Flight Safety Information April 16, 2013 - No. 078 In This Issue Cockpit Voice Recorder Retrieved in Indonesian Jet Crash Crashed jet in Bali must be cut up for removal Weather Scrutinized In Jet Crash Off Bali Man stopped at Reagan airport with loaded gun EU flight ban could be lifted for Libyan Airlines in weeks PROS IOSA Audit Experts Cessna Aircraft Company rolls out fastest business jet in the world Google chairman calls for regulation of civilian drone aircraft Michelin and FAA Introduce Tire Safety Training Starr Aviation Partners with Aviation Safety Group for Pilot Reward Project Florida Tech Announces New Ph.D. in Aviation Sciences Cockpit Voice Recorder Retrieved in Indonesian Jet Crash Indonesian authorities removed the cockpit voice recorder from the wreckage of the Lion Air jet that crashed into water off Bali's airport, an airport spokesman said Tuesday. "The [recorder] has been brought to Jakarta by the [transportation safety authorities] for investigation," Mr. Alfasyah told The Wall Street Journal. Mr. Alfasyah goes by one name, which is common in Indonesia. The plane broke into two pieces on Saturday when it hit the water. The 101 passengers and seven crew survived. The cause of the crash isn't known, but the voice recorder, obtained from the wreckage late Monday, will help in determining it. The plane remains partially submerged in water at the end of a runway. Authorities plan to chop it into several pieces and remove them for investigation. http://blogs.wsj.com/searealtime/2013/04/16/cockpit-voice-recorder-retrieved-in- indonesian-jet-crash/ Back to Top Crashed jet in Bali must be cut up for removal The airline whose jet crashed into the ocean near Bali on Saturday has been rapidly rapidly expanding in Asia since its founding in 1999. BALI, Indonesia (AP) - A new Lion Air jet that slammed into the sea as it tried to land on the Indonesian resort island of Bali over the weekend remains stuck in shallow water and must be cut into pieces for removal, vividly underlining the challenges facing the budget airline as it races to expand in Asia. Authorities initially planned to tow the Boeing 737-800 aircraft that split in two, but have now determined it is too heavy and must be carved into several parts to avoid the possibility of damaging the area's coral reefs, said Transportation Ministry spokesman Bambang Ervan. The tail is perched on top of a reef, making it unsteady when waves hit the wreckage. A team of Navy divers recovered the cockpit voice recorder Monday after cutting a hole in the plane's partially submerged tail, said Purwanto, general manager of Bali's Ngurah Rai airport, who uses one name like many Indonesians. The recorder is a key part of the investigation as officials work to determine what caused the crash. The flight data recorder had already been removed and sent to Jakarta for analysis. All 101 passengers on the domestic flight - including five foreigners from Singapore, France and Belgium - and seven crew members survived Saturday's crash, and no one was seriously injured. The plane's belly thumped into the sea short of the airport's runway, fracturing the fuselage. It was estimated to be traveling about 350 kilometers per hour (218 miles per hour) at the time of impact. The accident has raised questions among some analysts about whether Lion Air may be putting growth ahead of safety. Indonesia's largest private airline, which was started in 1999 by two brothers who pooled $850,000, stunned the aviation industry two years ago when it announced the biggest-ever order for Boeing planes - 230 jets in all - at an event with President Barack Obama. It made headlines again last month after signing a $24 billion deal to buy 234 planes from Airbus, the French aircraft maker's largest order ever. The enlarged fleet will position Lion Air to take on budget carrier AirAsia, which dominates no-frills travel in the region. The plane involved in Saturday's crash was registered in Indonesia on March 20 and had less than 150 hours in the air, Transportation Minister Evert Ernest Mangindaan told reporters at a news conference Monday. The Indonesian pilot was experienced, with 12,000 flight hours. It remains unclear whether human error played any role. Lion Air has about 45 percent of Indonesia's air travel market and hopes to increase that to 60 percent by 2014 as cheap travel continues to boom in the sprawling archipelago of 240 million people. The airline has had seven accidents and incidents since 2002. Most were minor and all but one occurred during landing, according to the Aviation Safety Network's website. The worst crash in 2004 killed 25 people. The pressure to keep planes flying, coupled with the difficulty of finding enough qualified pilots can add a lot of strain, said Tom Ballantyne, a Sydney-based aviation expert. "It's certainly an issue for fast-expanding airlines," he said. Indonesia is one of fastest growing air travel markets in Asia, but the country has a troubled past when it comes to air safety. In 2007, the Europe Union banned all Indonesian airlines due to a lack of compliance with international safety rules. It has lifted restrictions for some carriers as improvements are made, but Lion Air remains on the blacklist. An EU official in Brussels on Monday said the commission is waiting for Indonesia to confirm that it has met all the safety standards required before the next step can be taken. Despite efforts to clean up the industry, Indonesia has struggled to find enough qualified pilots, mechanics, air traffic controllers and inspectors. Airport technology and infrastructure also lag behind, highlighted by a 15-minute blackout late last year at Jakarta's international airport that disrupted its 26-year-old radar system. Indonesia currently needs up to 800 pilots a year, but it can prepare only about 500, said Mangindaan. "We have to say that we still lack pilots in the face of this air travel boom," he said. Foreign pilots are now being employed to work for domestic airlines and flight schools are being established, he said. Alvin Lie, a former Indonesian lawmaker and aviation analyst, said Lion Air's aggressive push to buy more aircraft is likely adding to the burden on its pilots. But he said the Bali crash will likely not affect business in Indonesia. "If abroad, that would definitely reduce consumers' confidence," he said. "But the characteristics of consumers here are different. The most important thing for them is the cheap price." Back to Top Weather Scrutinized In Jet Crash Off Bali Extreme weather conditions are being looked at as one of the possible causes of last weekend's crash of a Lion Air jet off the resort island of Bali, an Indonesian transportation official said on Monday. While authorities say they won't have an answer for as long as a month, some experts said that rain may have reduced visibility and a "microburst"-or downdraft-from storm clouds could have pushed the aircraft down. Winds can quickly change direction in the tropics, especially during thunderstorms. The new Boeing Co., operated by Indonesia's largest airline, crashed into shallow waters on Saturday just short of the runway of one of Indonesia's busiest airports. Though the impact cracked the plane in half, all 108 passengers and crew survived. Passengers and witnesses said the pilots were trying to land in the rain when the plane suddenly hit the water without warning. The pilots of the Lion Air jet that crashed in Bali Saturday passed their initial drug tests afterward. The WSJ's Jeffrey Ng talks about the carrier's safety record and how Southeast Asia's airlines are trying to increase passenger confidence. . A phenomenon called "wind shear"-a change in wind direction for a few seconds that can cause planes to rapidly lose altitude-could also have been the culprit, experts said. Aircraft typically take off or land against the direction of the wind, which increases the lift to their wings. However, if headwinds suddenly change into tailwinds, lift can change dramatically. Lion Air's pilot training and safety procedures are likely to be closely scrutinized. Over the past two decades, enhanced pilot training, better weather radar and improved cockpit decision-making have substantially reduced the hazards posed by wind shear around the world. For the largest legacy U.S., European and Asian carriers, avoiding or coping with such weather phenomenon has become routine, and major wind shear- related accidents have largely disappeared. Transportation Minister Evert Erenst Mangindaan told reporters on Monday that investigators are looking at possible causes, including freak weather conditions that occasionally occur in the tropics. "We hope that the investigation will be completed within one month," he said. "According to the Meteorological and Geophysics Agency, the weather near the runway was cloudy with mild rain." A team of investigators from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, the Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing will assist Indonesian officials in looking at aircraft structures and survival factors. The NTSB's brief description of the accident on its website, however, doesn't correspond with on-scene descriptions of weather. The NTSB said conditions reported at the time of the crash included a gentle wind, "visibility greater than 10 kilometers" and broken clouds 1,700 feet (520 meters) above the field. Lion Air said over the weekend that the aircraft had been delivered only last month and had passed safety inspection. The pilot was experienced and wasn't using drugs, according to an initial test, authorities said. Those factors are among reasons some experts are turning to weather as a possible cause. "Thunderstorms can lead to wind-shear events," said Andrew Herdman, director general of the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines, though he added it is still too early to conclude that is what has happened with the Lion Air flight. "The black box data will reveal details about the final moments of the flight and by looking at the sink rate [how quickly the plane descended before impact], you may be able to deduce what happened." There are no data available about wind shear at the Bali airport. But in Hong Kong, which has comparable tropical weather patterns to Indonesia, nearly one in 500 arriving and departing flights have reported significant wind shear at the international airport since its opening in 1998, according to the Hong Kong Observatory's website. Most wind- shear and turbulence events are reported in March and April. Modern airports and airplanes have equipment including radars and sensors to detect such weather phenomenon and warn pilots. But the sudden nature of their occurrence can prove disastrous, particularly in the seconds before touchdown, experts say. Early indications are that the Lion Air jet's approach was normal until perhaps the last minutes of the flight, said safety experts who have reviewed publicly available data. While the pilots should have been able to use visual references and navigation aids at the airport to judge if they were descending too quickly, reduced visibility from a burst of rain could have made landing more difficult, experts said. Overshooting a runway is the most common type of commercial aircraft accident in Indonesia and elsewhere. But undershooting-or touching down before reaching a runway-is so rare it isn't ranked as a major safety hazard for airliners. Since 2005, only a handful of serious accidents followed pilots landing short of a runway, all of which involved regional airliners with fewer seats than the Lion Air jet. The results could have been much worse, analysts said. Water landings often have fatalities. Large commercial aircraft aren't designed for landings into water and most flight crews aren't trained for such scenarios given their rarity, experts say. Airsafe.com, a not-for- profit venture that compiles airline-safety statistics, notes only four cases in which a flight crew intentionally landed a commercial jet into a body of water. Two of those landings resulted in no passenger deaths, including the well-known 2009 ditching of a US Airways jet in New York's Hudson River. All passengers and crew survived in what is now remembered as the "Miracle on the Hudson." It isn't clear if the crew on board the Lion Air plane intended to ditch the aircraft or somehow missed the runway. "Whatever the outcome of the investigation, we need to applaud the pilot, as the plane didn't crash into the runway," said Herry Bakti, the director general of air transportation at the Transportation Ministry. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323346304578424493851878594.html Back to Top Man stopped at Reagan airport with loaded gun Travelers wait in security checkpoint lines before boarding planes Security officers at Reagan Washington National Airport stopped a Virginia man from boarding a plane Friday after authorities discovered he was carrying a loaded gun. A Transportation Security Administration, in a statement released Monday, said an officer operating a checkpoint X-ray machine spotted the firearm in the man's carry-on bag. Airport police confiscated the .38 caliber handgun, loaded with 11 rounds, and cited him on a state weapons charge. There was no impact to airport operations, and the Richmond man was permitted to catch his flight to Chicago without the gun and ammunition. The TSA hasn't released the man's identity. Travelers can be fined up to $11,000 if they are caught with prohibited items at airports. In 2012, TSA assessed more than $1.8 million in civil penalties for firearms discovered in passenger carry-on bags. Airline passengers are allowed to travel with firearms in checked baggage if they're properly packaged and declared. Firearms must be unloaded, packed in a hard-side case, locked and packed separately from ammunition. www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/apr/15/man-stopped-reagan-airport-loaded- gun/#ixzz2QcABSiMH Back to Top EU flight ban could be lifted for Libyan Airlines in weeks Libyan Airlines could soon be be taking off for Europe in its own aircraft Tripoli - The current ban on Libyan Airlines flying its own aircraft in EU airspace could be lifted within a matter of weeks. "We went to Brussels last week and discussed the preparation of our final report," director general of Libya's Civil Aviation Authority (LYCAA), Captain Nasereddin Shaebelain, told the Libya Herald. "We will submit this during the next fortnight and we are hoping for a positive review," he added. "I think that this is going to be a milestone," Shaebelain said. The LYCAA has an agreement with the European Commission's Air Safety Committee, which gives it the authority to re-certify Libyan pilots. If Brussels is satisfied with the LYCAA's final report, Libyan Airlines will not have to wait until the next Air Safety Committee meeting in June to fly its planes in EU airspace. Even if the ban is lifted on Libyan Airlines in the next few weeks, it will take longer for fellow state-owned airline Afriqiyah Airways to return to EU skies. "We expect Libyan Airlines to be completed earlier than Afriqiyah because we started the process with them first," said Shaebelain. "We still have to discuss a lot of things with Afriqiyah, including safety systems and document processes," he said. Head of operations for Afriqiyah Airways in the UK, Alan Mates, told the Libya Herald in December that Afriqiyah is plagued by paperwork problems dating back to 2007. The airline has also done itself no favours with a bungled flight plan that saw an aircraft routed from Benghazi to Paris refused permission to land on Friday. A senior airport source has also told the Libya Herald that the European Commission's Air Safety Committee is not satisfied with the report into the 2010 Afriqiyah crash that left 103 dead and a young boy as the sole survivor. Submission of the report, which cited pilot error and lack of coordination between the captain and his copilot as the cause, was delayed by the revolution. Finally submitted in February by the LYCAA, the report was critical of a number of Afriqiyah's procedures. Both Afriqiyah and Libyan Airlines are currently wet-leasing aircraft and flight-deck staff to service their European routes. http://www.libyaherald.com/2013/04/15/eu-flight-ban-could-be-lifted-for-libyan- airlines-in-weeks/ Back to Top Back to Top Cessna Aircraft Company rolls out fastest business jet in the world WICHITA, Kansas - Fresh off the production line and ready for take off. Cessna Aircraft Company rolled out its latest aircraft the Citation 10. The Citation 10 is hailed the fastest civilian aircraft in the world and this may be the boost the aviation industry has been looking for. "I want to recognize all the efforts and all the hard work," said Ron Draper, Cessna Senior Vice President of Integrated Supply Chain. More than a year and a half of hard work reaches a new level for more than 100 Cessna engineers and assembly workers Monday morning. Waiting on the other end is the production model of the Citation 10. The announcement to upgrade the Citation came nearly two years ago. Cessna engineers wanted to upgrade the jet to maximize its potential which is speed. "Of course we would all like the market to be better," said Draper. "But one way you get the market to be better is come out with new products." The jet is better in performance, larger in size, has more cabin space, and advanced technology. This is the fourth planned product rolled out by Cessna so far this year, and two more are expected. "Aircraft cost a lot of money and they represent a major investment so when a company commits to something like this that's good news," said Aerospace and Engineer Professor Scott Miller, Wichita State University. "It says they feel excited about the future and the possibilities. " Things are looking towards the sky for the aviation industry in Wichita. With major aircraft manufacturers adding jobs in recent weeks. Beechcraft Corporation is looking to add around 80 administrative and engineering positions, while Airbus is expanding its downtown office in Old Town. Airbus is hoping to make more space for potential new employees. "A lot of them are going to be retired in the near future and so they need the baby boomers with a lot of younger new students especially while the older ones are still there," said Miller. Experts believe with the direction of the industry the need for engineers is stronger than ever. "We think that's going to help us in the market place our customers and really stimulate further demand and create more jobs here in Wichita," said Draper. Sources tell KSN News a number of orders have been placed for the Citation 10. The first jet could be shipped out by the end of the year pending certification. http://www.ksn.com/2013/04/15/cessna-aircraft-company-rolls-out-fastest-business- jet-in-the-world/ Back to Top Google chairman calls for regulation of civilian drone aircraft Who could be watching you? The AR Drone from Parrot could be used for 'evil' means The civilian use of drone aircraft needs to be regulated amid security and privacy fears, according to Google's executive chairman Eric Schmidt. Speaking to The Guardian, Schmidt said mini versions of the unmanned planes used in modern warfare (in real life, not the game) could be used irresponsibly by the members of the public. He also thinks devices like the Parrot AR Drone (pictured), could be used as weapons by terrorists if they chose to strap explosives to the aircraft. He said: "How would you feel if your neighbour went over and bought a commercial observation drone that can launch from their backyard. It just flies over your house all day. How would you feel about it?" Spreading the war machine As the tech becomes more advanced and easily available Schmidt is concerned that it is "democratising" war, by giving regular folks access to the same tools used by the military. He added: "I'm not going to pass judgment on whether armies should exist, but I would prefer to not spread and democratise the ability to fight war to every single human being. "It's got to be regulated... It's one thing for governments, who have some legitimacy in what they're doing, but have other people doing it... it's not going to happen. "Maybe we'll even see the world's first drone strike against cyber-terrorists. That's how seriously evil part of this could be." So there you have it. While most of the world is concerned about Google invading their privacy, Google has its own worries, or at least its longtime former CEO does. http://www.techradar.com/news/world-of-tech/google-chairman-calls-for-regulation-of-civilian-drone- aircraft-1144535 Back to Top Michelin and FAA Introduce Tire Safety Training Michelin and the FAA Safety Program (FAAST) have partnered to offer pilots and aircraft maintenance technicians a free online tire maintenance course titled The Impact of Tire Maintenance on Aircraft Safety. "Tire maintenance is often overlooked in aviation; this course will help reinforce this important part of aviation safety," said Brad Beall, Michelin Aircraft Tire zone director for North and South America. Keat Pruszenski, a manager of customer support engineering at Michelin, developed the course after the crash of a Learjet 60 at Columbia regional airport helped drive home the importance of tire maintenance and foreign object debris removal. "The cause of the crash was found to be under-inflated tires; it was a preventable accident," Pruszenski told AIN. Pruszenski developed the program to help educate pilots and maintenance technicians about the importance of maintaining proper tire pressure and presented it at the 2010 NBAA conference. It has since been provided in person at several other smaller regional events and is now available online. http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/ainmxreports/2013-04-10/michelin-and-faa- introduce-tire-safety-training Back to Top Starr Aviation Partners with Aviation Safety Group for Pilot Reward Project Starr Aviation (Starr), a division of Starr Indemnity & Liability Co., has partnered with the Society of Aviation and Flight Educators (SAFE) and Redbird Flight Simulations (Redbird) to reward participation of insureds in the Pilot Proficiency Project. Available at major aviation events, the Project offers a series of FAA WINGS-approved seminars and simulator training scenarios that address common causes of general aviation accidents. Qualified Starr policyholders participating in Project seminars and/or simulator training will receive the benefits of the accident forgiveness endorsement waiving any premium increase because of an accident occurring after the certification (certain overriding events excluded). The first opportunity for pilots to earn the accident forgiveness endorsement will be during "Sun-n-Fun" in Lakeland, Florida, April 9-14, 2013. Pilots can sign up for an opportunity to "fly" one of eleven challenging scenarios in Redbird's FMX full-motion simulator at the SAFE Tent (NE-006). Pilots can also attend project safety seminars, which will be conducted in the Florida Air Museum. SAFE developed the Pilot Proficiency Project in 2010, partnering with Redbird to enable pilots to receive relevant recurrent training. SAFE represents more than 700 of the nation's aviation educators, and provides resources to assist educators in developing skilled, knowledgeable and safe aviators. http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2013/04/05/287342.htm Back to Top Florida Tech Announces New Ph.D. in Aviation Sciences Seven Areas of Specialization to Provide Key Skills to Graduates MELBOURNE, FLA.-The Florida Institute of Technology College of Aeronautics (COA) announces plans to launch a new doctoral program, a Ph.D. in Aviation Sciences beginning in the 2013 fall semester. This innovative program includes seven areas of specialization to prepare new doctoral graduates to meet the challenges of aviation research in the 21st century. The Ph.D. in aviation sciences program, designed to produce outstanding aviation research and academic professionals, builds on the college's 45 years as one of the nation's top university-based aviation programs. The curriculum consists of a minimum of 51 semester credit hours with three main components: An 18-hour core study program of research design, statistics and aviation courses A 12- hour program with areas of aviation specialization chosen by the student; concentrations are available in human factors, safety, airport development and management, education and training, organizational development, operations research, and environmental/sustainability and meteorology A minimum of 21 credit hours of dissertation research in the area of specialization "This announcement is a historic moment for the Florida Tech College of Aeronautics," said Vice President for Aviation Programs and Dean of the College Ken Stackpoole. "We are very pleased to offer this new Ph.D. in aviation sciences program to leading candidates who seek outstanding careers in academia, government and the aviation industry." For details, visit: http://www.fit.edu/programs/grad/phd_aviation_sciences. Also, contact the college's Michael Gallo, Ph.D., at gallo@fit.edu or (321) 674-8375. To learn more about the COA, visit http://coa.fit.edu. Curt Lewis