Flight Safety Information September 5, 2014 - No. 183 In This Issue Pilot Errors Blamed for 2013 Lion Air Jet Crash in Indonesia Official inquiry launched into panic on holiday jet which filled with fumes PRISM TO HELP PREPARE FOR E-IOSA Boeing beats Airbus on jet orders as both top 1,000 this year Airbus examines potential for using hydrogen fuel cells in commercial aircraft. ISASI 2014 - Annual Seminar, October 13-16, 2014 - Early Bird Registration Deadline Upcoming Events Employment Pilot Errors Blamed for 2013 Lion Air Jet Crash in Indonesia Accident Underscores Issues Safety Experts Say Continue at Fast-Growing Asian Aviation Markets By ANDY PASZTOR CONNECT The Lion Air plane in the water after missing the runway at Denpasar, Bali, in April 2013. Reuters The jetliner on a domestic flight in April 2013, according to investigators. Pilots of the Lion Air Boeing BA -0.38% 737 descending to land at Bali failed to adequately communicate with each other or properly monitor their position during an approach in stormy weather, according to the final report released recently by Indonesian authorities. The crew descended much too rapidly and ended up too low without seeing the airport, and then waited too long to try to climb away from the strip, the investigation concluded. No one was killed in the crash, but four passengers were seriously injured as the aircraft, which was only two months old and had no malfunctions of any kind, broke apart after slamming into the ocean less than a quarter of a mile short of the strip. The accident has underscored shortcomings in training and cockpit discipline, issues that safety experts say continue to surface at various carriers serving fast-growing aviation markets in parts of Asia and elsewhere. A spokesman for the airline didn't have any immediate comment. The report said the crew exhibited "inadequate situational awareness" and failed to properly control the plane's speed using engine adjustments and its descent by changing the angle of the nose. Investigators concluded that the flight crew failed to adhere to "the basic principles of jet flying." The report, among other things, notes that at an altitude of roughly 200 feet the co-pilot indicated it was "totally dark" as the plane entered an intense patch of rain and his view of the airport was completely obscured by the storm cell. But the report indicates the captain didn't try to break off the approach until the plane was about 20 feet above the ground-a point at which it is virtually impossible to rev up the engines and climb away safely. The crash occurred a second later. Typical airline safety procedures-buttressed by landing guidelines developed by international safety groups-require a go-round hundreds of feet higher if the strip isn't in sight. In this case, according to investigators, the cockpit-voice recorder indicates the co-pilot said he didn't see the runway starting from a height of 900 feet. The report indicates the captain opted to press on with the descent, expecting to see the strip any second. Years before the crash, according to the report, a trainer emphasized the captain's habit of continuing to descend and land during simulator sessions even if he violated mandatory criteria for "stabilized approach." During the accident flight, the relatively inexperienced co-pilot handed over the controls to the captain shortly before the crash. And the plane's nose was pointed slightly downward just before impact, rather than pointing slightly up as required by flight manuals. In addition, investigators said the co-pilot mistakenly attempted to evacuate passengers using one of the cockpit windows. The preliminary report issued in May 2013 urged the carrier to ensure its pilots are properly trained in "changeover of control at critical altitudes and critical time." Lion Air has become Indonesia's largest airline and one of the fastest-growing carriers in the world by rapidly rolling out new low-cost service across the Indonesian archipelago. In the wake of the crash, the carrier enhanced its training focusing particularly on manual flying skills and decision-making during landing approaches. According to the final report, the weather was clear four minutes before the accident but changed quickly. The report includes recommendations dealing with more-effective ways to pass on the latest weather information, along with stepped-up pilot training. It also urges enhanced training for cabin crews in evacuating an aircraft. http://online.wsj.com/articles/pilot-errors-blamed-for-2013-indonesian-jet-crash-1409863931 Back to Top Official inquiry launched into panic on holiday jet which filled with fumes The Jet2 plane was forced down after an electrical fault developed whilst it was travelling back from Ibiza Air accident investigators have launched a formal inquiry into the emergency evacuation of a holiday jet after a smell of burning was reported in its cabin. Terrified passengers from Birmingham reportedly clambered out onto the wing of a plane after it made an emergency landing at East Midlands Airport when smoke filled the cabin. The Jet2 plane was forced down after an electrical fault developed whilst it was travelling back from Ibiza at 9.10pm on Wednesday. According to some reports a Birmingham man broke open a door and got out on to the wing of the plane. One witness said: "There were lots of fire engines and ambulances on the tarmac waiting for it to land. "The smell of fire was just dreadful. It was chaos, everyone was running and screaming." Malcolm Yates, from Lincolnshire, said there was a "strong electrical burning smell" and people were screaming. He described the smell of electrical burning as "horrendous" and said it appeared to be coming from the rear of the plane. He said: "We just wanted the doors to open to get out. "The panic set in and the kids started screaming. The stewardesses then took action and I knew we had to get off that plane quick." Air accident investigators have launched a formal inquiry into the emergency evacuation. Emergency crews based at the airport confirmed that no fire was found aboard the aircraft, which Jet2 said had developed a minor electrical fault. A spokesman for East Midlands Airport said three other flights were diverted to Birmingham after the incident closed the airport for around 15 minutes. Jet2 has declined to comment on reports that passengers opened a door on the aircraft after it touched down and left the fuselage by climbing on to a wing. In a statement, the budget carrier said: "Following a safe arrival at East Midlands Airport, flight LS644 from Ibiza had to be evacuated once on stand as a precautionary safety measure. "We decided to disembark passengers as quickly as possible as a precautionary safety measure because a minor electrical problem led to some smoke in the cabin. "All passengers were looked after by our airport team. A full investigation is now under way." In a short statement, the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said: "The AAIB has deployed a team to investigate a serious incident to a commercial airliner that occurred at East Midlands Airport on the evening of Wednesday September 3." http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/official-inquiry-launched-panic-holiday-7721681 Back to Top Back to Top Boeing beats Airbus on jet orders as both top 1,000 this year The logo of Airbus Group is seen during the first public flight of an E-Fan aircraft during the e- Aircraft Day at the Bordeaux Merignac airport, southwestern France, April 25, 2014. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau (Reuters) - Airbus and Boeing both topped 1,000 new jet orders in the first eight months of the year, but Boeing is far ahead after adjusting for cancellations. Chicago-based Boeing also has delivered more planes this year than its European rival, hanging on to the title of world's largest plane maker. The planemaking subsidiary of Airbus Group (AIR.PA) sold 21 aircraft in August, a traditionally quiet month following the busy Farnborough Airshow in July, bringing its total gross orders for the year to 1,001 aircraft, monthly data showed. In contrast, Boeing Co (BA.N) booked 107 orders in the same month, bringing total gross orders for the year to 1,004. Adjusting for cancellations, Airbus reported 722 net orders between January and August. That compares with 941 net orders for Boeing from Jan. 1 to Sept. 2, after accounting for 63 cancellations. Airbus says the total of 279 cancellations it has announced this year are boosted by conversions from one product to another, as airlines hop out of the current-generation A320 single-aisle family into the newer and more efficient A320neo. It has argued Boeing will face similar pressure to convert orders when its own revamped 737 MAX approaches delivery, but some analysts have expressed concerns about the underlying level of cancellations as investors remain sensitive to any signs of weakness in recently strong demand for passenger jets. The A320neo is being readied for its first test flight with engines from Pratt & Whitney (UTX.N), expected in the second half of the month. August's order figures included four more upgrades from the existing A320 to the A320neo from major single-aisle customer AirAsia (AIRA.KL), bringing the total number of A320 order conversions this year to 73. Cancellations also reflect the loss of an order for 70 A350 wide-body aircraft from Emirates airline in June, though Airbus is ahead of its net order guidance for the year. International Consolidated Airlines Group (IAG) (ICAG.L) meanwhile ordered eight A350-900 aircraft, exercising an option for its Spanish subsidiary Iberia in August. Airbus has now reached 750 orders for its next generation of long-distance aircraft, designed to compete with Boeing's lightweight, carbon-composite 787 Dreamliner. Separately, the head of the European Aviation Safety Agency told Reuters the A350 was on schedule to receive its safety certification by the end of September. It is due to enter service with Qatar Airways by the end of the year. In its latest update, Airbus also said it had delivered 389 aircraft between January and August. Boeing delivered 461 between January and August, including 13 787 Dreamliners, well above its target of 10 deliveries a month of the high-tech jet. For the full year, Airbus is targeting around the same number of deliveries as last year, when it delivered 626 passenger jets. It says net orders should exceed this. Boeing is targeting 715-725 deliveries in 2014. http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/04/us-airbus-group-orders-idUSKBN0GZ0VX20140904 Back to Top Airbus examines potential for using hydrogen fuel cells in commercial aircraft Airbus is helping fund a project examining the potential for hydrogen fuel cells to replace APUs for generating power in the ground (Photo: Airbus/ A. Doumenjou) With the airline industry's commitment to halve 2005 CO2 emission levels by 2050 prompting Airbus and others to accelerate the development of alternative jet fuels, Airbus is now getting behind a project to examine the potential for using hydrogen fuel cells on commercial airliners - not to power the jet engines, but to replace the Auxiliary Power Units (APUs). Located in the tapered tail cone section of the rear fuselage in commercial jet aircraft, APUs are small gas turbine engines responsible for generating on-board electrical power and heat when the aircraft is on the ground, as well as providing power to start the main engines. With the goal of realizing emission-free and low-noise operation when the aircraft is on the ground, Airbus has teamed with South Africa's National Aerospace Centre to jointly fund research to examine the potential for hydrogen fuel cells to replace APUs. The three-year research project will be conducted by Hydrogen South Africa (HySA) Systems Competence Centre at its research facility located at the University of the Western Cape in Capetown. In addition to cutting emissions and noise on the ground, the use of fuel cells would also offer numerous other benefits. Being lighter than an APU, and with the potential to also replace heavy batteries, they would reduce the weight of the aircraft and therefore also the amount of fuel burned and emissions produced by the aircraft while in the air. Additionally, with fuel cells producing water as a byproduct, they would allow the aircraft to generate its own water supply. And with fuel cells having no moving parts, they would be easier and cheaper to maintain than fossil-fuel powered APUs. With all their potential benefits, it's not surprising that this isn't the first time that Airbus has dipped its toes in the hydrogen fuel cell waters. The company has already performed test flights with fuel cells used to power individual power systems and tested a fuel cell-powered nose wheel that allows autonomous and emission-free taxiing. "Although fuel cell technology for land vehicles has rapidly matured," says HySA Systems Director, Professor Bruno G. Pollet, "the new research with Airbus and the National Aerospace Centre is aimed at gaining an understanding of how hydrogen fuel cells could perform over an aircraft's service life while subjected to the harsh and rapidly changing climatic and environmental regimes that commercial jetliners operate in." Source: Airbus http://www.gizmag.com/airbus-hydrogen-fuel-cell-apu/33659/ Back to Top INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF AIR SAFETY INVESTIGATORS ISASI 2014 45TH ANNUAL SEMINAR "Investigations and Safety Management Systems" This year's seminar will take place at the Stamford Hotel in Glenelg, near Adelaide, Australia, from 13 -16 October, 2014. All current information regarding seminar registration, hotel reservations and speakers can be found on the official seminar website at www.asasi.org. Please note the deadline for Early Bird Registration and the discounted rate at the hotel is midnight September 4. Questions can be directed to: Mr. Lindsay Naylor ISASI 2014 Seminar Chair lindsaynaylor77@gmail.com or Ms.Barbara Dunn International Seminar Chair - ISASI avsafe@shaw.ca Back to Top Upcoming Events: ACI-NA Annual Conference and Exhibition Atlanta, GA September 7 - 10, 2014 http://annual.aci-na.org/ Small UAS CHALLENGE September 11-14, 2014 Reno, NV 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 ISASI 2014 - Annual Seminar October 13-16, 2014 Adelaide, Australia www.isasi.org IASS 2014 Abu Dhabi, UAE November 11-13, 2014 http://flightsafety.org/meeting/iass-2014 ERAU UAS FUNDAMENTALS COURSE December 9 - 11, 2014 ERAU Daytona Beach Campus, FL www.daytonabeach.erau.edu/uas FAA Helicopter Safety Effort three-day safety forum April 21-23, 2015 Hurst, Texas eugene.trainor@faa.gov www.faahelisafety.org Back to Top Employment: ARGUS PROS CHEQ Manager Please submit your cover letter and resume at: https://home2.eease.adp.com/recruit/?id=13469062 Curt Lewis