the job and its bearing on passenger safety, the DGCA has asked airlines to nominate pilots who do not hold senior managerial positions. But the report states that even that parameter was violated. Of the 21 FOIs, 19 hold crucial managerial positions in domestic airlines. "Three of FOIs worked with Kingfisher Airlines which is bigger violation because the airline's license is currently suspended," said Captain Ranganathan. The report gains importance as its findings have come to light a week before the International Civil Aviation Organisation's (ICAO) audit on flight safety standards in the country. Incidentally, the global policy maker for air safety norms had slammed the DGCA over shortage of FOIs and lack of surveillance during its audit in 2006. "I hope the DGCA is able to explain such serious safety violations to the ICAO," added Captain Ranganathan. http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Mumbai/Flights-carrying-passengers- without-surveillance-report/Article1-970059.aspx Back to Top Runway Incursion, Threat to Air Safety in Nigeria Captain John Obakpolor (rtd) Pilots and Air Traffic Controllers argue over runway incursion, forcing pilots to abort landing, an action that is a threat to safety. But an aviation expert and consultant, Group Captain John Obakpolor (rtd), speaks with Chinedu Eze on the issue In spite of the progress made in airspace surveillance through the completion and operation of the Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria (TRACON), there are still incidents of air misses and runway incursions which could lead to aircraft collision with the attendant tragic consequences. Although the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) said airspace safety had improved significantly in recent times, there are indications, however, that near mishaps still occur in the airspace and many attribute this to conflicting signals by the Air Traffic Controllers to the pilots, but sometimes pilots may decide to abort landing when there is a missed approach. Below is the experience of a passenger who witnessed the near tragic incident of aborted landing on board Nigerian flight. "I was on flight 316 Aero which left Port Harcourt at about 4:00 pm for Lagos on the 10th of November, 2012. The flight was smooth but when we were about to touchdown, probably at a height of about 3m or at most 5m, the pilot aborted the landing. We were no more than 1 or 2 seconds from touch-down. The runway was already visible through my window. "The plane suddenly took off again with the wing swinging from side to side violently. When the pilot had gotten control of the aircraft and gained altitude, he announced that he had to abort because there was another plane on the runway." The passenger alleged that, "relevant authorities have swept this under the carpet. I think the public needs to know. We were probably five seconds from a fatal collision. Obviously the air traffic controller made a mistake and needs to be reprimanded and measures put in place to avoid same." Another passenger recalled how he boarded Afrijet flight (which has now gone under) in Enugu to Lagos in 2009 and after the pilot announced the flight was landing and directed the cabin crew to sit down for landing and at almost touch-down on the runway it took off again with so much power, tore through the clouds and went up again. "Because the pilot took time before telling the passenger what happened, everybody in the plane was petrified, some started crying, some were praying and one of the passengers started lamenting why he boarded the flight, saying that he was advised by his wife not to travel by air. "Then the voice of the pilot came up and he explained in his half-hearted English that another aircraft, Arik flight, was directed to take off at the time he was asked to land. The aircraft hovered round for some minutes before it landed to the relief of everybody." But that was about four years ago. The airspace has improved since then but from the Aero incident above it is obvious that such incident still happens and it is very dangerous because it could lead to the most tragic accidents. Expert's View Industry expert and consultant, Group Captain John Obakpolor (rtd), explained to THISDAY that although TRACON is effectively covering the nation's airspace and could identify aircraft anywhere in the airspace, it cannot capture aircraft at a certain level of the airspace below its scope, so it may not pick aircraft that is taking off or landing on the runway. "Any aircraft below a certain height in the airspace may be under the scope of the radar and will not be located by TRACON which mean that the aircraft is under the range of the radar. Before the Air Traffic Controllers hand over the aircraft to approach on its way to landing the aircraft must have gone below the radar's range. But the Controller and the pilot should know that another aircraft is on the ground so it would not get to the extent that the pilot should abort his flight," Obakpolor said. He identified some factors that could be responsible for the pilot to abort landing like the experience that was narrated earlier. It could be a misapproach, whereby the pilot missed the right position to land on the runway and "instead of acknowledging his error chose to blame somebody else." The controller may mix the heading he gave a pilot and gave the same to another pilot. Heading means direction and when this happens this kind of thing could happen but Obakpolor noted that this rarely happens in the Nigerian airspace now. He said that sometimes there may be disagreement between the pilot and the Air Traffic Controller that "sometimes there may be altercation between them. The controller should realise that the pilot is carrying many people on-board and has very little time to take decisions." Obakpolor said, "The airspace has improved. Most of the time the problem we have is human error and from what the information we are getting from the US, the company that manufactured the Dana Air aircraft, MD83 has said that the engines of the aircraft were clear before the crash. So this could be attributed to human error. There are maintenance human error, administrative human error and pilot error. " The former president of Aviation Round Table also noted that since NAMA completed its VHF coverage of the airspace that Air Traffic Controllers have been very effective in terms of communication with the pilots. "Ask any pilot, communication has improved. NAMA has improved on communication system. Pilots should own up if they abort flights." How can such incidents which can lead to disaster eliminated? Obakpolor said that the role the regulatory body could play is to ensure that the aircraft is properly maintained when it is due for checks; that the pilots should go for their simulator training when it is due. He remarked that with the improvement made by NAMA in terms of surveillance and communication with the establishment of TRACON and VHF projects, the airspace could be described as very safe now. "Training should take care of such human errors in aircraft operation. The regulatory body must ensure that the pilot goes for training when his simulator training is due. There should be no cutting corners and no extension. Reflexes on the side of the pilot can deteriorate but the sim training will improve this." Obakpolor insisted that on the Aero incident both the pilot and the Air Traffic Controllers must have seen the aircraft on ground so the blame should go to the pilot for aborting the landing because he should have known that the aircraft was on ground. "They should have known about the aircraft on ground. He was already at touch down. Such thing has never happened for a long time," he insisted. Pilots and Air Traffic Controllers are also blamed for aborted landing and runway incursions. The reason is that the Controllers communicate with the pilots and the pilots may miscalculate their approaches on the runway. Such runway incursion had led to many accidents in the past which claimed many lives. Proper action should be taken by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), NAMA and the airlines to ensure that runway incursion and near misses do not happen again in the country. It also has to be noted that some of the accidents that happened in Nigeria were caused by mixed information given to the pilots of the ill-fated flights. It is also true that besides low level wind shear and misinformation by ATC, some of these accidents were also caused by pilot error or other human errors, so the two should be held responsible for runway incursion and near misses in the nation's airspace. http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/runway-incursion-threat-to-air-safety-in- nigeria/132999/ Back to Top Back to Top F-35B Sea Trials - Video F-35B Ship Suitability Testing No catapult... No hook....! Back to Top First pics: X-47B Unmanned Aircraft at sea aboard carrier TRUMAN The X-47B taxis in the TRUMAN's landing area among F/A-18 Super Hornet strike fighters and an H-60 helicopter. Like just about everybody connected with the Navy, the folks on the USS HARRY S TRUMAN (CVN 75) took time this weekend to watch Navy once again get the better of Army in the annual football smackdown. But the TRUMAN crew also is out to sea, hard at work, and they're testing a new aircraft, the X-47B prototype strike jet. It's the first time the new unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has gotten wet with salty sea spray. Look closely at these pics, taken Sunday, Dec. 9, as the ship maneuvered off the mid- Atlantic coast. For years, computer-aided illustrations have portrayed a carrier of the future, showing bat-wing UAVs that look a whole lot like this puppy, tucked among the normal flight deck clutter. But this time, that's not photoshop. It's the real thing, driving around F/A-18 Super Hornet strike fighters, C-2A Greyhound logistics aircraft, and H-60 helicopters. Sailors, engineers and members of the Navy's Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) program office (PMA-268) aboard the TRUMAN are learning how the aircraft maneuvers on and off elevators, over arresting gear wires, around a crowded hangar, and hooking up to catapults. The aircraft was hoisted aboard TRUMAN at Norfolk on Nov. 26, and the carrier is undertaking about three weeks of tests with the unmanned system. A sister aircraft - the Navy has two X-47Bs, both delivered from Northrop Grumman - made the UCAS program's first catapult launch Nov. 29, taking off from Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland. While the current round of tests on the TRUMAN is centered on testing handling and control characteristics, officials have not ruled out a flight test if all conditions are nominal. http://blogs.defensenews.com/intercepts/2012/12/first-pics-x-47b-unmanned-aircraft- aboard-carrier-truman/ Back to Top WestJet takes delivery of its 100th Boeing Next-Generation 737 WestJet took delivery of its first Boeing Next-Generation 737 in June 2001 and today, its fleet of 100 aircraft consists entirely of Next-Generation 737 aircraft. CALGARY - Marking yet another milestone in the airline's nearly 17-year history, WestJet took delivery of its 100th Boeing Next-Generation 737 aircraft. The plane will sport the hashtag #100Boeing737NG to celebrate the milestone and as another way for guests to connect with the airline on social media. . "This Next-Generation 737-800 marks a major milestone for our airline," said Gregg Saretsky, WestJet's President and CEO. "The Boeing 737 is a key component in our growth strategy and its excellent reliability, operational efficiency and range have enabled us to expand our trusted brand throughout North America, Central America and the Caribbean. As we take delivery of our 100th Next-Generation aircraft, I want to thank our more than 9,000 WestJetters for their caring attitude and unwavering commitment to deliver a remarkable guest experience and drive industry-leading results for our airline." WestJet launched in 1996 with three Boeing 737-200s and operated a total of 23 200- series aircraft before retiring the last one in December 2005. It took delivery of its first Boeing Next-Generation 737 in June 2001 and today, its fleet of 100 aircraft consists entirely of Next-Generation 737 aircraft. The term "next generation" refers to the third generation of the Boeing 737. WestJet's Next-Generation fleet has flown more than 1 billion miles, which amounts to ten trips to the sun or 41,000 rotations around the earth. With one of the youngest fleets in the airline industry, WestJet is proud to have flown over 110 million guests, more than three times Canada's population. "The growth of WestJet over the past 17 years is truly remarkable," said Brad McMullen, Vice-President of North America Sales, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "We are pleased to see the 737 play an integral role in WestJet's success. WestJet has made the Next- Generation 737 the foundation of its fleet and has established a strong operational track record with the airplane." http://www.traveldailynews.com/news/article/52410/westjet-takes-delivery-of-its Back to Top FIJI HOSTS CIVIL AVIATION TALKS Fiji is hosting yet another international conference, this time of 22 Asia Pacific countries who are members of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). They are discussing changes to navigation protocols to reduce aircraft congestion and noise, conserve fuel, protect the environment and allow airlines to maintain reliable all- weather services to even the most challenging airports. Opening the conference in Nadi this morning, the Attorney-General and Minister for Civil Aviation, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, said that the rapid growth of the aviation industry in recent years had presented the industry with new challenges that need to be addressed. "Solutions have to be identified and developed now in a holistic manner if greater efficiency is to be achieved. Everyone now acknowledges the need to solve the congestion of airways and aerodromes", he said. The Attorney-General said the ICAO had developed a new navigation protocol called Performance Based Navigation (PBN) that would revolutionise the existing system and make it safer and more efficient. "Most of the Pacific Island States continue to use conventional ground-based navigation aids as primary means of navigation. These ground-based system have served the aviation community well since their inception. However, they do not permit the flexibility of point-to-point operations available with PBN to meet the challenges of the future", he added. He said the conference will assist the Pacific Island States to develop PBN plans and identity gaps in their implementation. Speaking afterwards, the Attorney-General said that Fiji was positioning itself as an important regional hub in civil aviation. "As part of the Bainimarama Government's policy of encouraging and implementing international compliance requirements, such as HACCP and ISO, we are also committed to adopting best international practice and standards in the aviation industry. A healthy civil aviation industry is crucial to Fiji's prosperity and development and has flow-on benefits for the tourism industry." http://thejetnewspaper.com/2012/12/10/fiji-hosts-civil-aviation-talks/ Back to Top Alaska names head of in-flight Ron Calvin was promoted to managing director of in-flight operations at Seattle-based Alaska Airlines, with responsibility for the carrier's flight-attendant bases in Anchorage, Los Angeles, Portland and Seattle. Calvin has worked at Alaska for 26 years, having held positions of increasing responsibility in the Customer Service-Airports division. Most recently, as director of customer service for the Eastern region based in Washington, D.C., Calvin managed Alaska's customer service and ground operations at 17 airports. http://seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology/2019784265_bizmove10xml.html Back to Top General Aviation Flight Data Monitoring Survey The below link will take you to a survey that contains 18 questions (requiring approximately 5 minutes to complete) developed as part of a grant from the FAA ASIAS (Aviation Safety Information Analysis and Sharing) through the Center for General Aviation Research concerning Flight Data Monitoring in general aviation. The purpose of the survey is to evaluate the familiarity and perceptions of the general aviation community concerning Flight Data Monitoring capabilities and objectives. If you operate an aircraft that has flight data recording capabilities (such as those equipped with the Garmin G1000 Data Logger) and wish to contribute de-identified flight data to a national database, or have an interest in the topic please contact Dave Esser at esserd@erau.edu . Thank you for your participation, David A. Esser, Ph.D. To take the survey please click on the below. https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GAFDM Curt Lewis