Flight Safety Information December 10, 2014 - No. 249 In This Issue Dutch government defends handling of Ukraine crash probe Airport screenings haven't turned up any Ebola patients Frustrated Amazon warns FAA it may move drone research abroad NTSB Concludes Investigation of 787 Boston Battery Fire Incident NetJets Pilots Sue Company, Alleging Interference PRISM TO HELP PREPARE FOR E-IOSA Carol Vorderman plans to fly solo around the world, and she's calling for more female pilots GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY Aviation Students: Grants Available to Attend 2015 CHC Safety & Quality Summit 60th Annual Business Aviation Safety Summit Scheduled for May 2015 AIRCON3 - Pre-Conference Workshop Upcoming Events Dutch government defends handling of Ukraine crash probe AMSTERDAM - The Dutch government has rejected a call to hand over the investigation into the Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 disaster to the United Nations, saying it's doing the best it can under difficult circumstances. Flight 17 was shot down July 17 over territory held by pro-Russia rebels in eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 people aboard - most of them Dutch. Hunks of the wreckage arrived Tuesday in the Netherlands by truck. A law firm representing 20 family members of victims from four countries has criticized the Dutch investigation as too slow and bureaucratic and urged Prime Minister Mark Rutte to turn the job over to the U.N. The government's top security official replied Tuesday that investigators that are doing their best while facing a "complex geopolitical situation in a conflict zone." "We are doing what we can, and we do it every day anew," Security and Counterterrorism Coordinator Dick Schoof said in a statement. International teams seeking to retrieve human remains and salvage evidence have had difficulty reaching the crash site due to clashes between Ukrainian and rebel forces. Six victims have yet to be identified. The Dutch Safety Board, which is leading the investigation, said in a preliminary report in September that the plane was brought down by "high-energy objects from outside the aircraft." That vague formulation has left the door open for confusion. A high-ranking rebel officer has acknowledged that rebels shot down the plane with a ground-to-air missile after mistaking it for a Ukrainian military plane. Russian media, however, claim the plane was shot down by a Ukrainian jet. The Safety Board's final report may rule out one or the other scenario but it will not seek to attribute responsibility. Dutch prosecutors, meanwhile, are coordinating an international criminal investigation into the downing but have yet to name any suspects or say when or how charges might be brought. "For the Cabinet, it is of the utmost importance that the independent investigations indisputably determine what happened and that no one can dispute the conclusions ... or say that the Netherlands as leader gave cause to doubt the independence of the investigation," Schoof wrote. Bob van der Goen, founder of the law firm Van Der Goen Advocaten, told The Associated Press the Dutch performance so far "has been terribly amateurish," citing investigators' late arrival to the crash site and a failure to interview potential witnesses in Ukraine in a timely manner. "I can understand keeping the investigation confidential so that you don't release partial results," he said. "What I don't understand is secrecy about what it is you're undertaking, what the procedure is." Safety Board chief Tjibbe Joustra said investigators will further photograph, scan and categorize pieces of the wreckage now at the southern Gilze-Rijen military base, then later reassemble part of the Boeing 777 in a hangar. "It will take several months before we have a reconstruction of parts of the aircraft," he said. http://www.stripes.com/news/europe/dutch-government-defends-handling-of-ukraine-crash-probe- 1.318223 Back to Top Airport screenings haven't turned up any Ebola patients Airport screenings of travelers from West Africa haven't turned up anyone with Ebola, health officials announced Tuesday. U.S. officials screened nearly 2,000 travelers for Ebola symptoms over 31 days in October and November, according to a report Tuesday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Only seven travelers with symptoms were referred to the CDC for medical exams, and none had the disease, the report says. Although two travelers from West Africa were later diagnosed with Ebola -- an American doctor and a Liberian national -- neither had symptoms in the air or in airports. The diagnosis in September of the first Ebola patient in the USA, Thomas Eric Duncan, led to widespread calls for travel bans from affected countries. While President Obama rejected an outright ban, the CDC announced in October that it would work with U.S. Customs and Border Protection to screen travelers from Ebola-affected countries in West Africa, funneling those air passengers through five major airports. The CDC also has worked with the World Health Organization and officials in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, the five hardest-hit countries, to screen passengers before they exit those countries. About 80,000 air travelers have flown out of the three countries since August, about 12,000 of them bound for the USA, according to the CDC report. The three countries prevented anyone with possible Ebola symptoms, such as a fever, from boarding a plane. None of the travelers prevented from boarding turned out to have Ebola, the CDC says. No one who was permitted to travel had Ebola symptoms in the air or in the airport. Two travelers - Duncan and New York physician Craig Spencer - developed symptoms days after arriving in the USA. U.S. officials screened 1,993 travelers from West Africa from Oct. 11 through Nov. 10, the CDC says. Seven who had symptoms were referred to the CDC for additional medical exams. None tested positive for Ebola. About 3% of the 1,993 travelers had worked in a health care facility or lab in an Ebola-affected country. According to flight data, fewer than 0.06% of all airplane passengers arriving in the USA came from those three countries. On Nov. 17, officials also began screening passengers arriving from Mali, the latest country to experience an Ebola outbreak. On Friday, the CDC reported that doctors and other health workers made 650 inquiries about possible Ebola cases from July 9 through Nov. 15. Eighteen percent of those cases had possible symptoms of Ebola and a risk factor for infection, such as recent travel to West Africa. Four cases were positive: Spencer, Duncan and two of Duncan's nurses, Amber Vinson and Nina Pham. But 75% of the inquiries involved people who had zero risk of Ebola, because they hadn't been to West Africa and hadn't had contact with an Ebola patient, the CDC says. About 17,800 people have been diagnosed with Ebola in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia, according to the WHO. Sierra Leone, with 7,798 cases, has overtaken Liberia as the country that has had the most people infected. Even if airport screenings didn't turn up any Ebola patients, "it was a "necessary step in order to provide some public reassurance in the days following the arrival of Mr. Duncan in Dallas," says Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine in Houston. "There was not a lot of precedent to go on." Infectious disease expert Robert Murphy sees airport screening as "overkill" and "a big waste of time." Health professionals know how to monitor themselves, says Murphy, the director of the Center for Global Health at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Murphy, who also works as the program director at a lab in Mali that does Ebola testing, was screened last month at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport after changing planes in France. French officials took his temperature, gave him some written information and told him that, if he developed a temperature, not to go to a hospital or doctor's office. Instead, he was told to call an Ebola hotline so that health workers could pick him up. Screening was far more complicated in Chicago, Murphy says. "I waited in a crowded immigration holding pen with hundreds of other people," Murphy says. "When I got to the immigration officer, he told me to put on a mask, even though I had no symptoms and had just been standing for an hour or so with several hundred people." When officials learned that Murphy worked in a lab - but didn't have contact with patients - "they returned wearing masks and face shields. They tried asking more questions, but you can't really understand anyone who is talking with a mask and shield on. Finally, he said, someone wearing just a mask "came over and took my temperature again and asked more questions." Two people from Chicago's public health department then met with Murphy and gave him a packet of information and a thermometer. A CDC officer gave him a card with contact information and a traveler identification number. Murphy had to sign an agreement to monitor his temperature and report in twice a day. "If I didn't follow these rules," he says, "I would be charged with a misdemeanor and then put into mandatory quarantine." Officials told Murphy he would be allowed to see a dentist for a cracked tooth, but "had to talk to the public health monitor before I went." http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/12/09/ebola-airport-screening/20148019/ Back to Top Frustrated Amazon warns FAA it may move drone research abroad Amazon is threatening to move more of its drone development work outside of the U.S. unless the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) relaxes its rules regarding outdoor testing by commercial operators. The company, which is keen to move ahead with its ambitious plan to launch a drone-based delivery service called Prime Air, first contacted the FAA with the request back in July. However, its slow response is evidently causing frustration among executives at the Seattle-based company, leading it to fire off a repeated request. 'Forced abroad' "Without approval of our testing in the United States, we will be forced to continue expanding our Prime Air R&D footprint abroad," Paul Misener, Amazon's vice president of global public policy, writes in the letter. He told the FAA that the company's desire to conduct more outdoor tests has meant it's had to go to "countries with regulatory environments more supportive of small UAS (unmanned aircraft systems) innovation." The FAA is proceeding cautiously with regulations for the commercial use of drones and is reluctant to relax the rules until it's seriously considered all the safety implications. While it would obviously be in the interest of the U.S. economy to keep drone development inside the country with all the investment and job benefits it brings, Amazon clearly feels it's waited long enough for the FAA to make a decision regarding its own project. As Misener noted in his letter, the company is already conducting some of its drone testing overseas, and just last month we learned Amazon is planning to build a huge R&D center in the UK focusing mainly on the development of its delivery drone. Drone proposals New proposals for commercial drone flights are expected to be announced by the FAA soon, and according to reports could mean operators will have to have a pilot's license to fly the machines. Current drone-related regulations in the U.S. are so tight that few commercial operators have permission to use them, with Amazon one of many firms pressing the FAA to move more swiftly in its dealings with the technology. http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2014/12/09/frustrated-amazon-warns-faa-it-may-move-drone-research- abroad/ Back to Top NTSB Concludes Investigation of 787 Boston Battery Fire Incident Shortcomings in design and certification ultimately led to the fire in a lithium-ion battery installed on a Boeing 787 jetliner that had just completed an intercontinental flight to Boston, the NTSB determined in its final report on the incident, which was released on December 1. On January 7, 2013, ground workers discovered smoke and flames coming from an auxiliary power unit lithium-ion battery in a Japan Airlines 787 that was parked at the gate at Boston Logan International Airport. There were no injuries to any of the 183 passengers or 11 crewmembers that had already deplaned after flying from Tokyo's Narita Airport. The battery was manufactured by GS Yuasa Corporation. Early in the investigation, the NTSB said that the fire began after one of the battery's eight cells experienced an internal short circuit leading to thermal runaway of the cell, which propagated to the remaining cells causing full battery thermal runaway. This condition caused smoke and flammable materials to be ejected outside the battery's case and resulted in excessive heat and a small fire. "The investigation identified deficiencies in the design and certification processes that should have prevented an outcome like this," said NTSB Acting Chairman Christopher A. Hart. "Fortunately, this incident occurred while the airplane was on the ground and with firefighters immediately available." Because the APU and main lithium-ion batteries installed on the 787 represented new technology not adequately addressed by existing regulations, the Federal Aviation Administration required that Boeing demonstrate compliance with special conditions to ensure that the battery was safe for use on a transport category aircraft. Investigators said that Boeing's safety assessment of the battery, which was part of the data used to demonstrate compliance with these special conditions, was insufficient because Boeing had considered, but ruled out, cell-to-cell propagation of thermal runaway (which occurred in this incident) but did not provide the corresponding analysis and justification in the safety assessment. As a result, the potential for cell-to-cell propagation of thermal runaway was not thoroughly scrutinized by Boeing and FAA engineers, ultimately allowing this safety hazard to go undetected by the certification process. As a result of its findings, the NTSB is recommending that the FAA improve the guidance and training provided to industry and FAA certification engineers on safety assessments and methods of compliance for designs involving new technology. "Through comprehensive incident investigations like this one, safety deficiencies can be uncovered and addressed before they lead to more serious consequences in less benign circumstances," said Hart." NTSB investigators also identified a number of design and manufacturing concerns that could have led to internal short circuiting within a cell. As a result of the investigation, the NTSB made 15 safety recommendations to the FAA, two to Boeing, and one to GS Yuasa. "The aviation industry is continually benefitting from technological advances, and we are hopeful that the lessons learned in this investigation will further enhance the industry's ability to safely bring those innovative technologies to market," said Hart. The complete report is available at go.usa.gov/HJtJ. All of the information and resources the NTSB has released for this investigation can be accessed from the following page go.usa.gov/HSxd. http://www.pddnet.com/news/2014/12/ntsb-concludes-investigation-787-boston-battery-fire-incident Back to Top NetJets Pilots Sue Company, Alleging Interference The NetJets Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots (NJASAP) filed a lawsuit last week against NetJets Aviation, accusing the fractional provider of interfering with "union and union members' protected activity in violation of the [Railway Labor Act, RLA]." NJASAP, which represents the approximately 3,000 NetJets pilots, is in protracted contract negotiations with NetJets, as are the unions for the company's maintenance technicians and flight attendants. NetJets has not responded to AIN's repeated requests for comment. The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court of Ohio, alleges that "NetJets Aviation used Twitter to impersonate union members and unlawfully accessed and obtained confidential communications from the password-protected union Internet message board to weaken and ultimately destroy the union." In the suit, NJASAP charged that NetJets created an imposter Twitter account to "encourage NJASAP members to violate the RLA's status quo provisions; bait them to endorse or participate in an unlawful job action; interfere with union procedures for appointing and electing leadership; and threaten to blacklist NJASAP members from other employment if they left NetJets." NJASAP's lawsuit calls for the destruction of the confidential information and an injunction barring "further coercion," as well as monetary damages. http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2014-12-09/netjets-pilots-sue-company- alleging-interference Back to Top Back to Top Carol Vorderman plans to fly solo around the world, and she's calling for more female pilots Vorderman, best known for her presenting role on Channel 4's Countdown, is a qualified pilot who has made it her mission to inspire women to fly. She plans to fly solo around the world next year, following in the flight path of British pioneer aviator Mildred Bruce, who flew a 19,000-mile circumnavigation in 1930. Her Twitter biog opens with 'TV bird. Best selling author. Pilot.' "I always wanted to be a pilot," Vorderman says. "It was the reason I read Engineering at Cambridge, and ideally would have joined British Airways after graduating, but sadly their training school wasn't open at that time." British Airways has more female pilots than any other UK airline. Its Future Pilot Programme, a cadet training scheme, is open to anyone aged 18 to 55, with no previous flying experience required. The cadet programme has seen a gradual increase in the number of female applicants and successful cadets each year - but British Airways is hoping to attract even more, and has recruited Ms Voderman to help get the word out. The next application window opens from February, 2015. "Thankfully with initiatives like British Airways' Future Pilot Programme there are more opportunities for tomorrow's potential female pilots," Vorderman said. "What a great life they have ahead of them." http://www.independent.ie/life/travel/travel-news/carol-vorderman-plans-to-fly-solo-around-the-world- and-shes-calling-for-more-female-pilots-30812709.html Back to Top GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY I am Daniel Siao, and I am a graduate student studying Aviation Safety and Security Management at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU). I hold both A&P and pilot certificates. I am conducting this research to attempt to reveal the hindrances that prohibit the successful implementation of Safety Management Systems (SMS) in maintenance facilities. Your participation in this survey will be greatly appreciated if you work in any capacity as an aircraft mechanic (with or without an A&P certificate). This survey is completely anonymous and should take no more than 10 minutes to complete. Please contact me regarding any questions you may have. The survey can be accessed with the following link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/66PF7WG Thank you in advance, Daniel H. Siao dhs2j@mtmail.mtsu.edu Back to Top Aviation Students: Grants Available to Attend 2015 CHC Safety & Quality Summit VANCOUVER, British Columbia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aviation students can now apply for an expenses-paid opportunity to attend the 11th-annual CHC Safety & Quality Summit, through grants which honour a longtime advocate of excellence in aviation safety training. "Integrated Safety Management Systems: Access All Areas." The Dr. Peter Gardiner Student Grant, worth more than C$4,000, covers admission to the summit, a choice of one of the pre-event courses, as well as C$1,500 in hotel and travel reimbursement. This year's pre-event training courses will include "Human Factors Analysis Classification System," taught by Dr. Douglas A. Wiegmann and Dr. Scott A. Shappell and others to be confirmed. The summit, hosted by CHC Helicopter, the operating company of CHC Group Ltd. (NYSE:HELI), is recognized by many as the most important helicopter-safety conference in the world. This year's event will be focused on the theme "Integrated Safety Management Systems: Access All Areas." The 2015 summit will be held March 23-25 at the Westin Bayshore Resort in Vancouver, with pre-summit courses starting March 18. This will be the fifth year Drs. Wiegmann and Shappell, of HFACS Inc., have sponsored a student to participate in the summit, in recognition of Dr. Gardiner. In addition, the Westin Bayshore - the host hotel - has generously matched the grant for a second time, enabling a second student to attend. The late Dr. Gardiner was president and chief executive officer of the Southern California Safety Institute (SCSI). His objective for SCSI was to provide people in aviation with the best possible tools and training, to reduce accident rates and ultimately increase the safety of those that fly. The focus on the human side of aviation safety and the development of safety management systems attracted Dr. Gardiner to the CHC event, where for three years he brought a unique blend of professionalism and humour to the sessions he taught. The student grant is a tribute to Dr. Gardiner's commitment to aviation safety, and is intended to help inspire excellence in aviation students. Students interested in this year's grants must apply and submit a 500-word essay prior by the Jan. 5 deadline. More information about the grants and access to the application are available at www.chcsafetyqualitysummit.com. About CHC CHC Helicopter is a leader in enabling customers to go further, do more and come home safely, including oil and gas companies, government search-and-rescue agencies and organizations requiring helicopter maintenance, repair and overhaul services through the Heli-One segment. The company operates about 230 aircraft in approximately 30 countries around the world. Contacts CHC Helicopter SUMMIT Barbara Long, 919-599-6727 Executive Assistant, Safety & Quality summit@chc.ca or MEDIA Liam Fitzgerald, 604-232-8273 Communications Advisor communications@chc.ca Back to Top 60th Annual Business Aviation Safety Summit Scheduled for May 2015 Alexandria, VA - Flight Safety Foundation announced today that the 60th annual Business Aviation Safety Summit (BASS 2015) will be held at the Bonaventure Resort and Spa in Weston, Florida from May 13-14, 2015. FSF summits, including the very successful 67th International Air Safety Summit (IASS) which just concluded in Abu Dhabi, UAE last month, attract attendees from every segment of the industry and feature presentations and panels on the latest safety information as well as topical keynote speakers. BASS 2015 will also include an exhibit hall and numerous sponsorship opportunities in order to increase visibility before and during the meeting. Details about these opportunities can be found on the website at flightsafety.org/bass2015. BASS is traditionally FSF's largest meeting each year with an increasingly large percentage of attendees, exhibitors and sponsors from outside North America. It will provide a forum for the business aviation industry to meet in a collaborative environment to identify safety concerns, devise approaches to reduce risk and implement initiatives to improve safety. The seminar will cover safety, training, practical solutions, management, human factors and other issues concerning the business aviation industry. Contact: Emily McGee, +1 703 739 6700, ext. 126; mcgee@flightsafety.org Flight Safety Foundation (www.flightsafety.org) is an independent, non-profit, international organization engaged in research, education, advocacy and publishing to improve aviation safety. The Foundation's mission is to be the leading voice of safety for the global aerospace community. © Press Release 2014 https://www.zawya.com/story/60th_Annual_Business_Aviation_Safety_Summit_Scheduled_for_May_2015- ZAWYA20141208074625/ 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: 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 13 - 14 Jan. 2015 Baltimore, MD USA https://www.regonline.com/CalendarNET/EventCalendar.aspx?EventID=1592658&view=Month Curt Lewis