Flight Safety Information December 28, 2012 - No. 257 In This Issue Florida-bound jet gets stuck in mud at NY airport Airline pilots falling asleep in cockpit because of fatigue Airline Crash Insurance Claims Fall as Accidents Decline Air Bagan Crash Turning Point For Fokker Aircraft PROS IOSA Audit Experts Gulfstream Delivers First G650 Aircraft Airport screeners grab more than 1,500 guns from carry-ons -- new record Thousands apply for American Airlines job openings Florida-bound jet gets stuck in mud at NY airport RONKONKOMA, N.Y. (AP) - A Southwest Airlines jet bound for Tampa, Fla., has veered off a taxiway and gotten stuck in mud at an airport on New York's Long Island. Officials say there were no injuries to the 129 passengers and five crew members. Flight 4695 got stuck around 7 a.m. Thursday at MacArthur Airport in Ronkonkoma (rahn- KAHN'-koh-mah). Southwest spokesman Paul Flaningan says moveable stairs were brought to the aircraft so everyone could get off and be bused to the terminal. Flaningan says another jet is flying in from Baltimore to fly the passengers to Tampa. They're expected to arrive about five hours behind their initial schedule. There was heavy rain overnight on Long Island, but Flaningan says it's not yet clear whether the weather played a role in the incident. Back to Top Airline pilots falling asleep in cockpit because of fatigue Pilots have been falling asleep in the cockpit because of shift patterns which can see them at the controls of an aircraft 23 hours after waking up, a study has found. The findings of a study by Simon Bennett of Leicester University, has rekindled fears that passenger safety could be put at risk by pilot fatigue. While the Federal Aviation Administration in the USA has tightened rules governing flying hours following a crash in Buffalo, New York in which 50 people died, the European Aviation Safety Agency is looking to relax British regulations to bring them into line with other parts of the EU. Two pilots speaking to the Daily Telegraph on condition of anonymity, admitted they had nodded off in the cockpit. "It is particularly bad on night flights when you have to be awake at a time when your body wants to be asleep," he said. "I have woken up from a rest period to find my colleague asleep when he was supposed to be flying the aircraft." Another pilot who has flown both intercontinental and short haul European flights, recalled falling into what he described as a "microsleep." He added: "Everything was closing in, then you would awake with a jolt. You try to keep awake by drinking stronger and stronger coffee." Their experience is commonplace according to Dr Bennett. "It is not unknown for pilots to unintentionally fall asleep while operating," he said. According to the British Airline Pilots Association, the European proposals would increase the number of hours flying crew could spend at work from 16 hours 15 minutes a day to 20 hours. The pilots' union says the changes would water down Britain's safeguards, which are among the strictest in Europe. At the heart of the debate is whether the time pilots spend getting to work should be taken into account. Dr Bennett, who has been involved in aviation safety for more than a decade, believes it should. He surveyed 433 pilots, with the help of the union, carrying out interviews and asking volunteers to compile sleep logs. He asked pilots to include time they spent getting to the airport ahead of reporting for duty - something which is not taken into account in existing or the proposed flying hours regulations. More than half the pilots travelled at least an hour to get to the airport before starting their shift. These hours are not taken into account when drawing up safety rules, even though it can mean pilots are in control of an aircraft having had little sleep. More than 50 per cent of pilots have been in control of an aircraft after being awake for 23 hours according to an academic study. A fifth said they were flying 28 hours after getting up. Nearly eight per cent of the pilots who participated in the study admitted they had been involved in a road accident driving home at the end of their shift, Dr Bennett said. On pilot who took part in the study said he had "nodded off" over the Isle of Wight on his approach to Gatwick. "The reality is that pilots commute huge distances to get to work and the same to get home. But if I raise this in Westminster or in Europe, the response is that the airlines are abiding by the rules." Pilots reported feeling groggy, dizzy, light-headed and confused because of the long days they endured. One described feeling "Punch-drunk. Utterly exhausted. Incapacitated." The pilot added: "I checked straight into a hotel and didn't even drive home. The trouble with long-haul flying is you simply cannot predict how tired you will be at the end of a flight." Louise Ellman, the chairman of the all-party Transport Select Committee at Westminster, was alarmed by the findings. "This increases concern that pilots are being asked to fly too long and gives added urgency for the need to review these proposals," said "The Government should be more active in arguing for a better deal." Simon Buck, chief executive of the British Air Transport Association, which represents the industry, declined to get involved in the debate. "Flying time is a matter for the UK Authorities and it is up to them to specify the measures which are appropriate." http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/aviation/9735973/Airline-pilots-falling-asleep-in- cockpit-because-of-fatigue.html Back to Top Airline Crash Insurance Claims Fall as Accidents Decline By Robert Wall Airline insurance claims for plane accidents will drop below $1 billion this year for the first time since 1991 as passenger fatalities and aircraft destroyed hit record lows, advisory firm Ascend estimates. Claims for aircraft losses and legal liabilities this year will total about $980 million, or $300 million less than last year, Ascend said in a report. Claims are almost half the $1.8 billion in premiums written in the period, it said. The International Air Transport Association said earlier this month that western-built jets suffered 0.19 "hull loss" accidents per million flights this year through November as the industry headed to its safest year on record. IATA's figures didn't reflect the Dec. 25 crash of an Air Bagan Fokker 100 jet in Myanmar in which one person on-board died and the out-of- production aircraft was destroyed. "Airline fatal accident rates have been steadily improving and, on average, operations are now twice as safe as they were 15 years ago," Paul Hayes, head of safety at Ascend said in a statement. "With such a benign insurance claims year and increasing capacity in the market, we believe that premium income will continue to fall in 2013." There is concern premium levels are "too low to be able to maintain the market in the longer term," Hayes said. Premiums have declined for three years and for 2012 were more than $800 million below the 2003 level when they reached $2.7 billion, the highest in the last 10 years. Africa Improvements In the first 11 months of this year, North Asian and North American carriers had the lowest accident rates and African carriers had the highest, according to IATA. Measures being introduced in Africa to improve pilot training and enhance safety audits are designed to help bring airline safety in the region in line with current global standards by 2015, Guenther Matschnigg, IATA's senior vice president for safety, said on Dec. 13. The June 3 crash of a Dana Air MD-80 in Nigeria was the deadliest accident this year, killing 153 people on-board and 10 on the ground, Ascend said. Of the four deadliest accidents in 2012, in which almost 90 percent of all fatalities occurred, two were in Africa, it said. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-12-28/airline-crash-insurance-claims-fall-as- accidents-decline.html Back to Top Air Bagan Crash Turning Point For Fokker Aircraft Posted by Leithen Francis If you could pin-point one particular event that was the turning point that marked the beginning of the end for Fokker aircraft in Asia, it would have to be the Air Bagan Fokker 100 crash in Myanmar on Christmas Day (Dec. 25, 2012). News reports on the accident - that killed two people and injured 11 others - referred to Air Bagan's Fokker 100 as an "aging" aircraft. The airframe was built in 1991, and as any airline executive will tell you, it is not the age of the aircraft that is so important - in terms of safety - but how well it is maintained. Latest reports, quoting officials in Myanmar, say pilot error was a contributing cause for the Air Bagan crash. Myanmar's Department of Civil Aviation (DCA), however, introduced new regulations earlier this year stipulating that aircraft imported into the country must be no older than 20 years and aircraft already in Myanmar must be no older than 25. Air Bagan's other Fokker 100 is a 1989-build, which means it will have to be phased out in 2014. That is not that far away. The airline will also need to find a replacement for its 1991-build aircraft that crashed. It is unlikely to get another Fokker 100. Meanwhile, another carrier there - Myanma Airways - has announced it is replacing its Fokker F28s with Embraer 190s. The allure of the Fokker had been that these out-of-production aircraft were cheap to buy, but still highly capable. The fact that the aircraft are no longer being made, however, means that access to affordable spare parts is becoming an issue. The head of maintenance at Air Astana, John Wainwright, told me in September that they had a problem with one of their Fokker 50s. The aircraft needed a spare part, but none were available and it was going to take several weeks before Fokker could manufacture a spare part from scratch. Fortunately for Air Astana, rather than ground the Fokker 50 for several weeks, Dutch leasing company AFT, which owned the aircraft, agreed to take a spare part from another Fokker 50 that had already been grounded. Not all operators in that situation, however, will be so lucky. Air Astana has been phasing out its Fokker 50s; the last two are due leave the fleet next month. I think the next regional jet that Air Bagan gets is more likely to be a second-hand Bombardier CRJ700/CRJ900 or a second-hand Embraer 190. These two types are still in production and lease rates on these are getting more affordable. Myanmar is one of the last markets in Asia where Fokker still has a sizeable presence, but with the new DCA regulations and the stigma resulting from the Air Bagan crash, that will soon no longer be the case. When I first started covering aviation in January 2003, Fokker had operators in Japan (Air Central), Thailand (Air Andaman), South Korea (Korean Air), Taiwan (Mandarin Airlines) and Malaysia (MASwings and Firefly). But since then, Air Andaman has gone bust and the other operators have phased out their Fokker aircraft. http://www.aviationweek.com/Blogs.aspx?plckBlogId=Blog:7a78f54e-b3dd-4fa6-ae6e- dff2ffd7bdbb&plckPostId=Blog%3A7a78f54e-b3dd-4fa6-ae6e- dff2ffd7bdbbPost%3Aa9e74f58-2e7c-4fa0-8546-f0733112d234 Back to Top Back to Top Gulfstream Delivers First G650 Aircraft Company president: "Soon the G650 will be a common sight at airports around the world." Gulfstream Aerospace Corp., a wholly owned subsidary of General Dynamics, has delivered its first fully outfitted ultra-large-cabin, ultra-long-range Gulfstream G650 aircraft. The first aircraft was delivered to a U.S. customer. "We're extremely proud of this aircraft and the work that's been done by the G650 design, build, and supplier teams," says Larry Flynn, president, Gulfstream. "The first delivery of an aircraft is always an auspicious occasion and this one is especially so. This delivery represents the beginning of a new era in aircraft design and manufacturing in terms of quality, capabilities, reliability, parts availability and maintenance activities. "We're thrilled to see the first G650 leave our hangar for a customer's. Soon the G650 will be a common sight at airports around the world," Flynn says. Jay L. Johnson, chairman and chief executive officer of Gulfstream's parent corporation, General Dynamics, says, "The G650 sets a new world standard for business-jet performance, range, speed and comfort. I am very proud of the Gulfstream team. They have done a superb job in designing and manufacturing an aircraft that is already the envy of the global market." http://www.onlineamd.com/gulfstream-delivers-aircraft-aerospace-122812.aspx Back to Top Airport screeners grab more than 1,500 guns from carry-ons -- new record Some of the guns confiscated from passengers' carry-on bags in December. / Transportation Security Administration A record number of guns -- more than 1,500 -- have been found by airport security screeners this year, and 85% have been loaded, the Transportation Security Administration reports. As of last Friday, the Transportation Security Administration had found 1,527, of which 1,295 were loaded, NBC News says. That's the most since the agency was created after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. By Friday, this week's finds are expected to push the total beyond 1,550. Between Dec. 14, the day of the Newtown, Conn., school massacre, and Dec. 21, TSA screeners spotted 34 handguns that passengers tried to bring aboard their flights. Only two were unloaded. The week before, 29 guns -- 21 loaded -- were found at checkpoints. The first week of December was even busier. Screeners confiscated 41 firearms, 40 stun guns, four grenades -- and a rocket launcher (expended, alas). "No Partridge in a Pear Tree," the TSA mused on its blog. The most commonly detected gun? A .380 semiautomatic pistol. So far in 2012, Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson airport heads the list of gun confiscations (90), followed by Dallas-Fort Worth (78), NBC reported previously. Five Texas airports are in the top 11. Besides firearms, passengers have also tried to bring a variety of other weapons in their carry-on bags this month. Some recent finds: >A speargun. It was discovered at George Bush Intercontinental in Houston -- armed with one spear. Concealed blades. A cane featuring a hidden sword was found at Kahului, Hawaii, while a cane with a secret 8-inch knife was detected in Baltimore. Ammunition. A Bismarck, N.D., passenger was carrying a magazine loaded with five .17 Hornady Magnum Rimfire rounds in his pants pocket. More hand grenades. Other prohibited items: Shotgun shell Christmas lights found in Newark. What happens when TSA screeners find weapons? "We don't have detention authority," TSA spokesman David Castelveter told NBC. "The immediate procedure is to call the local authority." On TSA's blog, Bob Burns offers these reminders: You can travel with your firearms in checked baggage, but they must first be declared to the airline. ... Travelers should familiarize themselves with state and local firearm laws for each point of travel prior to departure. Unfortunately these sorts of occurrences are all too frequent which is why we talk about these finds. Sure, it's great to share the things that our officers are finding, but at the same time, each time we find a dangerous item, the throughput is slowed down and a passenger that likely had no ill intent ends up with a citation or in some cases is even arrested. This is a friendly reminder to please leave these items at home. Just because we find a prohibited item on an individual does not mean they had bad intentions, that's for the law enforcement officer to decide. In many cases, people simply forgot they had these items. http://www.freep.com/article/20121227/NEWS07/121227073/Airport-security- screeners-guns-Transportation-Security- Administration?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE%7Cs Back to Top Thousands apply for American Airlines job openings (CBS News) ATLANTA -- American Airlines announced in October it was hiring 1,500 new flight attendants. Twenty thousand applicants responded -- so many that American stopped taking resumes after eight days. Candidates had to pass a telephone interview before being invited this month to the airline's world headquarters in Fort Worth. "I was unemployed for over a year," says Yoon Eom, a 25-year-old college graduate who is also a new U.S. citizen. But at her interview, she had a competitive edge: she speaks English, Spanish and her native Korean. "They're launching a direct flight to Korea starting in May, and I was like, 'Oh my gosh, this is my only chance,'" she says. The 20,000 applicants include many college graduates who have had trouble finding work in a tight job market. American will pay its new flight attendants, on average, $23,000 a year. They'll have to work longer hours and pay more for medical benefits than flight attendants who've recently retired from the bankrupt airline. Laura Aranda is 45 and ready to try something new. "Unlike an office setting where you go in and it's the same thing, same thing, same thing, this is a new experience every day," she says. She's an administrative assistant willing to take a $10,000 pay cut to become a flight attendant. "You always want to get paid more, but if you love what you do, then money is just kind of something that's back there," Aranda says. American emailed Aranda today: she got the job. The airline has also hired Yoon Eom. They'll both begin nine weeks of training next month. Delta Air Lines, headquartered in Atlanta, announced last week it was hiring 400 flight attendants. Delta has had 22,000 people apply so far, two more every minute. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18563_162-57561044/thousands-apply-for-american- airlines-job-openings/ Curt Lewis