Flight Safety Information January 20, 2015 - No. 014 In This Issue Divers Pull Up 2nd Black Box From Crashed AirAsia Jet 2 Investigators: Cargo Pilots Say Disaster Imminent Without Stricter Controls On Fatigue Indonesia proposes changes to aviation rules after AirAsia crash Drunk Chinese traveller sparks mid-air safety scare by trying to open door as aircraft lands Overheated passengers on Brazilian aircraft open emergency exit doors PROS 2015 TRAINING Lower Jet Fuel Prices Shake Up Aircraft Market Research Survey Request Najeeb E. Halaby Graduate Student Fellowship ERAU NextGen 101 Seminar - Washington, D.C. Upcoming Events Positions Available Divers Pull Up 2nd Black Box From Crashed AirAsia Jet Divers retrieved the crashed AirAsia plane's second black box from the bottom of the Java Sea on Tuesday, giving experts essential tools to piece together what brought Flight 8501 down. The cockpit voice recorder was freed from beneath the heavy ruins of a wing early in the morning from a depth of about 98 feet, a day after the aircraft's flight data recorder was recovered, said Tonny Budiono, sea navigation director at the Transportation Ministry. "Thank God," he said. "This is good news for investigators to reveal the cause of the plane crash." The device will be flown to the capital, Jakarta, to be downloaded and analyzed with the other box. Since it records in a two-hour loop, all discussions between the captain and co-pilot should be available. The plane disappeared from radar 42 minutes into a flight from Surabaya, Indonesia, to Singapore on Dec. 28. All 162 people on board were killed, but only 48 bodies have been recovered so far. The find is the latest boost in the slow-moving hunt to scour the shallow, murky stretch of ocean. Over the weekend, the tail of the Airbus A320 was recovered, emblazoned with the carrier's red-and-white cursive logo. The black boxes are housed inside the tail, but they were missing when the wreckage was pulled to the surface. The devices were soon located after three Indonesian ships detected two strong pings being emitted from their beacons, about 22 yards apart. Strong currents, large waves and blinding silt have hindered divers' efforts throughout the 17-day search, but they took advantage of calmer early morning conditions on both days to extract the instruments. The information pulled from the black boxes - which are actually orange - will likely be vital. Designed to survive extreme heat and pressure, they should provide investigators with a second-by-second timeline of the flight. The voice recorder captures all conversations between the pilots and with air traffic controllers, as well as any noises heard in the cockpit, including possible alarms or explosions. The flight data recorder saves information on the position and condition of almost every major part in the plane, including altitude, airspeed, direction, engine thrust, the rate of ascent or descent and what up-or-down angle the plane was pointed. "There's like 200-plus parameters they record," said aviation expert John Goglia, a former U.S. National Transportation Safety Board member. "It's going to provide us an ocean of material." In their last contact with air-traffic controllers, the pilots of the AirAsia jet asked to climb from 32,000 feet to 38,000 feet to avoid threatening clouds, but were denied permission because of heavy air traffic. Four minutes later, the plane disappeared. No distress signal was received. Searchers also have been trying to locate the main section of the aircraft's cabin, where many of the victims are believed to be entombed. Decomposition is making identification more difficult for desperate families waiting to bury their loved ones. Nearly all passengers and crew were Indonesian. "I still believe many victims remain trapped there, and we must find them," said Gen. Moeldoko, Indonesia's military chief, who uses one name. http://www.npr.org/2015/01/13/376876716/divers-pull-up-2nd-black-box-from-crashed-airasia-jet Back to Top 2 Investigators: Cargo Pilots Say Disaster Imminent Without Stricter Controls On Fatigue (CBS) - Cargo pilots are calling for federal agencies to help prevent accidents that might be caused by pilot fatigue. They say they need the same protections limiting the hours they fly that currently apply to passenger pilots. 2 Investigator Pam Zekman reports. The cargo pilots have been waging the battle in court, in Congress and with the Federal Aviation Administration. It all started with a deadly plane crash in 2009. Fifty people were killed after a passenger plane crashed into a house near Buffalo, N.Y. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said the crash was caused partly by pilot fatigue. In the aftermath, Congress mandated that the FAA address, among other things, the fatigue issue. Last year, the FAA did approve new regulations that limited pilot shifts to eight to nine hours and required 10 hours of rest between them. But, the regulations applied only to passenger pilots. Cargo pilots were left out, meaning they could still work up to 16 hours. Capt. Robert Travis, president of the Independent Pilots Association, which represents more than 2,600 UPS employees, said that creates a dangerous double standard. "That is a recipe for disaster," he says. In 2013, a UPS cargo plane flying to Birmingham, Ala. crashed short of the runway, killing the two pilots. A transcript of their cockpit conversation reveals they were talking about fatigue before the crash. "When my alarm went off, I mean, I'm thinking, 'I'm so tired,'" the first officer said. "I know," the captain responded. The NTSB ruled fatigue contributed to the accident, not because of excessive hours for the crew but because they mismanaged their time off. A survey of UPS pilots done by the Independent Pilots Association found 96 percent of those who responded said they've felt fatigued while on duty. Ninety-three percent said it's not uncommon to fly with another crew member who exhibits signs of fatigue. "Pilots have a shared responsibility to show up at work ready to fly, and if they're not ready to fly, they're fatigued, they have an obligation to report that," says Jean Medina, spokeswoman for Airlines for America, which represents both passenger and cargo airlines. As for why the limits are not the same for passenger and cargo pilots, the latter fly shorter hours, Medina said. "A passenger carrier pilot on average will fly on average 55 hours a month. A cargo pilots will fly about 30 hours a month." The cargo pilots association points out that most of their flights are at night. "The most challenging environment to fly in is flying night cargo on the back side of the clock," Travis says. Bottom line, he says: "It's not a matter of if a tragedy will happen. It's a matter of when it will happen." The Airline Association says safety is always their highest priority and the FAA decision was appropriate. But the pilots association is fighting it in court. A UPS spokesman says the company's contract limits pilot shifts to no more than 11 hours, which is less than the 16 hours the regulations allow. And he blames the current airing of this controversy on the fact that new contract negotiations are underway. http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2015/01/19/2-investigators-cargo-pilots-say-disaster-imminent-without- stricter-controls-on-fatigue/ Back to Top Indonesia proposes changes to aviation rules after AirAsia crash JAKARTA Part of the fuselage of crashed AirAsia Flight QZ8501 is seen inside a storage facility at Kumai port in Pangkalan Bun, January 19, 2015. (Reuters) - Indonesia's transport minister proposed a number of changes to improve aviation safety standards at parliamentary hearing on Tuesday, just over three weeks after an AirAsia passenger jet crashed killing all 162 people on board. Ignasius Jonan told the hearing a number of new rules regarding permits and safety, including health checks for flight crews and air traffic controllers, have been implemented since the crash. "It is a habit among airlines that they sometimes sell tickets before they have obtained a route permit," Jonan said. "Now route permits must be obtained 4 months before the flight and airlines will not be allowed to sell tickets before that." The transport ministry has suspended AirAsia's Surabaya-Singapore licence for flying on a Sunday, for which it did not have permission. However, the ministry has said this had no bearing on the crash. Jonan added applications for route permits and air transport licences would be moved online next month. The ministry had also recommended that wages for operations personnel like maintenance and safety inspection officials be raised, he said. President Joko Widodo has called for an urgent overhaul of the Indonesian aviation sector, which is among the fastest-growing in the region but has seen airlines with patchy safety records mushroom to cater to demand from a growing middle class. Analysts say infrastructure has failed to keep up with the boom in air travel in Southeast Asia's biggest economy, leading to overcrowded airports. Investigators have yet to determine why the Airbus A320-200 crashed into the Java Sea about 40 minutes into its flight. http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/20/us-indonesia-airplane-regulations-idUSKBN0KT10520150120 Back to Top Drunk Chinese traveller sparks mid-air safety scare by trying to open door as aircraft lands Only last month a Chinese passenger opened the emergency exit on another internal flight just before take off to 'get some fresh air'. Photo: SCMP Pictures A drunk male airline passenger sparked a new mid-air safety scare after allegedly trying to open an aircraft's emergency exit as it prepared to land, mainland media reports. The man, surnamed Feng, reportedly attempted to force open the door of a Hainan Airlines flight on Thursday after fighting with flight attendants and other passengers. However, air marshals on board the aircraft stopped him opening the door, witnesses told reporters of Beijing's Mirror newspaper. Only last month, a Chinese passenger on board an internal Xiamen Air flight from Hangzhou to Chengdu sparked a safety scare by yanking open an emergency exit just before the plane was due to take off to "get some fresh air", Southern Metropolis Daily reported. In the latest incident, the man had allegedly started quarrelling with other passengers shortly after the plane took off from Changsha, in Hunan Province. Witnesses claimed the man smelt of alcohol. As the aircraft began its descent he reportedly refused to fasten his seat belt, and then allegedly began fighting with airline staff and passengers as they tried to stop him leaving his seat. Police detained the man soon after the aircraft landed in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia. China's public security code states that anyone found guilty of disturbing public order on an aircraft should be detained for between five and 10 days and face a fine of up to 500 yuan (about HK$630). On the same day, the mainland civil aviation authority vowed to increase controls on badly behaved Chinese airline passengers as part of the National Tourism Administration's plan to set up a database that ranks unruly mainland tourists, which will be shared by mainland airlines, hotels and travel agencies. http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1681889/drunk-chinese-traveller-sparks-mid-air-safety-scare- trying-open-door Back to Top Overheated passengers on Brazilian aircraft open emergency exit doors Gol aircraft in Brazil SAO PAULO, Brazil -- Brazilian news media say passengers trapped in a plane without air conditioning in the brutal heat of the southern hemisphere summer opened the emergency exit doors. Globo television network broadcast videos shot inside the plane that show overheated passengers fanning themselves before deciding to open the emergency exits. The 130 passengers on Sunday's flight from Rio de Janeiro to Sao Paulo were trapped inside the jet on a runway for an hour. The Brazilian airline Gol said in a statement Monday the air conditioning units used on the ground were defective. The airline eventually moved the passengers onto another jet. It says "no measures were spared to minimize the discomfort to passengers." Rio is experiencing a heatwave, with temperatures hitting 40 degrees Celsius. http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/overheated-passengers-on-brazilian-aircraft-open-emergency-exit-doors- 1.2195914#ixzz3PMpOKgVw Back to Top Back to Top Lower Jet Fuel Prices Shake Up Aircraft Market Falling jet-fuel prices are shaking up the market for passenger planes, according to aircraft investors. DUBLIN-The sharp drop in the cost of jet fuel is putting downward pressure on the premium prices that Airbus Group NV and Boeing Co. charge for some of their newest jetliners even as near-term demand keeps rising, according to aircraft investors. Falling fuel prices are encouraging airlines to keep less efficient aircraft in service for longer but they are also likely to see extra growth in air travel as airlines pass on the benefit to passengers in the form of lower fares. The value of in-service aircraft is rising as 80% to 90% of airlines renting aircraft have extended their use, said David Power, Chief Executive of Orix Aviation, an aircraft leasing company. 'Undoubtedly 2015 will need a higher number of aircraft than was expected' -Ascend chief economist Peter Morris Aviation consultancy Ascend reckons about three quarters of aircraft to be delivered this year will enter service in countries where demand for air travel is likely to accelerate. "Undoubtedly 2015 will need a higher number of aircraft than was expected," said Peter Morris, Ascend's chief economist, speaking at the Aviation Economics jet financing conference. "This is probably as good as it gets in this industry," Mr. Morris said. High fuel costs had boosted order books at Boeing, the world's largest jetliner maker, and Airbus, the world's No. 2 manufacturer, to record levels considering fuel represents about 30% of airline costs. Swings in prices can have big impacts on airline profitability and investment decisions. Oil prices have now fallen more than 50% to less than $50 a barrel since last summer, triggering a similar fall in the cost of aviation jet fuel. Lower fuel costs since June have raised questions about the sustainability of manufacturers' backlogs, which stretch into the next decade for Airbus and Boeing, as lower fuel prices make older planes more attractive. Airbus and Boeing are developing upgraded models of some of their current planes to meet airline demand for more efficient planes. Aircraft such as the Airbus A320neo, a re-engined version of the current single- aisle plane, promise more than 10% fuel savings. The manufacturers have been charging a premium for the more fuel-efficient models. Airbus and Boeing list prices are around $10 million higher for the upgraded single-aisle planes compared with those now coming off production lines. "Investment in new-technology aircraft will not stop," said Frank Pray, Chief Executive of aircraft lessor Intrepid Aviation. "The investment rational will change," Mr. Pray said. "The capital-cost differential can no longer be justified." A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700 takes off from the Tampa International Airport in Tampa, Fla. Aircraft lessors are increasingly important to the world's largest plane makers. Airbus last week said that about 50% of deliveries in 2014 were financed in some form by leasing companies. Representatives for the plane makers have argued that airlines make aircraft investment decisions based on long-term business assumptions, not on short-term oil price fluctuations. Airbus's sales chief John Leahy, said low fuel costs make airlines stronger and more capable of buying new planes. Uncertainty remains over how long fuel prices will remain low. Paul Horsnell, head of commodities research at Standard Chartered , said Saudi Arabia may take steps before April to reverse the fall in oil prices though how high prices might rise again remains uncertain, he said. Whatever happens, the market is likely to more volatile than in recent years, Mr. Horsnell said. http://www.wsj.com/articles/lower-jet-fuel-prices-shake-up-aircraft-market-1421676374 Back to Top Research Survey Request Limited Job Task Analysis Validation Survey The Center for Aviation Safety Research at Saint Louis University (USA) invites active and recently retired pilots, check airmen and instructors to validate a Limited Job Task Analysis for professional pilots. This task analysis focuses on a select set of phases of flight and seeks your opinion regarding the criticality of the underpinning knowledge requirements. This task analysis was developed with the help of an international panel of subject matter experts and practicing professional pilots. We are requesting you to kindly take this 45-minute online survey (https://slu.az1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_0GuI969wyJB4snP ) to validate our draft of the task analysis. Please note that we need to have all survey responses by January 15, 2015. And, if you have friends who are qualified to support this research, we respectfully ask that you forward this invitation to them, as well. If you have any trouble accessing the survey, please feel free to contact Dr. Manoj Patankar, Executive Director of the Center for Aviation Safety, at patankar@slu.edu or 314-977-8725. Back to Top Najeeb E. Halaby Graduate Student Fellowship The Najeeb E. Halaby Graduate Student Fellowship was established by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) to shape the next generation of researchers in aviation weather, honoring the late Najeeb Elias Halaby, an eminent aviator and administrator, for his vision and more than five decades of extraordinary contributions to aviation (http://www.ral.ucar.edu/halabyfellowship.pdf). The Fellowship The recipient of a Najeeb E. Halaby Graduate Student Fellowship will spend three months (in 2015 or early 2016) in residence with NCAR's Aviation Weather Research Program, which Mr. Halaby was instrumental in establishing in the 1980s. As the nation's leader in addressing aviation weather research, NCAR plays a unique role in meeting user needs by transferring research results to operations through its Research Application Laboratory (http://www.ral.ucar.edu/). The Fellow will conduct research broadly aimed at improving the integration of weather into decision support tools for improved weather avoidance and air traffic management. The Fellowship will provide: * a monthly stipend for three months, including temporary living expenses * round-trip travel expenses to and from Boulder, CO * travel to a conference to present results * page charges for one publication of key results Eligibility and Application The Halaby Fellowship targets graduate students (late Masters or early PhD level) enrolled in an aviation- relevant department or program of a domestic or international university. Interested candidates should have advanced research skills, far-reaching vision, and dedication to get things accomplished. Consideration for this Fellowship will be given to candidates based on the following submitted material: * Curriculum vitae * Proposal (maximum five pages) presenting the research to be conducted at NCAR, the anticipated outcome of that, and how the proposed effort ties into the candidate's ongoing graduate research project(s) * Contact information for three references (one of which should be the student's primary advisor) NCAR will accept applications for the Halaby Fellowship each year. Email Applications by February 28, 2015 to halabyfellowship@ucar.edu Back to Top ERAU NextGen 101 Seminar - Washington, D.C. "The Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Worldwide Office of Professional Education is pleased to announce a two-day seminar entitled NextGen 101. The course is designed to identify the key concepts, attributes, and challenges of the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). Government and industry employees with an interest in NextGen, aviation stakeholders and members of the military transitioning to a career in civilian education should attend. The course will take place in Washington D.C. on April 21-22, 2015. Course fee is $750 per person or $675 per person with five or more people registering from the same group. For more information and to register, please visit us online at http://proed.erau.edu/programs/specialized- industry-training/nextgen-101-seminar/index.html" Back to Top Upcoming Events: Fundamentals of IS-BAH February 10, 2015 Long Beach, CA USA https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1651575 IS-BAH Auditing February 11, 2015 Long Beach, CA USA https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1651581 Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF) NTSB Training Center, Ashburn, VA March 10-11, 2015 www.acsf.aero/symposium ERAU NextGen 101 Seminar April 21-22, 2015. Washington D.C. http://proed.erau.edu/programs/specialized-industry-training/nextgen-101-seminar/index.html FAA Helicopter Safety Effort three-day safety forum April 21-23, 2015 Hurst, Texas eugene.trainor@faa.gov www.faahelisafety.org Back to Top Positions Available: Director Safety Assurance Alaska Airlines http://alaskaair.jobs/seattle-wa/director-safety-assurance/32B51332CBA14B28B14EFF0F793F90CB/job/ Curt Lewis