Flight Safety Information June 19, 2014 - No. 124 In This Issue UK urges FAA to review lithium-metal 3 people die in plane crash in Alabama 'USA Today' report 'extremely flawed,' AOPA says One person killed in fiery plane crash on Idaho-Montana line DOD recovers remains of 17 from 1952 aircraft crash in Alaska Jet Blue Flight From Boston To Seattle Diverts To North Dakota PRISM TO HELP PREPARE FOR E-IOSA Retirement tsunami - 1000 aircraft a year to leave service by 2023 Newark passenger gets stuck in Hong Kong-bound airplane bathroom 5th Pan American Aviation Safety Summit And The 7th Annual RASG-PA In Curacao Upcoming Events UK urges FAA to review lithium-metal British air accident investigators are urging their US counterparts at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to develop tougher certification requirements for lithium-metal batteries in aviation equipment. The UK's Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) found that a ground fire on an unoccupied Boeing 787-8 operated by Ethiopian Airlines at London Heathrow Airport on 12 July, 2013, was caused by all five cells in the emergency locator transmitter (ELT) battery experiencing thermal runaway. "Strong physical evidence from the ELT, supported by the manufacturers' root cause testing, identified the most likely cause of the ELT fire as an external short-circuit of the battery, due to the improperly routed battery wires, most probably in combination with the early depletion of a single cell," stated the AAIB in its report. The investigators found that neither the cell-level nor battery-level safety features were able to prevent the single-cell failure, which then propagated to adjacent cells, resulting in a cascading thermal runaway, rupture of the cells which generated smoke, fire and flammable electrolyte. The pinched wires further prevented the battery cover-plate from forming an effective seal with the ELT case and provided a gas path for flames and ejected battery decomposition products to escape from the ELT to the surrounding aircraft structure. The UK in its recommendations said the US regulator should take account of current industry knowledge on the design, operational characteristics and failure modes of lithium-metal batteries to develop tougher certification standards. It made several further recommendations: The FAA should require that electrical performance and design-abuse certification tests for lithium-metal batteries are conducted with the battery installed in the parent equipment, to take account of battery thermal performance. The FAA should work with industry to determine the best methods to force a lithium- metal cell into thermal runaway and develop design-abuse testing that subjects a single cell within a lithium - metal battery to thermal runaway in order to demonstrate the worst possible effects during certification testing. The FAA should require equipment manufacturers wishing to use lithium-metal batteries to demonstrate (using the design-abuse testing described in Safety Recommendation 2014-022) that the battery and equipment design mitigates all hazardous effects of propagation of a single-cell thermal runaway to other cells and the release of electrolyte, fire or explosive debris. The UK investigators also urge the FAA to review whether the Technical Standard Order (TSO) process is the most effective means for the certification of lithium-metal batteries installed in aircraft equipment, the actual performance of which can only be verified when demonstrated in the parent equipment and the aircraft installation. http://www.airtrafficmanagement.net/2014/06/uk-urges-faa-to-review-lithiummetal/ Back to Top 3 people die in plane crash in Alabama No one on the ground was injured Three people were killed when a small private jet crashed at Huntsville International Airport in Alabama on Wednesday, airport spokeswoman Karen Yarbrough said. The turbojet crashed about 2:21 p.m. CT, bursting into flames, she said. The Westwind II airplane appeared to have gone off the runway while attempting to take off, said Kathleen Bergen, a spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration. Yarbrough had no further details. http://www.click2houston.com/news/three-people-die-in-plane-crash-in- huntsville/26555762 ************* Status: Preliminary Date: Wednesday 18 June 2014 Time: 14:21 Type: IAI 1124A Westwind II Operator: Synfuels Holdings Finance LLC Registration: N793BG C/n / msn: 392 First flight: 1983 Crew: Fatalities: / Occupants: Passengers: Fatalities: / Occupants: Total: Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3 Airplane damage: Damaged beyond repair Location: Huntsville International Airport, AL ( United States of America) Phase: Takeoff (TOF) Nature: Unknown Departure airport: Huntsville International Airport, AL (HSV/KHSV), United States of America Destination airport: ? Narrative: A Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) 1124A Westwind II experienced a runway excursion during the takeoff roll from runway 18R at the Huntsville International Airport (KHSV) in Huntsville, Alabama. The airplane was consumed by a post-crash fire and the three occupants onboard were fatally injured. www.aviation-safety.net Back to Top 'USA Today' report 'extremely flawed,' AOPA says AOPA responds to: A USA Today story, "Unfit for flight," published June 18 "gets the general aviation safety record wrong, it ignores efforts by the industry to make general aviation safer, and it violates basic tenets of fairness and accuracy when it comes to good journalism," AOPA said in response to the article. The three-part report paints GA aircraft as death traps, pilots as "amateur," and aircraft manufacturers as villains, and pits pilots against manufacturers. AOPA, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, and Textron had provided information to the reporter, information that was not included in the sensational, one-sided, inaccurate report. "The article leads one to believe that general aviation is an unsafe form of transportation, but in truth, general aviation has demonstrated significant progress in safety. According to the National Transportation Safety Board, the number of fatalities has declined by over 40 percent since the early 1990s. Of course mentioning that sort of fact would have undermined reporter Tom Frank's narrative; you won't find those statistics in his piece," AOPA said. Frank's article says quite the opposite, calling one fatal accident a "part of a massive and growing death toll from small-aircraft crashes." The article cites 45,000 deaths in the past 50 years, and specifically calls out 347 fatalities from 1,199 accidents in 2013. However, it conveniently neglects including the total number of operations and flight hours, which AOPA pointed out: "General aviation is enveloped by a robust safety system that is more extensive than any other recreational activity in the United States. This system addresses everything from aircraft certification to pilot training, aircraft maintenance and flight operations. This results in a general aviation system that provides for 21 million flight hours annually while carrying 170 million passengers per year safely and efficiently. "In comparison to other forms of recreational transportation, the annual number of fatalities for general aviation is about 30 percent fewer of that of the recreational boating industry, and not even 10 percent of motorcycles." The article also blames aircraft manufacturers and the FAA for ignoring safety issues and delaying progress on implementing new safety features on aircraft. GAMA President Pete Bunce responded with details of the steps aircraft manufacturers and the FAA take to ensure aircraft are safe. The article, he said, "fails to acknowledge the significant progress general aviation manufacturers have made to improve safety. "Aircraft manufacturers spend significant time and expense to ensure the safety of their aircraft. This process begins with a three-to-six year period in which the manufacturer demonstrates to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that each design meets the applicable regulations. The tightly controlled aircraft design process results in a specific design approval-the type certified design, or TC-which applies only to that particular approved design that can then be produced. If a manufacturer wants to make something different, it must go through another safety review process for approval." The article also calls aging aircraft unsafe and says that the "FAA's resistance to some safety features has compounded a major problem with the nation's roughly 220,000 general-aviation aircraft: Many are decades old," and that "amateur pilots keep propeller-driven airplanes for decades because buying a new one is costly." "In 2013, the general aviation industry, including airplane and equipment manufacturers and operators, provided the FAA with extensive recommendations which, when implemented, will expedite the process for the development, certification, introduction and installation of safety enhancing equipment on existing and new aircraft. The FAA has begun the implementation of these recommendations and needs to ensure that all of the recommendations are acted upon," AOPA said. In 2013, the House and Senate passed the Small Airplane Revitalization Act requiring the FAA to implement recommendations from the committee by the end of 2015. AOPA is a member of the committee, which is co-chaired by GAMA, and worked on Capitol Hill to educate lawmakers of the importance of passing the Small Airplane Revitalization Act. "It is clear that Mr. Frank could make no space in his lengthy article for evidence of progress-evidence laid out in an hour-long discussion AOPA had with him last week. Including this information would have undermined his misplaced notion that general aviation is unsafe," AOPA concluded. http://www.aopa.org/News-and-Video/All-News/2014/June/18/USA-Today-report- extremely-flawed-AOPA-says.aspx Back to Top One person killed in fiery plane crash on Idaho-Montana line MISSOULA, Mont. - A twin-engine plane crashed at Lost Trail Ski Area Tuesday evening near the Montana-Idaho state line. Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Allen Kenitzer says preliminary information indicates the plane was a Grumman G-21A with only the pilot on board. Ravalli County Sheriff Chris Hoffman said the plane is larger than initially thought -- it is a twin-engine plane. Officials have not yet determined who owned the plane, where it was coming from or who was on board. People attending a meeting at Lost Trail Ski Area said they heard a massive crash at about 5:30 p.m. and ran to see what happened. One witness said the plane dropped hard and flat, right out of the sky. Witnesses also said it looked like flames immediately engulfed the plane. Lost Trail straddles the Montana and Idaho state line. It's about 95 miles south of Missoula. National Transportation Safety Board and FAA officials will investigate Wednesday. http://www.ktvb.com/news/One-person-killed-in-fiery-plane-crash-on-Idaho-Montana- line-263660881.html Back to Top DOD recovers remains of 17 from 1952 aircraft crash in Alaska WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- The remains of 17 service members have been recovered from an aircraft that was lost in Alaska more than six decades ago, Pentagon officials announced June 18. On Nov. 22, 1952, a C-124 Globemaster crashed while en route to Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, from McChord Air Force Base, Washington, with 11 crew members and 41 passengers on board. Adverse weather precluded immediate recovery attempts, officials said. In late November and early December 1952, they added, search parties were unable to locate and recover any of the service members. On June 9, 2012, an Alaska National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crew spotted aircraft wreckage and debris during a training mission over the Colony Glacier, immediately west of Mount Gannett. Three days later, another Alaska Guard team landed at the site to photograph the area and found artifacts at the site that related to the wreckage of the C-124 Globemaster. Later that month, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command and Joint Task Force team conducted a recovery operation at the site and recommended that it continue to be monitored for possible future recovery operations. In 2013, additional artifacts were visible, and JPAC conducted further recovery operations. Defense Department scientists from the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used forensic tools and circumstantial evidence in the identification of 17 service members. The remaining personnel have yet to be recovered, officials said, and the crash site will continued to be monitored for possible future recovery. The remains of the following service members have been recovered and will be returned to their families for burial with full military honors: Army Lt. Col. Lawrence S. Singleton; Army Pvts. James Green Jr. and Leonard A. Kittle; Marine Corps Maj. Earl J. Stearns; Navy Cmdr. Albert J. Seeboth; Air Force Cols. Noel E. Hoblit and Eugene Smith; Air Force Capt. Robert W. Turnbull; Air Force 1st Lts. Donald Sheda and William L. Turner; Air Force Tech. Sgt. Engolf W. Hagen; Air Force Staff Sgt. James H. Ray; Air Force Airman 1st Class Marion E. Hooton; Air Force Airmen 2nd Class Carroll R. Dyer, Thomas S. Lyons and Thomas C. Thigpen; and Air Force Airman 3rd Class Howard E. Martin. http://www.af.mil/News/ArticleDisplay/tabid/223/Article/485632/dod-recovers-remains- of-17-from-1952-aircraft-crash-in-alaska.aspx Back to Top Jet Blue Flight From Boston To Seattle Diverts To North Dakota This JetBlue flight was on its way from Boston to Seattle when it landed in North Dakota Wednesday. (CBS/WBZ-TV) BOSTON (CBS) - A JetBlue flight on its way from Boston to Seattle made an emergency landing in North Dakota Wednesday. The FAA said the plane, which was carrying 126 passengers, landed safely in Minot, N.D., after the pilot reported the odor and requested a diversion. JetBlue said in a statement that Flight 597 was enroute to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport when the pilot chose to divert to Minot International Airport "as a precaution after noticing an electrical odor onboard." Maintenance technicians were assessing the aircraft, according to JetBlue. The plane was back on its way to Seattle just before 3 p.m. Boston time. http://boston.cbslocal.com/2014/06/18/jet-blue-flight-from-boston-to-seattle-diverts-to- north-dakota/ Back to Top Back to Top Retirement tsunami - 1000 aircraft a year to leave service by 2023 WASHINGTON, DC - "The aviation industry is facing an aircraft retirement Tsunami," Richard Brown ICF International Principal told delegates attending the Aircraft Fleet Recycling Association's (AFRA's) Annual Meeting, taking place in Washington. According to the consultant the level of aircraft retirements will reach a stunning 1000 aircraft a year within a decade. A rapid increase in the number of aircraft reaching the end of their service life is due primarily to cyclical rather than structural reasons, claimed Brown. "The combination of demographics as aircraft reach the end of their economic life, low interest rates, relatively high fuel prices and the introduction of new models is causing the retirement of unprecedented numbers of aircraft, while new technology and OEM production rates are also exacerbating aircraft retirements," said Brown. Julie Felgar, Boeing Commercial Airplanes, Managing Director of Environment Strategy, told AFRA delegates that a "wave of aircraft retirements is coming," with 41 percent of today's fleet leaving service in the next 20 years as airlines procure more fuel-efficient airplanes. "There is a significant opportunity for companies to dismantle and recycle these retired airplanes to the highest standard rather than parking them in the desert," Felgar said. "This is one of the reasons that AFRA's Accreditation process is becoming the industry standard of choice, as it is a recognised guarantor of quality service and sustainable environmental best practices for aircraft dismantling and recycling." Martin Fraissignes, AFRA's Executive Director, said: "We have had some success in strengthening industry recognition of AFRA's Accreditation. The broader aviation community, OEMs, airlines and lessors have indicated in aircraft disassembly tender documents that they look favourably on applicants conducting teardowns to AFRA standards. But we still have work to do, to ensure that AFRA Accreditation becomes the industry standard." AFRA has recently worked with the UK Environment Agency in helping them reach a position regarding the treatment of retired aircraft and is fast becoming a preferred reference source on the best environmental practices for end-of-service aircraft disassembly. http://www.eturbonews.com/47053/retirement-tsunami-1000-aircraft-year-leave- service-2023 Back to Top Newark passenger gets stuck in Hong Kong-bound airplane bathroom An American traveler was reportedly trapped in a toilet on board a flight from Newark to Hong Kong after his middle finger became jammed in a trash bin. MyFoxNY.com reported. The 32-year-old, who was not identified, was forced to endure a landing at Chek Lap Kok airport while standing in the bathroom alone, according to a report out of Hong Kong. Police said it was not until 10 minutes after the plane landed that the man managed to free himself. The ordeal started when he went to visit the toilet at 4 a.m. on the 15-hour Cathay Pacific flight. Unable to free himself, the passenger summoned flight attendants. They apparently couldn't help. Police said there were no apparent injuries on his finger and the man left the airport. http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/06/18/newark-passenger-gets-stuck-in-hong-kong-bound- airplane-bathroom/ Back to Top 5th Pan American Aviation Safety Summit And The 7th Annual RASG-PA In Curacao The Regional Aviation Safety Group-Pan America (RASG-PA) and the Curacao Civil Aviation Authority in partnership with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the Latin America and Caribbean Air Transport Association - ALTA, will be sponsoring the 5th Pan American Aviation Safety Summit and the 7th Annual RASG-PA Meeting, focused entirely on the Pan American region. The collaborative actions stemming from this meeting have contributed significantly to the improvement of aviation in the Pan American region. The summit will be on September 8-12, in Curacao at the Marriott Curacao Resort & Emerald Casino. ICAO, FAA, ALTA, IATA, AIRBUS, BOEING, EMBRAER, among others, as well as the most important Airlines in the Latin America and the Caribbean region and civil aviation authorities will attend this summit. Airlines, Civil Aviation Authorities, Aviation Associations, Flight Schools, Safety experts, Operators (commercial, cargo, and corporate), airport personnel, ATC representatives and any other companies or individuals whose goal is a safer aviation industry are encouraged to join the summit. According to the organizers, participants can expect training, panel discussions and seminars focused on mitigation strategies for the top data-driven risk areas in the region. Also, they will have an opportunity to network and exchange views with the leaders of the aviation industry in these key strategic areas. For additional information please contact ALTA at panamericansafety@alta.aero http://curacaochronicle.com/local/5th-pan-american-aviation-safety-summit-and-the-7th- annual-rasg-pa-in-curacao/ 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