Flight Safety Information September 11, 2014 - No. 187 In This Issue PILOTS DEMAND RIGHT TO REFUSE FLIGHTS TO WEST AFRICA Virgin Pilots hit turbulence injuring nine passengers and one crew member Airport Carbon Management Standard Takes Off. American Airlines scraps paper manuals for tablets to cut fuel costs. U.S. requiring airlines to keep more data on incidents involving animals U.S., Nigeria To Collaborate On Aviation Safety, Security PRISM TO HELP PREPARE FOR E-IOSA AIRPORT WILDLIFE HAZARD MANAGEMENT WORKSHOP ISASI 2014 - Annual Seminar, October 13-16, 2014 - Early Bird Registration Deadline Upcoming Events PILOTS DEMAND RIGHT TO REFUSE FLIGHTS TO WEST AFRICA Move threatens to further isolate countries plagued by Ebola outbreak NEW YORK - Air France pilots have now joined flight attendants in demanding the right to refuse to fly to destinations in the West African countries affected by Ebola. The move threatens to further isolate three nations most ravaged by the disease - Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. According to Le Monde in Paris, François Hamant, a representative of the pilot's union in France, filed an official government complaint Wednesday. It demands a commitment from Air France management that any pilot or flight attendant not wanting to fly to the Ebola-impacted West African nations can refuse to make the flight without suffering any adverse consequences, either financial or disciplinary. Julien Duboz, spokesman for the Syndicat des Pilotes d'Air France, the French union of airline pilots, confirmed to Le Monde that while the union is aware of some Air France pilots who have refused to fly to West Africa, the defections are "rare." As WND reported, the World Health Organization warned Monday that Ebola is "expanding exponentially" in West Africa, with the problem so severe in Liberia that many thousands of new cases expected in country over the coming three weeks. Last Friday, WHO reported in Geneva that one in 10 health-care workers treating Ebola patients in West Africa has become infected with the disease. Nevertheless, WHO has repeatedly issued advisories contending airline pilots and crews are protected by rigorous screening to keep from flights any passenger showing symptoms of Ebola. WHO maintains that while the incubation period for Ebola can be as long as 21 days, those infected with the disease who are not yet displaying symptoms represent no danger of transmitting it. Duboz explained to Le Monde that Air France so far has not had a single incident of a member of the aircrew or a passenger becoming infected with Ebola, despite a continuation of regularly scheduled Air France flights to West African destinations. Dr. Margaret Chan, the WHO director-general, has repeatedly insisted that disruptions in commercial air travel to West Africa will impede the efforts of international health organizations to contain and combat the disease. "We must be careful not to characterize Ebola as 'an African disease,'" Chan said in a teleconference Sept. 3. She warned that the stigmatization of the disease with any racial classification would be detrimental to the U.N. effort to control it. "This is an international issue, a global threat," she continued. "We need to make sure Ebola patients and Ebola-affected countries aren't stigmatized and isolated." http://www.wnd.com/2014/09/pilots-demand-right-to-refuse-flights-to-west- africa/#XikH5E6s5hFzOgDT.99 Back to Top Virgin Pilots hit turbulence injuring nine passengers and one crew member Nine passengers and one crew member left needing hospital treatment after Virgin pilots hit turbulence while changing course to AVOID bad weather Air Accidents Investigation Branch report says three were later hospitalised The plane with 400 passengers aboard landed safely at Gatwick Incident happened on flight from Montego Bay in Jamaica A packed jumbo jet experienced such extreme turbulence that nine passengers and a cabin crew member were injured, an accident report for Virgin Atlantic has revealed. The London-bound Boeing 747 ran into extreme turbulence after the pilots' study of weather radar returns led them to alter course to avoid bad weather on their intended route. The radar monitoring by the pilots 'appeared to indicate a line of weather across the aircraft's intended track', said the report from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB). The Air Accidents Investigation Branch found the Boeing 747 ran into turbulence when trying to avoid bad weather no a flight from Jamaica to London Having altered course, crew and passengers ran into 'a brief period of severe turbulence' with the injured crew member and two of the injured passengers later being treated in hospital. The aircraft, which had 400 passengers on board, safely landed at Gatwick, but one of the passengers suffered a knee injury and the cabin crew member, who was in the crew rest area at the time, had head and neck injuries. At one point the turbulence was so severe that a stewardess had difficulty securing herself in her harness, the report says. Most passengers were already seated with their seatbelts fastened and all those who suffered injury were in the rear, right side of the plane. The incident happened in the early hours of November 14 last year when the aircraft, which had taken off from Montego Bay in Jamaica, was around 345 miles south of St John's in Newfoundland. After their monitoring of the weather radar, the pilots had requested a deviation to the left, (north), to avoid the weather. This was not approved but a deviation to the right of track was, and the crew altered course. The report said the wind at this stage was from astern, 'so the crew were not concerned that their new track would be downwind of the observed weather and thus possibly subject to turbulence'. The AAIB said that as the aircraft flew on, 'returns on the radar reduced and disappeared altogether'. The flight had taken off from Montego Bay in Jamaica and was heading for the UK when the incident happened But turbulence then started and there were 'significant climbs and descents'. Once it was over, the cabin crew attended to the injured passengers and crew member, assisted by medically-qualified volunteers from among the passengers. After the plane landed, medical staff came on board and treated the injured passengers. In another incident reported by the AAIB, severe turbulence aboard a Dash 8 aircraft being flown from Birmingham to Belfast City Airport led to a stewardess being seriously injured. She was knocked off her feet during the flight on the morning of February 7 this year. She was treated by a doctor who was travelling as a passenger and later taken to hospital. One of the 71 passengers on board also suffered a minor injury. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-2751015/Virgin-pilots-hit- turbulence-injuring-9-passengers-one-crew-member.html#ixzz3D0nzlOkf tent/44701/medical-flight-crashed-new-mexico-was-filled-jet-fuel ****************** Back to Top Airport Carbon Management Standard Takes Off Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is the first North American airport to earn Airport Carbon Accreditation, a carbon management standard launched by the Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA) this week. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is the first North American airport to earn Airport Carbon Accreditation, a carbon management standard launched by the Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA) this week. The program is similar to one that has been in place in Europe since 2009, the airport industry group says. The program independently assesses and recognizes airports' efforts to manage and reduce their CO2 emissions. It certifies airports at four different levels of accreditation: mapping, reduction, optimization and neutrality. In the past 12 months, 107 airports in Europe, Africa and Asia-Pacific have earned Airport Carbon Accredited status, ACI-NA says. Other North American airports have committing to adopting the Airport Carbon Accreditation, including: Aéroports de Montréal, Denver International Airport, San Francisco International Airport and Portland International Airport. The EPA last week said it would propose an endangerment finding, which would allow it to regulate aircraft greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act if it determines that aircraft GHGs contribute to air pollution and endanger public health. http://www.environmentalleader.com/2014/09/11/airport-carbon-management- standard-takes-off/#ixzz3D0tikB6Y Back to Top American Airlines scraps paper manuals for tablets to cut fuel costs An American Airlines airplane takes off from Heathrow airport in London July 3, 2014. REUTERS/Luke MacGregor (Reuters) - American Airlines has won regulatory approval to swap flight attendants' paper manuals for lighter Samsung tablets in a change that will save nearly $1 million a year, the company said on Wednesday. The move, which does not yet affect attendants at American Airlines Group Inc's (AAL.O) subsidiary US Airways, comes little more than a year after American's cockpit went paperless, and is one of many strategies that airlines have pursued to reduce weight and fuel costs. Delta Air Lines (DAL.N) and United Airlines (UAL.N) have also distributed smart devices to their pilots, and Delta plans to roll out an e-manual for flight attendants starting in October. American said its attendants already have the tablets, and those at US Airways will receive them after the combined company receives a single operating certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration. The timing of that is uncertain. "Conserving fuel is important to an airline because it is a huge cost," said American Airlines spokesperson Andrea Huguely. American stock rose 1.63 percent Wednesday to close at $38.58. American and Delta see smart devices as a boon to cabin service, allowing attendants to see where premium customers are seated and direct more attention to them, the spokespeople said. Tablets also will simplify in-flight food and beverage sales. Delta is "arming our flight attendants to help deliver more personalized customer assistance," said Kate Modolo, a Delta spokesperson. When American replaced roughly 35-lb pilot bags with 1.2-lb iPads, it said it would save $1.2 million in fuel costs annually. Switching to tablets from nearly 5-lb flight attendant manuals only will net the airline $650,000 a year. The remaining $300,000 in savings will come from reduced printing and shipping costs. Airlines are "looking for lots of little things that together - $300,000 at a time - could add up to real money," said industry consultant Robert Mann. Since 2005, American Airlines has saved 1 billion gallons of fuel under a program called Fuel Smart, Huguely said. Initiatives have ranged from pilots using only a single engine during taxiing when this is deemed safe, to removing antiquated phones attached to the seat backs of old planes, saving weight. After years of losses, U.S. airlines have been profitable over the last four years. Last quarter, American posted the best results in its history. http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/11/us-airlines-american-airlines-group- idUSKBN0H600320140911 Back to Top U.S. requiring airlines to keep more data on incidents involving animals WASHINGTON - In March 2012, Jeanette Linton, a retired Dallas nurse, bought a poodle from a breeder in Missouri. When Dahlia arrived after a 90-minute flight, Linton could tell right away that something was wrong. "She seemed lethargic," Linton said. "She kept throwing up yellow bile." A veterinarian gave the fuzzy black-and-white puppy a clean bill of health the next day. Two years later, Dahlia is fine. Linton still doesn't know why she got so sick. And no records exist that could provide any clues. Airlines only have to report when an animal is lost, injured or dies in transit if it is classified as a pet. Animals shipped by a breeder don't qualify. Nor do research animals. But that will change soon, under U.S. Department of Transportation rules announced in July. Starting Jan. 1, airlines must file reports for lost or hurt animals that are being shipped commercially, such as by a breeder. "This rule will provide consumers with a fuller picture of an airline's safety record when it comes to transporting animals," said department spokeswoman Caitlin Harvey. Such a report probably wouldn't have helped Linton figure out the cause of Dahlia's ailment. But the airline would have noted the pooch's illness. And in the future, pet owners and shippers could use such data to decide which airline to choose. New rules The new rules apply to any airline with a plane that holds more than 60 passengers - that expands the number of airlines that must file reports to 27. The old rules covered just the 15 biggest airlines. Airlines will have to file monthly reports documenting each lost, injured or deceased animal, along with an annual report totaling the number of incidents. Airlines have filed an average of 53 reports annually since 2010 that have covered incidents such as animals escaping from kennels, dogs and cats with hurt paws, and deaths. When an animal dies in transit, the airline often refunds the pet transport fee. The owner has the option of ordering a necropsy at the expense of the airline. Under the new rules, airlines also will track the number of animals they transport each year. The information will "help to determine whether carriers are complying with applicable animal welfare laws," said Christopher Berry, a staff attorney for the Animal Legal Defense Fund. A petition the group filed with the Transportation Department in August 2010 prompted the policy change. The petition was started after seven puppies died on an American Airlines flight from Tulsa to Chicago. The puppies were being shipped by a breeder, so the airline did not have to report the deaths to federal authorities. The defense fund did not get all the changes it wanted. Airlines still won't have to report information about zoo animals. And dogs and cats are the only research animals covered by the new rules. Pets and flying It's unclear how often animals are lost or hurt on airplanes. Under the current regulations, there are no records about the total number of animals that commercial airlines transport. American Airlines spokesman Matt Miller estimated that the airline transports over 100,000 pets annually. United Airlines ships about 120,000, according to spokeswoman Jennifer Dohm. Animal rights groups are wary of the airlines' figures. "We had no idea if four animals out of 400 or four animals out of 10 were being injured at any given time," said K.C. Theisen, director of pet care issues for the Humane Society of the United States. Some animal welfare advocates contend that airlines underreport losses, injuries and deaths. Mary Beth Melchior of Miami Beach, Fla., founded the group Where is Jack? after her cat, Jack, was lost for 61 days in John F. Kennedy International Airport in 2011. Jack died of malnutrition shortly after he was found. Melchior's group now works to improve conditions for animals on planes. "Airlines are supposed to self-report, but they have no incentive to do it," Melchior said. "The problem is there is no one on the ground to enforce these regulations." In a prepared statement, industry group Airlines for America responded by saying that "U.S. airlines' top priority is the safe transport of its passengers, crew, pets and cargo, and we will comply with the rule related to reporting requirements of dogs and cats." The Department of Transportation can fine airlines up to $27,500 each time a loss, injury or death is not reported, or if an airline consistently sends in reports late. Harvey said that a fine has been levied only once: against United in 2013. Since 2010, 33 animals have been reported lost, injured or dead on flights arriving or departing from Texas airports. Deaths account for almost 75 percent of the reports. There were 231 reports nationwide during the same period, about 60 percent of them deaths. Theisen expects a spike under the new reporting rules. She said that putting animals in the cargo hold is not "a passenger cabin one level down." Temperatures can vary widely. In Texas, animals that are sensitive to extreme heat are particularly vulnerable. A 2008 study by the American Association of Laboratory Animal Science found that cargo hold temperatures shift by 50 degrees or more during most flights. On half the flights studied, the hold reached 85 degrees - far hotter than the passenger cabin - and 15 percent of the time, the hold dipped to a chilly 45 degrees. "It's the same as putting an animal in a hot car," Theisen said. Linton is encouraged by the new regulations - especially since she is trying to sell her poodle's first litter. But after her experience with Dahlia, Linton said she won't put any of the puppies on a plane. "I would rather deliver my puppies by car if I can," she said. http://www.dallasnews.com/news/local-news/20140910-u.s.-requiring-airlines-to-keep- more-data-on-incidents-involving-animals.ece Back to Top U.S., Nigeria To Collaborate On Aviation Safety, Security The Minister of Aviation, Mr Osita Chidoka, said on Tuesday that the Ministry of Aviation would collaborate with U.S. experts on safety and security, to ensure safety in air transportation. Chidoka made this known when the U.S. Ambassador, Mr James Entwistle, visited him in his office in Abuja on Tuesday. He said Nigeria and the U.S. had been cooperating in the areas of capacity building, and improvement in regulatory and commercial activities. "The key focus of the sector is on safety and security at our airports and we will be talking with U.S. experts on safety and security. "In the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Category One, we did a lot on safety and security standard at the airports. "But now, we are going to deepen in that, to ensure that our system is of world class such that the U.S. FAA certification process will be just easy,'' Chidoka said. Earlier, Entwistle said that the essence of his visit was to talk on crucial areas of cooperation in the aviation sector. He said that the U.S. Government was ready to work with the Nigerian aviation sector, noting that Chidoka would soon be discussing with some U.S. government agencies on safety and security. "The U.S. and Nigeria have always worked closely, so we are just discussing on some new exciting opportunities in the aviation sector.'' On Ebola challenge, he commended the Federal Government and public health officials for implementing effective containment measures. "I visited your Emergency Operation Centre in Lagos and I must say I was impressed; they are doing a good job; and when the news of Ebola spread to Port Harcourt, the response was also quick that was remarkable. "And the key to this is contact tracing, public information and isolation; you had all these things and your government is doing a good job. "The U.S. Government, especially the Centre for Disease Control is glad to help. The situation in Nigeria on Ebola is fundamentally different from the situation in Liberia and Sieore Leone. "The important thing is that all the cases in Nigeria so far can be traced back to the original index case; that is good news because your contact tracing is doing a good job,'' Entwistle said. He said that of recent when he flew into Abuja from Europe he was impressed that everybody in the aircraft was given a form to fill, including their seat number. " I believe this will help in case there is any challenge of one infected with the disease a contact can easily be traced. (NAN) http://leadership.ng/business/383490/u-s-nigeria-collaborate-aviation-safety-security- chidoka Back to Top Back to Top 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 Curt Lewis