Flight Safety Information August 27, 2013 - No. 177 In This Issue Rudder problem found on crashed plane 2 Reported Dead in Plane Crash at Riverside County Solar Plant Mystery revealed behind Hercules plane crash FAA Approves Use Of Drones By ConocoPhillips To Monitor Oil Drilling Activities In Alaska Public 'backs pilots' on work hours after it is revealed they could be awake for 22 hours Think ARGUS PROS Winona hobbyist is papering city with planes Nothing to read? Airport libraries to the rescue NTSB Communications Course Rudder problem found on crashed plane National Transportation Safety Board investigators Monday found a problem with the rudder of a small airplane that crashed and killed two people in Taunton, a finding that will figure into their investigation, officials said. "We don't know the significance or effect it had on the craft," said Keith Holloway, a public affairs officer for the federal agency. The rudder steers the plane while in flight. The NTSB found that the gust lock, which is used to immobilize the rudder while the plane is parked, was engaged when the plane took off, Holloway said. Pilot John Schmouth, 69, of Brockton and copilot Roland Deslauriers, 61, of Bridgewater died in the crash, authorities said. In a brief telephone interview Monday, Schmouth's widow, Pat, said the couple had purchased the Aeronca 7AC in recent weeks. "He absolutely loved flying,'' Pat Schmouth said of her husband. "It was his passion.'' She provided a photograph of her husband, but said she was too overcome with grief to talk further. Investigators continued to document the wreckage at Taunton Municipal Airport Monday and planned to remove the remains of the aircraft, which caught fire after crashing about 6:10 a.m Sunday, said Holloway. A witness at the airport saw the plane take off, rise to 50 or 100 feet, turn slightly to the right, and descend, Holloway said. Investigators will review maintenance records of the plane to see what work the owner had done since buying the aircraft. They will also investigate what the pilot planned to use the plane for, Holloway said. Schmouth and Deslauriers both had private pilot certification, Holloway said. A preliminary report with detailed information from the accident scene will be released in about 10 days, but will not disclose the cause of the crash. It will take 12 to 18 months for a probable cause to be released, Holloway said. http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2013/08/26/taunton-plane-crash-probe-focuses- rudder/z62Nc2xMjSGKNznAJm2FoL/story.html Back to Top 2 Reported Dead in Plane Crash at Riverside County Solar Plant A small fixed-wing aircraft apparently crashed early Monday afternoon in the Riverside County desert west of Blythe, and police spokespeople have informed ReWire that the plane was likely occupied by employees of the company building a solar energy facility near Joshua Tree National Park. The crash is still under preliminary investigation, but the California Highway Patrol says that it is thought the two occupants of the craft were killed in the crash. Details of the tragedy are sketchy, but Deputy Julio Oseguera of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department told ReWire that the plane was listed as flying for First Solar, which is building the nearby Desert Sunlight solar facility. Oseguera told ReWire that the occupants of the plane are presumed to have been First Solar employees. The victims' names have not been released. The plane went down between Kaiser Road and Route 177 north of the small town of Desert Center, in the Chuckwalla Valley near the eastern edge of Joshua Tree National Park. The solar facility, which First Solar is building for owners Next Era, GE, and Sumitomo, was buffeted by violent rainstorms during the course of the weekend, with roads washed out and power off in much of the Chuckwalla Valley. This is conjecture on our part, but the plane may have been in the air in an attempt to survey the extent of the damage, if any, that weekend storms did to the solar facility. Sheet floods a foot or more deep hit swathes of the Chuckwalla Valley this weekend after rainstorms generated by Tropical Storm Ivo dumped as much as seven inches of precipitation on the surrounding desert. http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/solar/photovoltaic-pv/two-reported-dead-in-plane- crash-at-riverside-county-solar-plant.html Back to Top Mystery revealed behind Hercules plane crash Poor air traffic control and crew miscalculations have been labelled as two of the key reasons why a Norwegian military plane crashed into Sweden's highest mountain last March, killing all five passengers on board. The new report by the Swedish Accident Investigation Authority (Statens haverikommission) officially cleared up the cause of the accident, in which a Hercules aircraft smashed into the side of the Kebnekaise mountain in northern Sweden last March. Details of the classified report were published in the Norrbottens-Kuriren newspaper (NK) on Tuesday. The report claimed that the ground control team and the pilots' lack of knowledge as the key reasons the plane went down, killing all five Norwegian passengers, "It was these weaknesses and the mistakes of the individuals that can be deemed as the cause behind the accident," the Investigation Authority wrote in the report, according to NK. At the time of the crash, the Hercules was participating in the Cold Response military training exercise taking place over northern Norway which was scheduled to run from March 12th to March 21st and included 16,000 soldiers from 15 countries. Two days later, wreckage as well as body parts from the five deceased crew members, were found on the east and west sides of the Kebnekaise Massive at an altitude of more than 1,500 metres. The report also noted that the crew may have misinterpreted the instrument readings on board the aircraft as it flew near Sweden's highest peak. It added that the pilots were recorded discussing the how high they should be flying, and even discussed the height of the mountain while assessing the dangers of flying low. A crew member even said "It's the highest mountain in Sweden, right?" just 14 minutes before the crash. In short, the plane was flying too low, and the pilots had set their terrain warning system to a level which meant they received no warning they were on course to collide with the mountain. Staff members at the Investigation Authority refused to comment to the paper about the report. http://www.thelocal.se/49870/20130827/ Back to Top FAA Approves Use Of Drones By ConocoPhillips To Monitor Oil Drilling Activities In Alaska The FAA issued an approval in July that paved the way for a "major energy company" to fly unmanned drones in U.S. airspace. Yesterday it became clear which corporation would be using drones to aid its Alaskan oil drilling efforts: ConocoPhillips. This marks the first time a private company has received permission to fly "unmanned aircraft systems," UAS - or drones - in America for non-experimental purposes. "Until now, obtaining an experimental airworthiness certificate - which specifically excludes commercial operations - was the only way the private sector could operate UAS in the nation's airspace," the FAA announced last month. FAA hailed the move as "a milestone that will lead to the first approved commercial UAS operations later this summer." "A major energy company plans to fly the ScanEagle off the Alaska coast in international waters starting in August." That "major energy company" is ConocoPhillips, as reported by Petroleum News. AeroVironment, one of the two companies that manufacture the drones approved for use by ConocoPhillips, hailed the approval at the time: "This marks the first time the FAA has approved a hand-launched unmanned aircraft system for commercial missions." Thus far in American history, the only drones buzzing around have been operated by public entities like the University of Alaska, or by manufacturers that were testing the technology. The drones will initially be used to survey ice floes and migrating whales as the company mounts oil exploration efforts. ConocoPhillips also expects to use them for emergency response, oil spill monitoring, and wildlife surveillance. Other drones have been tested or talked about for use in pipeline and wellhead inspections in remote areas. The company is still playing its cards close to its chest, telling Petroleum News, "we're not quite ready to go into full talk mode about it." In 2015, the FAA will open up American airspace for the commercial use of drones. Many have raised concerns about this, as these aircraft can hover above private property, taking pictures for much longer periods, and much more inconspicuously than conventional manned aircraft. They also crash more frequently than normal aircraft, they can be hacked, and don't have the sensors to spot approaching aircraft. Conservative conspiracy websites like Infowars and Fox News Insider have long made claims that the Environmental Protection Agency was using "spy drones" to monitor pollution and land use, allegedly endangering farmers and ranchers. It was shortly thereafter pointed out that EPA has been flying normal manned flights for a decade to verify compliance with environmental watershed laws - meaning regular people taking photos out of four-seater planes. This didn't stop Republicans in Congress from attempting to stop EPA from using drones. http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2013/08/26/2524731/drones-conocophillips-alaska/ Back to Top Public 'backs pilots' on work hours after it is revealed they could be awake for 22 hours Air passengers are concerned about proposed changes to flying rules that could lead to an aircraft being flown by a pilot who has been awake for 22 hours, according to a new poll. Nine out of 10 people are worried about potential changes to shift patterns being voted on by MEPs in October, a survey by British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa) has revealed. The new rules could lead to pilots operating long haul flights with two, rather than three, crew members and working up to seven early starts in a row. The changes to pilots' duty times and rest requirements have been proposed by the EU's European Aviation Safety Agency's (EASA) and are aimed at 'harmonising' limits on pilots' hours across the EU. Under the new rules, pilots could be landing commercial jets after 22 hours awake - including 11 hours flying, plus stand-by time and travel to the airport. Under the current UK rules, pilots work a maximum of three early starts in a row and a maximum of 95 hours in 14 days. EASA is proposing to change this to seven early starts in a row and a maximum of 110 hours in 14 days. Three pilots are needed on many long-haul flights but EASA has proposed that only two pilots are needed on some of the longest flights. Balpa says this will mean that the pilots have no opportunity to rest in flight before the landing. There are also currently many restrictions around pilots being called for duty on days off so that they can plan rest but, under the proposed changes, they can be called at any time on any day with no restrictions. The number of hours pilots can be on home standby will increase from 12 hours to 16 hours, with flight duty starting to clock up after eight hours instead of six. Commenting on Balpa's survey of 2,000 people, the union's general secretary Jim McAuslan said: "The British public are understandably concerned about their pilots being awake for 22 hours before landing a plane under new EU rules. Evidence shows this is similar to being four times over the legal alcohol limit for flying. "The time is running out for our ministers, MEPs, the UK regulator and MPs to take urgent action and reject these unsafe EU rules to ensure that the skies above Britain remain among the safest in the world." The European Commission (EC) said safety was the only objective of its proposal to revise the current EU rules in relation to flight time limitations (FTL). An EC spokesman said: "The Commission is determined to see stronger, safer rules applying across Europe in relation to FTL. "This is the principle presiding the Commission's proposal to revise the current EU FTL rules. "The Commission believes that the proposal presented to the Council and the Parliament in July will bring about major improvements across Europe for the safety of our citizens and flight crew. "This proposal includes a number of clarifications and adjustments addressing issues identified by aircrew unions, by airlines, by the European Parliament, and by Member States. "The proposal will not result in lowering the safety standards in any Member State." A Commons' Transport Select committee warned that 22 hours of wakefulness was 'an extraordinary figure' - particularly for night flying - that raised levels of fatigue equivalent to being 'drunk.' UK pilots can currently go up to 18 hours without sleep. The committee said it was concerned that "the new regulations are setting a standard that accepts a higher level of fatigue more generally and, if not managed properly, that could well lead to a situation where the accident risk will increase." The Department for Transport insisted the EU blueprint would neither compromise safety nor increase the risk of pilot fatigue. However, the Government did accept some of the MP's findings - including a recommendation to investigate 'the potential under-reporting of pilot fatigue'. Ministers said they would also be seeking a strengthening of specific EU 'fatigue' rules surrounding flight duties and rest periods and 'stricter limits' on how frequently airlines could use discretion to exceed maximum levels. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-2402098/Public-backs-pilots-work-hours- revealed-awake-22-hours.html#ixzz2dAhdRX4U Back to Top Back to Top Winona hobbyist is papering city with planes Gary Dare's hand-crafted paper model airplanes are Winona's Easter eggs, scattered across the town. Dare constructs paper model airplanes, some of which take 40 hours to assemble. It might just be a hobby, but Dare has turned it into something more. With paper, a pair of scissors, a printer and a craft knife, Dare has created model airplanes for several Winona-area businesses. Last year, Dare donated six to eight planes to Winona Health for breast cancer awareness -- a cause close to his heart, since his sister is a breast cancer survivor. He also designs some of his planes to match his donations; the planes for this cause were pink. "It's something I enjoy doing," Dare said. "It's about bringing smiles to faces and to touch hearts." Growing up, Dare was enveloped in a world of aviation, fascinated with anything that could fly. His father served in naval aviation during World War II, and Dare followed in his footsteps in Vietnam. Since he was a kid, Dare has used sticks and tissue to produce objects capable of flight - - short as some of the flights may be. For the past eight to 10 years, Dare has been designing paper model airplanes using computer software and his own imagination. Some of his favorite models are set around his home, such as the Grumman F6F Hellcat, the type of plane his father flew, and his personal favorite, the Piper J-3 Cub. The pride in Dare's work can be seen in his attention to detail. The model cockpits are equipped with a dashboard of paper gears and levers and the planes have spinning paper tires and propellers. Dare said constructing models from paper is part of what makes the hobby enjoyable and approachable for kids and adults alike. His finished products rarely cost more than $8 to produce, he said, as opposed to plastic models. Dare has donated his works to friends, neighbors and businesses around town; one of his models is grounded in Quinn Holtan's office at Holtan's Jewelry. Dare's work isn't limited to planes. He also has a collection he calls his "critters," including mice, dinosaurs, birds and a dragon. He's even created model-plane fishing lures -- though to date he hasn't been able to nab a fish using them. Dare said he'll continue crafting the paper planes until he can't any more. "It's amazing," he said. "It's something out there that's really cool. Anything is possible with paper." http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_23950561/winona-minn-hobbyist-is-papering- winona-planes Back to Top Nothing to read? Airport libraries to the rescue It's appropriate that a book celebrating the 75th anniversary of Nashville International Airport includes a page -- and a charming photo -- documenting the library branch that opened on-site in 1962. Staffed by a librarian who received an extra $4 in her paycheck to cover airport parking, the Nashville Public Library reading room was the first time a public library was ever established in a municipal airport. In addition to books, the library offered reproductions of well-known artwork for check- out. "I guess (it was) for that big dinner for the boss," said Elizabeth Odle, photo archivist for the special collections division. There's no word on the longevity of the "Booketerias" the Nashville library opened in the aisles of local supermarkets in the mid-1950s, but they were likely gone by 1969, when the airport library branch was shuttered. Today, just a few airport terminals have anything resembling a traditional library. But airports are finding other ways to offer travelers plenty of reading material for free. E-books and 'real' books As celebrated in a recent issue of Library Journal, many U.S. airports are partnering with local libraries to expand reading opportunities for passengers who often have plenty of time on their hands while waiting for a flight. Many of these partnerships take advantage of complimentary airport Wi-Fi and the fact that so many people now travel with an e- reader, tablet, smartphone or other mobile device. In 2011, Florida's Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) and the Broward County Libraries Division joined forces to create the first airport program offering free e- book downloads to passengers. Screens found in all airport baggage claim areas now display QR codes that can be easily scanned to give travelers access to an e-library of more than 15,000 free titles. No library card is needed and so far almost 1,000 people have used the FLL QR code to check out free books. "Readers can choose from nonfiction, fiction, children's titles, classics and more -- free," said Catherine McElrath, a publication specialist with the library, and "the book titles never expire." Library-sponsored airport e-book download programs are also underway in Kansas, where the Kansas State Library has brought its Books on the Fly campaign to Manhattan Regional Airport and in Pennsylvania, where the Free Library of Philadelphia has set up a special free Wi-Fi spot in the Terminal D/E connector to lead passengers to a splash page that provides access to free e-books, author events podcasts, historic city photos and other resources. In March 2012, Michigan's Traverse Area District Library brought its Books on the Go program to the Cherry Capital Airport in Traverse City. Signage with QR codes and instructions are posted in the airport's baggage claim and terminal areas with links to a collection of literary classics that can be downloaded for free. No library card is needed and airport director Kevin Klein reports that library e-book usage has increased 211% per month since the partnership started. Of course, with thousands of titles available for free download, it can be difficult to settle on what to read. To help out, Harrisburg International Airport in Pennsylvania searched the more than 42,000 free e-book titles on Project Gutenberg and hand-picked 15 for the airport's e-book library. Suggested downloads include From Sea to Sea by Rudyard Kipling, Robinson Crusoe by Daniel DeFoe, The Aeroplane Speaks by H. Barber, and Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne. (Notice a theme?) And this summer passengers at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) may download free e-books or take home free paper books and magazines from Quick Reads Shelves set-up beside rocking chairs, thanks to the King County Library System's (KCLS) award-winning Take Time to READ program. County librarians take turns going to the airport to help travelers choose reading materials or sign up for a library card. The librarians also re-stock the shelves with books that are all new and all donated from sources that include the library's foundation, a local newspaper book reviewer and area booksellers. This is the second summer the free book program has been offered at SEA and this year books are leaving the airport with travelers at the rate of 15,000 a month, according to Julie Brand, the KCLS community relations and marketing director. "Not many people have left their books behind, but we have had some people who have gone out of their way to send back the books they take off the shelves," said Brand, "Although that is not necessary." After spending a long time on a security line at SEA last Friday, Kari Kenall of Olympia, Wash., was delighted to find a rocking chair and books that she could read to her two children, ages 5 1/2 and 16 months. As they headed to the gate for their flight to Minneapolis, Kenall put the books back on the shelf. "I didn't know they were free," she said, "But we have some books in our luggage so we'll leave these here for the next people to use." Airport libraries and book swaps Since December 2000, passengers have been invited to pull up a chair in the San Francisco Airport Commission Aviation Library, which is inside the aviation museum in the international terminal at San Francisco International Airport. The collection includes 8,000 aviation-related books as well as periodicals, photographs, technical drawings, oral histories, and archival materials. Most books are kept in locked glass-fronted cabinets, but research requests are honored and browsing tables with some books and periodicals are laid out in the public reading room. Checkouts are also not permitted at the 24-hour, self-service reference library that opened in 2010 at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, but a librarian is on duty about an hour a day to re-shelve books and help passengers choose something to read during a layover. The library's collection of books, video and audio files celebrate and reflect Dutch culture and "Yes, sometimes people steal a book," said airport librarian Jeanine Deckers, "But we have approximately 300,000 visitors each year and only about 5 to 10 missing books each year, so that's not too much." Some books removed from the Schiphol Library show up a few weeks or months later and passengers sometimes leave extra books behind. But because the library focuses entirely on Dutch art and culture, "I can't accept the Dan Browns and Stephen Kings; we put those in a special book-swap corner," said Deckers. A dedicated 24/7 book swap area was established at Finland's Helsinki Airport in 2012 for passengers to pick up a book, drop one off or just spend time sitting and reading. "Book Swap gives a peaceful moment and there is the idea of recycling and spreading joy, since quite often people either throw away or leave the book in the seat pocket," said Johanna Metsälä, customer experience manager for the Finavia Corporation, which manages the Helsinki Airport. http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/2013/08/21/airport-libraries-free-book- downloads/2677373/ Back to Top NTSB Communications Course National Transportation Safety Board Washington, D.C. Public Affairs: 202-314- 6100 Direct: 202-314-6219 Title Managing Communications Following an Aircraft Accident or Incident Co-sponsor Airports Council International - North America (ACI-NA) Description The course will teach participants what to expect in the days immediately following an aviation accident or incident and how they can prepare for their role with the media. ID Code PA302 Dates, Tuition and Fee October 24-25, 2013 $1034 early registration, by September 24, 2013 $1084 late registration, between September 25 and 12:00 pm (noon) ET on October 23, 2013 $100 processing fee will be added to tuitions for all offline applications. A tuition invoice can be ordered for a $25 processing fee. Note: payment must be made at time of registration. Times Oct. 24: 8:30 am - 5:00 pm Oct. 25: 8:30 am - 3:00 pm Location NTSB Training Center * 45065 Riverside Parkway * Ashburn, Virginia 20147 Status OPEN. Applications are now being accepted. Apply to Attend October 24-25, 2013 CEUs 1.3 Overview * How the National Transportation Safety Board organizes an accident site and what can be expected in the days after an aviation disaster from the NTSB, FAA, other federal agencies, airline, airport, media and local community * Strategies for airline and airport staff to proactively manage the communication process throughout the on-scene phase of the investigation * How the NTSB public affairs officers coordinate press conferences and release of accident information and what information the spokespersons from the airport and airline will be responsible to provide to the media * Making provisions for and communicating with family members of those involved in the accident * Questions and requests likely encountered from the airlines, airport staff, family members, disaster relief agencies, local officials and others > Comments from course participants > See the 219 organizations from 28 countries that have sent staff to attend this course Performance Results Upon completion of this course the participant will be able to: * Be better prepared to respond to a major aviation disaster involving a flight departing from or destined for participant's airport * Demonstrate greater confidence in fielding on-scene questions about the many aspects of the investigation and its participants, including what types of specific information may be requested * Identify the appropriate Public Affairs roles for the various organizations involved in an accident investigation. * Be more productive in the first few hours after an aviation disaster by understanding which tasks are most important and why * Perform job responsibilities more professionally and with greater confidence given the knowledge and tools to manage the airport communications aspect of a major aviation disaster Who May Attend This course is targeted to who, in the event of an aviation disaster, will need to provide a steady flow of accurate information to media outlets and/or other airport, federal or local authorities. Accommodations Area hotels and restaurants Airports Washington Dulles International (IAD): 10 miles Washington Ronald Reagan National (DCA): 30 miles Baltimore/Washington International (BWI): 60 miles More Information Email TrainingCenter@ntsb.gov or call (571) 223-3900 Courses, forums and symposia are added to the schedule throughout the year. Subscribe to the e-newsletter to learn about upcoming events and new programs: http://www.ntsb.gov/trainingcenter/list/list_mw020207.htm Curt Lewis