Flight Safety Information December 2, 2015 - No. 241 In This Issue Rudder problem cited in air crash Regional Airlines Seek Reduced Minimum Pilot-Experience Mandate Thai junta chief vows air safety overhaul after U.S. downgrade FAA: Lasers strike 4 aircraft in Phoenix PROS 2015 TRAINING F-35 JSF: The Jet That Ate the Pentagon 26.2 pounds of cocaine found on American Airlines airplane at Tulsa Upcoming Events JOBS AVAILABLE (New Positions) Rudder problem cited in air crash JAKARTA, Indonesia - A rudder-control system problem that had occurred nearly two dozen times in the previous 12 months coupled with the pilots' response led to last year's crash of an AirAsia plane in Indonesia that killed all 162 people on board, investigators said Tuesday. In releasing its report, the country's National Transportation Safety Committee said an analysis of Flight 8501's data recorder showed the rudder-control system had sent repeated warnings to the pilots during the Dec. 28 flight from the Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore. Aircraft maintenance records for the Airbus A320 showed that similar problems with the rudder system had occurred 23 times during the year prior to the crash, including nine times in December. The investigators said the fault was caused by cracked soldering on an electronic card. Circuit breaker Investigator Nurcahyo Utomo said the malfunction by itself should not have been dangerous. But after the fourth time an alarm went off during the flight, a crew member apparently went outside of handbook recommendations and removed a circuit breaker to try to reset the system, he said. The autopilot then became disengaged, and the aircraft began to roll, but no movement was detected on the plane's manual control stick for nine seconds, he said. It then began climbing rapidly before stalling and plummeting into the Java Sea. Utomo said the voice recorder showed the pilot said "pull down," but in fact the plane was ascending. "It seemed that there was a miscommunication between the pilot and copilot after the fourth fault," he said. Previous warnings The same warnings had occurred three days before the crash with the same pilot, who witnessed a technician on the ground addressing the problem by removing the circuit breaker and then replacing it, according to Utomo and the investigation report. The data recorder showed the circuit breaker was apparently removed during the flight, they said. Ruth Simatupang, a former Indonesian aviation investigator who was not involved with the report, questioned how the rudder system problems could have continued without any proper action by AirAsia or the government. "It should be a big question for the airline," she said, adding that if the plane had been properly maintained, the problem would have been flagged and repaired. "With the 23 faults, there should have been a strong warning about the plane issued by the Transportation Ministry." Only 106 bodies were recovered from the sea due to rough conditions and poor underwater visibility that hampered divers' efforts. http://www.philly.com/ Back to Top Regional Airlines Seek Reduced Minimum Pilot-Experience Mandate * Goal is to raise safety bar while fixing 'a broken pipeline' that is already producing too few acceptable applicants Delta Airlines and Delta Connection passenger aircraft taxi and take off at New York's LaGuardia Airport. By ANDY PASZTOR U.S. regional airlines seek to persuade regulators to ease experience requirements for hiring many future co-pilots, while proposing to significantly enhance training and supervision once the aviators start flying passengers. The initiative lays out a potential alternate path to the cockpit for starting pilots that includes time sitting in airliner jump seats as observers, more-frequent proficiency checks by carriers, beefed-up stall-recovery training and a year or more of formal mentoring by senior pilots. Primary elements of the plan, which hadn't been previously reported, were laid out in draft documents and in interviews with officials of the Regional Airline Association, the trade group advocating such changes. In the U.S., fledgling pilots usually pay to log hours in smaller aircraft in order to apply for an airline job and then receive training on specific commercial aircraft. But like other critics of the existing regulatory structure, regional airline leaders have argued many prospective pilots are discouraged by the fact that it typically takes several years and often more than $120,000 to build up the necessary hours. "I don't think I have a single carrier that has not been impacted" by dwindling pilot availability, said association head Faye Malarkey Black, whose group represents some two dozen regional carriers across North America. They operate roughly half of all passenger flights nationwide. Mainline carriers worry that a slew of pilot retirements by the end of the decade could thin their aviator ranks. But so far the big airlines have been able to tap a steady stream of the more-experienced pilots coming from smaller affiliates. With regional carriers pledging to step up both initial and recurrent training programs for new co-pilots, or first officers, the goal is to raise the safety bar while fixing "a broken pipeline" that is already producing too few acceptable applicants, Ms. Black said in an interview Tuesday. "We want all new pilots to be better trained," she said, adding that proponents want this to be an industrywide solution that is "safer because we leave nothing to chance." Aiming to challenge the currently mandated 1,500-hour flight-time standard for all U.S. airline pilots- perhaps the most controversial issue confronting the country's carriers-the association over the past few months quietly assembled a package designed to alleviate what its members describe as a worsening shortage of would-be first officers. Expected to be formally presented to the Federal Aviation Administration after more details are hammered out, the current proposal doesn't specify alternate flight-time requirements for candidates who would participate in individual airline-run programs. At this point FAA policy makers, as well as an agency- sponsored labor-industry advisory committee, appear opposed to dramatic reductions in mandatory experience for average new cockpit hires. Under provisions previously endorsed by lawmakers and regulators, former military pilots and graduates of four-year college or university aviation programs already can cut minimum-experience requirements by hundreds of hours. The proposal takes a different tack compared with another recently disclosed attempt, by JetBlue Airways Corp. to recruit students without any cockpit experience and immerse them in airline-style training to show proficiency can be achieved with far fewer hours than the FAA and Congress now demand. Details of the latest package called ACE, standing for air carrier enhanced training, have been disclosed in private briefings to lawmakers and regulators. The plan takes students with time in small airplanes and then subjects them to a training technique widely relied on by foreign airlines but traditionally shunned in the U. S: Having trainees sit in jump seats as a way to become familiar with cockpit practices and air- traffic control procedures. In addition, new co-pilots would be subject to proficiency checks every six months, rather than today's typical annual schedule. They would fly passengers under the direct supervision of senior captains, called check airmen, for twice as long as current practice. Also, during their first year of employment, they would be subject to continuing evaluations by regular captains and data would be collected from these assessments. The ACE package also includes more training emphasis on hot-button safety topics such as improving manual flying skills, responding to high-altitude stalls, recovering from extreme upsets and better understanding aerodynamic and human factors principles. The Air Line Pilots Association, the largest North American pilot union, remains opposed to wholesale reductions in experience for entry-level aviators. President Tim Canoll has said that preserving the 1,500- hour mandate is one of ALPA's top priorities. For years, union leaders have strongly urged FAA officials to resist industry pressure to lower that threshold. According to Ms. Black, regional carriers gradually have changed some training regimes to reflect greater knowledge and causes of recent accidents. "It is a collaborative effort" with labor and regulators, she said, and "we've done some due diligence" to pave the way for the eventual final proposal. http://www.wsj.com/articles/regional-airlines-seek-reducedminimum-pilot-experience-mandate- 1449005336 Back to Top Thai junta chief vows air safety overhaul after U.S. downgrade BANGKOK - Thailand's junta chief vowed Wednesday to fix the kingdom's airline industry after the United States downgraded the country's air safety rating in an embarrassing blow to the tourist-reliant nation. The Federal Aviation Administration in a statement late Tuesday said Thailand's civil aviation authority no longer met "minimum international standards," a decision that could hamper the operation of Thai airlines worldwide. The ruling is a setback to the junta-led government of former army chief turned Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha, who seized power in a coup last year. He has blamed successive civilian administrations for failing to tackle safety concerns over the last decade, a period of political turbulence marked by short-lived governments, debilitating street protests and two military coups. "People in the whole country just kept fighting - no one helped one another," he told reporters Wednesday. "We have to see what we have to fix and improve." Thailand is a major regional air transport hub while tourism - one of the few bright spots in an otherwise flagging economy - accounts for roughly 10 percent of GDP. In March the United Nations' International Civil Aviation Organization reported "significant safety concerns" within Thailand's aviation sector. At the same time China, Japan and South Korea temporarily stopped Thai-based airlines from flying charters or new routes due to safety concerns, although those restrictions have since been lifted. The FAA conducted an audit earlier this year and gave Thailand 65 days to make improvements in areas of concern but the deadline was not met. The FAA downgrade means Thai airlines will be banned from the United States while American airlines will not be able to begin new code-shares with their Thai counterparts. That will have little direct effect immediately since no Thai airline currently flies to the United States. However, other airline safety regulators, such as those in the European Union, often take their cue from FAA safety rulings, which could result in further downgrades or blacklisting that would have a direct impact. The FAA statement did not specify why Thailand had been downgraded but said the move comes when there are "one or more" deficiencies with a country's civil aviation authority in areas such as "technical expertise, trained personnel, record-keeping, or inspection procedures." Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith said Thailand lacked qualified staff within the civil aviation authority at a time when the regional airline industry has seen huge expansion, particularly in low-cost carriers. "We will quickly find more qualified and enough of the right personnel," he said, adding that the country's aviation laws dating back to 1954 "need to be improved." Flagship Thai Airways shrugged off the downgrade. In a statement, its president Charamporn Jotikasthira said it would have "no commercial or customer impact" given Thai Airways had ceased its only U.S. flight, to Los Angeles, in late October. "Thai (Airways) confirms its commitment to aviation safety standards, and assures all that Thai (Airways) operates with the highest international aviation safety standards," the statement added. Thailand, once a beacon of economic progress in Southeast Asia, is currently facing something of a compliance crisis. The European Union is mulling whether to blacklist its vital fishing sector after years of failing to crack down on illegal practices, including the use of human trafficking victims and unregistered vessels. The kingdom has also been put in the bottom category of Washington's annual list of countries that have failed to crack down on human trafficking. http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/12/02/business/u-s-agency-lowers-safety-rating-thai- aviation/#.Vl7AO7grLIV Back to Top FAA: Lasers strike 4 aircraft in Phoenix Green lasers struck four aircraft flying over metro Phoenix on Tuesday night, according to an FAA spokesman. All four were headed to Phoenix Deer Valley Airport at the time. Allen Kenitzer, the spokesman, said the first laser hit the right side of a helicopter cockpit as it flew about 10 miles northwest of Phoenix at about 6:30 p.m. Ten minutes later, Kenitzer said, a jet was struck by a laser on the right side of its cockpit about 11 miles east of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. The FAA was notified of another laser strike at 8:20 p.m. Kenitzer said he didn't know the type of aircraft but said it was hit while flying four miles northeast of Phoenix. Around 8:50 p.m., a fourth laser strike was reported to have lit up the right side of a cockpit seven miles southwest of Phoenix. No injuries were reported, Kenitzer said. Lasers are a concern because they can temporarily blind a pilot. The FAA is working with federal, state and local law enforcement to pursue civil and criminal penalties against people who purposely aim a laser at an aircraft. http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/breaking/2015/12/01/faa-lasers-strike-4-aircraft- phoenix/76647144/ Back to Top Back to Top F-35 JSF: The Jet That Ate the Pentagon The Lexington Institute's Dan Gouré says that the much-ballyhooed Third Offset "will fail unless it first defeats the DoD's acquisition system." The department has again missed its goals for competing enough contracts. I myself have lamented how broken the acquisition system is. But as a retired Air Force general patiently countered to me last week, it may not be so broken as it once was. Perhaps, as outgoing Air Force acquisition chief Bill LaPlante told Breaking Defense in his last interview, "we used to suck, and now we don't suck as much." What's his evidence? "Our net costs continue to come down," he told National Defense; "I have all the data." That's encouraging, but addressing cost specifically does beg the question about how many ways one can suck, and what exactly constitutes not sucking. Take the convenient target of the Joint Strike Fighter program. Three years ago, the always-balanced Winslow Wheeler called the JSF "the jet that ate the Pentagon." Today, the USAF's F-35As may still cost a lot, but they're costing less, and projected to cost yet less. Just how much less is still debatable, but the rest of LaPlante's data (and projections) are easy enough to imagine. The current actual costs and future expected costs of current programs are decreasing. The expected costs of future programs may also be decreasing. There may be many reasons for this relative success, but I can highlight two. Bureaucrats across the department have learned lessons about the challenges of concurrency in development and production, and of trying to bundle all that capability into a single plane or program. http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/f-35-jsf-the-jet-ate-the-pentagon-14475 Back to Top 26.2 pounds of cocaine found on American Airlines airplane at Tulsa International Airport Tuesday TULSA - More than 26 pounds of cocaine was discovered on an airplane at Tulsa International Airport Tuesday. The drugs were found on an American Airlines airplane that was in for service. 2 Works for You reporter Will Dupree received the following statement from American Airlines media relations. "Narcotics were discovered on a Boeing 757 during routine maintenance at the Tulsa Maintenance and Engineering Base. Upon discovery, American immediately contacted law enforcement. Our Corporate Security team is working directly with law enforcement during their investigation." Tulsa County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to the call and met with TIA security who informed the deputies that American Airlines staff located two packages of a white powdery substance. Agents with the Drug Enforcement Agency were notified. The DEA removed 10 packages from the airplane totaling 26.2 pounds. The substance was positively identified as cocaine and was booked into the property room at Tulsa County Sheriff's Office. http://www.kjrh.com/news/local-news/262-pounds-of-cocaine-found-on-american-airlines-airplane-at- tulsa-international-airport-tuesday Back to Top Upcoming Events: Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Seminar (ERAU) Dec. 8-10, 2015 Daytona Beach, FL www.erau.edu/uas Gulf Flight Safety Council(GFSC) - Safety Summit December 9-10, 2016 Dubai, UAE www.gfsc.aero New HFACS workshop Las Vegas December 15 & 16 www.hfacs.com 2016 DTI SMS/QA Symposium January 3, 4, & 5 2016 Disney World, FL 1-866-870-5490 www.dtiatlanta.com 6th European Business Aviation Safety Conference 2016 February 23-24, 2016 Frankfurt, Germany www.ebascon.eu 2016 Air Charter Safety Symposium | Safety: A Small Investment for a Rich Future March 8-9, 2016 | NTSB Training Center | Ashburn, VA http://www.acsf.aero/events/acsf-symposium/ CHC Safety & Quality Summit | Back to Basics: Prioritizing Safety in a Challenging Economy April 4-6, 2016 Vancouver, BC www.chcsafetyqualitysummit.com BARS Auditor Training Washington, DC Tuesday-Thursday 5-7 April http://flightsafety.org/bars/auditor-training Back to Top JOBS AVAILABLE: Deputy Director of Flight Operations & Technical Services Helicopter Association International https://www.rotor.org/AboutHAI/Employment.aspx Position Available: Airline Safety Manager - Investigation (Engineering) Cathay Pacific https://career10.successfactors.com/career?_s.crb=Q%252ffWkAOt5SsrsXlBnG3GK%252bmGYsU%253d Auditors Needed Wyvern Consulting, Ltd James.nicoletti@wyvernltd.com Curt Lewis