Flight Safety Information January 30, 2015 - No. 022 In This Issue Pilots Disabled Critical Computers Moments Before AirAsia Crash Pentagon Picks Boeing 747-8 As New Presidential Aircraft United jet makes emergency landing in Ontario; passengers report smoke Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 crash ruled accident, search for jet 'remains a priority' PROS 2015 TRAINING Orders for Business Jets Rise Cessna rolls out first production Latitude jet Research Survey Request Najeeb E. Halaby Graduate Student Fellowship Upcoming Events Positions Available Pilots Disabled Critical Computers Moments Before AirAsia Crash (Bloomberg) -- The pilots of AirAsia Bhd. Flight 8501 cut power to a critical computer system that normally prevents planes from going out of control shortly before it plunged into the Java Sea, two people with knowledge of the investigation said. The action appears to have helped trigger the events of Dec. 28, when the Airbus Group NV A320 climbed so abruptly that it lost lift and it began falling with warnings blaring in the cockpit, the people said. All 162 aboard were killed. The pilots had been attempting to deal with alerts about the flight augmentation computers, which control the A320's rudder and also automatically prevent it from going too slow. After initial attempts to address the alerts, the flight crew cut power to the entire system, which comprises two separate computers that back up each other, the people said. While the information helps show how a normally functioning A320's flight-protection system could have been bypassed, it doesn't explain why the pilots pulled the plane into a steep climb, the people said. Even with the computers shut off, the pilots should have been able to fly the plane manually, they said. Airbus discourages pilots from cutting power to systems because electronics in the highly computerized aircraft are interconnected and turning off one component can affect others, John Cox, a former A320 pilot who is now a safety consultant, said in an interview. Steep Climb "Particularly with an Airbus you don't do that," said Cox, chief executive officer of Washington-based industry consultant Safety Operating Systems. Flight 8501 climbed more than 5,000 feet (1,524 meters) in less than 30 seconds, rising above the altitude where it was authorized to fly, Ertata Lananggalih, an investigator with Indonesia's National Transportation Safety Committee, said in Jakarta on Thursday. The co-pilot, with 2,247 hours of flying experience, was at the controls and talking to controllers while the captain, who had 20,537 hours, was monitoring, said Mardjono Siswosuwarno, the lead investigator of the crash. The account was the first description of the last moments of the flight. The investigators didn't address whether pilots had cut power to the flight augmentation computer system and said they wouldn't release more information on the case. No Denial, Confirmation "About the flight augmentation computer, I can't deny, nor confirm it," Lananggalih said today when asked about the pilots disabling critical computers. "It's technical and it's in investigation territory. Currently, flight augmentation computer is still being further investigated." The aircraft was slanting and ascending and there was a stall alarm, he said. "There was chime, but again, this is investigation territory," he said. "Why should we open it for the public, because it's still being investigated." Airbus is barred from commenting on the accident under international investigation treaties, the company's North American spokesman, Clay McConnell, said in an e-mail. From a cruising altitude of 32,000 feet, the single-aisle A320 climbed to 37,400 feet as pilots probably tried to avoid bad weather, Lananggalih said. The aircraft then descended slowly for three minutes before it disappeared, he said. Pronounced Stall "The pilots were conscious when the maneuver happened," he said. "They were trying to control the airplane." Such an abrupt climb would almost certainly cause a rapid loss of speed and a "very pronounced stall," Cox said. The aircraft, operated by the Indonesian affiliate of Malaysia-based AirAsia, disappeared from radar en route to Singapore from Surabaya. Indonesia won't release a preliminary report on its investigation into Flight 8501 because fact-findings could change rapidly, Tatang Kurniadi, head of the commission, said Thursday. Indonesia sent the preliminary findings to all countries in the investigation on Jan. 28, Kurniadi said. The pilots had sought permission from air traffic control to turn left and then climb to 38,000 feet because of storm clouds. Four minutes after the request, a controller cleared the pilots to climb to 34,000 feet, he said. Satellite images showed storm clouds that reached as high as 44,000 feet, according to investigators. Flight Computers The aircraft was in "good condition," Siswosuwarno said. All Airbus models produced since the 1980s are designed to prevent pilot errors from causing crashes. The planes are controlled by multiple flight computers, which limit pilots from overly steep turns or getting too slow. In the event of a malfunction or loss of power, the flight protections will shut down and leave the pilots to fly the plane manually. That appears to be what happened before Flight 8501 entered the steep climb and stalled, the two people said. Investigators are still trying to determine why the pilots would cut power to the flight augmentation computers by pulling a circuit breaker in the cockpit. Indonesian authorities have so far recovered at least 70 bodies. Investigators still haven't managed to lift the jet's fuselage. The tail section of the plane has been retrieved. Indonesia's military pulled out of the search this week. Without Permission The cockpit-voice recorder captured the pilots' voices and no explosion was heard, Nurcahyo Utomo, an investigator with the committee, said last week. The flight-data recorder captured 1,200 parameters and the voice-recorder captured the last two hours and four minutes of the flight, the investigators said. The two devices are called the black boxes. After studying data from the black boxes, authorities ruled out terrorism as a factor that brought down the plane. Flight 8501 appeared to have stalled after climbing steeply, Minister of Transportation Ignasius Jonan said earlier this month. A stall occurs when airflow over the wings is disrupted or becomes too slow to provide lift and keep a plane aloft. Indonesia has said it intends to shut the agency responsible for coordinating aircraft flight slots in three months. That's after the AirAsia flight took off on a Sunday, without a Ministry of Transportation permit to fly that day. The government has suspended the license of AirAsia for that route, found other airlines in breach of permits and removed officials involved from the ministry, AirNav Indonesia and state airport company PT Angkasa Pura 1. AirAsia made an administrative error in flying QZ8501 on Sunday, AirAsia Indonesia Chief Executive Officer Sunu Widyatmoko said Jan. 13. The carrier didn't inform the Directorate of Air Aviation on the schedule revision, he told parliament in a hearing. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-01-29/indonesia-won-t-publish- preliminary-report-on-airasia-jet-probe Back to Top Pentagon Picks Boeing 747-8 As New Presidential Aircraft The Pentagon on Wednesday said it had selected the Boeing Co. 747-8 jumbo jet to replace the aircraft that serve as Air Force One for the president of the U.S. The Pentagon selected a new Boeing aircraft to replace the current Air Force One (pictured). ENLARGE The Pentagon selected a new Boeing aircraft to replace the current Air Force One (pictured). PHOTO: ASSOCIATED PRESS Boeing has yet to secure a contract, but the Pentagon said it was likely to win deals for the aircraft and modifications to carry the president, which experts said include sophisticated communications equipment and other upgrades such as antimissile devices. The two heavily-modified Boeing Co. 747-200 planes used by the president are due to reach the end of their planned 30-year life in 2017. The U.S. Air Force said last year that it had earmarked $1.65 billion between 2015 and 2019 for two replacement jets, but on Wednesday didn't detail the expected cost or delivery dates for the replacement planes. The Air Force had previously said it was looking to introduce the planes in 2021. The Pentagon only evaluated four-engined jets, including the Airbus Group NV A380. Airbus executives have previously said they were unlikely to bid for the contract, though would wait to see the requirements for the plane before making a final decision. Advertisement The Pentagon said while Boeing was likely the sole bidder, it planned to compete work to maintain and support the jet. Boeing's 747-8 carries a list price of $368 million and is the latest iteration of the Chicago-based plane maker's iconic jumbo. The latest version, designed to carry around 467 passengers, entered service in early 2012 with a stretch of its body and upper deck hump, aerodynamic improvements and four of the latest generation General Electric Co. engines. As a commercial aircraft, the 747-8 has been a slow seller, weighed down by a sluggish market for the largest passenger jets. Rival Airbus, too, has faced slow sales of its double-deck A380 superjumbo jetliner as airlines have favored a batch of long-range twin engine jets like the Boeing 777, 787 Dreamliner and Airbus A350. Boeing announced in December it was cutting production of the 747-8, which also comes in a freighter model, to 1.3 every month, or about 16 jets a year or two fewer. Boeing had no new net orders for the jumbo after two were canceled. The U.S. Navy last year launched a second effort to replace the presidential helicopter fleet, five years after abandoning a plan dogged by cost-overruns and technical squabbles that left taxpayers nursing a $3 billion bill. The Sikorsky unit of United Technologies Corp. and Lockheed Martin Corp. have been hired to build the first six of a planned fleet of 23 helicopters for the Marine Corps to transport the president, vice president, cabinet members and other dignitaries. They are slated to make their first landing on the White House lawn in 2020. The $1.24 billion contract covers six test helicopters, with an option to build another 17 rotorcraft expected in 2019. Sikorsky built the existing presidential fleet and was the only bidder with partner Lockheed for the new contract. http://www.wsj.com/articles/pentagon-picks-boeing-747-8-as-new-presidential-aircraft- 1422476986 Back to Top United jet makes emergency landing in Ontario; passengers report smoke United Flight Makes Emergency Landing In Ontario Passengers report smoke in plane, which makes emergency landing #safe @flyONTairport A United Airlines jet headed from LAX to Virginia safely made an emergency landing at Ontario International Airport on Thursday, officials said. The decision to divert the plane was made after its crew reported an emergency. Passengers on board said there was smoke in the plane's cabin. United Flight 1181 landed about 8:56 a.m. at the Ontario airport, where it was met by police and firefighters, airport spokesman Harold Johnson said. The Boeing 757, with 206 people aboard, landed without incident. The airline said the flight crew reported a burning smell. "Our maintenance team is reviewing the aircraft and we're working as quickly as possible to get our customers to Washington, D.C.," they said. The passengers were escorted off the plane to an airport terminal. According to FlightAware, the plane departed from Los Angeles International Airport at 8:25 a.m. and was destined for Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia. Passenger Mitchell Hashimoto tweeted about the experience, reporting light smoke inside the plane. He said the plane was cruising, then quickly had to make an emergency landing. It all happened within five minutes. Hashimoto described the experience as uncomfortable. "But also, our pilot handled that situation super fast and professionally. High five," he tweeted. Hashimoto had planned to travel to Brussels, but he reconsidered. "I don't think I'll be flying to Belgium today," he tweeted. "One flight is good enough for me today. Will try again another day." http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-united-emergency-landing-ontario- 20150129-story.html Back to Top Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 crash ruled accident, search for jet 'remains a priority' Malaysia's government declared Thursday the crash of Flight 370 an accident to pave the way for compensation claims, angering victims' families still waiting for evidence while officials said the search for wreckage will go on. Civil aviation chief Azharuddin Abdul Rahman said the hunt for the Malaysia Airlines jet, which disappeared March 8, 2014, while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people, "remains a priority." The plane is believed to have crashed in the southern Indian Ocean, off the coast of western Australia. No debris has ever been found. "After 327 days and based on all available data as well as circumstances ... survivability in the defined area is highly unlikely. It is therefore with the heaviest heart and deepest sorrow that we officially declare Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 an accident," he said in a pre-recorded message broadcast on Malaysian television. All 239 passengers and crew on board are presumed to have lost their lives, he said. The declaration will help facilitate financial claims by families, and Malaysia Airlines is ready to proceed with the compensation process, he added. Malaysian Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai said the announcement was agreed by the governments of Malaysia, China and Australia and was intended to "enable the families to move forward." "The announcement has no bearing on the search operations. The search for MH370 will continue," he said. In China, where most of the passengers came from, some family members refused to accept the official position that the plane was lost. "There's nothing new. The Malaysian authorities have been covering up the truth from the get-go, and they have no credibility to speak of. We are not accepting the conclusion," said Wen Wancheng, whose son Wen Yongsheng was on board the plane. "Because you have no evidence at all. How can you come to such a conclusion?" said Wang Chunjiang, who lost his brother Wang Chunyong. "Chinese New Year is coming up. Why did you choose now to make the announcement?" Li Jingxin, brother of Li Zhixin, a laborer who was returning to China on the flight, said the family would not accept any compensation from the airline for now. "They have found nothing. With nothing found, how can they make any announcement?" said Li Jingxin, who lives in the northern province of Hebei. Azharuddin said that Malaysia, China and Australia had spared no expense and resources in their search for the plane, but were still unable to locate it. The hunt resumed in October after a four-month hiatus with more sophisticated sonar equipment. The Australian coordinators of the search have said the current underwater phase could take another year and there is still no guarantee of success. Azharuddin said that the Convention on International Civil Aviation, commonly referred to as the "Chicago Convention," states that the definition of the term "accident" includes "the aircraft is missing." He said the investigation by the safety team and Malaysian police were ongoing, but both were limited by the lack of physical evidence at this time, particularly the flight recorders. "At this juncture, there is no evidence to substantiate any speculations as to the cause of the accident," he said. An interim report detailing the progress of the safety investigation will be released on March 7. "This declaration is by no means the end," Azharuddin said, adding that Malaysia is committed with the help of Australia and China to bring a closure to the tragedy. Jacquita Gomes, whose husband Patrick Gomes was a flight attendant on the plane, was angry that the kin were not informed about the government's announcement first. "Shouldn't we know first before they tell the whole world? Where is their heart? This is not right," she said. While she understood that the move was to facilitate the compensation process for families, she said she cannot accept any declaration until the plane is found. "I will hold the government to their promise that they will not stop until our loved ones are found," she added. http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2015/01/malaysia_airlines_flight_370_c.html Back to Top Back to Top Orders for Business Jets Rise General Dynamics to Boost Output of Gulfstream Planes as More Companies Place Orders General Dynamics, maker of Gulfstream planes, reported better-than-expected quarterly results, helped by demand for business jets. Two of the world's largest makers of business jets said Wednesday that demand continues to improve, with General Dynamics Corp. planning to boost output of its high- end Gulfstream planes as more U.S. companies place orders. Gulfstream and Textron Inc., maker of Cessna jets, are both introducing new aircraft, but like rivals had trimmed production of existing models after global demand was halved in the wake of the financial crisis. Global business-jet orders and deliveries have improved in each of the past four years, and executives shrugged off any negative impact from falling oil prices, with demand improving in the Middle East and Asia, as well as North America, which accounts for more than half of the global market. Phebe Novakovic, chief executive of General Dynamics, said demand was "quite handsome" in the final quarter of last year, and the company plans to boost production of its midsize jets in 2015, while leaving output of larger planes at existing levels. Demand for larger jets costing between $25 million and $65 million has been more resilient than for smaller models. Bombardier Inc. this month said it was "pausing" development of a new Learjet, citing weak market conditions. Analysts said Bombardier's decision reflected the company's desire to save cash rather than weakness in the market. About 60% of new business-jet sales are replacements for existing aircraft, and orders have climbed as a glut of used planes has diminished. The inventory of used Cessna jets has fallen to 5.5% of the global fleet, the lowest level since 2007, according to analysts at Jefferies. Ms. Novakovic said Gulfstream had its best sales quarter in three years, with 60% of its backlog coming from public and private companies, including Fortune 500 members. The number of business-jet flights in the U.S. rose 4.5% in the 12 months ended in November, according to data from the Federal Aviation Administration. Gulfstream's performance helped General Dynamics beat analysts' expectations, with a fourth-quarter profit of $701 million, or $2.09 a share, up from $495 million, or $1.40 a share, a year earlier. Revenue increased 3.9% to $8.36 billion. Excluding discontinued operations, earnings from continuing operations were $2.19 a share for the latest period. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters had expected per-share earnings of $2.13 on revenue of $8.04 billion. The company's initial guidance for 2015 is for earnings of $8.05 to $8.10 a share, shy of the estimate among analysts, with sales of $31.3 billion to $31.5 billion. General Dynamics' shares closed down 0.6% at $136.40, with Textron ending 1.5% higher at $41.99. Write to Doug Cameron at doug.cameron@wsj.com and Chelsey Dulaney at chelsey.dulaney@wsj.com Corrections & Amplifications Textron CEO Scott Donnelly said the company had yet to boost Cessna production, though had the capacity to increase output later in the year. A headline on a previous version of this article misstated that Textron plans to increase Cessna production. http://www.wsj.com/articles/general-dynamics-revenue-profit-grow-1422448123 Back to Top Cessna rolls out first production Latitude jet Textron Aviation employees mark the rollout of the first production Cessna Citation Latitude business jet Thursday. Textron Aviation said Thursday it rolled out of the factory its first production Cessna Citation Latitude jet. The rollout comes three years after the new-design jet was announced to the market, Textron Aviation said in a news release. Thursday's event marks the first Latitude to come off the production line in its main factory in Wichita. That production line also comprises some new elements, such as automated robotics and ergonomically friendly tooling stations. "Our product investments extend beyond the design and performance features of the aircraft with innovations in our manufacturing processes," Scott Ernest, Textron Aviation president and CEO, said in the release. Textron Aviation has four Latitude test jets that to date have completed 500 flights and 1,200 hours. Though the Latitude is a midsize business jet, it has the widest fuselage of any Citation jet, and a 6-foot-high cabin. The airplane is expected to receive Federal Aviation Administration certification in the second quarter of 2015, with first deliveries expected in the second half of 2015. http://www.kansas.com/news/business/aviation/article8585015.html#storylink=cpy Back to Top Research Survey Request CASR's Limited Job Task Analysis Validation Survey Extended to February 28, 2015 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 February 28, 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 Upcoming Events: Fundamentals of IS-BAO February 3, 2015 Atlanta, GA USA https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1628307 IS-BAO Auditing February 4, 2015 Atlanta, GA USA https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1628308 Fundamentals of IS-BAO February 10, 2015 Long Beach, CA USA https://www.regonline.com/eventInfo.asp?eventID=1651572 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 ERAU OSHA & Aviation Ground Safety Seminar Daytona Beach, FL Apr.13-17, 2015 www.erau.edu/cmas ERAU Aviation Safety Program Management Seminar Daytona Beach, FL Apr.20-24, 2015 www.erau.edu/cmas ERAU Aircraft Accident Investigation Seminar Daytona Beach, FL Apr. 27-May 1, 2015 www.erau.edu/cmas CAEA 17th International Forum: Human Factors, Communications, and Safety. Istanbul, Turkey Host: Turkish Aviation Academy April 27 and 28, 2015 http://icaea.aero ERAU Advanced Aircraft Accident Investigation Seminar Prescott Campus, AZ May 4-8, 2015 www.erau.edu/cmas ERAU Aviation SMS Seminar Daytona Beach, FL May 12-14, 2015 www.erau.edu/sms Back to Top Positions Available: Director Safety Assurance Alaska Airlines http://alaskaair.jobs/seattle-wa/director-safety- assurance/32B51332CBA14B28B14EFF0F793F90CB/job/ Curt Lewis