Flight Safety Information January 4, 2013 - No. 004 In This Issue Mercy, Med-Trans bring enhanced air services to Siouxland Nigeria's Dana Air resumes flights, 7 months after crash British Airways flight in emergency landing after 'drunk abusive middle-aged women try to storm cockpit An A to Z of Indonesian civil aviation: A reflection PROS IOSA Audit Experts Tax rules that stimulate aircraft purchases extended Ailing Polish Airline LOT to Shrink Airlines for America Names Former FAA Policy Expert and Pilot Dan Elwell to Role of Senior Vice President, Safety, Security & Operations INTERNATIONAL System Safety Society...31st International System Safety Conference...CALL FOR PAPERS Mercy, Med-Trans bring enhanced air services to Siouxland SIOUX CITY | Mercy Medical Center-Sioux City helicopter crews have reviewed safety procedures following an air ambulance crash that killed three in north-central Iowa Wednesday night. The aircraft was operated by the same company that runs a Sioux City hospital helicopter. Dr. Thomas Benzoni, medical director of Mercy Air Care in Sioux City, said officials are monitoring the incident and the outcome of the investigation. Safety is always a top priority, he said. "There's no pilot around that will fly something that's unsafe," Benzoni said. The helicopter crashed in a field just north of Ventura, in Cerro Gordo County. It was flying from Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa in Mason City to a patient in Emmetsburg, about 80 miles away. Killed were nurse Shelly Lair-Langenbau, paramedic Russell Piehl and pilot Gene Grell. No patients were on board. Crews used snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles to reach the wreckage. The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration are investigating. The helicopter was a different make and model from the one used by Mercy Medical Center-Sioux City. Grell worked for Med-Trans Corp., a Lewisville, Texas, company that owned and operated the aircraft. Company CEO Fred Buttrell at a news conference Thursday said the copter was in compliance with routine maintenance and daily inspections. He said the crew was in contact with the company's communications center during the flight and there was no emergency communication before it crashed. It was not clear whether weather played a role. It was overcast, about 27 degrees with northwest wind of about 10 to 15 mph, according to the National Weather Service. Buttrell said the pilots are in command and make decisions about whether to fly. "If anybody's not comfortable with accepting the mission we would not do it," he said. Med-Trans Air operates aircraft for about 50 medical agencies in 18 states. It signed contracts with the Sioux City hospital in January 2011 and Mason City hospital in February 2011. The Sioux City helicopter is a Eurocopter EC135; the Mason City aircraft was a Bell 407. Benzoni said it's too early to know what caused the crash or what the crew could have done differently. He said they have numerous policies in place to make sure patients and workers are safe. Benzoni said Mercy Sioux City workers trained Mason City air crews when the sister hospital's helicopter service was launched. Mercy Sioux City has had an air ambulance since 1987. Bob Peebles, president and CEO of Mercy Medical Center-Sioux City, in a statement said "safety is always a top of mind." "Our thoughts and prayers go out to our friends and associates in Mason City," he said. Buttrell said Med-Trans has had no accidents since he joined the firm in 2006. Under previous ownership and a different company name, there was an accident in 2004, he said. "We work on this daily, so this is really tough for us," he said. "We're obviously going to go through and understand what unfolded but we've been very blessed to be a very safe organization." http://siouxcityjournal.com/news/local/state-and-regional/mercy-sioux-city-reviews-safety-policies- after-helicopter-crash/article_26e524d5-fb32-5364-ac44-f88d0a814abb.html?comment_form=true Back to Top Nigeria's Dana Air resumes flights, 7 months after crash ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigeria's Dana Air, banned from flying after a crash which killed 163 people last year, will resume flights on Friday, it said, despite the lack of an official verdict on what brought the plane down. The Dana Air McDonnell Douglas MD-83 (BA.N) flew into an apartment block in a Lagos suburb on June 3 last year, killing everyone on board and 10 people on the ground. Dana Air will resume operations with its five remaining MD-83s, starting with a flight from the capital Abuja to Nigeria's largest city Lagos on Friday, the airline's spokesman Tony Usidamen said. Nigeria's government lifted a ban on the airline in September but an investigation into the crash is ongoing. The pilot reported dual engine failure before the plane went down. "We won't know the cause until the investigation has been completed ... a thorough audit of the airline has been done and the remaining fleet is airworthy," Aviation Ministry spokesman Joe Obi said. Air crashes are relatively common in Nigeria, which despite being Africa's second biggest economy has a poor air safety record, although it had improved in the years just before the Dana crash. Air travel remains the quickest and often safest way to travel across a country nearly twice the size of Spain with a dangerous and dilapidated road network. International carrier Air Nigeria, formerly part of Richard Branson's Virgin fleet, shut down in September due to what it called "staff disloyalty and environmental challenges". Back to Top British Airways flight in emergency landing after 'drunk abusive middle-aged women try to storm cockpit' The BA Boeing 737-400, which was on route to Tunisia, had to divert to Lyon to make an emergency landing A British Airways flight was forced to make an emergency landing after two abusive women drunk on Malibu attempted to storm the cockpit it has been reported today. The BA Boeing 737-400, which was on route to Tunisia, had to divert to Lyon to make an emergency landing. French police boarded the plane and detained the women. According to a report in The Sun the women, aged 50 and 43, swore in front of children and refused to return to their seats. They also reportedly attempted to force their way into the cockpit of the plane and were seen drinking Malibu from the bottle. It is also alleged that they threatened to kill the family of one of the BA stewardesses on the flight and hid in the toilet at 30,000ft to smoke. A passenger told The Sun: 'They decided they were going to meet the captain and marched towards the cockpit. It was very frightening.' A British Airways spokesman told the Daily Mail: 'Monday's BA2664 service from Gatwick to Tunis was diverted to Lyon following the continued disruptive behaviour of two female passengers. 'Our customers and flying crew deserve a safe and enjoyable flight experience. We do not tolerate any disruptive behaviour on board our flights.' http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/british-airways-flight-in-emergency-landing- after-drunk-abusive-middleaged-women-try-to-storm-cockpit-8436877.html Back to Top An A to Z of Indonesian civil aviation: A reflection Chappy Hakim, Jakarta | Opinion | Fri, January 04 2013, 9:07 AM The air transportation business in Indonesia is flourishing. The industry has seen a span of 10-15 percent in yearly growth average across the board. Further, it is predicted to grow by 25 percent in the next couple of years. Unfortunately, the government fails to seize the momentum and maximize the huge amount of income available from the aviation business. While on the other hand, the growth of national air transport is far beyond the current aviation infrastructure and the education of pilots, cabin crew and engineers. By the end of 2012 I noted that there were, at least, two aviation incidents that drew wide-range public attention: The shutdown of the Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) at Soekarno Hatta International Airport, which has been over capacity for the last three to five years, and resulted in a radar blackout for about 15 minutes. The other incident was the investigation in to the Sukhoi Super Jet 100 (SSJ-100) fatal crash in Mount Salak, Bogor, West Java. It is hard to believe the explanation of state airport operator, PT Angkasa Pura, regarding the UPS shutdown. The official statement said that the UPS was outdated and had been used for 15 years, which reflects the Indonesian working ethic of "react and repair". Generally speaking, we have not paid close enough attention to that principle issue - safety. For instance, the capacity of Soekarno-Hatta Airport is only 23 million passengers annually whereas in 2011, 51.5 million - or double the capacity - were recorded! The government should have taken action to prevent incidents. The management seems to be not only unable to take care of airborne passengers but also the road traffic in and around the airport, which is worsening day by day. They should have come up with a solution. These dreadful conditions could have actually been addressed promptly had the government followed and upheld Law No. 1/2009 on aviation. One of the mandates of the law, which should have been put into action two years after the law was issued, is to merge the management of the air traffic control (ATC) services into one comprehensive system, called a "single provider". Consequently, PT Angkasa Pura would have had no more dealings with ATC services and air navigation support. However, the government has not taken any action to implement the law. Referring to the findings of the investigation into the Sukhoi SJ-100 crash, it clearly stated a number of failures by air traffic controllers at that time. It stated that there was no "warning system" toward the terrain in the Bogor area. Furthermore, there was only one controller in charge at that time, without assistants or supervisors sitting with him. He was not only in charge but also supervising 15 planes at one time. The controller only noticed the plane had disappeared from the radar 24 minutes after the last contact. He was also unaware that he was guiding a commercial plane; he had assumed that the Sukhoi was a military jet - the type regularly used to fly a normal route in the Bogor area. This explains why he was confident in permitting the plane's 6,000 feet descent. From these findings, we might justify that the human error (the controller) was not only the root cause of the crash but also the ATC management, in this case the Jakarta Approach. I might say this reflects how careless the ATC was. It is evidence that we are lacking in human resources personnel as well as a sophisticated ATC system support. The radar blackout in Soekarno-Hatta Airport and the ATC failures as stated in the National Commission for Aviation Safety (KNKT) investigation's findings, represent how Indonesia manages the aviation industries in general. Aside from separating ATC management from Angkasa Pura, there are other problems that beg solution. As stated in the Aviation Law, the KNKT should be separated from the Transportation Ministry with regards to the independence and objectivity of the investigation. The next step is to establish an Aviation Profession Council (MPP), which has the responsibility to follow up on the KNKT findings. In spite of that, the speedy development of air transportation in Indonesia has contributed to the increase in need for aircraft. For those who are familiar with the aviation industry, it could be correlated with other sectors such as the aircraft maintenance standard. For those who are not, it would be out of their line of sight: Leading to poor human resources management. There are significant differences between aircraft procurement - including aircraft assembly and maintenance - and human resources management (pilots, cabin crew and engineers). The former is relatively simple. We just need to either buy or rent more aircraft from manufacturers. On the other hand, training pilots, cabin crew and engineers is an arduous process. Standardization, supervision and a reward-and-punishment system must be upheld within the regulations. Otherwise, we will remain a country that lacks the capability to organize its national civil aviation industries according to the international aviation safety standard. Raising the question: What will 2013 look like? The writer headed the National Team for the Evaluation of Transportation Safety and Security in 2007. http://www2.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/01/04/an-a-z-indonesian-civil-aviation-a- reflection.html Back to Top Back to Top Tax rules that stimulate aircraft purchases extended Tax rules designed to encourage business aircraft purchases and overhauls have not only survived the fiscal cliff debate, but expanded. The legislation passed by Congress Jan. 1 extends so-called "bonus depreciation," a type of accelerated depreciation, and also increased limits on deductible expenses for business-related aircraft purchases, along with major upgrades and overhauls. The tax rules benefit businesses making major capital investments, including the purchase of aircraft, and likely saved many jobs, keeping factories-including aircraft factories-working through the worst of the Great Recession. More than 60 organizations and businesses joined forces in 2012 to urge Congress to extend the benefits, and word that legislation passed to avert massive tax increases and forestall spending cuts also includes provisions to extend accelerated depreciation into 2013 and beyond was welcomed by the aviation industry. "Accelerated depreciation has consistently proven to stimulate sales in difficult economic conditions," said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. "Given the current marketing environment, we view the continuation of accelerated depreciation as an effective sales incentive." Using a combination of bonus and accelerated depreciation, a business aircraft purchaser can claim up to 60 percent of the total depreciation in the first year, for purchases made in 2013 (and into 2014 for some purchases). Prior to the enactment of accelerated depreciation, purchasers could deduct only 20 percent of total depreciation in the first year. Legislation passed in 2010 allowed a buyer to claim 100 percent of depreciation in the first year, which was reduced to 50 percent for 2012 purchases, and will continue at that rate through 2013 (and into 2014 for certain large aircraft purchases). To qualify, an aircraft (or other capital asset) must be used at least 50 percent for business, and accelerated depreciation is only available for the purchase of new aircraft. New avionics, and major overhauls including engine replacement also qualify. Another tax rule, found under Section 179 of the Internal Revenue Service Code, offers an alternative for buyers who opt to deduct expenses rather than capitalize and depreciate major purchases up to $500,000, a limit that was retroactively applied to 2012 (when the limit previously dropped to $125,000), and extended into 2013, declining to a maximum of $200,000 in 2014. Under prior legislation, the 2013 and 2014 limits would have been $25,000. This rule benefits small businesses (as defined by the IRS) that make up to $2.5 million in total annual asset purchases, and can be applied to both new and used aircraft purchases. The dollar limits are applied to the taxpaying entity as a whole, and can include a mix of various business asset purchases. A qualified accountant should be consulted on the details of depreciation, expensing, personal use, and other details. http://www.aopa.org/aircraft/articles/2013/130103tax-rules-that-stimulate-aircraft-purchases- extended.html Back to Top Ailing Polish Airline LOT to Shrink A LOT Embraer 170 taxis on the runway at Chopin airport in Warsaw The government plans to reduce the size of its flag carrier, LOT Polish Airlines, by nearly a half as it seeks to make the company profitable again, a cabinet minister said Friday, only days after the airline received a $127 million emergency loan from the state and shed more assets to stay afloat. LOT said in December it needed state aid because Europe's economic woes had dented its passenger numbers in the second half of the year. Instead of profits, the airline said it would generate heavy losses for 2012. Poland gave its national airline the cash on Dec. 21, allowing the company to keep operating. The European Commission may yet rule that the loan is a form of illegal state aid that distorts competition, which would force LOT to return the funds and likely file for bankruptcy. The government, which holds 93% of LOT's shares, said it would save the company with a plan to restructure and eventually privatize it, although Prime Minister Donald Tusk said this week it wouldn't try to save the firm at any price. LOT's chief executive, Marcin Pirog, was ousted soon after the airline made its request for public aid. As part of the restructuring, LOT will return nearly half of its fleet to leasing companies and focus only on the most profitable routes and cost-effective airplanes, while another airline, also controlled by the government, will take over LOT's domestic and some European flights, Treasury Minister Mikolaj Budzanowski told parliament Friday. "At least 30% or much more of headcount will be restructured, which is already taking place in the first quarter," he said. "In addition, there will be a fleet restructuring, with the focus on the most effective planes-some 25 of about 40 airplanes LOT has. The rest that are generating losses will be returned. Leasing agreements were signed years ago and it's not profitable to be using those planes anymore." In December, LOT became the first European airline to operate Boeing Co. BA +0.52%'s 787 Dreamliner planes. Using that aircraft, it will service long-haul flights to Asia, mainly China and Japan, and to the U.S., the treasury minister said. Eurolot, in which the government holds 62% of shares and LOT holds 38%, is to service domestic and European flights. To stay afloat, LOT has been shedding assets, selling its office and hotel buildings and shares in listed companies that it received years ago from the government. It's in the final stages of talks on selling its stake in Eurolot to a state-controlled agency. Last month, it sold shares in Petrolot, a jet-fuel operator in Polish airports, to oil firm PKN Orlen PKN.WA +0.77%, also controlled by the government, as well as LOT Catering to DO&CO, an Austrian catering operator. Part of the Deutsche Lufthansa LHA.XE +0.07%-led Star Alliance, LOT is one of many of Europe's smaller airlines that face competitive pressure in the European Union's deregulated market. Hungary's Malev and others went bankrupt last year, while a number of other airlines slashed jobs. LOT's loss last year is now expected to have reached 200 million zlotys ($63.7 million), half the amount of the loan the company received in December. Mr. Budzanowski, the treasury minister, said that until August 2012 it had appeared the company would generate a profit, but in the third quarter it saw "an abrupt reduction, by 20%, of the number of passengers using air transport." The company lost about 145 million zlotys in 2011 and 163 million zlotys in 2010. The government last year made a new, unsuccessful attempt to sell the airline. http://blogs.wsj.com/emergingeurope/2013/01/04/ailing-polish-airline-lot-to-shrink/ Back to Top Airlines for America Names Former FAA Policy Expert and Pilot Dan Elwell to Role of Senior Vice President, Safety, Security and Operations WASHINGTON, Jan. 3, 2013 - /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Airlines for America (A4A), the industry trade organization for the leading U.S. airlines, today named former Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Assistant Administrator for Aviation Policy, Planning and Environment, and commercial airline pilot Dan Elwell as Senior Vice President, Safety, Security and Operations. Elwell joins A4A from the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA), where he was Vice President of Civil Aviation, responsible for monitoring domestic and international civil aviation policy, and legislative and regulatory activity for the U.S. aerospace manufacturing industry. At A4A, Elwell will lead the advancement of the airline industry's well-deserved reputation for safety excellence while focusing on streamlining system operations to improve efficiency. Elwell will also serve as a liaison on safety, security and operations issues with governmental agencies, including the Departments of Transportation and Homeland Security, FAA and Transportation Security Administration. "Dan is uniquely qualified for this role at A4A, with an unmatched combination of operational, government and policy experience," said A4A President and CEO Nicholas E. Calio. "He is highly regarded with strong relationships in the airline industry, on the Hill and within the Administration, and will be a key advocate as we work to advance a National Airline Policy and continue to improve the efficiency of the air transportation management system." Prior to joining AIA, Elwell was FAA Assistant Administrator for Aviation Policy, Planning and Environment, responsible for development and implementation of U.S. aviation policy, near- and long-term forecasting and planning, and the FAA environmental research and regulatory division. Elwell also served as Managing Director of International and Government Affairs with American Airlines, where he worked with Departments of Transportation and State on bilateral and multilateral aviation negotiations and international alliances. Elwell is a former Captain with American Airlines, rated to fly DC-10, MD-80 and B-767 aircraft. Elwell is a retired Lieutenant Colonel with the U.S. Air Force, having flown combat missions in Operation Desert Storm, and is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy with a degree in international affairs. "I am pleased to join a very dynamic team at A4A, which is clearly focused on addressing the infrastructure, regulatory and tax changes needed to improve the flying experience for customers and shippers," Elwell said. "I look forward to leveraging my career in the airline industry to continue to improve what is today our safest mode of transportation." Elwell will report to Calio, and joins A4A on Feb. 1. ABOUT A4A Annually, commercial aviation helps drive more than $1 trillion in U.S. economic activity and more than 10 million U.S. jobs. A4A airline members and their affiliates transport more than 90 percent of all U.S. airline passenger and cargo traffic. For more information about the airline industry, visit www.airlines.org and follow us on Twitter @airlinesdotorg. SOURCE Airlines for America http://www.heraldonline.com/2013/01/03/4518526/airlines-for-america-names- former.html#storylink=cpy Back to Top INTERNATIONAL System Safety Society 31st International System Safety Conference CALL FOR PAPERS "Safety for the Long Run" August 12-16, 2013 Marriott Copley Place, Boston, Massachusetts, USA The ISSC theme for 2013 is "Safety for the Long Run" to show and learn the long term benefits of integrating safety into a system. We want you to share your knowledge and invite you to just attend and learn. We also invite you to provide a presentation on any safety process, method, or technique you believe contributes to the goals and objectives of system safety. This conference will bring practitioners and the foremost thinkers of the system safety discipline together for an exchange of ideas, knowledge and experiences. There will be contributions from many different industries including: automotive; aviation; defense; health care; oil and gas; power generation; rail; robotics; and transportation. The conference is accepting four types of presentations: Technical Papers, Panels/Roundtables, Tutorials, and Workshops Key Submission Dates March 29 - Paper Abstracts Due April 5 - Panel, Roundtable, Tutorial & Workshop Proposals Due May 10 - Draft Papers Due June 28 - Final Paper July 12 - Draft Presentation July 26 - Final Presentation For more information or to submit a presentation visit: http:/ /issc2013.system-safety.org/ Curt Lewis