Flight Safety Information April 27, 2016 - No. 082 In This Issue Ms. Sophia Ghezai Appointed Director, Aviation Safety and Operations for Airlines for America (A4A) Cessna 421 Loss of Power on Takeoff (Alabama) Airbus A321 Bird Strike (Brazil) LAM crash inquiry lends support to flight-tracking case NASA, FAA Complete Most Complex Drone Traffic Management Test, Juggling 22 Drones At Once 7 kg gold abandoned in aircraft toilet seized Ethiopia: House Refers Aircraft Accident, Incident Investigation Bill to Committee Turkish Airlines Looking At 450-Aircraft Fleet Boeing's fourth and final KC-46 test aircraft takes flight NTSB HOLDS LOSS OF CONTROL SAFETY SEMINAR Flight Data Services and IATA Sign a Collaboration on Flight Data Analysis NASA Astronauts Prepare for Flight on Commercial Spacecraft Rocket for Giant Satellite-Launching Stratolaunch Airplane Remains a Mystery PhD Research Request Graduate Research:...Pilot Laser Study Sophia Ghezai Please join me in welcoming Sophia Ghezai as Director, Aviation Safety and Operations. We are very excited to have her join our A4A family. In her new role, Sophia will support a number of operational safety initiatives including A4A's participation in the Commercial Aviation Safety Team, Aviation Safety Information Analysis and Sharing group, as well as work groups and task forces involved in training and other operational issues. She will also coordinate activities among various A4A committees with industry stakeholders, the Federal Aviation Administration and other governmental agencies. Sophia has a wealth of aviation experience, including positions as a professional pilot and dispatcher. Following her tenure as the first female pilot at Ethiopian Airlines, Sophia continued her flying career with Independence Air after immigrating to the United States . In addition, she contributed to the development of global safety management standards while serving on an internship at the International Civil Aviation Organization. Sophia holds a number of certificates related to the implementation of safety management systems and has most recently, earned a Master's Degree in Aviation Management and Safety Systems from the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. www.airlines.org Back to Top Cessna 421 Loss of Power on Takeoff (Alabama) Date: 26-APR-2016 Time: -14:30 Type: Cessna 421B Golden Eagle Owner/operator: Oasis Aircraft Sales & Management LLC Registration: N707DM * C/n / msn: 421B0145 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: Foley Municipal Airport (5R4), Foley, AL - United States of America Phase: Take off Nature: Unknown Departure airport: Foley Muni (5R4) Destination airport: Narrative: The aircraft impacted trees and residential terrain following a loss of engine power shortly after takeoff from Runway 18 at Foley Municipal Airport (5R4), Foley, Alabama. The airplane was partially consumed by the post-impact fire and the sole pilot onboard was not injured. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=186787 Back to Top Airbus A321 Bird Strike (Brazil) Date: 26-APR-2016 Time: 09:55 LT Type: Airbus A321-211 Owner/operator: TAM Linhas Aereas Registration: PT-XPJ C/n / msn: Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Minor Location: São Paulo, São Paulo - Brazil Phase: Initial climb Nature: Domestic Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Guarulhos International Airport Destination airport: Porto Alegre Airport Narrative: A TAM airplane crashed into a bird shortly after takeoff from Guarulhos International Airport on the morning of Tuesday (26). The bird caught in turbine and, because of the incident, the aircraft was still bound to Porto Alegre had to go back to the origin, at the airport in São Paulo. Despite the scare, no one was injured. According to TAM, the JJ3289 flight took off at 9:55 a.m. and landed at 10h17 safely. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=186794 Back to Top LAM crash inquiry lends support to flight-tracking case Controllers failed to notice the disappearance of a LAM Embraer 190 lost over Namibia and damage to its emergency locator transmitter contributed to a long delay in reaching the crash site. Circumstances of the 29 November 2013 accident - the result of the captain's deliberately piloting the jet into the ground - are likely to underpin the case for improvements to aircraft tracking. The aircraft had been under radar surveillance in Botswanan airspace when it rapidly lost altitude until radar contact was lost at 14,100ft. Namibia's wide-area multilateration system continued to track the descent to 6,600ft. But Botswana's Gaborone area centre controller did not realise the aircraft had deviated from its assigned altitude of 38,000ft. Botswana's radar system did not trigger any alarm in response to the aircraft's sudden departure from cruise. The inquiry into the accident determined that only one controller - rather than the usual two - was overseeing the whole of Botswanan upper airspace, covering both east and west sectors. While the Embraer had been operating in the west sector, the controller had been distracted by a false conflict report in the east sector, and failed to notice the disappearance. Oblivious to the loss of contact, the Gaborone controller passed handover instructions to the crew as the aircraft prepared to enter Angolan airspace. But the crew did not respond and the flight also failed to report at the AGRAM waypoint to which it had previously been cleared. The Namibian-led investigation found the Embraer's emergency locator transmitter was "relatively intact" but had failed to generate a signal because its co-axial antenna cable had separated on impact. "There was no reception of [locator] transmission by the global emergency centres," says the inquiry. With no alert activated by Gaborone air traffic control, the aircraft's absence was not noted until nearly 2h later, when Angolan controllers in Luanda - the flight's destination - informed Gaborone area centre that the flight had not made contact. Namibian authorities initiated search-and-rescue efforts after establishing that the aircraft was missing, says the inquiry. But weather conditions forced the abandonment of the search until the following day, when the wreckage was located in Bwabwata national park. Bwabwata is an extensive but remote region and the inquiry points out that a functioning emergency locator, capable of operating even after a high-energy impact, is essential to improving the efficiency of a search. It suggests that locator transmitters could utilise an integral antenna rather than one which relies on a connection to a fuselage antenna. Investigators have also recommended that ICAO should "expedite" the advancement of flight-tracking capabilities in order to provide early warning about abnormal aircraft behaviour. www.flightglobal.com Back to Top NASA, FAA Complete Most Complex Drone Traffic Management Test, Juggling 22 Drones At Once NASA successfully flew 22 drones in simultaneous testing, which aims to assess its UTM research platform used in rural operations. The test ran for three hours and was conducted at FAA test sites across the country. NASA successfully flew 22 drones during a simultaneous testing at FAA test sites across the country. The demonstration, which is the first and largest ever launched, is meant to assess NASA's Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management (UTM) research platform used in rural operations. "After so much preparation and practice, it was very rewarding to see all test sites have success with weather, platforms and connectivity," said Director of Operations at NUAIR Tony Basile and manager at New York test site." The three-hour test involved a total of 24 drones, of which 22 were flying simultaneously at one point. NASA's UTM research platform checked for conflicts during the flight, gave approval or rejections to flight plans and delivered notifications on constraints to the users. Likewise, engineers at NASA's Ames Research Center were tasked with operations and system load monitoring as well as qualitative feedback gathering in order to identify capability gaps to further refine the UTM research. The test also required hours of coordination and logistics to become successful. Weather conditions, such as strong winds and rain forecasts, also became a challenge since drones are not designed to fly in rain or high winds. Additionally, NASA Ames launched dozens of virtual aircraft within the same airspace, allowing an interesting mix of live flights and virtual flights that can provide more insight to future demonstrations. "We enjoyed working with the NASA UTM team to explore UAS air traffic management concepts through the UTM research platform," said Richard C. Kelley, chief engineer at the Nevada Advance Autonomous Systems Innovation Center. Kelley also lauded how the software's performance provided much-needed data and generated open questions that address creating a safe integration of unmanned aircraft into the National Airspace System. UTM research is still at a nascent stage. The recent testing involved its Technical Capability on the first level, which addressed UAS operations within line-of-site in the rural areas. This includes potentially using the operations for fire fighting, agriculture and power line monitoring. http://www.techtimes.com/articles/153441/20160426/nasa-faa-complete-most-complex- drone-traffic-management-test-juggling-22-drones-at-once.htm Back to Top 7 kg gold abandoned in aircraft toilet seized Over seven kilograms of gold, found abandoned in a toilet on a Qatar Airways plane, was seized by Customs sleuths at the Goa airport today. "When the Qatar Airways aircraft (after landing at Goa airport) was searched today, the Air Intelligence Wing found one duty-free plastic bag in the dustbin of the rear left toilet of the aircraft," Commissioner of Customs, Goa division, K Anpazhakan told reporters. "An inquiry was made with crew members of the aircraft which had arrived from Qatar. They informed that they were not aware of the owner of the bag," he said. The bag was opened at the international arrival hall of the airport and it was found to be carrying jewellery weighing 7.124 kgs. "The correct value of jewellery would be known only after an approved valuer is approached. Inquiries were made with the arrival passengers but no one was having any knowledge about it," the Commissioner said. Anpazhakan said this is the second seizure of gold by Goa Customs in a week. "Another seizure of two kilograms of unclaimed gold bars was made by officers in the same flight on April 24. The bars were hidden inside the pouch in the life jacket which was attached below a passenger's seat," he said. http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/7-kg-gold-abandoned-in-aircraft- toilet-seized-116042700544_1.html Back to Top Ethiopia: House Refers Aircraft Accident, Incident Investigation Bill to Committee The House of People's Representatives has referred a bill entitled 'A Proclamation to Provide for the Ethiopian Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation' to the Transport Affairs Standing Committee for further evaluation. During its 26th regular session 1st year tenure held yesterday, the House referred the draft to for further evaluation incorporating the comments and suggestions of members of the parliament. The draft aims to create strong system that would help in curbing aircraft accidents in a way that suits the country's ever increasing air transport service in a safe and secure manner. The draft is also aimed at conducting independent and impartial investigation on aircraft accident and identify safety deficiencies evidenced by aviation occurrence investigation, among others. If the House approves the bill the Ethiopian Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau would be established. Meanwhile, the House has adopted a Proclamation on the Financing Agreement between Ethiopia and International Development Association cited as Proclamation No. 953/2008. The financing agreement stipulates that the association would provide 33 million USD to the Ethiopian government for Public Financial Management Project which would be utilized to improve the efficiency, transparency and accountability of federal and state government expenditures. The loan would be paid back in 38 years with six years probation period. In related news, Good Governance Cluster Coordinator with the Rank of Deputy Prime Minister and Public Service and Human Resource Development Minister Aster Mamo also presented Ministry's nine-month performance report. In her presentation, Aster said that various change reform programmes have been implemented at federal and state institutions thereby making improvements in spite of good governance challenges. All civil servants at all levels were evaluated based on Balanced Score Card principles except senior officials. The Ministry has also prepared an evaluation method for senior government officials. http://allafrica.com/stories/201604270574.html Back to Top Turkish Airlines Looking At 450-Aircraft Fleet Turkish Airlines expects to receive 35 new aircraft this year, including 10 wide-body planes, as part of a drive to increase the size of its fleet and lower the average age of its aircraft. Ahmet Olmustur, Turkish Airlines' chief marketing officer, told reporters in Dubai that the airline aimed to have almost 450 aircraft by 2020, from 311 now. "People want to fly with new aircraft so we have plans to lower the age of our fleet," he said. Turkish Airlines expects to have 72.4 million passengers this year, representing an 18 percent increase on 2015. However, Olmustur said the airline had seen a 10 percent drop in demand on some Russian and southern European routes. Tourist arrivals to Turkey have taken a beating following a spate of bomb attacks this year, including two in Istanbul, usually the country's biggest tourist draw. Arrivals from Russia have also been hit by worsening tension between Ankara and Moscow after Turkey shot down a Russian warplane over Syria last year. However, Olmustur said Turkish Airlines was betting on improving demand from Iran following the recent lifting of Western sanctions against Tehran. "We're putting capacity to Iran (up) as far as we can," he said, adding the airline flew to seven destinations in Iran and was looking to increase its capacity by 15 percent in 2016 from last year. http://news.airwise.com/story/turkish-airlines-looking-at-450-aircraft-fleet Back to Top Boeing's fourth and final KC-46 test aircraft takes flight Five years and two months after being selected to build the US Air Force's new-generation KC-X aerial tanker, Boeing has launched its fourth and final test aircraft of the KC-46A programme. The 767-2C aircraft, which will be used for type certification and is not currently outfitted for aerial refuelling, took off from the company's widebody aircraft plant in Everett, Washington on 25 April and landed 1h and 40min later at Boeing Field, south of Seattle. "During the flight, test pilots performed operational engine checks, flight controls, and environmental systems checks and took the 767-2C to a maximum altitude of 39,000ft prior to landing at Boeing Field," says Boeing in a statement on 26 April. "[It] will be used to conduct environmental control system testing, including hot day/cold day testing and smoke penetration testing." Boeing's second 767-2C-configured test aircraft (EMD-3) takes flight from Everett on 25 April The aircraft, dubbed EMD-3, arrives as Boeing works feverishly to complete a "milestone C" review by the Office of the Secretary of Defence (OSD) that will unlock funding for the first low-rate production contract for seven aircraft, which Boeing has already begun building on its own dime. The tanker manufacturer, which produced the US Air Forces' legacy 707-based KC-135 Stratotanker and inherited the DC-10-based KC-10 from McDonnell Douglas, is also working toward a KC-46A operational test and evaluation that is expected to start in May 2017 and must separately have 18 operational KC-46As in place by August 2017 to meet a contractual obligation known as "required assets available". Boeing KC-46A refuels a US Navy F/A-18 This second 767-2C arrives as the "Pegasus" demonstrate aerial refuelling with the Lockheed Martin F-16 and Boeing F/A-18 and AV-8B warplanes for the first time. There's no word yet from Boeing if it has rectified a possible software issue that has so far prevented boom refuelling of the large C-17 Globemaster III transport and the Fairchild Republic A-10 "Warthog". The tanker experienced "higher-than-expected boom axial loads" during in-flight contacct tests with the large, four-engine strategic transport in January and a fix is being investigated. The far lighter F-16 fighter was successfully boom refuelled in January. Once the C-17 and A-10 boom refuellings are demonstrated, that completes the six required aerial tests needed prior to milestone C, and that includes receiving fuel from the legacy Boeing KC- 10. A decision by Pentagon acquisition chief Frank Kendall to approve the KC-46A's entry into low-rate production was expected this month, and then in May, but now air force officials say June. The first 767-2C test aircraft (EMD-1) first flew in December 2014 and has completed 315 flight test hours to date, says Boeing. The first KC-46 tanker (EMD-2) has logged about 240 flight test hours since its maiden voyage in September 2015 and the second tanker- configured aircraft, EMD-4, completed its maiden flight on 2 March. https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/boeings-fourth-and-final-kc-46-test-aircraft- takes-424640/ Back to Top NTSB HOLDS LOSS OF CONTROL SAFETY SEMINAR WASHINGTON - The National Transportation Safety Board will highlight lessons learned from its investigations of general aviation accidents involving loss of control, during a seminar scheduled for 9 a.m., May 14, 2016, at the NTSB Training Center, in Ashburn, Virginia. The NTSB has partnered with the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and the Federal Aviation Administration, two other organizations committed to enhancing general aviation safety, for this educational seminar. Accidents attributed to "loss of control in-flight" are the most common defining events for fatal crashes in the private flying sector of general aviation, accounting for about 40 percent of general aviation fatalities. Unfortunately, the circumstances for these accidents are often repeated over time, thus precipitating a need for change in this area. Reducing general aviation accidents remains a high priority for the NTSB and this seminar is one effort in that mission. National Transportation Safety Board Member Earl Weener will be a featured presenter and attendees will also hear NTSB investigators describe how they investigate accidents, as well as the resultant safety recommendations the NTSB issues to reduce the accident rate in this critical area. This is the eighth in a series of NTSB safety seminars focused on general aviation accidents. The four-hour seminar is free, and pilots participating in the FAA's WINGS program will receive credit for attendance. The seminar is solely an instructional opportunity and not a media event. Because space is limited, early registration is highly recommended. The doors will open at 8:30 a.m., and the seminar will run from 9a.m.-1p.m. Attendees must have a government-issued photo ID, such as a driver's license, to enter the building. Those interested in attending the seminar can register at: https://app.ntsb.gov/academyregistration/private/registernp.aspx?id=SAFETYSEMINAR-051416&Mkey=87574 RELATED INFORMATION: NTSB Safety Alert on Preventing Aerodynamic Stalls at Low Altitude Video (4:10): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9rv1nY-CbY&feature=player_embedded Bulletin: http://www.ntsb.gov/safety/safety-alerts/Documents/SA_019.pdf NTSB Training Center Contact: Jill Demko jill.demko@ntsb.gov 203-463-8320 Back to Top Flight Data Services and IATA Sign a Collaboration on Flight Data Analysis The leading Flight Data Analysis (FDA) provider, Flight Data Services has signed a safety collaboration agreement with the International Air Transport Association (IATA). This safety collaboration will offer a service unique to the market that combines expertise in flight data and international programs in Flight Data Connect, a best in class flight data analysis service. Flight Data Connect will be delivered via the web-based POLARIS platform, established as the industry's leading FDA system. The same core analysis will also be used for IATA's Flight Data eXchange (FDX) program. All flight data will be processed by Flight Data Services' secure private cloud infrastructure which, with a throughput of 400,000 flights per day and half a Petabyte of storage, has the capacity to meet all of IATA's needs. The safety collaboration is also focused on delivering strong support to both FDS & IATA FDA customers. With the Flight Data Connect service, analysts at Flight Data Services and IATA will work together to support their own and each other's customers seamlessly. IATA's team will work alongside Flight Data Services' teams in England, Phoenix, and soon Singapore. Dave Jesse, CEO of Flight Data Services said, "I share, with my colleagues in IATA and in Flight Data Services, a passion for aviation safety. I am very excited about this new safety collaboration as it paves the way for many advances in aviation safety." Rodolfo Quevedo, IATA's Director of Safety said "Safety is the top priority for everyone involved in aviation. Flight data analysis is an invaluable tool in helping to make our industry even safer. This collaboration will not only allow for added service capabilities to individual airlines, but also greater capabilities for analysis of aggregated de-identified FDX data to help IATA address safety issues around the globe" The official signing ceremony at the IATA Ops Conference in Copenhagen on 19th April 2016 will mark the official launch of Flight Data Connect. https://www.flightdataservices.com/ Back to Top NASA Astronauts Prepare for Flight on Commercial Spacecraft Five years after the last NASA astronauts flew from Cape Canaveral, Florida, to the International Space Station, a new group is preparing for a trip, this time on a private spacecraft. On Tuesday, veteran astronauts Eric Boe and Sunita Williams used touch-screen simulators to practice docking Boeing Co.'s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft with the space station during a training session near Lambert-St. Louis International Airport. The simulator, called the Crew Part-Task Trainer, helps prepare astronauts and flight controllers for missions, flight conditions and situations including the rendezvous and docking with the space station. "This is the next really exciting chapter for our country and our space program," Williams said. "It refocuses on what I think is really important - planning for the next generations and thinking of their future." The United States hasn't seen a manned launch since Atlantis blasted off on the final space shuttle mission in 2011. NASA currently is hiring out its supply runs and paying Russia to ferry astronauts to the space station. The space agency wants to continue outsourcing those tasks so it can focus on getting astronauts out of low-Earth orbit and on to Mars and other destinations. NASA is developing the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System for those longer journeys and has contracted with Boeing and another U.S. company, SpaceX, to transport astronauts to the space station. "If you think of Mars as the pinnacle of Everest (and) low-Earth orbit as base camp, the commercial companies that service low-Earth orbit are the sherpas that take things back and forth," said Chris Ferguson, deputy program manager and director of crew and mission operations for Boeing's commercial crew program. "It enables NASA to go and perform their exploration mission." The cost for a ride on a private, American-operated spacecraft will be $58 million, cheaper than Russia's $76 million per ride, according to NASA. Boeing's role in space exploration began in the 1960s. The McDonnell Aircraft Corporation, which later merged with McDonnell Douglas before its merger with Boeing - developed the Mercury and Gemini space capsules. In 2014, NASA awarded Boeing up to $4.2 billion to develop the Starliner, its launch vehicle and mission operations and ground systems. The contracts with Boeing and SpaceX, which is developing a next-generation crew capsule, total $6.8 billion and require at least one test flight with at least one NASA astronaut on board. Boeing's contract includes up to six missions to the space station. Boeing's Defense, Space & Security division is building several training devices in St. Louis, including the Crew Part-Task Trainer and a full-scale mission simulator that will run astronauts through dress rehearsals, from problems during launch to the recovery of the spacecraft. The simulator and other training devices will be delivered to the Johnson Space Center in Houston over the next year. Boeing and SpaceX are aiming for test flights to the space station by the end of 2017. http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/nasa-astronauts-prepare-flight- commercial-spacecraft-38696530 Back to Top Rocket for Giant Satellite-Launching Stratolaunch Airplane Remains a Mystery Artist's illustration showing the planned Stratolaunch system, which will launch satellites using a rocket carried into the sky by a giant airplane. Vulcan Aerospace continues to assemble the world's largest aircraft at the Mojave Air & Space Port in California, but its builders are remaining mum about the Stratolaunch project's biggest mystery: What rocket will the air-launch system carry aloft to place satellites into orbit? At the 32nd Space Symposium in Colorado Springs earlier this month, Stratolaunch Executive Director Chuck Beames said he could not talk about the launch vehicle strategy yet, but he promised a series of announcements over the next year about the program and the company's "NextSpace" vision. "At Vulcan Aerospace, my team has spent the last 12 months focused on refining our vision of NextSpace and, of course, making significant progress on our Stratolaunch air- launch platform," Beames wrote in a blog post on the Vulcan Aerospace website. [See images of the giant Stratolaunch plane] Company officials said they expect to begin commercial operations within four years. "Stratolaunch is making good progress, and remains on target to meet our long-term goal of being fully in service by end of decade," said Steve Lombardi, manager of corporate communications for Vulcan Inc. "I don't have anything more specific to share now, but we'll have more news in the near future." The Stratolaunch carrier plane looks a lot like Virgin Galactic's WhiteKnightTwo; both are dual-fuselage aircraft with space for a launch vehicle in between. The main difference between the two is size: the Stratolaunch mothership will have a 385-foot (117 meters) wingspan, weigh as much as 1.2 million lbs. (544,000 kilograms) without the rocket, and be powered by six 747 engines. (For comparison, the wingspan of WhiteKnightTwo, which carries Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo into the sky, is 141 feet, or 41 m.) Stratolaunch was announced in December 2011 as a collaboration between Microsoft co- founder Paul Allen and Scaled Composites founder Burt Rutan, who had teamed up to win the $10 million Ansari X Prize with SpaceShipOne in 2004. Partners in the company included Vulcan, Scaled Composites, Dynetics and SpaceX. Since that announcement, the company has suffered several delays in building the medium-class launch vehicle. SpaceX, which was adapting Falcon 9 technology for air launches, withdrew from the program in 2012. "SpaceX was a partner, and like a lot of partnerships, it was just determined that it was best we went our separate ways - different ambitions," Beames told Spaceflight Insider in 2015. "We were interested in their engines, but Elon and his team, they're about going to Mars, and we're just in a different place, and so I think it was a parting of the ways that was amicable." Stratolaunch then contracted out its rocket work to Orbital Sciences Corp. (now Orbital ATK). The company also contracted with Aerojet Rocketdyne for six RL10C-1 rocket engines with an option for six more for use in the launch vehicle's third stage. The agreement with Orbital ended without the production of a launch vehicle, with Beames saying the rocket was not economical. Stratolaunch officials said they were reassessing the project in light of the shift in the market recently toward smaller satellites. In 2015, Beames said that Stratolaunch was examining more than 70 launch vehicles for use with the Stratolaunch aircraft. He indicated that the company might use multiple launch vehicles to serve different payload classes. Beames said the company would announce its launch vehicle strategy in fall 2015, but that time came and went with no announcement. Stratolaunch has long-term plans to launch crewed spacecraft. Sierra Nevada Corp. has designed a scaled-down version of its Dream Chaser space plane that would be launched aboard a rocket from the carrier aircraft. However, that vehicle was designed for Orbital's launch vehicle, which did not go forward. Beames said in 2015 that work on accommodating Dream Chaser had been put on hold due to uncertainty over the launch vehicle to be used in the program. http://www.space.com/32680-stratolaunch-rocket-vulcan-aerospace- mystery.html#sthash.XM11n7fp.dpuf 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. This research is in conjunction with safety efforts by the US Helicopter Safety Team and the Helicopter Association International. There are series of questions regarding safety management systems, incidents and accidents, and company performance. To participate, you must be between age 21 to 60, had some aircrew experience with a small civil helicopter organization (less than 5 aircraft) and in the United States in last 10 years. Current helicopter student pilots can participate. Please follow the link below and fill but if you start, please finish the survey. It will only take about 12 minutes to complete. The survey does not include any identifiable data about the crewmember, places of employment, or OEM. 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: Pilot Laser Study Over the last few years, laser strikes occurring in commercial aviation have significantly increased. As little research has been done in this area, we are interested in conducting research on the impact this is having on pilots. According to the UK Civil Aviation Authority, the number of reported incidents have increased ten-fold in the past decade. This trend looks like it could continue as handheld lasers are rapidly increasing in power and decreasing in price. Pilots who have experienced a laser strike while operating an aircraft have raised concerns ranging from distraction, to not being able to fly the aircraft due to blindness. The reporting requirements currently for laser strikes vary from country to country and data is limited. The objective of this study is to determine what occurred during the incidents and how pilots have been affected by a laser strike(s). The data will be analysed and then shared with airline industry officials, regulatory bodies and various stakeholders. The objective is to provide research that can help us avoid or prepare for these types of incidents. The survey is completely confidential and no personal information will be shared. The survey will take approximately 10-15 minutes and your participation can make a big difference in an area of growing concern. Thank you in advance for taking the time to complete this important survey. https://city.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/pilot-laser-study Balbir.chopra@city.ac.uk Curt Lewis