Flight Safety Information July 8, 2015 - No. 133 In This Issue Technical glitch disrupts United flights nationwide Boeing - 737 Emergency Evacuation - China Air Force jet collides with Cessna over South Carolina, killing two people Mid-Air Collision Raises Safety Concerns Of Military And Civilian Aircraft Sharing Airspace Five injured in East London airplane crash Emirates aircraft in 'minor contact' with plane on runway Flyers burnt by air safety U-turn (Australia) Feds: Plane in Deadly Alaska Crash Had Safety Technology In rare move, China regulators rap Okay Air for overworking pilots Military explains cause of 2014 SoCal jet crash PROS 2015 TRAINING Spike Aerospace updates S-512 supersonic jet design Retired airline pilots want an aviation program at Fort Valley State University The Bad Weather Blues Upcoming Events JOBS AVAILABLE (New Positions) Technical glitch disrupts United flights nationwide An apparent computer glitch has grounded many - possibly all - United Airlines flights around the country Tuesday morning. The Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop for most United flights across the country, with language suggesting that a technical glitch with the airline's reservation system. United customers took to social media in droves to complain about long lines and problems checking in for flights. United employees at several U.S. airports reportedly have told fliers that the carrier was suffering from a computer outage. United's flight information boards were completely blank at some airports, according to photos posted on social media. The FAA's ground stop covered all of United's mainline flights, with the agency indicating the stop was done at the airline's request. The United Express flights operated by United's regional partners have since been released from the ground stop, but such a broad problem would be all but sure to affect all flights operating under the United brand. http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/2015/07/08/technical-glitch-disrupts-united-flights-nationwide/29854733/ Back to Top Boeing - 737 Emergency Evacuation - China Date: 08-JUL-2015 Time: ca 10:00 Type: Boeing 737-84P Owner/operator: Hainan Airlines Registration: B-5636 C/n / msn: 38149 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 145 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: None Location: Hefei Xinqiao International Airport (HFE/ZSOF) - China Phase: En route Nature: Domestic Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Hefei Xinqiao International Airport (HFE/ZSOF) Destination airport: Guangzhou Airport (CAN) Narrative: A Boeing 737-84P operated by Hainan Airlines returned to land at Hefei Xinqiao International Airport (HFE), China when the crew received an indication of fire or smoke in the cargo hold when the aircraft was climbing through an altitude of 5100 m. Flight HU7244 had departed Hefei on a flight to Guangzhou Airport and landed safely back at Heifei at 10:10 hours local time. An evacuation was carried out after landing, with the fire services standing by. During the evacuation, three passengers were injured. Emergency services found no trace of fire, heat or smoke, according to WCARN.com. www.aviation-safety.net Back to Top Air Force jet collides with Cessna over South Carolina, killing two people Two people were killed Tuesday morning when an Air Force fighter jet and a small civilian plane collided in the air over South Carolina, according to federal authorities. Emergency responders rushed to a region north of Charleston, S.C., shortly after 11 a.m., as word emerged of the rare midair collision that sent debris raining down on the area below. There were two people killed aboard the small plane, a Cessna 150, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. The pilot of the F-16 Fighting Falcon ejected safely, according to a statement from Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter, S.C., where the aircraft originated. Air Force officials later identified the pilot as Maj. Aaron Johnson of the 55th Fighter Squadron at Shaw. After the crash, Johnson was taken to a clinic at Joint Base Charleston to be examined. Johnson was conducting a routine instrument training mission when the crash occurred, Col. Stephen F. Jost, commander of the 20th Fighter Wing at Shaw, said at a news conference on Tuesday afternoon. It did not appear that Johnson had any injuries, Jost said, and the pilot was expected to return to Shaw on Tuesday evening. "I can tell you in my experience, I haven't had any close calls because the Air Force is very disciplined about how it operates its aircraft," Jost said. Pilot ejected from F-16 before crash(1:00) An F-16 fighter jet smashed into a small plane Tuesday over South Carolina, killing two people and raining down plane parts and debris over a wide swath of marshes and rice fields. (AP) While Jost said that he knows about military planes colliding, he has never seen a military plane crash into a civilian one. "It's very rare, because of the procedures and the equipment we have in place," he said. "It's unfortunate." A spokesman for Berkeley County said the two planes collided over Lewisfield Plantation in Moncks Corner, a town about 45 minutes north of Charleston. The county government said it was setting up a command center in that town, which is near Lake Moultrie. "From what I understand from a witness, the military plane struck the other, small aircraft broadside," Bill Salisbury, the Berkeley County coroner and chief of the county's rescue squad, said at an earlier news conference on Tuesday afternoon. Debris was seen on land as well as in the water, officials said Tuesday. In the hours after the crash, authorities found the F-16's wreckage and some parts of the Cessna on the ground and the water, but they were still looking for other parts of the Cessna. The Cessna left the Berkeley County airport in Moncks Corner just before 11 a.m. and were likely heading for Myrtle Beach, Salisbury said. He said that a wallet was found after the collision. "We have no reason to believe that anyone survived the crash," Salisbury said. He declined to identify the people who were on the Cessna, saying only that they were believed to be from the area. Salisbury said that officials were still working to find the two people. "Our thoughts are with the friends and family of anyone aboard the civilian aircraft," Shaw Air Force Base officials said in the statement. There were no reports of any injuries on the ground or any damage on the ground, a spokesman for Berkeley County said on Tuesday afternoon, about six hours after the crash. "I turned around, and I saw the jet," Wayne Ware, who lives in the area, told the Post and Courier. "Pieces started falling out of the sky. His engine is lying right there at the campground." http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2015/07/07/military-jet-collides-with-cessna-over-south-carolina/ **************** Date: 07-JUL-2015 Time: 11:20 a.m. Type: General Dynamics F-16C Fighting Falcon Owner/operator: USAF Registration: C/n / msn: Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 Other fatalities: 2 Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: Lewis Field Plantation in Moncks Corner, SC - United States of America Phase: En route Nature: Military Departure airport: Shaw Air Force Base Destination airport: Shaw Air Force Base Narrative: According to first reports, an F-16 fighter plane collided with a Cessna 150 plane mid-air. There apparently was a huge explosion. The F-16 pilot apparently safely bailed out of the plane. The pilot was identified by Shaw AFB as Major Aaron Johnson from the 55th Fighter Squadron. www.aviation-safety.net Back to Top Mid-Air Collision Raises Safety Concerns Of Military And Civilian Aircraft Sharing Airspace By: John Goglia The mid-air collision between an F-16 fighter plane and a general aviation Cessna 150 that occurred this morning approximately 11 miles north of Charleston, South Carolina raises long-standing concerns about military and civilian aircraft flying in the same airspace. The Cessna took off from Berkeley County Airport in South Carolina and was said to be enroute to Myrtle Beach. The F-16 was reported by the Pentagon to have taken off from Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina. Two people in the Cessna were presumed dead; the F-16 pilot ejected and was apparently unhurt. The NTSB launched an investigation and was sending an investigator to the scene. While it is too early to speculate on why the accident occurred, civilian aircraft, especially general aviation, operating in the same airspace as military aircraft have been a safety concern for many years. This is especially true when general aviation and military fighter jets share the same airspace because of the different performance characteristics of fighter jets as compared to small civilian aircraft like the Cessna 150. Issues that investigators are likely to look at include the following: were the aircraft involved authorized to be in the airspace where the mid-air occurred? Some airspace is permanently or temporarily restricted for military use and a civilian aircraft would not be authorized to fly there. If the military aircraft was in civilian airspace, what was the pilot doing at the time of the collision and immediately before? If early witness reports are accurate that the fighter jet broadsided the Cessna, investigators will focus on the pilot's workload that may have prevented him from seeing and avoiding the smaller aircraft. For example, fighter aircraft have a lot of high-tech instruments that require pilots to "heads-down" look at them in the cockpit. This could be a factor if the fighter pilot did not see the Cessna 150. Another area for accident investigators to focus on will be air traffic control communications, if any. Were either or both aircraft in communication with air traffic control and, if not, should they have been? If the crash occurred in civilian airspace, the military jet would be required to comply with FAA regulations for operations in that airspace. Depending on where the Cessna was flying, it might not be required to be in communication with controllers but it is something that investigators will want to know. The FAA and the military have taken significant steps to reduce the possibility of mid-air collisions between civilian and military aircraft. These include standard air traffic control procedures between military and civilian controllers and between military and civilian pilots. Although mid-air collisions are rare, determining whether proper procedures were in place and followed in this accident will be important to prevent future accidents. http://www.forbes.com/sites/johngoglia/2015/07/07/mid-air-collision-raises-safety-concerns-of-military-and-civilian-aircraft-sharing-airspace/ Back to Top Five injured in East London airplane crash Five people were injured when the light aircraft they were travelling in crash landed at the East London airport earlier on Wednesday morning. Two adults, who are in critical condition, and three children with less serious injuries were transported to hospital shortly after the crash, an Eastern Cape health department official said. "There was a small plane that crash landed at around 10h45," Airports Company of South Africa (ACSA) spokesman Colin Naidoo said. "Our team worked with the the emergency team to extract people from the plane and make sure they are taken care of, and they will then try to remove the plane from the runway." The main runway has been closed temporarily. "The secondary runway is open for operation," said Naidoo. The Civil Aviation Authority and police would investigate the cause of the crash. http://citizen.co.za/419824/five-injured-in-east-london-airplane-crash/ **************** Date: 08-JUL-2015 Time: 10:45 a.m. Type: Maule M-7-235 Super Rocket Owner/operator: Private Registration: ZS-LSV C/n / msn: Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 5 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: East London Airport - South Africa Phase: Unknown Nature: Private Departure airport: Destination airport: Narrative: A plane carrying two adults and three children crashed under unknown circumstances at East London Airport. Both adults were seriously injured. www.aviation-safety.net Back to Top Emirates aircraft in 'minor contact' with plane on runway Flight EK782 involved in incident while taxiing at Lagos airport Dubai: An Emirates aircraft was involved in a minor incident while taxing at Lagos airport. An Emirates spokesperson said: "Emirates can confirm that flight EK782 from Lagos to Dubai on July 6 made minor contact with the aircraft of another carrier while taxiing." No one was injured in the incident, which took place on Monday. The passengers were provided with hotel accommodation. "All passengers and crew safely disembarked the aircraft, and were transferred back to the terminal after the incident," the spokesman added. "Passengers were provided overnight hotel accommodation and were flown to Dubai on other Emirates services on July 7. Emirates apologises for any inconvenience caused. http://gulfnews.com/business/aviation/emirates-aircraft-in-minor-contact-with-plane-on-runway-1.1547136 Back to Top Flyers burnt by air safety U-turn (Australia) Brad Edwards at Ballina airport in northern NSW. Picture: Renee Nowytarger Source: News Corp Australia The Civil Aviation Safety Authority promised charter aircraft operators an exemption from having to install a cripplingly expensive new air navigation system, but backed down after Airservices Australia reversed its position and insisted on no such breaks. Documents obtained by The Australian show that two years ago, the then head of CASA, John McCormick, told one charter operator, Brad Edwards, that CASA as the safety regulator had reached an understanding with Airservices, the government body which runs the country's air traffic control and navigation system, for exemptions to a mandate requiring the installation of the Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast system. ADS-B is an advanced air navigation system based on satellite GPS, which relays aircraft positions via ground stations to air traffic controllers. Airservices has sought to have all required aircraft carry the new system by 2017, three years before its full introduction in the US. Aviation figures say that for smaller general aviation operators, the cost of installing ADS-B is at present prohibitive, because it requires aircraft owners to do complex engineering work. Mr Edwards, who runs charter service Edwards Aviation with seven aircraft based in Armidale, NSW, sought along with other smaller operators to be exempted from installing ADS-B for a few years, until the economies of scale and mass production of the equipment in the US brought it down to a fraction of the cost. I could see it was going to cost me a big whack of money, Mr Edwards said. "For one of my aircraft there were still no engineering solutions out there, so we said, 'What are we going to do, we want an exemption'." Engineers had told him it would cost $125,000 to equip that aircraft with ADS-B, because the equipment manufacturer, Honeywell, had not designed the adaptation engineering for the aircraft type, and would not be doing so until the market developed in the US. Mr McCormick met Mr Edwards in Armidale, and said CASA would arrange for an exemption for him and others in his sector of the aviation industry. Soon after, Mr McCormick wrote to Mr Edwards. "I have spoken to (an aviation industry officer representing smaller air operators) and Airservices and the approach they have spoken of between themselves is to treat biz jets that are not ADS-B compliant in the same manner as Airservices dealt with non RVSM compliant aircraft when that initiative was introduced," Mr McCormick wrote. RVSM refers to an advanced altimeter system, in relation to which exemptions were granted, and are still granted, to small operators, who are only required to accept occasionally being placed in second priority for flight clearances by air traffic controllers. Mr Edwards said once he received the letter from Mr McCormick, "I went, you beauty, we can relax." But on a flight from Launceston to Uluru with Russian tourists, air traffic controllers kept his aircraft below 29,000 feet instead of the preferred cruising altitude of 37,000 feet, meaning it was burning twice the fuel. The controllers said he could not fly at the higher altitude because he had not installed ADS-B, and ignored his protestations that he had been granted an exemption by CASA. Knowing the aircraft would not make it to Uluru, Mr Edwards touched down at Whyalla in South Australia to refuel. "We were not going to make it," Mr Edwards said. He then spoke to CASA, but could not immediately get a response to what had happened to his promised exemption. He spoke to businessman and aviator Dick Smith, who contacted Mr McCormick. Mr McCormick told Mr Smith that Airservices had changed its mind and decided it did not want the exemptions granted. In a subsequent letter to Mr Smith, Mr McCormick wrote: "CASA took into consideration and accepted Airservices Australia's safety - arguments against exemptions." Mr Smith yesterday said: "CASA is the safety regulator, why are they letting a profit-making business decide safety issues?" A CASA spokesman said: "CASA assesses all relevant information in making a decision about exemptions. In this case a relevant safety argument was made by Airservices that was accepted by CASA." Mr Edwards said, in all, he had been forced to spend $250,000 to equip his aircraft with ADS-B, with none of the benefits CASA and Airservices promised, such as more direct routes for aircraft. "It's had a very big impact of the viability of this business," Mr Edwards said. A spokesman for Airservices said CASA had put in the ADS-B mandate "following comprehensive consultation and support from key sections of the aviation community". "We have also spoken individually to a number of operators, including Mr Edwards," the spokesman said. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/aviation/flyers-burnt-by-air-safety-u-turn/story-e6frg95x-1227432909361 Back to Top Feds: Plane in Deadly Alaska Crash Had Safety Technology FILE - This file photo, posted Sunday, June 28, 2015, on the Twitter page of the National Transportation Safety Board, shows the wreckage of a sightseeing plane that crashed in remote, mountainous terrain about 25 miles from Ketchikan in southeast A sightseeing floatplane that crashed in a mountainous area in southeast Alaska, killing all nine people on board, was equipped with technology to provide detailed information about the terrain, according to a federal accident report released Tuesday. The preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board also said the June 25 crash occurred in conditions of reduced visibility. However, it drew no conclusions about the cause of the crash. The deHavilland DHC-3 Otter turboprop crashed on a steep cliff about 25 miles from Ketchikan, killing the pilot and eight cruise ship passengers. The excursion was sold through the cruise company Holland America and operated by Ketchikan-based Promech Air. NTSB has recovered two instrument displays in the wreckage that are part of a terrain-avoidance technology known as the Capstone program, according to Clint Johnson, head of the NTSB Alaska office. The damaged displays were sent to a Washington, D.C., lab, where information will be downloaded. Pilot Bryan Krill, 64, of Hope, Idaho, was flying under visual flight rules, a set of regulations used when the weather is more or less clear enough for a pilot to see where the aircraft is going. The rest of the plane remains at the crash site, 800 feet above Ella Lake. The extreme steepness of the location has slowed recovery of the wreckage, Johnson said. Promech declined to discuss the NTSB report, saying the agency "specifically asked Promech not to comment on any of their briefings or reports," according to Thompson & Co. Public Relations, which is representing Promech. The Capstone program generally provides GPS technology that allows pilots to see on cockpit displays concise information about terrain, other aircraft in the area and weather. The equipment is not designed as a blind guide in such conditions as flying through clouds but is used as backup to what the human eye can see. "The most important thing here is, it gives the flight crew the ability of situational awareness - where the airplane is in relative proximity to rising terrain or whatever," Johnson said. "It's not a save-all. It's a tool that's used in terrain avoidance." Johnson said he doesn't know how complete the technology was on the plane that crashed. The crash occurred as the plane was on its way back from Misty Fjords National Monument, a wilderness area of glacial valleys, lakes and snowcapped peaks. Johnson said other pilots were reporting marginal visual flight conditions in the crash area. A meteorologist working on the case will be looking at the weather at the time of the crash. But Johnson said it's far too early to say if weather was a factor. "At this point right now, the jury's still out on that," Johnson said. http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/report-plane-deadly-alaska-crash-safety-technology-32279985 Back to Top In rare move, China regulators rap Okay Air for overworking pilots BEIJING - China's aviation regulator has banned privately owned Okay Airways from buying more aircraft and ordered it to cut down flying hours, in a rare move by the regulator which said the small carrier was overworking its pilots. The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said it had made its decision after examining the flight mission documents and crew schedules for 60 pilots and 15 co- pilots from January to May. In a statement, the CAAC's north China division said it found there were 21 instances in which the crew did not take enough time off and another 65 instances of pilots working overtime. Okay Airways executives were not immediately available for comment, but the CAAC statement said the carrier had vowed to rectify the issue and abide by safety rules. Beijing headquartered Okay Airways has a fleet of just 30 aircraft - Boeing B737s and Chinese MA60 planes. Its main hub is Tianjin Binhai International Airport in Tianjin, and it flies mainly domestic routes. It added a few Asian destinations late last year. A surge in demand for air travel in China in recent years has led to a boom in the aviation sector. Last year, more than 831 million people took to the skies, twice as much as in 2008, official statistics show, and Boeing expects China to need more than 6,020 aircraft in the next 20 years, an 8 percent rise over its estimate in 2013. http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/08/us-china-pilots-regulator-idUSKCN0PI0P020150708 Back to Top Military explains cause of 2014 SoCal jet crash Marine jet crashed in Imperial neighborhood SAN DIEGO - An oil leak and subsequent engine fire caused a Marine fighter jet to crash just outside of El Centro in June 2014, according to Marine Corps officials. The investigation results were obtained by 10News Tuesday after a Freedom of Information Act request was made this past April. According to the probe, Marine investigators determined the Harrier AV-8B plane crashed into an Imperial, California, neighborhood on June 4, 2014, due to the following: "The mishap was caused by a crack in an oil drain tank that caused oil to leak at an accelerated rate. This resulted in an engine fire, engine failure, and the loss of control that required the pilot to eject. The aircraft was destroyed. Three civilian homes were damaged, and emergency or extraordinary expense funds were used to pay the affected families for their lodging and clothing expenses." No one was killed or injured as a result of the crash, investigators said. The pilot, who ejected from the jet, suffered minor injuries. The jet had taken off from Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma, Arizona, and was on its way to Naval Air Facility El Centro when the incident occurred. http://www.10news.com/news/military-explains-cause-of-2014-socal-jet-crash-070715 Back to Top Back to Top Spike Aerospace updates S-512 supersonic jet design The latest design of the S-512 uses a delta wing configuration (Credit: Spike Aerospace) Ever since the retirement of Concorde, the aviation industry has looked forward to the rebirth of civilian supersonic air travel. The question is, will it be an airliner or something else? Spike Aerospace is betting that it will be a business jet - to be specific, the Spike Aerospace S-512 supersonic jet, which was unveiled as a concept in 2013. The company has now released its latest design. If it gets off the ground, the S-512 will be the fastest business aircraft ever built. At a cost of US$60 to $80 million, it's design to carry up to 18 passengers at a cruising speed of Mach 1.6 (1,220 mph/1,963 km/h) and a maximum speed of Mach 1.8 (1,370 mph/2,205 km/h). In practical terms, that means London to New York in three hours. In addition, Spike is looking to do away with conventional port holes and replacing them with digital screens running the length of the cabin. Spike says that the latest changes to the S-512 are a balancing act between safety, performance and cost-effectiveness. Changes in range, payload, speed, fuel efficiency, comfort and sonic booms all have an impact on one another. In addition, input from the sales team, which uses information from potential customers, introduces more tradeoffs against marketability. The latest version of the S-512 replaces the old wings with a modified delta wing. This features a highly-swept leading edge for better aerodynamic efficiency by reducing wave drag, and improved flight performance in both low-speed flight and supersonic cruise speeds, as well as improved fuel efficiency. The new wing also allowed the engineers to remove the horizontal tail for another reduction in weight and drag. Spike says that additional changes will be released as the design phase continues. "Flying supersonic is clearly the future of aviation," says Spike CEO and President Vik Kachoria. "It makes the world smaller and more accessible. For any competitive global business, cutting flight times in half will have significant value. But for people who have busy global lives and want to spend time with the people they love, the Spike S-512 supersonic jet will be a necessity." Source: Spike Aerospace http://www.gizmag.com/spike-aerospace-updates-s-512-supersonic-jet-design/38235/ Back to Top Retired airline pilots want an aviation program at Fort Valley State University FORT VALLEY, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) - A group of retired airline pilots is working to add an aviation program at Fort Valley State University (FVSU). Hank Taylor, a retired Eastern Airlines Pilot started his flight training in the United States Air Force, where he eventually became an air force instructor pilot. "A proposal was submitted recently to implement a four-year aviation curriculum to produce pilots at Fort Valley State University," explains Taylor. "Unfortunately that proposal was rejected, by the Georgia Board of Regents. We think that rejection should be reconsidered and that the aviation program should be implemented immediately." While in the Air Force, Taylor trained Tony Holder, who later trained other pilots in the Air Force. "There's a large demand for pilots because of the growth of aviation in the last 10 years," says Holder. "We're going to be short 533,000 pilots worldwide over the next 20 years," adds Robert Hamilton. Hamilton has worked in aviation for 43 years, including a stint with Flex Jet Airlines. "What that means in the United States is, we're going to be short 89,600 pilots, according to research," continues Hamilton. He admits the shortage of commercial pilots is alarming. "It boils down right now, we have airlines on the ground because we don't have pilots to fly them," he tells 41NBC. Hamilton, along with Hank Taylor, believe Fort Valley State University can be the solution to training future pilots. The president of Peach Regional Chamber of Commerce is also pushing for this new curriculum. Tom Morrill says students would study aviation in the classroom. then, their flight-portion of the training would be done at Perry- Houston Airport. "The good thing about the pilot program at Fort Valley State University is that it uses private contractors to do the flight training and current staff members to do the ground training," explains Morrill. "Over all it would generate millions over a period of years." John Bailey is a retired Delta Airline Pilot. he has been recently inducted into the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame. Bailey says U.S. pilots are in demand because of their high-level of training and experience. "Fort Valley State offers the opportunity for young people to get the type of training required to get those jobs in the airlines," says Bailey. "Now we're not there yet." Because of the need, this group of pilots say they won't stop fighting until a new aviation program is included at Fort Valley State University. 41NBC reached out to FVSU but school officials declined to comment on this topic. We were told the Georgia Board of Regions turned down FVSU Aviation Proposal because Middle Georgia State University already has a program. http://www.41nbc.com/story/d/story/retired-airline-pilots-want-an-aviation-program-at/25717/p1Q873Vz8keYcAVnVSngWg Back to Top The Bad Weather Blues Forecasting and avoiding convective storms is basic to any pilot's repertoire. Crashes related to the inability of pilots to detour around bad weather over the South Atlantic, the Java Sea and west Africa all point of the need for better training. Shem Malmquist, a veteran international pilot and accident investigator who confronts these weather challenges around the world has been studying this issue for more than two decades. "The industry's dirty little secret," he explains, "is that most pilots, dispatchers and air traffic controllers have not been taught more than rudimentary meteorology and that training is generally very early in their careers. Onboard airborne radar is improving but this is a technological solution that only partially mitigates the problem created by inadequate training. "It's apparent that the crew flying Air France 447 on June 1, 2009 did not have the meteorology and weather detection system training necessary to avoid a convective storm that led quickly to pitot tube icing and an aerodynamic stall. This has been true of many other accidents over the years as well, including a Southern Airways DC-9, multiple other enroute incidents and accidents, as well as several windshear accidents on landing approach." Technology can be created to mitigate accidents in specific situations and onboard radar manufacturers are working hard to create systems that will simplify radar systems so less "technique" is required. Windshear is a good example. MIT's Lincoln Laboratory developed very effective algorithms to provide early warning for windshear near the approach and departure paths of airports. This has been installed at most of the larger airports in the United States. "Thanks in part to better training coupled with the installation of ground-based detection systems, there has not been a windshear related accident at any of the 46 "protected" U.S. airports. " says Malmquist. "When warnings go off pilots deviate around danger zones. Unfortunately while it is relatively easy to create technological mitigations for very specific scenarios it is much more challenging to engineer solutions to situations that are more diffuse. Malmquist says that "due to a lack of training in both meteorology and the use and interpretation of onboard radar systems we sometimes see a naive kind of bravado." He worries that poorly trained pilots don't assess convective storm risks properly. After telling cabin crews to take their seats they make the mistake of flying right through ominous thunderstorms. One study conducted by MIT's Lincoln Laboratory (Rhoda & Pawlak, 1999) shows that 85 percent of pilots flying within 25 kilometers of their destination airport penetrated potentially dangerous level three or greater weather after making turns. "We are seeing a lot of reports where pilots are encountering turbulence strong enough disengage autopilots," says Malmquist. "In some cases turbulence leads to momentary loss of control. Because these pilots are not schooled adequately in meteorology and radar use and interpretation, they don't understand the dangers they are flying into until it is too late. This has even been true with pilots utilizing the most advanced onboard radar systems." That fact that flight crews are usually able to make it through these thunderstorms minimizes the number of accidents. Drawing on past success in these bad weather situations, overconfident pilots taking needless risks. Most of these encounters are never reported because the aircraft luckily misses the worst of the storm. The occasional upset that can injure unbelted passengers or crew is a concern, but failure to understand the weather can lead to fatal tragedies. Malmquist believes it's no surprise that several crashes have taken place in transoceanic areas that don't have ground radar coverage or in regions where pilots have no access to the information that need to avoid dangerous storms: "The combination of lack of up to date convective weather training coupled with broadly inadequate training in the use and interpretation of onboard radar leads to pilots flying where they should not "When you're limited to onboard radar without a good source of information to supplement it's difficult to reevaluate a complex weather situation. The pilot's job gets even trickier when Air Traffic Control turns you into new airspace that can present unexpected weather challenges. The weather you have been dealing with may look very different after you complete a big turn." Another complicating factor is the pressure to land on time. "FIfty-one percent of planes penetrating potentially dangerous weather in the Lincoln Lab study were running late," says Malmquist. "This is a bad way to make up time." Given budget limitations at many carriers and the considerable cost of training many first tier aviation schools are the first line of defense for better weather training. But integrating that "text-book" knowledge with the real world is difficult absent practical experience. "Compared to the risks the costs are well worth it," says Malmquist. "The industry would be well advised to copy the curriculum of schools that employ meteorologists to teach pilot weather." Rhoda, D. A., & Pawlak, M. L. (1999). An assessment of thunderstorm penetrations and deviations by commercial aircraft in the terminal area.Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Lincoln Laboratory, Project Report NASA/A-2, 3 This article is another installment in a series of articles about lessons learned from the loss of Air France 447 by Roger Rapoport the producer and screenwriter of the feature film Pilot Error and author of The Rio Paris Crash. The author will be at Oshkosh Cinema screening Pilot Error July 17-23 before and during EAA Air Venture. Details at www.pilot-errormovie.com/oshkosh/ Back to Top Upcoming Events: EAA AirVenture Schedule July 19-26, 2015 Oshkosh, WI http://www.eaa.org/en/airventure/eaa-airventure-schedule-of-events Infrastructure and Safety Summit Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service July 20-24, 2015 McAllen, Texas http://TEEX.org/itsi Fundamentals of IS-BAO July 21, 2015 Orlando, FL USA https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1659145 IS-BAO Auditing July 22, 2015 Orlando, FL USA https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1659149 Fundamentals of IS-BAO August 19, 2015 Madrid, Spain https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1659089 IS-BAO Auditing August 20, 2015 Madrid, Spain https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1659096 Safety Management Systems Training & Workshop Course offered by ATC Vantage Inc. Tampa, FL August 6-7, 2015 www.atcvantage.com/training Aircraft Fire Hazards, Protection & Investigation Course 9-11 Sept. 2015 Hotel Ibis Nanterre La Defense (near Paris) France http://blazetech.com/resources/pro_services/FireCourse-France_2015.pdf Regulatory Affairs Training Course September 15 & 16 Fort Worth, TX http://jdasolutions.aero/services/regulatory-affairs.php Suspected Unapproved Parts (SUPS) Training Course September 15 & 16 Fort Worth, TX http://jdasolutions.aero/ Back to Top JOBS AVAILABLE: Deputy Director of Flight Operations and Technical Services Helicopter Association International https://www.rotor.org/AboutHAI/Employment.aspx Manager Safety Risk Management in Seattle Washington United States Alaska Airlines https://tam.alaskaair.com/psc/asjobs/EMPLOYEE/HRMS/c/HRS_HRAM.HRS_CE.GBL?Page=HRS_CE_JOB_DTL&Action=A&JobOpeningId=25776&SiteId=10&PostingSeq=1 ? Engineering & Operations Manager Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA), https://jobs-alpa.icims.com/jobs/1192/manager%2c-engineering-%26-operations/job Curt Lewis