De: Curt Lewis & Associates, LLC de la part de Curt Lewis & Associates, LLC Envoyé: jeudi 7 mars 2013 13:53 À: fgae@club-internet.fr Objet: Flight Safety Information [March 7, 2013] [No. 051] Flight Safety Information Flight Safety Information March 7, 2013 - No. 051 In This Issue US aviation regulators likely to approve tests on Dreamliner batteries Beechcraft B200 Accident (Peru) Main runway at Dublin Airport closed after incident involving small aircraft Pilot error aboard China Southern 737 results in aircraft damage Reported drone near JFK probably a model aircraft, officials say Heat, Not Fatigue, Blamed For Cracked Fighter Jet Engine Blade Bullet found on Southwest jet at Sacramento International Airport PROS IOSA Audit Experts Light Sport Aircraft Poised For Take-Off In UAE FSI on TWITTER CL&A - Quality Audits for FOD & Tool Control US aviation regulators likely to approve tests on Dreamliner batteries (Reuters) US safety regulators are poised to approve within days a plan to allow Boeing to begin flight tests of the 787 Dreamliner with a fix for its volatile batteries, a critical step towards returning the grounded aircraft to service, two sources familiar with the matter said on Wednesday. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is expected to sign off on a "certification plan" allowing Boeing to carry out the flight tests to determine if authorities can lift a flight ban that sent shockwaves around the airline industry seven weeks ago. "You could see the 'cert plan' approved in the next few days," one of the sources said. Both spoke on condition of anonymity as the discussions are confidential. The FAA said it would announce the plan when approved, and US transport secretary Ray LaHood told the Wall Street Journal he wanted a "thorough review" before a final decision on resuming commercial flights for the passenger jet. Boeing declined to comment on the FAA's timetable for flight tests. But spokesman Marc Birtel said: "The FAA has indicated they are evaluating our proposal for a permanent fix to address the 787 battery issue and we are encouraged by the progress being made toward resolving the issue and returning the 787 to flight." Shares in GS Yuasa, the Japanese firm that makes lithium-ion batteries for the 787, jumped almost 11 per cent in Tokyo on Thursday, touching 11-month highs above ¥444. Regulators grounded the 50 Dreamliners in use by airlines in mid-January after lithium- ion batteries burned aboard two planes - banning airlines from flying the 787 and stopping Boeing from delivering them. Although its factories continue to make the 787, Boeing is losing an estimated US$50 million a week while the planes are grounded. On February 22, Boeing formally proposed battery design modifications and new physical protection systems to contain flammable materials. But it is not yet allowed to conduct flight tests of the system. The measures include a stronger, stainless steel battery containment box and a tube to vent fumes and heat outside the plane should a fire occur in flight. Meanwhile, the National Transportation Safety Board is expected to issue an interim report on Thursday on the 787 battery fire that occurred at Boston's Logan International airport. The report is not expected to include analysis, recommendations for FAA action or a finding on what caused the fire. The second battery failure is being investigated by Japanese authorities. The FAA's permission for test flights is only one step in an approval process that must contend with any political fallout from the NTSB findings and any potential political developments. Back to Top Beechcraft B200 Accident (Peru) Date: 06-MAR-2013 Time: 08:30 LT Type: Beechcraft B200 King Air Operator: Aero Transporte S.A. - ATSA Registration: OB-1992-P C/n / msn: BB-1682 Fatalities: Fatalities: 9 / Occupants: 9 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: La Libertad - Peru Phase: En route Nature: Passenger Departure airport: SPIM Destination airport: Pataz Province Narrative: A Beechcraft B200 King Air ("Super" was official dropped after c/n BB-1524) chartered by a small Peruvian gold mining company with nine people on board crashed on Wednesday in northern Peru, the company, Retamas, said. Locals in the region told the Peruvian radio program RPP that the plane had crashed and burned after hitting power lines near an airport and that they had found the charred remains of the plane and those on board. www.aviation-safety.net Back to Top Main runway at Dublin Airport closed after incident involving small aircraft No injuries have been reported. THE MAIN RUNWAY at Dublin Airport is closed this morning following an incident involving a small cargo aircraft in which its nosewheel collapsed on the runway after landing. While the aircraft - which had two crew members on board - is disabled on the runway there have been no injuries reported. The small aircraft did not crash as had been reported earlier. The Metroliner aircraft landed normally at Dublin Airport this morning before there was an issue with the nosewheel. Emergency services are on the scene. Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) said in a series of tweets this morning that the crosswind runway at the airport is operational but passengers can expect delays. "We will continue to keep passengers informed," DAA said. A spokesman said that reopening the main runway would depend on how long it takes for emergency services to deal with the incident. http://www.thejournal.ie/dublin-airport-runway-closed-after-small-aircraft-crash- 822245-Mar2013/ Back to Top Pilot error aboard China Southern 737 results in aircraft damage A pilot's failure to heed his co-pilot's request for a go-around resulted in a China Southern Airlines Boeing 737-800 aircraft suffering damage when it scraped by antenna beacons near Wuhan airport. The aircraft, with registration B-5192, was on the Guangzhou-Wuhan route when the incident happened on 25 February. The airframe was built in May 2007. Preliminary investigations by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) showed that the aircraft was preparing to descend at 22:33 local time. The weather was slightly foggy, with a drizzle, and visibility was between 1,200m (0.75 miles) and 1,500m. The pilot flying had disengaged the aircraft's autopilot setting when the 737 descended to about 1,000ft (305m). At 500ft, the crew was unable to spot the runway. The co-pilot called for the pilot to make a go-around and also re-configured the flight director and mode control panel to return to 3,000ft. Thereafter, he looked out and found the aircraft to be flying too low. By then, a "too low" warning had also sounded, says the CAAC. The co-pilot immediately called again for the pilot to make a go-around, but heard no response from the pilot. The pilot only started to initiate a go-around after a second "too low" warning sounded. But as the aircraft accelerated, the flightcrew heard it come into contact with obstacles. Nonetheless, the crew was able to divert the flight to Hefei airport without further incident. In its report, the CAAC said the aircraft suffered damage including dents and perforations to its left main landing gear and actuator, a door was bent out of shape, a landing gear tyre was cut and also, three of four fixed screws on the bottom front of the aircraft were missing. The antennas of the non-directional beacons at Wuhan airport were also damaged. In its preliminary findings, the CAAC concluded that the flightcrew had, before securing visual reference, descended to the minimum descent altitude. The pilot also failed to make a go-around at the first possible instance, and instead, only did so after two warnings sounded. http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/pilot-error-aboard-china-southern-737- results-in-aircraft-damage-383151/ Back to Top Reported drone near JFK probably a model aircraft, officials say Officials believe that a reported drone was probably a model aircraft gone astray WASHINGTON-Federal officials believe a small aircraft that reportedly looked like a drone and flew close to a landing airliner at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York was probably a model aircraft sent aloft from Long Island. Whatever the object, the FBI and the Federal Aviation Administration issued a public alert Tuesday seeking assistance in identifying the operator and the aircraft, which a nearby pilot described as "black in color and no more than 3 feet wide with four propellers." It was spotted about 1:15 p.m. Monday by the pilot of Alitalia Flight 608 as it approached runway 31R at JFK. The pilot radioed, "We saw a drone, a drone aircraft!" He said the aircraft had an altitude of about 1,500 feet and was about three miles from his plane. That would put it well past the 400-foot height restriction and far too close to the airport. Law enforcement officials speculate that the craft had drifted off, or the operator lost control somewhere along the south shore of Long Island, and it wafted toward the airport, one of the nation's busiest for international flights. "Our paramount concern is the safety of aircraft passengers and crew," said John Giacalone, the FBI's special agent-in-charge in New York. At the FAA in Washington, the immediate worry was a breach of airspace. "Regardless of whether you're operating as a public agency or a person flying a model aircraft for recreational purposes, you always have to give way to any other aircraft in the vicinity," said Les Dorr, an FAA spokesman. "You're not supposed to be flying over a major airport." Because no flight plan was filed with the air traffic tower at JFK, authorities believe it probably was sent up by a hobbyist flying a remote-controlled aircraft. "We've got no reason not to believe the Alitalia pilot that it was a drone," one FBI agent said. http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-drone-jfk-airport- 20130305,0,6890489.story Back to Top Heat, Not Fatigue, Blamed For Cracked Fighter Jet Engine Blade HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) _ Heat was the cause of a cracked blade in an engine on an F-35 fighter jet that prompted the entire fleet to be briefly grounded last month, manufacturer Pratt & Whitney said Wednesday. Bennett Croswell, president of the company's military engines division, said on a conference call that finding the cause was "very good news." Heat is preferable to the effects of fatigue on the engine part because fatigue spreads, making the problem worse, he said. Croswell said an inspection found the 6/10-inch long crack in a turbine blade. The Pentagon grounded its F-35 fleet on Feb. 22 after discovering the crack on a jet at Edwards Air Force Base in California. "It was prudent to suspend flight operations while we inspected the blade," he said. What Croswell called "thermal creep" was due to the engine operating longer than usual at a high temperature. It was the only affected engine of about 75, he said. Pratt & Whitney, based in East Hartford, Conn., is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. Winslow T. Wheeler, director of the Straus Military Reform Project at the Project on Government Oversight, a watchdog group, said in an email that the cracked blade is "one bump in a long, difficult road" for the F-35. He said 30 percent of the initial laboratory testing is completed and more stressful testing has yet to be done. Only by 2019 when testing is set to wrap up will the cost and performance of the F-35 be known. The Project on Government Oversight said at the time of the grounding that it was not likely to mean a significant delay in fielding the stealthy aircraft. The group called the F- 35 a "huge problem," saying its cost is rising and is already unaffordable and its performance is disappointing. The F-35 is the Pentagon's most expensive weapons program at an estimated cost of nearly $400 billion. The Pentagon envisions buying more than 2,400 F-35s but some members of Congress are balking at the price tag. Back to Top Bullet found on Southwest jet at Sacramento International Airport A bullet was found on a Southwest airplane after it landed at Sacramento International Airport this morning, officials said. The jet, Southwest flight 212 from San Diego, landed at 9:48 a.m. without incident. After landing, a flight attendant found a bullet and notified authorities, according to Brad Hawkins, spokesman for Southwest. The Transportation Security Administration came on board and did a full sweep of the aircraft before the plane continued on to Portland, Ore., 20 minutes late, Hawkins said. Airport spokeswoman Laurie Slothower said no other flights or operations were affected by the incident. http://blogs.sacbee.com/crime/archives/2013/03/bullet-found-on-southwest-jet-at- sacramento-international-airport.html#storylink=cpy Back to Top Back to Top Light Sport Aircraft Poised For Take-Off In UAE GCAA gives the green light for more microlights and small aircraft to fly across the UAE The UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has given the green light for Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) to fly in the emirates. The LSA sector is a rapidly growing one within the general aviation sector, often providing aviation enthusiasts with their first taste of flying. LSAs are light, non-complex aircraft, weighing no more than 600kgs, and typically comprise microlights, gyrocopters, powered parachutes and para motors. Currently the Jazirah Aviation Club in Ras al Khaimah, which has 40 members and 15 years' operational experience, is the only LSA-registered entity in the country but it is envisaged other clubs will now spring up across the country. Timothy Schoenauer, an air crew licensing expert who helped formulate the regulation, said the GCAA's approval now provides the platform for a standardised set of operating rules and safety guidelines, and it will gauge interest in the coming year. "Eventually I can see all the larger emirates will have their own clubs, I know there's a lot of interest in Dubai. There are a lot of pilots here and they will want to teach their families and friends." While establishing safe air corridors in the increasingly crowded UAE skies may be the biggest hurdle, Schoenauer believes it is logistically feasible. "If you look at cities like Washington DC and Sydney, with high traffic and security requirements, there is a lot of small aircraft flying so it is possible," he said. The GCAA joins only a few authorities providing regulation for the LSA sector globally, and it becomes the first in the Gulf. The regulation, under Federal Decree, will be published into a Notice of Proposed Amendment (NPA) that will remain open for 12 months. At the Abu Dhabi Air Expo this week, Czech Sport Aircraft secured an order for two PS- 28 Cruisers from France, servicing customers in Marseille and Biarritz. The aircraft is arranged as a low-wing mono-plane with cantilevered wings and conventional empennage. Matthew Harvey, Vice President Sales & Marketing, Czech Sport Aircraft said it has had several discussions and demonstrations of the aircraft with local flight training academies in the region. http://gulfbusiness.com/2013/03/light-sport-aircraft-poised-for-take-off-in-uae/ Back to Top TWITTER For late breaking aviation news, follow us on Twitter @ curtllewis01 Back to Top Back to Top Quick Links Products Services Training Contact us... Contact Information "Flight Safety Information" is a free service of: Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP, FRAeS, FISASI CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC (Targeting Safety & Risk Management) curt@curt-lewis.com www.curt-lewis.com www.fsinfo.org PH: 817-303-9096 Cell: 817-845-3983 Fax: 682-292-0835 Curt Lewis & Associates, LLC is an international, multi-discipline technical and scientific consulting firm specializing in aviation and industrial safety. 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