Flight Safety Information March 7, 2016 - No. 047 In This Issue PROS 2016 TRAINING Major alert at Heathrow after man locks self in jet cockpit Italian pilot threatened to crash passenger jet if his wife left him Father, daughter saved by parachute when plane crashes in Hauppauge Serial airplane stowaway gets six months in Chicago mental health center MH370 families file biggest lawsuit against Malaysia Airlines SUU announces online aviation degree FAA explains student certificate changes AirAsia Returns To Profit 1 Year After Flight 8501 Crash, Plans New Strategy Explorer, Physician and Leadership Expert - Dr. Joe MacInnes...to Share Lessons in Safety Leadership at CHC Summit 2016 Research Survey Request RESEARCH SURVEY...MENTAL HEALTH & FLYING SURVEY Major alert at Heathrow after man locks self in jet cockpit Security staff are said to have struggled to reach the man through bomb-proof doors designed to thwart terror attacks The intruder climbed aboard a parked British Airways 747 A major security alert was declared at Heathrow Airport after an intruder boarded an empty airliner and locked himself in the bomb-proof cockpit. A 38-year-old man is to appear at court this week in connection with the incident, which took place on Saturday morning. The intruder managed to breach security on the airport perimeter, broke through a cordon and climbed aboard the parked British Airways 747. After realising he had been spotted in the cabin of the empty passenger jet, the intruder fled to the flight deck and slammed shut the cockpit doors. Security staff were said to be unable at first to reach him through the impenetrable doors, which are designed to protect the pilot and co-pilot should a terrorist attempt to take over a plane mid-flight. "It was a very difficult and complex situation and in the end the fire brigade had to be called to the plane and carried out a long and very protracted operation to get into the cockpit from outside," said an unnamed source. "Eventually, they managed to gain access to the cockpit and police were able to storm in and arrested the intruder." The source said it was a "terrifying situation", adding: "Here is a man who not only has managed to go air-side at one of the world's busiest airports but he has successfully got to a Boeing 747 jet liner and found it open and was able to climb aboard. "Then he has got onto the flight deck and barricaded himself in using the plane's own anti-terrorist equipment." Police confirmed there had been an incident on a parked aircraft at Heathrow but said it was not believed to be terrorist-related. In a statement, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: "Louis Pedro Verdasca dos Santos Costa, 38, of Stonehill Road, Hounslow, west London was charged on Saturday, 5 March with two counts - of unlawfully being airside, and of unlawfully being on an aircraft. The man got onto the flight deck and barricaded himself in using the plane's own anti- terrorist equipment "He has been remanded into custody at a west London police station and will appear at court at the earliest opportunity next week." It was understood that the detained man was a Portuguese national. British Airways could not be reached for comment on security or the incident. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/12185284/Major-alert-at-Heathrow-after-man- locks-self-in-jet-cockpit.html Back to Top Italian pilot threatened to crash passenger jet if his wife left him When his wife threatened to leave the pilot sent a text saying he would kill himself along with 200 passengers The man's wife alerted officers at Fiumicino airport, who were able to replace the pilot without the passengers' knowledge Getty An Italian pilot allegedly threatened to crash his passenger jet if his wife left him, but was stopped minutes before taking off by police. When his wife apparently threatened to leave, the unnamed Italian pilot, in his 40s, sent a text saying he would kill himself along with the 200 passengers on his Rome-Japan flight, The Times reported. However, the man's wife allegedly alerted officers at Fiumicino airport, who were able to replace the pilot without the passengers' knowledge. The reported incident occured in January last year - two months before German pilot Andreas Lubitz deliberately crashed Germanwings A320 into the Alps - and was kept secret until now. Allegedly, after threatening to kill himself failed to persuade her to stay, he sent the text about deliberately crashing the plane. Now suspended, he is still said to be undergoing psychiatric evaluation. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/italian-pilot-threatened-to-crash- passenger-jet-if-his-wife-left-him-a6916511.html Back to Top Father, daughter saved by parachute when plane crashes in Hauppauge HAUPPAUGE, Long Island (WABC) -- It was a father-daughter excursion that nearly ended in a disaster. The small plane Louis Obergh was piloting with his daughter inside lost engine power about 2,000 feet in the sky. Obergh, radioed for help as he deployed a parachute attached to the plane. The parachute system allowed the Cirrus SR22 Aircraft to drop slowly to the ground, missing a building by just ten feet. "I didn't even know until today that planes even had parachutes," said Suffolk County Police Commissioner Tom Sini. Police say Obergh and his daughter were coming back from looking at colleges in Connecticut. They were heading back to Republic Airport in Farmingdale when they ran into trouble. The aircraft crashed on a grassy area of an industrial park in Hauppauge eight miles east of Republic Airport, shortly after 3 p.m. "We got lucky, very lucky. Never expected to ever have a problem like this," said Obergh. Obergh only suffered a minor scratch to his head - his daughter was uninjured. They refused medical attention. Officials say they were both shaken up, because once that parachute deployed, there is no way of knowing where you will land. "Once parachute deployed, you do lose some control, so it's hard to know," says Obergh. The FAA and the NTSB continue to investigate. Officials say given the minor injuries in this case this could be a relatively quick investigation. http://abc7ny.com/news/father-daughter-saved-by-plane-deployed-parachute-when- aircraft-crashes-in-hauppauge-/1232648/ Back to Top Serial airplane stowaway gets six months in Chicago mental health center (Reuters) - A woman barred from airports around the United States for trying to evade security and board flights without a ticket was sentenced on Thursday to six months in a mental health center, after she pleaded guilty to trespassing at a Chicago airport. A Cook County Circuit judge ordered Marilyn Hartman, 64, to spend six months in treatment at a mental health facility and two years of probation, court records show, after she tried to board an airport bus at O'Hare International Airport last month. Hartman, described by police as a habitual trespasser and stowaway, was arrested in February at the bus shuttle center outside a flight terminal, an airport spokesman said. The retired legal secretary was arrested at least four times last year at two different Chicago airports for loitering near security checkpoints, trespassing and in one case causing a disturbance on an airplane after boarding with a valid ticket. Hartman has been arrested on charges of trespassing or loitering at airports in San Jose, California, and San Francisco and at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix. She has been sentenced to probation or jail terms on several such misdemeanor charges. http://news.yahoo.com/serial-airplane-stowaway-gets-six-months-chicago-mental- 173346799--finance.html Back to Top MH370 families file biggest lawsuit against Malaysia Airlines When asked if the families were given consent by the MAS administrator under the MAS Act to initiate the lawsuit, the lawyer said they were denied consent. MH370-courtKUALA LUMPUR: A total of 76 family members of foreign passengers on board the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 are taking Malaysian Airlines System Berhad (MAS) and the government to court over negligence and breach of duties for statutory bodies. Lawyer N.Ganesan representing Indian, Chinese and American families said this is the biggest lawsuit against MAS in Malaysia as it involves a large number of families as plaintiffs. In the statement of claim filed last Thursday, the families alleged that the plane's disappearance on 8 March 2014 was caused by MAS' negligence and the national carrier had breached the Montreal Convention by causing the injuries and death of all 239 passengers and crew.. Besides MAS, the families also named the director-general of the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA), Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF), and the government. They claimed that DCA, RMAF and the government had conspired with MAS in conducting the investigation in a "grossly negligent manner" to delay the search, causing the death of all the passengers and crew. They also contended the government and MAS had acted fraudulently and in a dishonest manner by hiding information about MH370's disappearance from the public, and the families of passengers and crew. The 76 next of kin are seeking damages and losses they suffered after their loved ones went missing. "The families opted to file the lawsuit here because they have confidence in our court," said Ganesan when met at the High Court here. He also pleaded with the government not to move to strike out the lawsuit. "This lawsuit deserves a day in court, and all the families deserve a fair trial," he said. When asked if the families were given consent by the MAS administrator under the MAS Act to initiate the lawsuit, the lawyer said they were denied consent. "They had previously said in the media that they would act in 'good faith' to determine fair and equitable compensation." "What they said was they were inviting next of kin to initiate lawsuits against them." Ganesan disclosed that an American law firm, Hod Hurst Orseck, will be joining the families' legal team. "They are the experts in civil aviation. We will be having the firm's partners, Steven Marks and Roy Altman with me and lawyer Tommy Thomas." "When necessary, we will be filing for leave to the court for them to be conducting the trial," he said. Last week, 12 families of passengers from Malaysia, Ukraine, Russia and China sued MAS and the government for damages, shortly before the two years deadline for initiating a civil suit under the Montreal Convention. http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2016/03/07/mh370-families-file- biggest-lawsuit-against-malaysia-airlines/ Back to Top SUU announces online aviation degree Southern Utah University's School of Business recently announced the immediate availability of the aviation program's professional pilot degree online. "The online aviation degree will be a huge benefit to students," said Rich Cannon, school director and chief flight instructor at SUU's aviation program. "They will be able to complete all of their degree requirements from home while doing flight training at one of our convenient locations." The update to the degree is due to student feedback. It is immediately available for registration for the 2016 summer semester - the program gives students the unique opportunity of not having to reside in Cedar City to complete the degree, according to a news release. Prospective students in Southern California can really benefit from the new degree. "Students who are not able to relocate for the 24-month program to earn their AAS degree may now complete all of their university courses as well as their flight ground classes online, while completing their flight training for FAA certificates to fly helicopters or planes at the remote training facility located in the Temecula-Murrieta area," said Nikki Koontz, assistant director of marketing at SUU. To further the education of those who do decide to reside in Cedar City for their education, SUU will be adding two new flight simulators by the fall 2016 semester. The two Frasca R44 simulators teach students in a controlled environment where weather conditions are not a concern, giving the students life-like flying experience of the Robinson R44 helicopter. "Over the past few years, we've had customers mention that the fidelity of existing light helicopter simulators was inadequate and limited transfer of learning," said John Frasca, president of Frasca International. "We listened and determined that a high fidelity device with a FTD Level 5 approval was needed. Our engineers were able to incorporate the fidelity and quality of our Full Flight Simulators into an entry level FTD." Cannon said aviation program students will see the immediate impacts of training in the simulators. "Training can be paused as needed to allow for immediate feedback and instruction," he said. Upper Limit Aviation, the company that provides aircraft and other flight training resources to SUU, acquired the flight simulators, according to a news release. ULA and SUU have provided students with flight training since 2013. For information, visit the SUU website at suu.edu. http://www.thespectrum.com/story/news/local/cedar-city/2016/03/06/suu-announces- online-aviation-degree/81368460/ Back to Top FAA explains student certificate changes The FAA has published an advisory circular that explains how the process of applying for and issuing student pilot certificates will change when new procedures go into effect April 1. AOPA recommends that student pilot applicants and flight instructors review the guidance provided in the new Advisory Circular AC 61-65F about fundamental changes the rule makes to the process of acquiring a student pilot certificate, said Justin Barkowski, AOPA director of regulatory affairs. The association has carefully monitored implementation of the rule since it was finalized in January. After April 1, it will no longer be possible to receive a student pilot certificate from an aviation medical examiner. Most applicants will apply through a flight instructor, who must register to use the FAA's web-based Integrated Airman Certification and/or Rating Application (IACRA) or submit a paper Form 8710-1 to the FAA. The agency will send the certificate by mail within approximately three weeks of the application date, according to the advisory circular. It also will be possible to make application through FAA inspectors at the local Flight Standards District Office, designated pilot examiners (DPEs), or airman certificate representatives from a Part 141 flight school. The advisory circular provides guidance for flight instructors on how to register to use the IACRA system to process an application. It also gives guidance to CFIs on how to ensure that an applicant meets eligibility requirements for the student pilot certificate and how such eligibility is verified on an IACRA application. The publication explains what steps a student pilot applicant must complete on his or her IACRA application before a flight instructor or other authorized person can process the form (which will be stored in the system with a unique tracking number pending completion of the application process). The new advisory circular-which supersedes the previous edition published in 2005-also sets forth how a flight instructor should issue an endorsement for a student pilot prior to solo. Revisions to recommended sample endorsements to be used by authorized instructors when endorsing student pilot logbooks are also included. The new Appendix 2 provides expanded guidance for verifying a student applicant's identity, gives examples of acceptable forms of identification, and addresses recordkeeping requirements. Although the changes contained in the advisory circular primarily addressed the revised student pilot certificate application process, a number of additional changes were made throughout the document. There is increased emphasis on ensuring that pilot applicants satisfy English Language proficiency-which must be assessed at the time of application and during each training and testing event. The advisory circular also expands guidance on determining the expiration date of a flight instructor certificate renewal, and provides illustrative examples. Review the AC for updates and revisions to many other recommended sample endorsements for use by authorized individuals when endorsing pilots' logbooks. Withdrawn from the final rule was the FAA's plan to require photos on all new pilot certificates-a proposal AOPA had strongly opposed. AOPA created this podcast that summarizes the changes to the student pilot certificate application process. "AOPA will monitor the FAA's response to applications to ensure that student pilot certificates are issued as soon as practical and that students are not being held back from soloing and completing their flight training," Barkowski said. AOPA also has requested that the FAA establish a method for allowing a student pilot to solo on his or her 16th birthday (or 14th birthday in the case of gliders), an option not available under the revised application process. http://www.aopa.org/News-and-Video/All-News/2016/March/02/FAA-explains-student- certificate-rule-changes-in-new-publication Back to Top AirAsia Returns To Profit 1 Year After Flight 8501 Crash, Plans New Strategy AirAsia Chief Executive Officer Tony Fernandes poses for photos after a media conference near Changi Airport in Singapore, July 9, 2015. AirAsia, Southeast Asia's biggest budget airline, is stepping up flights to second-tier cities as it recovers from a crash that killed all 162 people on board a plane in December 2014. AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes, often compared with Virgin airline's Richard Branson because of his brashness, may also have to find a way to improve service, a challenge for low-cost carriers, as competition heats up. A new service from Wuhan, in the central Chinese province of Hubei, to Kota Kinabalu - which, while a destination for mountain climbers, isn't even a Top 10 Malaysian city - is an example of AirAsia's new thrust, according to Nikkei Asian Review. There will also be flights from Langkawi, Kuala Lumpur and Penang, all in Malaysia, to Guangzhou and Shantou in China and Yangon in Myanmar, the report said. There will be more routes in India, Indonesia, the Philippines and Japan, Fernandes told Nikkei in an interview in Singapore. That will be a change from 2015. The airline cut the number of flights by a third in the fourth quarter and reduced the number of planes serving its main markets of Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, Nikkei said. Still, the number of passengers flown rose 11 percent. "I am not going to go crazy on capacity," Nikkei quoted Fernandes as saying. As a result, AirAsia reported net income of 554 million ringgit ($136 million) for the fourth quarter, its first profit in nine quarters, on Feb. 29. That prompted AllianceDBS to rate the company's stock a "buy" and Maybank to say the airline was at an "inflection point," Nikkei said. But AirAsia may need to work on its services to increase those profits. The airline is losing its edge, according to the Asian Correspondent, as some competitors offer up to 15 kg (33 lbs) of free baggage and larger and more comfortable seats. Australia also fined the airline for what it called deceptive pricing on its booking website, forcing a change that the carrier hasn't implemented in other countries. In addition, a "culture of frugalness" has resulted in poor service, the report said. The official investigation into the crash of Flight 8501 into the Java Sea on a flight from Surabaya, Indonesia, to Singapore blamed a technical problem and the flight crew's reaction to it. http://www.ibtimes.com/airasia-returns-profit-1-year-after-flight-8501-crash-plans-new- strategy-2331314 Back to Top Explorer, Physician and Leadership Expert - Dr. Joe MacInnes to Share Lessons in Safety Leadership at 2016 CHC Safety & Quality Summit March 2, 2016-Vancouver, British Columbia - Dr. Joe MacInnes, a medical doctor, undersea explorer, author and leadership expert, has been confirmed as the keynote speaker for the gala dinner at the 12th-annual CHC Safety & Quality Summit. The Tuesday, April 5, dinner at the Westin Bayshore hotel is expected to attract up to 600 people - most of whom will also be attending what is recognized as the world's premier safety conference for rotary-wing aviation. Dr. MacInnes' medical research is focused on human factors in the use of complex technologies in the deep sea. Between 1964 and 1994 Dr. MacInnes led 30 research expeditions, logging 5,000 hours, in the Great Lakes, Atlantic, Pacific and Artic Oceans. He built the world's first undersea polar station, was among the first to dive the Titanic and was journalist-physician on the James Cameron National-Geographic project that made the first-ever 11 kilometre solo dive into the Mariana Trench. Since 1994, Dr. MacInnes has studied leadership in lethal environments, looking to improve the relationship between humans and the natural world. Throughout his career Dr. MacInnes has worked on projects with the U.S. Navy, the government of Canada and the Russian Academy of Sciences. With hisextensive experience in, and researching, extreme situations, Dr. MacInnes has developed a unique approach to leadership that is expected create insightful discussion at the April event. Past speakers at the CHC Safety & Quality Summit's gala dinner have included astronaut and physician Dr. Dave Williams, commander of the International Space Station Chris Hadfield, leadership author Simon Sinek, commercial airline Capt. Chesley Sullenberger, U.S. Navy Commander Fred Baldwin, safety experts Dr. Scott Shappell and Dr. Jerry Cockrell, and aviation leader Sergei Sikorsky. Details about the dinner, including how to purchase tickets, are available at www.chcsafetyqualitysummit.com About CHC CHC Helicopter is a leader in enabling customers to go further, do more and come home safely, including oil and gas companies, government search-and-rescue agencies and organizations requiring helicopter maintenance, repair and overhaul services through the Heli-One segment. The company has a fleet of more than 220 aircraft and operates on six continents. Contact Information: SUMMIT Irina Sakgaev Safety & Quality Applications Specialist CHC Helicopter +1.604.232.7302 summit@chc.ca MEDIA Liam Fitzgerald Communications Advisor +1.778.999.2923 Liam.Fitzgerald@chc.ca INVESTORS Laura Campbell Director, Investor Relations +1.604.232.7316 Laura.Campbell@chc.ca Back to Top Research Survey Request For my Research on future cockpit layouts, I kindly request 10 minutes of your time to answer the attached survey. The topic Gamification might surprise some, but it is a growing discussion for modern workplaces and its often fatiguing conditions. http://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/PilotInteractionInModernCockpits/ Thank you, Capt. Tilmann Gabriel MBA FRAeS ISO/IEC 17024 Certified Global Aviation Expert Assistant Professor Programme Director MSc Air Transport/Aircraft Maintenance Management City University of London Back to Top RESEARCH SURVEY MENTAL HEALTH & FLYING SURVEY Hi, my name is Daniel Danczyk. I am soliciting participation in my survey on mental health and flying. If you are involved in seeing pilots with mental health or substance abuse issues, or are involved in their cases, please complete my anonymous survey (link below). On average, completion takes no more than 5-7 minutes. You do not need to be a clinician to participate; I am looking for anyone that is involved in the medical treatment or certification of pilots, whether they are doctors, airline employees assisting with monitoring, private consultants, HIMS participants, government, or other experts. Below the survey link is a more detailed description of my study including consent and contact information. Thank you so much for your time! Daniel Danczyk, MD Fellow in Aerospace Medicine AME/Flight Surgeon/Pilot/Psychiatrist Mental Health and Flying Survey https://src.co1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_0xLGAkp4CAtv36d STUDY/CONSENT INFORMATION IRB #: 15-008911 Mayo Clinic: Office for Human Research Protection Protocol Title: Airline transport pilots and mental health: A Comparison of the medical certification process between the U.S. and various European countries. Principal Investigator: Lawrence Steinkraus, MD You are being asked to participate in a research study about pilots and their mental health. The purpose of this research is to study how mental health medical certification is processed for pilots in their respective country. You are being invited to participate because you are involved in some aspect of their aeromedical-mental health certification. If you agree to participate you will be asked to complete an online anonymous survey questionnaire. This will take no more than 10-15 minutes of your time. No information will be recorded about you other than your country of origin. Confidentiality will be maintained by NOT being able to trace back your responses to you. In other words, your survey response will be assigned a random number for tracking/statistical purposes but cannot be traced back to you. You will receive no payment for your participation. There are no known risks to you from taking part in this research study. You may refuse to answer any question(s) that you do not wish to answer. The benefits which may reasonably be expected to result from this research study are to improve the process for mental health medical certification of pilots in your country. Please understand your participation is voluntary and you have the right to withdraw your consent or discontinue participation at any time without penalty. Your submission of the survey questionnaire signifies your consent to participate. Moreover, your current or future medical care at the Mayo Clinic will not be jeopardized if you choose not to participate. If you have any questions about this research study you can contact my co-investigator, Dr. Daniel Danczyk, at danczyk.daniel@mayo.edu. If you have any concerns, complaints, or general questions about research or your rights as a participant, please contact the Mayo Institutional Review Board (IRB) to speak to someone independent of the research team at 507-266-4000 or toll free at 866-273-4681. Curt Lewis