Flight Safety Information January 29, 2013 - No. 023 In This Issue Plane Crash in Kazakhstan Kills 21 U.S. jet missing off Italy; search for pilot under way Puerto Rico emergency landing for Brazil-bound jet Airbus' Presentation Warned Airlines of Lithium Battery Risks a Year Ago Three Canadians killed in Antarctica plane crash Report cites lost rudder in Texas plane crash that killed Utah men FAA Directive Sheds Light On Emirates Engine Shutdown PROS IOSA Audit Experts Aviation's Iron Lady: NTSB Chairwoman Deborah Hersman Y-20 transport aircraft completes first flight Govt's bid for 30 aircraft (Nigeria) Air India puts Dreamliner planes for sale, leaseback Plane Crash in Kazakhstan Kills 21 MOSCOW (NYT) - A passenger plane crashed in heavy fog outside of Kazakhstan's largest city on Tuesday, killing 21 people in the country's second major crash in two months, Kazakh emergency officials said. The jet, a Canadian-built Bombardier Challenger CRJ200 traveling the 775-mile route from the provincial city of Kokshetau to Almaty, crashed several miles from the airport in Almaty as the pilot attempted to land. Emergency officials said there were no survivors. Kazakh officials at the scene said that the accident occurred when the pilot attempted to land in a heavy fog. Yuri Ilyin, the deputy head of the emergency department for Almaty, said that there were no signs that the crash was caused by a mechanical malfunction "There was no fire," said Mr. Ilyin, according to Kazakh state media. "The plane was only destroyed on impact when it hit the ground." Rescue workers recovered the plane's flight recorder, he said. SCAT, a private Kazakh airline with a fleet of about 10 planes that runs domestic and international routes through Kazakhstan, said in a statement that the plane made two attempts to land in "difficult weather conditions" and crashed during the second attempt. The company released a passenger list, which included five crew members and 16 passengers, including one child. Nursultan Nazarbayev, Kazakhstan's president, said in a statement that aid would be distributed to the families of the victims of the crash. "In the name of the people of Kazakhstan and myself, I express the deepest condolences to the families and those close to those who died," the statement said. Kazakh prosecutors opened a criminal investigation for the violation of safety regulations during the crash. It was not clear if the prosecutors had charged anyone in connection with the case. In late December, a Soviet-made Antonov An-72 carrying 20 members of Kazakhstan's border patrol service and seven crew crashed while landing at Shymkent in southern Kazakhstan. Bad weather was also believed to be the cause of that crash. Kazakh authorities said that they had opened an investigation into the crash, but have not made any formal charges. *************** Status: Preliminary - official Date: 29 JAN 2013 Time: ca 13:13 Type: Canadair CL-600-2B19 Regional Jet CRJ-200ER Operator: SCAT Air Registration: UP-CJ006 C/n / msn: 7413 First flight: Crew: Fatalities: 5 / Occupants: 5 Passengers: Fatalities: 16 / Occupants: 16 Total: Fatalities: 21 / Occupants: 21 Airplane damage: Written off Location: near Almaty (Kazakhstan) Phase: Approach (APR) Nature: Domestic Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Kokshetau Airport (KOV) (KOV/UACK), Kazakhstan Destination airport: Almaty Airport (ALA) (ALA/UAAA), Kazakhstan Narrative: A Canadair CRJ-200 was reportedly involved in an accident near Almaty, Kazakhstan, reportedly killing all aboard. Flight DV760 operated on a domestic flight from Kokshetau Airport (KOV) to Almaty (ALA). It reportedly came down near the village of Kyzyltu, to the northeast of the Almaty Airport. Weather reported about the time of the accident included freezing fog: UAAA 290730Z 02001MPS 0150 R23R/0150N R23L/0200N FZFG VV001 M01/M01 Q1018 882/0150 NOSIG RMK QBB040 UAAA 290700Z 05001MPS 0150 R23R/0150N R23L/0200N FZFG VV001 M01/M01 Q1019 882/0150 NOSIG RMK QBB040 www.aviation-safety.net Back to Top U.S. jet missing off Italy; search for pilot under way (CNN) -- Rescuers were searching for the pilot of a U.S. fighter jet missing over the Adriatic Sea on Monday, the U.S. military announced. Controllers lost contact with the F-16 around 8 p.m. Monday (2 p.m. ET) while the jet was on a training flight, the U.S. Air Force reported. The single pilot's condition was not immediately known, the service said. The jet was based at Aviano Air Base, a key NATO installation in northern Italy. Back to Top Puerto Rico emergency landing for Brazil-bound jet SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) -- An American Airlines jet bound for Brazil has made an emergency landing in Puerto Rico. American spokesman Matt Miller said the flight took off from Miami and was en route to Sao Paulo when an electrical odor was detected in the cockpit. The plane landed in San Juan without incident Monday. There were no injuries. The Boeing 767 had 198 passengers and a crew of 13. Miller said the plane would remain in Puerto Rico overnight and the flight would take off Tuesday. Back to Top Airbus' Presentation Warned Airlines of Lithium Battery Risks a Year Ago Airbus warned the airline industry of risks related to lithium batteries almost a year before two safety incidents grounded 787 Dreamliners built by its chief rival Boeing, according to a presentation seen by Reuters. The European plane maker spelled out lithium hazards at a forum of airline customers in March 2012, citing the risk of flames, explosion, smoke and leakage in the event of a so-called thermal runaway or uncontrolled battery overheating. "The risks associated to lithium batteries require the attention of the entire industry," according to slides of the presentation by Christine Bezard, flight safety leader of the planned Airbus A350 plane that will also use lithium batteries. U.S. and Japanese authorities are investigating a battery fire and a smoke incident on two separate Dreamliners in recent weeks, with attention focused on their lithium-ion battery power units. Airbus, which plans to use lithium-ion batteries on its A350 jetliner, declined to comment on the presentation. Both Airbus and Boeing say their designs are safe. Lithium-ion batteries are widely used in smart phones and hybrid vehicles because they are lighter, smaller and more powerful than traditional nickel or lead-acid batteries. But if managed improperly, lithium-ion batteries can also explode, with some posing a greater fire risk than others based on their chemical makeup. Last year's Airbus presentation covered consumer products carried in the cabin or stored as baggage, as well as batteries used in emergency devices such as flashlights and beacons or, in a slide showing the A350, system batteries built into aircraft. It said that the fire extinguishing gas Halon 1301 is effective in controlling open flames and the spread of fire in lithium-ion and lithium-polymer batteries and that water can stop the propagation of thermal runaway in a cargo shipment. It did not say whether fire suppression systems would be installed with the main batteries on the A350, but industry sources say the design calls for hazardous fumes to be vented. The lack of a fire suppression system on the Boeing 787 is one of the issues being examined by the National Transportation Safety Board as it investigates the Boston Logan fire. The battery housing is designed to contain any fire. The 787 is the first passenger jet to use lithium-ion batteries for back-up and auxiliary power. Airbus declined to comment on the design of the A350 battery, supplied by French company Saft, which has said it will not comment on the A350, referring questions to Airbus. "Airbus will carefully study recommendations that come out of the 787 investigation and evaluate whether they apply to the A350," Airbus spokesman Stefan Schaffrath said by email. Besides the NTSB investigation, the Federal Aviation Administration is conducting a design review of the 787. http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/international/2013/01/29/279191.htm Back to Top Three Canadians killed in Antarctica plane crash Three Canadians were killed in Antarctica after their plane crashed last week into the freezing cold and hurricane force winds of the icy continent, the National Science Foundation confirmed Monday. "On behalf of the U.S. National Science Foundation and all in the U.S. Antarctic Program, I wish to extend our profound sympathies to the families, friends, and colleagues of the three Kenn Borek Twin Otter crew, whose deaths in Antarctica while en route to support the Italian national Antarctic science program have recently been confirmed," said Kelly K. Falkner, director of NSF's Division of Polar Programs, in a statement. 'Their contributions make possible hard won but vital advances in scientific knowledge that serve all of mankind.' - Kelly K. Falkner, director of NSF's Division of Polar Programs Officials with the U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP) and Antarctica New Zealand decided to recall their search-and-rescue teams from the crash site Monday, saying it would be unsafe to disturb wreckage that is largely embedded in snow and ice on a steep mountain slope. The coming Antarctic winter and the generally poor weather conditions -- winds of up to 104 miles per hour blew through on Thursday and Friday -- made the rescue effort impossible. "In many ways, their contributions make possible hard won but vital advances in scientific knowledge that serve all of mankind. Although everyone associated with the pursuit of science in Antarctica makes personal sacrifices to do so, very infrequently and sadly, some make the ultimate sacrifice," Falkner said. The propeller-driven Twin Otter was flying from a U.S. station near the pole to an Italian research base in Terra Nova Bay. Rescuers believe it crashed in the Queen Alexandra mountain range at an elevation of about 13,000 feet. The plane's emergency locator started transmitting late Wednesday about 420 miles north of the South Pole, but the weather has prevented search planes overhead from seeing the presumed crash site itself. One man on the plane was identified as Bob Heath from the Northwest Territories, an experienced pilot in both the Antarctic and Arctic. Rescuers say the other two men were also part of the flight crew and that no passengers were aboard. The plane was owned and operated by Kenn Borek Air Ltd., a Calgary firm that charters aircraft to the U.S. Antarctic program. Antarctica has no permanent residents, but several thousand people live there in the Southern Hemisphere summer as a number of countries send scientists and other staff to research stations. The U.S. runs the largest program, with about 850 staff at its McMurdo Station and another 200 at its Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, where the Canadians' flight originated. Elsewhere in Antarctica, a team of U.S. scientists announced Sunday night that they had successfully drilled half a mile through the ice covering Lake Whillans, a subglacial expanse of water hidden deep beneath the Antarctic ice sheet. http://www.foxnews.com/science/2013/01/28/three-canadians-scientists-killed-in-antarctica-crash/ Back to Top Report cites lost rudder in Texas plane crash that killed Utah men A preliminary report about a Texas plane crash earlier this month that killed three Utah men said the aircraft appeared to have lost its rudder just before crashing into a pasture minutes after takeoff. Passengers Michael Dale Bradley, 44, and Michael Endo, 51, both of Salt Lake City, died in the crash along with pilot Rob Thompson, 49, of Saratoga Springs. All three worked for Utah-based Celtic Bank, which owned the Piper PA46 plane that crashed Jan. 12 near Paris, Texas. The National Transportation Safety Board issued a report on Jan. 22 that cited two witnesses who heard the plane just before it crashed on a cold, foggy morning. A cause of the crash was not offered in the report. According to the NTSB, the plane crashed at about 8:54 a.m., less than a minute after the pilot had contact with air traffic control operators in Fort Worth, Texas. A witness working on a farm near the accident site at about 9 a.m. heard the plane's engine. He told investigators he could not see the plane because of the fog, but reported hearing the engine rev about three times, then silence. About 15 minutes later, the farmer saw black smoke from the crash site about a half-mile northwest from his barn but didn't hear the impact. A second witness said he heard the plane's engine "back-firing" four or five times while he was working at a natural gas plant near the crash site sometime between 8:30 and 9 a.m. that day. The plane was relatively intact except that a rudder that served as a horizontal stabilizer was found about 30 feet from the crash site. The wreckage seemed to show that the plane was in a "flat, counter-clockwise rotating spin" before impact, the report states. A fire consumed most of the cockpit, right wing and fuselage after the crash. The report said Thompson, the plane's pilot, had logged more than 2,300 total flight hours, 118 of them on the type of plane that crashed. According to the flight plan that day, the men were headed to Austin, Texas. A call to Celtic Bank seeking comment on the preliminary findings was not immediately returned Monday. A final probable-cause report on the crash will be released once the investigation is finished. http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/55717355-78/plane-crash-report-texas.html.csp Back to Top FAA Directive Sheds Light On Emirates Engine Shutdown An FAA directive out today seemingly sheds some light on the November 11, 2012 in-flight shutdown of an Engine Alliance GP7270 powering an Emirates A380. Notes the agency: We received a report of an engine shutdown and turbine case burn-through, preceded by exceedance of the engine exhaust gas temperature (EGT) limit and loss of engine oil. Investigation revealed that the event was caused by damage to the HPT [high-pressure turbine] stage 2 nozzle due to inadequate part cooling. HPT stage 2 nozzles, part numbers (P/Ns) 2101M24G01, 2101M24G02, and 2101M24G03, are identified as having the inadequate cooling design. This condition, if not corrected, could result in HPT stage 2 nozzle failure, leading to uncontrolled fire, engine shutdown, and damage to the airplane. The Emirates incident probe quickly focused on the HPT Stage 2 nozzle area. Further investigation confirmed a second-stage HPT nozzle failure and "small holes and tears in the HPT case." The FAA directive mandates repetitive checks of three specific part numbers and a permanent fix-- installing guide vanes with improved cooling at the next engine shop visit--developed by Engine Alliance in 2011. As Norris reported, most operators have accomplished the work. For engines that haven't been upgraded, initial checks are required before 1,500 total flight cycles, and repetitive checks must be done every 100 cycles thereafter. Nozzles found with burn holes must be swapped out immediately, at a cost of $487,000, according to FAA's directive. The Emirates engine that shut down had 1,857 cycles, investigators report. http://www.aviationweek.com/ Back to Top Back to Top Aviation's Iron Lady: NTSB Chairwoman Deborah Hersman Juggling Boeing's meltdown and bureaucratic tension with the much larger FAA, top federal transportation investigator Deborah Hersman is the steely new face of sky patrol. There's a new, tough energy in the nation's leading accident investigation agency, and its face is Deborah Hersman. Aviation industry insiders have been surprised by the bluntness of public statements made by Hersman, chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board, about the investigation into battery fires on board the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman speaks while John DeLisi, deputy director, NTSB Office of Aviation Safety, listens during a briefing on Jan. 24, 2013 in Washington, D.C. "I'm glad to see her taking the lead," says John Goglia, a former NTSB investigator with more than 40 years experience in the industry. "These are not state secrets, this is an issue of public safety and they should be giving regular updates." From the moment when NTSB inspectors arrived in Boston in the wake of a battery fire on a Japan Airlines 787 two weeks ago, the agency has stressed the seriousness of the problem and made very explicit the hazard it represents. Last week at the NTSB headquarters in Washington, Hersman opened the lab to reporters to display the charred remnants of the battery and its casing, an unusually vivid public move. And, as she has all along, she emphasized-three times-that any potential source of fire aboard an airplane cannot be tolerated. Perhaps more significantly, Hersman is directing the NTSB investigation to look into the role of its far larger fellow agency, the Federal Aviation Administration. Specifically, into how the whole 787 battery system came to be certified safe to fly by the FAA. There has always been a tension between the two agencies. The NTSB's role is investigation and recommendation-spelling out a safety problem that they have identified and recommending the steps, including new regulations, needed to put it right. The FAA is charged with framing the consequent regulations, which can be a long and opaque process vulnerable to both industry interests and politicians. The FAA has a headquarters staff of 4,000 and another 40,000 in regional offices and in the field; the NTSB has to deal with all transportation investigations with a staff of only 400. Around 60 investigators handle aviation. The contention between the two took a strange turn in the last decade. The FAA decided to build their own laboratory to analyze data from flight recorders, duplicating equipment that the NTSB-in a building directly opposite-already had. "This was a terrible waste of taxpayer money," Goglia says. "If they had something they wanted to read out they could just step across the street." With the 787 investigation, Hersman and her investigators are caught between Boeing on one side, with a shadow lengthening over its reputation and anxious to get the Dreamliner back in the air, and the FAA on the other, who have to make the call that it is safe to fly. Traditionally, the FAA has been tight-lipped about its relations with airplane manufacturers during accident investigations. Running the agency was "her destiny," says Sen. Rockefeller. Hersman's no-nonsense statements and transparency have made the FAA, and its new chief Mike Huerta (he had barely taken charge when the crisis erupted), appear to be behind the curve. It took the FAA four day after the Boston fire to decide to conduct a "comprehensive review" of the 787's systems and another five days-after a battery emergency on an All Nippon Airways 787 that was in the air-to ground the airplanes. Hersman was only 39 when President Obama nominated her to head the agency. For 12 years she had been a staffer on Capitol Hill specializing in transportation safety. An early fan of hers was Sen. Jay Rockefeller, the chairman of the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, which oversees the NTSB, who predicted that running the agency was "her destiny." And it is now Rockefeller's committee that is investigating the FAA's certification of the 787's battery system and considering a step that would open up the issue to new scrutiny-public hearings. When Rockefeller was first briefed on the problem, he was forthright: "How could something like that by a company like Boeing, how could it just be so bad?" Shortly after Hersman took over the agency, her concern with airline safety was sharpened by what her investigators uncovered after the crash of Colgan Air Flight 3407 near Buffalo in February 2009, which killed 50 people. The crash was a result of pilot error, involving a captain who had failed competency tests and a 24-year-old copilot, Rebecca Shaw, who earned $23,900 a year and who, before joining Flight 3407, had slept in a crew lounge after hitching two Fedex flights to Newark from her home in Seattle. The NTSB recommended far more stringent rules to prevent pilot fatigue and last year, after typically drawn-out FAA consultations, new regulations governing pilot duty hours and rest periods were finally passed. Hersman is now setting her sights on private aviation, where the safety record contrasts poorly with commercial airlines-Hersman has cited last year's numbers, 1,500 accidents with 400 deaths, as a cause of concern. In the case of the 787, the NTSB gave an update yesterday which revealed that they have sent two more investigators to the Boeing plant in Seattle, one of whom who will focus on the battery certification process. Goglia believes that the forensic trail could extend beyond the batteries and the systems designed to monitor them into the software involved, and that outside experts may need to be brought in. "It was routine to reach out to the academic community and bring in that expertise. If we don't have a smoking gun pretty quickly this airplane is going to be on the ground for quite a while." http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/01/28/aviation-s-iron-lady-ntsb-chairwoman-deborah- hersman.html Back to Top Y-20 transport aircraft completes first flight Code-named "Kunpeng" and mainly developed by the Xi'an Aircraft Industry (Group) Company Ltd., the Y- 20 transport aircraft has strong taking-off and landing capability as evidenced by being able to take off and land at airstrips, and can carry all types of armored vehicles of the army of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA). China's independently-developed Y-20 large transport aircraft successfully completed its first test flight on January 26, 2013, which is of important significance in promoting the construction of China's economy and national defense modernization, and responding to such emergencies as disaster rescue and relief work and humanitarian assistance. The Y-20 is China's independently-developed large and multi-purpose transport aircraft. It can carry out the task of long-distance air transport of various materials and personnel under complicated weather conditions. The aircraft will continue to carry out related tests and test flights as scheduled after its maiden flight. http://www.china.org.cn/china/2013-01/29/content_27824380.htm Back to Top Govt's bid for 30 aircraft (Nigeria) PROPOSAL by the Ministry of Aviation to acquire 30 aircraft for Nigerian airlines is no doubt an acknowledgement of the crisis in the nation's aviation sector, characterised by the poor finances and low operational capacity of domestic airlines. Sadly, the resolution the Ministry is advancing is no solution, as it is bound to result in gross waste of public funds rather than boost capacity in the sector or enhance the safety of passengers. In effect, a public spending spree is being proposed as a solution to structural problems in a sector dominated by private sector players. This painfully underscores the Federal Government's lack of a coherent economic policy framework. As one part of the government preaches the gospel of free market enterprise and private sector investment, another hatches plans to squander public funds on what the private sector could be encouraged to do well. The Ministry of Aviation had first floated the idea of starting a government-funded "national carrier", an idea that was condemned as a definite means of wasting public resources given the sad experience of Nigerian governments running commercial enterprises. But it is even more bizarre for government to think of acquiring 30 aircraft on behalf of airlines that have been founded and are managed by private investors. No official has offered any details about how the proposal will be implemented. Will the aircraft be given as gifts to the airlines? If not, how will they pay back to the government? Who will pay the insurance costs? What mechanisms have been put in place to ensure the aircraft are well maintained and the government recoup its investment? There is no indication that the Ministry of Aviation has even held any consultation with the intended beneficiaries of this "benevolence." All this despite the fact that even the Minister of Aviation has acknowledged that the N200 billion the Federal Government shared out to domestic airlines in a 2009 intervention has not enhanced the capacity of Nigerian airlines. There are allegations that the funds were mismanaged and diverted to other purposes. Yet no one is being investigated or prosecuted at the moment. There is no rational justification why the Federal Government should fund or acquire aircraft on behalf of private investors in the aviation sector. Such a suggestion will merely enrich some people in the public sector and airline operators. It will not build capacity in the nation's aviation sector. Nigeria's experience with public utilities, including a national airline, is that they become drainpipes in which public funds disappear while their managers grow stupendously rich, even as operations and customer service standards irredeemably plummet. It is time government left management of services the private sector can provide. It is illogical for the Ministry of Aviation to hand over assets worth additional billions of naira to the same companies that, in its acknowledgement, mismanaged N200 billion three years earlier. The cost of domestic flight in Nigeria is sometimes twice as expensive as flying to European countries. The role of government is to formulate policies to create incentives for experienced, efficient and responsible operators to invest in the Nigerian aviation sector while poorly managed and under-resourced ones are made to exit. Government objective should not be to shower the latter with even more billions of public funds. Nigerians should not be subjected to risk their lives or pay exorbitantly for air travel in solidarity with any airlines. Government should also continue to review its policies that may cause increase in the financial burden on airlines beyond what is considered fair and efficient in other countries. The plan to acquire aircraft on behalf of airlines is part of a pattern of expanding government spending and role to the detriment of developing the private sector. Despite all their lapses and the magnitude of their investment requirements, telecoms firms operate successfully in Nigeria without relying on government largesse. This is an outcome of good policy and firm regulation, which ought to be replicated in the aviation sector. In many countries, airport management is being handled by private firms. Sadly, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has consistently acted to frustrate private investors. The Ministry of Aviation should spend its fiscal and managerial resources on strengthening services in the sector. This is primarily to ensure safety, rather than use public fuds to compete with the private sector. The policy confusion inherent in its action undermines the government's capacity for coherence in policy making, and raises posers about possible political motives. The Federal Government should show concern about the focus of this administration's economic policy strategy. http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=111764:govts- bid-for-30-aircraft&catid=37:editorial&Itemid=612 Back to Top Air India puts Dreamliner planes for sale, leaseback Air India has put all its newly-acquired Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner planes for sale and leaseback and invited bids from prospective lessors by February first week, even as all of these aircraft remained grounded across the world. Air India and other Dreamliner operators across the world have grounded their entire fleet of 50 B- 787s delivered so far following a directive from the US Federal Aviation Authority after a fire risk reportedly caused by a battery problem. In spite of this, the national carrier has gone ahead with its plan of sale and leaseback, which has already been approved by the government as part of its turnaround and financial restructuring plans. Sale-leaseback is an arrangement in which an owner sells an asset to a leasing firm and, at the same time, leases it (as a lessee) on a long-term basis to retain exclusive possession and use. This frees capital tied up in a fixed asset, while the lender obtains a guaranteed lease. The airline can also claim tax deductions as the asset was no longer owned but leased, which would help it in streamlining its operations and cut costs. Air India has invited quotations from lessors on or before February 5 on a Request for Proposal (RFP) which said it "would sell the aircraft to the lessor and immediately leaseback them under an operating lease for a period of 12 years, with an option to extend." Though the Indian flag carrier has received six Dreamliners between September and December last and is expected to get one this month, it announced in the RFP the sale and leaseback of seven of them. However, delivery of the seventh plane could be deferred due to the prevailing problem. Air India plans to sell all its 27 Dreamliner aircraft to a lessor and lease them back to operate by paying monthly rentals, a common fund-raising practice among airlines. http://businesstoday.intoday.in/story/air-india-puts-dreamliner-planes-for-sale- leaseback/1/191913.html Curt Lewis