Flight Safety Information June 4, 2014 - No. 113 In This Issue Malfunctioning Flight-Control System Likely Led to Lewis Katz Jet Crash Gulfstream IVs have few blemishes on safety record Is mystery underwater sound the crash of Flight 370? FBI offers $10,000 reward to combat aircraft 'lasing' Alarming Number of Pilots Have Resigned from Hong Kong Airlines in Last Six Months PRISM SMS Nepal installing new radar system to boost air safety Few customers for Boeing 747 despite upgrade IJAAA Article Submissions Gulf Flight Safety Council to meet in Doha, Qatar..22nd of June 2014 ERAU Unmanned Aircraft Systems Short Course, Seattle Campus Upcoming Events Malfunctioning Flight-Control System Likely Led to Lewis Katz Jet Crash Preliminary Information Hasn't Revealed Any Obvious Engine Problems After Saturday's Crash By ANDY PASZTOR A National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) official looks over the wreckage of a Gulfstream IV private jet at Hanscom Airfield in Bedford, Massachusetts, June 2, 2014. Reuters Federal investigators suspect a malfunctioning flight-control system likely led to the business jet crash that killed Lewis Katz, the co-owner of the Philadelphia Inquirer, and six other people, according to one person familiar with the probe. Preliminary information downloaded from the plane's flight-data recorder hasn't revealed any obvious engine problems during Saturday night's fatal takeoff attempt in Boston, this person said. On Tuesday, the National Transportation Safety Board indicated the relatively lightly-loaded aircraft accelerated to about 190 miles an hour, fast enough to become airborne. Safety experts said the runway was long enough to safely handle a much heavier plane. But when the pilots apparently tried to pull up the Gulfstream IV's nose to climb away from the strip, the cockpit-voice recorder "captured comments concerning aircraft control," Luke Schiada, the investigator in charge, told reporters. Mr. Schiada said the plane never lifted off the strip, but declined to elaborate about the conversation between the pilots. The experienced cockpit crew applied the brakes and deployed thrust reversers, devices at the rear of the engines used to slow a plane down as it rolls down a runway. "There are indications that the brake pressure was rising consistent with deceleration, and we're also observing tire marks on the runway," Mr. Schiada said. He previously said the pilots didn't make any emergency transmissions to air-traffic controllers. Investigators, among other things, will delve into when the pilots opted to abort the takeoff and how much runway they had left to try to stop safely. The twin-engine, 14-year-old jet came to rest in a water-filled gully 2,000 feet from the end of the runway and burst into flames. Four passengers including Mr. Katz, both pilots and a flight attended died. It is likely to take months for the NTSB to formally determine a cause, and the probe's direction could shift if new evidence surfaces. But so far, investigators appear focused on determining why elevators, movable surfaces on the tail that point a plane's nose up or down, seemingly didn't operate as the pilots expected. The plane's flaps, movable panels at the rear of the wings to increase lift, were properly extended, according to preliminary data. The initial portion of the takeoff roll also seemed normal, according to Mr. Schiada, with the pilots making verbal callous about increasing speed as called for in Gulfstream training manuals About 50 seconds elapsed between the start of the takeoff roll and the sound of impact captured on the cockpit recorder, or so-called black box. The accident occurred in good weather at Hanscom Field, a small airport about 20 miles northwest of Boston. The Gulfstream IV crashed at about 9:40 p.m. Saturday Mr. Katz, who was 72 years old, was returning from a charity event at the home of Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Doris Kearns Goodwin. Also killed in the crash was Anne Leeds, the 74-year old wife of Longport, N.J., Commissioner James P. Leeds Sr.; Marcella Dalsey, the 59-year-old executive director of the Drew A. Katz Foundation; and Susan Asbell, a 67-year-old board member of the Boys & Girls Club of Camden County, where Mr. Katz was deeply involved. Also killed were three people on the flight crew, including the 51-year-old pilot James McDowell, of Georgetown, Del.; the 45-year-old co-pilot Bauke "Mike" de Vries, of Marlton, N.J., and the 48-year-old flight attendant, Teresa Ann Benhoff, of Easton, MD. http://online.wsj.com/articles/malfunctioning-flight-control-system-likely-led-to-lewis-katz-jet-crash- 1401870715 Back to Top Gulfstream IVs have few blemishes on safety record Hanscom takeoff crash is second fatal one More than a dozen National Transportation Safety Board investigators scoured the crash site at Hanscom Field in Bedford on Monday. The Gulfstream IV, the type of business jet that crashed Saturday while attempting to take off from Hanscom Field, has an excellent reputation for safety, having crashed during takeoff only one other time since the aircraft's debut in 1987, according to experts and federal safety records. "They are very well-built airplanes," R. John Hansman, a professor in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said Monday in a phone interview. Investigators are trying to determine why the plane left the runway, struck an antenna, and burst through a chain-link fence before sliding into a gully, killing all seven people aboard. An airport employee told investigators the aircraft never took flight, a National Transportation Safety Board official said. 6/01/2014 - Bedford, MA - Hanscom Air Force Base Civil Air terminal - Frank McGinn, cq right, with the Massachusetts State Police, and Gary Coffey, cq, left, with the FBI, were on site at Hanscom Air Force Base the morning after a fatal plane crash that killed 7 people, including the co-owner of the Philadelphia Enquirer. Members of the media waited on Sunday morning for updates regarding a fatal plane crash at Hanscom Air Force Base that took place on the night before on May 31, 2014. Dina Rudick/Globe Staff. Aviation experts told the Globe that investigators would probably examine whether the pilot tried to abort takeoff and encountered a problem, such as a blown tire or brake failure, that prevented the aircraft from stopping while still on the runway. "This is a very unusual accident," said Bruce Landsberg, president of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Foundation in Frederick, Md. Experts said that even if one of the aircraft's two Rolls-Royce Tay 611-8 engines failed, the remaining one packs enough power to allow the jet to take off. "It's safer to fly than to try to stop because I may run out of runway if I go any farther," Landsberg said. Gulfstream IV accidents overall - not just those during takeoff, but in other situations as well - total 18. Of those, four were fatal - including the Hanscom Field crash - and three others resulted in serious injuries, according to Landsberg. He described that number of incidents as "very few." The entire fleet of Gulfstream IV aircrafts has spent more than 4 million hours in the air, said Steve Cass, a spokesman for Gulfstream Aerospace Corp., which manufactured the aircraft. The only other fatal crash involving a takeoff took place on Oct. 30, 1996, at the Palwaukee Municipal Airport in Wheeling, Ill., according to a NTSB report. The plane lifted off momentarily before it belly- crashed, sliding across a field and gully and coming to rest on the edge of an apartment complex parking lot. The airplane was consumed by fire and four people were killed. In that case, investigators found that the pilot failed to maintain control of the accelerating plane as it was buffeted by gusty crosswinds and veered off the runway, according to news accounts. The pilot was also faulted for failing to abort the takeoff while there was still time, a NTSB report said. Investigators blamed the co-pilot for failing to monitor the situation and take action to avoid the accident, according to the report. The two other fatal accidents involving the Gulfstream IV took place abroad. On Feb. 12, 2012, a flight carrying 12 people crashed during landing at Bukavu-Kamenbe Airport in the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to the NTSB. The aircraft overran the runway, went down an embankment, and came to a stop in a ravine. The pilot, co-pilot, and two passengers were killed, the NTSB said. Five months later, on July 13, 2012, a Gulfstream IV crashed while trying to land at Le Castellet Airport in southern France, killing three American crew members, according to the NTSB and news reports. Some high-profile passengers have also had close calls on the aircraft. Last year, a Gulfstream IV carrying former president George W. Bush made an emergency landing after the smell of smoke was reported in the cockpit, according to news reports. No one was injured. In 2005, a Gulfstream IV plane carrying Andrew Card, then the White House chief of staff, made an emergency landing in Nashville after smoke began pouring into the cockpit, according to a news report. No one was injured. Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. produced more than 500 Gulfstream IV aircraft for customers between 1987 and 2003, Cass said in an e-mail. The company now produces the G450 aircraft, which is a variant of the Gulfstream IV, according to the company. The aircraft has a range of about 4,800 miles and has the capability to fly eight people nonstop from Philadelphia to all of Europe, the northern half of South America, or to all of North America, Cass said. John Deakin, a retired pilot and president of Advanced Pilot Seminars, said in an e-mail that the Gulfstream IV is one of the few airplanes that can travel such a distance with a full load. The cabin is certified to hold 19 passengers with a crew of three people, though most operators outfit the aircraft to seat 12 to 16 passengers, said Cass. http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/06/03/gulfstream-jet-has-crashed-only-one-other-time-takeoff- records-show/bTJIW1jxllbxtDixbHUdjJ/story.html Back to Top Is mystery underwater sound the crash of Flight 370? An Australian university releases an audio clip and other information Researchers have studied records from underwater listening devices A sound that was picked up is not near the current search area for MH370 The academics say it could be related to the missing plane, or just a natural event (CNN) -- Australian researchers released an audio recording Wednesday of an underwater sound that they say could possibly be related to the final moments of missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. It's a long shot, but researchers at Curtin University near Perth, Australia, have been studying records from underwater listening devices, including those meant to monitor for signs of underwater nuclear explosions, in an effort to help find the missing plane. "One signal has been detected on several receivers that could be related to the crash," said Alec Duncan with the university's Centre for Marine Science and Technology (CMST). Researchers have been analyzing the very low frequency sound for weeks to see if it was "the impact of the aircraft on the water or the implosion of parts of the aircraft as it sank," Duncan said. "But (the source of the noise) is just as likely to be a natural event." Low frequency signals can travel thousands of miles through water under favorable circumstances, at about 1 mile per second, Duncan said. But "at the moment (the sound) appears to be inconsistent with other data about the aircraft position," he said. That's because researchers at Curtin University believe the sound came from an area thousands of miles to the northwest of the current search area in the southern Indian Ocean. And even then, they haven't been able to pinpoint the source. Duncan says his team has calculated an "uncertainty box" for the signal's origin. It's area that stretches some 2,485 miles in length from southeast to northwest across the Indian Ocean, and spans some 124 to 186 miles in width at its widest point. The center of the long, narrow box is south of the tip of India, as shown in a map released Wednesday. The university on Wednesday released an audio clip captured by one of the listening devices, off of Perth. Duncan says his team has sped up the recording 10 times to make it audible to the human ear. It also shared charts of acoustic signal plots showing what various devices detected. Searching in the right place? The search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight continues to focus along an arc hundreds of kilometers long, the area where investigators believe the Boeing 777 ran out of fuel, about 1,000 miles off the coast of Western Australia. Martin Dolan, the chief commissioner with the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), the organization leading the search into MH370 at the request of Malaysia, says an international team of experts continues to review the analysis of Inmarsat satellite data and aircraft performance. In a television exclusive, Dolan told CNN's "Erin Burnett OutFront" he remains confident the final resting place of MH370 is somewhere along that arc, the so-called "partial handshake" with the satellite: "We've seen all the data. We've seen all the calculations. We are reviewing the calculations and are also developing our own model to cross check and verify that information," Dolan told Burnett. When asked last week about the underwater sound being analyzed by the team at Curtin University, along with Geoscience Australia, a government agency, Dolan was skeptical. Expert: The frequencies were never right Malaysia missing plane data released "We think that those detections may have been interesting from the point of view of the direction they came, but other characteristics make it unlikely that they are associated with MH370," he said. The ATSB first referenced these signals in a document posted on its website on May 26. Listening below the surface As was the case with the Inmarsat satellite -- a communications satellite whose data was analyzed by Malaysia Airlines MH370 investigators as a navigational aide -- the analysis of the underwater signals involves the use of technology for a different purpose than its original intent. One of the devices, operated by Curtin University and located some 12 miles off Perth, is designed to listen to whales and other marine life. The other is for signs of underwater nuclear explosions, one of 11 operated worldwide by the U.N.-chartered Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) as part of the International Monitoring System. Early in the search for Malaysia Flight 370, the United Nations reported it had not detected any explosions or plane crashes on land or water from its sensors around the globe. But the recent efforts involve pairing CTBTO data with other sources to see what can be gleaned, officials said. "One can always be hopeful," said Mark Prior, a seismic acoustic analyst with the CTBTO. The CTBTO's hydro-acoustic stations detect low frequency sound in the 0-100 Hz range, and can't detect black box "pings" in the 30-40 kHz range, officials said. "It's possible (to detect a plane crash), but the circumstances that would allow it would have to be very particular," said Prior. Prior said some of those circumstances might include a sloping sea bed. Another possible scenario: the origin of the sound would need to be near the listening device. The CTBTO's system near Cape Leeuwin, the southwestern-most point of Australia, regularly captures signals of ice breaking noise from Antarctica and seismic activity from Indonesia, he said. "There are other scenarios that would allow (the hydrophones to detect a crash). But it's not certain if there was an impact we would detect it," Prior said. Attempts were made following the 2009 crash of Air France 447 in the southern Atlantic Ocean to see if underwater listening devices had detected the plane's impact. No data could be found. Years later, after the plane was located, CTBTO again checked its data, and still was not able to identify signals related to the crash. http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/03/world/asia/malayisa-airlines-flight-370-search/ Back to Top FBI offers $10,000 reward to combat aircraft 'lasing' The FBI has launched a 90-day nationwide campaign offering rewards of up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest of people who point lasers at aircraft. The FBI and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) began tracking incidents in which people deliberately targeted aircraft with handheld lasers, known as "lasing," and found more than 1,000-percent increase over the past nine years, according to the FBI. Over the past year and a half, there have been 66 lasing incidents reported near the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport; 481 in Los Angeles; and 297 in San Francisco, according to the FBI. The FBI, FAA and the Air Line Pilots Association International say that every incident poses a serious risk to the safety of airline pilots, passengers and people on the ground. Pilots say the laser light produces a flash similar to that of a camera when it hits the cockpit, illuminating the inside of the cabin in blinding flashes and occasionally causing permanent damage to the pilots' eyes. Lasing is a federal felony offense and carries penalties of up to five years in prison and potential fines of up to a $10,000, according to Ayn S. Dietrich, a spokeswoman for the FBI Seattle Division. "People might think this activity is a joke," said Dietrich, "but it really is not. Pilots have been literally blinded and some have had their eyesight permanently damaged." Despite some high-profile prosecutions for lasing, including one that netted a California man 14 years in prison, officials said thousands of laser attacks still go unreported every year. The reward is intended to combat that trend. The FBI is encouraging anyone with information about a lasing incident to call their local FBI field office or dial 911. http://blogs.seattletimes.com/today/2014/06/fbi-offers-10000-reward-to-combat-aircraft-lasing/ Back to Top Alarming Number of Pilots Have Resigned from Hong Kong Airlines in Last Six Months Hong Kong Airlines has been hit by an alarming amount of pilot resignations in the last six months with over 35 quitting recently, reports state. The airline claimed that the turnover was normal but a spokesman for the Hong Kong Airline Pilots Association, an organization that represents three pilot groups in Hong Kong, released a statement saying: "[The rate] is certainly not normal and is unsustainable - particularly for an airline which wishes to grow. Pilots are a long-lead-time item - they require training, which is time-consuming and expensive. You cannot replace a pilot as easily as you can replace a clerk or even a manager." But neither Hong Kong Airlines nor the Civil Aviation Department were willing to give further details about why such a high quantity of pilots are leaving the budget airline. The tide of resignations has left the airline with around 250 pilots to fly its 22 aircraft. In comparison, Cathay Pacific has over 2,900 pilots to fly around 140 aircraft. Outside sources attribute the resignations to dissatisfaction with conditions of service, lack of a commuting roster, and the rise of European aviation which has made more jobs available abroad. There have also been rumors that management had told pilots to fly more than the 12 to 14 hours stipulated by the department and risked losing bonuses if they reported it. The airline denied all such charges and instead released a statement claiming that the main reason for most pilots to leave Hong Kong Airlines was in order to return to their home countries or to pursue a wider career path. This is only the most recent setback the airline has experienced. In November, transport minister Professor Anthony Cheung Bing-leung voiced concerns over safety standards after seven "deviations from regulations" were reported on HKA flights in August and September. http://www.chinatopix.com/articles/2859/20140604/alarming-amount-pilots-resigned-hong-kong- airlines.htm Back to Top Back to Top Nepal installing new radar system to boost air safety KATMANDU, Nepal (AP) - Nepal is improving air transport safety by installing a new radar system and weather monitoring equipment to help prevent accidents during bad weather in the mountainous nation, an official said Wednesday. Tourism Secretary Sushil Ghimire said the new radar system is being installed on a mountaintop just south of Katmandu and will cover the entire country. Nepal currently has only one radar system at Katmandu's airport which has limited range because it is located in a valley. Many airstrips in the Himalayan nation are in mountain ranges, making flying dangerous during bad weather. Ghimire said cameras are being installed in those airports which will transmit data and images to flight controllers in Katmandu so they will be able to determine whether flying is safe. In February, 18 people were killed when a plane slammed into a mountain in bad snow and fog. Flying conditions were fine in Katmandu and the destination, but the weather along the way had deteriorated and the pilot did not have any warning. Information from the new equipment will enable aviation officials to map out weather conditions across the country, Ghimire said. http://www.seattlepi.com/news/world/article/Nepal-installing-radar-system-to-boost-air-safety- 5527097.php Back to Top Few customers for Boeing 747 despite upgrade The presidential aircraft fleet is made up entirely of 747s, and the 747-8 is a lock to win bidding for replacements. CHICAGO - Boeing's iconic 747 jumbo jet is gliding deeper into its twilight years, with a new Air Force One fleet offering the strongest sales prospect for a passenger model that no longer fits most airlines' needs. Even as Boeing talks with Emirates airline about an order for the upgraded 747-8, the carrier played down the chances of a deal because it's buying 150 Boeing 777X jets. That plane will be bigger and more efficient than the current 777, a twin-engine aircraft so capable that it's cannibalizing Boeing's jumbo sales. Commercial success has proved elusive for the 747-8, the latest update to an almost 50-year-old plane known for its distinctive humpbacked fuselage. While the 747-8 is a lock to win bidding that opens this year to replace the president's fleet, waning demand for the cargo variant further imperils an assembly line that has slowed to just one or two planes a month. ''Air Force One is it, unless a miracle happens in the airfreight business,'' said Glen Langdon, president of Langdon Asset Management, a San Francisco firm that has extensive experience selling used 747s and other wide-body freighters. Discussions with Emirates were disclosed this week by John Wojick, senior vice president for sales and marketing at Chicago-based Boeing's commercial airplane unit, at the annual meeting of the International Air Transport Association in Doha. Emirates is the world's largest international airline and it operates a fleet of A380s from rival Airbus Group. Boeing is fighting to land customers, even using trade-ins of older models to seal deals. Boeing faces a ''material'' accounting loss if it can't win sufficient 747 orders to recover the costs of development, according to a company filing. So far, Boeing has tallied just 51 sales for the passenger variant, known as the 747-8I or Intercontinental, since Deutsche Lufthansa AG placed the first order in 2006. This year's 747-8 order count: one. It wasn't always so grim. Pan American World Airways announced a $525 million order for 25 of the first 747s in 1966, effectively launching a program that would go on to produce almost 1,500 planes. But Boeing outdid itself with the 777-9X, the first twin-engine jet designed to carry a jumbo's haul of 407 passengers. Meanwhile, a glut of the previous 747 iteration remain parked, and Boeing cut 747 production twice last year, to 18 jets a year, as the backlog dwindled. ''We expect 747-8 sales to increase with the economy, and customers flying the airplane tell us they love its strong performance,'' Randy Tinseth, a Boeing vice-president for marketing, said in an e-mail. ''That's why we continue to invest in the 747-8, to make it even better.'' The 747-8's likeliest sales are to the Pentagon. The Air Force is planning to upgrade the all-747 presidential aircraft fleet by 2023 and has also begun studying whether to replace the ''Doomsday'' fleet, four 747-200 jets hardened against nuclear blasts that provide a mobile military command, Charles Gulick, an Air Force spokesman, said in an e-mail. The White House's fiscal year 2015 budget proposes spending $1.65 billion over five years to replace its aging Air Force One fleet, which began ferrying President George H.W. Bush in August 1990. http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2014/06/03/boeing-facing-air-force-one-swan-song-jumbo-jet-era- ends/p2X2zq5fUdfrEMm2mimytI/story.html Back to Top Back to Top Gulf Flight Safety Council to meet in Doha, Qatar 22nd of June 2014 The Gulf Flight Safety Council will have it's next meeting in Doha, Qatar on the 22nd of June 2014. Key Guest Speakers for the meeting are Captain John Cox and Captain John Ranson from Safety Operating Systems. They will be presenting two topics that are key concerns in aviation safety today - cause and effects of lithium battery dangers on aircraft and smoke evacuation. The meeting is an excellent opportunity for safety professionals from regional operators, military units, regulators and air service providers to network and share information. This meeting is also the AGM for the GFSC. If you are interested in attending please contact GFSC Secretary, Captain Mark Trotter on membership@gfsc.aero Back to Top View this email in a web page TWO-DAY CONTINUING EDUCATION UNIT (CEU) COURSE UAS Applications, Operations and Support: Key Topics of Industry This two-day, continuing education unit (CEU) course is specifically designed for professionals and specialists seeking to expand their understanding of the application, operation and support of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). Discussions will focus on the considerations, regulations, policies, business opportunities and challenges of the industry. This course is developed and taught by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Worldwide faculty with UAS operations and research experience. Who Should Attend: ? Business Developers ? Executive Leadership ? Small Business Owner/Entrepreneur ? Engineers (including aerospace, communications, electrical, GNC, hardware, logistics, software, systems, quality assurance and test) ? UAS Operators, Pilots, Sensor Operators ? Analysts (system, data management, manufacturing, operations, procurement, research and quality) ? Managers (account, contracts, program, project and operations) ? Training Developers/Coordinators ? Administrators (government, contracts, IT and property) ? Planners (mission, facilities, schedule and strategic) ? Technicians (avionics, electronics, manufacturing and radio frequency) ? Writers (technical, grant and proposal) Key Topics: ? Introduction and Impact of UAS ? UAS Designs ? Legislation, Certification and Regulation ? Industry Concerns ? Applications ? Operational Profiles ? Business Opportunities ? Future of UAS When: Where: Course Fee: Thursday, June 5 to Friday, June 6 Embry-Riddle Worldwide Seattle Campus 1000 Oakesdale Avenue SW Suite 110 Renton, WA 98057 USD $700 Time: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with an hour lunch For more information: Al Astbury, Office of Professional Programs Tel: (866) 574-9125 * email: training@erau.edu CLICK HERE FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS AND REGISTRATION Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University 600 S Clyde Morris Boulevard Daytona Beach, FL 32114 USA If you wish to be removed from this group's mailing list, click here Upcoming Events: ERAU Unmanned Aircraft Systems Short Course Seattle, WA June 5-6, 2014 http://proed.erau.edu/programs/specialized-industry-training/unmanned-aircraft-systems-workshop-nv/index.html Gulf Flight Safety Council Doha, Qatar 22nd of June 2014 membership@gfsc.aero 6th Annual Aviation Human Factors & SMS Seminar June 24th & 25th 2014 Dallas, TX www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?EventID=1384474 21st Century Pilot Reliability Certification Workshop June 30th and July 1st, 2014 Hasbrouck Heights, NJ 07605 Please contact Kacy Schwartz kacy@convergentperformance.com 719-481-0530 International System Safety Society Annual Symposium 04-08AUG2014 - St. Louis, MO http://issc2014.system-safety.org Curt Lewis