Flight Safety Information February 22, 2013 - No. 042 In This Issue Jet Crash Kills 5, pilot hit utility pole after aborting landing Jet landed at airport after emergency Japan identifies some Boeing 787 problems United Airlines grounds Dreamliners through June 5 Bolivia Irks Spain With Airport Nationalizations Man indicted for alleged airplane hijack hoax Demuren: There Will be Safety Challenges without Maintenance Hangar (Nigeria) 'No shortcut' in aviation safety - US official (Philippines) Developer seeks dismissal of airline's World Trade Center defence PROS IOSA Audit Experts Cuba to buy aircraft from Russia U-2 spy plane pilots get Key lime pie, hash browns and more Dean Baldwin wins American Airlines contract, set to hire 200 workers (Indiana) International Accident Investigation Forum...Singapore, 23 - 25 April 2013 Jet Crash Kills 5, pilot hit utility pole after aborting landing Jet Crash Kills 5: Investigators don't yet know why the plane aborted its landing at Thomson-McDuffie Regional Airport, a small terminal with a 5,500-foot runway about 30 miles west of Augusta. A small private jet carrying a surgeon and members of his clinic staff aborted its landing at a Georgia airport before it hit a 60-foot utility pole and crashed in a flaming wreck, killing five people onboard and injuring two, federal authorities said Thursday. National Transportation Safety Board member Robert Sumwalt said fuel leaking from the plane ignited in flames Wednesday night after it hit the concrete pole with enough force to sheer off the left wing. He said investigators found pieces of the plane strewn over 100 yards. "The wreckage was severely fragmented, and it is almost completely destroyed by fire," Sumwalt said at a news conference Thursday afternoon. "...You walk up and you say to yourself, 'Where is the airplane?'" Investigators don't yet know why the plane aborted its landing at Thomson-McDuffie Regional Airport, a small terminal with a 5,500-foot runway about 30 miles west of Augusta. Sumwalt said investigators would interview air-traffic controllers to see if the pilots made a distress call and search for a flight-data recorder from the plane that might yield clues. He also said authorities had obtained video from a security camera at the airport but had not yet reviewed it. The Hawker Beechcraft 390/ Premier I, a small business jet that seats two pilots and six passengers, was carrying five staff members of the Vein Guys clinic of vascular medicine specialists in Augusta, said Dr. Stephen Davis, a plastic surgeon who works for an affiliated Vein Guys clinic in Nashville. Davis said those on board were: Dr. Steven Roth, two ultrasound technicians, a nurse anesthetist and a secretary. He said Roth regularly flew to Vein Guys clinics in the region, though other doctors working for the clinic did not travel. Davis said his brother, Dr. Keith Davis, and Roth co-founded the Augusta clinic. He described Roth as "a great guy, a great doctor, devoted to patients and his family." Investigators said two pilots were also aboard the plane in addition to the clinic employees. Thomson-McDuffie County Sheriff Logan Marshall said two survivors were taken to hospitals. Richard Trammell was in critical condition at Georgia Regents Medical Center in Augusta, hospital spokeswoman Christen Carter said. The condition of the other survivor, and where that person was taken, is not known. Georgia Bureau of Investigation spokesman John Bankhead said the five dead were taken to an agency lab in Decatur for autopsies. They have not been identified. The crash started a brush fire in the woods behind an industrial plant near the airport. Witnesses reported power outages in the area as well. The private jet had been flying fairly frequently from the Thomson airport during the past several months, said Keith Bounds, the airport's general manager. "The pilots were familiar with the facility, familiar with the area and familiar with the runway," Bounds said. "And the airplane was immaculate. The pilots kept it in pristine condition." The pilots had sent an electronic message to close out their flight plan before the jet overshot the runway - a sign that they began their landing approach without problems, Bounds said. Skies in the area were clear Wednesday night with light wind, he said. There was no damage or other physical signs that the jet ever touched down on the runway, Bounds said. The plane crossed a five-lane state highway near Interstate 20 before it struck the utility pole about a quarter-mile from the end of the runway. Patricia Reese and her husband live in a farmhouse near the site. She said they were watching TV on Wednesday night when they were startled by noise and a power outage. "The lights blinked and went off, and all of a sudden we heard this noise," Reece said. "It sounded like thunder that just kept going on and on." Reece's husband grabbed a flashlight and they headed into the pitch-dark field behind their home. They soon saw flashing lights from emergency vehicles and thick smoke pouring from the woods, she said. http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Latest-News-Wires/2013/0221/Jet-Crash-Kills-5-pilot- hit-utility-pole-after-aborting-landing ************ Status: Final Date: 20 FEB 2013 Time: 20:30 Type: Raytheon 390 Premier IA Operator: Pavilion Group LLC Registration: N777VG C/n / msn: RB-208 First flight: 2007 Engines: 2 Williams International FJ44-2A Crew: Fatalities: / Occupants: Passengers: Fatalities: / Occupants: Total: Fatalities: 5 / Occupants: 7 Airplane damage: Destroyed Airplane fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: Thomson-McDuffie County Airport, GA (United States of America) Phase: Landing (LDG) Nature: Executive Departure airport: Nashville-John C. Tune Airport, TN () (KJWN), United States of America Destination airport: Thomson-McDuffie County Airport, GA (KHQU), United States of America Narrative: A Raytheon 390 Premier 1A corporate jet, registered N777VG, was destroyed in a landing accident at homson-McDuffie County Airport, GA, USA. One passenger and the pilot survived. The remaining five occupants were reportedly killed. www.aviation-safety.net Back to Top Jet landed at airport after emergency Indianapolis (WISH) - Indianapolis International Airport officials declared an aircraft emergency Thursday morning after a jet reported A possible unsafe nosegear condition. Carlo Bertolini, with the IIA told 24-Hour News 8 that a private jet, Lear 60, with two people on board was on an evaluation flight when it reported the possible unsafe condition. The airport declared an emergency landing and the jet landed safely. It was able to taxi to a hangar under its own power. http://www.wishtv.com/dpp/news/local/marion_county/jet-landed-at-airport-after- emergency Back to Top Japan identifies some Boeing 787 problems Japanese authorities have identified the causes of fuel leaks and other problems with Boeing's 787 but are still investigating the more serious battery problem that forced an emergency landing in January and the worldwide grounding of the jets. TOKYO - Japanese authorities have identified the causes of fuel leaks and other problems with Boeing's 787 but are still investigating the more serious battery problem that forced an emergency landing in January and the worldwide grounding of the jets. An oil leak was caused by an improper paint job that led to a switch not working properly, while inadequate taping led to cracks in cockpit glass, and a faulty part led to braking problems, according to the Transport Ministry's investigation released Friday into problems that occurred with the 787 Dreamliner in January. The government issued orders to fix the problems with 787s operated by Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways, the country's two major carriers and the biggest customers for Boeing Co.'s new jet. All 50 of the 787 jets in service around the world have been grounded for more than a month after a lithium-ion battery in a 787 operated by ANA overheated Jan. 16, forcing an emergency landing in western Japan. Earlier in January, a lithium-ion battery caught fire in a Japan Airlines 787 parked in Boston. Boeing and U.S. authorities are also investigating, but Friday's findings shed little light on the main problem. The 787 is the first jet to extensively use lithium-ion batteries, which weigh less, charge faster and are more powerful than other kinds of batteries. Japanese manufacturer GS Yuasa makes the batteries for Boeing. The aircraft manufacturer said earlier this week that it intends to propose to U.S. federal regulators a temporary fix for the batteries. The official who spoke on condition of anonymity did not disclose details. A fix for the 787 batteries would require stopping an uncontrolled overheating reaction called "thermal runaway," in which the battery gets hotter and hotter, and short-circuits spread from one battery cell to another. The battery problems are not necessarily linked to their manufacturer and could come from the myriads of parts and systems connected to the battery. Separately, the Japanese ministry said this week it had found the ANA jet's auxiliary power unit had been erroneously wired to the main battery that overheated. ANA, which has 17 Dreamliners in its fleet, and JAL, with seven, have had to cancel hundreds of flights over the 787 woes. JAL and ANA have released plans for flights without the 787 through the end of March, but have not said what they plan to do in the long term. Both companies have said they are ready to seek compensation from Boeing. http://seattletimes.com/html/ Back to Top United Airlines grounds Dreamliners through June 5 United Airlines cut the grounded Boeing 787 from its flying plans at least until June and postponed its new Denver-to-Tokyo flights on Thursday, as airlines continued to tear up their schedules while the plane is out of service. Investigators are still trying to figure out what caused a battery fire in one plane and forced the emergency landing of another plane last month. The world's 50 787s have been grounded since Jan. 16. United spokeswoman Christen David said the plane could still fly earlier than June 5 if a fix is found. At that point it would be used as needed around United's system, she said. United was due to begin flying from Denver to Tokyo's Narita airport on March 31. It's postponing the start of those flights at least until May 12, or longer if the 787 isn't cleared to fly. That would be almost a year after United began selling tickets for the flight. United has said the flights are a perfect fit for the 787, which is mid-sized and very fuel- efficient. The thinking is that Denver would be unlikely to fill a bigger plane for a flight to Tokyo. But it can fill the plane's 219 seats, and the plane is fuel-efficient enough to turn a profit. LOT Polish Airlines has pulled its two 787s from its schedule through October. The planes are off of All Nippon Airways' schedule through at least March 30. Switching the plane to be used on a flight is more complicated than passengers might think. Pilots trained to fly one type might not be able to fly the replacement, creating scheduling problems. Seats are laid out differently, meaning seating assignments have to be redone. Boeing has deployed hundreds of workers on the project to find and fix the problem with the 787's batteries. Boeing has long used lithium ion batteries in its satellites, according to Dennis Muilenburg, who runs Boeing's defense and space business. He said at an analyst conference on Thursday that about 20 engineers from the satellite business are among those working on solving the 787 problem. "We have broadly grabbed ahold of the best expertise in the world, and all of that is being harnessed and applied to work on this issue, and work on it with a sense of priority," Muilenburg said. The Federal Aviation Administration has said it won't clear 787s to fly until Boeing can show they're safe. Boeing intends to propose a plan to federal regulators on Friday to temporarily fix problems with the 787's lithium ion batteries, a congressional official told The Associated Press on Wednesday. Boeing has declined to talk about any planned meetings with federal officials. The company is in the middle of multiple probes related to the 787. The National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA are looking into the Jan. 7 battery fire on a Japan Airlines 787 parked at Boston's Logan International Airport. A Japan Airlines emergency landing in Japan is being examined by investigators in that country. And more broadly, the FAA is reviewing the design, certification, manufacture and assembly of the 787. So far industry and labor have been mostly supportive of Boeing and the government probes. Air Line Pilots Association President Lee Moak said the union is confident that when the investigations are done "we'll have known the reasons behind the system failures and we'll be able to move forward." He sidestepped a question from a reporter in Washington on Thursday about how pilots would view a potential decision to return the 787 to the air before investigators have found the root cause of the battery problems. "We're confident the process in place is a good one ... Once that is complete then a decision will be made. But until that time it's still an open and ongoing investigation," he said. http://www.usatoday.com/story/todayinthesky/2013/02/21/united-airlines-grounds- 787s-through-june-5-dreamliners/1936517/ Back to Top Bolivia Irks Spain With Airport Nationalizations Bolivian President Evo Morales' nationalization of three Spanish-owned airports this week has drawn strong criticism from Spain amid strained economic and political ties between the two countries. Bolivian President Evo Morales has nationalized several Spanish firms since he took office in 2006. Morales charged that the Spanish company Sabsa, which owned airports in the country's major cities of La Paz, Santa Cruz and Cochabamba, had been "maximizing profits" at Bolivia's expense. In particular, he said Sabsa had failed to deliver promised improvements to its facilities despite reaping more than $2 million in annual profits. Sabsa, a joint venture between Spanish conglomerate Abertis Infrastructuras SA and Spain's airport authority AENA, had a contract to operate the airports until 2025. Morales said Abertis-AENA had promised to invest $26 million in Sabsa from 2006 to 2011, but only ended up putting in $5.6 million, Spanish news outlet EiTB reported. Abertis, which owns 90 percent of Sabsa, said Bolivia has caused it losses by raising the salaries of airport employees 140 percent since 2005 and by freezing airport tariffs in 2001. On Monday, Morales ordered police to occupy Sabsa's offices and instructed the ministry of public works, services and housing to take over operation of the company. Spain's Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo said his country would "mobilize" its resources and that of the European Union against Bolivia's act of "aggression," adding that Madrid would have to "rethink bilateral relations as a whole," Mercopress reported. Morales said he would hire an independent firm to assess the appropriate amount of compensation for Sabsa's investors, which would be paid within 120 days. Since taking office in 2006, the socialist Bolivian leader has expropriated several Spanish companies in the telecommunications, energy and oil sectors. In December, Morales nationalized two Spanish-owned electrical utilities companies after claiming that they had overcharged customers, and earlier in May he expropriated the subsidiary of Red Electrica, another Spanish energy company. http://www.ibtimes.com/bolivia-irks-spain-airport-nationalizations-1100340 Back to Top Man indicted for alleged airplane hijack hoax HONOLULU (AP) -- A federal grand jury has indicted a Hawaii man on charges he lied to authorities when he said a possible hijacker was aboard an Alaska Airlines flight to Seattle. Timothy David Hershman faces up to five years in prison if convicted. Last month the FBI said a caller reported a possible hijacker aboard a Jan. 17 flight from Kailua-Kona. The call prompted the Oregon Air National Guard to scramble two F-15 jets to escort the flight to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Authorities took a passenger off the plane for questioning. They decided the call was a hoax after talking to him for nearly two hours. A message left at a phone number listed for Hershman was not immediately returned. The indictment was filed in U.S. District Court in Honolulu on Wednesday. Back to Top Demuren: There Will be Safety Challenges without Maintenance Hangar (Nigeria) Harold Demuren Director-General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Dr Harold Demuren, said that Nigeria urgently needed major aircraft maintenance hangar in Lagos, stressing that without indigenous maintenance facility safety could be imperilled. Chinedu Eze was at the interview. Excerpts: NCAA's Maintenance Programme NCAA over the years has been very strict on maintenance. We superimpose calendar on the hours and cycles of maintenance schedule. Because sometimes they say that an aircraft should not do C Check until 3,000 hours and that aircraft only flies maybe 50 hours a year in Nigeria, so how many years will it take the aircraft to do C check? So we tell them we don't agree. We call them Low Utilisation Aircraft. So NCAA superimposes calendar limitation so that the C check should be carried after shorter period and we have been saluted all over the world for doing this. The condition we give is, whether you fly or not, after 12 months or 18 months thou shall send this aircraft for a C Check. This is because over there when this regulation was made, it was assumed that the aircraft must have flown so much within that period, but here because we don't fly much if we follow that condition, you won't do it forever. This happens a lot in developing countries. The airlines can do scheduled maintenance locally like B Check. They have to borrow Nigeria Air Force hangar to do it. When they want to do their C Check they have to go abroad. We usually send inspectors there. You know what we always do; we allow the expiration of Certificate of Airworthiness (C of A) to coincide with the C Check. That is the way we monitor those things. America and other parts of the world have Certificate of Airworthiness without expiring date. They don't have expiring date, but we put expiring date on our own. We inspect non-scheduled maintenance. We are the most rigid, you talk to the airlines. Some airline operators who found us too strict usually take their aircraft elsewhere. We put expiring date, every one year you must do it or 18 months. We tie it down when you are going to do a C Check s that nobody will forget. Once the airworthiness expires you are on ground, you must go and do C Check and we would go there. This is what we do all the time. That is the way we control scheduled maintenance. When there is air return, NCAA is accused of directing that its officials should be there before maintenance of the aircraft is conducted. Air return is unscheduled maintenance. That is why we say they cannot go until when we see they have fixed it. But we are being accused; some say we are too strict. Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt are our golden triangle. These are the lucrative destinations and where your treasure is that's where you heart must be; so we police those areas very much. If there is something like a hard landing we cover it with what we call Mandatory Occurrence Reporting (MOR). This is a no go area; if you do it without reporting to us you are out. It is enough to revoke your licence, so you must report it. We have an official that is dedicated to investigating the incident. Now, that is what we use for our unscheduled maintenance. Scheduled maintenance depending on what it is...let me ask you something, a bird strike is unscheduled maintenance. Our people must be there because unless NCAA certifies you, you cannot go back to service. Need for Maintenance Hangar Now, where do they do unscheduled maintenance? We need to have in-house maintenance capability. I have come to the conclusion that it is not heavy checks that give you problems; it is the minor ones. Where you will do your heavy checks is approved; it is a known Maintenance and Repair Organisation (MRO) and our people are there. When our people are not there the host country is looking at it. What you have to do is regimented, you have to follow it. You have to sign it and we have changed the system. We do not allow you to do maintenance as per customer's request. You must do maintenance as per NCAA approved maintenance programme. People who are crooked will take their aircraft for maintenance and specify areas that should be maintenance and areas that should be left in order to safe cost. We don't allow that. First when you are going for maintenance we look at your log and see what you are going to do. Those who failed to abide by NCAA conditions were grounded in the past. And I thank God that all the Nigerian Presidents since I came to this position have supported us as long as our carrying our safety regulation is concerned. They don't interfere and we thank God for that. We don't give extension for the maintenance of aircraft; unless I am dead, it is a no-go item. The law says that the only person that can approve extension is the Director- General and I am not going to approve extension. We have passed that stage. So the C Check and D Check are done, unless the aircraft is undergoing what we call life development programme in which we intentionally restrict the operation of the aeroplane. And when it comes to C and D checks you must do them. Routine Daily Checks The checks we should start paying attention to are the routine daily checks. In flying you meet different environmental problems...sometimes bird strike, sometimes foreign object injection, sometimes hydraulic problems. We have pebbles and stones that hit the aircraft during take-off and it may start to leak. So we have those problems. They have to maintain and fix them. We don't rely again on one engineer for an airline who has a licence; we don't rely on that. We now use approved maintenance organisation. For Arik Air it is Lufthansa Technic. They must work under that umbrella. The maintenance organisation is the one that looks at the routine maintenance of the aircraft. They check the log book; look at the snags that have been reported. If they don't report them NCAA will ground the airline because this is a no go item. Establishment of Maintenance Hangar As a matter of conscious policy, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) must give land to the airline to build maintenance hangar. We should encourage them. You have to provide land for them at their operational base which is Lagos. Aircraft leave in the morning; they do their sorties and come back in the evening. They come back with snags. Someone must clean them before the start of operations again. Do you know what happens? In other countries they have beautiful hangars. When the pilots come back at 7:00; 7:30 pm, they are worn out. They just carry their bags to go home. They put everything in their techlog. That is the time the engineers should take their aircraft to the hangar where every facility is in place and they do their work. It is like taking a patient to the theatre and the doctor is waiting. But when you do that on a roadside mechanic type; you stay on the tarmac in the night with torchlight, under the rain; it is not good enough for us. They call it line maintenance. When you travel abroad you see maintenance hangars all over the place. But when you want to build one here they say you should pay a lot of money. It is ridiculous. In America they give land free for you to build maintenance hangar. This is because it promotes safety. The airline should be given land because that is what it is meant for. And not when you want to give them land, you give them small land that they cannot expand. I am saying this because for the future of Nigeria that is where we should go. You need to give more land; you must give the land out. It is at the airside that the aeroplane is. FAAN should not say it has a master plan and therefore will not accommodate maintenance hangar for airlines at the airside of the airport. What is the master plan for? In the olden days government gave out a large place for Nigeria Airways to build a maintenance hangar; no that there are many airlines; government should give land to them to build hangar. Building hangar is a massive investment so you have to encourage them to build the facility and the airlines don't have to pay anything. To promote safety, the aircraft will come and land there for maintenance. The hangar is very, very important. Without it we will still have safety challenges. Critical Importance of Maintenance Hangar The secret about hangar is that when you build one you cannot take it away. That is why all over the world there is a policy to encourage airlines to build hangar. FAAN should have a policy like that. The biggest is America; any airport they just go and build hangar and airlines will come and take it and use it. It promotes safety. It will also provide employment. All the maintenance we go to do abroad we come and do it here. All our maintenance engineers are briefcase engineers. We cannot develop them. What we have done in the main case is that every other airline must have agreement with a foreign airline, an Airline Maintenance Organisation (AMO). Dana Air has it with Mytechnic of Istanbul, Turkey, just as Arik Air has with Lufthansa Technic and they are EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency) approved. That is the standard; they are the ones doing all the maintenance for all our people here. Automated Flight Information Reporting System (AFIS) When the Dana Air accident occurred what was the main problem? People wanted to know the cause of the accident. If they had known the true cause of the accident nobody would have speculated. If I had known the second day that this was what caused it; no problem, things would have been clear. But because we don't know everybody started to speculate. I told them then that aviation safety is data driven. I refused to agree with their speculation. I cannot speculate in life; I have seen it all. It was this that led us to AFIS. This is how it works. Equipment is put on board the aircraft. This equipment picks all the data that is going into flight data recorder and directly transmits down to the ground while the aircraft is airborne without pilot's input. So if there was high temperature it will transmit it down. If there are exigencies it transmits everything down. The second thing it will do is flight data recorder filming. It will film all those data. So there are two functions. One is alerting. It alerts you when there is any exigency; number two it will film and send them to the ground. That is what we have planned to do in all Nigerian aircraft. As I am speaking with you, Aero Contractors has it on their aeroplanes. Aero Contractors is doing well. Some of the latest aeroplane of Arik, the NGs (New Generation), they don't have exactly, but Arik need to do certain things, to subscribe to Boeing for the programme. AFIS will help us understand the problem of human factor in air operation. So once we have that, and it is not expensive. By the time we put it on each of the aircraft you monitor it. The airline will have access to it. You can put on your Blackberry where you are going and monitor everything...you know where your aircraft is going, you know where it is located, you know whatever is happening to it. It also tells about the weather. It is a different world entirely with AFIS, but it has the biggest thing, animation. It animates everything and tells you exactly how the aircraft was flown. With it the deceit of the Nigerian public will seize forever if accident happens because we will know what caused it. http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/demuren-there-will-be-safety-challenges-without- maintenance-hangar/140229/ Back to Top 'No shortcut' in aviation safety - US official (Philippines) MANILA, Philippines - Lifting a safety-related restriction on Philippine airlines needs time and requires a lot of work, a US diplomat told local businessmen. Responding to questions on the US Federal Aviation Authority's (FAA) Category 2 ranking of its peer industry regulator in the Philippines, visiting US Department of State Assistant Secretary Jose Fernandez said the procedures needed to upgrade to Category 1 will be followed. "Fortunately, or unfortunately, there are no shortcuts to meeting the upgrade from Category 2 to Category 1. What we can do is find ways to accelerate whatever needs to happen in order to make that upgrade possible," he said at an event on Friday, February 22, organized by the Makati Business Club. Philippine carriers, including Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific, are keen on the safety rating upgrade so they could mount new and additional flights to the US. The FAA gave the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) a failing mark back in 2008 due to two concerns the local regulator lacks the capability to implement global safety standards as it oversees local carriers. The issue was raised to Fernandez amid the ongoing safety audit of the CAAP by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). An ICAO group has started a new round of safety audits at CAAP since February 18. A favorable ICAO audit results may not only prompt FAA to allow Philippine carriers to expand or start their US operations, but also influence the European Union (EU) to follow suit. The EU blacklisted the Philippines from taking direct flights to any EU destinations denying the Philippine tourism industry to lure more tourists from the huge markets of the US and EU. Cooperation, collaboration Fernandez stressed the need for better collaboration and cooperation between CAAP and FAA to fast-track the upgrade. "We have suggested that we intensify the discussion with the FAA. What we can do as the State Department is to bring the two agencies together from the Philippines and from the US. We're prepared to facilitate," he said. Despite the short span of time left, Fernandez expressed his optimism about the country's burgeoning tourism industry and the government's initiative to attract more tourists. "One of the interesting things in my visit here is the interest of the government to attract more tourists. It's unbelievable, the beaches and attractions you have. You should get more US tourists here," he said. In 2012, over 4.3 million tourists visited the Philippines. The 2016 target of 10 million tourists is largely dependent on the Category 2 upgrade http://www.rappler.com/business/22386-no-shortcut-in-aviation-safety Back to Top Developer seeks dismissal of airline's World Trade Center defence NEW YORK (Reuters) - The leaseholder of the World Trade Center properties is asking a U.S. federal judge to reject arguments that American Airlines is not liable for damages stemming from the September 11, 2001 hijackings because the attacks were an act of war. Larry Silverstein filed court papers Wednesday asking U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein in Manhattan to dismiss that line of defence by the airline and its parent, AMR Corp (AAMRQ.PK), in the developer's long-running negligence lawsuit against them. Silverstein has sought to hold American and United Airlines, now United Continental Holdings Inc (UAL.N), responsible for damages from the 2001 attacks for allegedly failing to provide adequate airport and airline security. The request comes ahead of a ruling by the judge in a separate case to determine whether an "act of war" clause of a federal statute provides a defence to liability claims. If Hellerstein were to rule that defence applied, it potentially could bolster the airlines' defence against Silverstein. The hijackings killed more than 3,000 people in New York, at the Pentagon outside Washington, D.C., and in Pennsylvania. The case is one of the few remaining lawsuits arising from the attacks. Hellerstein has presided over most of them. In the new court papers, Silverstein contends AMR and American Airlines should be stopped from the "act of war" defence because the airline and its insurers "repeatedly and explicitly promised Congress, regulators and the American people that they would not use act of war to avoid paying claims" after the attacks. American Airlines has offered several defences in the Silverstein case, including that the developer's "alleged damages were caused by an act of war," according to a 2008 court filing by the airline. In the same court filing, the airline also said it was in compliance with federal safety regulations, which precludes a finding of liability against it; that the alleged damages were caused by the negligence or intentional misconduct of parties for whom it is not responsible; and that neither American nor its parent caused the alleged damages. "This motion by the Silverstein interests has no factual or legal support," American Airlines spokesman Sean Collins said in a statement. "American Airlines has defended itself with all defences available at law against the baseless attempt by the Silverstein entities to hold American responsible for the terrorist attacks of September 11." As part of the September 11 litigation, Hellerstein in November found that United Continental Holdings was not liable for the collapse of 7 World Trade Center because of airport security lapses. The judge separately has capped potential damages in Silverstein's case against the airlines at $2.8 billion, the amount that the developer paid for the World Trade Center leases. Silverstein already has recovered $4 billion from his insurers. In the other case involving the "act of war" defence, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York last May asked Hellerstein to determine whether cleanup of asbestos and other contaminants is subject to "an act of war" defence under a 1980 federal environmental statute known as the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act. That lawsuit pits property owner Cedar & Washington Associates LLC against the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Cedar & Washington is seeking costs for ridding a downtown Manhattan apartment building of ground-up concrete, asbestos and other particles following the attacks. On February 11, the appeals court suggested it might take up the case again if Hellerstein has not issued a decision in 30 days. Attorneys for Silverstein and American Airlines declined to comment. The cases are World Trade Center Properties LLC, et al. v. United Airlines Inc; World Trade Center Properties LLC, et al. V. American Airlines Inc, et al, v. American Airlines Inc et all, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, Nos 08-3719 and 08-3722. Back to Top Back to Top Cuba to buy aircraft from Russia Havana, Feb 22 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Cuba will buy aircraft worth $650 million from Russia, the Russian industry and trade minister said Friday. "Overall, aircraft deliveries will be worth $650 million," Denis Manturov told journalists. Russian company Ilyushin Finance and the Cuban Aviation Corporation signed an option agreement on the delivery of three Antonov An-158 passenger aircraft and a number of other agreements in the presence of Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and Cuban leader Raul Castro following talks. Earlier Cuba confirmed that it was interested in buying three Ilyushin Il-96-400 airliners capable of carrying 350 people from Ilyushin Finance. A deal on the delivery of Il-96-400s was also signed in Havana. Medvedev arrived in Cuba Thursday following a visit to Brazil. --IANS/RIA Novosti Back to Top U-2 spy plane pilots get Key lime pie, hash browns and more Nearly 60 years after first taking to the skies, the U-2 spy plane continues to roam the edge of space while conducting important reconnaissance -- and its pilots can now eat like gourmets thanks to a new five-star in-flight menu. For these elite U.S. Air Force and NASA pilots, an entire meal, from bacon and hash browns to beef stroganoff and Key lime pie, is contained in something that looks like a toothpaste tube. Also known as the "Dragon Lady," the U-2 flies at 70,000 feet gathering surveillance data anywhere in the world with more flexibility than satellites. Built by the illustrious Lockheed Martin Skunk Works group and entering service in the late 1950s, the U-2 has been a national treasure for more than 50 years. Today's model is 40 percent larger and carries four times the intelligence collection payload than the originals, with a wide variety of sensors. U2s provide many key capabilities, from aerial eavesdropping to surveying dirt patterns in Iraq and Afghanistan to flag signs of hidden IEDs. NASA also uses the U-2 as a high-tech, high-altitude platform for research, including physics experiments. When pilots fly at these extreme high altitude conditions, they need to wear a pressurized suit and helmet. Pilots are fitted into the four-layer suits by two technicians and then shoehorned into the cockpit. Once suited, under pressure and connected to oxygen, there's no movement inside the cockpit; even something as simple as swallowing is not the same as it is on the ground and needs to be a conscious deliberate act. The U-2 is capable of very long flights so pilots can find themselves in a very small cockpit in these restrictive suits for twelve hours at a time. And when you're flying at the edge of space, it is not exactly the time or place to get out the knife and fork and tuck into a steak. To sustain the pilots and maintain concentration, tube food was designed to let pilots eat in these special suits without taking off the helmet. The silver meal tubes are attached to feeding probes and inserted through ports in the helmets - and the cockpit is even equipped with meal heaters. The scientists behind the menus For five decades, the Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center's Department of Defense Combat Feeding Directorate has been creating tube food for these pilots. Three years ago, the Air Force asked CFD to modernize the menu of 15 meal options, which are encapsulated in toothpaste-like tubes and range from entrees and desserts to soups and meats. Just about any food is fair game for tubing. The team has made a range of popular options, including chocolate pudding, chunky apple pie and more. In advance of their missions, pilots get to choose their selections and order their tubes. Pilots were given the opportunity to identify four new products they'd like to eat and then the Air Force asked Natick to make the winners. Breakfast bacon with hash browns, beef stroganoff, Key lime pie and peach melba have now all been added; the 15 existing options on the menu also underwent a makeover. Accomplishing a series of "Top Chef"-worthy tasks, Natick introduced a new approach to tube food by building layers of flavors, and worked hard to ensure texture rather than making it all baby food puree. They hope to introduce other modern meals -- even chicken tortilla soup. Portion size does vary by tube, but each meal is about 5 ounces, between 130 and 300 calories per tube, and designed to give pilots the sustenance they require. So how do they make it? To convert a desired meal into a tube meal option, Natick's scientist-chefs (on the "Food Processing, Engineering and Technology Team") break it down into elements and create a flavor profile. Starting with the actual meal -- bacon and hash browns, for example -- they taste it and write down all the flavors, spices and textures. Next they blend the meal into liquid, tasting it again to compare the difference between the liquid and solid versions. In the final stage, they put the liquefied meal through a "thermal preserving process" and taste it again. The team then adapts the recipe so that it can be put in the tube and taste like the original. Similar to canning, the tube food is kept fresh from spoiling by using heat to preserve it, rather than preservatives. These tubes can then last about three years at 80 degrees. Natick supplies a whopping 28,000 tubes annually of the food to support about 100 pilots. www.foxnews.com/tech/2013/02/21/u2-spy-plane-pilots-get-key-lime-pie-hash-browns- and-more/#ixzz2LcuC8ZVA Back to Top Dean Baldwin wins American Airlines contract, set to hire 200 workers (Indiana) Peru - Texas-based Dean Baldwin Painting is set to begin operations out of a renovated hangar at the Grissom Aeroplex in early March, after winning a contract to paint American Airlines jet planes. The company said it plans to hire 200 workers this year. CEO Barbara Baldwin said the company already has hired 60 people, and 30 are currently working and undergoing training. She estimated 160 employees would be working at the facility by the end of April. The company was awarded its first contract in January to paint American Airline planes. The airline company announced earlier this year it was changing its logo and livery on all its planes for the first time in 40 years. "We were fortunate to win a piece of this," Baldwin said. "The contract we won is good and long." She said the company plans to paint and service more than 200 airplanes a year out of the new facility, which could attract other aviation businesses to the area. Miami County officials worked for nearly four years to secure funding to renovate the hangar at Grissom Aeroplex to accommodate Dean Baldwin. The $13.8 million project expanded the hangar by 50,000 feet on the east and west sides to accommodate massive jets like the Boeing 747. Construction is complete on two service bays on the west side of the building, and the east side bays should be complete by mid March, said Jim Tidd, executive director of the Miami County Economic Development Authority. The facility should be totally complete in May, he said. "This facility is one-in-a-million," Baldwin said. "It's really state-of-the-art, and it's going to start showing itself off once we're up and running." The expansion project was funded by a $7.2 million loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, state loans totaling $5.1 million and more than $1 million in local funding from Miami County. Dean Baldwin Painting signed a 30-year lease agreement with Miami County to use the hangar. Tidd said the yearly lease payments will go toward paying off the federal and state loans. Baldwin said the company will hire more than 200 workers by the end of the year, with an annual payroll of around $6 million. Tidd said studies estimate the facility will have an economic impact of $162 million in the area over its first five years of operation. The expansion nearly doubles the size of the company, which currently employees 240 people at its facilities in New Mexico, Texas and Arizona. Dean Baldwin previously was set to move into the new facility in December, but two fires and delays in supply deliveries delayed the renovation project. "We're anxious to move in," Baldwin said. "We can't wait to get started, and we're almost there. But we wish we could have moved in earlier." Tidd said county officials are currently trying to attract other aviation-related companies to Grissom Aeroplex that could offer services on all the planes flying in to be painted by Dean Baldwin. "I wish the hangar renovation project would have happened sooner and on schedule, but there's always unexpected things that come up on these kinds of projects," he said. "But after four years, it's really great to see it all coming together." http://kokomotribune.com/local/x657734740/Dean-Baldwin-wins-American-Airlines- contract-set-to-hire-200-workers Back to Top International Accident Investigation Forum Singapore, 23 - 25 April 2013 The Air Accident Investigation Bureau of Singapore (AAIB) will be hosting the Second International Accident Investigation (IAI) Forum at the Singapore Aviation Academy (SAA) on 23 - 25 April 2013. The IAI Forum 2013 is co-organised by the SAA, and strongly supported by: - International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), - Flight Safety Foundation (FSF), - European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC), and - International Society of Air Safety Investigators (ISASI). The IAI Forum 2013 aims to bring together the world's top government investigation officials and experts to discuss issues relating to the organisation, infrastructure and management of accident investigation. It is open to investigation officials responsible for discharging their country's obligation under Annex 13 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation, regulatory officials and aviation safety professionals from the private sector. The IAI Forum 2013 will also serve as a platform for ICAO to inform, explain to and discuss with the safety investigation community regarding the developments and issues being pursued by ICAO. The Inaugural IAI Forum was held on 21 - 23 April 2010 was attended by 149 government investigation officials and aviation safety professionals from 29 countries. Ms Nancy Graham, Director of ICAO Air Navigation Bureau, Ms Deborah Hersman, Chairman of US National Transportation Safety Board, and Capt. Kevin L. Hiatt, President and CEO of the FSF, have very kindly consented to attend the Second IAI Forum to each deliver a keynote speech. The Second IAI Forum will cover the following topics: - Developments in Accident Investigation * New ICAO Annex 19 on Safety Management and consequential amendments to other Annexes, in particular to Annex 13 * ICAO USOAP; Corrective Action Plan and the challenges in meeting them * Upgrading of ICAO Circular 285 on Guidance on Assistance to Aircraft Accident Victims and Their Families to Document 9973 and its impact to accident investigation agencies - Updates from AIG Communities * Conclusions of the AIG Roundtable held in Singapore on 16 - 17 October 2012 and chaired by Mr Marcus Costa, Chief of the ICAO Accident Investigation Section - Protection of Safety Information * Outcome of the ICAO Safety Information Protection Task Force - Management & operational challenges/lessons learnt from recent accidents * AF447 * Recent helicopter crash in London, and * BN-2 aircraft accident in high mountainous - Investigators' training and maintaining competency in a safe aviation climate - Litigation and Criminalisation relating to Accident Investigation Registration for the IAI Forum 2013 is now opened via this website (http://www.amiando.com/IAIForum2013.html). Participants are encouraged to register before 15 March 2013. Administration - The IAI Forum will be held at the Singapore Aviation Academy (SAA). Free Wifi is available at SAA. - There is no registration fee for the IAI Forum. Participants will need to bear their own travelling, visa application (if applicable) and accommodation costs. Please register for the IAI Forum 2013 by 15 Mar 2013. - You may refer to the Singapore Immigration and Checkpoints Authority's website to check if the travelling documents you and your delegates are holding require you to apply entry visa and application instructions. - Lunch and tea breaks will be provided each day. Hotel Accommodation - Participants may wish to consider staying at the Changi Village Hotel or Grand Mercure Roxy Hotel which are providing special rates to SAA. Please download and fill in the appropriate (Changi Village Hotel/Grand Mercure Roxy Hotel) reservation form from the IAI Forum Registration website and email/fax directly to the respective hotel. * Changi Village Hotel is the nearest hotel from the IAI Forum venue, at about 8 minutes' walk from the SAA. Hotel rates include scheduled airport transfer, breakfast and internet access. * Grand Mercure Roxy Hotel is located about 18 km away. The hotel offers a shuttle service to bring their guests to and from SAA. The shuttle service departs the hotel at 7.30 am, and picks up their guest at about 5 pm. Hotel rates include scheduled airport transfer, shuttle service to and from SAA, breakfast and internet access. For assistance in registration and more information on the IAI Forum 2013, please contact Mr Steven Teo (Email: steven_teo@mot.gov.sg or Fax: +65- 6-542-2394). Curt Lewis