Flight Safety Information October 8, 2013 - No. 207 In This Issue Asiana Pilots Raise Throttle Malfunction Contractor Furloughs Ground Student Pilots Pilot's deadly in-flight heart attack threatens to renew age debate Fort Worth-based Cantey Hanger acquires aviation law firm Nigeria: Hajj-Bound Aircraft Loses Tyre On Landing in Sokoto Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed in Small Plane Crash (California) IFA Forum in Hong Kong 26-27 Nov 2013 Next GFSC Meeting 06 November 2013, Abu Dhabi ISASI NERC Meeting (19OCT2013) Think ARGUS PROS Chinese Company to Buy U.S. Aircraft Maker Regional aircraft market worth 4,035 aircraft over next decade Federal shutdown halts 787 deliveries from South Carolina Asiana Pilots Raise Throttle Malfunction Crash Investigators Haven't Found Electrical or Mechanical Problems in Preliminary Probe By ANDY PASZTOR CONNECT Pilots of an Asiana Airlines Inc. jet that crashed while trying to land in San Francisco are offering an account that differs from the preliminary findings of U.S. investigators, people familiar with the investigation said. The pilots have told the National Transportation Safety Board that an in-flight malfunction of an automated speed-control system was a major factor in the fatal accident on July 6, these people said. So far safety-board investigators haven't uncovered any mechanical or electrical problems with the twin- engine jet prior to impact, these people said. Instead, the NTSB is focused on why the three pilots in the cockpit didn't adequately monitor the approach and failed to check airspeed until it was too late. The pilots, according to these people, have told U.S. investigators they believe an automated speed-control system, called auto-throttles, disconnected on its own, allegedly without any warning to the crew, shortly before the Boeing 777 slowed dangerously then slammed into a sea wall in front of a runway at San Francisco International Airport and broke apart. NTSB officials previously said the cockpit crew "assumed the auto-throttle was maintaining speed," but investigators also suggested the pilots may have failed to activate it correctly. "'Armed' does not mean 'active,'" acting safety board Chairman Deborah Hersman id during an on-site news conference in July. When pilots rely on such automation to adjust engine thrust during landings, she said at the time, "a big key is to monitor" the system and keep close track of aircraft speed. The pilots' statements-along with details of Asiana 777 maintenance logs showing a number of "uncommanded auto-throttle disconnects"-are part of the arguments Asiana officials intend to make during a planned visit to the NTSB later this year, according to people familiar with the details. The carrier may raise the same issue at a public hearing on the crash the board plans to hold early next year. The NTSB is in charge of the accident probe. Officials at Asiana and a special South Korean government committee investigating the crash declined to comment. An NTSB spokeswoman couldn't be reached. But according to people familiar with the status of the probe, the pilots' comments are the most detailed effort by the airline so far to explain why an experienced crew may have been lulled into a false sense of confidence. Three people were killed and dozens were injured in the high-profile accident, which prompted debate over Asiana's training practices and operations. In the wake of the crash, which destroyed the aircraft, Asiana promised the South Korean government it would enhance training for aviators, update its data on airports with difficult approaches and move to ensure better communication in the cockpit. At the public hearing, safety board officials are likely to focus on those issues in addition to operation of the auto-throttle system. The pilots of Asiana Flight 214 have repeatedly told investigators they recall properly arming and engaging the plane's auto-throttle to maintain safe speed during the visual approach in good weather to the San Francisco runway. At an altitude of 500 feet, the approach was on track with the engines idle. Within the next few seconds, the speed dropped, the plane's nose rose and by time pilots realized the danger, it was too late to rev the engines and try to climb away from the field. Data from the jet's flight-data recorder doesn't show the auto-throttle engaged at all during the final part of the descent, according to people familiar with the probe. Asiana, however, is expected to bring up at least one other example of Boeing 777 auto-throttles disconnecting, on their own, at another airline. Lee Kang-guk , the pilot at the controls of the San Francisco-bound Asiana jet, had logged nearly 10,000 hours flying other aircraft but was on a training flight that day. He had accumulated only about 40 hours of experience on Boeing 777s and was still only about halfway through the final stage of his training to serve as a captain on that model. The trainer, or instructor, on the trip was a veteran 777 captain, but he was making his first flight supervising another 777 pilot. U.S. airline pilots said such a pairing wouldn't be allowed under voluntary safety rules at many American carriers. Asiana 214 was cleared for a visual approach to San Francisco's runway-something few foreign pilots regularly practice-because construction work had put the strip's advanced instrument-landing system temporarily out of commission. Earlier portions of the descent veered off the horizontal and vertical guidance provided by more-rudimentary landing aids, according to information previously released by the NTSB, and the cockpit crew didn't verbalize warnings about low speed until seconds before impact. The pilots revved both engines, but the plane's tail struck the wall and snapped off at impact. http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304441404579121803550534392 Back to Top Contractor Furloughs Ground Student Pilots CORPUS CHRISTI - Civilian employees at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi are back at work today, but contractors are not. This weekend, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel ordered that all civilian employees head back to work. He based his decision on a Pentagon interpretation of the Pay Our Military Act passed shortly before the government shutdown began. The law doesn't cover contractors who work for military bases. L-3 Vertex stopped work at the base on friday. BAE Systems will stop work by 11 p.m. tonight. Meanwhile, student pilots at NAS Kingsville are not flying because of the shutdown. Since L-3 Vertex stopped work no one is on hand to perform safety checks on aircrafts, as well as fix and re-fuel them. Without that job being done, the pilots are stuck on the ground. "The ones that are affected the most right now are the ones, and that would be the majority, that are in the cockpit, that need to be in the cockpit today. Now there are certainly folks that may have just checked in recently, that are in their classroom phase anyway, that are just doing what they would have been doing anyway, had we not even had a government shutdown. But certainly, there are folks that aren't flying that should be flying today," says Captain Christopher Misner of NAS Kingsville. While the students are waiting to fly again, they are spending more time doing safety drills and working in the classroom. http://www.kristv.com/news/contractor-furloughs-ground-student-pilots/#_ Back to Top Pilot's deadly in-flight heart attack threatens to renew age debate United Capt. Henry Skillern, 63, of Humble, Texas, died after heart attack, according to coroner Tragedy threatens to renew debate over mandatory pilot retirement age (CNN) -- The 161 passengers aboard United Flight 1603 must have known something was wrong when a crew member announced on the cabin loudspeaker if anyone aboard was a physician. The pilot, Capt. Henry Skillern, 63, was suffering a heart attack. The in-flight emergency Thursday night that began somewhere in the skies between Houston and Seattle prompted the 737 to divert to Boise, Idaho. Air traffic controllers radioed the plane's first officer who updated them with the captain's condition. "We got a man down, chest compressions going on right now," the first officer said. "I'm not sure too much right now on status." Once the aircraft was on the ground, first responders boarded and rushed Skillern to Boise's Saint Alphonsus hospital, where he later died. The tragedy threatens to reignite the debate over FAA age restrictions for commercial airline pilots. In 2007, the mandatory pilot retirement age was raised from 60 to 65. At that time the FAA said five pilots -- their ages ranging from 48 to 57 -- had died in-flight since 1994, when the FAA began following that statistic. When the FAA was considering raising the retirement age, then-administrator Marion Blakey underscored the value of pilot experience, calling it "an added margin of safety." "Foreign airlines have demonstrated that experienced pilots in good health can fly beyond age 60 without compromising safety," she said. Friday, former Department of Transportation Inspector General Mary Schiavo said she doesn't believe the Flight 1603 tragedy alone will fuel a new debate over the issue. But she says it does point out the importance of careful pilot health screening. "People die every day from unanticipated heart attacks, but in many cases you can find problems when you do a rigorous physical," says Schiavo, who's now at the law firm Motley Rice, where she specializes in aviation. The FAA has already shown signs that it's looking more closely at other pilot related health issues, including the effects of prescription and over-the-counter medications. "I think the FAA will probably revisit whether they're monitoring pilot health stringently enough," Schiavo says. Current FAA regulations call for a medical examination every year for commercial airline pilots under age 40 and every six months for those over age 40. To pass the exam, they must not have an established medical history or diagnosis of coronary heart disease that has required treatment. All airline pilots are required to get EKG heart checks at the age of 35. For those age 40 and older, annual EKGs are required. And airline pilots are required to report any heart disease to the FAA, regardless of when they learn about it. It wasn't immediately known whether Capt. Skillern was piloting the plane at the time he became incapacitated. Typically, there are two pilots in the cockpit so that during an emergency, either pilot can quickly take control of the aircraft. Flight 1603's passengers waited at the Boise airport until United flew in another pilot from San Francisco, before they were able to continue their journey to Seattle. http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/27/us/boise-airline-pilot-heart-attack/index.html Back to Top Fort Worth-based Cantey Hanger acquires aviation law firm Dallas aviation lawyer Charles H. Smith The Fort Worth-based law firm of Cantey Hanger announced today that it has reached an agreement to acquire Smith & Moore, a Dallas aviation law firm. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The purchase includes five of Smith & Moore's seven lawyers: owners Charles H. Smith and J. Michael Colpoys, and members Stephanie L. Millett, Bryan S. David and David V. Denny. Their start date is Jan. 1. Smith & Moore's aviation practice "is particularly appealing," said Steve Tatum, managing partner of Cantey Hanger. "It enables us to broaden our practice area with attorneys expert and experienced in many facets of aviation litigation." Smith & Moore's clients include Bell Helicopter, Cessna Aircraft Co. and Textron Inc. "The move affords our clients opportunities for other unique services not available in our present configuration," Smith said. He and the late John W. Moore founded the firm in 1991. Cantey Hanger, established in 1882, also operates offices in Dallas and Southlake. http://bizbeatblog.dallasnews.com/2013/10/fort-worth-based-cantey-hanger-law-firm-acquires-aviation-law- firm.html/ Back to Top Nigeria: Hajj-Bound Aircraft Loses Tyre On Landing in Sokoto Lagos, Sokoto and Lagos - A Boeing 747-3 aircraft with Reg 5N-JRM operated by Kabo Air Friday had a near mishap in Sokoto when the pilot initiated a landing procedure that failed. The aircraft which departed from Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano was enroute Saudi Arabia when it had a stop-over at the Sokoto airport to pick more passengers, aviation authorities claim. The aircraft had in it 512 souls made of 494 passengers and 18 crew members, all came out unhurt. According to the Coordinating Spokesman for the Aviation industry, Mr. Yakubu Dati, "the preliminary reports indicate that the control tower gave the pilot clearance to land on Runway 08 but the captain, opted to use Runway 26, for reasons yet to be ascertained." That landing procedure he said failed as "the aircraft damaged some Instruments Landing System (ILS) and came to a stop with deflated tyres" at about 21:00 GMT. Dati indicated that the FAAN emergency response apparatus acted swiftly to secure all souls on board and the aircraft. He said the airline has since made arrangements for another aircraft to pick the passengers to complete their journey to Saudi Arabia. Sunday Trust gathered that some of the passengers said they were jittery, shocked and traumatized when they heard unusual sound. All the passengers were evacuated and taken to Giginya Hotel Sokoto, where they spent their night. It was also learnt that the aircraft was meant to pick 48 kebbi pilgrims, including Governor Saidu Dakingari and his wife, Zainab. In the meantime, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority said that it is awaiting the Mandatory Occurrence Report from Kabo Air over the incidence at the Sokoto airport yesterday. Meanwhile, the management of Kabo Air Holdings, one of the private carriers contracted in the airlift of Hajj pilgrims, yesterday debunked reports by some media sources which indicated that one of its aircrafts had "diverted" and had an "emergency landing" at the Sultan Abubakar airport, Sokoto. Addressing the press on behalf of the management, the Public Relations Officer of the company, Alhaji Aminu Hamza said it was untrue that its aircraft had an emergency landing. Hamza debunked allegations that the aircraft was diverted to Sokoto to avert air mishap. He said contrary to the insinuations, the aircraft lost a tyre on landing and the pilot was able to taxi the aircraft safely, while the passengers disembarked. http://allafrica.com/stories/201310071898.html Back to Top Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed in Small Plane Crash (California) A couple died when two small planes collided mid air over Calabasas in April Cessna Lands Upside-Down in Front of Home After a mid-air crash with another Cessna above Calabasas on Monday, April 29, 2013, this plane went down into the hillside. Authorities said Tuesday that two had died in the aircraft, while three people survived an emergency landing of the other plane. The family of a man who died in a midair collision involving two small planes has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the plane's owner and the pilot who survived in the other plane after making an emergency landing at a golf course. The family of Christopher Wade, 63, filed the lawsuit in the Los Angeles Superior Court on Sept. 10. Wade and Cheryl Jolene Strawn, 69, were killed after their Cessna 172 hit a similar aircraft on April 29 about eight miles east- northeast of Ventura, the Federal Aviation Administration said. Three people in the other plane, which made an emergency landing at a golf course in Westlake Village, survived. Named in the lawsuit is Peter Nagy, the pilot in command of that plane and the company he was flying for, American Flyers. Nagy was with two other licensed pilots who were being trained in how to become flight instructors, said Charlie Finkel, the attorney for the Wades. A call to American Flyers was not immediately returned. Strawn was a production designer who worked on the "Nightmare on Elm Street" movies. http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Wrongful-Death-Lawsuit-Filed-Small-Plane-Crash-226792271.html Back to Top Back to Top Subject: NOTICE - Next GFSC Meeting 06 November 2013 To: "GFSC Membership" Dear GFSC Members, The GFSC Executive Committee is please to announce the details of the next Gulf Flight Safety Council meeting. The details are as follows: Date: Wednesday 06 November 2013 Venue: Gulf Centre for Aviation Studies, Al Bateen Airport, Abu Dhabi Time: 0830 - 1600 We would like to once again thank GCAS for their generous support in sponsoring the venue for this meeting. Thanks and kind regards, Mark Captain Mark Trotter Secretary - Gulf Flight Safety Council membership@gfsc.aero www.gfsc.aero Mobile: +971 50 120 9503 Back to Top Back to Top Back to Top Chinese Company to Buy U.S. Aircraft Maker Meijing Group, a Chinese real estate developer, is expected to complete its purchase of Mooney Aviation Company Inc., a U.S.-based manufacturer of utility aircraft, in November, a company source said on Tuesday. The takeover should be completed next month after the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States approved the deal on Oct. 2, said an executive with the Meijing Group, which is based in central China's Henan Province. The approval came roughly one month after U.S. regulators approved Hong Kong-based Shuanghui International's acquisition of Smithfield Foods at 7.1 billion U.S. dollars, marking the biggest Chinese acquisition of a U.S. company. Shuanghui International and its subsidiaries are the majority shareholders of Henan Shuanghui Investment and Development Co., which is China's largest meat processing enterprise, also based in Henan Province. The deal between Meijing Group and Mooney is expected to revive the 84-year-old manufacturer of single- engine general aviation aircraft, which laid off employees and suspended production in 2010. Besides producing aircraft, the new Mooney will run businesses of components supply, second-hand aircraft trading and renovation, mainly focusing on the Chinese and Asian markets, according to the executive, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. So far, neither Meijing Group nor Mooney have released the cost of the purchase to the public. Meijing Group, registered in the provincial capital of Zhengzhou in 2002, is aiming to expand its business outside of real estate development. Zhengzhou was approved as the nation's first air economic zone by the State Council, China's Cabinet, early this year. Since then, it has been on a fast track of transitioning from a railway-pivoted economy to an aerotropolis. http://english.cri.cn/6826/2013/10/08/2702s791090.htm Back to Top Regional aircraft market worth 4,035 aircraft over next decade - report Forecast International predicts the global regional aircraft market to be worth 4 000 aircraft over the next decade.Between now and 2022, approximately 4 035 regional jets and turboprops worth $141.8 billion will be built for world markets, according to a new study by Forecast International. In the new study, 'The Market for Regional Transport Aircraft,' Forecast International predicts that annual regional aircraft production will experience gradual, though steady, growth between 2013 and 2020. The company expects 371 regional aircraft to be produced in 2013, with annual output rising to a peak of 486 aircraft in 2020. A cyclical downturn is anticipated for 2021 and 2022, the final two years of the forecast period. "Increasing market demand for regional aircraft is being fuelled by a number of factors, including rising air traffic on regional routes and a need for regional carriers to replace economically inefficient aircraft. However, the Forecast International study points out that certain restraining factors exist that will place some limits on growth in the market. For instance, the ongoing consolidation of major airlines has led to fewer opportunities for feeder work for regional carriers. Too many regional airlines are chasing too few opportunities," the company said. It added that other factors that will hamper market growth include increasing government regulation and the maturation of the U.S. and European air travel markets. In addition, Forecast International said perhaps the most critical factor limiting market growth is the continuing existence of scope clauses in major airline pilot contracts, which restrict the size and number of aircraft that regional partners of major carriers can operate. The maximum capacity permitted in most scope clauses in the U.S. market is 76 seats. The existence of such scope clauses limits the overall growth that can be achieved in sales of regional jets seating 90 passengers or more. Forecast International senior aerospace analyst Raymond Jaworowski said, "Scope clauses constitute an artificial barrier to natural growth in the regional jet market. Demand in the market is already trending toward larger-capacity aircraft and, in the absence of scope clause limitations, this trend would strengthen and accelerate." Forecast International predicts that the leading regional aircraft manufacturers during the 2013-2022 timeframe will be Bombardier, Embraer, and ATR. Bombardier is expected to lead the market in the number of aircraft produced, while Embraer is forecast to lead in the monetary value of production. Bombardier is expected to produce 1,035 regional aircraft, worth $47.7 billion, during the forecast period. Embraer is projected to build 1,018 regional aircraft, worth $49.5 billion. ATR is expected to be third in both categories with production of 668 aircraft, worth $15.4 billion. A number of new entrants are looking to challenge Bombardier and Embraer at the upper end of the regional jet market. These new players include COMAC of China, Mitsubishi of Japan, and Sukhoi of Russia. http://www.defenceweb.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=32141:regional-aircraft- market-worth-4-035-aircraft-over-next-decade-report&catid=114:civil-aviation&Itemid=247 Back to Top Federal shutdown halts 787 deliveries from South Carolina - but not Washington state Boeing delivered Hainan Airlines' first 787 Dreamliner from South Charleston in July, but the facility can deliver more until the federal shutdown ends, or the FAA makes more provisions. The federal government shutdown is halting Boeing 787 Dreamliner deliveries from Boeing's North Charleston, S.C., plant because no one at that facility has received "delegated authority" from the Federal Aviation Administration. Boeing plants in Washington state continue to make deliveries because they have delegated authority from the FAA. Delegated authority is a term meaning that Boeing employees are empowered to perform the minimal certifications required for delivery. This authority is allowing most Boeing deliveries from Puget Sound plants to continue, but not those from South Carolina, Boeing spokesman John Dern said. Even in the Puget Sound region, some new aircraft may now be undeliverable because aircraft with "new engineering configurations" - new features requiring FAA sign-off - must be approved by actual FAA officials. "If the FAA retained certification authority, then they have to be personally available for us to certify and deliver," Dern said. Speaking on Monday, Dern said he did not know if any aircraft have been delayed from Washington state since the shutdown started Oct. 1. At the time, one third of the FAA's work force was furloughed. Dern said two aircraft were delivered from North Charleston after Oct. 1 because their paperwork was finished, but those two jets were the last. Gov. Jay Inslee warned of continuing erosion of the aerospace industry on Sunday. http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2013/10/07/federal-shutdown-stops-787-deliveries.html Curt Lewis