Flight Safety Information July 11, 2014 - No. 139 In This Issue AA jet from Newark diverts to St. Louis amid passenger concern NTSB: Speedy pilots caused Macon jet crash Plane crash drill at Sea-Tac mirrors San Francisco crash Boca Raton man arrested after shining laser at aircraft Boeing forecasts $5.2 trillion in aircraft orders over next 20 years PRISM TO HELP PREPARE FOR E-IOSA Airbus Is Saying Upgraded A330 Jet Will Be More Fuel-Efficient New F-35 pilots might get to skip training in F-16s Air Line Pilots Association to Congress: Reauthorize the Ex-Im Bank, but stop loans to foreign airlines THE ALPA 60TH AIR SAFETY FORUM Upcoming Events Employment (New Positions) AA jet from Newark diverts to St. Louis amid passenger concern GRAPEVINE, Texas - An American Airlines jet bound from New Jersey to North Texas safely diverted to St. Louis amid security concerns about a passenger's use of an electronic device. American spokeswoman Andrea Huguely says Flight 1691 arrived at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport on Thursday night, the man was removed, questioned by authorities and no threat was found. Huguely says the jet carried 122 passengers and a five-member crew on a flight from Newark Liberty International Airport. She says another passenger became concerned about the man using a personal electronic device. Details weren't released on the device or the alleged security issue. The MD-80 resumed the flight without the man and arrived early Friday at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. Huguely says the removed passenger would be put on another flight. http://www.app.com/story/news/crime/jersey-mayhem/2014/07/11/aa-jet-newark- diverts-st-louis-amid-passenger-concern/12513865/ Back to Top NTSB: Speedy pilots caused Macon jet crash A new National Transportation Safety Board report blames the pilots for a September 2012 jet crash at the Macon Downtown Airport. The report finds the Beech 400 was likely moving some 15 to 19 knots above a standard speed when it came down for a landing. That's about 17 to 22 mph. At just 10 knots over that standard speed on a wet runway, the airplane would have needed 6,100 feet to land -- far more than the runway's advertised length of 4,694 feet, the NTSB reported. An earlier NTSB report cited evidence that the airport's main runway was built too flat, allowing water to pool up on either side, and cited problems with landing indicators. The latest document, called the probable cause report, acknowledges the runway was wet but said pilots hadn't properly planned for what that would actually mean, and they didn't realize they didn't have enough runway to land at the speed they were traveling. "Further, the pilots exhibited poor crew resource management by not using the appropriate chart for the contaminated runway, not recognizing the runway was too short based on the conditions, failing to reset their airspeed bugs before the approach, and not recognizing and addressing the excess approach speed," the NTSB wrote in a June 23 report. The airplane came off the end of the runway, across a federal highway and stopped when it crashed into a tree with a 7-inch-wide trunk. The runway condition has been the focus of litigation in both Bibb and Fulton counties. The airplane's insurance company, Old Republic Insurance Co., is suing the city of Macon and a contractor, alleging they built a runway that's so flat the water pooled up and made the airplane hydroplane off the runway. The airport was owned by Macon until the city was consolidated into the Macon-Bibb County government. Government attorneys are seeking to block the insurance company and the company the pilots were working for, Dewberry Air, from forcing improvements to the runway. The airplane's sole human passenger, John Dewberry, credited the pilots with saving his life. He did not return a phone call seeking comment Thursday. The Telegraph's efforts to locate pilot Brian Landers or co-pilot Joel Perkins for comment were unsuccessful. http://www.macon.com/2014/07/10/3191083/ntsb-speedy-pilots-caused- macon.html#storylink=cpy Back to Top Plane crash drill at Sea-Tac mirrors San Francisco crash At Sea-Tac Airport Thursday, emergency responders prepared for the worst. They used lessons learned from the Asiana crash in San Francisco last year. The division chief from the San Francisco airport was on hand observing and offering insight from the crash last summer that killed two people. Three-hundred volunteers acted as plane crash victims to give emergency responders a realistic scenario of a crash similar to the San Francisco crash last summer. Each victim had a different injury and story as they littered the runway. "Normally, the FAA only requires to rescue 100," said Perry Cooper, SeaTac Airport spokesman. "We are trying to push that number up to 300 to show the reality of a large jet accident." And for the first time regional helicopters from the Coast Guard, Army and Navy joined. From San Francisco, emergency crews learned it would be good to take some patients out of the region. "We will actually move our moderately injured to outlying hospitals," said Randy Krause, Port of Seattle Fire Chief. "We can take care of the most critical folks in King County." The responders are actually instructed to show restraint in such a large scale incident so they don't get worn out. The first firefighters on the scene walked to the victims and back and forth to the command post. "One of the things we learned from San Francisco is that it's not just our agency doing the bulk of the work," said Krause. "But that it's a collective approach." In the San Francisco crash, one girl was run over by an emergency vehicle. The Sea-Tac trucks have two operators each so one can be a spotter. Chief Krause told KIRO 7 he thought his team did very well in the drill. http://www.kirotv.com/news/news/sea-tac-drill-will-simulate-plane-crash/ngcmm/ Back to Top Boca Raton man arrested after shining laser at aircraft Laser pointed at SO helicopter, suspect arrested Palm Beach County Sheriff's deputies have charged a Boca Raton man with shining a laser at an aircraft and are looking for a suspect for a similar incident, authorities said. James McDonald, 52, was seen shining a green laser into the cockpit of a of PBSO Eagle helicopter late Wednesday night, sheriff's office spokeswoman Teri Barbera said. He faces a third-degree felony charge of misuse of a laser lighting device, and was held in Palm Beach County Jail in lieu of $3,000 bail. If an incident causes any injuries, the crime becomes a second-degree felony, and if it causes the aircraft to crash it becomes a first-degree felony, Barbera said. Records show that McDonald has had previous skirmishes with the law, including serving probation and performing community service for drug- and traffic-related offenses in Broward County. Palm Beach County deputies are also investigating a laser incident that happened earlier in the night. About 40 minutes before the incident involving McDonald, PBSO responded to a delayed report of someone shining a laser pointer at a plane about 6 miles west of Palm Beach International Airport. A flight instructor, who was flying from Pompano Beach to Vero Beach, said he saw a green laser light shined into the cockpit for a few seconds. The beam was generated from ground level. Deputies and a PBSO Eagle searched the area but didn't find anyone, Barbera said. Anyone who has information about the second incident is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 800-458-TIPS. A recent nationwide campaign offers $10,000 for information that leads to arrest of people who shine lasers at aircraft. Court records show that four other people have been charged in Palm Beach County for pointing a laser at aircraft since 2009. Last year, there were nearly 4,000 cases of lasers being pointed at aircraft, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/news/crime-law/pbso-man-arrested-after- shining-laser-at-aircraft/ngcwJ/ Back to Top Boeing forecasts $5.2 trillion in aircraft orders over next 20 years The forecast is up 4.2 percent from Boeing's projection last year, with about a third of the total demand to come from the Asia-Pacific region. PARIS: Aviation giant Boeing on Thursday raised its forecast for global aircraft demand, saying it expected 36,770 planes to be delivered over the next two decades in deals worth $5.2 trillion (3.8 trillion euros). The forecast is up 4.2 percent from Boeing's projection last year, with about a third of the total demand to come from the Asia-Pacific region. The maker of the best-selling 737 jetliner said single-aisle planes underpin the higher forecast. "Based on the overwhelming amount of orders and deliveries, we see the heart of the single-aisle market in the 160-seat range," said Randy Tinseth, vice president for marketing at Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "There's no question the market is converging to this size, where network flexibility and cost efficiency meet." Deliveries for single-aisle aircraft -- which include the new 737-800 and 737 MAX 8 -- are expected to reach $2.56 trillion. In the twin-aisle segment, including the 787-8 and 787-9 Dreamliner range, the company expects deliveries to reach 8,600 new airplanes. "This year's forecast reflects a continued shift in demand from very large airplanes to efficient new twin-engine products such as the 787-10 and new 777X," Boeing said. The forecast was published ahead of next week's Farnborough airshow in England, where Boeing and European rival Airbus go head-to-head in the fight for new plane orders. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/business/boeing-forecasts-5-2- trillion-in-aircraft-orders-over-next-20-years/articleshow/38147699.cms Back to Top Back to Top Airbus Is Saying Upgraded A330 Jet Will Be More Fuel-Efficient Plans Underline Its Intent to Update the Widebody to Rival Boeing's Dreamliner As Boeing and Airbus prepare to fight for jet orders at the Farnborough Air Show next week in the U.K., the Journal's Robert Wall looks at what to expect in this next round of competition from the rival plane makers. LONDON- Airbus Group EADSY -1.36% NV is telling customers that it is planning its upgraded A330 widebody jet to be 14% more fuel-efficient, able to fly farther and carry more passengers, according to people familiar with the details. The jet also would have a new engine, dubbed the Trent 7000, to be built by Rolls-Royce Holdings RR.LN -0.29% PLC and derived from the engine that Rolls-Royce developed for Boeing Co. BA 0.00% 's 787 Dreamliner, the people said. In addition, the new model would feature winglets, inspired by Airbus's new A350, that increase the jet's wingspan. The combination of more efficient engines and improved aerodynamics should burn 14% less fuel per passenger, one of the people said. Airbus has yet to formally launch the plane, tentatively dubbed the A330neo, and plans could change. But the preliminary details provide the clearest picture yet of its intentions, and underline its seriousness in moving ahead with the updated jet to rival Boeing's Dreamliner. Airbus's plans for the new plane are expected to be a major subject of discussion at the Farnborough International Airshow, which starts Monday near London. Airbus has been courting such current A330 customers as Delta Air Lines Inc. DAL +1.33% and Air Asia 5099.KU -2.17% Bhd and lessors CIT Inc. and Air Lease Corp. to be in the first group to buy the planned jet. The European plane maker had roughly 241 A330s in its order book at the end of June, and has been searching for ways to extend production of its highest-output twin-aisle jet. The larger Rolls-Royce engine would have 72,600 pounds of thrust and an engine fan of 112 inches in diameter, significantly larger than the 97 inches on the current A330 engine. A larger fan allows engines to operate more efficiently. As a result, the aircraft would be able to fly as much as 400 nautical miles farther than the A330 can today, giving a smaller A330-200neo and larger A330-300neo model ranges of 7,450 and 6,250 nautical miles, respectively. "There is no decision yet" on a new A330, Airbus spokesman Stefan Schaffrath said. A Rolls-Royce spokesman said it also isn't aware of a decision on the plane and "it would be for Airbus to make any announcement on this, when and if appropriate." The A330 has been a key profit contributor at Airbus, though the order backlog has begun to diminish, as the Toulouse, France, plane maker introduces the more efficient A350 and as Boeing ramps up output of the 787 Dreamliner, which also offers lower fuel consumption. The improved A330 would still be less efficient than those new planes, which are built with composite materials and advanced systems, but Airbus is betting that lower prices and the A330's track record as a reliable plane will sway buyers to sign on. http://online.wsj.com/articles/airbus-is-saying-upgraded-a330-jet-will-be-more-fuel- efficient-1405018577 Back to Top New F-35 pilots might get to skip training in F-16s Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel stands in front of a F-35 joint strike fighter as he talks to reporters inside a hangar at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, FLA. - New Air Force pilots might not have to fly F-16 jets before transitioning from T-38 trainers to the F-35 joint strike fighter. While plans have not been finalized, officials are hoping pilots will be able to transition from two-seat T-38 Talon trainers directly into the single-seat F-35 thanks to more advanced simulators. "We hope not," Lt. Col. Eric Smith, 33rd Fighter Wing operational support squadron commander, said in a meeting with reporters when asked if new F-35 pilot would need to fly two-seat F-16s, much like they do before they fly single-seat F-22s. "Right now, the full mission simulator has the capability to train a guy on air refueling, which is one of the reasons that they did that in the F-22," he said. The Air Force has in the past made new pilots fly F-16s for a number of check flights before transitioning to the single-seat F-22 Raptor. This is because the Raptor is a much more high performance fighter than the T-38 Talon jet trainer. All new Air Force F-35 pilots have previous experience flying F-15 Eagles, F-16s or A-10 Warthogs. A new pilot without previous fighter experience probably will not go through F-35 training until 2017 or 2018. The Air Force is in the early phases of laying out a plan to replace the 1960s-era T-38. The aircraft, dubbed T-X, will have more advanced capabilities allowing Air Force pilots to more easily transition to single-seat fifth-generation F-22s and F-35s. Air Force leaders have made the T-X one of the service's top acquisition priorities. Hagel visits F-35 training wing Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Thursday visited Elgin, where he toured the 33rd Fighter Wing, home to F-35 schoolhouse for U.S. and foreign pilots and maintainers. During the visit, Hagel met with F-35 pilots and maintainers and sat in the cockpit of one of the 49 aircraft stationed at the base on the Florida panhandle. The wing is home to the Air Force's 58th Fighter Squadron, which has 26 F-35A jets. The secretary said those he met with expressed their confidence in the programs, despite experiencing setbacks, most recently from an June 23 engine fire on an Air Force jet during takeoff. The entire F-35 fleet has been grounded since then. Since the grounding, pilots at Eglin have been using simulators and discussing new ways to tactically employ the aircraft, Smith said. "I wouldn't exactly call it down time," Smith said. Hagel said the airmen, Marines and Navy aviators stationed at the base have "tremendous confidence" in the F-35. "Some of the pilots told me it's the best aircraft that they had ever flown and some said it was the easiest," Hagel said during a speech in front of an F-35 bearing his name on the front landing gear door. http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20140710/NEWS04/307100071/New-F-35-pilots- might-get-skip-training-F-16s Back to Top Air Line Pilots Association to Congress: Reauthorize the Ex-Im Bank, but stop loans to foreign airlines Boeing depends on foreign buyers of its large aircraft. Here Air New Zealand and Boeing show off the first delivered 787-9 Dreamliner at Boeing's delivery center at Paine Field in Everett, Wash., on Wednesday. WASHINGTON - The head of the airline pilots union has sent letters to both chambers of Congress urging members to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank of the United States, a setback for conservative Republicans who have led efforts to let the bank die this fall after 80 years. The support, however, comes with a demand: End the bank's subsidies on sales of Boeing wide-body jets to state-owned foreign airlines. The letters are explicit reminders that airline industry opposition to the bank, touted as key voices in the bank's opponents campaign to end it, is aimed at specific programs within the bank's portfolio and not to the bank as an institution. The bank's charter expires Sept. 30, and conservatives have mounted the most serious effort on record to deny efforts to extend it, as President Obama has asked. From within the Congress, those efforts have been led by Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Dallas, and have had the verbal backing of incoming House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-California. From outside Congress, the war against the bank has been led by conservative groups like the Heritage Foundation and the Club for Growth. The effort came into full view last month during a hearing before Hensarling's House Financial Services Committee, which he chairs. At that hearing, key representatives from the airline industry served as star witnesses against the bank. But it was evident then that the industry's staunch opposition to the bank is focused only on the activities it sees as a threat to its business, not to the bank itself. Today's letters make that explicit. Air Line Pilots Association, International president Captain Lee Moak writes that the bank should be reauthorized, but Congress should end its ability to support Boeing's sales of wide-body jets to state-ownded foreign airlines. He argues that every time the bank helps foreign airlines buy a big jet from Boeing, the bank's financing assistances saves them $2 million a plane. In fact, the interest rates on the loans made or guaranteed by the bank are usually higher than what airlines like Delta Airlines pay on the private market - but they are lower rates than what the foreign carriers would pay if the bank wasn't helping them. On the other hand, supporters of the bank - and of Boeing - argue that the loans do exactly what the should: Make it easier for manufacturers, especially large ones, to sell more of their products overseas. http://bizbeatblog.dallasnews.com/2014/07/air-line-pilots-association-to-congress- reauthorize-the-ex-im-bank-but-stop-loans-to-foreign-airlines.html/ Back to Top THE ALPA 60TH AIR SAFETY FORUM A Celebration of Pilots Helping Get the Job Done Safely & Securely August 4-7, 2014 | Washington Hilton | Washington, DC SPONSORSHIP & EXHIBITING OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE Contact Tina Long at tina.long@alpa.org for more information or click here to download the sponsorship brochure. AGENDA AT A GLANCE Visit http://safetyforum.alpa.org for full agendas MONDAY - AUGUST 4, 2014 8:30-9:00 General Session-ALPA Air Safety Organization Update (Open to all ALPA Members Only) 9:30-6:00 ALPA ASO Group Workshops & Council Meetings - (invitation only) 9:30-4:30 Jumpseat Forum (invitation only) 12:00-5:00 Aviation Security Forum (invitation only) TUESDAY - AUGUST 5, 2014 8:00-6:00 ALPA ASO Group Workshops & Council Meetings - (invitation only) 9:00-5:00 Joint Aviation/Security Forum - (invitation only) WEDNESDAY - AUGUST 6, 2014 - 60TH AIR SAFETY FORUM 8:30-9:00 Opening Ceremony 9:00-10:30 Panel: Surviving a Main Deck Lithium Battery Fire: New Technological Solutions 10:30-11:00 Break with the Exhibitors 11:00-12:30 Panel: Smoke In the Cockpit-Where Seconds Matter 12:30-1:45 Keynote Luncheon-100 Years of Commercial Aviation Mr. Paul Rinaldi - President, National Air Traffic Controllers Association 1:45-3:15 Panel: Finding the Runway with a Smoke-Filled Cockpit-Using All the Tools 3:15-3:45 Break With the Exhibitors 3:45-5:15 Panel: Landing A Distressed Airliner-What's Waiting at the Airport? 5:15-5:25 Presentation of the ALPA Airport Safety Liaison and ALPA Airport Awards 5:25-5:30 Closing Remarks 5:30-6:30 Hospitality Reception (Sponsored by Boeing) THURSDAY - AUGUST 7, 2014 - 60TH AIR SAFETY FORUM 8:30- 10:00 Panel - Current Security Threats and Countermeasures 10:00-10:30 Break with the Exhibitors 10:30-11:30 Panel: A Discussion With Key Regulators 11:30-11:40 Presentation of the ALPA Presidential Citation Awards 11:40-1:00 Lunch (on your own) 1:00-2:30 Panel: Pilot Health & Occupational Safety 2:30-3:00 Break with the Exhibitors 3:00-4:30 Panel: Modernizing Our National Airspace System: The Flight Path, The Potholes and the Promise 4:30-5:00 Closing Ceremony 6:00-7:00 Awards Reception (Sponsored by Airbus) 7:00-10:00 Awards Dinner 10:00-11:00 Post Awards Reception Back to Top Upcoming Events: Managing Safety for High Performance Jul 14-15, 2014 London-Stansted Airport, UK http://www.universalweather.com/aviation-sms/education/managing-safety-for-high- performance/?utm_source=externalemail&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DBTKP007 International System Safety Society Annual Symposium 04-08AUG2014 - St. Louis, MO http://issc2014.system-safety.org ACI-NA Annual Conference and Exhibition Atlanta, GA September 7 - 10, 2014 http://annual.aci-na.org/ IFA - Maintaining Airworthiness Standards and Investing in the Most Important Asset 'The Human Element' 17 - 18 September, 2014 Emirates Eng Facility, Dubai www.ifairworthy.com Public Safety and Security Fall Conference Arlington, VA October 6 - 9, 2014 http://aci-na.org/event/4309 IASS 2014 Abu Dhabi, UAE November 11-13, 2014 http://flightsafety.org/meeting/iass-2014 Back to Top Employment: Position Available - Safety Investigator Etihad Airways www.etihad.com/careers NTSB Position Available - Electronics Engineer https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/374545600 Position Available: Assistant Chief Flight Instructor LeTourneau University www.letu.edu/jobs Position Available: Human Performance Investigator NTSB https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/373245800 Curt Lewis