Flight Safety Information March 3, 2014 - No. 044 In This Issue American Airlines Plane Slides Off DFW Airport Taxiway Navy pilot killed during flight training in Nevada Female Pilots Sharply Reduce Helicopter Losses Pilots defend safety of home-built planes Nigeria: U.S. Team Due in Nigeria for Air Safety Certification American Airlines plane declares emergency after striking flock of birds FAA seeks new safety measures for Boeing 737 planes PRISM SMS Gulf Flight Safety Council meets in Abu Dhabi Satmex-9 Satellite to Host Payload to Enhance Aviation Safety Austin's first transatlantic flight set for take off (Texas) GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY American Airlines Plane Slides Off DFW Airport Taxiway An American Airlines plane with steering problems slid off the taxiway at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. According to DFW Airport representatives, the AA plane was not in service and was being taxied to a maintenance hanger for repairs to its steering system. Airport representatives did not immediately identify which taxiway the plan slide off from, but said no on was injured as the plane was only being operated by a small number of maintenance personnel. Crews were working to get the plane off of the grass at the last update. Representatives said they do not believe the plane slid due to any ice patches. http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/American-Airlines-Plane-Slides-Off-DFW-Aiport-Tarmac- 248176811.html Back to Top Navy pilot killed during flight training in Nevada Coughing among pilots and fears that contaminants were leaking into their breathing The U.S. Navy said Monday one of its pilots was killed during a training flight in Western Nevada. The statement from the U.S. Pacific Fleet said the pilot crashed late Saturday afternoon, leaving his F/A- 18C craft at a "total loss," Fox News reported. Rescue crews spent hours trying to get to the plane's debris due to snowy weather and treacherous mountainous terrain, Lt. Reagan Lauritzen said. The jet - a loaner from the Marines for the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center - crashed about 70 miles east of Naval Air Station Fallon, the Navy spokesman said, Fox News reported. The pilot's name is being withheld, pending notification of next of kin. Meanwhile, the cause of the crash is being investigated. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/mar/3/navy-pilot-killed-during-flight-training- nevada/#ixzz2uu47eka5 Back to Top Female Pilots Sharply Reduce Helicopter Losses March 3, 2014: U.S. Army Aviation has come to realize what automobile insurance companies have known for a long time; women are safer drivers. While ten percent of army helicopter pilots are women, only three percent of helicopter accidents occur when a woman is the pilot. This not a new or unique situation. For thousands of years it was known that women were better than men for a lot of combat support tasks, like camp management and tending the wounded. There have been numerous situations where women ended up in command (usually because of noble birth and the death of available male nobles to command) and performed exceptionally well. As firearms replaced weapons that depended more on muscle (which men still have a lot more of) women began to show up as superior for combat tasks as well. During World War II Russia found that women made better snipers. This was a task that did not depend on a lot of muscle, but did require exceptional stealth, concentration and patience. By the end of the war over 2,000 women had served as snipers and the list of the best snipers during the war was full of females. Several of the female snipers got over 300 kills. The best male snipers had over 500 kills but there were only a handful of them. Most Russian snipers did not survive the war. Only 25 percent of the female snipers did. It was much harder for a woman to become a sniper in the first place because women were not allowed in the infantry. But early on it became common knowledge that many women were good at sniping and many commanders let their female support troops know that there was always a need for effective snipers for those who wanted to try out. The Russians had a similar experience with female pilots, although there was a lot of resistance to having women fighter pilots. But those who did get into fighter units did so because they were exceptional pilots and had no problem pulling the trigger. Like the United States, Russia used women pilots for a lot of non- combat flying jobs. But the United States never even let the women wear a uniform, the female pilots were all contractors. As such they performed a lot of difficult tasks, like flying aircraft from factory to air bases despite frequent encounters with horrendous weather. In Russia female pilots wore a uniform and were treated as military pilots. Eventually women got into military aviation and eventually served as combat pilots. As their numbers and flight hours increased there was enough data to show trends. One result is that the army now knows what the insurance industry has known for over half a century. The military also found that women excelled at intelligence work and many administrative tasks. As more women entered these fields the average effectiveness of people in those jobs increased and the military benefitted. These are lessons commercial firms learned decades ago and once more another military "innovation" is little more than adopting ideas that have already been discovered, tried and proven in commercial organizations. http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htatrit/articles/20140303.aspx Back to Top Pilots defend safety of home-built planes In this Feb. 17, 2014 photo, Palm Beach County Sherrif's personnel investigate the scene where single-engine, amateur-built plane crashed into a golf course pond that claimed the life 58-year-old pilot Leonard McGarity in Wellington, Fla. Categorized as "experimental" by the Federal Aviation Administration, planes like McGarity's, which are delivered in boxes via semi-trailer trucks, cost as little as $25,000 and can be assembled by anyone with a monkey wrench and a garage, are limited to recreational, non-commercial purposes and must have at least 51 percent of its assembly completed by an amateur builder. WELLINGTON, Fla. (AP) - Leonard McGarity flew countless miles during a quarter-century as an American Airlines pilot, captaining the most sophisticated planes in commercial aviation. But in his spare time, the 58-year-old McGarity enjoyed outings in his SUV-sized, experimental, amateur- built aircraft, taking off and landing on an airstrip within throwing distance from his home at the Wellington Aero Club. McGarity, the father of two Wellington High School students, was killed on impact recently when his Sonex single-engine plane plunged nose first into a golf course pond. "With aircraft, people always want to know: Why are they falling out of the sky?" said Scott Thatcher, an engineer from Palm Beach Gardens who has flown planes for 60-plus years. "But they're not. It's just that it happens so infrequently that when they do, it's of major interest." It's of particular interest when accidents involve planes like the one owned by McGarity, which are delivered in boxes via semi-trailer trucks, cost as little as $25,000 and can be assembled by anyone with a monkey wrench and a garage. Categorized as "experimental" by the Federal Aviation Administration, the planes are limited to recreational, non-commercial purposes and must have at least 51 percent of its assembly completed by an amateur builder. Flying afficionados fear that words like "experimental" and "amateur-built" give the public the wrong impression. They point out that planes like McGarity's undergo rigorous FAA inspections and must fly for up to 40 hours over unpopulated areas before they are deemed airworthy. Pilots are required to maintain the same training and ratings as those that fly such production aircraft as Cessnas or Beechcrafts. William Perry, a technical counselor for the Experimental Aircraft Association and an engineer at Pratt & Whitney in Jupiter, said home-built planes "are not scary at all." "Most experimental airplanes that I've inspected have superb workmanship," said Perry, who has home- built five planes himself. "The guy building that plane knows he's going to put his butt and his family on that airplane and go flying with it. So why would he cut corners and do stupid things?" An average home-built plane will take anywhere between 1,000 and 3,000 hours to construct, according to industry insiders. While they can be assembled within a year, former U.S. Navy pilot Kenneth Kopp spent 21 months and around $80,000 customizing his RV-8 plane that he's flown for 500 hours and used on cross-country trips. "The word experimental makes some people nervous because they envision some uneducated guy in his garage with his hammer and blow torch hodge-podging things together," said Kopp, a helicopter test pilot in Jupiter. "But, by and large, the experimental market is represented by lots of professional, well- educated, very meticulous kinds of people who put their heart and soul into their airplanes. Kopp points out that all planes, from Orville and Wilbur Wright's first flying machine to the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, began as experimental. "If it wasn't for experimental planes, we wouldn't have aviation today," Kopp said. "It's part of the normal development process for flying." But are experimental aircraft safe? Individual owners insist they are, although the numbers are somewhat mixed. A 2012 study by the National Transportation Safety Board revealed that amateur-built aircraft made up nearly 10 percent of U.S. general aviation planes in 2011, but accounted for 15 percent of all accidents and slightly more than 20 percent of fatal accidents. But the FAA reported last year that from Oct. 1, 2012, to Sept. 30, 2013, fatal crashes in experimental planes dropped to 35 from 50 compared to the previous 12 months. There are around 33,000 home-built aircraft registered in the United States with about 1,000 new planes added to the rolls each year, according to industry sources. With production aircraft costing around $250,000 along with thousands more in annual maintenance fees, the popularity of experimentals isn't expected to wane any time soon even after accidents like the one that cost McGarity his life. "There are thousands of experimental aircraft out there being flown for thousands of hours and when one person has something like this happen, the planes get a huge bad rap," said Dr. Jeff Johnson, dean of Lynn University's School of Aeronautics and a U.S. Air Force fighter pilot for 15 years. "But they really are very safe airplanes, and the people that fly them are typically very safe." People who get themselves in trouble in home-built planes are generally pilots with "a lot of flying experience that want to go out and do more stuff than the airplane was ever designed to do," Johnson said. It will be months before the NTSB determines what caused McGarity's plane to crash. Friends speculate that a mechanical problem likely caused the crash, adding that McGarity was a complete pro in the cockpit unlikely to have suffered a fatal lapse in judgment. "These are proven planes, but anything can break or have failure," said Kopp, a friend of McGarity's who had flown formations with him. "Just like driving down the road, you never know when you're going to get a flat tire. The problem is, in an airplane you can't just pull over to the side of the road." http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Pilots-defend-safety-of-home-built-planes-5281841.php Back to Top Nigeria: U.S. Team Due in Nigeria for Air Safety Certification Lagos - A team from the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is set to visit Nigeria on March 31 to commence Nigeria's International Air Safety Assessment (IASA) category one certification as the status Nigeria attained three years ago nears expiry. Nigeria attained the status on September 18, 2010. This critical assessment will determine whether Nigeria will continue to enjoy the coveted status or lose it. A category one status means Nigeria's aviation industry is healthy and of high integrity. It also allows Nigerian aircraft direct access to US airspace and engenders investor confidence. Due to the enhanced safety rating, insurance premium for airlines has been reasonable. This is one of the most significant operating costs for an airline. Briefing news men in Lagos yesterday, the Director General, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) Capt. Fola Akinkuotu said the US FAA has officially written to Nigeria announcing their visit for the exercise. He expressed the confidence that the Nigerian Aviation industry is ready for the exercise and would be re- certified by the US aviation watchdog. He said to ensure that everything is put on ground ahead of the visit, the NCAA has set up a technical committee to provide support and drive all the preparation process. Membership of this committee is drawn from the Flight Safety Group (FSG) directorates .These are Directorate of Airworthiness Standard (DAWS), Directorate of Licensing (DOL) and Directorate of Operations and Training (DOT). Others are Directorate of Finance and Accounts (DFA), Directorate of Human Resources (DHR), Directorate of Administration (DOA) and the Legal department. The chairman of the Technical committee is Capt Abdullahi Sidi, the Director of Operations and Training while the secretary is Dr. W.T.Haggai Ag. Head, Aeromedical Standards. http://allafrica.com/stories/201403031355.html Back to Top American Airlines plane declares emergency after striking flock of birds in takeoff, safely returns to D/FW Airport Emergency vehicles surround American Airlines plane after safely landing at DFW Airport (Scott Gordon, KXAS-TV (NBC5)) Update at 8:35 p.m.: Passengers were moved to a different aircraft and their flight to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport was scheduled for an 8:30 p.m. departure, an American Airlines spokesperson said. There were 123 passengers and five crew members aboard the commercial jet. No injuries were reported. Update at 8:02 p.m.: There was minor damage to the left engine, according to the FAA. Original post: An American Airlines flight bound for Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport quickly returned to D/FW Airport after striking a flock of birds on takeoff, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Flight 1188, which was scheduled to depart around 6:20 p.m., declared an emergency after striking the birds and quickly returned to D/FW for "precautionary measures," according to the FAA. The plane has since landed safely and American Airlines crews are checking the plane for any damage. It is unclear how many people were on board. http://thescoopblog.dallasnews.com/2014/02/american-airlines-plane-declares-emergency-after-striking- flock-of-birds-in-takeoff-safely-returns-to-dfw-airport.html/ Back to Top FAA seeks new safety measures for Boeing 737 planes: report (Reuters) - U.S. aviation regulators on Monday plan to propose improving cockpit automation to help prevent pilot errors that have caused fatal airline crashes, according to a media report. The Federal Aviation Administration wants cockpit automation fixes in nearly 500 Boeing Co (BA.N) 737 planes to ensure pilots have adequate safeguards if airspeed falls too low, particularly during landing approaches, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday. Foreign regulators are likely to follow suit, the newspaper said. The FAA was not immediately available for comment. Boeing, in an email to Reuters, said the company "works closely with the FAA to monitor the fleet for potential safety issues and take appropriate actions." The U.S. aircraft manufacturer said "the proposed rule mandates actions Boeing previously recommended to operators." The crash of Asiana Airlines Flight 214 into a seawall in San Francisco airport on July 6 raised questions about whether pilots relied too much on automated flight controls in large passenger jets. The pilots of that flight realized too late that the plane was flying too low and much too slowly even though they had set a control system, called an auto-throttle, to keep the Boeing 777 at a constant speed. http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/03/us-boeing-faa-safety-idUSBREA220AH20140303 Back to Top Back to Top Press Release - Gulf Flight Safety Council meets in Abu Dhabi The Gulf Flight Safety Council (GFSC) has conducted its first meeting for the year 2014 on Sunday 2nd of March in Gulf Center for Aviation Studies (GCAS) building in Bateen Airport (Abu Dhabi). The Council conducts its meeting periodically every three months to exchange information on Flight Safety issues among more than two Hundred Members (200) representing more than Eighty (80) different agencies from around the world that have interest in the Gulf region Flight Safety. Among the recent activities of the GFSC, which aims to improve Flight Safety in the Gulf Region, was the organization of the Aviation Safety Management Systems course delivered last week in Dubai by the University of Southern California (USC). This is the first course of an ongoing educational partnership between the GFSC and the USC that will deliver the Safety and Security Program in the Gulf region. The Gulf Flight Safety Council has addressed many regionally and internationally important Flight Safety issues in its Sunday meeting. The Council has emphasized the importance of the continuous cooperation and exchange of information among all stakeholders in the Aviation field as a cornerstone in building the highest possible level of safety regionally and internationally, the attendees also agreed on seconding the International Air Transportation Association (IATA) point of view that does not endorse the approach of Safety Ranking of Air Carriers conducted by some Websites; and stand with the view of the airline community that safety is not a competitive issue. GFSC strongly supports and encourages all possible mechanisms to exchange information that enhances flight safety, said Captain Mohammed Ahmed Malatani the Chairman of Council after the Sunday meeting. For additional information, contact Captain Mohammed Ahmed Malatani: chair@gfsc.aero or +966 505 356760 About the Gulf Flight Safety Council The Gulf Flight Safety Council began over a cup of coffee several years ago in Oman, when a small group of individuals sought to establish a focus for Gulf regional flight safety issues. From those humble beginnings the GFSC has grown into a diverse organization consisting of members from all over the region and around the world, including manufacturers, regulators, air traffic service providers, business jet and VVIP operators, airli Back to Top Satmex-9 Satellite to Host Payload to Enhance Aviation Safety Satmex, owned by Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL), Boeing [NYSE: BA] and Raytheon [NYSE: RTN] today announced that the all-electric propulsion Satmex-9 satellite being built by Boeing will carry a hosted payload enabling the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to enhance aviation safety. The FAA payload is the first in a series of WAAS commercial space missions. Scheduled for launch by Space-X in the second half of 2015, the Satmex-9 satellite is based on the 702SP (small platform) developed by Boeing. It will be co-positioned at 117° West with the Satmex-8 satellite to offer expanded capacity across more than 45 nations and territories in the Americas, notably for Satmex's growing video business. Satmex's commissioning of a payload from Boeing follows the agreement it has concluded with Raytheon for a Wide-Area Augmentation System (WAAS) payload that will enhance the availability and accuracy of Global Positioning System (GPS) signals for the FAA. The WAAS payload will provide coverage to reference stations in Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico, as well as the continental United States and Alaska, improving GPS signal accuracy to seven meters from 100 meters. Commercial airline and general aviation pilots can use this extremely accurate information for more direct flight paths and precision approaches to airports and remote landing sites. WAAS is the sixth order for Boeing's next-generation hosted payload since 2009, and the first to be included on an all-electric satellite. "The Satmex-9 satellite will be a key plank of our strategy to increase resources for video and data applications in Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean," said Patricio Northland, CEO of Satmex. "We are delighted to expand the scope of an innovative and creative platform with the addition of a payload for Raytheon that will contribute to increasing the integration of satellite solutions into aviation safety." "With a 17-year legacy as the developer of the WAAS capability, Raytheon is proud to be the FAA's prime contractor for the GEO Service Lease and very pleased to have Satmex and Boeing on our GEO 5 team," said Raytheon Director Brian Hickey. "Boeing continues to be in the forefront of providing operational hosted payloads to our many customers," said Craig Cooning, CEO of Boeing Satellite Systems International. "Like all 702 satellites, the 702SP capitalizes on extra satellite capacity to provide vital services to both government and commercial operators." A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is one of the world's largest defense, space and security businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world's largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is a $33 billion business with 58,000 employees worldwide. Follow us on Twitter: @BoeingDefense. Satélites Mexicanos (Satmex), owned by Eutelsat Communications (NYSE Euronext Paris: ETL) is a significant provider of fixed satellite services (FSS) in the Americas, with coverage of more than 90% of the population of the region. Satmex has designed, procured, launched and operated three generations of satellites over a 25 year period. Its current fleet is comprised of three satellites in highly attractive, contiguous orbital slots that enable its customers to effectively serve their entire coverage footprint utilizing a single satellite connection. Two further satellites are scheduled to be launched in 2015. Raytheon Company, with 2013 sales of $24 billion and 63,000 employees worldwide, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, security and civil markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning 92 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration and other capabilities in the areas of sensing; effects; and command, control, communications and intelligence systems, as well as cyber security and a broad range of mission support services. Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham, Mass. For more about Raytheon, visit us at www.raytheon.com and follow us on Twitter @Raytheon. http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=42617 Back to Top Austin's first transatlantic flight set for take off (Texas) AUSTIN (KXAN) - The longest flight out of Austin's airport launches this week. You'll be able to fly direct from Austin Bergstrom International Airport to London on British Airways. The non-stop service between ABIA and London Heathrow starts Monday, with the first flight arriving in Austin at 5:00 in the evening. "Direct international flights are always good. It's more convenient," said traveler Jason Quigley. The transatlantic flight is the first of its kind for Austin. The non-stop flight to London is making travelers happy. "It's just less stressful. It's just simpler. It makes the traveler experience much more pleasant," said Martye Bradley. To tout the flight, British Airways took KXAN behind the scenes to show the new plane, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft. They have a set up at the Driskill Hotel downtown, with a cockpit simulator and replicas of what a business class seat looks like. The plane seats up to 214 passengers. Sean Doyle with British Airways says there's interest in London-and throughout Britain and Europe-in traveling to Austin. "Austin is a big market and it's a growing market. It's got a great start up scene here and it's got a fantastic tourism proposition," Doyle said. Locally, business leaders say it's pivotal for growth and sustainability. "We do have extremely significant ties with the UK amongst our tech industry," said Maggie Bishop with the Austin Chamber of Commerce. Bishop says the flight will have a $69 million impact on Austin in the first year and is expected to grow to more than $70 million after three years. Right now, the flight between Austin and London is available five days a week. By May the airline says there will be daily flights. http://kxan.com/2014/03/02/austins-first-transatlantic-flight-set-for-take-off/ Back to Top GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY Greetings! My name is Cristina Gonzalez, and I am a Master of Science in Safety Science student at the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Prescott Campus. I Am basing my final research on the Standardization of English in International Aviation for my Graduate Research Project. This survey is completely anonymous and directed at Pilots and Air Traffic Controllers. It is designed for people who work or have worked in international aviation. The purpose of it is to see how people in the international aviation arena feel about the Language Proficiency Requirements (LPR\'s)required by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to fly or be a controller, and also to find out what the general opinion is on English Standardization in International Aviation. In the history of aviation many accidents and serious incidents have occurred due to problems in understanding communications due to language barriers. A prime example is the Tenerife disaster in 1977. By completing this survey you implicitly give your consent for the use of the information answered. Thank you for your help. Here is the link for the survey!! https://survey.zohopublic.com/zs/snBVsl Curt Lewis