Flight Safety Information December 12, 2012 - No. 248 In This Issue FAA Rejects Request From Cargo Pilots for Greater Rest Jenni Rivera's plane plunged 28,000 feet, officials say Spanish police arrest woman at airport with breast implants containing cocaine Turbulent flight from CLT to St. Louis injures three PROS IOSA Audit Experts First Ever China Aviation Directory 2013 Just Published Miami TSA Screening Chief Juan Garcia Fired From MPD for Trying to Buy Sex FAA Rejects Request From Cargo Pilots for Greater Rest By Alan Levin U.S. aviation regulators won't alter a decision excluding pilots at United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS) and FedEx Corp. (FDX) from rules to increase rest in an effort to reduce fatigue-related accidents. The Federal Aviation Administration said it would be more costly than it had previously calculated for cargo carriers to adopt requirements announced last year for passenger airlines. "As a result, the FAA has determined that no revisions to the final rule on either cargo or passenger operations is warranted," the agency said in a filing to appear tomorrow in the U.S. Federal Register. The FAA announced in May it had discovered errors in calculations used to justify the rule, after the Independent Pilots Association, which represents UPS's flight crews, filed suit to force the agency to impose the rules on cargo carriers. The rule, which takes effect in 2014, will reduce the hours passenger pilots can fly late at night or if they are making numerous landings and takeoffs. Because the projected benefits are based largely on averting potential loss of life, cargo carriers had less to gain and were excluded, the FAA said in the rule. The union says in its lawsuit that since Congress ordered the FAA to impose new pilot- rest standards, the agency shouldn't have calculated costs and benefits. Union Disagrees "We still reject the application of a cost-benefit analysis," Robert Travis, president of the IPA, said in an e- mailed statement. "We do not believe that it was Congress's intent to address the important issue of pilot fatigue only if the price is right." Estimated net costs, after benefits, during the first 12 years of reducing pilot work hours on cargo airlines rose from $306 million to $550 million in FAA's revised calculations. The FAA projected that cargo airlines would have had benefits of between $20.4 million and $32.6 million. The case is Independent Pilots Association v. Federal Aviation Administration, 11-1483, U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia (Washington). http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-12-11/faa-rejects-request-from-cargo-pilots-for- greater-rest.html Back to Top Jenni Rivera's plane plunged 28,000 feet, officials say New details emerged about the plane crash that claimed the life of singer Jenni Rivera as her family in Los Angeles sought answers. Rivera, who lived in Encino, is believed to have died Sunday when her small plane crashed shortly after taking off in Mexico. Mexican officials told reporters Monday night that they believed her plane dropped 28,000 feet at speeds that might have exceeded 600 mph. "The plane practically nose-dived. The impact must have been terrible." official Gerardo Ruiz Esparza told a Mexican radio station, according to the Associated Press. Authorities said they believe they have found her remains but are awaiting DNA testing. Hours later, shortly after 3 a.m., Rivera is believed to have boarded a Learjet 25, which took off under clear skies. The jet headed south, toward Toluca, west of Mexico City; there, Rivera had been scheduled to tape the television show "La Voz" - Mexico's version of "The Voice" - on which she was a judge. The plane, built in 1969 and registered to a Las Vegas talent management firm, reached 11,000 feet. But 10 minutes and 62 miles into the flight, air traffic controllers lost contact with its pilots, according to Mexican authorities. The jet crashed outside Iturbide, a remote city that straddles one of the few roads bisecting Mexico's Sierra de Arteaga national park. Wreckage was scattered across several football fields' worth of terrain. An investigation into the cause of the crash was underway. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/12/jenni-riveras-plane-plunged-28000- feet-officials-say.html Back to Top Spanish police arrest woman at airport with breast implants containing cocaine MADRID (AP) - Spanish authorities say they have arrested a Panamanian woman arriving at Barcelona airport with 3 pounds of cocaine concealed in breast implants. The Interior Ministry said Wednesday that border police noticed fresh scars and blood- stained gauze on her chest as well as pale patches beneath her skin. The woman said she had recently had breast implant surgery. The statement said police were suspicious and sent her to a local hospital where the implants were removed and found to contain cocaine. The woman arrived in Spain from Bogota, Colombia. European authorities routinely submit passengers arriving from Latin America to stringent checks to combat drug smuggling. Back to Top Turbulent flight from CLT to St. Louis injures three Two flight attendants and a passenger were injured Tuesday during a turbulent flight from Charlotte to St. Louis. US Airways flight 1667 experienced significant turbulence about 70 miles north of Nashville, according to WCNC-TV, the Observer's news partner. Emergency vehicles surrounded a plane on the tarmac at Lambert International Airport when it landed around 9 p.m. Tuesday While all passengers were seated at the time, the flight attendants were not. According to officials, the two flight attendants were treated on the scene. But one passenger was transported to the hospital with what were described as minor injuries, according to KSDK-TV, the NBC affiliate in St. Louis. Officials with US Airways said the plane, an Airbus 319, will get a routine check to see if there was any damage http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/12/11/3721121/turbulent-flight-from-clt-to- st.html#storylink=cpy Back to Top Back to Top First Ever China Aviation Directory 2013 Just Published The 371-page directory provides a comprehensive listing of all major aviation and aerospace organizations and companies throughout China. MONTREAL, QC, CANADA, DECEMBER 10, 2012 - Business Data International Inc., the business and professional information provider, has recently announced that the world's first and only English-language China Aviation Directory 2013 has just been published Compared to the 2011 edition, China Aviation Directory 2013 has been completely updated and expanded. The directory is the world's first ever and only source of the English-language information available on the aviation industry in China. It is the industry's most thorough resource to find potential customers, contact key decision makers and provide the tools necessary to make your connection to the entire Chinese aviation industry sector. The 371-page directory (ISBN: 978-0-9733166-8-1) provides a comprehensive listing of all major aviation and aerospace organizations and companies throughout China, including government agencies, societies and associations, airlines, airports, national corporations, aircraft and component manufacturers, engine and component manufacturers, airborne equipment manufacturers, tool and machinery manufacturers, aeronautical research institutes and universities, professional corporations, self-defence forces, space business, aviation hospitals, industrial parks, air shows, foreign companies in China, and aviation regulations. The information given includes company name, names and titles of key persons, description on company history and current situation, technical strength, product lines, intention of cooperation, and contact details (address, telephone and fax numbers, e-mail addresses and websites). It also provides an overview of the Chinese aviation industry and information sources on the Chinese aviation industry. The appendix contains a key word index. Dr. James Han, president of Business Data International Inc., believes the directory fulfils a need for the delivery of quality data in English on the Chinese aviation industry. "For marketers or researchers targeting China's markets, trying to find reliable, current data has always been a troublesome task, with very few information in English being available to them. What this directory aims to do is plug this gap, providing the latest and comprehensive information which will enable aviation and aerospace buyers and sellers to save time, money and effort" The directory is available for ordering at a price of US$199.50 plus shipping from Business Data International Inc., info@ibizdata.com or fax: +1 (514) 313-5380, www.ibizdata.com. http://www.aviationpros.com/press_release/10840696/first-ever-china-aviation- directory-2013-just-published Back to Top Miami TSA Screening Chief Juan Garcia Fired From MPD for Trying to Buy Sex The Transportation Security Administration workers who keep Miami International Airport safe from terrorists, criminals, and Solange Knowles's Afro (no, really, they thoroughly searched her hair last month) earned a dubious distinction in October. According to an analysis by ABC News, the TSA had fired more agents for theft at MIA than at any other airport in the nation. So who exactly is in charge of the guys screening baggage at MIA? Turns out one of the top administrators is a former Miami cop who left the department in 2000 after he was caught trying to solicit sex from an undercover officer. Juan Garcia is the assistant federal security director for screening at TSA's Miami headquarters, charged with overseeing the metal-detector-operating, body-patdown- performing agents outside the gates. But until 2000, he was an 18-year veteran of the Miami Police Department who'd worked his way up to major. That all changed the night of June 24, 2000. Garcia had spent the evening with fellow cops at a farewell party for a departing assistant chief. But just after 10:30 p.m., Garcia slowed his maroon Impala to a stop near NE Third Avenue and 79th Street and motioned to a woman lurking on the corner. He offered her $60 and asked for a "fuck and a suck," according to internal affairs records. Unfortunately for Garcia, the woman turned out to be an undercover officer named Ella Moore. The major was arrested and charged with soliciting a prostitute, and IA charges of conduct unbecoming an officer were also filed. A judge later withheld adjudication on the criminal charges in exchange for Garcia completing a diversion program, and he promptly resigned from the department. IA investigators later sustained the internal charge. Shortly after leaving MPD, Garcia landed at the federal TSA. A spokeswoman declined to comment about Garcia but sent a statement from the agency: "[Garcia] fully disclosed the charge on his application. As part of a full background check, TSA determined the charge had been dropped and therefore did not violate any hiring qualifications." As for ABC's report - which found 29 Miami TSA agents canned for sticky fingers since 2002 - she sent a statement from the agency saying, "TSA has zero tolerance for misconduct in the workplace and takes immediate action when allegations are substantiated." http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2012-12-13/news/miami-tsa-screening-chief-juan- garcia-fired-from-mpd-for-trying-to-buy-sex/ Curt Lewis