Flight Safety Information October 14, 2014 - No. 209 In This Issue American Airlines plane returns to SFO after cabin walls buckle Air Zimbabwe to conduct internal safety audits New Tech Helps Pilots Navigate Dangerous Volcanic Ash Plume Jet Airways' endless troubles: Three pilots found holding expired line check certificates (India) Airlines call for harmonized standards on aircraft e-enablement Safety Standdown Focused on Distraction Issues PRISM TO HELP PREPARE FOR E-IOSA Embraer Delivers First Legacy 500 Executive Jet G.E. Aircraft Unit Buys Helicopter Leasing Business Wildlife strikes and the impact on aviation A3IR CON 2015 Rotorcraft "Moral Courage Safety Award Upcoming Events American Airlines plane returns to SFO after cabin walls buckle An American Airlines jet bound for Dallas/Fort Worth had to return to San Francisco International Airport on Monday after parts of the cabin separated from the aircraft. Arthur Simondet posted a picture on his Twitter account showing walls from the Boeing 757 detaching from the inside of the cabin. Simondet said he was not on the flight but had received the photo from a personal contact. The plane made an uneventful emergency landing at SFO after making a U-turn near the Nevada border, according to data on the Flight Aware website (see below). American Airlines spokesman Matt Miller said an "air duct issue" caused the interior wall panels of the cabin to come loose. There was no depressurization in the cabin, he said. "When they realized those panels came loose, the captain decided it was best to return to San Francisco and landed the plane there safely," Miller said. "They declared an emergency because it was an unscheduled landing." The plane, which took off at about 1:15 p.m., landed back in San Francisco at about 2:15 p.m., Miller said. It carried 184 passengers and six crew members. Crews have since pulled the plane out of service, and are working to accommodate the passengers on later flights. http://blog.sfgate.com/stew/2014/10/13/american-airlines-plane-returns-to-sfo-after-cabin-buckles/ Back to Top Air Zimbabwe to conduct internal safety audits AIR Zimbabwe is set to conduct internal safety audits in addition to the one carried out by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), acting group chief executive officer Edmund Makona has said. IATA carries operational safety audits on airlines after every two years. Speaking at the company's breakfast meeting in Harare yesterday, Makona said IATA re-registered Air Zimbabwe in December 2012 following its suspension in June of the same year. "In 2015, Air Zimbabwe will do its own internal audit using its own auditors and will come up with its own confirmation reports and this will then be dispatched to IATA," Makona said. "We will enhance IATA operational standards. Instead of the one every two years, airlines will schedule their own audit using the IATA standards." Air Zimbabwe was de-registered from the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) registry after the airline had temporarily discontinued operations and failed to conduct the audits which must be carried out every two years. Makona said the IATA audits would take place in 2016 as the current Air Zimbabwe IATA certification would expire on June 13 2016. He added that it was between 120 to 150 days before the expiry dates that the airline would have to schedule for an audit. Makona said Air Zimbabwe was one of the few airlines in Africa which had managed to get the IATA certification "due to our human resource, skills and our asset base and also other airlines are coming to Zimbabwe to seek assistance". He said the board and shareholders were engaged on the company's turnaround strategy. Air Zimbabwe acting board chairman Eric Harid told a Parliamentary portfolio committee that the airline required close to $368 million to recapitalise its operations and clear debts, among others. Makona said the Air Zimbabwe fleet, though aged, had not been fully utilised saying that the aircraft were still new in terms of utilisation. Air Zimbabwe is currently flying the Harare-Bulawayo, Harare-Bulawayo-Victoria Falls and Harare-Kariba- Victoria Falls routes. In the region, the airline is flying the Harare-Johannesburg, Johannesburg-Bulawayo and Victoria Falls- Johannesburg routes. https://www.newsday.co.zw/2014/10/14/air-zimbabwe-conduct-internal-safety-audits/ Back to Top New Tech Helps Pilots Navigate Dangerous Volcanic Ash Plumes Air traffic and volcanic ash Pin It A simulation showing air traffic over Europe restricted by an ash cloud. New technology to detect volcanic ash that threatens airplanes could help prevent a repeat of the air traffic chaos that followed a 2010 volcanic eruption in Iceland. Private companies are developing infrared detectors to scout out ash levels in the air, ahead of flying aircraft. The plane-mounted sensors will give pilots time to divert around dangerous ash plumes. Government agencies are also working to improve their space-based monitoring systems. With satellites, scientists can detect tiny ash particles, but predicting where aircraft can safely fly is still a major hurdle. [Big Blasts: History's 10 Most Destructive Volcanoes] "The key issue for us is to develop an integrated monitoring and response system for future volcanic crises that can be used to respond quickly in the event of the formation of an ash cloud from Iceland," Hans Schlager, head of the Institute of Atmospheric Physics at the German Aerospace Center, said in a statement. Ash particles are jagged and sharp. The fine, glassy rock can damage and abrade engines, windows and other structures on aircraft flying at all altitudes. The German Aerospace Center, also called DLR, is upgrading its ash-detection system and its air traffic control methods so that fewer planes will be stuck on the ground the next time a volcano in Iceland spews ash toward Europe. Tests are being run based on the 2010 eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano, when approximately 100,000 flights had to be canceled and 10 million passengers were stranded. The DLR researchers said that if they had employed these newly developed models for predicting the complex movement of ash through the air and rejiggered algorithms for rerouting flights around bad weather, they think they could have doubled the number of flights on a single day during the crisis. Instead of just 5,000 flights on April 17, 2010, around 10,700 flights could have taken place. Volcanic ash plumes regularly plague travelers, though the delays are typically on a more regional scale than the Eyjafjallajökull eruption, which cost airlines $1.7 billion in lost revenue, according to the International Air Transport Association, an industry group. For example, North Sumatra's Kualanamu International Airport temporarily halted operations in 2013 following eruptions at Mount Sinabung, some 30 miles (48 kilometers) away. And blasts at Sicily's Mount Etna often stop flights at Catania's Fontanarossa Airport. Air travel between Australia and Bali was disrupted in May by Indonesia's Sangeang Api volcano. NASA researchers are also looking for new ways to improve forecasts of volcanic ash hazards. Satellites such as the CALIPSO mission, which tracks atmospheric particles, can also locate ash days to weeks after an eruption, according to a study published in the September 2013 Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology. The satellite can distinguish between ash plumes and clouds, and can provide more accurate forecasts, the researchers said. "The Icelandic eruption - such a dramatic event - made us take a hard look at what each of our satellites can tell us," John Murray, associate program manager for the NASA Applied Sciences Program's natural disasters focus area, said in a statement. "We knew we needed to understand how to integrate them to make better forecasts. No system will be perfect, though. That's why Nicarnica Aviation in Kjeller, Norway, has invented an ash detector that attaches to a plane, so pilots receive a warning before flying into dangerous particles. The infrared camera is now undergoing ground-based testing at Iceland's Holuhraun eruption, where it caught toxic volcano tornados spinning in sulfurous gas spewing from the fiery lava. The sensors have also received air trials from Airbus and EasyJet. http://www.livescience.com/48260-monitoring-volcanic-ash-aircraft.html Back to Top Jet Airways' endless troubles: Three pilots found holding expired line check certificates (India) An internal check by Jet Airways has discovered that three pilots' certificates had expired, prompting airline officials to raise the alarm. NEW DELHI: Jet Airways' troubles with documentation of pilot records and licences doesn't seem to be ending. The airline has now found that some pilots have been flying without valid annual line check certificates. An internal check by Jet Airways has discovered that three pilots' certificates had expired, prompting airline officials to raise the alarm. "This is not just a safety issue and the fear is that there may be many more such pilots flying with the airline," said a Jet Airways executive with knowledge of the matter. Line check certification is a process by which a pilot's flying is monitored by a trainer sitting in the cockpit through a flight to ensure that all defined norms are followed in letter and spirit. During the flight, pilots are expected to use their best judgment, even under unusual circumstances, and have to convince the trainer of their abilities. A mistake by the pilot would warrant further training. Failure to renew line check certificates of pilots could attract punishment as stringent as grounding of the airline, which experts say could be held responsible for the lapse. An e-mail sent to Jet Airways last Friday and a reminder sent on Monday did not elicit any response at the time of going to print. Jet Airways, controlled by founder and Chairman Naresh Goyal, has about 1,100 pilots. Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways owns a 24% stake in Jet. "This is an airline's fault much more than the pilots'. In such cases, the airline could be grounded, according to the rules," said Mohan Ranganathan, a former member of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation's safety committee. Of the three pilots with expired annual line check certificates, two had done their line check flights with pilots who were not trainers. The validity of the third pilot's certificate had been wrongly entered, violating line check norms. "It cannot be termed a mistake if such problems are recurring. It is a lapse on the part of the operational management team of the airline. All the details of training and check of pilots are computerised and it is highly unlikely that someone can miss it. So, either it was fed into the computers incorrectly or it was overlooked," said Shakti Lumba, a former vice-president with Air India and IndiGo. During a recent training audit on Jet Airways, the DGCA found 131 pilots flying with lapsed proficiency check certificates, which are to be renewed twice a year. The audit was ordered after a Jet Airways Boeing 777-300 ER (Extended Range) operating between Mumbai and Brussels plunged 5,000 feet from an altitude of 34,000 feet. The audit report had said the airline faces a severe shortage of trainers across its ATR and Boeing fleets. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/transportation/airlines-/-aviation/jet-airways-endless- troubles-three-pilots-found-holding-expired-line-check-certificates/articleshow/44807127.cms Back to Top Airlines call for harmonized standards on aircraft e-enablement LONDON: A lack of standardization between airframers when it comes to e-enabling aircraft has fueled concerns among airlines operating mixed fleets - concerns that were voiced during Aircraft Commerce magazine's recent Aircraft e-Enablement conference in London. A British Airways representative attending the conference raised the point that Airbus and Boeing aircraft are fitted with "proprietary separate systems", which he described as being "worlds apart". As a mixed fleet operator, BA is keen to see more harmonization from the manufacturers to reduce the complexity. Boeing 787 fleet chief and e-enabling customer introduction manager, Matt Bull, admitted that e- enablement standards "are not as full as we would have expected to allow for commonality", leaving "some nuanced differences" between the two manufacturers' interpretations. "We realize there's a gap there," he said "We're trying to make sure we're listening to what the industry wants," said Bull, adding that standards will be aligned where they can be. "I'm sorry if it's [not moving] as fast as the industry would like." Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways, which will take delivery of its first Airbus A380 and Boeing 787 aircraft in the fourth quarter of this year, has noticed some of these differences. While commonalities can be found when it comes to security requirements and software interdependences, Etihad senior manager EIS, Marc- Christian Reichle pointed to a "different interpretation of [e-enablement] standards" between the two aircraft types. Airbus A350 XWB customer program manager for e-operations and connectivity, Roser Roca-Toha, said the European airframer is "ready to support standardization" but it is important to first gain "consensus from suppliers". Another concern for airlines is their own lack of involvement in the development of e-enablement standards. An American Airlines representative attending the conference pointed out that "standards are being drafted without any airline participation, so we end up with the inconsistency in standards that we're seeing. Airlines need to get involved". http://www.runwaygirlnetwork.com/2014/10/13/rgn-premium-mixed-fleet-operators-call-for-harmonized- standards/ Back to Top Safety Standdown Focused on Distraction Issues Aviation Performance Solutions president BJ Ransbury discussed loss of control at Safety Standdown. This year, Bombardier's Safety Standdown took a themed approach focused on attention and distraction issues through a series of 32 different seminars. The agenda included the following topics: Attention Control Techniques; After the Scene of the Accident: Causal Distractions; Technology in the Cockpit; Managing Human Fatigue to Enhance Safety; and Loss of Control In Flight: Attention Empowers Prevention. Speakers came from the National Transportation Safety Board, Aviation Performance Solutions, Convergent Systems, the FAA, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and other organizations. This year, Edward Coleman, an aviation advisor at BP Global Aviation Services, was given the annual Eugene Cernan Safety Award. The final night banquet concluded with a one-on-one interview with film actor and pilot John Travolta, who flew to Wichita especially for the evening's festivities. Travolta spoke about his longstanding love for professional aviation, as well as his commitment to the never-ending need to improve aviation safety. Travolta, who owns a Bombardier Challenger 601 and a Boeing 707, is type rated in nine different aircraft. The 18th Safety Standdown, held last week in Wichita, drew 450 people, with another 100 participating online via the live webinar option. Bombardier offers the four-day event free of registration charges to pilots, mechanics and flight attendants. Standdown attendees include professionals from business aviation, the military and the airlines. http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/ainsafety/2014-10-13/safety-standdown-focused-distraction- issues Back to Top Back to Top Embraer Delivers First Legacy 500 Executive Jet Embraer has delivered the first Legacy 500 aircraft to an unnamed Brazilian customer during a ceremony at Embraer headquarters, in Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil. The new Legacy 500 is the first of a new generation of business jets for Embraer and offers new technologies for midsize jets. According to Embraer, this aircraft also brings new technology to the manufacturing system, with extensive use of automation, robotics and paperless assembly processes. http://www.aviationtoday.com/av/business-and-general-aviation/Embraer-Delivers-First-Legacy-500- Executive-Jet_83252.html#.VD0BY_nF98E Back to Top G.E. Aircraft Unit Buys Helicopter Leasing Business A Sikorsky S-92 helicopter leased by the Milestone Aviation Group. The aircraft leasing unit of General Electric announced on Monday that it would buy the Milestone Aviation Group, which leases helicopters, for $1.78 billion. "The addition of Milestone will deepen our domain expertise in aviation and oil and gas, two critical G.E. industries," Keith S. Sherin, the chief executive of GE Capital, said in a statement. Keith S. Sherin, chief executive of GE Capital.Credit GE Capital The acquisition of Milestone, which is based in Dublin, is in line with GE Capital's strategy of focusing on industrial businesses including energy, aviation, oil and gas and health care, while reducing its overall size by shedding other assets, mostly related to consumer finance, the statement said. Helicopter finance represents a fast-growing sector in aviation, according to the statement. Since Milestone was founded in August 2010 by Richard T. Santulli, a longtime aviation and leasing industry executive, and other members of the former NetJets executive management team, the company has grown into a leading helicopter leasing company. Milestone's fleet now includes 168 helicopters worth $2.8 billion as well as a strong forward order and option book of $3 billion with a variety of helicopter manufacturers, the statement said. The helicopters in Milestone's fleet are primarily used in offshore oil and gas, search and rescue, emergency medical services and mining, as well as other industries, and are leased to 31 operators in 25 countries. Mr. Santulli will serve as chairman of the helicopter leasing business and will become an officer of G.E. The deal is expected to close next year. http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2014/10/13/g-e-aircraft-unit-buys-helicopter-leasing- business/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0 Back to Top Wildlife strikes and the impact on aviation Jan. 15, 2009 was a day that changed the aviation world forever. U.S. Airways flight 1549, with service from New York's Laguardia Airport to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, departed LaGuardia at 3:25 p.m. Shortly after takeoff, the crew heard a loud noise and lost power to both engines. Captain Chesley Sullenberger and First Officer Jeffrey Skiles were forced to make an emergency landing into the Hudson River. The reason for the loss of power had nothing to do with mechanics, but rather something entirely different: a wildlife strike of Canadian Geese. According to a July 2014 Federal Aviation Administration report, a record 11,315 wildlife strikes were reported in 2013. However, of those 11,315 strikes, 601 were considered "damaging," the least amount since 1996. The FAA also said that of all the wildlife strikes reported in 2013, 97 percent of the strikes involved birds, 2.2 percent involved terrestrial mammals, 0.7 percent involved bats and 0.1 percent involved reptiles. The FAA's log of bird strike information shows that the majority of bird strikes occur during the months of July to October, which is when birds migrate south for the winter. According to an 2009 article NPR, Sacramento, Denver and Kansas City experienced the most bird strikes that year. Robbie Bear, instructor of biology at K-State, explained the migration process in detail. "Migratory birds fly north in the spring when they're adults and nest in the summertime," Bear said. "That winter, the baby birds migrate south because their food sources hibernate and on their way down they get confused with lights and airliners." In fact, between Oct. 9, 2013 and Oct. 9, 2014, 37 bird strikes have occurred at Kansas City International Airport (MCI). In comparison, only 1 airport strike occurred at Manhattan Regional Airport during that span. MCI actually teamed up with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1998 to develop a plan to reduce wildlife strikes, since there has been a consistently large population of hawks and owls flying around the airport. The USDA concluded that these species were attracted to airport grounds because the airfield has a substantial population of rodents. "Airport land is the ideal place for birds to prey because the grass is short, which makes it easier for the birds to get their food," Bear said. "It is also usually fenced in, which helps contain the food sources to that specific area. Birds feast on airport land." To combat rodent population, the USDA scattered zinc phosphide on airport ground, which eliminated 95 percent of voles and 66 percent of the mice population. Joe McBride, marketing manager for MCI, said he cares about customer safety. "The passenger of customer safety in the aircraft is paramount and that's why we partner with the USDA and their wildlife mitigation program," McBride said. "They have people here at the airport to manage wildlife around the airport and to ultimately keep them away." While bird strikes made up the majority of wildlife strikes in 2013, 249 incidents involved terrestrial mammals. With this in mind, the FAA, Manhattan Regional Airport administration and the city of Manhattan worked together to construct a 19,000-foot perimeter fence around airport property. The fence is approximately 8-feet tall and was funded by the FAA's Airport improvement program, according to flymhk.com. The fence was constructed in May and cost the city about $99,000. Shane Wright, assistant airport director at Manhattan Regional Airport, said the fence is doing its job. "No specific animal has given us any problems here," Wright said. "Deer and coyotes are the biggest threat to aircrafts, but the fence has done a nice job of keeping animals out." http://www.kstatecollegian.com/2014/10/13/wildlife-strikes-and-the-impact-on-aviation/ Back to Top A3IR CON 2015 Aviation / Aeronautics / Aerospace International Research Conference What's Next? Critical Issues for the Future of Aviation, Aeronautics & Aerospace Abstract submission deadline: October 14, 2014, midnight PDT. The 2015 conference will address the following key focal areas: * Global Security, Cyber Intelligence & Aviation Safety * Unmanned Aerial Systems & UAVs - Privacy and Security, National Airspace System Integration * Commercial Space Flight Systems, Operations and Safety * Human Factors, CRM & Aviation Psychology * Systems Safety including Fire, Law Enforcement, Emergency Response * Accident Investigation * Maintenance, Fractional Ownership & Business, Corporate and General Aviation * Other critical areas - submissions on all aviation/aerospace/aeronautics related topics will be considered for presentation. . Click to submit your abstract now! Program Questions? Contact Dawn Marcuse marcused@erau.edu Sponsorship Questions? Contact Merrie Heath merrie.heath@erau.edu Join us in Phoenix, AZ January 16-17, 2015 STAY CONNECTED Forward this email This email was sent to curt@curt-lewis.com by marcused@erau.edu | Update Profile/Email Address | Rapid removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University | 3700 Willow Creek Road | Prescott | AZ | 86301-3720 Back To Top BacktoTop Upcoming Events: IASS 2014 Abu Dhabi, UAE November 11-13, 2014 http://flightsafety.org/meeting/iass-2014 ERAU SMS Seminars Daytona Beach, FL Nov. 17-18 & 19-21, 2014 www.erau.edu/sms 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 2014 Global FOD Prevention Conference Birds, Bolts, Budgets - Tracking the Dangers of Foreign Objects and What We Can Do About It Reagan National Airport 2 December 2014 www.stopfod.com ERAU UAS FUNDAMENTALS COURSE December 9 - 11, 2014 ERAU Daytona Beach Campus, FL www.daytonabeach.erau.edu/uas A3IR CON 2015 January 16-17, 2015 Phoenix, AZ http://commons.erau.edu/aircon/2015/ Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF) NTSB Training Center, Ashburn, VA March 10-11, 2015 www.acsf.aero/symposium FAA Helicopter Safety Effort three-day safety forum April 21-23, 2015 Hurst, Texas eugene.trainor@faa.gov www.faahelisafety.org Curt Lewis