Flight Safety Information September 30, 2013 - No. 201 In This Issue Small jet hits hangar at Santa Monica Airport Pilot struck, killed by helicopter blade at Pennsylvania fair Alitalia jet makes safe emergency landing in Rome Pilot dies after forced emergency landing at Boise airport Battle in Brussels over Europe's air safety rules At Kennedy Airport, a Complex Dance Over a U.N. Meeting NTSB blames bad workmanship for roof hole on Southwest Airlines jet ISASI NERC Meeting (19OCT2013) Think ARGUS PROS Flight Safety Foundation's Summit Set For Busy Agenda NTSB Communications Course Watch for: AVIATION MAINTENANCE & ENGINEERING EXCHANGE Small jet hits hangar at Santa Monica Airport Aviation officials are uncertain how many people may have been inside a small plane that crashed into an airport hanger in Santa Monica, California on Sunday. It is also unclear if anyone was in the hanger. LOS ANGELES (AP) - Rescuers and investigators were working amid the smoldering wreckage of a private jet and the hangar it hit after landing at a Southern California airport, but they did not expect to find any survivors from the flight from Idaho with an unknown number aboard, officials said. "This was an unsurvivable crash," Santa Monica Fire Department Capt. John Nevandro said at a media briefing hours later at Santa Monica Municipal Airport. Because the hangar collapsed in flames around it and a crane would be required before the plane could be reached, investigators had been unable to determine how many people were aboard the twin-engine Cessna Citation designed to hold eight passengers and two crew members, officials said. It had taken off from Hailey, Idaho and landed in Santa Monica when it went off the right side of the runway at about 6:20 p.m. and struck the hangar, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said. The blaze did minor damage to two other buildings and destroyed the hangar. "It was a total loss," Fire Department spokeswoman Bridgett Lewis said. Small Plane Crashes at Santa Monica Airport News helicopter footage showed all but the tail of the plane trapped under a collapsed section of the small building. Investigators could not immediately say whether anyone was inside the hangar. A plume of smoke rising above the airport could be seen in the twilight sky over the populous neighborhoods surrounding the airport in the hours after the crash. After hearing a loud boom, several neighbors ran toward the airport and saw the fire. "It was very, very terrifying, it was sad to see just so much smoke, and the building collapse and the loud boom, you just put it all together and it's scary," witness Alyssa Lang told KABC-TV. Witness Charles Thomson told the TV station the plane appeared to make a "perfectly normal landing" before veering off course. The jet, a Cessna 525A manufactured in 2003, is registered to a Malibu, Calif. address and its corporate owner, Creative Real Estate Exchange, is based in Birmingham, Ala., and Atlanta, according to FAA public records. Phone messages left after hours at the real estate company's two offices were not immediately returned. The National Transportation Safety Board would take over the investigation as is routine in such crashes. Santa Monica Airport, located in the coastal tourist destination known for its trendy bars, restaurants and wooden-pier carnival, is home to many private jets, many of them used by wealthy Southern Californians from the entertainment industry. The airport in Hailey serves Idaho's Sun Valley resort area, which is a frequent destination for many celebrities, and the rich and powerful alike. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/09/29/crash-santa-monica-airport/2894191/ ************ Date: 29-SEP-2013 Time: 18:20 Type: Cessna 525A CitationJet CJ2 Owner/operator: CREX MML LLC Registration: N194SJ C/n / msn: 525A0194 Fatalities: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: Santa Monica Airport, CA (SMO) - United States of America Phase: Landing Nature: Unknown Departure airport: Hailey-Friedman Memorial Airport, ID (SUN) Destination airport: Santa Monica Airport, CA (SMO) Narrative: A Cessna 525A CitationJet jet suffered a landing accident at Santa Monica Airport, CA (SMO), killing at least one. The plane went off runway 21 on landing and crashed into three hangars that became engulfed in flames. The number of casualties has not been established yet. www.aviation-safety.net Back to Top Pilot struck, killed by helicopter blade at Pennsylvania fair The pilot landed at the fair to refuel and let a relief pilot to take over The blade struck him as he was reentering the chopper He was a former military pilot with more than 50 years of flying experience (CNN) -- A veteran helicopter pilot giving rides at a Pennsylvania town fair was killed after he was hit by the chopper's spinning rotor. Carl R. Enlow, 69, landed the helicopter at the Bloomsburg Fair grounds Friday to re-fuel and to allow a relief pilot to take over. He left the chopper and was re-entering to speak to the replacement pilot when he was struck by the rotor, the fair association said. He was airlifted to a hospital, where he died. Enlow, of Reading, Pennsylvania, was a former military helicopter pilot, with more than 50 years of flying experience, the fair board said. Back to Top Alitalia jet makes safe emergency landing in Rome ROME Authorities say an Alitalia jet on a flight from Madrid safely made an emergency landing at Rome's Leonardo da Vinci airport after one of its landing gears failed to open. The airport's operations room said the Airbus 320 landed on the tarmac Sunday night leaning on a wing and its tail after the right-side landing gear didn't work. It said all 151 passengers and the crew of five left the plane safely through emergency slides about 9 p.m. (1900 GMT) after the pilot reported the problem. No one was injured. The cause of the malfunction was under investigation. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57605189/alitalia-jet-makes-safe-emergency-landing-in-rome/ ************ Status: Preliminary Date: Sunday 29 September 2013 Time: 21:01 Type: Airbus A320-216 Operator: Alitalia Registration: EI-EIB C/n / msn: 4249 First flight: 2010-03-16 (3 years 7 months) Engines: 2 CFMI CFM56-5B6/3 Crew: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: Total: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 151 Airplane damage: Substantial Location: Roma-Fiumicino Airport (FCO) (Italy) Phase: Landing (LDG) Nature: International Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD/LEMD), Spain Destination airport: Roma-Fiumicino Airport (FCO/LIRF), Italy Flightnumber: 063 Narrative: An Airbus A320-216 opeated by Alitalia suffered damage in a landing accident at Roma-Fiumicino Airport (FCO), Italy Flight AZ063 departed Madrid, Spain on a regular passenger flight to Rome-Fiumicino. Apparently the right hand main landing gear failed to deploy prior to landing at Rome while on approach to runway 16L at 20:10. The flight circled before landing with the right hand gear retracted, or not fully down. www.aviation-safety.net Back to Top Pilot dies after forced emergency landing at Boise airport A pilot suffered a heart attack in midair aboard a United Airlines flight to Seattle on Thursday evening, and later died after the plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Boise, Idaho, a hospital spokeswoman told NBC News. A doctor and military personnel reportedly attempted to save the pilot's life by administering CPR amid a dramatic scene, as another passenger rushed to help get the plane safely to the ground. The spokeswoman at Saint Alphonsus Hospital in Boise confirmed the pilot's death on Friday morning. United Airlines spokeswoman Christen David said that the flight's captain was the individual involved in an email to NBC News. The pilot was alive when he arrived at the local hospital but died during the night while being treated, hospital spokeswoman Jennifer Krajnik told the Associated Press. "I am sad to confirm that our co-worker passed away last night," David said. "Our thoughts are with his family at this time." The Ada County Coroner's Office identified identified the pilot as 63-year-old Henry Skillern of Humble, Tex., according to NBC station KING 5 in Seattle. The cause of death was given as acute myocardial infarction. Boise Airport spokeswoman Patti Miller told Reuters that the airport received a call "at about 7:55 p.m. Mountain Time declaring an emergency, they said the pilot had had a heart attack." Pilot suffers deadly heart attack forcing United Airlines flight to make emergency landing in Idaho. NBC's Chris Clackum reports. "We've got a man down, chest compressions going on right now," a co-pilot said to the Boise tower, according to a recording of the flight-to-tower communication. The plane landed less than 15 minutes later, Miller told the news service. Passengers said two Army soldiers from Joint Base Lewis-McChord on the flight assisted a doctor in attempting to treat the pilot before the arrival of first responders, KING 5 reported. A passenger who trains Boeing 737 pilots aided the co-pilot as the plane made the emergency landing in Boise after the unconscious pilot was removed from the cockpit, passengers said, according to the station. Once on the ground, a pilot of another plane radioed air traffic control for information: "What's going on?" the pilot asked. "Medical emergency, the captain," came the answer. "That's never good," the pilot replied. The airport spokeswoman told Reuters that the plane's passengers got off the plane and waited for another pilot to take over the flight. The flight landed in Seattle just after midnight local time. The 737 had 161 passengers and six crew members on board. The name of the pilot has not been released. http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/09/27/20714722-pilot-dies-after-forced-emergency-landing-at- boise-airport?lite Back to Top Battle in Brussels over Europe's air safety rules Controversy on EU regulations,pilots-flight attendants schedules BRUSSELS, SEPTEMBER 30 - Tension rules in Europe over its air safety regulations and a battle is expected on Monday, when the European Parliament's transport commission will discuss new rules proposed by the EU executive on the schedules of pilots, co-pilots and flight attendants in member states. The proposal, which is based on scientific research, fixes new regulations - mostly improving current standards - and provides for member states to exercise a greater role in overseeing the use of overtime for airline personnel and accidents. Airline lobbies are criticizing the plan under discussion - which could have an economic impact, forcing them to hire new personnel - along with unions aiming for more advantageous regulations. A motion rejecting the draft package has been presented by the European United Left - Nordic Green Left which will be debated on Monday. And in the Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport led by the European Commission's Vice- President Siim Kallas there is strong concern that parties could work together to block the initiative. According to the National association representing commercial airline pilots ANPAC, the new rules are unsafe because they are not based on scientific evidence. The association launched a survey on its website enabling passengers to express their opinion. The president of the European Cockpit Association (ECA) which represents European pilots, Nico Voorbach, said the Commission seems intent on imposing political decisions, disregarding the concern expressed by pilots, flight attendants and fatigue experts. 'We agree on the fact that pilots' fatigue is a very serious issue', said Kallas' spokeswoman, Hellen Kearns. Security, she noted, is the only objective pursued by the Commission with the new rules. Kearns in particular recalled how experts from the 28 member states voted in favour of the proposal - except for Austria and The Netherlands which voted against - and stressed that any suggestion that safety standards would be weakened under the new rules is "false and irresponsible". The spokeswoman said unions are instead trying to gain better conditions. Key proposals in the draft package include a maximum number of hours for overnight flights, which the EU draft proposals cuts down from today's 11,45 to 11 hours. Unions are demanding 10. Moreover the maximum amount of time of combined airport stand-by time and effective flight time is set at 16 hours, down, for example, from the 26 hours currently valid in Italy, Austria and Spain. Another key change would be giving airline personnel more rest time. Flights which cross four or more time zones would require at least two to five days of rest after returning home - something which is currently impossible in Italy.(ANSAmed). http://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/news/sections/transport/2013/09/30/Battle-Brussels-Europe-air- safety-rules_9381977.html Back to Top At Kennedy Airport, a Complex Dance Over a U.N. Meeting Prime Minister Jiri Rusnok of the Czech Republic and his family arrived Wednesday in New York to visit the United Nations. The prime minister of the Czech Republic was due to fly in at just about the same time that contingents of diplomats from Brazil and Ukraine were scheduled to take off. At many airports around the world, this confluence of very important persons would presumably cause havoc. When it happened at Kennedy International Airport last week, it was just another day in the command center during the annual general debate of the United Nations General Assembly. The federal officials and police officers gathered there made sure that every car ferrying the delegates had been scanned and sniffed for explosives by Secret Service agents and their canine teammates. Once the vehicles were cleared, the main order of business was choreography. The movement of motorcades of varying lengths onto and off the tarmac had to be safely assured. Eight cars arrived to pick up Jiri Rusnok, the Czech prime minister. The Moldovans left in a single sedan. On the grounds of the airport, each motorcade was led by a Port Authority Police Department cruiser followed by one from the New York Police Department. The city police lead the motorcades to and from Manhattan, but the grounds of the airport fall within the jurisdiction of the Port Authority police. "It's our house," said Lt. Thomas Lomonaco, as he stood in the command center that the Port Authority had set up in a vacant building on the airport's edge. As the host agency, the Port Authority police sat at the head of the U-shaped array of desks surrounding a large screen that displayed the schedule of the day's arrivals and departures. And like a storm-battered airport timetable, this one was ever-changing, as delegates got held up in meetings, decided to visit another American city or stopped off to do some shopping on Fifth Avenue before heading home. Looking at the latest iteration of the day's schedule, Sgt. William Delgado said, "This morning, there were only a few private flights; now we have seven." Some years can be more complicated than others. When Iran's former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad attended the General Assembly, he would have the pilots turn off their plane's transponder as it approached the airport, causing it to disappear from the screen used in the command center to track aircraft, Lieutenant Lomonaco said. Or his plane would veer north away from the city "trying to be a little evasive" before landing, he added. The only demonstration connected to this year's General Assembly that airport officials or police could recall involved the prime minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, who flew into Kennedy Airport on a commercial flight last Monday. A group opposed to her policies had received a permit to protest at the terminal; a group of supporters then showed up to stage a counterdemonstration. To defuse the situation, the Port Authority police directed the prime minister's motorcade to meet her on the tarmac, and they escorted her directly from the plane to a car, bypassing the terminal. Fewer than half of the 283 "V.I.P. movements" planned at the airport during this year's general debate involve commercial flights. A majority - 166 of them - used government planes or special charters, Sergeant Delgado said. Those "private" planes park in designated areas off the airport's four runways, but must depart again within about two hours to park at another airfield in the region, said Jerry Spampanato, the manager of the airport. "It's like having a different airport within the airport," Mr. Spampanato said. Inspector Geraldo E. Silva, the commander of the Port Authority police at the airport, said the airspace around Kennedy Airport is not closed because of the presence of all these presidents and prime ministers - with two exceptions: President Obama and Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. Mr. Spampanato, the airport's general manager, said he recalled when an arrival or departure by Air Force One could shut down the airport for an hour. Now, he said, the coordination of the federal and local agencies involved has reduced each of those interruptions to 15 minutes or less. Inspector Silva said that some other world leaders received a "heavy weapons package" while attending the General Assembly. He said the Secret Service and the State Department's Diplomatic Security Service provided varying levels of protection depending on the "threat perception." Near the airport's bay runway on Wednesday afternoon, all appeared calm under the watchful eyes of Sergeant Delgado. As a massive, blue Airbus A380 operated by Korean Airlines rumbled by for takeoff, a uniformed crew climbed the stairs to a Brazilian air force jet whose departure had been delayed. Each flight attendant was toting shopping bags from department stores. Lieutenant Lomonaco said the luggage of some delegations may require a different vehicle after a week or two in New York. "On the way in, it may be a van," he said. "On the way back, it may be a box truck." http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/30/nyregion/at-kennedy-airport-a-complex-dance-over-a-un- meeting.html?_r=0 Back to Top NTSB blames bad workmanship for roof hole on Southwest Airlines jet The arrow points to the section that split open on the Southwest Airlines jet on April 1, 2011. (NTSB) The National Transportation Safety Board has concluded that poor manufacturing led to the metal fatigue and subsequent roof hole that opened up on a Southwest Airlines airplane in 2011. The board, in an accident brief issued last week, said that it "determines that the probable cause of this accident was the improper installation of the fuselage crown skin panel at the S-4L lap joint during the manufacturing process, which resulted in multiple site damage fatigue cracking and eventual failure of the lower skin panel." The accident occurred April 1, 2011, on a flight from Phoenix that was headed to Sacramento. The Boeing 737-300 airplane suffered a rapid decompression as it was climbing through 34,000 feet. The pilots quickly brought the airplane to a lower altitude - down to 11,000 feet in five minutes - and then landed the airplane in Yuma, Ariz. The NTSB said the airplane had a section about 60 inches long by eight inches wide that "had fractured and flapped open on the upper left side above the wing." In short, the NTSB investigation blamed sloppy work (our phrase, not the NTSB's) for the metal fatigue. The NTSB's wording was that the manufacturing "showed a lack of attention to detail and extremely poor manufacturing technique." Here's a segment from the report: "Examination of the rivets in the fracture area revealed numerous anomalies, including oversized rivets, variations in finish, under-driven conditions, expanded shank areas, and crank-shafting. "Most of the lower-row holes in the lower skin had discrepancies including ovalized holes, double-drilled holes, gaps between the buck tail and the hole, sealant in the rivet hole, and burrs protruding from under the buck tail. "Examination of the lap joint before it was separated revealed that almost all of the lower-row holes in the lower skin were offset from the holes in the upper skin and attached doubler. "The hole quality in the crown and left side skin panels was not in accordance with Boeing specifications or standard manufacturing practices and showed a lack of attention to detail and extremely poor manufacturing technique." The metal on the fuselage peeled back along some rivet lines. (NTSB) At one rivet, fatigue cracking probably began from the moment Southwest put the airplane in service. So where was the poor quality assembly performed? The NTSB didn't know. It did say that "Southwest Airlines had not replaced the crown skin or upper skin panel in the fracture area." The fuselage was manufactured in 1996 at a Boeing plant in Wichita and shipped in two sections to its Renton, Wash., plant for joining final assembly. But no records were retained to show which plant did what work in the area that failed. Two people - a flight attendant and a passenger who came to help him - passed out and hit their heads, suffering lacerations. "Contributing to the injuries was flight attendant A's incorrect assessment of his time of useful consciousness, which led to his failure to follow procedures requiring immediate donning of an oxygen mask when cabin pressure is lost," the NTSB said. The NTSB said the flight attendant " stated that there were two 'high priority' tasks: ensuring that the passengers put on their oxygen masks and establishing communication with the flight crew. He recalled that he went to the forward galley and was about to either call the captain on the interphone or make a P/A announcement to the passengers when he lost consciousness, fell, and struck his nose on the forward partition. Although Southwest Airlines training materials indicated that the first action a flight attendant should take after a decompression was to take oxygen from the nearest mask immediately, he stated that he thought he 'could get a lot more done' before getting his oxygen mask on." http://aviationblog.dallasnews.com/2013/09/ntsb-blames-bad-manufacturing-for-roof-hole-on-southwest- airlines-jet.html/ Back to Top Back to Top Back to Top Flight Safety Foundation's Summit Set For Busy Agenda Sharing the skies with remotely piloted aircraft, factors leading to runway excursions, pilot fatigue management and fostering a safety culture will top the agenda at the 66th annual International Air Safety Summit (IASS) organized by the Flight Safety Foundation (FSF) from October 29 to 31 in Washington, D.C. FSF president and CEO Kevin Hiatt told a press conference last week that the event also will feature a keynote from National Transportation Safety Board member Earl Weener on the theme of "Is Safety Cyclical?" The IASS will also review the go-around project being led by FSF's European Advisory Committee. "If you take a look at the majority of accidents over the past 10 years, then coming forward to 2011, 68 percent, or in plain numbers 63 accidents, occurred during that [go-around] phase of flight, which is the approach phase of flight and landing," Hiatt explained. "We feel that the lack of a go-around decision is the leading risk factor in landing accidents." But he quickly pointed out that 97 percent of all approaches are stable and successful, which he called "a great good news story." However, "in that 3 percent that were unstable, 96 percent of those continued on for landing," he added, "which means that only 4 percent elected to go around. What we're trying to do now is focus on that unstable section and target that 96 percent that continued to [the runway]." http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/ainsafety/2013-09-23/flight-safety-foundations-summit-set-busy- agenda Back to Top NTSB Communications Course 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 * Course Agenda > 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 Back to Top AVIATION MAINTENANCE & ENGINEERING EXCHANGE Published weekly on Wednesday. Curt Lewis