Flight Safety Information June 19, 2013 - No. 122 In This Issue Oil filter issue prompts 787 Dreamliner to divert to Seattle Charter jet makes 'hard landing' at Lunken (Ohio) Documentary aims to 'break silence' on crash of TWA Flight 800 NTSB rules in 2011 Mayo Clinic helicopter crash AI flight grounded after crew opens locked aircraft door 2013 CHC Safety Summit Presentations Annual SMS Audit Results Released GE Bets on Ceramic Jet-Engine Parts EasyJet agrees deal for 135 aircraft from Airbus Graduate Research Survey Oil filter issue prompts 787 Dreamliner to divert to Seattle SEATTLE -- A Boeing 787 flying from Denver to Tokyo diverted to Seattle because of an oil filter issue, a United Airlines spokeswoman said. An airline maintenance team was inspecting the jet after Flight 139 landed normally Tuesday afternoon at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, United spokeswoman Mary Ryan said in an email statement. United just put its 787s back in the air May 20 after smouldering batteries on two 787s owned by other airlines prompted authorities to ground the planes in January. Problem found in Japan Airlines Boeing 787 jet but no risk to safety The Tokyo-bound jet's problem was "completely unrelated to any battery issues," Boeing spokesman Kate Bergman told The Seattle Times on Tuesday evening. "We are aware of the situation, and we're working with United to help however they need us," Bergman added. In her statement, the United spokeswoman said the crew decided to land in Seattle because of "an indication of a problem with an oil filter." Asked whether the latest 787 issue raised any concerns with United after the recent battery issue, Ryan said she did not immediately have any additional information. The airline provided the flight's approximately 200 customers with hotel rooms and planned to fly them to Tokyo on Wednesday, Ryan said. When it returned the 787s to service last month, Chicago-based United said it planned to use the jets on shorter domestic flights before resuming international flying June 10 with Denver-to-Tokyo service as well as temporary Houston-to-London flights. It's adding flights to Tokyo, Shanghai, and Lagos, Nigeria, in August. Those long international flights are the main reason the 787 exists. Its medium size and fuel efficiency are a good fit for long routes. At the Paris Air Show on Tuesday, Boeing Co. won major orders from five customers, including United, for a stretched-out version of the 787. Boeing announced the formal launch of its 787-10 program at the air show and said it already has commitments for 102 jets from the five customers. The new 787-10 lists at $290 million, making the deal worth nearly $30 billion at full price, although customers often negotiate deep discounts. United remains the only U.S.-based airline to fly the 787, which is steadily winning customers after being beset with problems concerning lithium-ion batteries on two Japanese carriers. The plane, like its newest rival the Airbus A350, uses lightweight materials and new engine technology to cut down on fuel consumption at a time of rapidly increasing jet fuel prices. The two battery incidents in January included an emergency landing of one plane, and a fire on another. Federal authorities lifted the grounding order on April 19. The incidents never caused any serious injuries. But the grounding embarrassed Boeing and disrupted schedules at the affected airlines. The 787 uses more electricity than any other jet. And it makes more use of lithium-ion batteries than other jets to provide power for things like flight controls and a backup generator when its engines are shut down. Each 787 has two of the batteries. Boeing never did figure out the root cause of the battery incidents. Instead, it redesigned the battery and its charger. The idea was to eliminate all of the possible causes, 787 chief engineer Mike Sinnett has said . http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/oil-filter-issue-prompts-787-dreamliner-to-divert-to- seattle-1.1331827#ixzz2Wex9Up8A Back to Top Charter jet makes 'hard landing' at Lunken (Ohio) A small charter jet was forced to make a 'hard landing' at Cincinnati Municipal Lunken Airport Tuesday. CINCINNATI - A charter flight made an emergency landing at Cincinnati Municipal Lunken Airport late Tuesday morning. The small jet made what officials on the scene called a "hard landing" after the jet's landing gear collapsed. The only people on board were the flight crew who were performing "touch and go" maneuvers, according to Cincinnati fire officials on the scene. There were no reports of injury. Fire crews were cleaning up spilled fuel leaking from damage on the plane, according to authorities. The plane held about 500 gallons of fuel, they added. http://www.wcpo.com/dpp/news/local_news/charter-jet-makes-hard-landing-at- lunken#ixzz2Wey3zYU1 ************ Date: 18-JUN-2013 Time: 11:30 a.m. Type: IAI 1124 Westwind Operator: E Micah Aviation Inc. Registration: N112EM C/n / msn: 336 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Substantial Location: Cincinnati Municipal Lunken Airport, OH (LUK/KLUK) - United States of America Phase: Landing Nature: Private Departure airport: Destination airport: Cincinnati Municipal Lunken Airport Narrative: When practicing touch and go, the plane sustained a landing gear collapse. No one was hurt in the incident, but the plane sustained substantial damage. The plane landed on its belly and was resting on its left wing. www.aviation-safety.net Back to Top Documentary aims to 'break silence' on crash of TWA Flight 800 What caused TWA Flight 800 to crash? (CNN) -- Skeptics who have long theorized that TWA Flight 800 was brought down by sinister forces will get a fresh surge of energy when a new documentary attempts to disprove that the 1996 crash was accidental. The twist: It includes six members of the large accident investigation team who, publicists say, will "break their silence" on the cause of the explosion. They will petition the National Transportation Safety Board to reopen its investigation some 17 years after the B-747 fell in pieces into the waters off of Long Island, New York. They include Hank Hughes, who served as a senior accident investigator with the NTSB and helped reconstruct the aircraft following its destruction. Also included, Bob Young, a top TWA investigator who participated in the investigation, and Jim Speer, an accident investigator for the Airline Pilots Association. "These investigators were not allowed to speak to the public or refute any comments made by their superiors and/or NTSB and FBI officials about their work at the time of the official investigation," a news release announcing the documentary said. "They waited until after retirement to reveal how the official conclusion by the (NTSB) was falsified and lay out their case." The documentary, "TWA Flight 800," will premiere July 17, the 17th anniversary of the crash. The co-producer of the film, Tom Stalcup, is co-founder of the Flight 800 Independent Researchers Organization and has been a longtime and passionate critic of the official investigation. Suspicions that criminals or terrorists were behind the TWA 800 explosion are not new. The FBI conducted a parallel investigation, but concluded that the incident was not a crime or terrorist attack. The NTSB ultimately ruled that the explosion was caused by an electrical short, most likely originating in a fuel gauge line, which found its way into the center wing fuel tank, detonating the lethal fuel vapors there. The NTSB said Tuesday that it was aware of the pending release of the documentary, which will air on EPIX TV network, and of the producers' intent to file a petition to reopen the investigation. "As required by NTSB regulation, a petition for reconsideration of board findings ... must be based on the discovery of NEW evidence or on a showing that the board's findings are erroneous," NTSB spokeswoman Kelly Nantel said in a statement. "At this point, the NTSB has not received a petition, however, we stand ready to review one, should it be filed." Petitions are reviewed and a determination typically is made within 60 days, but the NTSB can take longer if necessary, she said. The safety board's investigation of TWA 800 lasted four years and "remains one of the NTSB's most extensive investigations," Nantel said. Investigators "spent an enormous amount of time reviewing, documenting and analyzing facts and data, and held a five-day public hearing to gather additional facts before determining the probable cause of the accident," she said. But her statement leaves open the possibility the case will be re-opened. "While the NTSB rarely re-investigates issues that have already been examined, our investigations are never closed, and we can review any new information not previously considered by board," it said. The documentarians said they have a "trifecta of elements" that will "prove that the officially proposed fuel-air explosion did not cause the crash." That trifecta includes forensic evidence, first-hand sources and corroborating eyewitnesses, and the whistleblowing investigators. The evidence proves that "one or more ordnance explosions outside the aircraft caused the crash," the producers said. But it does not identify or speculate on the source of the ordnance explosions. All 230 people aboard TWA 800 died when the plane, headed for Paris, exploded and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean shortly after takeoff from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. Scores of witnesses observed a streak of light and a fireball, giving early rise to suspicions that the terrorists had struck the plane with a rocket. Investigators concluded the streak was likely burning fuel streaming from the plane's wing tank. Back to Top NTSB rules in 2011 Mayo Clinic helicopter crash MIAMI (AP) - Financial pressures likely contributed to a helicopter pilot's decision to continue flying through deteriorating weather before crashing in north Florida, killing a Mayo Clinic heart surgeon and technician on their way to retrieve a heart for transplant in 2011, according to a report from the National Transportation Safety Board. Neither the Bell 206 helicopter nor pilot E. Hoke Smith of SK Logistics in St. Augustine were experiencing any problems before the crash early in the morning on Dec. 26, 2011, according to the NTSB probable cause report, published late Monday. But the helicopter was not certified to handle the sporadically misty and overcast conditions between the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville and Shands Hospital at the University of Florida in Gainesville. The board found that Smith's decision to continue flying in the poor conditions resulted in the crash in a remote, wooded area in Clay County, killing all three men on board. Smith did not make any backup plans for the organ transport. Other SK Logistic pilots told investigators that they would have made the same flight but would have arranged for ground transportation or a flight by a fixed-wing aircraft if they could not complete the mission as scheduled, according to the report. "Contributing to the pilot's improper decision was his self-induced pressure to complete the trip," according to the report. The helicopter had some equipment for navigation in bad weather, but it wasn't certified to do so by the Federal Aviation Administration, said Bob Gretz, the senior NTSB investigator handling the crash. "It was like pockets of good and bad weather all along the route," Gretz said. "The board, they're really not faulting him for initiating the flight. They're faulting him for continuing in bad weather." Smith's business had faltered in the recession, and the Mayo Clinic had begun looking at other companies to fly medical transport missions. The hospital's preferred helicopter - the only one operated by SK Logistics that was certified to fly under instrument flight rules necessitated by the bad weather - had been grounded for four months while the company attempted to secure loans for engine maintenance, according to the NTSB report. "Thus, the pilot would have been highly motivated to complete trips as requested so that he could demonstrate the reliability of his service," the board said. Smith was a decorated veteran of combat missions in Vietnam and routinely flew medical transport flights for the company he founded in 1997, his son has said. In bankruptcy proceedings after the crash, SK Logistics listed $1.3 million in assets and more than $8.9 million in debt. "Hoke continued to operate the company, however, and continued to put over $1 million of his own funds into the company because he had such a passion for flying and for his missions of delivering organs to patients. The accident was a real tragedy and the family was devastated," said Nina LaFleur, the attorney who represented SK Logistics in the bankruptcy proceedings. The crash also killed heart surgeon Dr. Luis Bonilla and procurement technician David Hines. "We will always remember the selfless and intense dedication they brought each day to making a difference in the lives of our patients," said Dr. William Rupp, CEO of the Mayo Clinic in Florida. He deferred questions about the report to the NTSB. In response to a question from The Associated Press about Smith's lack of a backup plan for his flight, the Mayo Clinic said in a statement: "The industry standard is for the hospital to defer to its commercial flight contractor on decisions to fly, type of aircraft, and the necessity for any backup plan. Mayo Clinic adheres to this standard. In this situation, we understand the commercial flight contractor did not put in place a backup plan because they felt that the weather was conducive to flight." No flight plan was filed for the helicopter, and Smith's last contact with the air traffic control tower at Jacksonville International Airport was routine, according to the report. There was no evidence in the wreckage of any in-flight fire or mechanical or structural malfunction before the crash, and Smith never made a distress call. A former pilot for the company told investigators that the area where Smith crashed was susceptible to fog due to swampy terrain and turned into a "black hole" at altitudes of 200 to 400 feet, the board said. Weather conditions in Jacksonville and Gainesville were safe, but Smith's actions showed that conditions in between were variable, said Robert Spohrer, the attorney representing Hines' family. "He was flying at different altitudes and at different routes in an effort to stay legal or in visual meteorological conditions. We know from the circumstances of the crash that he couldn't do that," Spohrer said. Back to Top AI flight grounded after crew opens locked aircraft door Around 150 passengers were stuck inside a Jeddah-bound Air India aircraft for at least two hours on Tuesday evening. The problem began with malfunctioning of the cockpit door, and when passengers complained of suffocation while it was being fixed, a crew member manually opened the auto-locked door and the emergency chutes rolled out, delaying the flight further. The cabin crew union said the attendant was overworked and had refused to operate the flight citing work fatigue, but reported to duty after the management threatened to bench her. The flight was scheduled to depart from Mumbai airport at 5.30pm. According to airline sources, the snag was noticed soon after boarding was completed. "Since the passengers complained of heat as there was no air conditioning, the attendant opened the door without realising it was auto-locked," said an airline staffer requesting anonymity. Passengers said they were not informed about the incident, and had to forcibly step out of the aircraft after two hours as the suffocation became unbearable. "They kept giving us false updates. Despite being aware of the problem, they said the flight would take off in 15 minutes," said Vikram Dayal, a passenger. Another passenger Babu Lal said since there was no ground power unit attached to the aircraft, the cabin became like a furnace. "With no air-conditioning, passengers started feeling sick. We had no option but to get off the plane," said Lal. Some passengers even cancelled the trip. Sources in the AI cabin crew union said they had warned against such incidents as the crew member was overworked. "She had operated back-to-back flights across 20 time zones over the past six days. It is natural that she could be disoriented," said a member of the All India Cabin Crew Association, one of the two AI cabin crew unions. The flight was yet to take off at the time of going to press. An AI spokesperson said an alternative aircraft was being arranged for the passengers. http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Mumbai/AI-flight-grounded-after-crew- opens-locked-aircraft-door/Article1-1078649.aspx Back to Top As part of CHC's commitment to the International Helicopter Safety Team initiative to drive down the helicopter accident rate by 80% by 2016, we are keen to share some of the presentations that were given at this year's annual CHC Safety & Quality Summit. The presentations can be viewed on the 2013 CHC Safety & Quality Summit channel on YouTube. We hope that virtual access to these high quality speakers will enable as many as possible within the helicopter community to play their part in achieving that aim. The theme of the Summit this year was: Building an Accident Free Legacy: Predictive Safety to Avoid 'the Inevitable.' We would like to thank all of the speakers who kindly gave their permission for their presentations to be distributed amongst the aviation community in the interests of safety. We hope to see many of you at next year's Summit: March 31 to April 2 2014, in Vancouver, Canada. Kind Regards CHC Safety & Quality Summit Committee CHC Helicopter Back to Top Back to Top GE Bets on Ceramic Jet-Engine Parts Material Offers Airlines Promise of Reduced Maintenance and Fuel Costs. General Electric Co. GE +2.30%is expanding its ability to produce ceramic-based parts for its jet-engine business, betting that the risks of using a novel material are outweighed by the expected fuel savings. On Monday, GE Aviation plans to announce that it will build a factory in Asheville, N.C., that will produce engine parts made out of ceramic matrix composites, which combine silicon carbide and ceramic resin. Small-scale production of one part will begin early next year. The world's largest maker of jet engines plans to start testing a broader range of ceramic-matrix parts in the upgraded engine for Boeing Co.'s BA +1.02%next-generation 777 wide-body airplane. Engine makers are competing to provide airlines with fuel savings, increased thrust and lower cost. GE is putting its money on advanced composite materials that promise to be more durable and weigh less than those made from the typical nickel and titanium metal alloys. The idea is to reduce maintenance costs for airlines and cut fuel consumption by lowering the weight of the engine. Ceramic matrix composites have been considered as a new material for jet engines for decades. But the material has been dogged by cost concerns and worries about fragility. GE's chief rival for single-aisle aircraft business, United Technologies Corp.'s UTX +1.25%Pratt & Whitney, has not embraced ceramic composites in the same way and instead is focused on a new engine design to achieve the same result. The "geared turbofan engine" that Pratt is developing and testing uses a gear that allows for a bigger front fan that is expected to bring better performance. GE says it has developed new coatings and processing techniques that can overcome concerns about the durability of ceramic composites. The company aims to expand the use of composite parts in its engines to 50% from 10% now. Most composites are carbon fiber and used in the so-called cold parts of the engine-away from where the fuel is burned. The new variety of ceramic matrix composites will be used in the hot section. Early next year the Asheville factory will begin work on a stationary part, known as a turbine shroud, in the hottest section of the jet engine. The parts will be used in the new Leap engine that GE makes with Safran SA SAF.FR -0.38%of France for the Boeing 737 and Airbus 320neo. Airbus is a unit of European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co. EAD.FR - 1.12% The Leap engine will come into service in 2016, and GE plans to deliver 1,200 of the engines in 2017. The company then plans to increase the number of parts made out of ceramic matrix composites in the "hot" section to as many as nine, GE Aviation manufacturing executive Mike Kauffman said. "We see this growing into other stationary components, and are even doing developments on rotating parts like turbine blades," Mr. Kauffman said. GE has been working on the materials for two decades. In recent years, it set up a development center in Delaware and acquired a venture that produces a key raw material, silicon carbide. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324049504578545922067792456.html Back to Top EasyJet agrees deal for 135 aircraft from Airbus EasyJet has decided to risk incurring the wrath of Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, its founder, by agreeing to buy 135 planes from Airbus, subject to shareholder approval. The airline said on Tuesday it had entered into arrangements to purchase 35 A320 aircraft and 100 of the forthcoming revamped version of the short-haul workhorse, the A320neo. The price of the deal - which contains an option to buy up to 100 more A320neo aircraft - has not been disclosed. EasyJet had been in talks with both Airbus and Boeing about the order in spite of opposition from Sir Stelios, who last month branded it a "vanity exercise", arguing that the cost of the purchase would be unjustifiably high. Sir Stelios, the airline's largest shareholder with a family stake of 37 per cent, said on Tuesday he would examine the cost of the order. Yet another huge capital expenditure deal with the same supplier at secret prices. "We will ask all our questions when we have seen the full shareholder circular which must include the actual price to be paid for each aircraft and the incremental profit each of these aircraft will actually deliver." Carolyn McCall, easyJet chief executive, said: "Ultimately, Airbus offered us the best deal." The company said it had negotiated a "very substantial" discount for the planes, but did not disclose how much this was, although Ms McCall said it was deeper than the discount it had obtained from Airbus when buying planes in 2002. EasyJet said the undiscounted price for each A320 was $76m, and $92m for the A320neo, adding that it would fund the deal through its own cash, sale and leaseback deals and debt. The cost of the deal at an undiscounted price would be $11.9bn. The airline said the A320neo would bring down its cost per seat by between 11 per cent and 12 per cent compared with the A319 that comprises the bulk of its fleet. It said it might not be able to deliver sustainable returns over the long term if shareholders rejected the deal. "EasyJet's cost advantage would be eroded as the age of the fleet increases materially and other airlines benefit from the cost efficiency expected to be provided by new generation aircraft," it argued. Analysts described the deal as attractive, welcoming its flexibility and discount. They expect shareholders to back the deal at the annual meeting on July 11, notwithstanding Sir Stelios's cool remarks. The carrier has 211 aircraft at present and 85 of the 135 new planes would be used to replace aircraft leaving the fleet, although it is also aiming to provide more flights. The company said the "base case" plan was to have 276 planes in its fleet by the end of its 2022 financial year, although this could be materially higher or lower depending on market conditions and strategy. Shares in easyJet closed 2.66 per cent up at £12.85 in London, having more than doubled in value over the past year. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c79837fe-d7df-11e2-9495- 00144feab7de.html#axzz2Wf3mPbtf Back to Top Graduate Research Survey Embry-Riddle Capstone Survey - Helicopter Pilots Greetings! My name is Katherine Hilst. I have been flying helicopters for over 25 years, and have been involved in aviation safety as a safety manager or consultant for most of that time. I am finishing my Master of Aeronautical Science (MAS) degree with a concentration in System Safety through Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's Worldwide campus. Based on the results of the International Helicopter Safety Team's (IHST) findings that pilot judgment and actions is the primary cause of helicopter accidents worldwide, my research has focused on finding ways to create training programs that will help improve helicopter pilot decision making. This survey is designed for helicopter pilots at all levels of experience and is intended to gather information about the extent to which helicopter pilots have been, or are involved in scenario based training. Your participation in this survey may help advance the research understanding of the impact of the type of training received (scenario based training, maneuver based training, etc.) and its impact on safety. The survey should take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete. It is anonymous and the Survey Monkey software ensures that I will not be able to identify you or your computer IP address. Any results will be completely de- identified, analyzed, and aggregated prior to publication. There is no remuneration for taking this survey, except for my gratitude and the good feeling you will have that, with your help, we can get a better understanding of current training practices. If you are a helicopter pilot, please click on the link below to begin the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Scenario- based_training_survey_ERAU_Capstone_Project Feel free to forward this message to other potential participants. Thank you very much for your participation! Katherine Hilst P.S. I will post information about my research on my website at safetydesignconsulting.com Curt Lewis