Flight Safety Information May 4, 2016 - No. 087 In This Issue Second aircraft mishap at Jakarta airports More than half of Allegiant pilots dissatisfied, looking for other jobs, survey says Flight MH370 Update: Australia Slashes Funds For Malaysia Airlines Plane As Search Nears End The challenges facing India's civil aviation sector Marine Corps fires second commander in aviation community this year FAA Approves 180+ ETOPS Diversion Time for the Airbus A350 May/June 2016 Issue of FAA Safety Briefing - New Technologies Call for Nominations For 2016 Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award PhD Research Request Second aircraft mishap at Jakarta airports JAKARTA * Two Lion Air aircraft "brushed" against each other on a runway at Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta Airport on Sunday night, the latest scare in Indonesia's aviation sector. The Indonesian airline said the pilots had been acting on instructions from air traffic controllers at the time of the incident, according to local news reports on Monday. The two aircraft - a Boeing 737-900ER and an Airbus 330 - had been due to fly from the capital to Manado and Denpasar respectively. "While on the runway they brushed off at the wings, but the damage was not major," a Lion Air spokesman told the merdeka.com news website. "However, they could not be flown due to the damage... No one was injured and they (the passengers) were immediately flown on another aircraft." According to the spokesman, the pilots had been following "the instructions and orders" of air traffic controllers from state navigation operator AirNav Indonesia. Detiknews on Monday confirmed with Transportation Minister Ignatius Jonan that the incident had been reported to his ministry. "There was definitely negligence, we are still investigating," he said. It was the second reported runway incident involving air traffic controllers at a Jakarta airports in four weeks. On April 4, a Batik Air Boeing 737-800NG and a TransNusa ATR-42 collided at Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in East Jakarta. A probe by Indonesia's National Transportation Safety Committee found that air traffic controllers, the airport's ground crew and the cabin crew in control of the two aircraft had been using two different radio communication links at the time of the incident, reported Tempo news. http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/second-aircraft-mishap-at-jakarta-airports Back to Top More than half of Allegiant pilots dissatisfied, looking for other jobs, survey says A survey commissioned by the Teamsters union says more than half of Allegiant Air's pilots are looking for jobs at other companies because of dissatisfaction with the airline, raising the question of how the Las Vegas-based company can cope as qualified pilots become harder to find. The survey of 507 of Allegiant's 700 captains and first officers said 64 percent of participants say they are looking or plan to look for another job, and 80 percent say they are very likely or somewhat likely to leave the company. The survey was conducted online by Allegiant's pilots union, Teamsters Local 1224, and was open from mid-March through April 26. The survey, released by the union late Tuesday night, comes when many airlines are clamoring for pilots and the survey's purpose is to convince Allegiant that it must increase benefits and pay in order to retain its employees. Large airlines frequently recruit pilots from smaller carriers and commuter operations and pilots see greater opportunities and higher pay flying transcontinental and intercontinental routes. But to keep their pilots, Allegiant often pitches the advantage of the company's out-and-back scheduling system that virtually assures all pilots being home every night instead of making flights to multiple cities in one itinerary. Pilot shortage issues were discussed at length in an aviation seminar in Las Vegas last year. Evergreen, Colorado-based Boyd Group International said aircraft manufacturers will produce 7,550 new planes in the next 20 years requiring 88,000 pilots. Nowhere is the problem more acute than for regional carriers and small airlines operating in small communities. In 2013, the Federal Aviation Administration also adopted new regulations requiring first officers to have 1,500 flight hours to receive their airline transport pilot certificates. Previously, the agency required just 250 hours of experience. The new regulation was approved in the wake of the crash of a Colgan Air flight in February 2009 that killed the flight crew and 49 passengers and a person on the ground in northern New York. It usually takes several years for a student pilot to log 1,500 hours. The pilot shortage is exacerbated by a rash of retirements. The FAA changed the mandatory pilot retirement age from 60 to 65 in 2007, but now, the pool is shrinking and about 500 commercial pilots retire every month. Jude Bricker, chief operating officer for Allegiant, said he agrees with many of the points made in the survey. "Union surveys always have a preconceived outcome," Bricker said in an interview. "But on the outcome of this particular survey, the company believes largely with the result of the pilot group represented here in their survey. Specifically, we know morale is low; I agree with that." Bricker said frustration at Allegiant grew out of the implementation of a new scheduling system last year that was the centerpiece of the strike threat and a resulting court case in April 2015. Company management ultimately prevailed, but Bricker concurred that the system was confusing and that developing new scheduling rules would be a part of the contract currently under consideration. Bricker also said he agrees that Allegiant pilots are underpaid based on what they could make at other airlines. But he added that he believes the two sides are close to reaching agreement on a pay scale that pilots and management could live with. He said pilots and management are aligned on safety and that both sides concur that's the most critical piece of Allegiant's operational strategy. "For the future of the airline, Allegiant Air executives should be taking a closer look at appreciation of their pilots by ending the nearly four-year delay in agreeing to a fair contract," said Teamsters Local 1224 President Dan Wells. "For the good of its pilots, passengers and shareholders, Allegiant must invest in the backbone of its operation and work with pilots to come to a much-needed contract agreement and move forward to rebuild the airline. It's in everyone's best interest." In last week's Allegiant Travel Co. earnings conference call, Allegiant Chairman and CEO Maurice Gallagher said he is optimistic about completing negotiations and having a pilot contract in place by the end of the year. The company and the union reportedly have agreed to 19 of 26 sections of a contract with five under the current negotiation. The union has used several pressure tactics over the years to influence negotiations. Pilots have approved a strike vote that Allegiant management blocked in court. The union also has publicized frequent maintenance issues that they say have led to greater scrutiny by aviation regulators. The airline has responded that it welcomes the scrutiny and has done everything it can to operate safely. Allegiant also is in the midst of upgrading its fleet with newer used aircraft than it currently operates. http://www.reviewjournal.com/business/aviation/more-half-allegiant-pilots-dissatisfied- looking-other-jobs-survey-says Back to Top Flight MH370 Update: Australia Slashes Funds For Malaysia Airlines Plane As Search Nears End The Australian government's Federal Budget Tuesday did not provide extra funding for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, fading hopes that the search for the missing plane will continue after the July deadline. The search for Flight MH370, which went missing on March 8, 2014, has been ongoing for more than two years in a remote part of the southern Indian Ocean. On Tuesday, Treasurer Scott Morrison reportedly handed down the 2016 Budget, which did not include any additional money for the Boeing 777-200's search. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), which is leading the search operation, also faced job cuts and saw its funding slashed massively from $102 million this financial year to $19.4 million per year after the end of search, Herald Sun reported. Australia has already spent nearly $90 million in a desperate attempt to find the wreckage. In its latest search update Wednesday, ATSB said it has scoured more than 40,000 sq. miles of the total search area of 46,332 sq. miles, with operations expected to be called off in July. The agency also gave updates on the search vessels scouring the ocean floor. Amid growing concerns over the diminishing possibility of an extension of the search operation, families of the 239 people who had boarded the plane hoped for answers to the mystery behind the plane's disappearance as several debris pieces were found over the last few months on the coastlines of South Africa and Mauritius. Last month, ATSB announced that stenciled codes on two debris pieces found along the coast of the southeast African nation of Mozambique "almost certainly" proved they originated from Flight MH370. Australian authorities also said that two other items - the South Africa piece with the Rolls-Royce logo and the piece found on the Rodrigues Island in Mauritius - were being analyzed in ATSB laboratories to determine their origin. In July 2015, a flaperon belonging to Flight MH370 turned up on the French-controlled Réunion Island in the Indian Ocean. http://www.ibtimes.com/flight-mh370-update-australia-slashes-funds-malaysia-airlines- plane-search-nears-end-2363749 Back to Top The challenges facing India's civil aviation sector While the opportunities are immense, the vulnerability of our skies has also grown manifolds. In 1994, the then Government of India repealed the Air Corporations Act, 1953 and replaced it with the Air Corporations (Transfer of Undertaking and Repeal) Act, 1994 thus enabling private companies to operate scheduled services at domestic locations. This was part of the broader liberalisation reforms that started in 1991. Today, India has the fastest growing domestic aviation market in the world, as per the International Air Transport Association (IATA). India's domestic air passenger demand grew by 28.1% (July 2015) as compared to the previous year. This growth is three times as compared to China's (10.9%) growth and five times as compared to United States' (5.9%) growth during the same period. Forecasted growth for India's domestic traffic is expected to be around 15% for the current year. By all means, India seems to be on a cusp of a civil aviation revolution. Aviation Industry in India holds around 69% of the total share of the airlines traffic in the region of South Asia. This time period, thus, is critical for the industry and requires serious governance and leadership to create global Indian institutions. The finance minister in his budget speech talked about the Government' intention of drawing up an action plan for revival of 160 unserved and underserved airports which can be revived at an indicative cost of Rs 50 crore to Rs 100 crore each. Nanded airport is one such airport which is in dire need of Central Government's attention. Nanded is a major Sikh pilgrimage centre and home to the Sach Khand Huzur Sahib Gurdwara, the place where Guru Govind Singh's ashes were buried. This is also one of the Five Takhts of Sikhism and therefore most important from a pilgrimage perspective. Visitors from across India and world over arrive here in large numbers all through the year. There is an urgent need to develop this airport and ensure connectivity at least through the national career, the Air India. The Rs 50 - Rs 100 crore required to make Nanded Airport operational is only a fraction of the cost of Maharashtra's CM international air travels. http://indianexpress.com/article/blogs/the-challenges-facing-indias-civil-aviation-sector- 2782618/ Back to Top Marine Corps fires second commander in aviation community this year The commander of Marine Wing Support Squadron 371 at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona, was relieved of command, making him at least the second leader in the aviation community to be fired so far this year. Lt. Col. Armando Gonzalez was relieved on Thursday "due to loss of confidence," said Capt. Melanie Salinas, a spokeswoman for 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. The squadron's former executive officer, Maj. Andrew Kano, is now serving as commanding officer. Salinas declined to elaborate on what prompted Gonzalez's removal, but Marine Corps Times learned that a command climate survey prompted an investigation into Gonzalez that determined he allegedly created such a hostile work environment that three officers under his command decided to leave the Marine Corps. A civilian in his charge also quit, according to an official familiar with the case. He took over as commanding officer of Marine Wing Support Squadron 371 in June 2014. The squadron deployed to the Middle East last year with the Marine Corps' crisis response unit for U.S. Central Command. Gonzalez enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1987 and deployed in support of Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm. He was selected for the Meritorious Commissioning Program in 1996 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant that April, according to his official biography. He deployed to Afghanistan in December 2001 with the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit and later supported Operation Anaconda, the legendary battle on March 4, 2002, in Gardez, Afghanistan. In July 2006, Gonzalez served with the task force that oversaw the evacuation of nearly 15,000 U.S. citizens from Lebanon. He was assigned to 3rd MAW the following year and subsequently deployed to Anbar province, Iraq, and Helmand province, Afghanistan. His other assignments include serving as senior adviser to the Colombian marines and working in Headquarters Marine Corps' strategy and plans division at Plans, Policies and Operations. In January, the commander of the Hawaii-based Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 463 was fired three days before two CH-53E Super Stallions crashed off Oahu, killing 12 Marines. Senior officials determined that the CO failed to keep the squadron operating at acceptable standards. The Marine Corps' aviation problems have mounted this year with budget cuts causing many of the service's planes and helicopters to be grounded due to a lack of spare parts and other maintenance issues. Top service leaders have said that units not scheduled to deploy have the hardest time getting the parts and flight hours they need. http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/story/military/2016/05/03/marine-corps-has-fired- another-commander-aviation-community/83867208/ Back to Top FAA Approves 180+ ETOPS Diversion Time for the Airbus A350 The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has granted ´beyond 180 minutes' diversion time Extended Operations (ETOPS) for the Airbus A350 family aircraft. According to Airbus, the approval means that the first FAA-affiliated operators will be able to fly more direct routes over oceans and other places with en-route alternate airports over six hours away. A350 Etops newThe approval, which includes now a basic 180-minute ETOPS, also included provisions for 300 minutes-corresponding to a 2,000 nautical miles (3,704km.) maximum diversion with a single engine inoperative "under standard atmospheric conditions." Airbus said in a statement. To date, five carriers in the world operate the A350 (Qatar Airways, Vietnam Airlines, Finnair, TAM and Singapore Airlines). As the airliner accumulates additional in-service experience, it would be granted a further provision for 370-minute ETOPS, which would extend the maximum diversion distance up to 2,500 nautical miles (4,630 km.) Each of the U.S. big three carriers have ordered the A350. Delta opted to order 25 of the A350-900, while American Airlines inherited their order from US Airways for 18 A350- 800s and four A350-900s, which was subsequently converted to 22 A350-900s. United Airlines ordered 25 A350-900 aircraft in March 2010, and in June 2013, converted the order to 35 of the larger A350-1000. At the end of April 2016, the A350 XWB had won 803 orders from 43 customers worldwide, including the recent order from China Eastern Airlines for 20 A350-900s, and the confirmation of the order for six A350-900s placed by Philippine Airlines during the Singapore Air Show. http://airwaysnews.com/blog/2016/05/02/faa-approves-180-etops-diversion-time-for- the-airbus-a350/ Back to Top May/June 2016 Issue of FAA Safety Briefing - New Technologies Back to Top Call for Nominations For 2016 Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- The Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Foundation and Flight Safety Foundation (FSF) are now accepting nominations for the 2016 Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award, honoring a leader in aviation safety. The award will be presented during the 69th Annual International Air Safety Summit, taking place Nov. 14-16 in Dubai, UAE. Presented since 1956, the Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award recognizes notable achievement in the field of civil or military aviation safety in method, design, invention, study or other improvement. The award's recipient is selected for a "significant individual or group effort contributing to improving aviation safety, with emphasis on original contributions," and a "significant individual or group effort performed above and beyond normal responsibilities." Mechanics, engineers and others outside of top administrative or research positions should be especially considered. The contribution need not be recent, especially if the nominee has not received adequate recognition. Nominations that were not selected as past winners of the Award can be submitted one additional time for consideration. Please note that self-nominations will not be considered. The Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award's story dates back 70 years. On April 14, 1945, after visiting family in Pittsburgh, Laura Taber Barbour was aboard a Pennsylvania Central Airlines DC-3 when it crashed into the rugged terrain of Cheat Mountain near Morgantown, West Virginia. All passengers and crew were killed. In the years following, her husband, Dr. Clifford E. Barbour and son, Clifford E. Barbour, Jr., established the Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award in her honor. The Award Board, composed of leaders in the field of aviation, meets in June of each year to conduct a final review of nominees and selection of the current year's recipient. Please help us honor this year's most deserving recipient. Nominations, including a 1-2- page narrative, can be submitted via the Laura Taber Barbour Foundation website at http://ltbaward.org/the-award/nomination-form/ or the Flight Safety Foundation website at http://flightsafety.org/aviation-awards/laura-taber-barbour-air-safety-award. Nominations will be accepted until June 1, 2016. For more information, including a complete history of Award recipients, see www.ltbaward.com. ABOUT THE LAURA TABER BARBOUR AIR SAFETY AWARD: The Award was established in 1956 through early association with the Flight Safety Foundation and from its founding has enjoyed a rich history of Award Board members, nominees and Award recipients. In 2013, the Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Foundation was formed from members of the Award Board, the aviation community and the Barbour family. As the foundation plans to broaden the scope of its intent, with great purpose, the Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award will continue to spotlight those champions who pioneer breakthroughs in flight safety. Back to Top PhD Research Request Helicopter Pilots, 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 any type of small civil helicopter organization (5 aircraft and under) 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 Curt Lewis