Flight Safety Information June 16, 2014 - No. 121 In This Issue Air traffic controller's joke sends Delta plane circling Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport NTSB: No control check before fatal jet crash Jet Forced to Circle Area for Hours, Return to Philadelphia Over Landing Gear Issue F-35 Fighter Jets Temporarily Grounded by Engine Problems PRISM SMS Chinese airlines get tough with pilots during World Cup Upcoming Events Air traffic controller's joke sends Delta plane circling Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport An air traffic controller is in trouble after making a 'joke' to a Delta pilot. Picture: IF EVER there was a case proving that air traffic controllers shouldn't joke while on the job, this is it. In a rather concerning scenario, a controller has landed in hot water after his attempt at mile-high humour fell flat. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating the "potentially dangerous mishap" which occurred last Wednesday at the busy Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, local news website 11Alive.com reported. The controller allegedly told the pilot of Delta Flight 630, which was at just over 1000 feet (300 metres) and preparing for descent, not to land. Instead, he instructed the pilot to circle the skies above the airport. Seconds later, he announced: "I'm kidding, Delta 630. After you land, I've got no one behind you. Expect to exit right. Delta 630 you're clear to land on (runway) 27-Left." But it was too late - the pilot had already changed course, aborting the landing and quickly ascending to 40,000 feet (12,192m). "You sent us around," the pilot informed the controller. "Delta 630 is on the go." It stayed at that altitude for an hour and a half while the situation was clarified, then landed safely on its second attempt. The FAA said: "We investigating air traffic communications with Delta 630, a Boeing 777 aircraft on approach to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport". news.com.au has contacted the FAA for further comment. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/travel/holiday-ideas/air-traffic-controllers-joke-sends-delta-plane-circling- hartsfieldjackson-atlanta-international-airport/story-fni0ba7v-1226956072356 Back to Top NTSB: No control check before fatal jet crash Philadelphia Inquirer co-owner Lewis Katz had kept the Gulfstream G-IV at his company's hangar at New Castle Airport for about 10 years. He was killed in the crash along with six others. Pilots failed to conduct a preflight control check before a private jet from Delaware crashed and exploded last month on takeoff near Boston, killing Philadelphia Inquirer co-owner Lewis Katz and the six other people on board, according to the preliminary report released Friday by the National Transportation Safety Board. The report found that the Gulfstream G-IV's tail flaps, called elevators, were apparently locked when the pilots, including one from Delaware, tried to take off at roughly 190 miles per hour. Instead the plane gained "little or no altitude'' and although pilots applied the brakes for about a half-mile, it ran off the runway and struck lights and an antenna and burst into flames, the report said. The report suggests the pilots erred, said Al Yurman, a pilot and retired NTSB investigator from New Jersey who reviewed the 15-paragraph document. "The controls that steer the plane - left, right, up, down - were in the lock position. The plane can't take off or be steered properly,'' Yurman said. "It's like trying to steer your car with the motor off.'' Checking that system, technically known as the gust lock, "is part of their checklist.'' The airplane, based at New Castle Airport, was piloted by James P. McDowell, 61, of Georgetown. Katz, his guests and the crew had flown to Massachusetts on May 31 to attend a fundraiser at the home of historian Doris Kearns Goodwin in Concord. According to the flight-tracking service FlightAware.com, the twin turbofan jet aircraft departed to Atlantic City, New Jersey, at 1:25 p.m. that day from New Castle Airport, where Katz's company, KS Travel LLC, had a hangar for about a decade. Katz and his three passengers boarded in Atlantic City before taking off to Hanscom Field, in Bedford, Mass., the NTSB said. The plane landed at Hanscom at about 3:45 p.m. Katz and his passengers attended the fundraiser for the Concord River Institute. After the event, the plane was preparing to take off when it ran off the end of runway 11 and plunged into a gully 2,000 feet later. Analysis of the flight data record found no "evidence of any catastrophic engine failures,'' the report said. The report said investigators found nothing to indicate "a flight control check prior the commencement of the takeoff roll.'' Data from the flight data recorder indicated that the "gust lock was engaged,'' said the report. If that was the case, Yurman said, "you can't take off.'' The NTSB cautioned that the preliminary report is "subject to change, and may contain errors'' that would be corrected in the final report, which typically take a year or more to complete. http://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/local/2014/06/13/delaware-jet-crash-ntsb-report- philadelphia-inquirer-lewis-katz/10437857/ Back to Top Jet Forced to Circle Area for Hours, Return to Philadelphia Over Landing Gear Issue Investigators are looking into why landing gear was stuck on a Lufthansa airplane leaving from Philadelphia Sunday night. NBC10's Jesse Gary reports from the airport with the details on the unexpected landing and how this affected passengers. A Lufthansa jet, bound for Germany, was forced to dump fuel, circle the area for hours and return to Philadelphia on Sunday after experiencing trouble with its landing gear. Lufthansa flight 427 had just lifted off from Philadelphia International Airport at 5:45 p.m. when the pilots discovered one of the Airbus A340's landing gear would not retract, an airline spokesperson tells NBC10.com. The captain decided to return to Philadelphia rather than carrying on to Frankfurt, its final destination. But, the plane carrying 269 passengers and crew was too heavy to land, so it was forced to circle the area and dump fuel. The wide-bodied jet spent roughly 2 hours and 45 minutes circling parts of Chester County, Pennsylvania, around 5,000 feet high, officials said. PHOTO: This map from Flight Aware shows the flight path, represented by the green line, of the Lufthansa jet. Chester County emergency dispatchers received numerous calls from concerned residents about the plane. Ronnie Hunter of Parkesburg saw the plane make a U-turn and head towards Philadelphia. Hunter said she observed the front landing gear looked to be down but the back two weren't. Another witness recorded video of the jet releasing the fuel from its wings. The plane touched back down at Philadelphia International around 9 p.m. without incident, the airline said. The Federal Aviation Administration, Lufthansa and the Philadelphia Fire Department say the flight did not make an emergency landing. Passengers on board the flight told NBC10 that some people clapped and cheered when the jet touched down. "I'll be honest, I started to cry a little because I was really nervous," said passenger Albert Weiter at baggage claim. "And I was praying." The airline put passengers up in hotels for the night while the plane is being repaired. The flight is expected to resume at 6:30 p.m. on Monday. http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Low-Flying-Plane-Returns-to-Philadelphia-Airport- 263235781.html Back to Top F-35 Fighter Jets Temporarily Grounded by Engine Problems Oil Leak on One Plane Leads to Inspection of 104-Jet Fleet The Pentagon temporarily grounded the entire F-35 Joint Strike Fighter fleet at the start of the weekend after one of the advanced jets suffered an engine oil leak and declared an in-flight emergency. While the suspension of flight and ground testing on Friday was described by F-35 program officials as a precautionary move, it is the second time in 16 months that engine problems have grounded the entire fleet. It comes just two weeks before the plane is due to make its first international appearance. Engine maker Pratt Whitney, a unit of United Technologies Corp. UTX -0.05% , said most of the 104-jet fleet had been cleared to resume flying by late Saturday following the safety inspections mandated by the F-35 managers on Friday. The F-35 program office said these revealed potential problems on two more jets. The incident on June 10 involved an F-35B jet, which can take off and land vertically. The pilot declared an in-flight emergency after being alerted to an engine oil problem, and landed safely back at base at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma in Arizona. Pentagon officials on Friday ordered engines on all three models of the F-35 to be inspected before they could resume flights. Pratt Whitney said in a statement that it was working to identify the cause of last week's problem, with jet-by-jet inspections taking around 90 minutes each. Program officials have pointed to problems with an oil-flow-management valve. The F-35B is one of three variants of the jet built by Lockheed Martin Corp. LMT +0.86% , and scheduled to be the first to be declared combat ready. Program officials last week expressed confidence that it will be ready for the Marine Corps as scheduled in July 2015. The F-35B is expected to make its international debut on July 4 in a fly-past at the naming ceremony for the British Royal Navy's new aircraft carrier at a dockyard in Scotland. It is also scheduled to perform at two military air shows in the U.K. later in July. A spokesman for the F-35 program office said the jet is still expected to appear at the air shows. http://online.wsj.com/articles/f-35-fighter-jets-temporarily-grounded-by-engine-problems-1402854181 Back to Top Back to Top Chinese airlines get tough with pilots during World Cup (ECNS) -- Pilots of Chinese airlines have been warned not to stay up late to watch football games during the World Cup, the Oriental Morning Post reported. Budget carrier Spring Airlines said it had introduced special measures to avoid safety risks. Staff will be monitored for fatigue by having their blood pressure checked, an employee said, and pilots will keep tabs on one another. China Southern Airlines has taken a harder line, forbidding employees to even discuss football matches during work. Several pilots said that the majority of Chinese airlines had released similar warnings. With matches scheduled from midnight to 6:00am, Chinese football fans face a tough work schedule in the days ahead. Brazilian aviation authorities threatened international and domestic carriers last month with fines of up to $40,000 for late flights. http://www.ecns.cn/cns-wire/2014/06-16/119243.shtml Back to Top Upcoming Events: 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