Flight Safety Information April 11, 2016 - No. 070 In This Issue Nose Gear of Citation Jet Collapses at Oakland International Airport Jet returns to Key West airport after colliding with a bird, losing an engine JET PACK CRASH LANDING SUCCESSFUL, PILOT SURVIVED Rockwell 690B Commander Accident (Texas) Airlines fear TSA staffing woes will mean a long, weary summer (Chicago) Aviation industry contributed $685m to Nigeria's GDP in 2015 Virgin pilot found over the limit before commercial flight loses appeal (Australia) International aviation experts to propose modern safety strategies Air France Asks Pilots to Fly More to Cut Costs USAIG Website Offers Complimentary Safety Poster Screensaver/Desktop Wallpaper NASA's Kepler Spacecraft In Emergency Mode, 75 Million Miles From Earth PhD Research Request Graduate Research Request Survey Invitation 1st Risk Culture Survey Nose Gear of Citation Jet Collapses at Oakland International Airport No injuries were reported, but the jet was damaged. OAKLAND, CA - Federal Aviation Administration officials said two people escaped injury this afternoon when the landing gear on the nose of a small plane collapsed as it landed at Oakland International Airport. Fire officials received a report of the crash at 12:06 p.m., Oakland Fire Department Battalion Chief Coy Justice said. The landing gear of a Cessna 750 Citation collapsed and the front end of the plane was damaged. The plane was flying at a low speed, Justice said. http://patch.com/california/rockridge/nose-gear-citation-jet-collapses-oakland-international-airport-0 Back to Top Jet returns to Key West airport after colliding with a bird, losing an engine The American Airlines flight was headed to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport An American Airlines jet was forced to return to Key West International Airport Sunday shortly after takeoff because it collided with a bird. A bird put a bump in the flight plan of an American Airlines' jet bound for Virginia from Key West after the two collided, causing the plane to lose power in an engine and return to where it started. The Embraer 175 jet, carrying 67 crew and passengers on Flight 4680, returned safely to Key West International Airport Sunday afternoon shortly after its 1:50 p.m. takeoff, according to Cammy Clark, a spokeswoman with the Monroe County Board of County Commissioners. "The flight crew did a great job of flying the aircraft safely back to the airport," said Donald DeGraw, director of Key West International Airport in a statement. "The airport's fire department and mutual aid were called out, ready to respond, but fortunately they were not needed." The passengers, who were headed to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Virginia, will be rebooked on other flights, Clark said. http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/florida-keys/article71044907.html#storylink=cpy Back to Top JET PACK CRASH LANDING SUCCESSFUL, PILOT SURVIVED He will likely never forget to wear a helmet again. A Jet Pack International executive in Denver, Colorado crashed during a test flight of a unit he had just modified, according to a report from local television station KDVR. He suffered several significant but non-life threatening injuries, and was released from the hospital the following day. VP and exhibition pilot Nick Macomber was hovering about 20 feet off the ground when the jet pack malfunctioned and he apparently landed on his knees, according to company CEO Troy Widgery. Macomber had a broken jaw, burns on his arms and legs, an ankle injury, and other injuries requiring 27 stitches. To be clear, he was not wearing any protective headgear. Jet packs can fly up to 80 miles per hour at a maximum altitude of 150 feet for a duration of about 30 seconds. Pilots in demonstration flights and at exhibitions wear helmets, flight suits, and other protective gear. According to Widgery, the 27-year old Macomber is an experienced Jetpack pilot (who knew such a person existed), with more than 400 flights in exhibitions throughout the U.S., in Ireland and China. He also flew a jet pack off the roof of the Denver Four Seasons Hotel in June 2014. In this case, the crash was apparently a control issue, as the thrust was switched on when he hit the ground. Jet Pack International is sponsored by Apollo Gum, and the Apollo Jet Pack Team has appearances at sporting events, air shows, music festivals, and even restaurant openings and birthday parties. Wherever they go, it's a sure bet that from now on, whether in public exhibitions or during test flights, Jet pack pilots will wear full protective gear, or at least helmets. Federal Aviation Administration investigators were on the scene Friday morning soon after the crash. http://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/jet-pack-crash-landing-exec/#ixzz45VtkFF4q Back to Top Rockwell 690B Commander Accident (Texas) Date: 09-APR-2016 Time: 09:04 Type: Rockwell 690B Commander Owner/operator: Registration: C/n / msn: Fatalities: Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Unknown Location: Williamson County, NE of Taylor at Hare, TX - United States of America Phase: Unknown Nature: Training Departure airport: Georgetown Muni (KGTU) Destination airport: Narrative: The aircraft impacted open field terrain in Williamson County, northeast of Taylor, at Hare, Texas. The airplane sustained unreported damage and the two occupants onboard received fatal injuries. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=186300 Back to Top Airlines fear TSA staffing woes will mean a long, weary summer (Chicago) Lower staffing by the TSA, and a reduction in the number of passengers moved into expedited screening lanes, has meant longer and longer lines at airports. Airlines are worried about passengers missing flights, and that the problem will get worse with the busy summer travel season. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune) It happened in just five minutes on a chilly, rainy Thursday morning at O'Hare International Airport - from 5:30 a.m. to 5:35 a.m., the security line at the American Airlines terminal jumped from four lanes of travelers to 10. Passengers at the end of the line began to show signs of panic - shaking their heads, rolling their eyes, checking the time on their phones and muttering to their companions. Would they make it? "We're probably going to miss our flight," fretted Kori Simonson, 36, of Chicago, who had come to the airport an hour early for a family trip to California. "I'm pretty worried." Airline officials and frequent travelers say these Space Mountain-type queues have become increasingly common at airports around the country. The big lines can be blamed on Transportation Security Administration staffing reductions due to incorrect assumptions about how many people would sign up for expedited security screening, heightened security measures and a higher-than-expected increase in air traffic. Promoted stories from PoliticsChatter.com Since it started monitoring TSA wait times in late February, American Airlines has seen typical waits of 30 minutes to 60 minutes - with a high of 90 minutes. Mornings tend to be worst, but long waits are seen throughout the day. American is warning passengers to come to the airport at least two hours before their scheduled departure time for domestic flights and three hours for international. The lines are expected to get much longer in the summer, the busiest season for air travel. "TSA is our No. 1 problem right now, and it's only going to get worse," said Leslie Scott, a spokeswoman for American Airlines. Last month, 1,000 American Airlines passengers missed their flights at O'Hare due to "excessive" TSA lines, Scott said. Sometimes airline workers will go into very long TSA lines to pull to the front passengers whose flights are imminent - to make sure planes do not leave half-empty. But seeing people cut the line can irritate those who planned ahead and got to the airport early. "It's unnerving to see a lot of people get escorted past me to catch their flights," said Joseph Schwieterman, a DePaul University transportation expert. "It adds to the stress of people standing in line." On rare occasions, an airline might decide to delay a flight to make sure enough people are on board, but at a hub airport like O'Hare, that can have ripple effects around the country. "It's becoming an operational issue," Scott. Chicago Aviation Commissioner Ginger Evans calls the line problem "severe," and said the department is having conversations with the TSA to address it. Miguel Southwell, manager of the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, sent a tough letter Feb. 12 telling the agency it had 60 days to get its act together or the airport would bring in its own private contractors for the checkpoints. "ATL struggled with TSA staffing shortfalls in 2015, and the Airport is dreading the outcome of summer 2016," Southwell wrote in a letter published by WSB-TV Atlanta. A spokesman for the airport did not immediately return requests for comment. Long lines Travelers navigate through security lines at Chicago O'Hare International Airport's Terminal 3 on April 7, 2016. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune) Behind the queue The TSA, which is funded through Congress, admits it has an issue. The agency had hoped for increased use of a 4-year-old expedited screening program called PreCheck, and has a goal of getting 25 million fliers into the program by 2019. After paying $85 for the application, which includes a criminal background check, fliers who qualify for PreCheck do not have to remove shoes, belts and light jackets, or remove laptops or liquids from bags, allowing a faster process. PreCheck status is valid for five years - making it a good deal for frequent travelers. Tom Connolly, 50, of Park Ridge, said he got PreCheck because he travels a couple of times a month for work. "It was just the hassle of taking everything out and putting everything back in," said Connolly, who got to try out the PreCheck line for the first time last week. "I highly recommended it." But so far, only about 6.5 million people have enrolled, not including members of the armed services. Thinking it would need fewer people, TSA cut its airport screener staff by 10 percent in the last three years, from 47,147 officers to 42,525. The airline industry, meanwhile, has seen record growth, with the number of fliers annually passing through checkpoints growing to more than 700 million from 643 million. Another problem has been the elimination of the "managed inclusion" program. Begun in 2013, this allowed TSA workers to randomly select people out of long lines, screen for explosives and allow them to use the PreCheck line. But a disturbing inspector general report showing that screeners failed to find mock weapons and explosives stopped the program in September 2015. Now TSA agents won't allow expedited screening without PreCheck unless there are bomb-sniffing dogs present. TSA Administrator Peter Neffenger said Friday that the agency wants to add more canine units in order to reduce lines. The number of passengers getting expedited screening has dropped from nearly 50 percent in fall of 2014 to about 26 percent, according to the TSA. To address the problem, TSA is asking for more officers from Congress and has made a big publicity push to get people signed up for PreCheck, including opening a temporary enrollment center at O'Hare through May 13. The initial paperwork can be done in about five minutes at TSA's website, but documents and fingerprints have to be presented in person at one of more than 330 TSA application centers nationwide. Locally, there's the O'Hare center as well as centers in the Loop, on Belmont Avenue, and in suburban Crestwood and Rosemont. Applicants will receive a notice by mail within two or three weeks - and if eligible, an applicant will get a "known traveler number" for quicker screening. The publicity campaign, combined with the discomfort of standing in line, seems to be working - many travelers surveyed at O'Hare said they may get PreCheck before their next flight. "I've definitely seen it get a lot worse," said Bruce Carpenter, 51, of Naperville, who was going to Atlanta on business. "They need to staff up." But another flier, who asked not be named, said she wasn't spending $85 to solve the TSA's problem. "It's a scam," she said. Bruce Schneier, a security expert who criticizes some TSA measures as "security theater," said getting more people into PreCheck does not feel like a solution, and the agency needs more staffing. "I wish they would do a quicker process for everybody," said Schneier, a fellow at Harvard University's Berkman Center. He said he did not know if it was fair that people who can afford to pay for PreCheck get better government service. "How much privilege should money buy?" Schneier asked. "It's an important question." Fair or not, Schwieterman said passengers have to come to grips with the fact that there has been a cultural change - and you cannot come to the airport at the last minute. "There's not a quick feedback mechanism between the airlines and the TSA when things go wrong - you're dealing with a government agency rather than a contractor working for the airport authority directly," Schwieterman said. He said he wished that fee was $25 - but he is now considering signing up for PreCheck. "When you start missing flights, that $85 starts to seem like a bargain," Schwieterman said. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/ct-getting-around-airports-tsa-20160410-column.html Back to Top Aviation industry contributed $685m to Nigeria's GDP in 2015 - The Nigerian aviation industry contributed $685 million to the country's Gross Domestic Product, GDP, in 2015, just as $50 billion would be needed over the next 28 years to grow the sector . These revelations were made by the Managing Director, EAN Aviation, Dr. Olusegun Demuren, at the Nigerian Business Aviation Conference 2016, held in Lagos. Harold Demuren, DG, NCAA The conference with the Theme " Sustaining Nigeria's Position on the Africa Business Aviation Landscape " emphasised the need for Africa governments to enact enabling legislations to make aviation contribute more to the economic growth of the continent as it has been witnessed in other continents. Demurin said business aviation, which comprised chartered and private jet operators contributed 25 per cent out of the total $685 million the sector contributed last year . He however added that there is need for more operators to come in to the burgeoning business aviation sector. On the viability of the business aviation sector, he revealed that there is growing interest in the use of private jets and helicopters for Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance, ISC, stressing that the Nigerian Customs Service, NCS, recently acquired a Cessna CJ4 jet for border patrol. Some states have acquired up to four Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISC) helicopters. He also said Nigeria Police Force has a fleet of surveillance helicopters in Abuja and Niger Delta. This, he said, would drive demand for more fixed based operations, maintenance facilities and create jobs. Demuren gave a statistical data of the growth of the business or private jet operation of the Nigeria civil aviation. He said that in 1980s, only 15 business jets were in operation in the country, and in 2006, the number grew to 30 and 150 by 2015. According to him, the growth was further propelled by 305 per cent in dollar millionaires seen between year 2000-2005. He said "Five per cent projected fleet Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR).Fifty per cent business aviation fleet is in Nigeria and South Africa." On some of the factors mitigating against the fast growth of aviation in Nigeria, Demuren said double taxation and imposition of duties like the five per cent import duty tax on aircraft is against international conventions. Nigeria is a signatory to the Cape Town Convention, which does not require payment for tax on moveable assets. Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/04/aviation-industry-contributed-685m-nigerias-gdp- 2015-demuren/ Back to Top Virgin pilot found over the limit before commercial flight loses appeal (Australia) A Virgin pilot who failed a breath test before he was due to fly out of Canberra with 96 passengers has lost a bid to clear his name. The pilot was selected for the test at Canberra Airport at about 8am on the morning of his birthday in August 2013. A Virgin pilot has lost an appeal against his conviction for being over the limit before a commercial flight. He had just arrived and was in the Virgin crew area sitting at a computer when a Civil Aviation Safety Authority officer approached him. The pilot was due to later fly a commercial flight between Canberra, Brisbane, and Townsville with up to 96 passengers on board. The initial test was positive, meaning a second, confirmatory test needed to be done 15 minutes later. The pilot would give evidence that he'd had two vodka, lime and sodas, shared a bottle of red wine, and another three glasses of wine, before going to bed at 10pm the night before. The confirmatory test revealed a blood alcohol reading of 0.059, which is more than the legal driving limit, let alone the legal aviation limit of 0.02. The pilot was grounded, and was never allowed to fly for Virgin again. He was charged with a criminal offence and pleaded not guilty, before eventually being convicted in the ACT Magistrates Court by Chief Magistrate Lorraine Walker. Ms Walker convicted and fined the pilot. The pilot appealed to the ACT Supreme Court, arguing the magistrate made a series of errors. He also argued he should have been given a non-conviction order, in light of his impeccable 20-year flying history and the fact he had already lost his employment with Virgin. Justice John Burns handed down a decision late last week, throwing out the appeal on all grounds. The pilot, in one of many appeal points, argued that the amount he drank was not capable of giving such a high reading the next morning. He argued the accuracy of the reading was in doubt, and the magistrate erred by not concluding such a doubt existed. But Justice Burns found the pilot had not been able to tell the court how many standard drinks he had consumed, and could not give the specific volumes of drink or their alcohol content that he consumed. "There was, in addition, no evidence that the appellant could not have had a reading of 0.059 grams of alcohol per 210 litres of breath at 8.00 am on August 11, 2013, based on his reported alcohol consumption," he wrote. To be guilty of the offence, the prosecution also had to prove the pilot was either available for, or actually performing, what is known as a "safety sensitive aviation activity", such as flying or checking the weather, for example. The magistrate found the pilot was performing such an activity, something that Justice Burns found to be an error. But the judge said it was of no consequence, because the pilot was clearly "available for" an activity, which is all the law requires. The pilot also questioned whether the CASA officer had properly waited the 15 minutes between the initial and confirmatory tests, saying the magistrate was in error by finding that the rule had been followed. The magistrate had relied on documentary evidence and evidence from the officer that he had used a timing device to ensure 15 minutes had elapsed. Justice Burns found she was entitled to do so. http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/virgin-pilot-found-over-the-limit-before-commercial-flight- loses-appeal-20160411-go3fvh.html Back to Top International aviation experts to propose modern safety strategies International aviation specialists will convene this April at the 4th edition of the World Aviation Safety Summit, to propose new procedures for enhancing a culture of safety across the industry. Global experts will analyse how the sector can ensure that safety is standardised and best practice is implemented worldwide, particularly as airlines in emerging markets grow in size and routes open to airports in new destinations. Latest figures released by IATA show January international passenger traffic rose 7.3% compared to the year-ago period. Capacity rose 5.9% and load factor rose 1.0 percentage point to 78.8%. All global regions recorded year-over-year increases in demand. Safety thought-leaders attending the Summit will look at how airlines and airports can measure their own performance, and implement effective predictive measures and pressure checks to prevent and pre-empt incidents. High on the agenda will also be debates on how regulators can effectively work with airlines to improve safety and how governments can harmonise national laws and regulations with those of industry leading states. As conflicts around the world continue to effect air transport travel, industry frontrunners will deliberate on how best to deal with armed conflicts and work together to ensure operations continue to run smoothly and ensure the safety and security of all passengers. Mohammed A. Ahli, director general at Dubai Civil Aviation Authority commented: "As the aviation industry continues to grow and become more complex it is important that we reinforce an effective, transparent and honest safety culture. The Summit will give us the opportunity to look at the best practice examples of working with large multicultural workforces and how we can overcome common industry challenges." The International Air Transport Association's (IATA) most recent Operational Safety Audit showed a moderate climb in safety world-wide. The 2015 global jet accident rate (measured in hull losses per 1 million flights) was 0.32, which was the equivalent of one major accident for every 3.1 million flights. This was an unambiguous improvement compared to the previous five-year rate (2010-2014) of 0.46 hull loss accidents per million jet flights. http://www.arabianaerospace.aero/international-aviation-experts-to-propose-modern-safety- strategies.html#sthash.2bNqixsH.dpuf Back to Top Air France Asks Pilots to Fly More to Cut Costs Pilots have until May 2 to respond to offer Air France Chief Executive Frederic Gagey at a news conference in Paris last year. "The measures we proposed will increase the hours flown, while increasing salaries at a lower pace," he told reporters Monday, describing the carrier's offer to pilots. PARIS-Air France has made an offer to its pilots in an effort to end monthslong negotiations over cost- cutting as the airline seeks to become more competitive. The company asked pilots to accept lower hourly pay in exchange for 5% to 10% more flying hours so that average revenue for pilots won't fall, Frederic Gagey, chief executive of the French arm of Franco-Dutch Air France-KLM, told reporters on Monday. "The measures we proposed will increase the hours flown, while increasing salaries at a lower pace," Mr. Gagey said. Pilots unions have until May 2 to respond to the proposal, he said. The proposal made by Air France's management comes after several months of talks with restive pilots to find ways to cut costs while avoiding an outright clash like the two-week strike that cost the company almost €500 million ($570 million) in 2014. Mr. Gagey said the company also committed to hire more than 600 pilots by 2020 that would raise the number in the company to 3,900 from 3,600 currently, taking into account expected departures. http://www.wsj.com/articles/air-france-asks-pilots-to-fly-more-to-cut-costs-1460370522 Back to Top Back to Top NASA's Kepler Spacecraft In Emergency Mode, 75 Million Miles From Earth The space agency hasn't yet explained why this would happen. An artist's composite shows the Kepler Spacecraft, which somehow switched into emergency mode on Thursday, NASA said. NASA has declared an emergency after discovering that its planet-hunting Kepler Spacecraft, now millions of miles away, is not operating properly. NASA mission operations engineers learned that the spacecraft had switched into emergency mode during scheduled contact on Thursday, the agency announced on Friday. "EM (emergency mode) is the lowest operational mode and is fuel intensive. Recovering from EM is the team's priority at this time," NASA stated in a release. The agency has not released an explanation for why the spacecraft would shift into emergency mode on its own. Unfortunately, its location - 75 million miles from Earth - is only making the situation more challenging for scientists. That distance makes real-time communication impossible. "Even at the speed of light, it takes 13 minutes for a signal to travel to the spacecraft and back," NASA said. The Kepler telescope launched into space in 2009 from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. It's designed to search the Milky Way for Earth-size planets orbiting in the habitable zone of stars like the sun. The spacecraft, launched in 2009 to seek out Earth-like planets with its telescope, was last confirmed to be fully operational on April 4. NASA scientists didn't discover that it was in emergency mode until they pointed Kepler's telescope toward the center of the Milky Way for a new mission. The spacecraft has had problems in the past. While it was designed to observe planets for up to six years, two of its reaction wheels failed four years into the mission, in 2013. As a result, it could no longer stay pointed at a target without drifting off course, NASA said. Fortunately, it had completed its primary mission by then, detecting nearly 5,000 exoplanets. Scientists were also able to find another use for the telescope, repurposing it for the new "K2" mission in 2014 so it can continue to search for exoplanets while conducting research on young stars, supernovae and other astronomical objects. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/kepler-spacecraft-emergency- mode_us_570a5c35e4b0885fb50d5617 Back to Top PhD Research Request Fellow Helicopter Crewmember, This is a request for you to participate in a research study for my doctoral degree. The purpose is to study the relationship between safety management systems, incidents and accidents, and company performance for small helicopter companies with less than 5 aircraft and in the last 10 years. The survey asks several questions to determine if you can continue. There are series of questions on safety management systems, incidents and accidents, and company performance. To participate, you must be between age 21 to 60, had aircrew experience in a small civil helicopter organization with less than 5 aircraft and in the United States in last 10 years. You may currently be a helicopter student pilot. Please follow the link below and fill out pre-survey questions to confirm your eligibility. The survey does not include any identifiable data about the crewmember or places of employment. It will take about 12 minutes to complete. The survey will remain active through the end of April 2016. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/5VPCZZ5 Thank you very much for your participation! Principal Investigator Scott Burgess Doctoral student at Northcentral University S.Burgess4793@email.ncu.edu Back to Top Graduate Research Request Research Survey Invitation Are you or have you been a pilot, UAS-pilot or air traffic controller? Do you have an interest in how UAS are integrated into the National Airspace? If so, please consider taking my survey which forms part of a masters research project to see if there are differences in the attitudes of pilots, UAS-pilots, and air traffic controllers when it comes to the integration of UAS into national airspace. The survey will take around 20 minutes to complete and can be saved at any stage. Responses are anonymous. SURVEY LINK: https://coventry.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/unmanned-air-systems-integration Back to Top Survey Invitation Hello: You are invited to participate in a research study that is designed to examine the relationship between pilot attitudes and the execution of flight safety checklists. Your participation is of great value because of your unique perspective as a pilot that will help in understanding why pilots choose to execute flight safety checklists or not. The survey will take approximately 15 to 20 minutes to complete. A status bar is provided at the top that tracks your progress as you complete the survey. Please note this survey is part of a doctoral dissertation study being conducted at Northcentral University. Before clicking on the link below, it is important for you to know the following: 1. Your responses will be confidential and will be accessible only to my professor and me. 2. Your responses will remain completely anonymous and no identifying information will be collected. 3. No reference will be made in oral or written reports that could connect you in any way to this study. 4. Your participation is completely voluntarily and you are not required to participate in the study. 5. If you begin completing the survey and opt not to continue, you may simply close your browser's window to close your session. This action will eliminate you as a participant. 6. By clicking on the link below you are indicating that you are a licensed pilot and are at least 18 years old and have agreed to voluntarily participate in this study. If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Barry Hyde at B.Hyde0394@email.ncu.edu. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/bhyde_ncuresearchstudy Back to Top 1st Risk Culture Survey "1st Risk Culture Survey in Commercial Air Transport Industry was launched on the 1st of April. More information about the concept and the link complete a short questionnaire can be found @ www.riskculture.org The study is part of an academic research and it aims to explore what and how operational risk decisions are made by frontline operators such as pilots, engineers/technicians and their managers. It does not apportion blame to anyone and it aims to identify factors encouraging professionals to accept certain risks. Also there is an opportunity to go into a £1500 bursary draw to attend a course at Cranfield University in United Kingdom. This first survey of its kind will remain open until the end of June 2016 and it will be repeated every year to study emerging risks in the industry." Curt Lewis