Flight Safety Information October 24, 2014 - No. 217 In This Issue Small airplane and helicopter collide in Maryland, 3 killed MILITARY JET MAKES EMERGENCY LANDING AT BUSH IAH Twin engine private jet makes emergency landing at TSTC MU-2 Pilots Remain Enthusiastic About Their Airplanes Vietnam's VietJet pilots suspended after landing on wrong runway PRISM TO HELP PREPARE FOR E-IOSA Lockheed, Pentagon reach $4 billion deal for more F-35 jets Embry-Riddle UAS Challenge AIG OFFERS CORPORATE AEROSPACE CUSTOMERS NEW LOSS CONTROL SERVICES Small airplane and helicopter collide in Maryland, 3 killed The wreckage of a Cirrus SR 22 airplane is near Frederick Municipal Airport in Frederick, Maryland October 23, 2014. Three people were killed and two injured after a small airplane and a helicopter collided in mid- air. An emergency vehicle stands by at Frederick Municipal Airport at the vicinity of a mid-air collision between a helicopter and a small aircraft. Three people were killed when a small airplane and a helicopter crashed into each other in Maryland Three people were killed and two taken to hospital after a small airplane and a helicopter crashed into each other on Thursday near an airport in Frederick, Maryland, authorities said. A Cirrus SR22 coming in to land at Frederick Municipal Airport collided with a helicopter that was involved in a training exercise, the Federal Aviation Administration said. Frederick is about 50 miles northwest of Washington. William Jenkins, 47, of Colorado, 29-year-old Christopher Parsons and 35-year-old Breandan MacFawn - both from Maryland - were killed in the helicopter, Maryland State Police said in a statement. It was unclear who was the pilot, police said. Two people in the airplane - 55-year-old pilot Scott Graeves and his 75-year-old passenger Gilbert Porter - were injured, police said. Both were taken to a local hospital and were discharged in the evening, police said. Rescue crews found the wreckage within a half-mile of the airport, authorities said. State police said the plane was suspended vertically in a small strip of trees with its parachute deployed. The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the collision, the FAA said. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-airplane-helicopter-crash-maryland-20141023- story.html ************* Date: 23-OCT-2014 Time: 16:40 Type: Robinson R44 Raven II Owner/operator: Advanced Helicopter Concepts, Inc Registration: N7518Q * C/n / msn: 10281 Fatalities: Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: Near Frederick Municipal Airport (KFDK), Frederick, MD - United States of America Phase: Unknown Nature: Training Departure airport: KFDK Destination airport: KFDK Narrative: Two aircraft collided midair near Frederick Municipal Airport (KFDK), Frederick, Maryland. The airplane, a Cirrus SR22, deployed the CAPS recovery parachute and came to rest upright in wooded terrain. The airplane sustained substantial damage and the two occupants onboard received minor injuries. The helicopter, a Robinson R44 Raven II, was destroyed by impact with terrain and the three occupants onboard received fatal injuries. Gusting wind conditions existed in the area at the time of the accident. www.aviation-safety..net Back to Top MILITARY JET MAKES EMERGENCY LANDING AT BUSH IAH This military plane made an emergency landing at Bush IAH HOUSTON (KTRK) -- An Air Force plane made an emergency landing at Bush IAH this afternoon because of smoke in the cockpit. We're told four soldiers were on the DC-10 when it landed at the big airport. They exited on the emergency chute. The Houston firefighters and HazMat team members got on board. The incident was quickly tapped out, according to HFD. At this point, we don't know where the flight originated from or where it was going. http://abc13.com/news/military-jet-makes-emergency-landing-at-bush-iah/363392/ Back to Top Twin engine private jet makes emergency landing at TSTC A twin-engine private jet from Dallas had to make an emergency landing Thursday afternoon at Texas State Technical College's airport after smoke started filling the cockpit and cabin. A pilot in training and his instructor had taken off in Dallas and were going to fly by TSTC and return to Dallas when they noticed the smoke. They put on oxygen masks and then declared an emergency to have priority to land. The jet touched down safely about 5 p.m. without any injuries. The instructor told News Channel 25 he thought one of the engines had a problem causing the smoke to build in the cabin and cockpit. http://www.kxxv.com/story/26880475/twin-engine-private-jet-makes-emergency-landing-at-tstc Back to Top MU-2 Pilots Remain Enthusiastic About Their Airplanes NBAA CONVENTION NEWS » 2014 by MATT THURBER Despite an aging fleet that is slowly but steadily shrinking, the Mitsubishi MU-2 twin-turboprop has inspired a passionate group of owners who continue to fly and upgrade their airplanes, attend safety seminars and enjoy the strong support of the Japanese company that manufactured their high- performance airplanes. The MU-2 consistently ranks at the top of the reader rankings for support of turboprops in AIN's annual Product Support Survey. And every other year, Mitsubishi sponsors the free Pilots Review of Proficiency (PROP) seminars, which are open to anyone and offer safety and operational information for MU-2 operators and maintainers. AIN interviewed two MU-2 pilots, one a new MU-2 buyer and the other a long-time operator, to learn more about their passion for the odd-looking but fast and efficient airplane. Rob Brooks-New Owner Rob Brooks bought his 1980 MU-2 Marquise three years ago, after researching the market and considering a single-engine turboprop. "I was a single-engine, commercial, IFR-rated pilot," he said, "and was thinking of single-engine turbines. I wasn't motivated to get my multiengine rating." But at the annual EAA AirVenture show, he met an MU-2 owner and decided that this was the right airplane, in part because he likes to fly by the numbers, he explained, "not seat of the pants." Brooks got his multiengine rating but hired professional pilots to fly for the first six months then went for initial MU-2 training at SimCom's Orlando headquarters." I walked in with about 60 hours of multiengine time. This was my first experience with any type of simulator training." Although the simulator is equipped with traditional gauges and avionics, this wasn't a problem for Brooks. "I learned on six-packs many years ago," he said. He also owned a Columbia 400 with modern displays, so either type is familiar. After buying the MU-2, he upgraded it with Garmin G500/600 displays and GNS530/430 GPS/navcoms. He also redid the interior, removing a bench and liquor cabinet to add more seats, then had the exterior painted. Brooks now has more than 250 hours in the MU-2 but still flies with a mentor pilot, primarily because of his high-level of insurance coverage (for personal financial reasons). He regularly attends recurrent training, which is required for all MU-2 pilots by a special FAA regulation (SFAR). In any case, he already was in the habit of regular training when he owned the Columbia 400, but now that he has experienced the MU-2 SFAR training regime, Brooks feels that the FAA should apply it to other airplane types. "I think the industry ought to follow that lead. I think recurrent training in any type of complex airplane is important to safe operation. It doesn't take a good skill set to fly well when things are going well, it's when the wheels fall off the cart that you need the backup of training. That's something I'll always do." Brooks, who bases his MU-2 at Louisa County Airport in Virginia, flies mostly around the eastern U.S. and occasionally to Phoenix, Las Vegas and Texas. He has a partner in the MU-2 who flies the MU-2 on four- to six-leg day trips. "We get a lot of utility out of the airplane," he said. "For the cost of operating the airplane and the type of missions we fly and where we fly into, it's a perfect airplane. We don't do turf landings and nothing shorter than 4,000 feet. It's a good airplane, it just fits the bill." Richard Shine-Long-time Operator Chief pilot and CEO of Manitoba Corp. Richard Shine has been flying MU-2s since 1981, when his company bought its first MU-2K. His Buffalo, N.Y.-based company had opened an operation in St Louis and needed an efficient way to fly between the two cities. "I had been flying C-130s in the reserves for 11 or 12 years," he said, "and the MU-2 looked to me like a two-engine C-130." After buying the MU-2 "sight unseen," the salesman flew it to Buffalo, then Shine became the first American to be checked out in the MU-2. In those days, checkouts in new airplanes were less stringent, and Shine admits that he read the manual for a couple of hours then flew about 1.5 hours with the salesman. "This was the short-body MU-2," he said. "I thought, 'what the hell have I got myself into?' It was not easy to get into and go flying. The C-130 is a baby carriage and easy to fly." But, he added, "by the time I had five hours, I really started to like it, and after 15 to 20 hours I started to love it. It takes training to fly it, but it's a perfectly safe airplane." After downsizing for a few years to a Cessna 421, in 1995 Manitoba Corp. elected to buy a turbine- powered airplane again. "There was no question in my mind that we wanted an MU-2," Shine said. "We knew we wanted a short-body and started searching. We bought a beautiful Solitaire, and [now] we have had it for 19 years." Manitoba has flown the Solitaire more than 1,800 hours now and averages about 100 hours a year. Shine is a big fan of regular training, having been an instructor pilot for the C-130 and C-141 in the Air Force and a pilot examiner. Although the SFAR requires annual training, Shine trains in the MU-2 simulator twice a year. If he hasn't flown recently, he will fly in the airplane on local training sorties. "That's costly, but if I don't get to fly for a while it's very important. I don't care what your background is, it's recency of experience. Maybe good judgment [plays a part], but what have you done for me lately? There's no substitute for recent experience, flying in the weather, practicing emergencies that are safe in the air or if not, then in the simulator. Try to take advantage of whatever training you can get." Shine considers the MU-2 a "very safe airplane, and it's been proven by the results of the SFAR training." Since the SFAR was issued in 2008, the MU-2 accident rate has dropped significantly. "You don't have to have a military background to safely fly this airplane," he said. "If you do a good job flying a Cessna 172, try to fly with precision, are your own worst critic and take [your critiques] to heart, you're a good candidate to fly the MU-2. We have people who fly on autopilot all the time and don't hand-fly. Their skills get rusty, but after the SFAR, that's why the safety record improved so dramatically." The reliability of the MU-2 is also a major factor for Shine. During a recent maintenance visit for unscheduled squawks, the Solitaire needed just some minor items fixed, including some peeling paint and a tip tank that was feeding faster than the other tank. "It's incredible," he said. "It just goes and goes and goes." Shine appreciates the PROP seminars, too. "The only one I missed was in 1994, but I've been to every one since then. I always learn something or relearn something that I may have forgotten, but the social networking is very good, too, What other manufacturer would spend the money Mitsubishi spends? They pay for everything." http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/nbaa-convention-news/2014-10-22/mu-2-pilots-remain- enthusiastic-about-their-airplanes Back to Top Vietnam's VietJet pilots suspended after landing on wrong runway Two pilots for the low-cost Vietnamese airline VietJet Air have been suspended after they landed on the wrong end of the runway at an airport in the coastal province of Khanh Hoa a week ago, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) said Thursday. The pilots, both Filipino nationals, managed to land VietJet Air flight VJ8856, which departed from Ho Chi Minh City, at Cam Ranh International Airport on October 16 safely, but the airplane was parked on a different end of the runway than what had been ordered by the air traffic controllers, CAAV chief Lai Xuan Thanh told reporters. The aircrew landed at runway end 20, instead of 02, as directed by air traffic controllers. "Although this posed no direct threat to aviation safety, it is a dangerous mistake," Thanh said, adding the pilots thus must be suspended and that CAAV is investigating the case. Initial investigation results show that the pilots confirmed to the air traffic controllers that they were to land at runway end 02. But it remains unclear why they did not actually do so, Thanh admitted. A VietJet Air spokesperson confirmed the wrong-runway landing to the media on Thursday, adding this is "a personal mistake." The airline also suspended the aircrew of flight VJ8856 to "ensure safety for its operations," the spokesperson said in a statement. http://tuoitrenews.vn/business/23513/vietnams-vietjet-pilots-suspended-after-landing-on-wrong-runway Back to Top Back to Top Lockheed, Pentagon reach $4 billion deal for more F-35 jets A Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II joint strike fighter flies toward its new home at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida in this U.S. Air Force picture taken on January 11, 2011. REUTERS/U.S. Air Force/Staff Sgt. Joely Santiago/Handout (Reuters) - Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) and U.S. defense officials have reached agreement on the terms of a contract worth about $4 billion for an eighth batch of 43 F-35 fighter jets, sources familiar with the deal said on Thursday. The contract will lower the cost of the radar-evading warplane by about 3 percent and includes jets to be built for the U.S. military, Britain and other U.S. allies, according to the sources, who were not authorized to speak publicly. The cost of the U.S. Air Force model of the plane, which accounts for 27 of the 43 aircraft, will go down by nearly 4 percent, said one of the sources. Both sides had expected to reach a deal in May or June, but the negotiations slowed after a June 23 engine failure on an Air Force jet grounded the entire F-35 fleet for several weeks. Lockheed Chief Financial Officer Bruce Tanner told analysts on Tuesday that the company was close to reaching a deal with the Pentagon office that runs the $399 billion weapons program, the costliest arms project. The Pentagon reached an agreement earlier this month with engine maker Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies Corp (UTX.N), that lowered the cost of the engines that will power the seventh batch of jets by 4.5 percent. Pratt expects to conclude an agreement with similar cost reductions for engines to power the eighth set of jets after the Lockheed deal is finalized. Lockheed, the Pentagon's No. 1 supplier, delivered the first airplane from the sixth lot of jets on Wednesday. It was the 23rd jet to be delivered this year of 36 that are due. Lockheed has said it has a plan to deliver all 36 jets that were slated for this year, despite the grounding earlier this summer and some flight restrictions that remain in place. Lockheed and the Pentagon said they were still finalizing the eighth Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP 8). "We are encouraged by progress taking place and look forward to an agreement in the near future," said Lockheed spokesman Mike Rein. http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/23/us-lockheed-fighter-idUSKCN0IC2LY20141023 Back to Top Embry-Riddle UAS Challenge We're holding another Challenge at the Wings Over Houston Airshow, 1-2 Nov 14 and would appreciate any publicity you would offer. Below is our official press release and the registration/rule info is located at: http://worldwide.erau.edu/Assets/worldwide/data/Houston%20UAS%20Challenge.pdf Back to Top Back to Top Upcoming Events: ERAU UAS Challenge November 1-2, 2014 Houston, TX http://worldwide.erau.edu/Assets/worldwide/data/Houston%20UAS%20Challenge.pdf 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 IS-BAO Workshop Information and Registration 12 - 13 Nov. 2014 Omaha, Nebraska USA 18 - 19 Nov. 2014 Houston, TX USA 2 - 3 Dec. 2014 Orlando, FL USA 6 - 7 Dec. 2014 Dubai, UAE 13 - 14 Jan. 2015 Baltimore, MD USA https://www.regonline.com/CalendarNET/EventCalendar.aspx?EventID=1592658&view=Month Back to Top Employment: Position Available: Flight and Maintenance Safety Manager www.piedmont-airlines.com/careers/ Curt Lewis