Flight Safety Information September 19, 2014 - No. 193 In This Issue 4 Injured After Jet Blue Flight Makes Emergency Landing At Long Beach Airport Leaking Lime Juice Sends Responders to Cargo Jet Sleepy pilots target of new Transport Canada rules Malaysia Airlines MH370 underwater hunt to resume PRISM TO HELP PREPARE FOR E-IOSA Delta pilots offered early retirement package University Launches Study on Pilot Preparedness FAA approves spaceport license for Midland International ICAEA-ANAC-CIPE Aviation English Workshop Graduate Survey Research Request AIRPORT WILDLIFE HAZARD MANAGEMENT WORKSHOP ISASI 2014 - Annual Seminar, October 13-16, 2014 - Early Bird Registration Deadline Upcoming Events 4 Injured After Jet Blue Flight Makes Emergency Landing At Long Beach Airport LONG BEACH (CBSLA.com) - Several people were injured Thursday after a Jet Blue aircraft made an emergency landing at Long Beach Airport. "On September 18, the flight crew aboard flight 1416 reported an issue with the number two engine and returned to Long Beach Airport," Jet Blue officials said in a statement. The pilots had received a warning signal that the engine was overheating, according to Jake Heflin of the Long Beach Fire Department. "They proceeded to have some smoke inside the cabin," he said. "The pilots then deployed both extinguishing agents." Once the plane landed, slides were deployed for the 142 passengers and five crew members who were on board. "There were four patients that were treated and evaluated by Long Beach Fire Department paramedics on scene of the incident itself, one of those patients complained of shortness of breath and was transported to a local area hospital," Helfin said. The other three patients were evaluated and treated on scene. KCAL9's Dave Lopez spoke with passengers who feared for their lives while during the emergency landing. "There was a loud boom and then immediately the cabin filled with smoke," said Jarrod West. "The masks didn't drop at first." According to passengers, once the plane began its descent to land, the flight attendants were yelling orders to brace for landing. "The flight attendants were yelling 'brace, brace' and they kept repeating it and repeating it on the top of their lungs," West said. Passenger Jonathon Hubbard sat in the emergency row on board. He said he immediately threw the emergency exit door open once the plane came to a halt on the ground. "Smoke engulfed the cabin where you couldn't see the person next to you," said Hubbard. "It was that bad. For the most part, people stayed calm. Los Angeles resident Cynthian Manley said the experience was perhaps the most frightening during the first few minutes when passengers heard a loud boom, the cabin began to fill with smoke, and the oxygen masks initially failed to drop down. "Everybody's freaking out because the smoke is so thick, and it's very acidic smoke," said Manley. "I was breathing through my pillow." http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2014/09/18/4-injured-after-jet-blue-flight-makes- emergency-landing-at-long-beach-airport/ Back to Top Leaking Lime Juice Sends Responders to Cargo Jet KETCHIKAN, Alaska - A mysterious liquid leaking on a cargo jet sent emergency responders to the island that is home to the Ketchikan, Alaska, airport. Turns out, a bartender with a dish towel could have handled the problem. The Ketchikan Daily News reports (http://bit.ly/1uLea7N) the leak Tuesday on the Alaska Airlines 737-700 was traced to a container of lime juice that broke open during a flight from Seattle. Alaska Airlines spokesman Cole Cosgrove says workers first detected the sour-smelling liquid coming from a cargo container. Airport staff took a cautious approach and called for emergency responders from the Ketchikan Fire Department to take a ferry to the airport on Gravina Island. The leaking lime juice was diagnosed as the source at 7:30 p.m. Ketchikan cargo was unloaded, and the jet continued to Sitka, Juneau and Anchorage. http://abcnews.go.com/Weird/wireStory/leaking-lime-juice-sends-responders-cargo-jet- 25598942 Back to Top Sleepy pilots target of new Transport Canada rules Transport Canada is proposing new regulations to ensure pilots spend less time in the cockpit and more time getting rest. Transport Canada is proposing to overhaul the rules that govern how long commercial pilots can be on duty, and their mandated rest periods. OTTAWA-Worried that sleepy pilots are flying Canadian skies, Transport Canada is proposing new rules to ensure commercial pilots spend less time in the cockpit and more time getting rest. But Canadian carriers and air operators are warning the new rules could hit their operations and their bottom line. The federal regulator has unveiled its proposal to overhaul the rules that govern how long commercial pilots can be on duty, their mandated rest periods, and account for flights across time zones and at night. Transport Canada admits the current regulations, established 18 years ago, are out of date, don't reflect the latest science around fatigue and don't conform to international aviation practices. In its notice proposing the changes, the department says the new regulations will reduce fatigue-related errors and even accidents by pilots and "thus enhance safety." The Air Line Pilots Association, which represents 2,600 pilots in Canada, including those flying for Air Transat, Bearskin and Jazz Aviation, praised the changes. "We're very happy. These have been a long time coming," said Capt. Dan Adamus, president of ALPA's Canada Board. "There are certainly some that will comment that this is going to hurt them. But I say those folks are talking from the economic side," he said in an interview. The new rules would mean changes to flight time - how long a pilot is at the controls - as well as duty time, which counts not only flying time but also the time a pilot is at the airport before a flight or between flights. The proposed rules would restrict a commercial pilot to being on duty 13 hours in a day, down from 14 now. The 28-day limits would be 190 hours on duty and 112 hours of flying time. Pilots would be limited to flying 1,000 hours a year, down from 1,200 hours. Pilots flying at night would fly even fewer hours - as little as 10 hours a day - to account for a body's circadian rhythms and the recognition that alertness is dulled during such times. Pilots flying multiple legs in a day would also have their hours restricted, recognizing that each take-off and landing boosts workload and fatigue. The release of the proposed rules on Monday has sent the country's air carriers scrambling this week to assess the potential impact of the new rules on their operations and their costs. The Air Transport Association of Canada, which represents airlines and air operators, was canvassing members this week but president John McKenna it was apparent already that some elements "concern us gravely." He said seasonal, northern and helicopter operators will find the new rules "difficult to live with," with some warning it could boost their labour costs by 30 per cent. McKenna said the rules do give operators a chance to develop their own fatigue management plan to give them some flexibility with the new rules. "Is that a viable alternative? That's what we're looking at right now," McKenna told the Star. The government is giving industry three weeks to respond to the proposed rules but McKenna is hoping bureaucrats allow more time to study the amendments. The changes aren't expected to make much difference for pilots flying with major carriers such as Air Canada, where union agreements already restrict flying hours. But the new rules will mean changes at smaller operators who often fly to the limits of current regulations, Transport Canada says. Yet regulators say the changes are necessary to improve aviation safety, saying that fatigue impairs a pilot's performance, opening the door to accidents. "When a pilot is fatigued, decision making is also affected," the proposed rules say. By the numbers Transport Canada is proposing an update to the rules that govern how long commercial pilots can work to reflect international standards and the latest science in fatigue management. Under the changes: 13: Number of hours that a pilot could be on duty in a day, down from 14 now. 10: Number of hours in a day that a pilot flying between 11 p.m. and 4:29 a.m. could be on duty. 112: Number of hours in a 28-day period that a pilot could fly. 190: Number of hours in a 28-day period that a pilot could be on duty. 1,000: Number of hours in a year that pilots could fly, down from 1,200 now. http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2014/09/18/ Back to Top Malaysia Airlines MH370 underwater hunt to resume GO Phoenix ship to begin searching a remote patch of the Indian Ocean where investigators believe the plane ran out of fuel The southern Indian Ocean pictured at 500 feet above sea level Crews will resume the underwater hunt for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 at the end of September, moving the search area further south than initially planned, a senior Australian official has announced. The search had been due to start next week but the first of three ships that will scour a remote patch of the Indian Ocean for the plane that vanished in March needed some additional work done in Indonesia, said Martin Dolan of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau. The ship, Malaysia's GO Phoenix, is now expected to begin searching on 30 September. Officials have been refining their analysis of satellite data from the Boeing 777 to get the best idea of where they believe it crashed in the ocean far off Australia's west coast. The most recent analysis suggests the aircraft turned south earlier than previously thought, meaning it may have entered the water in an area south of what was initially considered the highest priority search zone, Dolan said. The GO Phoenix will therefore begin its search in that southerly stretch of ocean, located along what is known as the "seventh arc", a 23,000 sq mile (60,000 sq km) targeted area where investigators believe the plane ran out of fuel and crashed based on its last signal. "Our plan has a sequence of priorities," Dolan said. "It's all about probability - we'll start with the highest probability." The second ship, provided by the Dutch contractor Fugro Survey, is likely to focus on an area south of the GO Phoenix when it eventually arrived, Dolan said. Flight MH370 disappeared on 8 March after veering off its northerly course from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing for reasons unknown. It is thought to have crashed 1,100 miles (1,800km) off Australia's west coast, but no trace of the aircraft or the 239 people on board has been found. Two survey vessels have spent months mapping the entire underwater search area, which reaches depths of 3.7 miles (6km). Once the search begins the Malaysian and Fugro ships will slowly tow equipment with side-scan sonar about 100 metres (330ft) above the ocean floor to look for wreckage. The data from these "towfish" will be transmitted in real-time back to crew aboard the ships, who will analyse it for anything unusual. The search is expected to take up to a year. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/19/malaysia-airlines-mh370-underwater- hunt-indian-ocean Back to Top Back to Top Delta pilots offered early retirement package Delta Air Lines is offering pilots early retirement packages as it retires some of its Boeing 747 jumbo jets. The move comes after Delta offered early retirements across the company earlier this year. More than 1,000 employees took the early retirement offers, according to the company. A maximum of 50 pilots can retire early through the deal offered to Boeing 747 captains and other pilots. Boeing 747 captains are often among the most senior, well-paid pilots. They would be displaced by Delta's decision to retire four of its 16 Boeing 747 jumbo jets this fall. Delta has already announced plans to pull the iconic Boeing 747 from its Atlanta-Tokyo route as it retires the four 747s. The carrier inherited the 747s through its 2009 merger with Northwest Airlines. The Air Line Pilots Association union at Delta approved the early retirement offer last week, and pilots have until the end of October to apply.. http://www.ajc.com/news/business/delta-pilots-offered-early-retirement- package/nhPG6/ Back to Top University Launches Study on Pilot Preparedness Saint Louis University has announced that it has entered into a research partnership with the Professional Aviation Board of Certification (PABC) and Professional Testing, Inc. The goal of this research is to evaluate a proposed concept for using enhanced knowledge testing to ensure that pre-employment pilot training effectively prepares future pilots for entry into this critically important profession, both in the United States and worldwide. The knowledge and skills required of airline pilots today are vastly different from those required 10 to 20 years ago. The technology and operating conditions, along with the labor market, have changed dramatically. This combination poses an increased potential global safety risk that must be addressed. Manoj Patankar, Ph.D. To meet that challenge, SLU is now working with PABC and Professional Testing to develop a prototype of the proposed concept to evaluate the process for creating entry level knowledge standards and testing and the effectiveness of the resulting examinations as a way to identify "gaps" in a pilot's preparedness. Under this concept, any gaps found would then be rectified through specialized remedial training in those areas before the pilot begins employer-provided qualification training for service as a professional pilot. While this prototype will only address a limited set of subject areas, the standards and testing can be scaled up to address the full spectrum of pre-employment knowledge and competencies if the study finds the concept to be effective. Cathay Pacific Airways hosted the inaugural research design meeting in Hong Kong on August 13-15, 2014. Internationally respected experts representing employers, aviation educators, insurers manufacturers, pilots and regulators participated in the event. The group identified a number of characteristics that this kind of knowledge testing system will need if it is to be of maximum benefit to public safety, regulatory authorities and the industry. Examples of such characteristics include the following: Initial New Hire Pilots (the subjects of this study) should: Possess Airline Transport Pilot-level knowledge, regardless of the licenses they hold. Understand generic principles that have broad applicability across the industry. Be able to apply their theoretical knowledge, not just recall facts. The testing system should: Be current, comprehensive, fair, effective, secure and sustainable. Be based on a stakeholder-defined Airline Transport Pilot-level Job Task Analysis Be accredited by the International Standards Organization (ISO). Accurately identify a pilot's strengths and weaknesses across various subject areas. Be administered in English. Captain Peter J. Wolfe, PABC's Executive Director, commented on the research. "If this study validates the concept, it can lead to a major paradigm shift in professional pilot knowledge testing and provide much needed support for the Multi-crew Pilot License (MPL) developed by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the International Federation of Airline Pilots Association (IFALPA). "This research is just another example of the aviation community's ongoing self- improvement effort and firm commitment to always provide our passengers with safest mode of transportation available worldwide," Wolfe added. Manoj Patankar, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Center for Aviation Safety Research (CASR) at Saint Louis University and Principal Investigator of this project, thanked the Federal Aviation Administration for supporting the project and applauded the pioneering leadership of all the subject matter experts engaged in co-designing the study. "This project will set the stage for the next level of enhancements to aviation safety, pilot training, professionalism, and mobility among the professional pilot workforce around the world," Patankar noted. Results of this study will be made available on the CASR's website at http://parks.slu.edu/research/centers-labs-facilities/CASR/. Turkish Airlines will host the next meeting in this study series on November 4-6, 2014 in Istanbul, Turkey, to develop the Job Task Analysis (JTA) on which the prototype standards and testing will be based. Subject matter experts interested in participating in this meeting can contact Capt. Wolfe at pjwolfe@pabc.aero. Parties seeking additional information may also meet with Dr. Patankar at the Asia Pacific Airline Training Symposium in Bangkok, September 23-24, 2014 or Capt. Wolfe at the Royal Aeronautical Society's International Pilot Training Consortium meeting in London, September 23-25, 2014. For more information about this research project, please contact Dr. Patankar at Patankar@slu.edu. About Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology Founded in 1927, Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology has a worldwide reputation for engineering, aviation, and technology programs and research. Parks College owns the distinction of being the first federally-certificated flight school in the United States; today, Parks is also known for its first Ph.D. in Aviation. Parks graduates are recognized for their ability to apply their education in a context that is technically brilliant, socially responsible, and uniquely entrepreneurial to make the world a better, more inclusive place. About Saint Louis University Saint Louis University is a Catholic, Jesuit institution that values academic excellence, life-changing research, compassionate health care and a strong commitment to faith and service. Founded in 1818, the University fosters the intellectual and character development of more than 13,500 students on two campuses in St. Louis and Madrid, Spain. Building on a legacy of nearly 200 years, Saint Louis University continues to move forward with an unwavering commitment to a higher purpose, a greater good. http://www.slu.edu/nl-rel-patankar_pilot_research-918 Back to Top FAA approves spaceport license for Midland International Midland is first commercial airport certified as spaceport Midland International Airport is now Midland International Air & Space Port, as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved a commercial space launch site license for the airport on Wednesday. Marv Esterly, the city of Midland's director of airports, received the license during an FAA Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee meeting in Washington, D.C., Wednesday morning. "I'm very excited and relieved at the same time knowing we passed a major milestone and made history that is something to be very proud of," Esterly said via email after the meeting. Though there are eight other commercial spaceports with FAA licensing, Midland International Air & Space Port is the first primary commercial service airport certified by the FAA as a spaceport. "The proximity of the airport to the spaceport allows us to take advantage of existing infrastructure, which in turn lowers cost to the operators and offers us a competitive advantage over operations at remote locations," Esterly said in a press release . The spaceport business model is to start small and expand as needed while leveraging existing facilities before building new ones in order to keep costs low for commercial space companies, according to the press release. Over the next few years, Midland will work to adapt the current spaceport concept to accommodate other types of launch vehicles and the needs of aerospace companies as they arise. Two space companies are planning to relocate to the spaceport: XCOR Aerospace and Orbital Outfitters, both from California. XCOR Aerospace plans to launch suborbital flights from the spaceport, and Orbital Outfitters plans to build spacesuits for XCOR's vehicles and operate a multi-use altitude chamber complex from the spaceport. "For over a century, Midlanders have been challenging frontiers and conquering world- changing innovations: the original Midland wildcatters to the now high-tech horizontal drillers; Jim Hall who revolutionized the automobile industry with his ground-breaking aerodynamic designs; and Leo Windecker who produced the first FAA-certified all- composite aircraft that influenced the way most aircraft are designed today," said Andrew Nelson, president of XCOR, in a press release. XCOR, the spaceport's anchor tenant, broke ground for its future Midland home on Aug. 15, and Orbital Outfitters is preparing to break ground sometime within the next two months. XCOR plans to launch from Midland by late 2015. The spaceport is a work in progress that began two years ago by the Midland Development Corp., a 4A sales tax-funded group that actively recruits companies to come to the spaceport, such as XCOR and Orbital Outfitters. Robert Rendall, MDC board chairman, said MDC is currently in talks with more companies. "We are in constant contact," Rendall said. "Today (Wednesday) the spaceport license announcement was made in D.C., and our (MDC) staff is having meetings with people today. So there's a tremendous buzz in the space industry right now because we're the first spaceport that is in a commercial airport context." While MDC took charge of recruitment, the airport was tasked with obtaining the spaceport license. Officials began the spaceport application process in September 2012. After approval of the environmental assessment portion of the application on March 21, the FAA had 180 days to approve or deny the license. "Tomorrow is a new day and we still have our work cut out for us as Midland makes its mark on the commercial space industry," Esterly said via email. http://www.mrt.com/top_stories/article_216a60e0-3e73-11e4-ac49-9750fbe8fd3f.html Back to Top ICAEA-ANAC-CIPE Aviation English Workshop Buenos Aires, Argentina. International Civil Aviation English Association Workshop, hosted by Argentina ANAC and CIPE. "Skills and competencies needed in aviation communications: The Latin American Challenge." Open to anyone interested in aviation English. Nov. 20-21, 2014. www.icaea.aero Back to Top Graduate Survey Research Request Dear fellow pilots/Dear Colleagues: Apart from still very actively flying airplanes like all of us, in my case the Airbus, I'm also about to write a thesis with the University of Applied Sciences in Zurich, Switzerland, on the topic of culture and Crew Resource Management. Part of my research consists of a questionnaire for pilots, which takes about 10 minutes to fill in and is completely anonymous. Not even the IP-address is logged or traced, absolutely nothing. It would be great if you could take a few minutes to answer the survey which can be accessed using this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/UNI-HWZ Every additional reply is of great help. So, please feel free to answer my questions. For any feedback, comment or expression of doubt, just drop me a line. Many thanks and very kind regards, Thomas Thomas Häderli Captain Hadlaubstrasse 39 8044 Zürich Switzerland Cell +41 79 638 48 38 tom.h@me.com skype: thaederli 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: 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 ICAEA-ANAC-CIPE Aviation English Workshop. Buenos Aires, Argentina. International Civil Aviation English Association Workshop, hosted by Argentina ANAC and CIPE. "Skills and competencies needed in aviation communications: The Latin American Challenge." Open to anyone interested in aviation English. Nov. 20-21, 2014. www.icaea.aero 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