Flight Safety Information December 18, 2015 - No. 253 In This Issue Air India suspends pilots after engineer was sucked into aircraft engine and killed Chinese navy pilots survive fighter jet crash Laser strikes a growing problem for Coast Guard pilots EU adopts new rules to better track aircraft in distress AOPA, FAA host GA Engine Summit PROS 2015 TRAINING LAX Projected To Be Busiest U.S. Airport This Upcoming Holiday Season U.S.-Cuba Aviation Deal Allows 110 Scheduled Flights Daily Jet Airways CEO Cramer Ball Resigns Najeeb E. Halaby Graduate Student Fellowship Upcoming Events JOBS AVAILABLE (New Positions) Air India suspends pilots after engineer was sucked into aircraft engine and killed Air India has suspended the pilot and the co-pilot following the death of a service engineer, who was sucked into the engine of the plane. The two pilots were to fly from Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai to Hyderabad. The incident occurred at bay 28 of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Domestic Airport at around 8:40 pm on Wednesday. Air India ordered a probe into the death of the engineer, Ravi Subramanian. "Initially it seems that there was some communication gap," Air India Chairman and Managing Director Ashwani Lohani said, according to India Today. Besides, Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and the Mumbai police are also investigating the incident independently. The 56-year-old, who was standing close to the engine, got sucked into it and died after the co-pilot "mistook a signal for starting the engine". "During the pushback, the co-pilot mistook a signal for engine start. As he switched on the engine, it sucked in the technician standing nearby," PTI had quoted its sources as saying. However, a Hindustan Times report suggested that the accident took place due to ignorance of the standard operating procedure (SOP). According to a leaked email from Air India, acquired by the national daily, the wheel braking systems weren't in place, at the time of the accident, to prevent the plane from moving. Also, the pilots started taxiing the plane even before receiving signals of clearance from the engineers. "The helper removed the tow bar and, in all this time, the technician (Subramaniam) was facing the tow truck with his back to the engine. In the meantime, as per information, the captain received taxi clearance from the Air Traffic Control, and he was informed by the co-pilot that the [area around the] aircraft is clear," the email read. If the negligence on the part of the pilots is proved, the case may be treated as that of criminal negligence. "Before the aircraft begins to taxi, the pilots need to check again if both sides of the plane are clear," HT quoted an official as saying. Meanwhile, Air India Chairman Lohani announced a compensation of "an ex-gratia amount of Rs 5 lakh and a job to the family of the victim". http://www.ibtimes.co.in/air-india-suspends-pilots-after-engineer-was-sucked-into-aircraft-engine-killed- 660000 Back to Top Chinese navy pilots survive fighter jet crash The aircraft spun out of control because of a malfunction owing to "frequent nighttime training." Two Chinese navy pilots survived a military aircraft crash, after a People's Liberation Army Jian-10 fighter tumbled during a night training exercise. BEIJING, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- Two Chinese navy pilots survived a military aircraft crash, after a People's Liberation Army Jian-10 fighter tumbled during a night training exercise. The aircraft spun out of control because of a malfunction owing to "frequent nighttime training," Chinese online news site Sina.com reported. According to Chinese press, a Jian-10 fighter jet was in operation before 5:30 p.m. Friday, local time, when it crashed in Zhejiang Province on China's east coast, near the city Taizhou. Quoting a Chinese navy spokesman, state news agency Xinhua reported the two pilots managed to parachute safely after the plane had crashed. No other casualties were reported. The fighter jet was part of China's East Sea Fleet Air Force, and Chinese press reported a Russian engine fitted to the aircraft had created problems, and most likely because of frequent nighttime flying. In October, an armed Jian-10 fighter jet crashed near the northeastern Chinese city Shenyang, in Liaoning Province, but no casualties were reported. China is planning to consolidate its military in order to improve operational efficiency, but remains concerned about arms deals between Taiwan and the United States. Beijing recently summoned a senior U.S. diplomat to protest Washington's agreement to sell two warships to Taiwan, the BBC reported Thursday. The arms deal is worth $1.83 billion, and Taiwan had reportedly thanked the United States for the military support. China said in statement Taiwan "is an inalienable part of China's territory" and that it "strongly opposes the U.S. arms sale." http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2015/12/17/Chinese-navy-pilots-survive-fighter-jet- crash/9961450409131/ Back to Top Laser strikes a growing problem for Coast Guard pilots PORT ANGELES, Wash. -- Laser strikes on aircraft are growing even as the FAA enacts tougher penalties on those who are caught red handed most often with a green laser that can be bought at any office supply or sporting goods store. Lt. Kyle Cuttie, a pilot at Air Station Port Angeles was a victim of one of those strikes on November 30. He and crew mate were flying a training mission over Port Angeles at 1000 feet when his crew mate say the flash green laser light coming up from a neighbor. "We immediately aborted the mission and returned to get checked out," says Cuttie. Fortunately for Cuttie, he did not suffer any permanent eye damage after he underwent a thorough eye exam by a physician. In April, a another pilot at the air base wasn't so lucky. His retina was burned when he took a very brief by direct hit from a random laser strike while flying. "It's extremely disorienting as it enters the plastic or glass," says Cuttie. "It can diffract and illuminate the entire cabin, it can look like a green position light on another aircraft and look like you are getting really close to something like you are going to hit it." When Cuttie flies with night vision googles he's protected as long as the googles cover his eyes. He says it's like looking at a television screen. But pilots like to fly without the aid of the googles whenever possible. Cuttie described what a pilot sees during a demonstration where KOMO News set up a camera inside and cockpit and shined a 5 milliwatt laser that is commonly used for target shooting. "You can have pain in your eyeball, immediate pain as if you just woke up and looked at a bright light" says Cuttie. "You can have temporary blindness and extreme disorientation and it could result in a catastrophic mishap." The FAA reportedly has recorded more than 5300 laser strikes in the first nine months of 2015. That's more double from what it was five years ago at the same time frame. Cuttie believes people don't grasp the impact shining a laser at an aircraft can have with the people inside the cockpit. "It can be a career ending injury" says Cuttie if the pilot can pass a required FAA vision test following exposure to a laser strike. Some handheld lasers marketed as star gazing tools claim the device could also be used as a survival tool to hail an aircraft. Even though it may seem like a lifesaving move, Cuttie says it's never a good idea to aim a laser light at an aircraft for any reason. Pointing a laser at an piloted aircraft is a federal offense and a felony punishable up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Cuttie want's would be pranksters to know about the human cost as well. "They could cause a lasting injury to somebody that's out there to serve the greater good and try to rescue people". http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Laser-strikes-a-growing-problem-for-Coast-Guard-pilots- 362888231.html Back to Top EU adopts new rules to better track aircraft in distress The location of the cockpit voice recorders will be strengthened as they will have to be equipped with locating devices to accelerate their search The European Commission adopted on Wednesday (16 December) new rules to improve the tracking and location of an aircraft in distress anywhere in the world. The aim is to avoid situations such as the accident of Air France in June 2009 and Malaysian Airlines in March 2014, when the search and rescue teams could not - at least initially - find the carriers. The new rules also add underwater locating devices to facilitate the location of a plane wreckage and the recovery of the "black boxes". According to the new rules, companies operating large airplanes (more than 19 passengers) and cargo aircrafts of more than 45.5 tonnes must establish an aircraft tracking system. In the case of newly-manufactured aircrafts, the new rules specified that they have to be equipped "with robust and automatic means" to locate a flight in case of accident. These more robust systems will help to prevent the disappearance of a flight when its communications and other track systems have been interrupted. The location of the cockpit voice recorders (CVR), one of the two "black boxes" (together with the flight data recorders), will be also strengthened as they will have to be equipped with locating devices to accelerate their search. The CVR is a key instrument to understand what happens during a flight, especially in the case of a fatal crash. Therefore, the new technical rules also included other provisions to enhance this "black box" - which is actually orange in colour. Accordingly, the recording length of the CVR will be extended from two hours to 25 hours of continuous recording. Meanwhile, US authorities only require two hours. In addition, the protection of the CVR recordings will be reinforced, in particular during their maintenance. The Commission clarified in a press statement that these new technical specifications "do not favour any specific commercial or technical solutions". The EU executive also considered that the norms are flexible enough to accommodate different technical options, both existing or under development, including Galileo Search and Rescue. This EU-led system currently being deployed improves the existing search and rescue systems by allowing near real-time reception of distress messages transmitted from anywhere on earth, compared to an average waiting time of one hour. It also offers a precise location of the alerts, while the current specification for location accuracy is five km. In addition, it also uses multiple satellite detection to avoid terrain blockage in severe conditions. BACKGROUND Large commercial aircraft and some smaller commercial, corporate, and private aircraft are required to be equipped with two "black boxes" that record information about a flight. Both recorders are installed to help reconstruct the events leading to an aircraft accident. One of these, the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR), records radio transmissions and sounds in the cockpit, such as the pilot's voices and engine noises. The other, the Flight Data Recorder (FDR), monitors parameters such as altitude, airspeed and heading. The older analog units use one-quarter inch magnetic tape as a storage medium and the newer ones use digital technology and memory chips. Both recorders are installed in the most crash survivable part of the aircraft, usually the tail section. http://www.euractiv.com/sections/transport/eu-adopts-new-rules-better-track-aircraft-distress-320516 Back to Top AOPA, FAA host GA Engine Summit AOPA and the FAA recently hosted a two-day GA Engine Summit attended by representatives of numerous aircraft engine manufacturers and industry associations to discuss ways for the industry and government to work more effectively together. Among the key issues under discussion at the Dec. 2 and 3 conference was how to involve the industry sooner in the risk-analysis process that could eventually lead to an airworthiness directive (AD). Another critical topic was finding ways to allow the industry to explore an alternative method of compliance for an AD when it makes sense to do so from both safety and operational perspectives. "This was the first summit of its kind, and we spent a very productive two days examining GA safety data, looking at the AD process, and finding ways to work together more effectively," said David Oord, AOPA vice president of regulatory affairs. "As a result of these conversations, we hope to find solutions to airworthiness issues that will enhance safety while making it easier and more cost effective for aircraft owners and operators to comply." The meeting, which took place at the FAA's Engine and Propeller Directorate in Burlington, Massachusetts, featured presentations from the FAA, manufacturers, and AOPA on topics including the state of engine safety, the move toward a more streamlined risk-based approach to regulation, and the full scope of the AD process, including how the FAA determines when an AD might be warranted. At the conclusion of the meeting, FAA representatives agreed to involve industry and engine manufacturers in the risk-analysis process as soon as practical, so that identified risks can be most effectively addressed. http://www.aopa.org/News-and-Video/All-News/2015/December/17/AOPA-and-FAA-host-GA-Engine- Summit Back to Top Back to Top LAX Projected To Be Busiest U.S. Airport This Upcoming Holiday Season LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) - A record 3.5 million travelers are expected to move through Los Angeles International Airport during this year's 17-day holiday travel period, which begins Friday. According to online travel companies like Expedia, airport officials say LAX is projected to be the busiest U.S. airport this winter holiday season. The period begins Friday and continues through Jan. 3. The busiest travel days are anticipated to be Dec. 21, 23, 27, and 30, according to airport officials. Light travel days include Dec. 24, 25, 31, and Jan. 1. To ease vehicular traffic, the airport recommends travelers utilize public transportation to and from LAX. Options include the FlyAway bus service and Metro Rail Green Line. Passengers are urged to arrive at their airline's ticketing lobby two hours in advance for domestic flights and three hours in advance for international travel. LAX is the fifth busiest airport in the world and second busiest in the United States, according to airport officials. http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2015/12/17/lax-projected-to-be-busiest-u-s-airport-this-upcoming-holiday- season/ Back to Top U.S.-Cuba Aviation Deal Allows 110 Scheduled Flights Daily HAVANA (AP) - The United States and Cuba have struck a deal to allow as many as 110 regular airline flights a day, allowing a surge of American travel to Cuba that could eventually flood the island with hundreds of thousands more U.S. visitors a year, officials said Thursday on the anniversary of detente between the Cold War foes. The deal reached Wednesday night after three days of talks in Washington opens the way for U.S. airlines to negotiate with Cuba's government for 20 routes a day to Havana and 10 to each of Cuba's other nine major airports, the State Department said. While it will likely take months before the first commercial flight to Havana, the reestablishment of regular aviation to Cuba after half a century will almost certainly be the biggest business development since the two countries began normalizing relations last year. Even a fraction of the newly allowed number of flights would more than double current U.S. air traffic to Cuba but it may take years to reach that number. U.S. travel to Cuba has risen by more than 50 percent this year alongside an even great surge in travel from other countries, overwhelming the country's outmoded tourist infrastructure. Havana's international airport is barely able to accommodate current demand for flights into the city and virtually every hotel is booked well into next year. It seems almost certain that Cuban officials will allow new U.S. flights slowly in order to make sure the government can handle the increase in travel. The United States and Cuba publicly say they're delighted with the state of diplomatic relations a year after Presidents Barack Obama and Raul Castro declared the end to more than 50 years of official hostility. The two countries have reopened embassies in Havana and Washington; agreed to a pilot program restarting direct mail service; signed two deals on environmental protection; and launched talks on issues from human rights to compensation for U.S. properties confiscated by Cuba's revolution. "We are advancing our shared interests and working together on complex issues that for too long defined - and divided - us," Obama said in a statement issued Thursday. "Meanwhile, the United States is in a stronger position to engage the people and governments of our hemisphere," he added. "Congress can support a better life for the Cuban people by lifting an embargo that is a legacy of a failed policy." The U.S. secretaries of state, commerce and agriculture and the Cuban-born deputy secretary of homeland security have all made official visits to start discussions on unsexy but vital technical matters like produce inspection and port regulations. Sports and cultural activity is heating up too. Havana has been swamped by U.S. celebrities. Music promoters are jostling to hold a U.S. pop concert in the capital early next year. Major League Baseball stars including Cuban-born defectors Yasiel Puig and Jose Abreu were warmly welcomed by the Cuban government this week on a goodwill trip meant to pave the way for spring training games in Cuba in 2016. But until this week there has been virtually no progress on business ties, a major part of Obama's new policy on Cuba. When he unveiled that policy on Dec. 17, 2014, Obama delivered a glowing vision of American visitors using debit and credit cards made possible by new banking links. U.S. companies would export a wide range of goods including telecommunications equipment. Almost none of that has happened. Sprint and Verizon have signed roaming deals with Cuba's state telecommunications company that benefit a small class of American travelers. The online home-sharing service Airbnb has started operations in Cuba but hasn't allowed non-Americans to book lodging, making it irrelevant for the majority of travelers from Europe and Canada. "On the political and diplomatic plane, and in bilateral cooperation, we've seen important progress," said Josefina Vidal, Cuba's top negotiator with the U.S. "In contrast, I have to say that in the area of economy and commerce the results are barely visible." Flying today requires wrangling with charter airlines that are expensive and difficult to book. Travelers from Cuba must brave long, chaotic lines to buy paper tickets. In the U.S., they are forced to email documents and payment information back and forth with an agent in the absence of online booking. Thomas Engle, the State Department's deputy assistant secretary for transportation affairs, told The Associated Press that market demand would determine whether charter flights continue or are replaced by commercial aviation. American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines all applauded the agreement and said they will work with the U.S. Department of Transportation to secure rights to fly to Cuba. American has been flying to Cuba the longest of any U.S. carrier, starting charter service to the island in 1991. Today, it runs nearly 1,200 charter trips a year to Cuba, or 23 a week. The surge in tourism to Cuba this year is making many Cubans relatively well-off but those still earning meager state salaries and waging daily struggles to find scarce and expensive products express a rising sense of impatience and dissatisfaction. "I haven't seen more commerce, really. I haven't seen products in the stores," said Paloma Suarez, a 50- year-old office worker in a state-run company in Old Havana. http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2015/12/17/u-s-cuba-aviation-deal-allows-110-scheduled-flights-daily/ Back to Top Jet Airways CEO Cramer Ball Resigns Dec. 18--MUMBAI -- Cramer Ball has resigned as chief executive of Jet Airways (India) Ltd, the country's second-largest airline by passengers, to pursue a new opportunity in Europe for family reasons. Ball's resignation is effective from 29 February. Gaurang Shetty, a whole-time director, will become acting chief executive officer of the company, in which Etihad Airways PJSC has a 24% stake, the airline said in a statement on Thursday. Shetty will lead the operating committee in managing the day-to-day operations of the company, under the supervision and control of the board of the company, chaired by founder Naresh Goyal, the airline said. Ball had taken charge as chief executive officer on 25 September 2014. He was considered the representative of Etihad Airways as he was heading Air Seychelles, a strategic partner of Etihad. Before joining Air Seychelles, Ball was regional general manager for Asia Pacific South and Australasia at Etihad Airways, which holds 40% equity in Air Seychelles. Frequent exits of chief executives is nothing new for Goyal's Jet Airways. While Ball had spent barely a year and three months at Jet Airways, his immediate predecessor Gary Kenneth Toomey stepped down after a even shorter stint. He was CEO for barely seven months. Toomey, an Australian national, took charge of Jet Airways in mid-June 2013 following resignation of Nikos Kardassis, who left the airline after serving his second term as chief executive officer from October 2009 to May 2013. Kardassis had earlier headed the airline between 1993 and 1999. Wolfgang Prock-Schauer, the current chief executive officer at low-fare airilne Go Airlines (India) Ltd, which runs GoAir was also chief executive officer of Jet Airways between 2003 and 2009. "Ball's exit is proving a point that Etihad Airways appointed CEO is not working anymore. Either Goyal is not comfortable with Etihad Airways' CEOs or Etihad Airways CEOs are not convinced with Goyal's strategy. Now, Jet Airways will have to find out an Indian CEO to lead or a CEO who is comfortable with Goyal and his strategy," said a person close to the development. He requested anonymity. However, he said Jet Airways is going to lose out in this frequent management changes. "Etihad Airways had virtually stalled Jet Airways international expansion and Jet Airways is losing its focus on domestic strategy as well. A case in point here is when Jet Airways could not place 75 narrow body Boeing planes while smaller rival SpiceJet Ltd is mulling placing order of 150 planes, reflecting its confidence on domestic market," he added. In an interview, Goyal, a former travel agent who built Jet Airways from scratch before selling a 24% stake in it to Etihad Airways in November 2013, had said he's still the captain of the ship. "I am in complete control of Jet Airways. I am not playing second fiddle to anyone," Goyal had said. In a Thursday statement, Goyal said Ball has, during his tenure, made a significant contribution in the journey to turnaround Jet Airways and the company recorded two consecutive profitable quarters after a gap of eight years. Ball said he is honoured to have been able to play a part in the turnaround of Jet Airways, as it moves towards long-term sustainable profitability. "The people at Jet Airways have worked as a team to get this business into shape and I am pleased with the progress that has been made," he said. http://www.aviationpros.com/news/12150886/jet-airways-ceo-cramer-ball-resigns Back to Top Najeeb E. Halaby Graduate Student Fellowship The Najeeb E. Halaby Graduate Student Fellowship was established by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) to shape the next generation of researchers in aviation weather, honoring the late Najeeb Elias Halaby, an eminent aviator and administrator, for his vision and more than five decades of extraordinary contributions to aviation (http://www.ral.ucar.edu/halabyfellowship.pdf). The Fellowship The recipient of a Najeeb E. Halaby Graduate Student Fellowship will spend three months (in 2016 or early 2017) in residence with NCAR's Aviation Weather Research Program, which Mr. Halaby was instrumental in establishing in the 1980s. As the nation's leader in addressing aviation weather research, NCAR plays a unique role in meeting user needs by transferring research results to operations through its Research Application Laboratory (http://www.ral.ucar.edu/). The Fellow will conduct research broadly aimed at improving the integration of weather into decision support tools for improved weather avoidance and air traffic management. The Fellowship will provide: * a monthly stipend for three months, including temporary living expenses * round-trip travel expenses to and from Boulder, CO * travel to a conference to present results * page charges for one publication of key results Eligibility and Application The Halaby Fellowship targets graduate students (late Masters or early PhD level) enrolled in an aviation- relevant department or program of a domestic or international university. Interested candidates should have advanced research skills, far-reaching vision, and dedication to get things accomplished. Consideration for this Fellowship will be given to candidates based on the following submitted material: * Curriculum vitae * Proposal (maximum five pages) presenting the research to be conducted at NCAR, the anticipated outcome of that, and how the proposed effort ties into the candidate's ongoing graduate research project(s) * Contact information for three references (one of which should be the student's primary advisor) NCAR will accept applications for the Halaby Fellowship each year. Email Applications by February 28, 2016 to halabyfellowship@ucar.edu Back to Top Upcoming Events: 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: Manager Flight Operation FedEx Express https://www.appone.com/MainInfoReq.asp?R_ID=1186411 Deputy Director of Flight Operations & Technical Services Helicopter Association International https://www.rotor.org/AboutHAI/Employment.aspx Curt Lewis