Flight Safety Information February 11, 2015 - No. 029 In This Issue Drone Almost Hits Commercial Jet at 4,000 Feet at LAX 10 of 49 TransAsia Pilots Tested on Emergency Situations Fail Asiana Airlines to order 25 A321neo aircraft RESEARCH QUESTION: Upcoming Events Drone Almost Hits Commercial Jet at 4,000 Feet at LAX An investigation has been launched after the incident, which occurred as a Southwest Airlines plane prepared to land at the airport Sunday. An investigation is underway into how a drone came dangerously close to a Southwest Airlines jet landing at LAX. An investigation has been launched after the case, which occurred as a Southwest Airlines plane prepared to land at the airport. Audio recordings of the pilot and control tower documented the moment the pilot told air control about the near-miss. "Hey, there was just one of those radio-controlled helicopter things that went right over the top of us at 4,000," the pilot said. "One of those remotely piloted deals... (a) little bitty one, red in color." It is just the latest in a number of incidents across the country in which drones were spotted flying far too close to airports. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) administrator Michael Huerta warned flying drones near airports could lead to a tragedy. "The thing that we have to avoid is any opportunity for aircraft to come into contact with one another because that is an extremely dangerous situation for everyone involved," Huerta said. A day before the LAX sighting, a drone was spotted at 3,500 feet in Chicago. A few hours later, a private pilot reported a drone at 1,300 feet. On Sunday in Atlanta, another drone was spotted at 8,000 feet, well above the FAA limit of 400 feet. Drone pilots in Los Angeles say flying near places like runways is unacceptable behavior for responsible flyers Taylor Chien, founder and CEO of Dronefly, is hoping software that uses drones' own GPS systems will be used to keep rogue pilots away from restricted areas. "So say you fly near an airport like LAX and you are within a five-mile radius it will... stop, turn around and fly back to you," Chien said. Congress has given the FAA until the end of the year to come up with rules on how drones will be flown in the United States. http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Drone-Almost-Hits-Commercial-Jet-at-4000-Feet-at-LAX- 291386471.html Back to Top 10 of 49 TransAsia Pilots Tested on Emergency Situations Fail HONG KONG - Ten of 49 TransAsia Airways pilots failed emergency proficiency tests ordered by the Civil Aeronautics Administration of Taiwan after a deadly plane crash in the capital, Taipei, last week, the aviation regulator announced on Wednesday. The results were another black mark for TransAsia, Taiwan's third-largest airline, which has had two deadly crashes in less than seven months. The aviation authority said it was planning to increase the testing of pilots and aircraft at the airline in an effort to improve safety. The pilots of the airline's ATR turboprops who failed the test, which was conducted orally, will be suspended pending further training in handling emergency situations, the aviation authority said. It said an additional 19 pilots still had not taken the test and could not fly until they had passed. After the crash last week, TransAsia canceled dozens of flights while its ATR fleet was inspected and its pilots tested. The test failures will result in continued restrictions on its flights as the Chinese New Year approaches, and the aviation authority said it would ask other domestic airlines to add flights. Initial findings about the Feb. 4 crash of TransAsia Flight 235 indicated that the twin-engine turboprop, an ATR72-600, suffered a loss of power to one engine shortly after takeoff. The plane is capable of flying on a single engine, but the pilots may have then cut fuel to the other engine, leaving the aircraft with no means of propulsion. At least 42 of the 58 passengers and crew members on board were killed when the plane clipped an elevated highway and then slammed into a river. Fifteen people survived, and one person remains missing. TransAsia said on Wednesday that it was offering compensation of 14.9 million Taiwan dollars, or about $472,000, to the family of each dead passenger. Last year, 48 people were killed in July when a TransAsia flight crashed while trying to land in bad weather on an outlying island. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/12/world/asia/10-transasia-pilots-fail-emergency-proficiency- test.html?_r=0 Back to Top Back to Top Asiana Airlines to order 25 A321neo aircraft Qatar Airways to feature A380 First Class seat and A350 XWB Business Class seat at ITB DOHA, Qatar - Qatar Airways has announced that it will participate in ITB Berlin for the seventh consecutive year next month and confirmed that it will showcase its unique A380 First Class seat and A3 Asiana Airlines to order 25 A321neo aircraft South Korea's Star Alliance member, Asiana Airlines, has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with Airbus for the purchase of 25 A321neo single-aisle aircraft as part of its ongoing fleet modernization program. Seating 180 passengers in a two-class layout, the new aircraft will be operated on the carrier's regional services, as well as on selected domestic routes. Asiana will make a decision on its engine of choice for the aircraft at a later date. The A321neo will join an existing fleet of A320 Family aircraft operated by Asiana Airlines and its low-cost subsidiary, Air Busan, with the A321 set to become the primary single-aisle type at both units. "The A320 Family is a proven success with Asiana Airlines and Air Busan, combining reliability, excellent operating economics and superior passenger comfort," said Kim Soo Cheon, President & CEO, Asiana Airlines. "With the A321neo we will be able to look forward to even greater levels of efficiency, with a 20 per cent reduction in fuel consumption and increased flying range. The acquisition of the A321neo underscores our strategy to operate only the most modern and efficient aircraft that the industry has to offer." "We are pleased to announce this latest commitment from Asiana Airlines," said John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer, Customers. "The A321neo will bring the airline the lowest operating costs of any single aircraft, flying passengers in comfort on flights of up to six hours. We will be proud to see the A321neo flying in Asiana colours, as part of a fleet that includes aircraft from the entire Airbus product line." Asiana Airlines currently operates 33 Airbus singe aisle aircraft, 15 widebody A330-300s and two double deck A380s. In addition to its newly announced commitment for the A321neo, the airline has outstanding orders for four more A380s and 30 all-new A350 XWBs for operation on its long haul network. Meanwhile, Air Busan currently operates nine A320 Family aircraft on its domestic and regional services. The A321 is the largest member of the best-selling single aisle A320 Fa http://www.eturbonews.com/55447/asiana-airlines-order-25-a321neo-aircraft Back to Top RESEARCH QUESTION: Is anyone aware of research or a safety study that has bee conducted on the topic of "In-Flight Medical Emergencies or Medical Diversions" ? Please respond to: fr.grangier@grangier.fr 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 Fundamentals of IS-BAO March 5, 2015 HAI Heli-Expo - Orlando, FL USA https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1628315 IS-BAO Auditing March 6, 2015 HAI Heli-Expo - Orlando, FL USA https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1628316 Fundamentals of IS-BAO March 31, 2015 Houston, TX USA https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1657515 IS-BAO Auditing April 1, 2015 Houston, TX USA https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1657517 Fundamentals of IS-BAO April 15, 2015 Toluca, Mexico https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1657510 IS-BAO Auditing April 16, 2015 Toluca, Mexico https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1657512 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