Flight Safety Information July 29, 2013 - No. 155 In This Issue Boeing Urges More Jet Beacon Checks After 787 Faults Found Jet makes emergency landing at south Ga. airport FAA Tells Foreign Pilots to Use GPS When Landing at SFO Smoke in Qantas cockpit, pilots hospitalised Five Are Killed in Pennsylvania Helicopter Crash Miraculous escape for passengers as aircraft tail touches runway on landing 160 passengers and air crew safe after plane returns to Qingdao Think ARGUS PROS Embry-Riddle Worldwide hosts online human factors course Air Safety Institute rolls out new online flight instructor refresher course GRADUATE RESEARCH REQUEST Military Aviation Safety Workshop Boeing Urges More Jet Beacon Checks After 787 Faults Found Boeing Co. (BA) has asked airlines to inspect emergency beacons on a range of planes after ANA Holdings Inc. (9202) and United Airlines found faults in devices on 787s linked to a fire in a parked Dreamliner. The aircraft maker asked operators to inspect aircraft with fixed emergency locater transmitters from Honeywell International Inc. (HON), Randy Tinseth, a Boeing marketing vice president, said on a blog yesterday. Planes to be checked include Boeing 717, next-generation 737, 747-400, 767 and 777 aircraft. ANA, the biggest operator of 787s, already started checks on other planes with Honeywell beacons last week after completing inspections on its fleet of Dreamliners, said Maho Ito, a Tokyo-based spokeswoman at the carrier. Boeing's recommendation spreads the investigation beyond the 787, which was prevented from flying for three months earlier this year following two cases of lithium-ion batteries melting, in the first global grounding of a model since 1979. The inspections are to "gather data to support potential rulemaking by regulators," Tinseth wrote. The beacons are separate from flight and voice data recorders, known as black boxes, which have their own location transmitters. Short-Circuit Investigators are trying to determine whether two wires smashed under a cover on an emergency locater transmitter, or ELT, caused a short-circuit that triggered the blaze on an Ethiopian Airlines Enterprise 787 at London's Heathrow airport, according to a person familiar with the probe. Steve Brecken, a spokesman for Honeywell, didn't immediately return telephone and e- mail messages left seeking comment. Tokyo-based ANA has completed checks on eight of 38 planes it is inspecting, Ito said. Japan Airlines Co. (9201), the second-largest operator of Dreamliners, doesn't have Honeywell beacons on models other than the 787, Kazunori Kidosaki, a spokesman at the carrier, said by phone in Tokyo today. Boeing is taking the action after the U.K. Air Accidents Investigation Branch recommended airplanes with fixed Honeywell beacons be inspected, Tinseth said. There have been about 6,000 of the Morris Township, New Jersey-based Honeywell beacons installed on aircraft, according to the AAIB. Dented Wire ANA last week found a dented wire in a fixed beacon and another in a portable beacon and removed all beacons from eight 787s used on domestic routes. United also found a pinched wire in a beacon, which it replaced and returned to the manufacturer for evaluation, Christen David, a spokeswoman for the Chicago-based airline, said last week. The fire in the Ethiopian Airlines' transmitter, which runs off a lithium battery, renewed concern that the 787 was at risk from electrical faults after two meltdowns in a different type of lithium battery in January. Those incidents, involving batteries that are part of the plane's power system, spurred the three-month grounding of the global Dreamliner fleet to fix the flaw. Qatar Airways Ltd. said on Saturday that one of its 787 aircraft has been grounded since last Monday because of a "minor" technical problem. A spokeswoman for the Doha-based carrier, who asked not to be named as per company policy, said the issue was not a fire and was discovered when the plane was on the ground. She declined to give further details. Transmitter Removal Separately, Norwegian Air Shuttle AS (NAS) followed Boeing instructions on transmitter removal after getting approval from its civil aviation authority, the Oslo-based carrier said in an e-mailed statement last week. Boeing 787 operators must check the jets' emergency locater transmitters made by Honeywell, the European Aviation Safety Agency said last week in an e-mailed statement. Airlines must "either remove or inspect the Honeywell ELT, and take corrective actions if necessary," the region's safety regulator said on July 26, following its U.S. counterpart after the July 12 fire in London. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration ordered on July 25 that the Dreamliners' ELTs be inspected and said it may take steps affecting thousands of identical beacons on other models. Japan's Civil Aviation Bureau also asked airlines to check the beacons on 787s. United, a unit of United Continental Holdings Inc. (UAL), completed inspections on the rest of its Dreamliners without interrupting schedules, and is in compliance with the airworthiness directive issued by the FAA, David said. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-29/boeing-urges-beacon-inspections-on- some-planes-other-than-787s.html Back to Top Jet makes emergency landing at south Ga. airport ALBANY, Ga. (AP) -- More than 150 passengers made it off an Allegiant Air jet that made an emergency landing at a south Georgia airport, authorities said. Police in Albany say they responded to reports of a fire in the cargo department of the plane shortly before 9 p.m. Sunday. Concerns about the possible fire led the plane - Allegiant Air flight 863 - to make an emergency landing at Southwest Georgia Regional airport in Albany. WALB-TV reports (http://bit.ly/1bzSswj) that all 155 passengers and 6 crew members got off the plane safely. Video showed passengers sliding down inflatable chutes. Brian Davis, a spokesman for the Nevada-based airline, says the plane had taken off from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and was scheduled to land in St. Petersburg, Fla. The pilots saw a warning light in the cockpit indicating a fire in the cargo department, he said. Officials were planning to transport the passengers by bus to St. Petersburg, Davis said. Albany is about 180 miles south of Atlanta. http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/07/29/3528701/jet-makes-emergency-landing- at.html#storylink=cpy Back to Top FAA Tells Foreign Pilots to Use GPS When Landing at SFO The FAA is taking action in the wake of Asiana Airline crash at SFO. Foreign pilots are now being treated differently at SFO than U.S.-based pilots. They are being told to use GPS when coming in for a landing. NBC Bay Area's Kimberly Tere reports from Millbrae with more on this change and why it happened. The FAA is taking action Sunday in the wake of the airline crash at San Francisco International Airport. Foreign pilots are now being treated differently at SFO than U.S.-based pilots. The FAA told foreign pilots to use GPS when coming in for a landing at SFO. There is concern some foreign pilots do not have the skills needed to safely land the plane manually, and that is part of the reason for the change. There are two ways a plane can land on a clear day at SFO. The pilot can do it visually or use instruments that can guide the aircraft down to the runway. But right now, because of construction, one of those landing instruments called glide slopes are not available on two of SFO's main runways, including the one that was intended to be used by Asiana when it crashed July 6. The instruments are expected to be back in service in late August, but until then, the FAA is requesting foreign carriers to utilize another type of electronic help through GPS. Former NTSB official Greg Feith said the move by the FAA Sunday is extremely unusual. "I think it's very unusual given the fact it is not isolated to one particular carrier but it involves multiple air carriers from foreign carriers flying into the US," Feith said. Since the crash, the FAA says it has noticed an increase in the number of so-called go- arounds at SFO when the pilots are using visual approaches to land. In these cases, the pilots have to abort a landing and circle back around. The FAA also said Sunday it is looking into an aborted landing by Eva Air on July 23. The Taiwanese carrier was landing at SFO and the plane came in too low. http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/FAA-Tells-Foreign-Pilots-to-Use-GPS-When- Landing-at-SFO-217338431.html Back to Top Smoke in Qantas cockpit, pilots hospitalised Melbourne: Passengers of a Qantas Airline aircraft had to be evacuated and its pilots hospitalised today after smoke was reported from its cockpit at Canberra Airport. According to media reports, the Dash 8 Q300 jet with 50 passengers was evacuated and the pilot and co-pilot were admitted to a hospital for assessment. ACT Fire & Rescue and ACT Ambulance Service Intensive Care paramedics were called to the scene just after 12.30pm (local time) when the Sydney to Wagga flight was diverted. The Flight QF2225 left Sydney at 11.30 am and was due to be in Wagga Wagga about 12.30 pm. A Qantas spokeswoman said the cause of the smoke was being investigated. "All passengers disembarked at Canberra airport via the stairs," she said, adding, "No passengers required medical attention." She said the plane had 50 passengers and four crew members. The passengers have since continued to Wagga Wagga after being transferred to another aircraft. The spokeswoman added the crew had been cleared of any harm from the incident and discharged from the hospital. http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/smoke-in-qantas-cockpit-pilots-hospitalised-398391 Back to Top Five Are Killed in Pennsylvania Helicopter Crash NOXEN, Pa.(AP) - A helicopter crash in a remote, wooded area of northeastern Pennsylvania killed five people, the State Police said on Sunday. The crash was believed to have occurred on Saturday night after radar and communication contact with the helicopter was lost, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The helicopter had taken off from central New York State with five people on board, the F.A.A. said. Trooper Adam Reed confirmed that five people died in the crash near Noxen, in Wyoming County, but said he did not have additional information on the victims. He said inclement weather had hampered search efforts. Personnel from the State Police and the F.A.A. were at the scene on Sunday night, according to Trooper Reed. There was no immediate response to a message left for the Wyoming County coroner. The F.A.A. said the helicopter took off from Greater Binghamton Airport, but officials there said it had left from a smaller airfield nearby, Tri Cities Airport in Endicott. A phone call to Tri Cities Airport was not immediately returned on Sunday night. ************* Date: 27-JUL-2013 Time: 22:30 Type: Robinson R66 helicopter Operator: Registration: C/n / msn: Fatalities: Fatalities: 5 / Occupants: 5 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: Noxen, (Wyoming County), PA - United States of America Phase: En route Nature: Domestic Non Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: TriCities Airport, Endecott, NY Destination airport: Jake Arner Memorial Airport, Lehighton, PA Narrative: A helicopter with a pilot and four passengers disappeared from radar and lost radio contact at about 22:30 local time Saturday, 7-27-13, over the Noxen Twsp. Wyoming County, PA. Local ATC reported the pilot called to report problems maintaining altitude. The wreckage was found Sunday afternoon about 1400. There were no survivors located. www.aviation-safety.net Back to Top Miraculous escape for passengers as aircraft tail touches runway on landing Passengers of a Tuticorin-bound Spicejet aircraft from Chennai had a "miraculous escape" after the tail of the flight touched the runway while landing on Sunday morning. Airport sources said Spicejet's Bombardier Q400 aircraft with 49 passengers onboard that left Chennai at 7.35 a.m. was to land at Tuticorin airport in Vaagaikulam, about 17 km from the port town, at 8.35 a.m. on Sunday. When the nosewheel was about to land following the "proper functioning" of main landing gear, the tail of the aircraft touched the 1,351-metre-long runway, triggering a sudden jerk in the airplane and panic among the passengers. After the unusual landing, the aircraft was parked in the apron of the domestic airport. Though none was injured in the "minor incident," as termed by the Tuticorin airport authorities, Director General of Civil Aviation rushed its Assistant Director at the Chennai Office M. Durairaj, to the airport to probe the incident and subsequently submit a report in this connection. Mr. Durairaj, in the presence of Assistant General Manager (Technical), Tuticorin airport, C. Prabakar, conducted the enquiry to ascertain the facts behind the "trivial mishap." As the aircraft's journey to Chennai was cancelled following the incident, 10 of the 52 passengers waiting at Tuticorin airport to board the flight were rushed to Madurai by road, considering the necessity of their presence in the State capital, from where they took the flight, while similar number of passengers cancelled their trip. The remaining 32 passengers, after being accommodated in hotels, took the evening flight to reach Chennai. http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/miraculous-escape-for-passengers- as-aircraft-tail-touches-runway-on-landing/article4964506.ece Back to Top 160 passengers and air crew safe after plane returns to Qingdao, passenger's safety complaint ignored All 160 passengers and crew members aboard a Tianjian Airlines flight are safe after the plane was turned back around to Qingdao on Friday due to engine problems, which a passenger had complained about but was ignored by crew members. The passenger, Zhang Qiuyue, said that the Wehzhou-bound airbus A320G, which had a stopover in Qingdao after departing Tianjian that morning, should have been examined before taking off again. During the first flight, she told a stewardess that she heard strange noises, smelled a strange odor and felt something shaking from her seat, but Zhang was told that everything was fine. Zhang reported to several other cabin crew members after the flight landed yet none of them listened either. Some 25 minutes into the Qingdao-Wenzhou flight, crew members noticed an engine problem - other passengers also reported smoke coming from the engine with a strong burning smell - and the plane was immediately reverted back to Qingdao. http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/799651.shtml#.UfZjwFAo6Uk Back to Top Back to Top Embry-Riddle Worldwide hosts online human factors course Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Worldwide has opened registration on an online aviation human factors course that is free and open to the public. The Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) is the first of a series of free courses that the university plans to offer. "Our first MOOC covers a particularly timely subject, The Human Factor in Aviation," Embry-Riddle Worldwide Chancellor John R. Watret said. The crash of Asiana Airlines Flight 214 in San Francisco has definitely made the industry and public more aware of the intricacies of aviation safety, he added. The five-week course will focus on the psychological or physiological elements related to aviation disasters. Its instructor is Dennis Vincenzi, department chair of undergraduate studies in the College of Aeronautics at Embry-Riddle Worldwide. Registration opened July 19, and the class begins Aug. 19. Class size is limited to 500 students. For more information, see the website Back to Top Air Safety Institute rolls out new online flight instructor refresher course By AOPA Communications staff The Air Safety Institute launched a new online flight instructor refresher course (eFIRC) July 1, making it easier and more convenient for instructors to renew their certificates. Unique to the Air Safety Institute's course, certificated flight instructors (not just CFIs who are AOPA members) can enroll and work toward certificate renewal as early as two years before the expiration date of their certificate. The new eFIRC course is also available on any mobile device or personal computer. "We know some CFIs cram to complete their FIRC in the last few days before their instructor certificate expires," said Kristine Hartzell, chief flight instructor and director of flight training at the Air Safety Institute. "But with eFIRC, instructors can enroll two years before their CFI expiration date and spread out training to just 10 minutes a week, on average. Plus, CFIs who have recently taken ASI online courses may have already completed some of the required eFIRC modules." In addition, eFIRC lets instructors choose the electives they find most relevant. New courses and updated information will be continually added, ensuring that content remains relevant as regulations change and new aviation safety information is released. The Air Safety Institute's eFIRC also meets the Transportation Security Administration's training requirement for security awareness training for CFIs. Apart from those features, the eFIRC also offers: *A tablet-friendly format; *Credit for a selection of completed Air Safety Institute online courses; *A temporary certificate and all FAA paperwork; *24/7 technical support; *A free, 6-month FlyQ EFB subscription. After enrolling, AOPA will send CFIs a thumb drive preloaded with the full aviation regulations, the Aeronautical Information Manual, FAA handbooks, relevant advisory circulars, practical test standards, the Air Safety Institute Joseph T. Nall Report, AOPA Flight Training Field Guides, airspace flash cards, Air Safety Institute safety reports, and much more. http://www.aopa.org/News-and-Video/All-News/2013/July/1/air-safety-institute-rolls- out-new-online-flight-instructor-refresher-course.aspx?CMP=ADV:1 Back to Top GRADUATE RESEARCH REQUEST A fellow aviator of 40 years is continuing to conduct doctoral research study on pilot decision-making. The study - which examines why otherwise competent and certified pilots make mistakes that result in the need to repeat a simulator check-ride - will be the first qualitative research study to generate emergent new theory based on the erring pilot's perspective. Although many quantitative studies have looked at what pilots do wrong, researchers have not previously sought pilot input on why the erring pilots made substandard mistakes. Pilot volunteers interested in participating must have had to repeat a recurrent training simulator proficiency check ride. Pilot volunteers must also hold a current Federal Aviation Administration medical certificate and must be currently qualified and in an active flying bid status. All pilot interviews are confidential, and pilot participants will have an opportunity to review a draft of the study before results are submitted to the dissertation committee. The study has the support of both organized labor and the commercial aviation flight departments. The research is being conducted across the United States. Professional pilots are loath to discuss performance shortcoming, however the importance of pilot perspective must not be left in the closet. Help us help the profession - please participate. Click here for more information or email the researcher directly at PHDpilotstudy@conflictcounts.com With deepest appreciation! Captain Gary Boettcher PhD Candidate Doctoral Researcher Sullivan University PHDpilotstudy@conflictcounts.com 540-287-7817 (M) Back to Top Military Aviation Safety Workshop August 19, 2013 Vancouver, Canada In association with the 44th Annual Seminar of the International Society of Air Safety Investigators (ISASI) Representatives of military forces, associated contractors, educators, and researchers from all nationalities are invited to participate in the international Military Aviation Safety Workshop which is offered as a tutorial in association with the 2013 ISASI annual seminar. The workshop planning committee is very pleased with the finalized list of speakers and topics. It was our desire to tap the vast wealth of global expertise in military aviation to address a range of hot topics for military air safety investigators. Presentations were selected from proposals covering human factors, proactive detection of hazards, and safety culture, in addition to more traditional accident investigation topics. A diverse group of international speakers will perform 10 presentations during the workshop, which is open to all interested participants and will be particularly valuable for manufacturers of military aircraft and equipment, support contractors engaged in military operations, military air safety investigators and safety program managers. Dress code for participants is business casual, no neckties. The workshop planning committee consists of Dave Harper and Tony Cortés of the U.S. Air Force Safety Center, Bret Tesson and Jim Buse of Boeing, and Davy Thorn of Lockheed Martin. ISASI 2013 website: http://www.isasi.org/isasi2013.html WORKSHOP SCHEDULE TIME EVENT PRESENTER 0700 Continental Breakfast 0800 Opening Remarks Mr. Dave Harper U.S. Air Force Safety Center 0815 When the Exercise Became Reality - The Last Flight of HAZE01 Mr. Agne Widholm and Mr. Jens Olsson Swedish Accident Investigation Authority 0910 Inherent Hazards of a Government-Funded, Contractor-Lead, Flight Test Program, i.e. 'The Humans Factor' Mr. Michael Buran Lockheed Martin 0940 Refreshment Break 1010 The Organizing of a Common Helicopter Command from a Flight Safety Perspective Lt Col Robert Persson Swedish Armed Forces 1040 Military Air Safety Investigation Down Under WGCDR Alf Jonas Royal Australian Air Force 1115 It's Unmanned, How Much Risk Can There Be? Col Mike Smith UK MAAIB 1200 Lunch 1300 Implementation of Flight Data Monitoring for Flight Safety in the Dutch Air Force Mr. Rombout Wever NLR Air Transport Safety Institute 1345 Target In Sight: Leading Indicators & Risk Analysis Dr. Mark Friend, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University 1420 The Day Bobby Died - Preventing Mishaps through Personal Intervention Mr. Pat Daily, Convergent Performance 1500 Refreshment Break 1530 Immediate Risk Management - Is it Worth the Time? LCDR Natalee Johnston, Royal Australian Navy 1605 A Just Culture in the Swedish Air Force Mr. Hans Sjöblom, Saab Aeronautics 1640 Workshop Wrap-Up Mr. Dave Harper, U.S. Air Force Safety Center; Mr. Bret Tesson, Boeing For further information please contact the U.S. Air Force Safety Center (GMT - 0600): +1.505.846.5277 antonio.cortes@us.af.mil +1.505.846.0996 david.harper@kirtland.af.mil Curt Lewis