Flight Safety Information February 4, 2014 - No. 025 In This Issue Pilot called a hero for avoiding buildings in Tennessee plane crash that killed 4 Pilot survives Merredin plane crash NEW LAGS RULES COME INTO EFFECT AT EUROPEAN AIRPORTS Save the Date: 6th Annual Aviation Human Factors and SMS Seminar - Dallas, TX Lufthansa pilots to vote on possible strike Troopers change pilot policies in aftermath of crash India Aviation Safety Downgrade Unrelated To Diplomatic Row HELICOPTER SAFETY NEWS PRISM SMS Calls for Application for The ISASI Rudolf Kapustin Memorial Scholarship Airline fees reach $400+ Call For Papers This Movie About Plane Crashes Uses No Special Effects 55 Years Ago: Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper Killed in Plane Crash Pilot called a hero for avoiding buildings in Tennessee plane crash that killed 4 Four members of the same family were killed aboard a light plane that crashed Monday near Nashville, Tenn., authorities said. The dead included the pilot, who witnesses and fire officials said saved many lives by narrowly avoiding a nearby YMCA building. The plane, a Gulfstream 690C flying from Grand Bend Municipal Airport in Kansas to John C. Tune-Nashville International Airport, went down shortly before 5 p.m. ET just outside the YMCA in Bellevue, about 15 miles southwest of Nashville. All aboard the plane were killed, Nashville police spokesman Don Aaron said. No injuries were reported at the YMCA, which was evacuated after the plane slammed into the ground just 20 feet from its wall. A police statement said confirmation of the identity of the victims was pending, but that all four were believed to be members of the same family. "While details of the crash are still emerging, the near-miss of our building surely saved dozens of people from harm," the YMCA of Middle Tennessee said in a statement Monday night, adding that its prayers "continue to be with the victims' families and all those affected by the crash." Aaron said the plane missed its first approach to the Nashville airport. It was circling back to make a second attempt and was coming in low, he said. "The crash was very hard," he said. "The impact was very severe into the ground," strewing debris over an 80-yard area. Three of the bodies had been recovered by late Monday evening, Aaron said, and "I understand that there are body parts [still] here." As the smoky heap of rubble continued smoldering Monday night, Metro Nashville Fire District Chief George Hickey told reporters that it could have been much, much worse. Witnesses reported seeing the plane bank hard to the right and crash into the ground, he said - near not only the YMCA building but also a retirement home. "No buildings were hit," Hickey said. "I may be wrong, but I really want to take my hat off to the pilot." Hickey called it "the worst plane crash I've ever seen." Ambulances transported no one from the scene, which Hickey called "a totally devastated area." "The pilot did one hell of a job," he said. Morgan MacGavin, who was at a nearby Starbucks, told the Tennessean newspaper of Nashville that the flames were so high and the smoke was so thick that it was impossible to tell at first what had exploded there. "It looked like a massive bonfire," MacGavin said. "It didn't hit the building, but it's pretty close to the side of the building. "That just breaks my heart," she said. "My heart just breaks for whoever that is and their family." Foul play wasn't suspected, Aaron said. Bergen said the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board were investigating. http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2014/02/03/22560844-pilot-called-a-hero-for-avoiding-buildings-in- tennessee-plane-crash-that-killed-4?lite Back to Top Pilot survives Merredin plane crash A trainee pilot walked away from a crash landing in the Wheatbelt on Tuesday morning. The crash occurred at the Merredin Aerodrome about 8.30am near the small town of Merredin about 260 kilometres east of Perth. Senior Sergeant Ron Daniels of Merredin Police said the advanced student pilot, believed to be a Chinese national, was flying solo and attempting to land in gusty north winds when the crash happened about 8.38am. A gust of wind caught the single-engined trainer plane, which belonged to aerodrome owner China Southern West Australian Flying College, as it was about to touch down, Senior Sergeant Daniels said. He said the plane landed heavily and bounced. Senior Sergeant Daniels said it was believed the pilot attempted to take off again, but before he could apply full power the plane's left wing tip struck the ground and spun it around. It landed tail-first beside the grass airstrip. The pilot was able to climb out of the badly damaged plane and was taken to Merredin Hospital by St John Ambulance for a check up but was believed to have only minor injuries. Merredin fire brigade attended and suppressed a fuel leak. The plane had extensive wing and tail damage. The Australian Safety Transport Bureau is conducting an investigation into the crash landing. http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/pilot-survives-merredin-plane-crash-20140204-31yck.html Back to Top NEW LAGS RULES COME INTO EFFECT AT EUROPEAN AIRPORTS New EU rules on passengers carrying on liquids, aerosols and gels (LAGs) came into effect at European airports on Friday. They have been introduced as part of a more ambitious plan to lift the ban on the carriage of LAGs on aircraft altogether. The new rules will have minimal direct impact on EU air passengers as their primary function is to facilitate passengers travelling from and to non-EU airports transferring at EU airports. The LAGs in question in the new rules, are only those purchased, and correctly packaged at airport shops and on-board air carriers. Olivier Jankovec, director general ACI Europe, says: "The new LAGs regime starting today is the fruit of strong cooperation with the European Commission, national authorities and international partners, as well as other industry stakeholders." He says Europe's airports have already spent in excess of €150 million to accommodate the change, which will enhance the airport experience of transfer passengers who have had to surrender their duty free purchases from non-EU airports and air carriers. "This is part of our investment toward getting back to the good old days before 2006, when there were no restrictions on LAGs at all for passengers. "We are committed to reaching that ambitious end goal and we will continue our co-operation with the European Commission and other partners. "This will require further advancements in screening technology, in terms of security, operational feasibility and passenger facilitation. "It's only by taking all these into account, that we will remove the hassle out of this aspect of air travel," Jankovec added. http://www.airport-world.com/home/general-news/item/3630-new-lags-rules-come-into-effect-at-european- airports Back to Top Back to Top Lufthansa pilots to vote on possible strike BERLIN (AP) - A German union says pilots at the country's biggest airline, Lufthansa, will vote on whether to go on strike in a long-running pay dispute. The Vereinigung Cockpit union said Tuesday that it will announce the results of the ballot of about 5,400 pilots at Lufthansa, Lufthansa Cargo and the company's budget airline Germanwings on March 21. It said the several-week interval gives the company time to ''correct its course and avoid strikes.'' Among other issues that the two sides have argued over, the union says that two years of pay negotiations have failed because Lufthansa failed to make a ''negotiable offer.'' Lufthansa has been trying to cut costs amid tough competition from European budget carriers and from aggressively expanding government-owned Gulf airlines. http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/2014/02/04/lufthansa-pilots-vote-possible- strike/emsrPFEs5tRBDlQ7Rk2JEM/story.html Back to Top Troopers change pilot policies in aftermath of crash WASILLA -- Even before federal investigators release a cause of the fatal crash last year involving an Alaska State Troopers helicopter, the Alaska Department of Public Safety changed the way pilots handle rescue and law enforcement missions around the state, according to Col. Jim Cockrell, who took over as director of the troopers in July. Under the new policies, pilots are no longer allowed to use night vision goggles, Cockrell said. The troopers have implemented a schedule for flight hours and duty time. The main pilot, Ken Riser, has three pilots as back up so he doesn't have to put himself on standby for off-hour flights. If the pilot decides the weather is questionable based on new guidelines for "fairly strict weather minimums" then he contacts a supervisor to make the final go or no-go decision, Cockrell said. The troopers have turned down several missions since July, including several night missions and a body recovery at a fatal crash involving a moose hunter in the Alaska Range, he said. "Flight safety is a very important aspect of our division." A retired aircraft section supervisor for the state Department of Public Safety told federal investigators looking into last year's crash that the agency had broad issues making sure pilots complied with flight safety procedures and didn't feel pressure to fly on rescues in bad weather or other risky conditions. Sherry Hassell's comments were part of the massive document release Monday from the National Transportation Safety Board. Mel Nading, the pilot killed in last year's crash, was often on standby and didn't like taking too much time off, the documents show. Hassell also told investigators that pilots as well as commanders also had little interest in participating in the Medallion Foundation's aviation safety progtam. She mentioned attending a high-level Medallion dinner alone as the governor handed out awards and people asked why no other public safety officials attended. The former flight instructor and air taxi pilot in Southeast, later took a job as an auditor with Medallion. On paper, she supervised Nading, Hassell said. But in practice, the troopers' search-and-rescue coordinator did, talking with the pilot before he flew on missions. Another pilot in the Bethel area also reported to troopers rather than to her, she said. Hassell described a situation where she contacted the Bethel detachment commander to have a pilot come to Anchorage for training but was told he "belonged" to the detachment and wouldn't be making the trip. Still, throughout her testimony, Hassell consistenly praised Nading as a pilot and a person. "(M)y whole impression of Mel was that he was a very careful, cautious, and generous pilot," she said in the interview, less than two weeks after the deadly Talkeetna crash. "And I still think of him that way." http://www.adn.com/2014/02/03/3305538/troopers-change-pilot-policies.html Back to Top India Aviation Safety Downgrade Unrelated To Diplomatic Row: U.S. Washington: Asserting that the U.S. downgrade of India's aviation regulator had "absolutely nothing" to do with the Khobragade affair, Washington says it was committed to help India get its status back as soon as possible. "This absolutely had nothing to do with the ongoing case of Dr. Khobragade," State Department spokesperson Marie Harf told reporters when asked if the U.S. action would hurt efforts to restore ties with India after their worst diplomatic spat over the Dec 12 arrest of an Indian diplomat. The diplomatic row was sparked by the arrest and strip search of Devyani Khobragade, 39, India's then deputy consul general in New York. She was asked to return home Jan 10 after India declined to waive her diplomatic immunity to enable her prosecution charges of visa fraud and underpaying her housekeeper even as she was indicted by a grand jury in New York. "Again, this was a regulatory decision," she said referring to the U.S. Federal Aviation Authority's (FAA) downgrade of the safety ranking of India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) from category-I to category-II rating. http://www.siliconindia.com/news/general/India-Aviation-Safety-Downgrade-Unrelated-To-Diplomatic-Row- US-nid-160585-cid- 1.html/1/2?utm_source=clicktrack&utm_medium=banner&utm_campaign=mostcommented Back to Top HELICOPTER SAFETY NEWS Feb. 3, 2014 Contact: Tony Molinaro Phone: (847) 294-7427 IHST Sees Gradual Downward Trend in Worldwide Helicopter Accidents "Safety Education Efforts are Seeping into the Culture" The International Helicopter Safety Team (IHST) has gathered civil helicopter accident information from worldwide sources and is seeing a hopeful trend of improved safety. The IHST, which promotes safety and works to reduce accidents, was formed in 2005 to lead a government and industry cooperative effort to address factors that were affecting an unacceptable helicopter accident rate. The data collected by the IHST shows that from 1997 thru 2005, the average number of annual civil helicopter accidents worldwide was 570. In addition, this average was trending upward at an annual rate of 2.5 percent. Since 2006, when the IHST cooperative effort was formed, the average number of annual civil helicopter accidents worldwide has been 515 and the average is trending downward at an annual rate of about 2 percent. While there is no solid data on worldwide flying hour increases or decreases during the period since the IHST's creation, the number of helicopters in the world is growing and the flying hours in many helicopter industries have been increasing. As a result, the IHST is fairly confident that the accident rate is declining by least as much as the accident count is declining. (down 2 percent) Better access to safety methods and improved safety awareness are helping helicopter operators reduce the number of accidents and enhance safety programs, but more work needs to be done to eliminate preventable accidents. More information about the IHST, its reports, safety tools, and safety bulletins can be obtained at its web site at www.IHST.org and on the IHST Facebook page. The following chart displays worldwide civil helicopter accident totals for an 18-year period, with the blue line reflecting the total annual number of accidents. The red dashed line shows the expected total annual accidents if the pre-2006 trend had continued. The yellow dashed line shows the new expected accident totals using 2006 through 2012 data. Back to Top Back to Top Calls for Application for The ISASI Rudolf Kapustin Memorial Scholarship DEADLINE for filling application 15 April, 2014 The 2014 ISASI Seminar will be held in the Stamford Hotel in Glenelg, near Adelaide, Australia 13-16 October 2014. INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF AIR SAFETY INVESTIGATORS 2014 The ISASI Rudolf Kapustin Memorial Scholarship (In memorial to all ISASI members who have died) Purpose: To encourage and assist college-level students interested in the field of aviation safety and aircraft occurrence investigation. Funding: The ISASI Rudolf Kapustin Memorial Scholarship fund will be established through donations and will provide an annual allocation of funds for the scholarship if funds are available. Eligibility: Applicants must be enrolled as full time students in a recognized (note ISASI recognized) education program, which includes courses in aircraft engineering and/or operations, aviation psychology, aviation safety and/or aircraft occurrence investigation, etc., with major or minor subjects that focus on aviation safety/investigation are eligible for the scholarship. A student who has received the annual ISASI Rudolf Kapustin Memorial Scholarship will not be eligible to apply for it again. Administration of the Fund: The President of ISASI will appoint a two person committee to be executors and administrators of the fund. The ISASI Treasurer will oversee all expenditures. The Scholarship Fund Committee will check that the education program is at a recognized school and applicable to the aims of the Society, assess the applications and determine the most suitable candidate. Donors and recipients will be advised if donations are made in honor of a particular individual. Annual Scholarship: Funded attendance at ISASI Annual Seminar An award of $2000 will be made to each student who wins the competitive writing requirement, meets the application requirements and will register for the ISASI annual seminar. The award will be used to cover costs for the seminar registration fees, travel, and lodging/meals expenses. Any expenses above and beyond the amount of the award will be borne by the recipient. ISASI will assist with coordination and control the expenditure of funds. In addition, the following are offered to the winner(s) of the scholarship. 1. A one year membership to ISASI 2. The Southern California Safety Institute (SCSI) offers tuition-free attendance to ANY regularly scheduled SCSI course to the winner of the ISASI Scholarship. This includes the two-week Aircraft Accident Investigator course or any other investigation courses. Travel to/from the course and accommodations are not included. More information at http://www.scsi-inc.com/ 3. The Transportation Safety Institute offers a tuition free course for the winner of the Scholarship. Travel to/from the course and accommodations are not included. More information is available at http://www.tsi.dot.gov/ 4. The Cranfield University Safety and Accident Investigation Centre offers tuition-free attendance at its 5-day Accident Investigation course which runs as part of its Masters Degree program at the Cranfield campus, 50 miles north of London, UK. Travel to/from the course and accommodation are not included. Further information is available from www.csaic.net/ Application requirements: 1. A full time student who meets the Eligibility requirement stated above and has been enrolled for a duration of one year 2. The student is to submit a 1000 (+/- 10%) word paper in English addressing "the challenges for air safety investigators" 3. The paper is to be the students own work and must be countersigned by the student's tutor/academic supervisor as authentic, original work 4. The papers will be judged on their content, original thinking, logic and clarity of expression 5. The essay and application must be submitted in a format that can be opened by Microsoft Word. 6. The student must complete the application form with their paper by April 15, 2014 and submit it to ISASI by mail, fax, or email to isasi@erols.com. ISASI contact information - Ann Schull, International Office Manager 107 E. Holly Avenue, Suite #11 Sterling, VA 20164 703 430 9668 (Main) 703 430-4970 (FAX) Some advice to those applying: 1. Late submissions are not advisable 2. Handwritten applications are not advisable 3. Make sure to include your email address as indicated above Application Form 2014 INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF AIR SAFETY INVESTIGATORS The ISASI Rudolf Kapustin Memorial Scholarship (In memorial to all ISASI members who have died) Name: Date: Address: Course enrolled for: Year /Subjects Studied: Academic Institute: Address: Email: Telephone number: Student Signature:_____________________________________________________________ Tutor/Academic Supervisor title and signature:________________________________________ 1000 Word Paper ""the challenges for air safety investigators" NOTE: Students who wish to apply for the scholarship should visit www.isasi.org or send email to isasi@erols.com. The ISASI office telephone number is 1-703-430-9668. Back to Top Airline fees reach $400+ Airline fees for everything ranging from booking a trip by phone to checking a bag are on the rise, and four carriers are levying fees of $400 or more, a USA TODAY survey of a dozen U.S. airlines shows. Delta Air Lines charges $400 to change a ticket on some international flights - a $150 increase over its most- expensive flight-change fee in 2011, when USA TODAY did a similar survey. American Airlines charges $450 for an overweight checked bag weighing 71 to 100 pounds for some international flights, while such a bag on United Airlines' international flights and Hawaiian Airlines' Asian flights costs $400. Fees are a major source of revenue for the industry. According to the Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 15 U.S. airlines reported revenues of $2.6 billion from baggage fees and $2.1 billion from reservation-change fees during the first three quarters last year. Charging passengers fees "for services they value and are willing to pay for" has "enabled airlines to provide consumers the ultimate choice and control over what they purchase," says Victoria Day, a spokeswoman for the Airlines for America trade group. Without charging fees last year, airlines would have lost money and offered fewer flights, she says. USA TODAY'S most recent survey took two weeks to complete and focused only on fees applicable to most coach passengers. There are a myriad of other fees that apply to first-class passengers, for instance. The survey found that some fees are difficult to find or are missing on airline Web pages, and terms of some others are vague or incomplete. United Airlines' website, for example says the carrier's fee for Premier Access, which provides priority check- in and boarding privileges, starts at $9. The price, though, can range up to $59 for some flights, USA TODAY was told when it requested the information from the company. The most expensive fees for a single checked bag are those of Spirit Airlines and Allegiant Air. Spirit charges $100 for a bag that must be checked in at an airport gate, and Allegiant charges $75 for a bag checked in at an airport for a Hawaii flight. Both airlines have much lower fees for fliers who check a bag in advance and online. Nearly all airlines charge for booking on the phone what was once known as a "free" frequent-flier award ticket. Spirit and US Airways have some of the highest fees for such bookings. Spirit charges $25 for a phone booking and nothing for an online booking, but has an additional charge of $100 for booking within six days of departure. US Airways charges $90 to book on the phone an award ticket for an international flight. Fliers who book online are charged $50 for a Hawaii or international flight. According to the Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 15 U.S..airlines reported revenues of $2.6 billion from baggage fees and $2.1 billion from reservations change fees during the first three quarters last year. AIRLINE FEES The following are fees that may apply to most coach passengers. Very frequent fliers and passengers with high-price tickets may receive free services or amenities and be exempt from, or pay less for, some fees. Fees may be different for passengers originating at foreign airports or can vary by flight or other factors. RESERVATIONS AIRLINE BOOK ROUND- TRIP TICKET BY PHONE PREFERRED SEAT PRIORITY BOARDING TICKET-CHANGE FEE DOMESTIC/ INTERNATIONAL1 FEE TO CHANGE FLIGHT TO SAME DESTINATION ON DAY OF DEPARTURE2 AirTran $15 $10-$30 $10 $150 online; $165 on phone/$150 online; $165 on phone $50 or $150 Alaska $15 NA NA 0 for changes made at least 60 days before departure; $125 otherwise/0 for changes made at least 60 days before departure; $125 otherwise $25 Allegiant $29.98 $5-$80 $5 $75 per one-way flight if changes made at least 168 hours prior to departure3/NA Cannot change unless TripFlex ticket was purchased3 American $25 $4-$99 $9-$40 $200/$200-$300 $75 Delta $25 for domestic flight; $35 for international flight $9-$99 $10 $200/$200-$400 $50 Frontier $10 $5-$100/$5-$100 NA $75/$75 $50 Hawaiian $25 $10 for flight within Hawaii; $40-$100 for North America flight; $40-$100 for international flight NA $30 for flight within Hawaii; $200 for North America flight/$50-$200 $30 for flight within Hawaii; $200 for North America flight; $50-$200 for international flight JetBlue $25 $10-$99 NA $75-$150/$75-$150 $75-$150 Southwest 0 NA $12.50 or $40 0/NA 0 Spirit $10 $1-$150 Comes with payment for carry-on bag $115 online; $125 on phone/$115 online; $125 on phone $115 online; $125 on phone United $25 $9-$235 $9-$59 $200/$200-$300 $75 US Airways $25; $35 for international flight $15-$99 $10-$75 $200/$30 $75 for domestic flight4; $75 or $150 for international flight4 1 - Difference in fare may also be charged; 2 - For confirmed seat. Difference in fare may also be charged. Standby fliers may not have to pay additional fee; 3 - Ticket cannot be changed less than 168 hours prior to departure. No change fee for fliers paying $8- $20 TripFlex fee and rescheduling flight up to one hour before original departure; 4 - Rescheduled flight must be within six hours of original flight. IN THE AIRPORT AIRLINE 1ST CHECKED BAG DOMESTIC/ INTERNATIONAL 2ND CHECKED BAG DOMESTIC/ INTERNATIONAL 3RD CHECKED BAG DOMESTIC/ INTERNATIONAL AirTran $25/$25 $35/$35 $75/$75 Alaska 0 for flight within Alaska; $25/0 for flight to or from Mexico City or Guadalajara; $25 other international 0 for flight within Alaska; $25/$25 0 for flight within Alaska; $75/$75 Allegiant $14.99-$75/NA $14.99-$75/NA $50 or $100/NA American $25/0 or $25 $35/0-$100 $150/$75-$200 Delta $25/0 $35/0-$100 $125/$75-$285 Frontier $20 online; $25 at airport/$20 online; $25 at airport $30/$30 $75/$75 Hawaiian $17 for flight within Hawaii; $25 for North America flight/0 $17 for flight within Hawaii; $35 for North America flight/0 $25 for flight within Hawaii; $100 for North America flight/$150 for international flight JetBlue 0/0 $40/$40 $75/$75 Southwest 0/NA 0/NA $75/NA Spirit $30-$100/$30-$100 $40-$100/$40-$100 $85-$100/$85-$100 United $25/0 or $25 $35/$40-$100 $125/$200 US Airways $25/0 or $25 $35/0 or $100 $125/$85-$200 FREQUENT-FLIER PROGRAMS AIRLINE BOOK FREE TICKET ON PHONE/ ONLINE1 CHANGE FREE TICKET'S DATE, ORIGIN OR DESTINATION BUYING MILES, POINTS OR CREDITS2 AirTran $15/0 $150 $39/credit Alaska $15/0 0 if change is made at least 60 days before departure; $125 $27.50/1,000 miles Allegiant NA NA NA American $253/03 0 or $75 if changing flight date4; 0 or $150 if changing flight origin or destination5 $29.50/1,000 miles, plus $35 processing fee Delta $25/0 $150 $29/1,000 miles Frontier $10/0 0 if 8 days or more before departure: $75 otherwise $25/1,000 miles Hawaiian $25/0 $30 for flight within Hawaii; $50 for flight outside Hawaii $29.57/1,000 miles JetBlue $25/0 0 $.03763/point Southwest 0/0 0 $27.50/1,000 miles Spirit $25 plus $15-$100 if booked 0-179 days before departure/0 if book at least 180 days before departure; $15-$100 otherwise $110 online/$120- $130 on phone NA United $253/$253 $75 $35/1,000 miles US Airways $55 for domestic or Canada flight3; $75 for Mexico or Caribbean flight; $80 for Hawaii flight; $90 for international flight/$25 for domestic flight3; $35 for Mexico or Caribbean flight; $50 for Hawaii or international flight $150 $35/1,000 miles 1 - A fee may apply or could be higher if booking is made close to departure; 2 - Additional tax or tax-recovery charge may apply; 3 - American charges $75 extra if booked two hours - 20 days before departure; United charges $75 extra if booked within 21 days before departure; US Airways charges $75 extra if booked 0-20 days before departure; 4 - $75 if new outbound flight date is within 21 days of original date; 0 otherwise; 5 - 0 if using AAnytime award; $150 if using MileSAAver award. http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/2014/02/02/airlines-fees/4963825/ Back to Top Back to Top This Movie About Plane Crashes Uses No Special Effects - And It's Absolutely Gripping Last month, I finally got around to watching "Flight," the Robert Zemeckis film starring Denzel Washington as the pilot who amazingly (and drunkenly) flips an airliner upside down to stop an uncontrolled dive and save nearly everyone on board. The computer-generated crash is harrowing, but not as compelling as the second plane disaster movie I saw that week: "Charlie Victor Romeo," which recreates six plane crashes from the past 30 years. In the movie, engines blow due to bird strikes. Hydraulics fail. Planes crash into the ocean and into mountains. For a movie presenting such spectacular events, it's remarkably simple. There are no special effects (it is shot in 3D; more on that in a minute). Actors play multiple roles. All you see is the interior of the cockpit, populated by pilots and crew members (plus the occasional shot of the mouth of an air traffic controller). The dialogue is pulled directly from Cockpit Voice Recorders (thus the film's name, pilot speak for C-V-R), edited slightly for clarity. The idea, the filmmakers Robert Berger and Patrick Daniels told Business Insider, was to depict real drama. What you're watching, Daniels said, is people dealing with incredibly difficult situations. "The simplicity of the film serves the content," Berger said, adding that fancy special effects would distract from the human experience of watching people struggle with dangerous situations. That goes for the dialogue, too. Terms and abbreviations familiar to pilots will go right over the heads of the audience. Berger and Daniels aren't worried about their refusal to dumb down the content. "There's a lot to learn from context," Berger said, adding that the public is smarter than most films give them credit for. Daniels compared the experience to watching an opera in Italian. "Even if you don't understand every term, there's a poetry and musicality to the text." Viewers pick up what's happening from the tone and faces of the actors. "People don't need things explained to them all the time," Daniels said. The choice to film in 3D, they said, was not a "gimmick," but an affordable way to make the audience feel closer to the actors. I didn't think it added much, partly because in the small theater, I was already quite close to the screen. While "Charlie Victor Romeo" will appeal more to aviation geeks and professionals than the average movie- goer, Berger and Daniels have made an absorbing film. They prove you don't need simplified dialogue, bombastic special effects, or star actors to engage the audience. The drama - made all the more real by the knowledge that the dialogue is accurate - is in watching people try to save their lives and those of their passengers. "Charlie Victor Romeo" is playing at Film Forum in New York City until February 11. http://www.businessinsider.com/charlie-victor-romeo-plane-crash-review-2014-2 Back to Top 55 Years Ago: Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper Killed in Plane Crash Rock 'n' roll was still in its infancy when it suffered its first tragedy. On Feb. 3, 1959, three of the biggest stars of the day - Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. Richardson, known as the Big Bopper - were killed in a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa. The three acts, along with Dion and the Belmonts, were on a package tour called the Winter Dance Party, which was to play 24 Midwestern cities in as many days. But the bus' heating system was ill-equipped and broke down a few days later, which caused some musicians to catch the flu and Holly's drummer Carl Bunch to be hospitalized for frostbite. By the time they reached the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake on Feb. 2, about a week and a half into the tour, Holly, after the show, decided to charter a plane from nearby Mason City to Fargo, N.D., just across the state line from their next gig in Moorhead, Minn. As a bonus, Holly would be able to do his laundry, which had been neglected since the tour began. The plane, a Beechwood Bonanza, had room for only three passengers - Holly and his band - and the pilot, Roger Peterson. Holly's bass player, future country legend Waylon Jennings, gave up his seat to Richardson, who was ill. According to Jennings' autobiography, Holly teased his bass player by saying, "Well, I hope your ol' bus freezes up." To which Jennings responded, "Well, I hope your ol' plane crashes." There are conflicting stories as to how Valens wound up in the third seat. Tommy Allsup, Holly's guitarist, claimed that he lost a coin flip to Valens in the dressing room. In 2010, Dion DiMucci, who had been silent about that night for 51 years, claimed that he, not Allsup, was slated for the third seat because he was one of the headliners. But after winning the coin toss, he balked at paying $36 for the flight - the amount his parents paid in monthly rent for the apartment where he grew up - and gave Valens the seat. Local DJ Bob Hale, who was the MC for the concert, agrees that it was between Allsup and Valens, but that he, not Allsup, flipped the coin. Regardless of the contradictions, around 12:55AM on Feb. 3, the plane carrying Holly, Richardson and Valens took off in a snowstorm with strong winds. But the plane traveled only a few miles before crashing, killing all four men instantly. The federal investigation ruled that even though the weather played a large role in the accident, the 21- year-old Peterson was too inexperienced to have been flying in such conditions. In addition, he had most likely misread the altitude indicator, which was different than the one on which he had trained, and inadvertently brought the plane down instead of up. At the time, Holly's wife of six months, Maria Elena, was two weeks pregnant. The day after the crash, she suffered a miscarriage from the emotional trauma. In March 1980, a long-missing piece of the plane crash was discovered. Holly's signature black-rimmed glasses had landed in a snow bank and were discovered in the spring of 1959, after the snow melted. They were brought to the Cerro Gordo County Sheriff's office, sealed in a manila envelope and forgotten about for 21 years. Upon discovery, the glasses were returned to his widow and are currently on permanent display at the Buddy Holly Center in his hometown of Lubbock, Texas. http://ultimateclassicrock.com/buddy-holly-richie-valens-big-bopper-killed-in-plane-crash/ Curt Lewis