Flight Safety Information May 9, 2013 - No. 095 In This Issue Nigeria Military Helicopter Crashes in Oil Delta DGCA for cameras in cockpits to improve flying safety (India) Lightning Hits Airplane Watchdog: FAA has problems inspecting aircraft repairs Woman pilot crash-lands helicopter on Hawaii street after engines fail Annual SMS Audit Results Released Paint job but no 'rollout' party for newest Airbus jet Virgin Galactic hires former NASA and military pilots to take passengers into space Pinnacle Airlines holds job fair for flight attendants Nigeria Military Helicopter Crashes in Oil Delta ABUJA, Nigeria May 9, 2013 (AP) A Nigerian military helicopter has crashed in the country's oil-rich southern delta, just days after one of its jets crashed. A statement from Nigeria's Air Force said the crash happened Thursday morning at its base in Port Harcourt and that the crew escaped unharmed. Local witnesses described seeing a plume of smoke rise from the base. The air force identified the helicopter as a Russian-made Mi-24B attack helicopter. The statement said an investigation into the cause of the crash has started. Nigeria has a history of major aviation crashes, both with civilian aircraft and military airplanes. On Monday, a Nigerian Air Force Alpha jet fighter crashed 37 miles (60 kilometers) west of Niamey, the capital of Niger, killing two pilots. Back to Top DGCA for cameras in cockpits to improve flying safety (India) Do you know what your flight's pilot is doing in the cockpit? You wouldn't. And the dangerous part is, there are even times when you would come to know of a close shave only from the next day's newspaper. But this situation is going to change. According to a report in the Times of India today, the Director General of Civil Aviation is considering installing cameras in cockpits, which it hopes will help improve safety. DGCA's plan is to ask airlines to maintain a record of these camera recordings for sometime. The move seems to be aimed at improving the safety records of India's aviation sector, which recently took a hit after the International Civil Aviation Organisation's (ICAO) audit. PTI "ICAO has identified a significant safety concern with respect of the ability of this state (India) to properly oversee its airlines (air operators) under is jurisdiction," the UN agency was quoted as saying in a report in Mint in March. According to the report, India figures along with countries like Angola, Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Lesotho, Malawi, and Sao Tome and Principe as far as air safety is concerned. In April, there were two instances of irresponsible behaviour from pilots. One was when two Air India pilots went off to sleep after handing over the Bangkok-Delhi flight to the attendants who inadvertently turned off the auto pilot. The second one was when another Air India flight landed on a cross-runway in the Mumbai airport without air traffic controller's clearance. The run way was reportedly closed. In both the cases, the passengers luckily escaped unhurt. Pilots falling asleep is nothing new. In fact, as per a survey by the British Airline Pilots Association as much as 43 percent of its pilots fell asleep while flying. In India too, the situation is not very different. According to the ToI report, commonly on long-haul flights one pilot goes to sleep after informing the co-pilot. In 2008, an Air India flight plying from Jaipur to Mumbai, overshot the destination and covered half way to Goa as both the pilots were fast asleep. Passengers, however, were blissfully unaware of this. If the DGCA's plans go through, one should presume such incidents will not happen. But, according to the ToI report, the regulator expects stiff opposition from the pilots and air hostesses, which is natural. Who would be comfortable with being electronically monitored like this? However, the DGCA is reportedly adamant about introducing the reform. But for passengers, seeing pilots' deeds inside the cockpit could well be an added tension rather than a relief. http://www.firstpost.com/business/do-you-want-to-know-what-your-flights-pilot-is-doing- in-cockpit-756159.html Back to Top Lightning Hits Airplane Lightning hit an American Airlines passenger jet heading from Detroit to LaGuardia Airport on Wednesday. The captain declared an emergency. Fortunately, the plane landed safely at LaGuardia. The American Eagle flight with 20 passengers and three crew members was hit on its approach to the New York area. Comment on the story: Allison Cooper · Works at Yale University School of Medicine "My brother was the pilot on the plane. At first, there was a loud boom. They thought it was a bomb. Then a second one. The flash let them know it was lightning. It is not avoidable. He landed the plane safely. The whole back end was burned and the flight grounded until the plane can be thoroughly inspected. He just called me to tell me what happened. He is shaken by it. Who wouldn't be. The passengers were screaming they were going to die. How scary. No damage to the instruments and was a normal landing. Unfortunately, weather patterns change fast and lightning is not avoidable. Thank God everyone is safe!" The thunderstorms produced over 3 inches of rain at Central Park and there was some local flooding. Also, the temperature reached 80 at S. Ste. Marie on Weds., 81 at Iron Mt. and 78 at Houghton. Here's an oddity, the warmest place in the U.S. Weds. was Entiat, Washington (97). The coolest spot was Sunset Crater, Arizona (24). Grand Rapids made 80 on Weds., the 4th 80-degree temperature in the last 8 days. We are now 11.6 deg. warmer than average for the first 8 days of May. http://blogs.woodtv.com/2013/05/09/lightning-hits-airplane/ Back to Top Watchdog: FAA has problems inspecting aircraft repairs Bart Jansen6:31 p.m. EDT May 6, 2013 Passengers shouldn't be alarmed by the findings, a noted air safety analyst says. Story Highlights The FAA oversees 4,800 repair stations here and abroad where U.S. airlines take their planes This report is the latest by the department's inspector general finding inspection problems The FAA says it maintains "rigorous" oversight of the repair and maintenance stations Washington-- The Federal Aviation Administration's oversight of U.S. jetliner repair stations is ineffective and doesn't zero in on stations most likely to present safety risks, the Transportation Department's own watchdog said in a report Monday. The department's assistant inspector general for aviation, Jeffrey Guzzetti, found "system deficiencies" at foreign and domestic repair stations, "including insufficient mechanic training, outdated tool calibration and inaccurate work order documentation." Nearly half the work orders studied - 57 of 119 - contained such errors, according to the report. By extrapolating from those work orders, the inspector general estimated more than one-third of work orders from September 2008 to August 2011 had deficiencies. "Uncorrected maintenance deficiencies such as these could lead to the use of improperly repaired aircraft parts on U.S. air carriers," the 32-page report said. John Goglia, a 50-year aircraft mechanic and former member of the National Transportation Safety Board, said the discrepancies are a "major concern" because they mean that airlines aren't catching maintenance problems and the FAA isn't catching the airlines. "That doesn't mean an airplane is going to fall out of the sky tomorrow," Goglia said. "It means the system is broken." The FAA defended its oversight and said it is developing more training for its inspectors. "The FAA has a rigorous, risk-based system of oversight for repair stations and is taking action to rectify performance gaps that contributed to the issues identified in the OIG draft report," Clayton Foushee, director of FAA's audit office, said in a written reply to the report. The Aeronautical Repair Station Association, which represents aviation stations, urged regulators to work with lawmakers to improve oversight because it is in the industry's interest to achieve the highest levels of safety. "Shortcomings at the FAA don't translate into safety deficiencies in the industry," said Christian Klein, the group's executive vice president. Passengers shouldn't be alarmed by the findings, said Rudy Quevedo, director of global programs for the Flight Safety Foundation, a non-profit organization providing expert safety guidance and resources for the aviation industry. "It's a perfectly safe system," Quevedo said. He also said there's no proof that foreign repair stations are more dangerous than domestic ones. "There are foreign stations that are very, very good. But there are repair stations in the U.S. that are below the standards," Quevedo said. "It's not about where they are, it's about the oversight." And, he said, airlines are ultimately responsible for their planes, and maintenance is rarely blamed for problems. One example was a fiery Air Midwest crash, which killed two crew members and 19 passengers in January 2003, after taking off from Charlotte's airport. The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of the accident was loss of pitch control, with the plane's nose pointing upward because of the incorrect rigging of tail flaps called the elevator control system. Contributing factors included maintenance problems, including the airline's lack of oversight of maintenance performed in Huntington, W.Va., according to the board. Quevedo said the question is whether FAA is following its program to focus its attention on the riskier repair stations. The FAA oversees 4,800 aircraft repair stations where U.S. airlines bring their planes worldwide. The inspector general checked 27 repair stations in the U.S., China, New Zealand, Peru and Singapore. In previous reports in July 2003 and September 2008, the inspector general found that FAA's oversight didn't meet the agency's standards. In response, the FAA began a decade ago reviewing repair stations based on where concerns were greatest. But in the latest report, the inspector general found the oversight "lacks rigor" and results "in inadequate and inconsistent inspection practices." One example featured a station failing to maintain a list of mechanic training for three years in a row, but the inspector accepted the promised corrective actions each time. "Due to weaknesses in FAA's oversight system, inspectors are not effectively targeting surveillance to repair stations with the greatest risk," the report said. The inspector general found that 33 of 36 inspectors interviewed about risk-based training said "they were not trained, did not recall the training or regarded it as poor." Officials at foreign-repair stations are often confused about what needs to be fixed because findings in written FAA reports are more detailed than what is conveyed orally after an inspection, according to the inspector general. http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/2013/05/06/faa-aircraft-repair- inspections/2138755/ Back to Top Woman pilot crash-lands helicopter on Hawaii street after engines fail... but amazingly no one is injured A female helicopter pilot has been hailed as a hero after crash landing from 3,000ft into a busy city centre without causing any serious injuries in Hawaii. Julia Link, 30, was piloting the light aircraft with her passenger Karl Hedburg, 71, on a photography trip when the engine suddenly cut out above the capital Honolulu. The helicopter plummeted to the street, landing close to a large apartment complex and Hawaii's Pacific University at around 3.30pm, but miraculously no one was seriously injured. 'Everything seemed normal with the aircraft,' Miss Link told KITV. 'All of a sudden it got real quiet. Engine quit. 'First, I thought it was a joke. I was like, "Oh my God! This is for real!" Three-thousand feet is a lot of time to think about things. We practice this all the time.' Keeping a cool head, Miss Link even managed to radio the Hawaii Fire Department to warn them over her imminent crash as the helicopter was falling from the sky. After skidding along Fort Street in central Honolulu, the helicopter eventually hit a parked car and ended up perched in the centre of the road. Mr Hedburg was treated for minor head injuries, but apart from that no one was seriously injured. 'I prayed before we went up and I figured, the Lord will take us down,' said Mr Hedberg. 'We came in, we were skidding. I felt like we were at an amusement park.' Julia Link said her training helped her keep a cool head to crash land the helicopter 'I'm actually kind of disappointed I ruined a brand new aircraft! The landing was nice, I have to say. I'm glad everybody walked away alive,' added Miss Link. Firefighters said only the pilot's skills avoided a potentially fatal disaster. 'It's a pretty miraculous situation that no one was badly hurt by this,' said Captain Terry Seelig, a spokesman for the Honolulu Fire Department. 'This is a pretty busy area.' The helicopter was operated by Mauna Loa Helicopters but representatives of the company could not immediately be reached for comment. Preliminary information indicates the Robinson R22 Beta had an engine failure, said Allen Kenitzer, spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2321770/Woman-pilot-Julia-Link-crash-lands- helicopter-Hawaii-street-engines-fail--amazingly-injured.html Back to Top Back to Top Paint job but no 'rollout' party for newest Airbus jet The vertical tail wing of the first Airbus A350 is seen on the final assembly line in Toulouse, southwestern France, in this October 23, 2012 file photo. LONDON | Wed May 8, 2013 1:36pm EDT (Reuters) - Airbus (EAD.PA) has started painting the A350, a sign it is approaching a maiden flight, but has bowed to the industry's increasingly pragmatic mood by deciding against a traditional "rollout" for its newest jet. Eight years after European leaders witnessed a spectacle worthy of stadium opera to launch the A380 superjumbo, Europe's latest aeronautical venture will prepare to leave the nest with less fanfare in an industry sobered by delays and technical mishaps. The first coat of paint in Airbus livery should be ready on the A350 next week, people familiar with the project say. After that, the high-tech carbon-composite jet will be all dressed up with nowhere to go until the first flight, which most industry sources expect in late June or early July. The lack of pomp reflects growing emphasis on project "execution" after Airbus, Boeing (BA.N) and other manufacturers endured multiple delays and problems culminating in the three-month grounding of Boeing's 787 Dreamliner earlier this year. Asked recently whether Airbus would hold an A350 rollout ceremony, Airbus Chief Executive Fabrice Bregier told Reuters, "Probably not. We'll go straight to our first flight." The flight's timing may disappoint enthusiasts hoping to see the jet, developed at an estimated $15 billion, at the Paris air show on June 17-23. Bregier has said he will not be tied to PR deadlines after slowing the project to weed out any glitches. Airbus says the A350 will enter service on time, however, in mid-2014. The CSeries jet, rolled out by Canada's Bombardier (BBDb.TO) in March, is also expected to miss the Paris show, which is likely to be dominated by a return of popular Russian fighter displays. ROLLOUTS 'DEVALUED' For years, aerospace manufacturers have vied to produce lavish rollouts to show off their latest creations. The showbiz end of the industry is seen as an important step in the marketing of a new plane, demonstrating to airline buyers and aerospace investors that an aircraft's metamorphosis from designer's imagination to real flying machine is complete. Airbus and Boeing threw giant parties for the A380 superjumbo and 787 Dreamliner, but the celebrations turned into a costly hangover when both projects were later delayed. Boeing was criticized for displaying a partially completed shell. "The rollout concept perhaps became a bit devalued by the presentation of an empty 787 with the wrong fasteners and no cockpit," said Agency Partners analyst Nick Cunningham. "Historically, rollouts have been a great way of raising the profile of a new airliner. But it is understandable if Airbus feels that a first flight event can serve that purpose more effectively," said Andrew Doyle, Editor of Flight Daily News. With Airbus already describing the A350 schedule as "challenging", the company is also seen as wary of giving customers the impression it is being distracted - having held an inauguration for the A350 assembly plant just six months ago. The outspoken chief executive of Qatar Airways, the jet's launch customer, has criticized Airbus and Boeing over delays and said this week the 787 grounding had cost it $200 million. Shares in Airbus parent EADS (EAD.PA) rose 1.3 percent to 41.25 euros on Wednesday, outperforming European markets, having risen 38 percent so far this year. RBC Capital Markets analyst Rob Stallard said in a note that the stock price would be sensitive to "any incremental news on the A350 development". Airbus is expected to hold media briefings in early June. RAZZLE DAZZLE Here are some bashes that won't be repeated for the A350. Feb 1987 - Britain's Prince Charles and Princess Diana pour champagne over the nose of the A320 at a Valentine's Day debut. April 1994 - Boeing commissions entertainer Dick Clark to stage a Hollywood-style show for its 777 wide-body jet under 1.5 million watts of theatrical lighting - 16 times in total. July 2007 - Boeing throws a party for 15,000 guests as it unveils the world's first mainly carbon-fiber jetliner, the 787. Sept 2007 - Russia allows foreign civilians into its ultra-secret Sukhoi fighter factory for the rollout of the first post-Soviet jetliner, the Superjet, flanked by dozens of models. June 2008 - King Juan Carlos of Spain, a trained pilot, lends royal glamour to the Airbus A400M rollout in Seville. Feb 2011 - Airline bosses and workers don Boeing-supplied sunglasses indoors to watch a revamped jumbo, the 747-8, appear in a surprise new orange and red "sunrise livery". March 2013 - Canada's Bombardier, which is challenging the Airbus and Boeing duopoly in small jets, lifts the curtain on its $3.4 billion CSeries plane bathed in blue light and dry ice. Back to Top Virgin Galactic hires former NASA and military pilots to take passengers into space As Virgin Galactic prepares for its first commercial space flights planned for later this year, the company is adding some heavy hitters to its roster of pilots. Former NASA pilot Frederick "CJ" Sturckow and former US Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Michael "Sooch" Masucci have joined the Virgin Galactic team, and both bring some pretty impressive credentials as the company moves into final testing phases before the program's full launch. Sturckow participated in four space shuttle missions, has more than 26 years of military flight service, and has put in more than 1,200 hours in space and 6,500 flight hours overall. Masucci hasn't been to space yet, but he's a similarly accomplished pilot - he has 30 years of civilian and military flight experience totaling more than 9,000 hours across some 70 different aircrafts. Both pilots will be working out of Virgin Galactic's Mojave, CA location where they will be trained and begin testing with the WhiteKnightTwo and SpaceShipTwo aircrafts - the latter of which recently completed its first rocket-powered test flight. http://www.theverge.com/2013/5/8/4311840/virgin-galactic-hires-former-nasa-and- military-pilots Back to Top Pinnacle Airlines holds job fair for flight attendants Pinnacle Airlines, a subsidiary of Delta Air Lines, is holding a flight attendant job fair today. It is being held until noon and 4 to 9 p.m. today at the Detroit Metro Airport Hotel, 30559 Flynn Drive, Romulus. Applicants must bring a signed copy of an online application, a driver's license and passport. For more information, go to www.Flypinnacle.com/Careers http://www.freep.com/article/20130509/BUSINESS06/305090070/Pinnacle-Airlines-job- fair Curt Lewis