Flight Safety Information February 24, 2014 - No. 039 In This Issue 3 dead in small plane crash in LaGrange Jet makes emergency landing in south Alabama FAA isn't changing policy on 'lap children' after turbulent flight Mumbai: DGCA grounds US aircraft after detecting damage in engine Tunisia: Crashed Airplane's Black Boxes Handed Over to Libyan Authorities Chinese aircraft enter Japan's ADIZ PRISM SMS World needs pilots! Record growth leads to record need Colorado Springs man arrested after nearly bringing loaded gun onto airplane PAL to invest in Cambodia Airlines despite warnings 3 dead in small plane crash in LaGrange Crews at the scene of the plane crash LAGRANGE, Ga. - A small aircraft with three people onboard crashed at a LaGrange airport Saturday. The FAA said the Beechcraft Baron aircraft crashed at LaGrange-Callaway Airport in LaGrange at 2:20 p.m. A LaGrange Fire Department spokesperson confirmed to Channel 2's Liz Artz two men died at the scene and another died at nearby Columbus Medical Center. Authorities identified the victims, all from Peachtree City, as: 60-year-old Vincent Michael Rossetti 69-year-old Willy Lutz 53-year-old Jeffery Van Curtis Witnesses said the aircraft was doing a practice maneuver called "shoot instrument approach" at the time of the crash. The witnesses said the plane was trying to avoid a glider when it stalled and the plane nosedived. Retired Air Force pilot Rusty Miller said the fire department was on the premise and responded in seconds. "No smoke or fire, just impacted the ground and still people trapped inside," Miller said. "When we got out there there was really nothing to do." Witnesses at the scene said the three men were regulars at the airport. According to flight records, the three men left Panama City Beach at 9:15 a.m. They arrived at LaGrange- Callaway Airport at about 10:45 a.m., refueled and began the maneuvers. The aircraft was registered to Peachtree City Airport. "These guys were well known by everybody, well respected, very involved," said Rossetti and Curtis families spokesperson Bill Flynn. Flynn, a pilot himself, said his friends were taking care of routine training requirements with Lutz, a flight instructor and friend, on board. Flynn believes they were taking off and only about 100 feet in the air when they ran into interference from another aircraft and nose-dived. The National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA are investigating the crash. The NTSB will determine a probable cause. http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/local/small-plane-crashes-lagrange-3-onboard/ndYb7/ **************** Date: 22-FEB-2014 Time: 14:20 LT Beechcraft 95-B55 Baron Owner/operator: Executive Aircraft Storage LLC Registration: N36638 C/n / msn: TC-2325 Fatalities: Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: LaGrange-Callaway Airport (KLGC), LaGrange, GA - United States of America Phase: Landing Nature: Unknown Departure airport: Panama City, FL Destination airport: KLGC Narrative: The aircraft, a twin-engine Beech 95-B55 (T42A) Baron, experienced a stall and impacted airport terrain during a landing attempt at the LaGrange-Callaway Airport (KLGC), LaGrange, Georgia. The airplane was destroyed and the three occupants onboard received fatal injuries. www.aviation-safety.net Back to Top Jet makes emergency landing in south Alabama MOBILE, Ala. -- Authorities say nine people were treated for eye irritation after a jet made an emergency landing in south Alabama when passengers complained of itchy eyes and difficulty breathing. The Boeing 737 landed around 6 p.m. at Mobile Regional Airport. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Danielle Bennett said the flight from Alexandria, La., to Miami was carrying ICE employees plus the flight crew. She said there were no detainees on board. Bennett told The Associated Press that all of the passengers remained overnight in the Mobile area and left Alabama on Saturday. Mobile Fire-Rescue spokesman Steve Huffman tells WPMI-TV that said that the nine people treated for eye irritation were doing well. He said another person was taken to a hospital to be treated for high blood pressure. http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/02/22/3952943/jet-makes-emergency-landing-in.html#storylink=cpy Back to Top FAA isn't changing policy on 'lap children' after turbulent flight A United Airlines flight rocked by turbulence that sent some to the hospital renews debate about FAA rules and airline policies regarding "lap children." PHILADELPHIA - A baby propelled from its mother's arms when a United Airlines flight hit severe turbulence over Montana this week has reignited debate over the safety of allowing young children to be held on adults' laps when traveling at 500 mph, 30,000 feet aloft. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) allows children younger than 2 to fly for free as "lap children," although the FAA website "strongly urges" parents to use approved child-safety seats. "Your arms aren't capable of holding your children securely, especially during unexpected turbulence," the agency says. Nevertheless, the FAA does not require a separate seat for young children, saying the mandate would "force some families who can't afford the extra ticket to drive, a statistically more dangerous way to travel." Airlines permit children younger than 2 to fly for free in the United States, but for trans-Atlantic and international travel, they must have "a ticket in their name for 10 percent of the applicable adult fare," according to airline policies at American and Delta. A 10 percent ticket does not entitle infants to their own seats, the policies state. U.S. airlines used to offer discount fares for very young children to have their own seats, but most no longer do. Southwest has a "fully refundable infant fare"; the discount is $10 to $15 off its "anytime" or midrange adult fare, said airline spokesman Dan Landson. Will the turbulence that occurred as United Flight 1676, en route from Denver to Billings, Mont., started to descend and sent three crew members and two passengers to hospitals - the infant was not hurt - prompt the FAA to rethink the policy? No. "The FAA continues to encourage the use of child-restraint systems," the agency said Thursday. Requiring all families traveling with children younger than 2 to purchase tickets "would significantly raise the net price of travel for those families." Charles Leocha, director of the Consumer Travel Alliance, said his Washington, D.C.-based group has not taken a position. "Personally, I think the FAA is right," Leocha said. "Given that this has been the law and regulation for so long, and there are so few cases where anybody gets injured, I wouldn't suggest that we change the rule." http://seattletimes.com/html/nationworld/2022957677_faalapkidsxml.html Back to Top Mumbai: DGCA grounds US aircraft after detecting damage in engine Mumbai: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Thursday evening grounded United States carrier United Airlines' aircraft in Mumbai after finding major damage in its engine cover. According to sources in DGCA, the aircraft is damaged and that the craft's lower cowl is missing. However, the airline has said that cowl is intact but merely damaged. "United Airlines flight UA49 from Mumbai to New York/Newark on February 20, 2014, a Boeing 777 aircraft, was cancelled following a technical issue. A routine inspection of the aircraft on arrival at Mumbai revealed that the fan cowling on the aircraft's number 2 (right) engine was damaged, though intact," the aircraft said in a statement. This comes after the US Federal Aviation Authority had downgraded Indian civil aviation to category 2 in aviation safety. US downgraded Indian Civil aviation three weeks ago subjecting its airlines to extensive checks. This downgrade means that Indian carriers will not be able to add flights to US and they can be held up indefinitely for checks. Sources have suggested that the DGCA is also acting tough in retaliation. http://ibnlive.in.com/news/mumbai-dgca-grounds-us-aircraft--after-detecting-damage-in-engine/453561- 3-237.html Back to Top Tunisia: Crashed Airplane's Black Boxes Handed Over to Libyan Authorities Tunis - The two black boxes of the Libyan military airplane that had crashed on Friday in Grombalia (Nabeul), were handed over on Saturday to the Libyan authorities which will take over the analyses of technical data, the Transport Ministry has announced in a communiqué. Civil Aviation Director-General Kamel Ben Miled told TAP news agency that the Libyan authorities will contact the Russian company which manufactured the plane to enquire about the content of the data recorded in the two black boxes. He added that the analyses could last one or two weeks and the collected data will be presented to the Tunisian-Libyan investigation commission. Tunisia and Libya formed an investigation commission made up of 10 Tunisian and Libyan experts in airplane accidents to investigate into the crash which killed 11 persons on board of this plane. "Diagnoses will be finished off on February 23, after collecting DNA samples from 35 persons among the victims' relatives," said Mr. Ben Miled, adding that these diagnoses will be submitted to the Libyan side. http://allafrica.com/stories/201402230044.html Back to Top Chinese aircraft enter Japan's ADIZ A Chinese Tu-154. A Tu-154 electronic warfare aircraft of the People's Liberation Army Air Force and a Y-12 utility aircraft of China's State Oceanic Administration entered the Japanese air defense identification zone (ADIZ) simultaneously on Feb. 21, according to the state-run China News Service. The Japanese defense ministry first reported on Friday that a Chinese Tu-154 was detected near the border of its ADIZ while another aircraft, the Y-12, flew into the zone and was spotted 140 kilometers away from the disputed Diaoyutai islands (Senkaku to Japan, Diaoyu to China). The F-15J fighters of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force were scrambled to intercept the intruding aircraft, the ministry said. Observers say Tu-154 may have been deployed to the Diaoyutai region on a recon mission. Tensions remain high between the two nations since Japan, which controls the contested islands, nationalized three of the five islands through purchases from private owners in September 2012 - a move condemned by Beijing as an illegal appropriation of Chinese territory. Following the Peace Mission 2013, a joint anti-terrorism military exercise with Russia, China has launched a number of drills to simulate an amphibious assault to take the islands. Meanwhile, James Fannell, the director of the US Pacific Fleet's Intelligence and Information Operations said that China has the potential to launch a sudden "blitzkrieg" type strike. China has continued to deploy vessels and aircraft to the Japanese exclusive economic zone and ADIZ to challenge its administration over the area. http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?id=20140224000034&cid=1101 Back to Top Back to Top World needs pilots! Record growth leads to record need Airbus is doing brisk business in Asia --- but there may not be enough pilots to fly the planes it's selling there. STORY HIGHLIGHTS Expert says, "If we set up 100 flying schools tomorrow, it wouldn't be enough." As many as half a million new pilots needed globally Asia's airplane fleet expected to triple over next 20 years Mechanics and other qualified ground crew also in short supply (CNN) -- A 35% increase in demand for air travel. A tripling of the region's airplane fleet. Up to nearly 13,000 new planes needed. Predictions for growth in the Asia Pacific aviation industry over the next two decades are impressive. But one question keeps recurring in the region and, indeed, around the globe. Will there be enough pilots to fly the new planes and enough technicians to maintain them? "The airlines say, 'OK, we've just bought a bunch of airplanes and we've put in all our funding into the airplane,'" says Bony Sharma, vice president of Mil-Com Aerospace Group, a Singapore-based aviation training company. "Now where does the funding come in to train the pilots, to train the engineers, to train even the management people, to keep these airplanes operational and safe and flying? That's the biggest challenge that we're facing." 100 flight schools 'still not enough' Mil-Com runs training for a number of Asia-based airlines, including the privately owned Vietnamese carrier VietJet Air. Earlier in February, the low-cost carrier signed a $6.4 billion contract with Airbus for 63 new single-aisle A320 planes, the lease of seven and the option to buy a further 30 aircraft. Like so many of Asia Pacific's low cost carriers, however, VietJet Air is struggling to recruit enough personnel to fulfill its lofty ambitions, due to what Sharma describes as an "extremely serious" shortage of pilots. "All the airlines in Vietnam are heavily dependent on international pilots," says Sharma. "They're competing from the same pool of pilots as the Middle East, with the growth of Singapore, the growth of AirAsia. It's that same pool that all these airlines are competing for, so it's a big challenge in Vietnam." Mil-Com has been working with VietJet Air since it was founded in 2011, training engineers, technicians and cabin crew. At February's Singapore Airshow, Mil-Com and Eagle Flight Training of New Zealand signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Vietnam's Aerospace Engineering Services JSC (AESC), to open a flight school in Vietnam, focused on training pilots. "Even if we set up 100 airplane flying schools tomorrow, it still wouldn't be enough," says Sharma. "The shortage is that extreme." Half a million pilots needed globally Released in August 2013, the Boeing Pilot and Technical Market Outlook for 2013-2032 forecasts nearly half a million new commercial airline pilots will be needed to fly all the new airplanes entering the world fleet over the next 20 years. The problem is acute in Asia Pacific. There the Boeing report says the explosion in demand for air travel will mean 192,300 new pilots will be required by 2032, including 77,400, or 40% of them, in China. It's an issue the industry is working to address. "What we can do is partner with governments, partner with training agencies, partner with airlines and focus a training curriculum that allows the training of those pilots," says Randy Tinseth, vice president of marketing for Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "We're trying to get out in front of it." Together with partner airlines, Boeing runs pilot training schools in Singapore, South Korea, Australia, Japan and China. According to Star Alliance, All Nippon Airways' (ANA) is the world's ninth largest carrier, operating about a thousand flights per day. Ground crew also in short supply Boeing's chief competitor Airbus has a training school in Beijing and last week announced a new joint venture with Singapore Airlines to set up a $64 million facility, offering full pilot training in Singapore. Mil-Com works in China, too, with joint venture training centers in Xian in central northwest China and in Tianjin southeast of Beijing. As in Vietnam, the country is heavily dependent on foreign pilots because of the shortage of trained locals. Sharma says pilots in China are paid 25% more than anywhere else in the region, and even then airlines have problems holding on to them for any more than a couple of years. But he warns there's an even more pressing area of concern in the region. "Everybody talks about the sexy industry of pilots," he says. "Nobody talks about the poor mechanic who's in the hangar working day and night, in sweat, rain and humidity." "That's challenge number one -- attract the talent pool, because a lot of kids just say, 'Yeah I'd rather be an IT guy, work in an air-conditioned office, rather than be standing in these conditions working on an airplane,'" says Sharma. "So that's a big, big challenge to attract the right talent." According to Boeing's Pilot and Technical Market Outlook, Asia Pacific will need 215,300 new maintenance technicians to service the new airplanes entering the region between now and 2032. That's 43% of the projected global demand for technicians. David Stewart is a UK-based aviation analyst for ICF International, a government and commercial consultancy based in the Washington, D.C. area. "You can get a new pilot in 18 months," he says. "You can take it from zero, to being in the right hand seat, in 18 months. It might worry some people, but that's the truth." "And if you're growing at Japan Airlines you can go and recruit out of a low-fare carrier because the pilot at the low-fare carrier wants to fly a bigger plane. So the people who've got the problem finding the pilots are the low-fare carriers, the bottom of the food chain. "Mechanics take five years before you can sign off a plane certificate for release. So the supply chain is much more difficult there because it takes longer for it to react." AirAsia chief executive Tony Fernandes has built the Malaysia-based company into Asia\'s largest budget carrier. AirAsia chief executive Tony Fernandes has built the Malaysia-based company into Asia's largest budget carrier. Same problems, new solution? Stewart says pilot shortages have been talked about for years, as has the shortage of mechanics in the United States, yet somehow the issue always gets sorted out. Boeing's Randy Tinseth agrees. "The market's going to double over the next 15 to 20 years, but remember it doubled over the last 15 to 20 years that we've just come through," he says. "It's something we can manage through, but we have to get out ahead of it." Relatively hidden among the thousand-plus exhibitors at last week's Singapore Airshow was a small Florida-based company called DiSTI, which says it has the software to help contribute to the industry getting ahead. DiSTI does virtual maintenance training for military aircraft, including the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and the F-16. During a demonstration, in what looks like a video game, a maintenance technician circles an aircraft, in 3D. DiSTI President Joseph Swinski says his company is engaging the digital generation by giving them a platform they can relate to, with real training value. "The aircraft's always running just like it would be in the real world," he says. "So if somebody goes and pulls the wire somewhere or breaks a wire, the whole aircraft will then function in the way that it does in the real world. It's a much more realistic training." DiSTI global sales manager Christopher Giordano says by using software, you can train more cheaply, more quickly and more effectively. "Stereotypical maintenance training right now is all done with hardware," says Giordano. "Hardware's extremely expensive to build and it breaks a lot. So if you go into a virtual world and you break something, all you need to do is hit reset and you can continue your training." The company hopes to break into the market for training commercial aircraft maintenance technicians, but concedes this could still be some years away. "We find the commercial guys are a little bit slower to adopt things than the military," says Swinski. "The military likes to try things out and then validate it." "The commercial guys seem to want to wait until the military's done all that, make sure it works right and then they take a look at it. So we're kind of at that point right now." As technology improves, simulation-based pilot certification training is also starting to take on a greater role internationally. Asia Pacific has all the predictions for growth. Whether its support systems keep pace with demand remains to be seen. http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/23/travel/asia-pilot-shortage/ Back to Top Colorado Springs man arrested after nearly bringing loaded gun onto airplane A man was arrested Friday after bringing a loaded gun into the Colorado Springs airport, police said. Colorado Springs police said a Transportation Security Administration screener spotted a gun in the man's backpack. After searching the bag, officers found a loaded handgun. The man admitted that the gun was his, and told police that he forgot to remove the gun from his bag. He was released, and booked for a later flight, police said. http://gazette.com/colorado-springs-man-arrested-after-nearly-bringing-loaded-gun-onto- airplane/article/1515187#rJj7uv8TOBwk8lR2.99 Back to Top PAL to invest in Cambodia Airlines despite warnings MANILA, Philippines - Philippine Airlines has revealed that it intends to pursue its plan to invest in Cambodia Airlines in spite of warnings from industry experts that the Cambodia market is already adequately served. In a disclosure submitted to the stock exchange, Philippine Airlines declared that ongoing preparations were in progress for the completion of the contemplated joint venture agreement between Philippine Airlines and Cambodia Airlines. Last month, PAL President Ramon Ang indicated that the company was going to review its planned investment due to lingering political instability in Cambodia as it was unclear whether the project was still viable. Under the proposed deal, Philippine Airlines would team up with the Royal Group of Cambodia to establish its first international airline to be known as Cambodia Airlines. The airline would fly to regional destinations in Asia as well as domestic routes in Cambodia. In exchange for a $10 million investment, Philippine Airlines would receive a 49-percent stake in the new company and would expect to boost annual revenues by $300 to $400 million under the deal. The original down payment was scheduled to be paid in July 2013 but the project has suffered from continuous delays. Meanwhile, the Centre for Aviation, a leading industry analyst, believes that Cambodia's aviation sector does not need a second domestic carrier. In a report published earlier this month, CAPA cited Cambodia's unchanged domestic passenger figures and the low average income level in the country that suggest a new airline is not necessary. According to the report, Cambodia's domestic passenger traffic figures have been relatively flat since 2007, when Cambodia was home to four different carriers which are now all defunct. With Cambodia's sole existing full-service carrier, Cambodia Angkor Air, expanding international capacity by more than seventy percent in the last year alone, there is little room for additional capacity from new carriers. Furthermore, Cambodia is already well served by 27 foreign carriers representing approximately 84 percent of Cambodia's international seat capacity. Although opportunities may exist for new services, there is little evidence to suggest the need for a new Cambodian carrier. Philippine Airlines has been considering transferring two aircraft from its Bombardier Dash 8 turbo-prop fleet to launch domestic services competing with Cambodia Angkor Air's traditional routes to Sihanoukville and Siem Reap. The carrier would also launch service to Battamabang and Ratanakkiri provinces. However, CAPA believes that domestic destinations are not large enough to support 50 to 70 seat aircraft and that smaller 19 or 30 seat aircraft are a more logical choice. While the Dash 8 aircraft would be suitable for short-haul international markets such as Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand, these markets are already highly competitive and domestic markets could prove to be even more challenging. Cambodia Airlines was also planning to acquire two Airbus A321 aircraft for international operations from PAL's batch of existing orders. The decision of Philippine Airlines to proceed with the project is certainly a cause of concern particularly given the weak prospects of the venture. The CAPA report suggested that abandoning the project would be a good move for Philippine Airlines, which already faces struggles of its own attempting to restore profitability in the highly competitive and price-sensitive Philippine market. In its report, CAPA suggested that Philippine Airlines would be much better off focusing on reducing expenditures and improving profitability of its own operations in the Philippines rather than playing in the Cambodian market. CAPA added that Philippine Airlines needs to focus on maturing each one of its new markets and building Manila into a stronger hub. In addition, PAL will need to establish new partnerships in order to help market and ensure the long term viability of its new long-haul flights particularly to London. It is the only way that PAL will be able to successfully expand its network. With the absence of a global airline alliance membership and a very limited number of codeshare partners, developing a partnership portfolio is far more important for Philippine Airlines rather than attempting to build an empire with overseas affiliates. The Centre for Aviation made its position very clear that while Cambodia is a growing market, the opportunities are very small and the existing market can barely support additional capacity to the Philippines without even considering the prospects of a new full-service carrier. CAPA believes that PAL should avoid revisiting any Cambodian project or pursuing any other overseas joint ventures. However, the latest disclosure at the stock exchange suggests that Philippine Airlines executives believe otherwise and has every intention of pursuing the project in spite of the limited demand, market potential and high risk involved. Brendan Sobie, Chief Analyst at CAPA, suggested that political unrest in Cambodia will have little influence on the aviation sector. In an interview with Cambodian media, Sobie indicated that the market could sustain political blips. "Political instability could create a blip, but as the tourism industry in neighbouring Thailand has proven again and again, the market will likely recover," said Sobie. "So far, tourists have shown no signs of cancelling trips to Cambodia, despite the recent protests." In spite of continuing garment worker demonstrations and violence, tourist arrivals at Siem Reap and Phnom Penh airports have actually increased by twenty-five percent. Although Ramon Ang previously suggested hesitation with the project, David Pearson, Group Controller at the Royal Group of Cambodia, indicated that the project was still on track and very close to being finalised in spite of the original comments made by Ang. "We are in regular discussion with PAL on the project," said Pearson. "Given the information in the reports, it would be foolish of me to give a concrete date and discussions need to be had with PAL to find out what the direction is." Pearson added that although Cambodia Angkor Air's service is good, competition is healthy and that another locally based domestic and international carrier would be good for the Cambodian aviation market. Pearson remains confident in the launch of a new full-service domestic carrier in spite of Cambodia Angkor Air's monopoly on the market and it seems that Philippine Airlines is confident as well. PAL Express recently announced that it would be cutting a number of inter-island services in the Philippines in order to "further improve fleet performance." However, one can't help to wonder if PAL is preparing for a deployment of two of its Bombardier Dash 8 turbo-prop aircraft to Cambodia. Source: philippineflightnetwork.com http://www.eturbonews.com/43078/pal-invest-cambodia-airlines-despite-warnings Curt Lewis