Flight Safety Information March 26, 2013 - No. 063 In This Issue Dreamliner ready for Phase II after successful test flight DGCA safety audit uncovers scary truths (India) Man who pointed laser at aircraft lands a 30-month prison sentence Pet Owners Pressure Airlines to Stop Treating Animals As Cargo PROS IOSA Audit Experts FedEx to buy Boeing jets from United Airlines Hawaiian Airlines to add 16 Airbus jets. Florida airports rank among worst for kids Dreamliner ready for Phase II after successful test flight Boeing Co. says the first flight test of its reworked battery system for the 787 Dreamliner went "according to plan," enabling it to move on to formal testing. The successful mission Monday means Boeing can conduct a second flight test that will gather data for the Federal Aviation Administration, which must approve the new system before the 787 can be used for commercial service. Regulators grounded the global fleet of 50 Dreamliners in January after a battery burned aboard a jet on the ground in Boston, and a second battery overheated on a flight in Japan. "During the functional check flight (on Monday), crews cycled the landing gear and operated all the backup systems, in addition to performing electrical system checks from the flight profile," Boeing spokesman Marc Birtel said in a statement. The flight carried six crew members: two Boeing pilots, two instrumentation engineers, a systems operator and a flight analyst, Boeing said. "More than 600 of these functional check flights were completed in 2012 across Boeing commercial airplane programs." Monday's roughly two-hour flight lacked the crowds that cheered the 787's maiden journey in 2009. But if found successful, the test flight will allow Boeing to go ahead with a second flight test "in coming days" that would gather data to be submitted to the Federal Aviation Administration to certify the new battery system, Boeing spokesman Marc Birtel said. The FAA and other regulators grounded all 50 Dreamliners in mid-January after batteries overheated on two separate aircraft, one parked at the Boston airport and the other forced to make an emergency landing in Japan. Earlier this month, the FAA agreed on tests Boeing would conduct to return the plane to service. Resuming flights would be a relief for Boeing, which is losing an estimated $50 million a week while the 787 is grounded. Airlines in Japan, the United States, the Middle East, Europe and Africa that bought the fuel-efficient jet but are barred from using those planes are also suffering. Boeing is still building 787s, but cannot deliver them to customers during the grounding. Some Boeing officials have said the jet could be back in service by May 1, or earlier. But Oliver McGee, an aerospace and mechanical engineer who was a deputy assistant secretary of transportation under President Bill Clinton, said he was skeptical that regulators would allow service to resume so soon. "Take whatever date is agreed upon and add three to six months to it," McGee told Reuters. "I don't think that you're going to see any type of quick fix or compromising on the FAA side." McGee said the trauma of the Columbia and Challenger shuttle disasters would make federal officials reluctant to sign off on the new battery system until they were absolutely sure it would work as Boeing promised. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board on Monday set a two-day forum for April 11-12 to examine the design and performance of lithium-ion batteries in transportation - - a comprehensive review sparked by the twin battery failures in January. The NTSB also plans to hold a separate hearing on the 787 battery later in April. Monday's flight, the first with Boeing's new battery system, took off at approximately 12:11 p.m. Pacific time (1911 GMT) from Paine Field in Everett, Washington, on a planned two-hour mission designed to validate that all systems on the plane are working as designed. Live video showed the jet, with LOT Polish Airlines livery, soaring into a clear sky with snow-capped mountains in the distance. It flew south down the west coast of Washington and about half way down the coast of Oregon before turning back to Paine Field, according to flight tracking website Flightware.com. It made a loop out the Strait of Juan de Fuca at low altitude and speed, then turned back toward the airport. The flight landed at 2:20 p.m. Pacific time, and the flight crew reported the test "went according to plan," Boeing said in a statement. Once data from Monday's flight has been analyzed, Boeing said it would prepare for a ground and flight demonstration aimed at certifying the company's proposed changes to the battery system. The system is made by Thales SA of France, and the battery is made by Japan's GS Yuasa Corp . Boeing plans to conduct one certification demonstration flight using the same LOT plane, Line number 86, to show that the new battery system performs as intended during flight conditions. The system includes a steel box designed to contain a battery explosion and prevent fire, as well as a tube to vent fumes and heat out of the aircraft. Birtel said it wasn't clear if the demonstration test for the FAA would conclude Boeing's testing of the new battery system, which was unveiled in Tokyo on March 15. The tests are being conducted in labs, in planes on the ground, and in flight. "Obviously, progress is being made on all three fronts," Birtel said. Boeing's shares closed up 3 cents at $84.85 on the New York Stock Exchange, on a day when the major indexes all finished moderately lower. Despite uncertainty about when the FAA will approve Boeing's new battery system, some experts said the revamped unit is likely to prove successful. Former NTSB Chairman Mark Rosenker said Boeing has invested hundreds of thousands of engineering hours to develop the improved battery system. "They don't want to put an airplane up that they're going to have to deal with again," he told Reuters. "They want this thing resolved. They want to do it in an efficient, appropriate, scientific, analytic way. It is not in their best interests to rush a system." John Goglia, a former NTSB board member, said he expects the steel containment box will work as expected, and the plane could be returned to service in April. "I will give the Boeing engineers the benefit of the doubt that they have designed a box that will handle what the battery can give it," he said. http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/chi-boeing-to-conduct-787-flight- test-today-20130325,0,2571620.story Back to Top DGCA safety audit uncovers scary truths (India): Three year findings reveal facts on loose screws, fuel seepage and 83 drunken pilots on duty Aviation regulator could only complete safety inspections of 6 out of 10 scheduled airline operators Explosive findings of air safety audits conducted by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) have exposed major chinks in the aviation sector - planes with screws missing, a flight that took off without the essential explosive certification for refueling and routine inspections that were not carried out because of lack of trained manpower. In response to an RTI filed by Mail Today, the DGCA conceded that there were safety gaps in air operations. Sources said most safety inspections found improper documentation of air operations and engineering checks done on the ground, indicating your safety on flight may have been compromised. In fact, DGCA itself is so staff crunched that it cannot complete safety inspections of all the airline operators in one year as per regulation. As a result, it outsources the primary obligation of conducting the safety audits to airline companies most of the time. This undermines the system of impartial safety inspection, said former DGCA Kanu Gohain. "How much sincerity can you expect after delegating the safety audit responsibilities to the airlines themselves?'' Gohain asked. Last year, the aviation regulator could only complete safety inspections of six out of 10 scheduled airline operators. "The last air safety audit done by DGCA was of SpiceJet in October 2012 and there were total 38 findings listed to the operator," says DGCA in an RTI reply. The audit was particular about gaps in documentation of flight operations and engineering tests. ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]Slip-ups on flight safety are not the only hazard that the Indian flyers face. There have been frequent tripping of radars at the air traffic control (ATC) rooms. Five such incidents have been reported since January this year - two each in Delhi and Kolkata and one in Bhubaneswar. A fortnight ago, on March 12, the Chennai airport was closed for operations from 2.30 am to 7 am following a fire in the equipment room and control centre of the local ATC. This highlighted the absence of routine maintenance at critical facilities. Faced with the frequency of such incidents, DGCA is proposing random fire safety drills at major airports across the country and have sought detailed reports on ATC failures from the Airports Authority of India (AAI). DGCA Arun Mishra played down safety fears saying, "There are layers of safety personnel involved in the aviation sector and human errors can happen anywhere. It happened in France recently where a spanner was found in the cabin of a flight.'' However Mishra conceded that while there was an expansion in the aviation sector, there was no commensurate improvement in expertise on the ground. "We were not geared up to match the demands and are trying to catch up. This is a highly technical profession requiring experts but their salaries cannot be matched within the government set-up. Hence, we find it difficult to get the manpower.'' Safety Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata manage over 70 per cent of the daily air traffic. Some like Mumbai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Bhubaneswar and a few in the north-east sector are designated as prone to safety hazards, admits a senior DGCA official. There are over 4,000 commercial pilots operating 1,000-odd planes in 10 scheduled operators. The RTI showed on the basis of three-year findings that 83 pilots had tested positive for alcohol and there were 72 near air-misses over the same period. Eleven accidents, including five fatal ones, were also reported last year. According to the RTI reply given by the DGCA the pilots found drunk were suspended for three months. Giving details about the 72 air misses, the DGCA said that there were "22 air misses in 2010, 29 in 2011 and 18 reported last year". Three have been reported to date this year. DGCA Mishra said that he is taking stringent action against the errant operators and has passed "zero-tolerance'' directives against drunk pilots. Highlighting the urgency to ensure air safety, Kapil Kaul of the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) said, "The aviation sector is in urgent need of an overhaul as we have been seriously short of key resources since 2009. The safety oversight remains a challenge due to the shortage of trained manpower in DGCA." Shortage True, DGCA itself is short of at least 400 trained personnel to carry out routine operations, including air safety audits and inspections of the airports. "The posts were sanctioned in 2009, but the process is yet to begin and even if it starts now, it will take at least 2-3 years to complete,'' said Gohain adding: "Maybe by that time there will be other demands confronting the aviation sector.'' Former Air India executive director Jitendra Bhargava endorses Kaul. "Even if safety levels fall by one per cent, it is not fair. Safety needs investment and training of personnel needs time," said Bhargava. Back to Top Man who pointed laser at aircraft lands a 30-month prison sentence New York (CNN) -- A judge in California has sent a strong message to anyone who thinks that pointing lasers at aircraft is just harmless fun 'n' games. U.S. District Judge Stephen V. Wilson sentenced a 19-year-old man on Monday to 30 months in federal prison for shining a laser pointer at a plane and police helicopter, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, which prosecuted the case. Adam Gardenhire deliberately pointed the commercial grade green laser at a private Cessna Citation that was landing at the Burbank Bob Hope Airport in California on March 29, 2012. Gardenhire, of North Hollywood, California, was arrested and pleaded guilty in the incident as part of an agreement with prosecutors in October. FBI: 'Epidemic level' of laser attacks on planes in U.S. The pilot of the corporate jet was hit in the eye multiple times and had vision problems through the next day, court documents say. Later, a helicopter sent by the Pasadena Police Department to investigate the incident also was again hit by a laser, but the pilot had protective equipment and was not injured. In court documents, his attorney argued he did not intend to put anyone at risk. "Gardenhire had no idea that the deceptively ordinary laser he had borrowed from a friend was powerful enough to be seen by, much less distract, a pilot thousands of feet away," wrote attorney Sean Kennedy. Gardenhire is the second person indicted under the new federal law making it a federal crime to target aircraft with lasers, according the U.S. Attorney's office. In 2005, there were fewer than 300 incidents where planes were targeted, but that number grew by more than 12 times to nearly 3600 in 2011, according to the FAA. "Shining a laser into the cockpit of an aircraft is not a joke," the agency's former administrator, Randy Babbitt, said in 2011 announcing a crackdown. "These lasers can temporarily blind a pilot and make it impossible to safely land the aircraft, jeopardizing the safety of the passengers and people on the ground." The FAA attributes the massive increase in incidents to laser pointers being more widely available online, stronger power levels, and an increase in green lasers which are easier to see, as well as better reporting of the incidents by pilots. Back to Top Pet Owners Pressure Airlines to Stop Treating Animals As Cargo Are airlines under-reporting the number of animal tragedies in transit? This is Jesse, a show dog that died on a flight from LA to Detroit. A loophole in the law is allowing airlines not to report when certain animals are killed, hurt, or vanish in transit. Last month, an NBC Bay Area Investigation revealed that in a six-year span more than 300 animals have died, been injured, or have disappeared in the care of commercials airlines. Now, the Investigative Unit has discovered under the Department of Transportation's current policy, animals being transported without an owner are just considered cargo. It's a policy that pet owners, like Troy Stroud, argue is allowing airlines to conceal how often animal tragedies happen in transit. "For me and for other people that have lost animals this way, you never get to know what happened. There is no resolution. They are just gone," Stroud said. Stroud spent two years looking for a Neapolitan Mastiff show dog. He is a breeder and a board member of the United States Mastiff Club. After an exhaustive search, Stroud found "Jesse" from a breeder in San Diego. "He was unique because he had a great temperament, was built just like I would describe a perfect Neapolitan Mastiff to be," Stroud said. He spent more than $500 to ship Jesse on Continental Airlines from Los Angeles to his home in Detroit on Sep. 8, 2010. But he never got to meet Jesse because when the flight arrived; Stroud was informed that Jesse didn't make it. Stroud explained that he got to the airport cargo area at around 5:10 p.m. An employee told him that there had been a delay in Texas and the flight was going to be two hours late coming in. Stroud waited the two hours and as he was heading back in, he saw the same employee and asked him the status. Stroud explained, "I say, 'How it's going?' and the guy said, 'Well better than you, your dog is dead.' " When Troy asked what happened, he said the airline told him that Jesse got loose and was killed by the cargo door. But when Stroud found Jesse, he said the canine was still zip-tied in his cage. NBC Bay Area investigated to find out what happened to Jesse. Stroud showed us pictures of Jesse's damaged kennel (photo right), but there wasn't a single record in any of the Department of Transportation's reports regarding Jesse's death. That's because there was no report filed with the DOT; the airline was not required to do it. The Department of Transportation currently defines "animals" as only those animals that fly as companions or on companion flights, whereas animals that are shipped alone are considered as a "commercial shipment," not an "animal." The Unit also contacted Continental Airlines to respond to the incident. The airline has not responded. Since Jesse was being transported without an owner, he was considered cargo; therefore, Continental Airlines was not required to report Jesse's death. Stroud reported this incident to the United States Department of Agriculture. The USDA provides assistance with issues related to companion animals, such as which breeders are covered by the Animal Welfare Act, pet shelter regulations, and the laws that apply to owning certain animals. The Investigative Unit discovered Continental Airlines, which is now part of United Airlines, was cited for failing to meet the requirements of the Animal Welfare Act and fined $17,000 . Click here to view USDA findings. As part of NBC Bay Area's investigation, we discovered the government has issued more than 500 citations against airlines, for failing to take care of animals in transit. Delta Airlines received the most, followed by Continental Airlines (now owned by United Airlines), and American Airlines. Stroud reported Jesse's death stating, "I think they have to be held accountable." While the USDA performs random inspections twice annually, if Stroud had remained silent about Jesse's death, the government may have never found out about the incident. "There needs to be legislation that holds them accountable," Stroud said. Gay O'Brien, the former president of the International Pet and Animal Association argues that part of the issue is that the airline handlers need more education. "Airlines have merged and they do hire outside people, so there is a need for consistent training on how to handle live animals," said O'Brien, whose international association comprises professional pet shippers with more than 350 members in over 75 countries. O'Brien is also the owner of O'Brien Animal Transportation & Services, which facilitates the transportation animals all over the world. Another issue that O'Brien feels needs to be addressed is that airlines are not required to report the total number of animals transported annually, only the number of monthly incidents. While only the airlines know the exact figures, the DOT estimates over two million pets and animals are transported by air every year in the United States. "I would really like to see the DOT get the exact number of animals that are carried on a plane." If that information was made public, O'Brien believes incidents of animal deaths, injury, or disappearance would be negligible. The Department of Transportation, recognizing the problem in its' current policy, is considering a new policy that would require airlines to report all incidents, including animals shipped by breeders to the DOT. Under the parameters of the proposed rule, 36 airlines would be required to report any companion animal incidents that happen in their cargo holds, up from 15 airlines currently required to provide annual reports to the DOT. Under the proposal, airlines would also have to report the number of animals they transport annually. It is unclear, however at this point, if or when that policy change will happen. "Passengers already receive very detailed incident information to assist with determining what carrier to use when shipping a pet," argued Airlines for America. The Investigative Unit contacted the trade organizations, which transports more than 90 percent of all US airlines passenger and cargo, to respond to the DOT's current proposal. Airlines for America sent us a seven page response. In part of the statement the organization stated: "There is no evidence in the docket that passengers want or are interested in expanding the definition of animal." (Click here to see response in its entirety). For Stroud, however losing his dog Jesse has made him rethink ever shipping an animal again. "The thing that still makes me get emotional is that even now I do not really know what happened to him." Back to Top Back to Top FedEx to buy Boeing jets from United Airlines FedEx Corp. says it will buy up to 30 Boeing aircraft from United Airlines and convert them into cargo planes. MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - FedEx Corp. says it will buy up to 30 Boeing aircraft from United Airlines and convert them into cargo planes. Financial terms of the deal were not released. FedEx disclosed its plans in a regulatory filing. The package-delivery company said it would buy 14 Boeing 757 aircraft, which will be delivered through 2015, and could buy up to 16 more 757s. United announced last year that it would buy 150 Boeing 737s over the next several years to replace older 757s. FedEx spokesman Jess Bunn said Monday that the purchase of planes from United is the latest move in a fleet-modernization program that started several years ago. "We are retiring older, less efficient aircraft and replacing them with more modern and efficient ones," he said. Back to Top Hawaiian Airlines to add 16 Airbus jets (AP) Hawaiian Airlines said Monday it has signed a purchase agreement with Airbus to buy 16 new planes as part of a plan for expanded routes between the islands and the West Coast. Hawaiian says the deal comes after the airline reached key labor agreements with its pilot and flight attendant unions on the new single-aisle A321neo planes. The planes each seat about 190 passengers. Plans call for the acquisition to take place between 2017 and 2020. The deal includes rights to nine additional planes. The Honolulu-based airline plans to add 1,000 jobs in the expansion. Back to Top Florida airports rank among worst for kids It appears some Florida airports aren't very kid-friendly. Orlando and Miami international airports recently made TravelNerd's list of the 10 worst U.S. airports for kids based on extremely high passenger volume and zero dedicated spaces for children. The consumer travel website ranked Miami No. 5 and Orlando No. 6. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International and Palm Beach International don't have kid- focused areas either, although they didn't make the list. "We don't have any facilities that are specific for children," Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport spokesman Greg Meyer said. "There are no kid's areas or quiet zones." Meyer cited space limitations as one deterrent to adding these dedicated spaces, but added that there are family restrooms throughout the airport, and all other basic restrooms have baby-changing stations. Palm Beach International Airport also doesn't have any nurseries or stand-alone kid's play areas, but officials say the offerings of one of its retail concessions is helping fill that gap. "We do have one really great play area that is part of the KidZoo shop," said Michael Simmons, deputy director of Finance and Administration. "There is a dedicated play zone with hand painted wall murals depicting a zoo/jungle theme called KidzPlay." Simmons said there's typically a kid's soundtrack or movie playing in the area for additional entertainment. "It is a very cool area." MIA spokesman Greg Chin said that although the airport didn't have nurseries or play areas, it did offer free seasonal child-friendly events and activities each month in three areas operated by one of its concession management companies. Those events included sand sculpting demonstrations and Nintendo Wii games aimed at families traveling for spring break, and a kid's craft table and photos with Santa during the winter holidays. Atlanta's airport copped the No. 1 spot on the 'worst' list, which also included the Denver and New York airports. "Unfortunately, families traveling through these [worst] airports will have to plan their own kid-friendly travel activities," said Amy Lee, TravelNerd's senior travel analyst and the study's author. The best airport for kids: San Francisco International with an impressive 14 nurseries and three play areas, according to findings of the study released last week. For the complete study, go to TravelNerd.com http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/fl-worst-airports-for-children- 20130326,0,3861035.story Curt Lewis