Flight Safety Information September 10, 2014 - No. 186 In This Issue Feds blame pilots, but blast UPS, in Alabama crash Medical Flight That Crashed In New Mexico Was Filled With Jet Fuel. Rise in Drug Use Is Found in Pilots Killed in Crashes AFTER DEADLY CRASHES, PILOTS GROUP WARNS OF HYPOXIA RISK PRISM TO HELP PREPARE FOR E-IOSA Russian airlines hire 200 foreign pilots ISASI 2014 - Annual Seminar, October 13-16, 2014 - Early Bird Registration Deadline Upcoming Events Employment Feds blame pilots, but blast UPS, in Alabama crash Investigators say company could have taken steps to prevent deadly crash UPS cargo plane crash City of Birmingham (CNN) -Federal accident investigators Tuesday pinned blame for a 2013 UPS cargo plane crash in Alabama squarely on the pilots, but some members saved caustic criticism for UPS, saying the company could have taken steps to prevent the deadly crash. "Yes, the pilots flew the airplane into the ground, there's no question," said National Transportation Safety Board member Robert Sumwalt, a former airline pilot. Though the NTSB did not blame UPS in its formal report, Sumwalt pointedly told cargo company representatives: "You have got problems. Get them cleaned up." In a three-hour meeting in Washington, the NTSB cited a litany of errors the pilots made: The captain failed to correctly program an aircraft computer, failed to monitor the plane's altitude, didn't relay important information to his co-pilot, and failed to abort the landing when it became apparent the plane was in trouble. The first officer, meanwhile, failed to communicate altitudes to the pilot as the plane approached Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport. In a conversation captured on the plane's cockpit voice recorder, the co-pilot also confessed to being fatigued, evidently after failing to use her off-duty time to get appropriate rest. Both pilots died in the pre-dawn incident August 13, 2013, when the Airbus A300-600 crashed a short distance from the Birmingham runway. But Sumwalt said UPS also failed to take actions that could have prevented the crash. The global delivery company did not update software on a ground proximity warning system, which could have given the crew an earlier indication they were too close to the ground, he said. If UPS officials had an iPhone, "I guarantee they would keep their software up to date," yet they failed to update software on a plane carrying two of its employees, he said. A UPS official called Sumwalt's claim "the speculative opinion of one member," saying the company's software met FAA standards, and that there is no evidence the upgrade would have prevented the accident. "Based on the rate of descent of this particular aircraft, it would be impossible to determine whether a software upgrade would have made a difference," Capt. Houston Mills, UPS director of airline safety, told CNN. He noted that the NTSB does not cite the software in its official finding. Sumwalt said the cargo carrier also did not provide all of the available weather information to the pilots. As a result, the pilots likely expected to see the airport after descending below clouds at 1,000 feet, but didn't clear the clouds until 350 feet. "Everything UPS does is about efficiency. They have guys running around with clipboards and stopwatches to make sure if an airplane is a minute late, someone will be held accountable for it. But the sad thing here -- this (technology) could have possibly prevented this accident." "If you're interested in efficiency, I can guarantee you on August 14 of last year, those packages on the airplanes did not get delivered by 10:30 in the morning," Sumwalt said. UPS' Mills acknowleged that known information about the cloud ceiling was not relayed to the pilots. But, he said, the pilots had been given a forecast that included a variable cloud ceiling, giving the pilots enough to plan and execute their approach. The board said the captain did not have a stabilized approach -- meaning the plane's speed, direction and descent were not within established standards -- in the final minutes. It was the same problem that led to the 2013 crash of an Asiana jetliner in San Francisco. "An unstabilized approach is a less safe approach," said NTSB Acting Chairman Christopher A. Hart. "When an approach is unstable, there is no shame in playing it safe by going around and trying again." The U.S. aviation industry has closely watched the UPS crash investigation largely because it highlights different FAA standards for commercial and cargo aircraft. In January of this year, the FAA required additional rest hours for commercial pilots, but it exempted cargo pilots. Cargo pilots say rest rules should be uniform, regardless of the type of aircraft flown. Wednesday, the NTSB concluded the pilots of Flight 1354 had been given an adequate opportunity to rest, even under the rule that applies to commercial pilots. The rule did not make a difference in this case, the board said. Asked if the UPS culture encourages pilots to call in fatigued when they are tired, 91% "strongly disagreed" or "somewhat disagreed," according to a survey conducted in March by the Independent Pilots Association, a union that represents UPS pilots. "You probably have some bias in here as it was issued by a (union)," Sumwalt said. "But when you have 2,202 people responding to that, they are trying to tell you something." UPS spokesman Malcolm Berkley said the union was "politicizing" the investigation in an effort to change pilot work hours. UPS pilots typically work 70 hours a month -- 30 in the air, Berkley said, less than the 55 hours the typical commercial pilot flies. The safety board approved more than 20 recommendations, including one that board member Mark Rosekind called "ground-breaking" that would require warnings about flying fatigued during pre-flight briefings on overnight flights. http://www.click2houston.com/news/feds-blame-pilots-but-blast-ups-in-alabama- crash/27960974 Back to Top Medical Flight That Crashed In New Mexico Was Filled With Jet Fuel Federal safety investigators say an air ambulance that crashed, killing four people last month, got the wrong fuel when it filled up at a New Mexico airport. The National Transportation Safety Board said in a preliminary report the twin-engine aircraft was refueled with 40 gallons of jet fuel instead of aviation gasoline at the Las Cruces airport on Aug. 27. All three crew members and one patient were killed when the plane, which was headed to Phoenix, crashed. The NTSB report does not say whether getting the wrong fuel caused the crash. It does say a crew member called the dispatcher to say the plane was returning to Las Cruces, because of smoke coming from the right engine. The city of Las Cruces is refusing comment because it doesn't operate the fueling service. Southwest Aviation Inc., which operates it, had no immediate comment. The NTSB will issue a final report on the crash, later. http://kjzz.org/content/44701/medical-flight-crashed-new-mexico-was-filled-jet-fuel ****************** Date: 27-AUG-2014 Time: 19:00 Type: Cessna 421 Golden Eagle Owner/operator: Elite Medical Air Transport LLC Registration: N51RX C/n / msn: 421C0871 Fatalities: Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: Near the Southern New Mexico Fair Grounds, Las Cruces, NM - United States of America Phase: Initial climb Nature: Ambulance Departure airport: Las Cruces Int'l (KLRU) Destination airport: Phoenix, AZ Narrative: On August 27, 2014, about 1900 mountain daylight time, a Cessna Airplane Company 421C, multi-engine airplane, N51RX, was destroyed after impacting terrain during initial climb near Las Cruces International Airport (LRU), Las Cruces, New Mexico. The pilot, two medical crewmembers and one patient were fatally injured. The airplane was registered to Elite Medical Air Transport, LLC; El Paso, Texas, and was operated by Amigos Aviation, Inc.; Harlingen, Texas. Day visual meteorological conditions (VMC) prevailed at the time of the accident and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan had been filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135 air ambulance flight. At the time of the accident the airplane was departing LRU for a flight to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX), Phoenix, Arizona. The airplane arrived LRU about 1834 to pickup a patient for a flight to PHX. The pilot was still seated in the cockpit when he gave the line service technician a verbal order for a total of forty gallons of fuel. The line service technician drove the fuel truck to the front of the airplane and refueled the airplane putting 20 gallons in each wing. The pilot then assisted the line service technician with replacing both fuel caps. They both walked into the office and the pilot signed the machine printed fuel ticket. After departing LRU to the west a medical crewmember onboard the airplane called their medical dispatcher on a satellite telephone and reported they were returning to LRU because of a problem with smoke coming from the right engine. A witness driving westbound on the interstate highway reported the airplane was westbound and about 200 feet above ground level (agl) when he saw smoke begin to appear from the right engine. The airplane then began descending and started a left turn to the east. Another witness, driving eastbound on the interstate highway, reported the airplane was trailing smoke when it passed over him about 100 feet agl. He saw the descending airplane continue its left turn to the east and then lost sight of it. Several witnesses reported seeing the impact or hearing the sound of impact and they then immediately saw smoke or flames. Evidence at the scene showed the airplane was generally eastbound and upright when it impacted terrain resulting in the separation of the left propeller and the separation of the right aileron. The airplane came to rest inverted about 100 feet from the initial impact point, and there was an immediate postimpact fire which consumed much of the airplane. Investigators who arrived at the scene on the day following the accident reported detecting the smell of jet fuel. A postaccident review of refueling records and interviews with line service technicians showed that the airplane had been misfuelled with 40 gallons of Jet A fuel instead of the required 100LL aviation gasoline. At 1855 the automated weather observing system at LRU, located about 3 miles northeast from the accident location, reported wind from 040 degrees at 5 knots, visibility of 10 miles, broken clouds at 6,500 feet, temperature 23 degrees Celsius (C), dew point 16 degrees C, with an altimeter setting of 30.16 inches of Mercury. www.aviation-safety.net Back to Top Rise in Drug Use Is Found in Pilots Killed in Crashes NTSB Chairman: Chris Hart By MATTHEW L. WALD Pilots killed in airplane crashes in 2012 tested positive for drugs four times more often than those killed in 1990, according to a study by the National Transportation Safety Board, although drawing a causal link between drugs and crashes was difficult. The board, in a study approved Tuesday, said doctors and the Federal Aviation Administration were not doing enough to warn pilots about how their performance could be affected by drugs - prescription, over-the-counter and illicit. Perhaps the most worrisome category was sedating antihistamines, present in 9.9 percent of pilots who died from 2008 to 2012, compared with 5.6 percent from 1990 to 1997. The ingredients in Vicodin and Valium also showed up more frequently. Nearly all the cases involved private pilots. One of the few commercial crashes in which the safety board determined that drugs were a cause took place in March 1983, when a Learjet crashed at Newark International Airport. The board attributed the accident in part to marijuana and other drugs. The board cites the use of drugs, legal or illegal, as a factor in about 3 percent of crashes. Toxicology reports on pilots killed in crashes showed a positive result for one drug 39 percent of the time in 2012, up from 9.6 percent in 1990. The percentage with more than one drug rose to 20.5 percent from 2 percent, and more than two drugs rose to 8.3 percent in 2012 from zero in 1990. The board's study said the pilot population, like the nation itself, was getting older and sicker and thus more likely to be taking medication, some of which could affect performance and others used to treat "potentially impairing conditions," like heart problems. Over the years of the study, which covered 6,677 fatalities, the average age of pilots who died increased to 57.3 from 46.2. The pilots who died were, on average, about 15 years older than pilots as a whole. The safety board's staff said that there was no evidence that pilots were more likely to use drugs than drivers or other transportation operators, but that the database for pilots was better. Toxicology reports were done on 88 percent of pilots who had died, and the tests screened for 1,300 separate drugs. "This particular study allowed us to look at it in a way that we can't look at it in other modes of transportation," said Dr. Mary Pat McKay, a public health specialist who is the board's chief medical officer. She added that the increase in drug use, including prescription drug use, in the general population was "pretty alarming." The acting chairman of the safety board, Christopher A. Hart, pointed out that he was from Colorado, where, he noted, marijuana has recently been legalized, and he asked about what the study found about marijuana use. Loren Groff, a staff specialist, said it had increased to 3 percent from 1.6 percent, and was more likely to be found in younger pilots, opposite from the trend of other drugs, which were more common in older pilots. Dr. McKay said it was more potent when eaten, instead of smoked. Mr. Hart, a private pilot, deadpanned, "I'll keep that in mind in my future decision-making." http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/10/us/pilot-drug-use-plane-crashes.html?_r=0 Back to Top AFTER DEADLY CRASHES, PILOTS GROUP WARNS OF HYPOXIA RISK The Socata TBM 900, one of the planes involved in the recent crashes. (Handout photo) With flight enthusiasts in mourning after two crashes that may have been caused by a lack of oxygen-one involving an association president-a key aviation group is offering members tips on how to stay safe at high altitudes. In the wake of two deadly crashes in recent weeks involving avid pilots, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) has a message for its members: The danger of hypoxia, or a limited oxygen supply to parts of the body, is one that general aviation pilots should take seriously. The crashes, one of which involved an experimental plane that's considered the world's fastest certified single-engine turboprop, have drawn attention to a condition that can be a risk for pilots flying at high altitudes, where oxygen is at a reduced barometric pressure and harder to get into the lungs. WHAT HAPPENED? On Friday, Larry Glazer, the president of the TBM Owners and Pilots Association, died when his aircraft crashed off the coast of Jamaica, after Glazer lost consciousness at the controls. His Daher-Socata TBM 900 was the first plane of its kind that had been delivered to an individual customer. Glazer was an experienced pilot, having logged more than 5,000 hours in various TBM aircraft. His wife, Jane, was also aboard. The plane, which took off from Rochester, New York, went far beyond its planned landing point of Naples, Florida, flying over Cuba before running out of fuel and descending into the Caribbean. The good news is that [general aviation] pilots have a powerful low cost tool available to help avoid succumbing to the effects of hypoxia. The tragedy drew significant public attention, partly because of Glazer's prominence as a developer in the Rochester community, where he was the CEO and managing partner of Buckingham Properties. The other factor was the unusual circumstances of the crash: The plane flew for hundreds of miles at high altitudes with two unconscious people on board. It was tailed by F-15 fighter jets for much of the flight. The crash came less than a week after a similar incident involving pilot Ronald Hutchinson, a Wisconsin resident who was flying solo to Virginia. Hutchinson's Cirrus SR22T missed its mark by 138 nautical miles and was lost at sea, leading to a search-and-rescue mission. Like Glazer, Hutchinson was an experienced pilot who had logged thousands of hours over the years. A PUSH FOR PRECAUTIONS In a safety alert [PDF] issued over the weekend, AOPA's Air Safety Institute noted that hypoxia hasn't been declared the cause of the two accidents, but the likelihood that it was a factor raises concerns that pilots should heed. "The good news is that [general aviation] pilots have a powerful, low-cost tool available to help avoid succumbing to the effects of hypoxia," the safety alert states. "A pulse oximeter is the best defense against hypoxia and can be purchased from a variety of aviation vendors or any drug store." AOPA recommends that pilots use the device to check their oxygen saturation levels every 10 to 15 minutes in unpressurized aircraft and as needed in pressurized aircraft. Pilots who think they may be experiencing hypoxia (symptoms include headache, hot flashes, and impaired vision) should use supplemental oxygen and contact air traffic controllers on the ground, the association says. "While it's impossible to say for certain that hypoxia was the primary cause, both mishaps' flight profiles and the reports from the military pilots who intercepted the aircraft point toward this as a possibility," AOPA stated in the alert. http://associationsnow.com/2014/09/deadly-crashes-pilots-association-warns-hypoxia-risk/ Back to Top Back to Top Russian airlines hire 200 foreign pilots The appointments were made possible thanks to a recent change in the rules. Analysts believe this decision will allow airlines to cut spending on training pilots, who have not accumulated the required amount of flight hours. National carrier Aeroflot recruits 80 new staff, mostly from Western Europe. Source: Alexandr Kryazhev / RIA Novosti Major Russian airlines have taken advantage of a change in legislation to hire 200 foreign pilots, the Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsia), has announced. According to an official statement circulated by the agency's press service, the biggest number of foreign pilots have been hired by Aeroflot (a total of 80), with Russia's second-biggest airline, Transaero, coming a close second with 67 foreign recruits. The other airlines filed considerably fewer applications. For example, the Siberian airline Utair will be able to hire 14 foreign pilots, with KogalymAvia and Vim-AVIA, which specialize in charter flights, getting seven pilots each. Most of the pilots will be arriving from Western Europe, the Russian business daily Vedomosti reports. For example, according to the paper, Aeroflot has hired most of its new pilots in Germany. Expedient decision "Russian airlines have been lobbying for allowing foreign pilots onto the domestic market for about three years. The most interested parties were Aeroflot and Transaero, the country's biggest carriers," says UFS IC analyst Anna Milostnova. According to her, the main reason behind these recent amendments to the air transport legislation is the rapid growth of the Russian aviation industry, by an average 15-20 percent a year, which has resulted in a shortage of pilots qualified to serve as captains. For example, Aeroflot estimated the shortage of first pilots at 1,000 people, Milostnova says. In the spring of 2014, Rosaviatsia allowed Russian airlines to hire 200 foreign pilots every year over a period of five years. Under the new procedure, airlines submitted applications for hiring foreign pilots to the Federal Air Transport Agency, while the agency decided how many pilots each airline could hire. The decision on each airline was taken through an algorithm based on the company's air traffic in 2013, Rosaviatsia explained. Now Rosaviatsia will hand over the applications to the Federal Migration Service (which issues work permits to foreigners) and the airlines will be able to sign contracts with foreign pilots. Further applications to hire foreign pilots can be filed next year. New legislation Previously, Russian airlines were banned from hiring foreign pilots. However, in 2013, the ban was lifted for a period of five years. Interestingly, at first Rosaviatsia planned to hire 1,100- 1,500 foreign pilots every year, but in the end, the figure was significantly cut. "Foreign pilots must have been offered a competitive salary, which may even be higher than in Europe, and an attractive benefits package," says leading analyst with Finam Management Dmitry Baranov. Furthermore, he continues, a system of additional benefits may have been set up for foreign pilots. Anna Milostnova agrees. "Russian airlines realize that in order to hire European pilots, they will have to offer them attractive conditions. Some surveys have shown that in major Russian airlines, pilots' remuneration is in no way inferior to their European counterparts," she says. At the same time, experts stress, there is no shortage of pilots in Russia per se, but there is a shortage of pilots with a large number of flight hours. "Russia did not and does not have a shortage of pilots in general. However, airlines do not seem to be prepared to spend money on retraining pilots to qualify as captains," explains Milostnova. In Europe, the aviation industry is more mature and grows at a slower pace than in Russia, just 5 percent a year, she continues. "For Russian airlines, the opportunity to hire foreign pilots is, of course, a big plus. In addition to filling the gap, it will also increase completion among pilots," Milostnova concludes. http://in.rbth.com/economics/2014/09/10/russian_airlines_hire_200_foreign_pilots_38195.html 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: 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