Flight Safety Information May 2, 2013 - No. 090 In This Issue 2 Airplanes About to Take off Clip at NJ Airport 6 Dead in Crash of Mexican Prosecutors' Plane FAA proposes eliminating airport weather observers PROS IOSA Audit Experts Boeing says taking 'next step' toward launching 777X jet Aircraft delivery delayed PIA flight schedule disrupted (Pakistan) GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY REQUEST GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY REQUEST Position Wanted:...Pilot Position-First Officer...(Airline/Cargo) 2 Airplanes About to Take off Clip at NJ Airport Planes Clip Wings on Tarmac NEWARK, N.J. May 2, 2013 (AP) - Two airplanes taxiing while preparing for takeoff at Newark Liberty International Airport clipped each other, authorities said. No one was injured when the planes touched around 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at one of the nation's busiest airports, Federal Aviation Administration officials said. A Scandinavian Airlines plane's left wing clipped the tail of a United Airlines plane while they were on a taxiway. Scandinavian Airlines Flight 908, bound for Oslo, Norway, was directly behind ExpressJet Flight 4226, destined for Nashville, Tenn., on the taxiway and was turning right to get onto another taxiway when its wing clipped the ExpressJet plane's tail, officials said. The ExpressJet plane was towed back to the gate, and the Scandinavian Airlines plane taxied back to the gate, where passengers disembarked, New York's WNBC-TV reported. The accident is being investigated. Scandinavian Airlines, which has hubs in Norway, Sweden and Denmark, didn't immediately respond to telephone messages and emails seeking comment. ExpressJet Airlines released a statement Wednesday night saying it is "working in coordination with officials to determine a cause." All 31 passengers on the plane were re- accommodated, the airline said. ExpressJet, which bills itself as the world's largest regional airline, operates as a United Express partner from United's Newark hub. United, which has headquarters in Chicago, is part of United Continental Holdings Inc. http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/airplanes-off-clip-nj-airport- 19088410#.UYJdgVAo6Uk Back to Top 6 Dead in Crash of Mexican Prosecutors' Plane MEXICO CITY May 1, 2013 (AP) - Mexican authorities say six employees of the Attorney General's Office have been killed in the crash of a small plane, and a newspaper says an auditors' report indicated months ago that the aircraft fleet for prosecutors was in bad shape. Attorney General Jesus Murillo Karam says the cause of the crash Tuesday in northern Zacatecas state is being investigated. The officials had flown to Zacatecas to serve an arrest warrant on members of the Zetas drug cartel. Murillo Karam says their small, twin-engine propeller plane was about 28 years old. The newspaper El Universal said Wednesday that an auditors' report issued in October found serious problems with maintenance and airworthiness in the prosecutors' fleet of aircraft. ************ Date: 30-APR-2013 Time: 18h30Z Type: Beechcraft 300 Super King Air Operator: Government of Mexico - PGR Registration: XC-LMW C/n / msn: Fatalities: Fatalities: 6 / Occupants: 6 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: Noria de los Gringos, Zacatecas 22.848534, -102.720709, 15KMS FROM MMZ - Mexico Phase: Take off Nature: Non Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: MMZC Destination airport: MMMX Narrative: A Government of Mexico, PGR airplane, took off from MMZC Aeropuerto Internacional de Zacatecas at 12:30PM, local time, and after 5 mins crash in an empty field and burn at the Noria de los Gringos, Zacatecas site, 15 Kms from the airport. All 6 occupants are dead. www.aviation-safety.net Back to Top FAA proposes eliminating airport weather observers Heat waves distort a picture of airplanes waiting to take off from National Airport on April 26 The responsibility for monitoring the skies at airports across the country may shift from meteorological professionals to air traffic controllers under a proposal from the Federal Aviation Administration. Aviation groups and weather observers, whose jobs are at risk, have expressed concern that air traffic controllers may be poorly suited for warning pilots of rapidly changing weather hazards. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/federal-eye/wp/2013/05/01/faa-proposes- eliminating-airport-weather-observers/ Back to Top Back to Top Boeing says taking 'next step' toward launching 777X jet SEATTLE - Boeing Co. said it is taking the "next step" toward launching its long-awaited 777X widebody jet by discussing price, schedule and other details with potential customers. The move follows a board meeting on Monday and means the commercial airplane division can begin taking orders from airlines. "We are taking the next step when it comes to engaging customers on the 777X," spokesman Doug Alder told Reuters. The company has "begun to discuss additional technical, pricing and schedule details with customers". The company declined to comment on the board meeting that coincided with its annual meeting on Monday in Chicago. After attracting enough orders, the next step in the plane's development will be a formal launch of the program. http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/chi-boeing-says-taking-next-step- toward-launching-777x-jet-20130501,0,5793591.story Back to Top Aircraft delivery delayed PIA flight schedule disrupted (Pakistan) LAHORE: Any hopes of improvement in the Pakistan International Airlines' operations in the near future have faded as the delivery of five aircraft, which was to start from June 2013, has been delayed, The News has learnt. The PIA had leased five A320 V2500 engine aircraft to lessen pressure on its operations and to bring sanity to the disrupted flight schedule, which is rarely being followed. The first aircraft was to be provided in March 2013 according to the signed agreement. PIA was to pay for this deal in time before that. In February 2013, the Economic Coordination Committee of the cabinet accorded in- principle approval for the acquisition of newer narrow body aircraft on dry lease to PIA, to improve the national carrier's schedule reliability along with cutting back fuel costs. However, the funds for this agreement were not provided in time to the leasing company and the payment was pended way beyond the signed date. Considering the cutthroat corporate competition and demand for aircraft in the international market, the leasing company was not bound to keep the aircraft grounded and wait for PIA, suffering financial losses in the process. Therefore, it leased the PIA-bound aircraft to another airlines, which paid the amount in time and capitalised on the Pak flag carrier's procedural slackness. It is pertinent to mention here that PIA had opted for A320 V2500 engine aircraft instead of B-737/800 solely on the pretext that the former would be made available earlier and PIA needed the aircraft on emergency basis. Otherwise the B-737/800 was financially more feasible for PIA, as far as operations and maintenance is concerned, and the MD PIA had agreed to this in a conversation with this correspondent as well. This gamble, however, does not seem to have paid off, as now due to PIA's mismanagement of this affair, the aircraft do not appear to be catering to the emergent need and the PIA flight operations continue to suffer. PIA general manager public relations Mashhood Tajwer said that the situation has arisen mainly due to the unavailability of funds from the quarters concerned rather than any grave mismanagement at PIA's end. He said the PIA is doing all it can to get things going at the earliest and the situation is expected to improve and be clearer by next week. He also mentioned that there are other important factors to be considered with this change of situation, such as the high and low airline seasons. He mentioned the June-July is not the high-season as far as PIA operations shape up and therefore PIA also now needs to consider if paying the lease from these months on would be cost effective or should the lease maturity be pended till August. http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-2-174872-Aircraft-delivery- delayed-PIA-flight-schedule-disrupted Back to Top GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY REQUEST: Department of Systems Design Engineering University of Waterloo PARTICIPANTS NEEDED FOR INVESTIGATING INTEGRATION OF NON-COOPERATIVE UAVS INTO CONTROLLED AIRSPACE We are looking for volunteers to take part in an online survey study examining controllers and pilots' perspectives on the information about non-cooperative object (i.e. birds, unmanned aircraft systems, weather, etc.) that should be gathered by surveillance systems. The results will be used as a foundation to provide mitigation strategies for current radar surveillance systems on how the non-cooperative objects, especially unmanned aircraft, should be displayed. This project is conducted under the supervision of Professor Jonathan Histon. In order to participate in the study, you are expected to have professional working/training experience as an air traffic controller or pilot. In the survey, you would be asked to answer questions about your experience with non-cooperative unmanned aircraft, your preference of information level of detail regarding the display of unmanned aircraft, and potential factors that would affect your communication with the pilots/controllers. The survey takes approximately 30 minutes to complete, which can be finished whenever and wherever at your convenience, as long as you have the access to the internet. Please be noted that no login and passwords are required, therefore the survey has to be completed at one sitting. Participation is voluntary and anonymous. Although no monetary remuneration will be given, your commitment is greatly appreciated. To volunteer for this study, please click: http://edu.surveygizmo.com/s3/1118696/Registration For more information about the study, please contact: Xiaochen Yuan Systems Design Engineering at xiaochen.yuan@uwaterloo.ca This study has been reviewed by, and received ethics clearance through, the Office of Research Ethics, University of Waterloo. Back to Top GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY REQUEST: Asking for your Participation in an Online Questionnaire regarding Air Rage during Commercial Air Transportation My name is Peter Kneer. I am a retired German Air Force jet pilot currently working at the German military aviation test center at Manching, Bavaria. I am also working on my Capstone Project at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. The intent is to look into Air Rage / Unruly Passengers in order to get a more thorough understanding of the phenomena, to see and predict trends, and to possibly provide recommendations. With this in mind I would kindly ask airline and airport representatives engaged with this topic to participate in this online survey. Please use the following link to access the AIRLINE SURVEY or paste https://www.umfrageonline.com/s/82349f1 in your browser. Please use the following link to access the AIRPORT SURVEY or paste https://www.umfrageonline.com/s/21d105f in your browser. All responses you provide for this study will remain confidential. If you have any question, concern, or suggestion, please feel free to contact my using my ERAU address kneerp@my.erau.edu Thank you very much for your participation in this research project. Kind regards Peter Kneer Back to Top Position Wanted: Pilot Position-First Officer (Airline/Cargo) Experienced international airline aviator with 8,000+ total flying hours; in excess 2000 hours of B777, 2200 hours of B737, and 1800 hours of A310 experience. Verifiable record of no violations. Solid training record- has passed all commercial airline and check rights on first attempt. Continuous employment in aviation. Dependable employee- 0 no. - Shows throughout career. Facilitate open communication and mutual respect among all work groups. Committed to Safety First. Firm Advocate of Crew Resource Management. U.S. Citizen Contact: jahanzeb737@yahoo.com Curt Lewis