Flight Safety Information September 20, 2013 - No. 195 In This Issue Asiana Airline Evacuation Slides Were Faulty -- And The Feds Knew How-70-gas-guzzling-jets-are-killing-lufthansaHow 70 Gas-Guzzling Jets Are Killing Lufthansa U.S. pilot scares off Iranians with 'Top Gun'-worthy stunt Qantas pilots take evasive action to avoid mid-air collision IATA Seeks Infrastructure, Safety for Africa's Air Transport Pratt and Rolls abandon plan for aircraft engine partnership Chinese MA60 aircraft set to receive type certificate in Nepal India rejects Japan's request for safety audit of civil aviation sector Think ARGUS PROS Pilot Irfan Faiz to face court on aircraft drink charge Reagan National Airport to host emergency exercise American Airlines flight makes emergency landing in Colombia EMBRAER DELIVERS 1,000TH E-JET Watch for: AVIATION MAINTENANCE & ENGINEERING EXCHANGE Asiana Airline Evacuation Slides Were Faulty -- And The Feds Knew The malfunction of two evacuation slides after the Asiana Flight 214 crash in San Francisco in July added drama to the emergency. Now, NBC reports its investigation shows that the unreliability of inflatable slides has long been known by the U.S. government. According to the National Transportation Safety Board, only two of the Asiana Boeing 777's eight emergency slides properly deployed outside the plane after the crash. Two slides inflated inside the cabin, pinning flight attendants and forcing other crew members to deflate them with an ax. That malfunction delayed passenger evacuations. Two of the 307 passengers died in the crash. "I remember vividly, a family, a husband and wife, holding their kids ... and just falling off," passenger Ben Levy, one of the last ones to make it off the plane, told NBC. An investigation by NBC discovered that the National Transportation Safety Board has been raising concerns over evacuation slides' reliability with the Federal Aviation Administration for years. A study the board conducted in 2000 found that at least one evacuation slide did not properly function 37 percent of the time. Former FAA investigator David Soucie told NBC that the agency's recommendations for improvements were unfulfilled. "The FAA responded by saying it felt it had enough recommendations in place to make it safe already," Soucie said. Just two months before the crash at San Francisco, the FAA issued an airworthiness directive for slides on the same model Boeing 777 planes as Asiana Flight 214, saying the slides were not properly deploying. Airlines have three and half years to address problems raised in the directive. The FAA directive may not have mattered on the fatal San Francisco flight. The FAA has no jurisdiction over planes registered outside the U.S., and it is up South Korean air regulators to enforce safety on Asiana flights. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/19/asiana-evacuation-slides_n_3951154.html Back to Top How-70-gas-guzzling-jets-are-killing-lufthansa Lufthansa announced a 59-jet order today intended to replace its long-haul fleet, splitting the hefty purchase between Boeing (BA) and Airbus. The German airline will buy 34 of Boeing's new 777-9X and 25 Airbus A350- 900, with the first scheduled to arrive in 2016. Neither jet is yet in production, and Boeing's board hasn't even approved the 777-9X program. The deal is valued at $19 billion at list prices, without counting discounts typically given for large orders. Behind the headlines, however, lies an ugly reality: Lufthansa (LHA:GR) is stuck with a fleet of 48 Airbus A340s and 22 Boeing 747-400s, both of which have four engines and higher operating costs than newer, two- engine models. Neither of the older airplanes is still being built, although Boeing does turn out a newer 747-8 Intercontinental-and Lufthansa has bought nine of those, too. Airbus and Boeing have been buying back 747s and A340s from some customers as deal enticements to help sell newer planes. The last of the older gas guzzlers isn't expected to be phased out of Lufthansa's fleet for another 12 years, but the fuel savings from newer models can't come soon enough. The airline said the new jumbo jets will reduce its fuel costs by a whopping 25 percent, on average. http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-09-19/ Back to Top U.S. pilot scares off Iranians with 'Top Gun'-worthy stunt The U.S. Air Force has a message for Iran: Don't mess with our drones. In what only can be described as a scene out of Tom Cruise's "Top Gun," Gen. Mark A. Welsh III, Air Force chief of staff, describes how F-22 stealth jets scared off Iranian jets from a U.S. drone flying in international airspace. The Aviationist reports that in March a U.S. MQ-1 drone came close to being intercepted by an Iranian F-4 Phantom combat plane, but the Iranian aircraft stopped short after a warning by an American pilot. "He [the Raptor pilot] flew under their aircraft [the F-4s] to check out their weapons load without them knowing that he was there, and then pulled up on their left wing and then called them and said 'you really ought to go home,'" Gen. Welsh said. According to The Aviationist, the Iranians came within 16 miles of the drone. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/sep/19/us-pilot-scares-iranians-top-gun-worthy-stunt-you- /#ixzz2fQxmevwa Back to Top Qantas pilots take evasive action to avoid mid-air collision Planes come too close for comfort west of Adelaide after air traffic controllers give Airbus permission to climb A Qantas Airbus A330 like the two that breached the separation zone on Friday between Perth and Sydney. Photograph: Andrea Hayward/AAP Air traffic controllers are being blamed for pilots having to take evasive action when two Qantas planes flew too close to each other over South Australia on Friday afternoon. The near-miss happened west of Adelaide at 12.15pm when it is understood one of the two Airbus A330s involved was given permission to climb from 30,000ft to 40,000ft. As the plane gained altitude its warning system was activated, indicating that it had breached the minimum separation zone allowed between two planes. The pilots followed training procedures to avoid a collision. The planes were flying in opposite directions on the Perth/Sydney route. It is not known exactly how close they came to each other, but the separation zone is five nautical miles horizontally and 1000ft vertically. Qantas confirmed that the plane had been given permission from air traffic controllers to climb before the separation zone was breached. "Our pilots followed standard operating procedures in re-establishing the required separation distance following the alert from the onboard notification system," a statement said. "There was no impact to passengers." Qantas has filed an incident report and the Safety Transport Bureau is considering whether to launch an official investigation, a spokesman said. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/20/qantas-near-miss-evasive-action Back to Top IATA Seeks Infrastructure, Safety for Africa's Air Transport The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has called on public and private stakeholders in various countries to work together to address critical priorities to enable aviation to do more to drive economic growth in Africa. But for this to occur, however, Africa must address major challenges in safety, infrastructure, and liberalisation. Speaking at Aviation Day Africa, a two-day conference organised by IATA in Lagos recently, the Director General of IATA, Tony Tyler, said "Africa is poised for rapid development and great changes. Half of the top 20 fastest growing economies over the next five years are expected to be on this continent. Aviation's part in driving growth and development will become even more prominent." Tyler said aviation supports 6.7 million jobs and some $68 billion of economic activity in Africa, noting that those numbers are impressive "but I am convinced aviation has an even bigger role to play in providing the connectivity that drives economic growth and development." He explained that safety is top priority of IATA, hinting that Africa's performance was well below what they are achieving globally. According to him, "In 2012 African airlines had one accident (with a Western-built jet aircraft) for every 270,000 flights. Globally, the industry average was one accident for every five million flights. However, no IATA member experienced a Western-built jet hull loss accident last year and that includes the 25 member airlines based in Africa "Likewise, none of the 384 airlines on the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) registry had a hull loss with a Western-built jet-also including those carriers based in Africa. "It is clear that IOSA is making a difference-not just in Africa, but in safety globally," Tyler said. The Abuja Declaration, which he noted was endorsed by the African Union Summit this year, sets out a comprehensive approach to reaching world-class safety levels by 2015, adding that the completion of IOSA by all African carriers is a condition of the Declaration. He listed some of the continent's challenges to include physical, saying infrastructure in many parts of Africa needs to improve. He added that several infrastructure projects are on-going in the region-upgrades at Lagos Airport, Performance-Based Navigation investments for Nigerian air traffic management and ambitious airport infrastructure re-development in Ghana. Nonetheless, he stated that there are some infrastructure challenges including the reliability of fuel supply in Lagos. "We must find a sustainable long-term solution. The vandalised pipeline is no longer in use. And trucking fuel from Apapa terminal through dense traffic is inefficient and costly. The same can be said of building extra capacity to store fuel on site. "Without minimising the challenges involved, providing security on a few kilometres of pipeline is not an impossible task. We are working with the oil industry to find a solution. And we will be seeking the government's political will to help us make it happen. Ensuring fuel reliability is critical to Lagos's future as a hub for connectivity across South-West Africa," he said. He stated that infrastructure costs and charging policy are also hindering African connectivity. "Just as with safety, global standards exist to provide guidance on charges, as developed and recommended by the International Civil Aviation Organization. These include cost-relatedness, non-discrimination and transparency. It is also recommended that charges be developed in consultation with users. And there should be no pre-financing, "Tyler stated. According to him, governments must also recognise that every dollar counts. "If we average the entire industry's profits for 2012, airlines retained about $2.50 for every passenger. And African airlines have been basically hovering around break-even for a decade or more. Without sustainable income, airlines cannot expand to meet rising demand and in fact, they may have to reduce services," he declared. http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/iata-seeks-infrastructure-safety-for-africa-s-air-transport/159412/ Back to Top Pratt and Rolls abandon plan for aircraft engine partnership Two of the biggest forces in commercial aircraft engines will have to continue to work independently after regulatory pressure prompted Rolls-Royce and Pratt & Whitney to abandon a planned joint venture. The two had proposed to work together in 2011, when Pratt & Whitney, part of US-based United Technologies, bought out Rolls' share in International Aero Engines, which makes engines for the current generation of Airbus's A320 narrow-body aircraft family. The joint venture was intended to design engines to power the next generation of single-aisle aircraft, likely to come into service in the middle of the next decade. Rolls-Royce, which is based in the UK, said it had dropped the planned joint venture because of fears that regulators would object to the partnership's potential market share. A person familiar with P&W's thinking indicated it had shared those concerns. The company said that, after talks with Rolls-Royce and in light of the "regulatory environment" it had agreed "not to proceed with the partnership". Rolls-Royce said it remained committed to developing engines for the generation of aircraft likely to follow the Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 Max, the revamped narrow-body aircrafts that the world's two biggest commercial jet manufacturers are developing. Rolls-Royce would now either develop engines for these aircraft on its own, or in collaboration with another partner, it said. The two companies had said when they announced the joint venture that they would collaborate on developing Pratt & Whitney's geared turbofan technology - an engine that seeks to slash fuel consumption by running the engine's intake and output fans at different speeds. It would also seek to develop "open rotor" technology - turbine engines where the fans sit outside the main engine housing, it said. The two now look set to develop those technologies separately. P&W mentioned only geared turbofan technology in its statement, while Rolls has a longstanding interest in open rotors. Rolls-Royce has been primarily focused on the market to power widebody aircraft such as Airbus's A380 superjumbo since it sold its stake in IAE. The UK company is the sole supplier of engines for the Airbus A350 twin aisle aircraft and competes with GE on Boeing's wide-body Dreamliner jet. Pratt & Whitney's Pure Power engine - which it has spent $1bn and 20 years developing - took its maiden flight on Monday powering the first test flight for Bombardier's C Series narrow-body jet. The company developed the engine to re-enter the narrow-body market - the biggest single commercial jet segment. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9d3dc2d8-2174-11e3-8aff-00144feab7de.html#axzz2fR1SZa4E Back to Top Chinese MA60 aircraft set to receive type certificate in Nepal KATHMANDU, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- Chinese-made MA60 aircraft is all set to enter Nepali skies after the government of Nepal decided to issue the type certificate to it for the first time. The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) last Tuesday formally decided to award the type certificate to Chinese MA60 aircraft. A type certificate is a regulating body's approval, given to a manufacturing design that cannot be changed. It reflects a determination made by the regulating body that the aircraft is manufactured according to an approved design, and that the design ensures compliance with airworthiness requirements. "We will officially issue the certificate to the Chinese aircraft after Dashain," CAAN Director General Ratish Chandra Lal Suman told Xinhua. Nepal's major fiesta Dashain is just a month way. The CAAN reached the decision to issue the certificate following the Type Certification Board submitted its report to Nepal's aviation regulating body earlier this week. The board led by former CAAN deputy director general Shambu Adhikari had in its report recommended that Modern Ark 60 aircraft was fit for Nepali skies with "its reliable technical and other capabilities." The report also said the aircraft has been made keeping the checklist, which the planemaker had submitted to CAAN earlier, intact. The board, assigned to verify the design and manufacturing standards of the jet, prepared its report following the two-week long visit to China. "The board has verified that MA60 is designed in line with the specifications of the Chinese Civil Aviation Regulations 25 (CCAR- 25) of the Civil Aviation Administration of China, and is compatible to Part 25 of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration' s (FAA) Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR)," Madan Kharel, managing director at Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC), told Xinhua. AVIC International Holding, the maker of MA60 planes, had applied for the type certificate earlier in March this year. However, the CAAN had not responded to the applicant stating that the issuance of type certificate was a "serious job" and "needed rigorous exercises." A high level technical team from NAC, following its inspection visit to China, had reported that the airplanes were fit for Nepali skies previously. However, the process landed in controversy with the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), Nepal's anti-graft body, suspected alleged irregularities in the process. As per a commercial agreement signed between NAC and AVIC International Holding on Nov. 29, 2012, the Chinese side has given a five-year grace period for loan and interest repayment. The provision is expected to enable NAC to enjoy earnings for at least five years. A high level team from CAAN left for China on Aug. 17 to inspect the technical aspects of two MA60 aircrafts that Nepal is preparing to purchase. The CAAN's hasty preparation to leave for China came in response to the request of the officials from Export- Import (EXIM) Bank of China to finalize all paper and procedural works including issuance of the type certificate by Dec. 31. The Chinese bank has pledged 35 million U.S. dollars to Nepal government for the purchase of four Chinese aircraft. Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation of Nepal sources said once the CAAN issues type certificate, the government will initiate final homeworks to purchase aircraft from the northern neighbor. China has pledged providing a 19-seater Harbin Y-12e and a 58- seater MA60 turboprop in grant while the Nepali government has also planned to purchase four other aircraft, three Harbin Y-12e and a MA60, by taking soft loans from the Chinese EXIM Bank. On Aug. 7, 2011, NAC had written to the Finance Ministry, requesting it to purchase eight aircraft with foreign grants. In November 2011, the ministry requested China to provide the aircraft either under grant or soft loans. The Chinese side responded positively, expressing their readiness to provide some aircraft under grant and some under soft loans. Back to Top India rejects Japan's request for safety audit of civil aviation sector Taking a tough stand against Japan for not permitting Air India to operate its new Boeing 787 Dreamliners there, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has rejected a request from its Japanese counterpart to carry out a safety audit of the Indian aviation sector, the PTI reported. The DGCA has also made it clear that Japan's insistence to have safety talks with India cannot be a condition for granting permission to Air India to fly the Dreamliners, official sources said. They said the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau's (JCAB) should respond to DGCA's request to allow the national carrier's Dreamliner flights. The JCAB request came several weeks ago after it refused to allow Air India operate its Dreamliners to Osaka and Tokyo, replacing the existing flights by the fuel-guzzling Boeing 777s. Air India operates four weekly flights between Delhi and Tokyo and three on Delhi-Osaka route via Hong Kong. There is no cause for concern after the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) conducted a safety audit last month and cleared the DGCA, enabling India to maintain its 'category one' status, the top-most safety certification level, the officials said. India, a major member of the ICAO and a signatory to its safety charter like Japan, has been cleared by the UN aviation regulatory body, they said, adding that there was no need for any member nation to carry out such audits. After the Japanese request, K N Shrivastava, Secretary, Civil Aviation, Government of India, had written to the Indian envoy in Japan urging her to take it up with local authorities and convey to them that the Ministry saw no need for another audit after the ICAO clearance. Following the battery-fire incidents involving the Dreamliners, JCAB had sought to know from the DGCA about the corrective steps being taken by Air India. All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines had grounded their Dreamliners for four months after the incidents which occured in their Boeing 787s. http://www.travelbizmonitor.com/india-rejects-japans-request-for-safety-audit-of-civil-aviation-sector-21715 Back to Top Back to Top Pilot Irfan Faiz to face court on aircraft drink charge An airline pilot arrested on suspicion of being drunk at Leeds Bradford Airport has been charged with an alcohol-related aviation offence. Irfan Faiz, aged 54, from Pakistan, was detained by West Yorkshire Police shortly after 22:00 BST on Wednesday. He is believed to work for Pakistan International Airlines. Mr Faiz is due before Leeds magistrates on Friday charged with carrying out an activity ancillary to an aviation function while impaired by drink. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-24163780 Back to Top Reagan National Airport to host emergency exercise A plane on fire, a Potomac River rescue, distraught passengers flooding the terminal. On Saturday, Reagan National Airport will be the scene of an emergency exercise designed to test the readiness of airport personnel and first responders from more than 13 agencies The exercise is required every three years by the Federal Aviation Administration. Washington Dulles International Airport held a similar exercise in May. The event takes months of planning. Community members, who volunteer to be "patients" are made up by professional moulage artists. These folks are experts in simulating protruding bones and bloody wounds. As someone who was at Dulles in May, I can attest to the realness and stomach turning impact of the injuries. But the day also offers first responders the chance to work with emergency equipment and try out new techniques for transporting and tracking patients during a mass casualty event. As Tom Kenney, a deputy fire chief with the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, told me in May, it's a dress rehearsal for a tragedy they hope they'll never have to respond to. But as Monday's events at the Washington Navy Yard remind us, tragedy is never far away. Airport officials are trying to get the word out to the public, who may be alarmed to see multiple firetrucks, ambulances, helicopters and other emergency vehicles in and around Reagan National. The exercise will take place between approximately 8:30 a.m. and noon. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dr-gridlock/wp/2013/09/19/reagan-national-airport-to-host- emergency-exercise/ Back to Top American Airlines flight makes emergency landing in Colombia The plane was flying from Costa Rica to Miami It made an emergency detour to San Andres Island, Colombia (CNN) -- An American Airlines plane flying from Costa Rica to Miami made an emergency landing on Colombia's San Andres Island Thursday, the airline said. The airline said a "mechanical issue" was behind the pilot's decision to divert the flight to the island, located on Colombia's north coast. CNN affiliate Caracol TV reported that smoke was seen in the cabin. Flight 1204 was carrying 172 passengers and six crew, American Airlines said. The passengers disembarked while the aircraft, a Boeing 757, was evaluated. No one was injured, Caracol reported. Back to Top Airlines Told to Avoid Path Near Indonesia Volcano JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) More than 15,000 residents have fled a volcano that rumbled to life less than a week ago in Indonesia and local airlines have been warned to avoid flying near the mountain as thick ash continues to spew from its crater, an official said Thursday. The aviation warning was issued Wednesday for small planes serving short-haul flights in the region as small eruptions continue at Mount Sinabung, said Susanto, general manager for air navigation at Kuala Namu airport in North Sumatra's capital Medan. Like many Indonesians, he uses only one name. Data from the local emergency task force showed the number of people evacuated has doubled to more than 15,000 after many residents outside the 3-kilometer (1.9-mile) danger area abandoned their houses. The 2,600-meter (8,530-foot) volcano first erupted Sunday after being dormant for three years. A larger eruption occurred two days later volcanic ash and thick smoke were belched up to 3 kilometers (nearly 2 miles) into the air that ignited fires on its slopes. The volcano's last eruption in August 2010 killed two people and forced 30,000 others to flee. It caught many scientists off guard because it had been quiet for four centuries. Mount Sinabung is among around 129 active volcanoes in Indonesia, which is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanos and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin. http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/airlines-told-avoid-path-indonesia-volcano-20301478 Back to Top AVIATION MAINTENANCE & ENGINEERING EXCHANGE Published weekly on Wednesday. Curt Lewis