Flight Safety Information March 10, 2015 - No. 046 In This Issue Top French athletes among 10 dead after 2 helicopters collide in Argentina Pilots Say Brakes Didn't Slow Jet That Slid Off Runway at La Guardia NTSB Analyzes Flight Data From Jet That Skidded Off La Guardia Runway Man Pointed Lasers at LGA Aircraft, 3 Pilots Injured FAA OKs Michigan State Police aerial drone use PROS 2015 TRAINING Airbus Considering New Engines for A380 Superjumbo Jet The Gulfstream G650ER Business Jet Circles the Globe Upcoming Events JOBS AVAILABLE (New Positions) Top French athletes among 10 dead after 2 helicopters collide in Argentina Olympians among 10 dead after 2 helicopters collide 01:05 The helicopters were on their way to a gorge for the filming of a reality TV show (CNN)Three French sports stars were among 10 people killed when two helicopters collided in Argentina on Monday evening, authorities said. The helicopters were reported to be heading to a gorge in northwestern Argentina for the filming of the reality TV show "Dropped" for the French broadcaster TF1. Eight French passengers and the choppers' two Argentinian pilots died in the midair crash near the town of Villa Castelli in La Rioja province, Argentina's state news agency Telam reported, citing local authorities. The dead included the famed sailor Florence Arthaud, who in 1990 broke the record for crossing the North Atlantic alone; the swimmer Camille Muffat, who won three medals at the 2012 Olympics in London; and the boxer Alexis Vastine, who won a bronze medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Members of the TV production team were among the other French victims, French authorities said. The crash happened within moments of takeoff in good weather conditions, Telam reported, citing witnesses who spoke to a local radio station. The helicopters, which belonged to local governments in the region, collided about 100 meters (328 feet) above the ground, the news agency said. Police and investigators were at the scene of the crash. A manslaughter investigation has been opened in France into the incident, to be led by the Air Transport Gendarmerie, a representative for the Paris prosecutor's office said Tuesday. It is standard procedure to launch an investigation if French nationals die abroad. http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/09/americas/argentina-helicopters-crash/ ************* Date: 09-MAR-2015 Time: 17:15 LT Type: Eurocopter AS 350B3 Ecureuil Owner/operator: Government of La Rioja Registration: LQ-CGK C/n / msn: 7041 Fatalities: Fatalities: 5 / Occupants: 5 Other fatalities: 5 Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: Near Villa Castelli in La Rioja province - Argentina Phase: Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) Nature: Photo/air-to-air Departure airport: Destination airport: Narrative: Two helicopters experienced a midair collision near Villa Castelli in La Rioja province. Both aircraft were destroyed and the ten occupants of the two helicopters were fatally injured. The two helicopters were local government operated aircraft being utilized for the filming of the TV survival show Dropped. www.aviation-safety.net Back to Top Pilots Say Brakes Didn't Slow Jet That Slid Off Runway at La Guardia Runway 13 at La Guardia Airport appeared to be all white to the pilots of a Delta Air Lines jet that skidded off it and through a perimeter fence during a snowstorm on Thursday, they told federal investigators over the weekend. The pilots said the brakes were set to "max" but did not seem to slow the plane after it touched down and began skidding toward Flushing Bay, according to a report issued on Monday afternoon by the National Transportation Safety Board. Investigators have not reached any conclusions about what caused the crash, which left 23 passengers with minor injuries. The report said the plane, which was arriving from Atlanta with 132 people on board, veered off the left side of the runway at an angle of about 10 degrees shortly after it touched down. Its left wing struck the fence that crowned a berm near the water's edge. The plane continued rolling parallel to the runway for several hundred feet before coming to rest with its nose cone broken off. Investigators are trying to determine why the plane, an MD-88 operating as Flight 1086, failed to land safely when a few others that preceded it had arrived without incident. The report said that another MD-88 landed on the same runway just three minutes before and that the pilots of two other jets that had landed there reported that the braking conditions were "good." Current and former commercial pilots familiar with La Guardia said the report did not indicate there had been any mechanical failure. They gleaned from it that the plane was sliding on a slippery surface and that, for whatever reason, the pilot could not steer it away from the berm. The report said the captain told investigators that the spoilers on the plane's wings, which help push the plane down onto its wheels and to slow it, did not automatically deploy. But he said the co-pilot "quickly deployed them manually," the report said. James E. Hall, a former safety board chairman, said the report showed that investigators were examining the plane's braking system, among other factors. LAGUARDIA AIRPORT Approximate location of plane 2,000 FT By The New York Times; Image by Google Delta Air Lines Flight 1086, which landed just after 11 a.m. on Thursday, veered off the runway and up an earthen berm above Flushing Bay.Plane Avoids Disaster as It Skids Off a Runway at La Guardia AirportMARCH 5, 2015 "Based on the pilot's report and the circumstances of the accident, it's certainly appropriate that the agency will look closely at the braking system, as well as the wind and other weather conditions at the time the aircraft touched down," Mr. Hall said. The report provided no description of the weather conditions, saying a National Transportation Safety Board meteorologist was examining them. Other pilots have wondered about crosswinds and how much snow and ice was on the runway. Patrick J. Foye, the executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates La Guardia, said on Thursday that Runway 13 "had been plowed literally minutes" before Flight 1086 touched down. A Port Authority spokesman declined on Monday to say precisely when that plowing had occurred or what conditions had been reported by the crew of the MD-88 that immediately preceded Flight 1086. John Cox, a former pilot for US Airways who runs Safety Operating Systems, a consulting firm in Washington, said the crew's quick action showed that they were attentive. He said all of the information in the report "looks pretty normal." He added, "Nothing jumps out and says, 'Aha, that's what caused it.' " http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/10/nyregion/pilots-say-brakes-didnt-slow-jet-that-slid-off-runway-at-la-guardia.html?_r=0 Back to Top NTSB Analyzes Flight Data From Jet That Skidded Off La Guardia Runway Two recorders captured entire trip from Atlanta; Investigators to talk with crew, review maintenance logs Passengers arrive for check-in at LaGuardia Airport on Friday. Service has returned to normal after a Delta plane skidded off the runway on Thursday. By PERVAIZ SHALLWANI and ANDY PASZTOR Investigators are examining flight data from the jet that veered off the tarmac at La Guardia Airport, but they don't expect to have preliminary findings until next week, a person familiar with the probe said Friday. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating why Delta Air Lines Inc.'s Flight 1086 from Atlanta skidded off the runway shortly after landing Thursday morning. The plane had 132 people aboard, 24 of whom suffered minor injuries. One issue that investigators will delve into is whether the plane landed too fast, said this person and another tracking the probe. Based on interviews with the pilots and information downloaded from the flight-data recorder, investigators will seek to establish exactly how far down the runway the jet touched down; the tarmac's condition; what information the pilots had about the braking of earlier-arriving aircraft; and examine whether the jet's brakes and other systems operated as expected. Late Friday, the NTSB said the airplane had been moved to a hangar at the airport and investigators had sent the flight-data recorder and cockpit voice recorder to its laboratory in Washington. Over the weekend, the agency said investigators would interview the jet's crew and start reviewing the 28-year-old jet's maintenance records; the plane's last maintenance overhaul was in December 2010, Delta has said. Two more NTSB staff members have arrived at La Guardia, the investigator in charge and an airworthiness expert. Plane's nose crashes through fence and is left sticking out over the waters of Flushing Bay Delta Flight 1086 was arriving around 11 a.m. Thursday from Atlanta when it skidded to the left on a La Guardia runway, hit a berm and crashed through a fence. The accident led officials to close the airport. The waters of Flushing Bay lie on the other side of the fence where the jetliner came to rest. About two dozen people suffered injuries, none life-threatening, authorities said. Delta officials said 127 passengers and five crew members exited the aircraft via slides and were moved to a terminal on buses. An injured woman is loaded into an ambulance by rescue personnel after the crash. One passenger said people were bounced around in their seats when the plane veered onto the grass, but the final stop 'wasn't hard.' A passenger is wheeled on a stretcher into a terminal after the crash, which led to the airport's closing. One of two runways was reopened around 2 p.m., officials said. Ambulances arrived at La Guardia's Terminal D after the Delta accident as snow continued to fall. Passengers who were on the jetliner embrace at the baggage claim area in Terminal D afterward. Monitors at La Guardia show canceled flights, though many were due to the continuing snowstorm in the Northeast. 'Compared to the other 4,000 flights canceled today, there isn't much of an impact' from the Delta accident, said Mark Duell of FlightAware.com, a flight-data website. Passengers walk away from a Delta Air Lines jetliner that skidded off the runway at La Guardia Airport during a snowstorm Thursday in New York. The photo was taken by New York Giants player Larry Donnell. All passengers and crew safely left the plane. The aircraft's flight recorder is an older model that takes longer to download than current models, the primary reason the NTSB isn't expected to release preliminary findings until next week. But according to air-safety officials, investigators still are likely to have enough data to determine what happened. "It captured the entire flight and approximately 50 parameters of data, including things such as airspeed, altitude, heading, and information on engines and flight controls," the NTSB said of the flight-data recorder. The cockpit voice recorder, downloaded Friday, "contains two hours of good-quality recordings and captured the entire flight," the agency said. Delta said it had refunded each passenger's airfare and was working to return all belongings. Authorities have said the plane began to veer to the left about 4,500 to 5,000 feet down the 7,000-foot runway. It struck an embankment and came to rest after crashing through a chain-link fence that separates the airport from Flushing Bay. Thursday's crash comes after a series of unrelated setbacks for La Guardia, whose aging infrastructure has drawn widespread criticism. Last year, Vice President Joe Biden poked fun at how a blindfolded traveler arriving at the airport could be forgiven for thinking "I must be in some Third World country." A $3.6 billion project to overhaul its Central Terminal Building has been delayed amid a competition for a broader redesign of the airport. http://www.wsj.com/articles/la-guardia-flight-delays-continue-after-jet-skids-off-runway-1425664756 Back to Top Man Pointed Lasers at LGA Aircraft, 3 Pilots Injured: NYPD A man was arrested after police say he pointed a laser at multiple aircraft attempting to land and take off from LaGuardia Airport, leaving three pilots with eye injuries. Authorities say 36-year-old Frank Egan was charged after he pointed a laser from his apartment on Coddington Avenue in the Schuylerville section of the Bronx. Three pilots on two separate aircraft, including two police officers on a helicopter, sustained eye injuries, according to police. The officers were treated and released in stable conditions. The other pilot of an Air Canada commercial airliner, was taken to a hospital in Toronto for treatment. Officials were alerted by the Federal Aviation Administration that someone had been pointing lasers at aircraft in that area, and the NYPD's aviation unit spotted Egan pointing the laser from his apartment. Officers went to the suspect's apartment to investigate and the suspect's mother invited them inside the apartment. There, officers found a device labeled "Laser 303" on top of the refrigerator, police said. After being questioned, Egan admitted to using the laser pointer and he was taken into custody, police said. Egan was charged with assault on a police officer, felony assault, menacing a police officer, reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a weapon. It was not immediately clear if he had an attorney. http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Man-Pointed-Lasers-LGA-Aircraft-3-Pilots-Injured-NYPD-295724871.html Back to Top FAA OKs Michigan State Police aerial drone use Michigan State Police are the first in the nation with permission to fly statewide. Drone could be used to photograph crash scenes, search for lost people and conduct surveillance. Privacy advocates want Legislature to create restrictions on its use by police. The Federal Aviation Administration has granted Michigan State Police permission to fly a drone anywhere in the state for law enforcement purposes. The FAA gave the greenlight after a two-day visit to Michigan last month to review the program and safety procedures. "We actually did our first mission last week when we flew over a fire scene in Ottawa County," said 1st Lt. Chris Bush, commander of field support and aviation for the State Police. Bush said the pilots used an infrared camera to locate hotspots in the area. It turned into a learning experience for the pilots, who navigated a neighborhood, dodging powerlines and other hazards. The approval makes the State Police the first in the nation to have a statewide authorization to fly, though there are still restrictions. The drone is prohibited from flying within five miles of an airport for safety reasons, though in emergency, permission could be granted on a case-by-case basis. In 2013, State Police used a Homeland Security grant to buy its $158,000 Aeryon SkyRanger, an unmanned aerial vehicle, better known as a drone, from Aeryon Labs, a Canadian company that makes them for military, law enforcement and commercial operations. The drone carries a high-definition camera and can fly for about 50 minutes on a single battery charge and withstand wind gusts of up to 40 m.p.h. It has a range of several miles. Four state troopers who are certified pilots will operate the vehicle and four other tactical flight officers will observe each flight as required, Bush said. The green-light means state troopers could use an unmanned aircraft to photograph crash sites, search for lost people, inspect natural disasters and conduct surveillance. The drone industry is booming worldwide with private citizens purchasing them to photograph crops and real estate, inspect powerlines, even shoot movies. The FAA has been slow to approve commercial uses for drones but it also has been slow to chase down people who operate them that way. The increased use of drones has prompted privacy concerns. "There are legitimate uses but it's important that we rein in big brother," said former state Rep. Tom McMillin, who sponsored legislation to regulate police use of drones when he served in the Legislature. His bill never passed, but he said several current legislators are interested in the topic and he expects someone to introduce similar legislation. McMillin said current law covers issues like Peeping Toms and trespassing, but new legislation is needed to prevent abuses by police. "I really wanted to make sure there is reporting on how it's being used," McMillin said. "If they are recording things that they shouldn't, that stuff should be destroyed. We don't just want them flying around watching people." http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2015/03/09/drone-michigan-state-police-faa/24659777/ Back to Top Back to Top Airbus Considering New Engines for A380 Superjumbo Jet Emirates Airline said it would order as many as 200 A380s if Airbus made a double-digit improvement in fuel efficiency An Emirates Airbus A380 aircraft comes into lane at Heathrow Airport in west London. SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.- Airbus Group NV 's chief jetliner salesman on Monday said the company is considering new engines for its double-deck A380 superjumbo jet, but won't make the change solely based on the demands of a single buyer. Dubai-based Emirates Airline is the largest customer for the A380 superjumbo jet, and has been clamoring for a "double digit" improvement in fuel efficiency. Emirates has said it would order as many as 200 A380s if Airbus were to add engines that achieved that goal. John Leahy, Airbus's chief operating officer for customers, said the European plane maker is currently evaluating the business case for a major upgrade for the world's largest jetliner. "We aren't going to obviously build it for just one airline," said Mr. Leahy, implying that the promised order wouldn't create a sufficient business case. "We're in the process of trying to decide if you invest money to do a [new engine option] airplane," said Mr. Leahy. Mr. Leahy said the market for the 525-seat A380 is "slowly developing in the future." http://www.wsj.com/articles/airbus-considering-new-engines-for-a380-superjumbo-jet-1425929503 Back to Top The Gulfstream G650ER Business Jet Circles the Globe A Gulfstream G650ER-the extended-range version of the company's popular top-of-the-line G650 business jet-recently completed a global circumnavigation in about 25 hours, stopping only once to refuel. During the trip, the aircraft set two city-pair speed records-from White Plains, N.Y., to Beijing, and from Beijing to the Gulfstream headquarters in Savannah, Ga. The jet took off from White Plains with three passengers and four crew, traveling east to take advantage of prevailing westerly winds. It flew across the Atlantic and over Europe and Asia, then, after 13 hours and 20 minutes aloft, landed in Beijing. Once refueled, the jet continued on to cross the Pacific and North America, landing in Savannah 12 hours later. Both legs were completed with fuel remaining in excess of standard reserves. The Gulfstream G650ER, which started deliveries last November, cruises at nearly 600 mph (Mach 0.85) and can carry an extra 4,000 pounds of fuel compared to the G650. Current G650 owners can have their jet converted to a G650ER for about $2 million. The top-of-the-line jets feature a cabin nearly 47 feet long, with space for up to 18 passengers. A new G650ER sells for a starting price of about $66.5 million. (gulfstream.com) http://robbreport.com/aviation/gulfstream-g650er-business-jet-circles-globe-video#sthash.RfUX02hj.dpuf Back to Top Upcoming Events: Fundamentals of IS-BAH March 31, 2015 Houston, TX USA https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1657518 IS-BAH Auditing April 1, 2015 Houston, TX USA https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1657519 Fundamentals of IS-BAH June 15, 2015 St. Hubert, Quebec Canada https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1659069 IS-BAH Auditing June 16, 2015 St. Hubert, Quebec Canada https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1659079 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 Safety Smackdown Partnership for Corporate Aviation Training San Antonio, TX April 20-22, 2015 http://www.p4cat.org/ 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 Back to Top JOBS AVAILABLE: AOD Safety Specialist Fedex Express https://www.appone.com/MainInfoReq.asp?R_ID=1013504 Safety Management System (SMS) Analyst Piedmont Airlines WWW.PIEDMONT-AIRLINES.COM/CAREERS Vice President Aviation Aerosafe Risk Management recruitment@aerosafe.com.au MID-LEVEL AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT INVESTIGATOR/MISHAP INVESTIGATOR General Atomics Aeronautical Systems https://sjobs.brassring.com/TGWEbHost/jobdetails.aspx?partnerid=25539&siteid=5313&AReq=4926BR&Codes=ICLC EXPERIENCED AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT INVESTIGATOR/MISHAP INVESTIGATOR General Atomics Aeronautical Systems https://sjobs.brassring.com/TGWEbHost/jobdetails.aspx?partnerid=25539&siteid=5313&AReq=4927BR&Codes=ICLC Manager Airport Operations Safety in Portland Oregon Alaska Airlines https://tam.alaskaair.com/psc/asjobs/EMPLOYEE/HRMS/c/HRS_HRAM.HRS_CE.GBL?Page=HRS_CE_JOB_DTL&Action=A&JobOpeningId=25161&SiteId=10&PostingSeq=1 ? Safety Risk Manager Air Astana http://www.aviationjobsearch.com/job/safety-risk-manager/3104396 Curt Lewis