Flight Safety Information February 9, 2015 - No. 027 In This Issue TransAsia pilots face test on dealing with engine failure AirAsia jet turns back due to technical problem TransAsia Pilots Take Proficiency Tests After Taiwan Crash PROS 2015 TRAINING Can jet planes launch small satellites into orbit on the cheap? Research Survey Request Najeeb E. Halaby Graduate Student Fellowship Position Available Upcoming Events TransAsia pilots face test on dealing with engine failure Relatives of the victims pray during a Buddhist ritual near the wreckage of TransAsia Airways plane Flight GE235 after it crash landed into a river, in New Taipei City, February 5, 2015. REUTERS/River Wang (Reuters) - Pilots at Taiwan's TransAsia Airways are being tested on how they handle an engine failure and subsequent emergency, days after the fatal crash of one of the airline's ATR 72-600s, an official from the country's aviation regulator said. Initial data from the flight recorders indicates the plane lost power in one engine just after take-off from Taipei's Songshan airport, Taiwan's Aviation Safety Council (ASC) said on Friday.. The crew then shut down the other engine, which was working, and attempted to restart it shortly before the aircraft crashed into a river killing at least 40 people. Commercial aircraft can fly with just one working engine, and the authorities have not released any information from the recorders that indicates why the pilots shut down the working engine. They said on Friday, however, that a combined loss of thrust caused the almost new aircraft to stall soon after take-off. The aircraft then lurched over buildings and banked sharply to the left before crashing upside down in the shallow river. Officials in Taiwan and industry analysts say evidence presented so far raises questions over whether the crew may have accidentally cut the wrong engine. "There must have been something wrong with what the crew did," said a Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) official, who did not want to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter. "It's a very big deal to turn off one engine after take- off. It needs to be double checked by the crew." It was the second TransAsia ATR crash in seven months, and the fifth involving the airline since 1995, raising questions about safety standards at Taiwan's third largest carrier. The CAA said the flight tests would only involve TransAsia's 71 ATR pilots, and not those who fly its Airbus aircraft. Pilots from China Airlines and EVA Air, Taiwan's two largest airlines, were not being tested. The CAA official said the test results would be released on Wednesday. The move has been questioned by Taiwan's pilots' union, which said crashes happen due to a combination of factors. "The CAA and the ASC can't just jump to a conclusion like that," said Lee Ping-chung, secretary general of the union. "It could be mechanical, the weather, airline's management of pilots and how tired pilots are." TransAsia said on Sunday it would cancel 52 flights Monday and Tuesday, in addition to the 90 already canceled following the crash. Rescuers have recovered 40 bodies, with three still missing. Fifteen people survived. A fuller preliminary report on the crash will be available in the next 30 days, with a final one expected in the next three to six months. http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/09/us-taiwan-airplane-idUSKBN0LD07U20150209 Back to Top AirAsia jet turns back due to technical problem KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) - Long-haul budget carrier AirAsia X said one of its flights heading from Malaysia to Saudi Arabia turned back Sunday shortly after takeoff due to a technical problem, circling for hours before landing safely in Kuala Lumpur. The incident comes after an AirAsia plane crashed into the Java Sea on Dec. 28 while flying from the Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore, killing all 162 people on board. It was the first fatal accident for AirAsia, the region's top budget carrier, which was formed in 2001. AirAsia X is the group's long-haul arm. After Sunday's incident, group Chief Executive Kamarudin Meranun said the jet's auto-thrust system malfunctioned about 45 minutes after takeoff. He said the pilots then switched to manual thrust and could have continued with the flight, but decided to turn back since it was still early in the nearly 10-hour trip to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The Airbus A330 had to circle for four hours over the Malacca Strait to burn fuel and prevent a hard landing, Kamarudin said. "There is no emergency. It is not a safety issue. It is just a precautionary measure. Safety is paramount to us," Kamarudin told The Associated Press. The airline said in a statement that Flight D7172 landed safely at Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 5:40 p.m., more than five hours after it departed. The passengers were being transferred to another aircraft, which was due to depart later Sunday, the airline said. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2015/02/08/airasia-jet-turns-back/23074821/ Back to Top TransAsia Pilots Take Proficiency Tests After Taiwan Crash Tawain Plane Crash: Rescue and recovery after TransAsia plane crash Moment Taiwanese Plane Crashes Into River Caught on Dashcam All 71 pilots who operate TransAsia Airways' ATR aircraft began proficiency tests Saturday, three days after one of the carrier's ATRs crashed into a river, killing at least 39 people. The airline said it had canceled 90 flights over the next three days to accommodate the requirement by Taiwan's Civil Aeronautics Administration that the ATR pilots be retested. Preliminary investigations indicate the pilots of Wednesday's doomed flight shut off a running engine of the ATR 72 after its other engine went idle, and aviation experts say the move was an error. "It's a mistake," said John M. Cox, a former US Airways pilot and now head of a safety-consulting company. "There are procedures that pilots go through - safeguards - when you're going to shut down an engine, particularly close to the ground. Why that didn't occur here, I don't know." Local prosecutors have said they will be looking into the possibility of "professional error." Thomas Wang, head of Taiwan's Aviation Safety Council, said Saturday that it was too early to reach conclusions about any pilot error. Pratt & Whitney Canada, the plane's engine maker, and the safety council have begun to examine both of the aircraft's engines, a process that can take four months, Wang said. The crash into the muddy Keelung River in Taipei minutes after takeoff killed at least 39 people and left four missing, with rescuers recovering four more bodies on Saturday, according to the Taipei City Fire Department. Fifteen people were rescued with injuries after the accident, which was captured in a dramatic dashboard camera video that showed the aircraft banking steeply and scraping a highway overpass before it hurtled into the water. http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/transasia-pilots-take-proficiency-tests-after-taiwan-crash-n302046 Back to Top Back to Top Can jet planes launch small satellites into orbit on the cheap? "We envision an alternative to ride-sharing for satellites that enables satellite owners to launch payloads from any location into orbits of their choosing," said Mitchell Burnside Clapp. WASHINGTON, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Launching a satellite is an expensive endeavor. Rockets must be built -- often only to be obliterated upon re-entry or wrecked as they splash back into the ocean. And massive amounts of fuel must be expended to propel the heavy metal objects through Earth's atmosphere. It's a problem for both private communication companies and the federal government. But problem solvers at the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency are working on a solution -- the Airborne Launch Assist Space Access (ALASA) program. Military engineers working on the program want to use a small and efficient propellant system launched from a jet plane (not a large rocket blasted from a launch pad), to spring satellites weighing up to 100 pounds into low Earth orbit. Figuring out how to launch small satellites with a jet would cost a fraction of the price of a traditional rocket launch. Plus, the aircraft is 100 percent reusable. Such a strategy would also allow communication systems to be bolstered on short notice. "We've made good progress so far toward ALASA's ambitious goal of propelling 100-pound satellites into low Earth orbit (LEO) within 24 hours of call-up, all for less than $1 million per launch," said Bradford Tousley, director of DARPA's Tactical Technology Office. "We're moving ahead with rigorous testing of new technologies that we hope one day could enable revolutionary satellite launch systems that provide more affordable, routine and reliable access to space." The project's initial planning has been approved and it has since moved into Phase 2, with DARPA contracting Boeing to execute on the construction of several prototypes. Up to 12 test flights are included in Phase 2 planning. In addition to potentially saving time and fuel costs, the plan would also limit the necessity of some ground-based launch infrastructure and would free up the planning constraints currently inhibiting federal agencies, military branches and communication companies that often have to share rides into orbit. "We envision an alternative to ride-sharing for satellites that enables satellite owners to launch payloads from any location into orbits of their choosing, on schedules of their choosing, on a launch vehicle designed specifically for small payloads," said Mitchell Burnside Clapp, program manager for ALASA. http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2015/02/06/Can-jet-planes-launch-small-satellites-into-orbit-on-the- cheap/7371423260087/#ixzz3RGFXLC84 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 GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY Hello, My name is Samuel Lien and I am a Masters of Applied Science student working under the supervisions of Dr. Jonathan Histon in the Human in Complex Systems (HCOM) Lab of the Human Factor Research Group in the System Designs Department at the University of Waterloo. The reason we are contacting you is that we are conducting a study that looks at the effect of information asynchrony on pilot-ATC communication. We are currently seeking subject-matter experts including active or retired professional pilots (commercial or higher rating) and air traffic controllers (terminal / enroute) as our participants to the study. Participation in this study involves going to our online experiment website from your computer as the experiment will be conducted online. In appreciation of the time you have given to this study, you can enter your name into a draw for 1 of 10 prizes. The prizes include $100 amazon.com gift card. Your odds of winning one of the prizes is approximately 1 in 4. I would like to assure you that the study has been reviewed and received ethics clearance through a University of Waterloo Research Ethics Committee. However, the final decision about participation is yours. To be clear, this experiment is not an official Nav Canada / FAA / NASA funded/sponsored/endorsed research activity but is a student research project. If you are interested in finding out more, please visit the website link here at: http://rbhagat.uwaterloo.ca/IDEA/ Or, please contact me or Dr. Jonathan Histon at the contact information below. Sincerely, Samuel Lien, Dr. Jonathan Histon Humans in Complex Systems Lab Systems Design Engineering University of Waterloo slien@uwaterloo.ca, jhiston@uwaterloo.ca 519-888-4567 x32529 Back to Top Position Available Assistant/Associate Professor Organization Name DB-College of Aviation Instruction Division Daytona Beach Campus Brief Description The Applied Aviation Sciences Department has a Tenure Track/Non-Tenure Track Assistant/Associate Professor position within the Aerospace and Occupational Safety (AOS) program. The AOS program focuses on exposing students to Aviation Safety, Fire Safety, Safety Management, Risk Management, Hazard Identification, System Safety, regulatory processes related to DOT, FAA, OSHA, and EPA, and to aviation accident investigations processes at the program's Crash Lab. Detailed Description Teaching obligations will include teaching 12 undergraduate credit hours (4 courses) per semester with possible graduate teaching obligations. Teaching areas will require flexibility in order to teach a variety of courses that may include aviation safety management (SMS, FOQA, ASAP, VDRP, etc.) system safety, human factors, engineering hazard controls, accident investigation or industrial hygiene. Expectation include appropriate scholarly activity, participation in applied research, and a variety of activities designed to support the Aerospace and Occupational Safety degree program. This is nine-month position, renewed annually, with the possibility of summer teaching assignments. Job Requirements Ph.D. in Aviation Safety, Human Factors, Occupational/Public Health, Risk Management, Industrial Hygiene, Industrial/Occupational Safety, or related field and a proven record of teaching required. A doctorate in education (Ed.D.) or a candidate enrolled in a doctoral program with appropriated aviation/aerospace safety experience will be given consideration as well. Preferred - An earned doctorate with extensive work experience in aviation/aerospace safety, occupational/industrial safety, industrial hygiene, allied field. Additionally, candidates with CSP or CIH are desired. Candidates must show evidence of substantial and successful teaching experience of safety-related courses, along with service activities associated with the profession. Additionally, candidates must show exceptional promise in research related to safety and health. Position available beginning August, 2015. Additional Details Our Culture: As the world's leader in aviation and aerospace education, Embry-Riddle offers a fast-paced, energetic workplace that's sky-high with opportunity. Family friendly, innovative, and collaborative describe our culture. This culture is enhanced by the importance we place on family and maintaining a healthy balance between professional and personal life. We value our faculty and staff and encourage innovation and flexibility which contributes to our overall success and the success of our students. Open communication and frequent sharing of feedback are essential in every day interactions. Opportunities abound for those who desire personal growth and development during their careers at Embry-Riddle. Join our team of over 2,500 professionals and see why we've been recognized as one of the best places to work over and over again! EEO Statement: Embry-Riddle University is committed to providing equal employment opportunity and affirmative action for qualified individuals. The university does not tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, gender, age, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other status protected by federal, state or local law. Diversity Statement: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is committed to being a global leader in diversity and inclusion in higher education. We continually strive to recognize, respect and celebrate the differences and cultural identities among individuals as we recruit, support, and embrace our diverse community. We work to provide a safe environment where self-expression is welcome. We strive to create a campus climate free of discrimination so that networks, partnerships and cultural competency continue to be fostered through leadership, integrity, care and respect. We are Embry-Riddle. How To Apply For information on applying for open jobs, please read the following: * Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University considers applications for open positions only. You can obtain information regarding these openings from our online postings, media advertisements, or by contacting our recruitment team. * We retain applications until the vacancy has been filled. You may apply online for multiple positions. * Only applicants who meet the minimum qualifications will be considered for open positions. Individuals whose qualifications and experience best meet the needs of the University will be contacted for an interview. * If you need reasonable accommodations during the application or interview process, please let us know as soon as possible. * If you have not created a profile (using your email address and creating a password) please click on the "Register Today" button. Once you have created your account, you will be able to successfully apply for the vacancy of your choice. * Please log back in to your profile often to check the status of your application. Please follow the steps below to update/add documents to your iRecruitment profile: 1. Log into your iRecruitment profile by visiting www.erau.edu/jobs. Click "Available Positions" and then "Login Here". 2. Once logged in, if you would like to update your profile, click "My Account" (on the left side near the top). You can add/delete documents on the "Personal Information" tab, or click on the remaining headings to view and/or update your profile. Please remember to SAVE often. 3. When you are finished updating your information, click the SAVE button and then the Home tab near the top right. This will take you back to the Welcome Page of your profile. Back to Top Upcoming Events: 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 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 Curt Lewis