Flight Safety Information November 18, 2014 - No. 234 In This Issue New video emerges as removal of MH17 wreckage begins in Ukraine Small plane crashes into a home near Midway Airport Airports eye facial recognition screening for Japanese passengers Civil Aviation Authority Instructs El Al to Ground Senior Pilots PRISM TO HELP PREPARE FOR E-IOSA Why are so many airports named after people who died in plane crashes? AIRCON3 - Pre-Conference Workshop Upcoming Events New video emerges as removal of MH17 wreckage begins in Ukraine CNN) -- As the huge plume of black smoke fills the sky, people react with shock and confusion. Some run to try to tackle small blazes, others stand and stare. Captured on what appears to be a cellphone video, the scene is believed to be the immediate aftermath of the crash of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in eastern Ukraine four months ago. MH17 was shot down in July 2014 MH17 wreckage recovery begins Report details final moments of MH17 The footage emerged online over the weekend, just as the removal of wreckage from the crash site for an international investigation finally began. The video was posted on YouTube by the Russian newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda, which said it depicts the moments after the passenger jet came down. It shows fire raging in field with bits of wreckage strewn nearby. Tongue-lashing for Putin at G20 Flight 17 was shot down on July 17 with 298 people on board over territory controlled by pro-Russian separatists. The dispute over who is responsible for the disaster continues to taint relations between Moscow and the West. The United States and other Western nations have accused the pro-Russian separatists of shooting down the plane with a Russian surface-to-air missile. But Moscow and the rebels have claimed Ukrainian forces were responsible. The continuing disagreement, as well as Russia's broader interference in Ukraine, prompted bouts of strong criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin by Western leaders at the G20 summit in Australia over the weekend. Putin left the event earlier than his fellow world leaders Sunday, saying he had to rest before a busy Monday. But he described the discussions at the summit as "constructive." He also expressed the view that the Ukraine crisis "has good chances for resolution." Ukraine prepared for 'total war' His comments contrast with the words coming from the Ukrainian government in Kiev, amid reports that Russian troops and weapons are moving into eastern Ukraine. "We are prepared for a scenario of total war," Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko reportedly told the German newspaper Bild. "We don't want war, we want peace and we are fighting for European values. But Russia does not respect any agreement." Moscow has repeatedly denied accusations from Kiev and Western governments that it has sent forces into eastern Ukraine to bolster the rebels. A ceasefire agreement reached in September between the Ukrainian government and the separatists no longer appears to have any connection with the reality on the ground. Exchanges of mortar fire are common in eastern Ukraine. Residents in the shattered town of Debaltseve told CNN's Phil Black that artillery fired by both sides falls there almost every day, often destroying homes. Removal of MH17 wreckage Amid the chaotic conflict, Dutch investigators have been trying to recover the wreckage from MH17. Everyone aboard the flight was killed. Around two-thirds of the victims were from the Netherlands. The vast crash site was left unsecured, and international investigators struggled to reach the area as fighting raged. The removal of the wreckage began Sunday and continued Monday, the Dutch Safety Board said. It is expected to take several days. The wreckage will be transported by train to the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv before being flown to the Netherlands. The investigators say they intend to reconstruct a section of the aircraft to help determine what happened. Further investigation needed In its preliminary report in September on the disaster, the Dutch agency said Flight 17 broke apart in the air after it was hit by a burst of "high-energy objects" from outside. That report set out a list of areas that still need further investigation, including forensic examination of wreckage and any foreign objects found. It noted at the time that Dutch investigators still hadn't been able to visit the site amid the unstable situation in eastern Ukraine. In the aftermath of the crash, the rebels were widely accused of looting the site, tampering with the evidence and stopping investigators from combing through the wreckage. After an initial delay, most of the bodies of the victims have been removed from the area and transported out of Ukraine. But as recently as September, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said it was likely that there were still remains strewn across the fields. Australia had 38 of its citizens and residents on the plane. http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/17/world/europe/ukraine-crisis-mh17/ Back to Top Small plane crashes into a home near Midway Airport A small cargo plane has crashed into a home near Midway Airport. The Chicago Fire Department confirms the plane crashed into the home at 6511 S. Knox Avenue just before 3 a.m. this morning. Two elderly residents in the home escaped uninjured. A neighbor reportedly helped to pull them from the house. There was one pilot on board the plane. Firefighters have not been able to locate the pilot. The plane crashed through the roof of the house and into the living room through to the basement. There was no fire or explosion after the plane crashed. Firefighters have not been able to enter most of the home because the building is unsafe. The FAA says the Aero Commander 500 departed Chicago's Midway airport en route to Chicago Executive Airport in Palwaukee but the pilot reported engine problems just after take off and tried to return to Midway. The aircraft crashed about a quarter-mile from the end of Runway 31C. http://wgntv.com/2014/11/18/small-plane-crashes-into-a-home-near-midway-airport/ Back to Top Airports eye facial recognition screening for Japanese passengers Facial recognition machines may be introduced for immigration screening of Japanese passengers at airports as soon as fiscal 2017 to reduce waiting time amid a growth in foreign visitors, according to Justice Ministry sources. The switch will allow more passport control staff to be shifted to foreign passengers, the sources said. A ministry panel of experts presented a report to Justice Minister Yoko Kamikawa that says identity recognition technology has improved sufficiently to make full use of it. In trials this summer involving 22,341 volunteers aged 13 and older, the rate of passengers not correctly identified dropped to as low as 0.26 percent for the best of the machines tested, the ministry. said. The trials were conducted at Narita International Airport and Haneda airport. In a 2012 trial, a machine made by one of the five companies produced an error rate of 17 percent, high enough to discourage the ministry. The latest trials were held as the ministry expects more people to visit Japan ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Biometric recognition machines compare images of arriving passengers' faces with facial photo data encrypted in chips in their passports. Failed identity matches during the tests resulted from people wearing glasses or when hair overlapped their eyebrows, according to an immigration official. The government introduced automated passport control gates in 2007 for Japanese passport holders and some foreigners living here. They allow passengers to bypass manned passport control counters and go through fingerprint-based machine checks. Now available at four international airports for Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka, they require fingerprint registration in advance and the number of users has not been growing. http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/11/18/national/airports-eye-facial-recognition-screening- japanese-passengers/#.VGszcTCJOuY Back to Top Civil Aviation Authority Instructs El Al to Ground Senior Pilots Israel's Civil Air Authority (CAA) has instructed El Al Airlines to ground its senior pilots, those over 65. This will impact dozens of the airline's most seasoned pilots. The new regulation took effect last week. The Lod District Court on Sunday 23 Marcheshvan ruled that pilots over 65 may continue flying until they reach 67 providing they can pass the physical and professional fitness level required for the position and administered by the CAA. Hence, at least for the time being, El Al's senior pilots who are 65-67 may continue flying providing they are certified by the civilian authority. El Al pilots' union chairman Nir Tzuk reports 23 pilots are currently grounded as a result of the decision. http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/headlines-breaking-stories/271892/civil-aviation-authority- instructs-el-al-to-ground-senior-pilots.html Back to Top Back to Top Why are so many airports named after people who died in plane crashes? Say you promote the airline industry. And just suppose it falls to you to find a name for an airport. The name of a suitable person. OK, got one? Sorry. You just chose somebody who died in an air crash? It wouldn't be the first time. Examples of a practise that would appear to court commercial suicide, one to rank alongside apocryphal chicken outlet Sam 'n Ella's, abound at every term. Think Sydney, named after Charles Kingsford Smith, who crashed into the Andaman Sea in 1935. Or Bucharest's second airport Aurel Vlaicu, lost over the Carpathians in 1913. Or Reunion's Roland Garros, who was shot down over the Ardennes in 1918. Or Lyon's Antoine de St Exupery, who disappeared over the Mediterranean in 1944. These four were pioneering aviators, of course, so it's clear what the airports meant to do in honouring them. And properly so. The problem, for the millions who suffer from a fear of flying, is that for all their achievements in the field these men invariably ended in a field. Or in the sea. That ultimate failure, self- evident and catastrophic, is all the aviophobe will remember about these aces; that good at flying, and even they can't keep the things in the sky? Then there are the non-aviators, notably Oklahoma City's cowboy comedian Will Rogers (crashed in Alaska in 1935), and Turkish Prime Minister Adnan Menderes, whose name appears on the airport at Izmir despite his involvement in a fatal crash (which he survived) at Gatwick in 1958. Perhaps the most astonishing case of all is Portuguese Prime Minister Francisco de Sa Carneiro whose name was chosen for Porto's airport shortly after he crashed while actually making for it in 1980. Call me superstitious, but who would ever fly to Porto again? And so to the airport at Anchorage, Alaska which decades ago gave its name to local man Ted Stevens, the longest serving Republican senator in history. 86-year-old Stevens died in 2010. In an air crash. Which only goes to prove you really don't want an airport in your name. Chances are you'll die in a plane crash. That's if you didn't already. 1. Charles Kingsford Smith, Sydney 2. Aurel Vlaicu, Bucharest 3. Roland Garros, Reunion 4. Antoine de St Exupery, Lyon 5. Will Rogers, Oklahoma City 6. Ted Stevens, Anchorage 7. Francisco de Sa Carneiro, Porto 8. Adnan Menderes, Izmir (survived a fatal plane crash in 1958) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/11235111/Why-are-so-many-airports-named-after-people- who-died-in-plane-crashes.html Back to Top Pre-Conference Workshop: Thursday, January 15th: Investigations in support of Safety Management Systems (SMS): The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) defines SMS as "A systematic approach to managing safety, including the necessary organizational structures, accountabilities, policies and procedures." Most Civil Aviation Authorities support the implementation of SMS in aviation training organizations and service providers. Many also include the provisions for a Safety Manager within those safety programs. This workshop will investigate the attributes of a supportive Safety Culture along with the competencies and skill-sets required of the Safety Manager to appropriately collect, analyze and take actions on safety information. The outcomes of this workshop will be assembled and distributed to participants in order for their consideration for inclusion into existing and future aviation programs and curricula. Workshop Leaders: Stewart Schreckengast, PhD, Senior Lecturer, Aviation Department, University of South Australia & Douglas Drury, PhD, Senior Lecturer, Aviation Department, University of South Australia are hosting. Free conference add on- but space is limited. Sponsored by the Robertson Safety Institute Registration Back to Top Upcoming Events: 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 Event: "The Future of Regulation of SMS and QA" Symposium. Keynote: Mr. Martin Eley, Director General Transport Canada. Location: Coronado Resort Hotel @ Disney World, Orlando Florida. Date: Jan 4-6, 2015 info: http://www.dtiatlanta.com/symposium.html 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 Curt Lewis