Flight Safety Information May 24, 2016 - No. 101 In This Issue ARGUS Completes Acquisition of Unmanned Safety Institute EGYPTAIR FLIGHT MS804 'DID NOT SWERVE' BEFORE CRASH Investigators search wreckage of EgyptAir jet and test DNA TSA Replaces Head of Security as Airport Lines Keep Getting Longer Jet diverted to Shannon Airport after vibrations detected IndiGo Pilots Dismissed After Mistaking Road For Runway Air Safety Continues to Improve Despite High-Profile Disasters Passenger plane diverts after 'screaming' man attempts to light a cigarette and open aircraft door GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY REQUEST ARGUS Completes Acquisition of Unmanned Safety Institute (USI) Unmanned Safety Institute's strong presence in UAS safety training, certification and safety management systems, will benefit from ARGUS' global recognition and existing infrastructure. Cincinnati, Ohio, May 9, 2016 ARGUS International, Inc. (ARGUS) is pleased to announce the acquisition of the Unmanned Safety Institute (USI) of Orlando, Florida, a privately held business that has carved out a recognized and respected position in the safety training, certification and management of unmanned aerial vehicles. The acquisition augments ARGUS' global aviation safety presence in the airline, business aviation and rotary wing industry segments. ARGUS CEO and President, Joe Moeggenberg stated, "It has been our objective to actively participate in the UAS sector as we have already seen the overlap between UAS and our existing clients in the airline, business aviation, and rotary wing businesses. However, in ARGUS fashion, we will only enter a new niche in the marketplace once we have brought on knowledgeable and respected program managers who have earned their stripes through years of hands-on, frontline experience." Moeggenberg continued, "We found this experience with the USI team and its founders. No other aviation safety company has more, or better resources from across the entire aviation spectrum than ARGUS." "USI recognized early on that a strong safety foundation to any aviation application is critical to the success of the entire marketplace. Keeping this in mind, USI built its position based on adoption and modification of time-tested aviation safety practices proven for over a century in commercial aviation: reducing human errors, improving technology over time, and building safe organizations. It is with these time-honored safety practices that we have established ourselves as a respected brand in the Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) industry.", remarked Aaron Greenwald, USI President. "USI's industry-leading training and widely recognized certification programs will greatly assist all operators and organizations integrate UAS into their operations safely and responsibly. Being part of the ARGUS family will not only accelerate the development of needed UAS safety products/services, but will give comfort to the marketplace knowing that a company such as ARGUS that is so well-known and trusted, has made this kind of commitment to the fast growing UAS industry." The terms of the acquisition were not disclosed and the transaction was officially closed on April 22nd, 2016. About Unmanned Safety Institute Founded in 2014, the Unmanned Safety Institute is a professional flight safety organization for operators, enterprises, and organizations focused on integrating and operating UAS safely for civil or commercial purposes. The Unmanned Safety Institute provides UAS flight safety standards and training through the adoption and modification of time-honored aviation safety and training practices. USI certifications are recognized by many leading aviation insurance providers to include Global Aerospace, which selected USI as its official and exclusive UAS training provider under its SM4 Safety Initiative. To learn more about USI, please visit UnmannedSafetyInstitute.org. About ARGUS ARGUS International, Inc. (ARGUS) is a specialized aviation services company whose mission is to provide the aviation marketplace with data and information necessary to make informed decisions and manage risk. ARGUS provides world-class aviation software and business management solutions, including AVMOSYS business management software, TRAQPak, CHEQ, and ARMOR SMS. ARGUS Charter operator ratings are the most recognized and requested independent source of overall operator quality. TRAQPak provides industry leading market intelligence data and research services, as well as expert aviation consulting. Founded in 1995, ARGUS is headquartered in Cincinnati, OH, and actively engaged with business activities in North America, Europe, Australia, Asia, South America and the Middle East and Africa. ******* Contact Information: Sally Feldmann, ARGUS International, Director of Marketing | Phone: +1-513-852-1021 Email: sally.feldmann@argus.aero EGYPTAIR FLIGHT MS804 'DID NOT SWERVE' BEFORE CRASH Mourning family members of EgyptAir crew Relatives and friends of the cabin crew and passengers on board the EgyptAir plane that crashed in the Mediterranean attend a mourning ceremony on May 22. Egyptian officials say the aircraft made no abrupt turns before its disappearance. EgyptAir flight MS804 did not make abrupt turns before disappearing and crashing as previously suggested, an Egyptian official said on Monday. The Airbus A320 was traveling from Paris to Cairo last Thursday when it crashed with 66 passengers and crew on board. Greek Defense Minister Panos Kammenos said on Friday that the country's radars had detected a 90 degree swing to the left and a 360 degree rotation as the aircraft fell 15,000 feet before disappearing from aviation radars. But a senior Egyptian aviation official said that no such turns were recorded and that the plane was flying at its altitude of 37,000 feet before disappearing, contradicting the Greek claim. "We did not record any form of swerving," head of National Air Navigation Services Company Ehab Mohieeldin told the Egyptian broadcaster CBC on Monday. "That fact degrades what the Greeks are saying about the aircraft suddenly losing altitude before it vanished from radar," he continued. He said that Egyptian officials could see the aircraft on a radar for one minute while they were unable to communicate with the pilot. Authorities are yet to offer a cause for the plane's crash. French investigators say that the plane sent signals that showed smoke was present on board the plane before its disappearance, without providing a cause for the smoke. The Aviation Herald reported that smoke detectors were activated in the aircraft's toilets and electrics three minutes before its disappearance. Meanwhile, Egypt's public prosecutor requested data from France and Greece on the crashed flight on Monday. Nabil Sadek requested that French authorities transfer documents, audio and visual accounts on the aircraft of its time in Charles de Gaulle airport and French airspace. He asked Greek authorities to hand over transcripts of all communications between the pilot and Greek air traffic controllers. Greek officials have said that the pilot, in his final communication, reported no problems and thanked them in Greek. http://www.newsweek.com/egyptair-flight-ms804-did-not-swerve-crash-462868 Back to Top Investigators search wreckage of EgyptAir jet and test DNA CAIRO (AP) -- A French ship joined the international effort to hunt for the black boxes and other wreckage of EgyptAir Flight 804 Monday, searching for clues to what brought the plane down, as Greek and Egyptian authorities diverged on what happened to the plane during the crucial final minutes before it crashed into the Mediterranean, killing all 66 people on board. Five days after the air disaster, questions remain over what happened to the doomed jet before it disappeared off radar at around 2.45 a.m. local time Thursday. Egyptian authorities said they believe terrorism is a more likely explanation than equipment failure, and some aviation experts have said the erratic flight reported by the Greek defense minister suggests a bomb blast or a struggle in the cockpit. But so far no hard evidence has emerged. A 2013 report by the Egyptian ministry of civil aviation records that the same Airbus 320 made an emergency landing in Cairo that year, shortly after taking off on its way to Istanbul, when one of the engines "overheated." Aviation experts have said that overheating is uncommon yet is highly unlikely to cause a crash. The head of Egypt's state-run provider of air navigation services, Ehab Azmy told The Associated Press that the plane did not swerve or lose altitude before it disappeared off radar, challenging an earlier account by Greece's defense minister. Azmy, head of the National Air Navigation Services Company, said that in the minutes before the plane disappeared it was flying at its normal altitude of 37,000 feet, according to the radar reading. "That fact degrades what the Greeks are saying about the aircraft suddenly losing altitude before it vanished from radar," he added. "There was no turning to the right or left, and it was fine when it entered Egypt's FIR (flight information region), which took nearly a minute or two before it disappeared," Azmy said. According to Greece's defense minister Panos Kammenos the plane swerved wildly and dropped to 10,000 feet before it fell off radar. Greek civil aviation authorities said all appeared fine with the flight until air traffic controllers were to hand it over to their Egyptian counterparts. The pilot did not respond to their calls, and then the plane vanished from radars. It was not immediately possible to explain the discrepancy between the Greek and Egyptian accounts of the air disaster. Human remains of the victims arrived at a morgue in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, where forensic experts were to carry out DNA tests, according to the head of EgyptAir, Safwat Masalam. A security official at Cairo morgue said family members had arrived at the building to give DNA samples to match with the remains, which included those of a child. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the press. Egypt, which is sending a submarine to search for the flight recorders, has also refuted earlier reports alleging that search crews had found the plane's black boxes - which could offer vital clues to what happened in the final minutes of the flight. Ships and planes from Britain, Cyprus, France, Greece and the United States are taking part in the search for the debris from the aircraft, including the black boxes. Some wreckage, including human remains, has already been recovered. The French vessel that joined the effort Monday is equipped with sonar that can pick up the underwater "pings" emitted by the recorders. It is specialized in maritime surveillance, and rescue and marine police missions. The 80-meter (262-foot) ship left its Mediterranean home port of Toulon Friday with a crew of 90, including two judicial investigators. The search area is roughly halfway between Egypt's coastal city of Alexandria and the Greek island of Crete, where the water is 8,000 to 10,000 feet (2,440 to 3,050 meters) deep. The official website of the Egyptian Aircraft Accident Investigation Directorate, which is affiliated with the Ministry of Civil Aviation, gave details of a 2013 incident in which the plane in question had to make an emergency landing. It said that the EgyptAir A320 GCC took off from Cairo airport heading to Istanbul at 2:53 and that when it reached an altitude of 24,000 feet the pilot noticed that one engine had overheated. A warning message appeared on the screen reading, "engine number 1 stall." After checking on best measures to take, the pilot headed back to Cairo airport where a maintenance engineer inspected the engine, disconnected it, and sent it to be repaired. There were no injuries, no fire, and no damage to the plane, the report read, adding that the engine had a technical problem. The report is one of over 60 reports classified as incidents, serious incidents and accidents that took place between 2011 and 2014. Among them, 20 involved A320 Airbus planes, the highest among any other aircraft. Experts contacted by AP said that while an overheated engine is not a common problem, it is unlikely to cause a crash. David Learmount, a widely respected aviation expert and editor of the authoritative Flightglobal magazine, said, "engine overheat is rare but it happens." He said that the pilot can shut down the engine and aircrafts can operate with a single engine. "I don't think engine overheat alone has ever caused an aircraft to crash. An engine fire could cause a crash but has not done so in the modern aviation era," he added. http://www.kolotv.com/content/news/Investigators-search-wreckage-of-EgyptAir-jet-and- test-DNA-380578861.html Back to Top TSA Replaces Head of Security as Airport Lines Keep Getting Longer The Transportation Security Administration moved dramatically Monday to address the issue of long lines at the nation's airports, replacing its head of security and creating a centralized incident command team at TSA headquarters. Kelly Hoggan, the agency's assistant administrator for security operations since 2013, will be replaced by Darby LaJoye, TSA Administrator Peter Neffenger said in an internal memo obtained by NBC News. LaJoye, currently a deputy assistant TSA administrator, was previously a top security official at two of the world's busiest airports - Los Angeles International Airport and JFK in New York. Kelly Hoggan was replaced Monday as assistant TSA administrator for security operations. Transportation Security Administration Hoggan, who has been the focus of congressional inquiries into staffing and pay decisions, was reassigned to new duties, Neffenger said. The appointment is part of a series of moves, some of them not revealed until Monday, that Neffenger has taken since hundreds of passengers were stranded in security lines as their planes took off at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport this month. Neffenger and his boss, Homeland Security Jeh Johnson, promised that more than 300 extra TSA officers would be assigned to Chicago's airports by mid-August - 58 of them within the next three weeks - and that 100 more part-time workers in Chicago would be promoted to full time. In his memo Monday, Neffenger said a new leadership team has been put in place at O'Hare, bolstered by screening experts from airports across the country. In addition, Neffenger said the TSA has established a National Incident Command Center at the agency's headquarters in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C. The center will track daily screening operations and will have the authority to shift officers and other resources on the fly as passenger volume dictates, he said. "These adjustments will enable more focused leadership and screening operations at critical airports in the national transportation system," Neffenger said. http://www.nbcnews.com/business/travel/tsa-replaces-head-security-airport-lines-keep- getting-longer-n579021 Back to Top Jet diverted to Shannon Airport after vibrations detected A passenger jet was forced to turn around over the Atlantic and divert to Shannon Airport early on Tuesday morning after the crew declared an emergency, writes Patrick Flynn. American Airlines flight AA-141 had departed London's Heathrow Airport at 7.40pm bound for JFK airport in New York. There were 89 passengers and crew on board the Boeing 777-200 jet. The flight was over three hours into its journey when the crew opted to turn around. The crew reported they had received an indicator light in the cockpit. Authorities at Shannon implemented the airport's emergency plan which also involved alerting the local authority fire service, HSE National Ambulance Service and An Garda. Three units of the fire brigade from Shannon town were sent to the airport while two units from Ennis were mobilised to a designated holding point adjacent to the M18 motorway at Dromoland. Several ambulances from Ennis and Limerick were also dispatched to the airport. The flight landed safely at 12.26am and was met by almost a dozen emergency vehicles. The jet taxied to the terminal accompanied by emergency crews. Engineers were also standing by to investigate the problem. The airline confirmed: "American Airlines flight 141 diverted to Shannon Airport due to an indicator light in the cockpit reporting a possible mechanical issue. The aircraft landed safely, and taxied to the gate." American Airlines said they are working to get the passengers to their destination as soon as possible. http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/jet-diverted-to-shannon-airport-after-vibrations- detected-736752.html Back to Top IndiGo Pilots Dismissed After Mistaking Road For Runway Latest in a series of woes for the nation's airline industry. Indian budget airline IndiGo has reportedly dismissed two pilots after they nearly landed a plane on a roadway earlier this year, incorrectly believing it was a runway. The incident, The Wall Street Journal reports, occurred in late February with the aircraft just a few hundred feet from landing on a road that runs near Jaipur airport, which serves the capital of the Indian state Rajasthan. The pilots were suspended from duty following a two-month probe. The low-cost airline's near-miss is the latest in a series of woes for the Indian aviation industry. WSJ notes a few others in recent months, including a tire burst for a carrier as it was landing in Mumbai's international airport, an emergency landing by an Air India plane after its cockpit windscreen cracked, and the death of a Air India ground brew member after he was sucked into an aircraft engine. Worries about the safety of India's aviation industry led the Federal Aviation Administration to downgrade India's status in early 2014, which essentially barred the nation's airlines from adding new flights to the U.S. That ranking was lifted in April 2015 as the U.S. lauded steps the Indian government took to correct safety oversight issues, though the details of those actions weren't made public. http://fortune.com/2016/05/23/india-indigo-pilots-dismissed/ Back to Top Air Safety Continues to Improve Despite High-Profile Disasters Since the start of 2014, more than 1,600 people have died in commercial aviation disasters. That rate is up from the preceding three years and results in part from some shocking incidents, including a pilot suicide and the downing of a passenger jet over Ukraine by an anti-aircraft missile. Yet a strong case can be made that airline safety - at least in terms of mechanical failures and human error - is better than ever, even as investigators try to learn why an EgyptAir jetliner crashed into the Mediterranean Sea on Thursday with 66 people aboard. Assuming all 66 are dead, the toll from four commercial airline crashes this year is 163. By contrast, more than 1,000 people a year died in plane crashes between 1991 and 1998. In regard to disasters, 2014 and 2015 were among the most dramatic in recent aviation history. In March 2015, 150 people aboard Germanwings Flight 9525 were killed when one of the pilots deliberately flew the plane into a mountainside. In October, a Metrojet airline exploded over the Sinai Peninsula, killing all 224 people on board, in what was determined to be a terrorist bombing. The International Air Transport Association tallied only four other commercial airline disasters in 2015 - all crashes involving turboprops rather than jetliners. The death toll from those four crashes was 136; including the Germanwings and Metrojet incidents, the toll for the year was 510. In 2014, according to IATA, there were 12 fatal airline accidents, with 641 fatalities, including the still-unsolved case of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which disappeared from radar over the Gulf of Thailand with 239 people on board. An additional 298 people were killed when Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was shot down over eastern Ukraine in July 2014. Including that incident, which IATA does not classify as an accident, the overall air disaster death toll for 2014 was 939. "To the flying public, an air disaster is an air disaster," said Perry Flint, an IATA spokesman." But the industry needs to make a distinction between something that was unintended, and something that was done deliberately, in order to be able to take appropriate action to reduce the likelihood of something similar occurring in the future." IATA, which represents about 260 airlines accounting for 83 percent of air traffic, says there was only one serious jet accident per every 3.1 million flights in 2015. "Aviation is the safest form of long distance transportation ever invented. And it is getting safer," Flint said. "All the data point in that direction." The flying public appears to accept those assurances, as air traffic records are being broken in virtually every region of the world. Airlines for America, the lobbying group for most U.S. carriers, predicts that 231.1 million passengers will fly in June, July and August - a 3.8-percent increase over last summer's record numbers. Indeed, the high demand for flying has contributed to long lines at many security checkpoints. Airlines are urging fliers to get to the airport earlier than usual. http://www.claimsjournal.com/news/international/2016/05/24/271038.htm Back to Top Passenger plane diverts after 'screaming' man attempts to light a cigarette and open aircraft door at 36,000ft * Vancouver-bound flight took off from Munich and diverted to Hamburg * Passenger claims man began 'being difficult' at start of 10.5 hour flight * Man reportedly attempted to open up the back-door of the Airbus aircraft * Plane was met by a doctor who then diagnosed man with a mental disorder A pilot was forced to divert a passenger plane just an hour into its flight after a 'screaming' man attempted to light up a cigarette and open the aircraft's door at 36,000ft. The Vancouver-bound Lufthansa flight took off from Munich at 2.50pm on Sunday but was forced to divert to Hamburg after a passenger began to behave erratically, local media reported. One man on the flight said the flyer - who was later diagnosed with a mental disorder - started 'being difficult' at the beginning of the 10 and a half hour flight, but crew decided to take-off anyway'. The Vancouver-bound Lufthansa flight took off from Munich at 2.50pm but diverted to Hamburg after a passenger began to behave erratically Speaking to CBC, Dan Iosch from Vancouver, who was a passenger in first-class on the flight, said that the man reportedly attempted to open the back-door of the aircraft after it reached its highest altitude. Iosch, who alleges that the drama unfolded over a series of in-flight announcements, said: 'It was reported that there was a man in the back of the plane screaming and yelling and apparently tried to open the back door of the aircraft at 38,000 feet. Apparently at the beginning of the flight he was being a little difficult, but they decided to take off. 'I guess once we got in the air he got more and more agitated and he tried to light up a cigarette. He was yelling and screaming. 'The captain was amazing. He had everything in hand and he was calm, but he redirected the plane to Hamburg immediately and we were cleared in straight away.' Pilot was forced to divert a passenger plane just an hour into its flight after a 'screaming' man attempted to light up a cigarette and open the aircraft's door at 36,000ft Landing in Hamburg at 5pm, the passenger was met by police, paramedics and a doctor who reportedly diagnosed him with a mental disorder. CBC claim that the man was later taken to a local psychiatric facility and police are not investigating the incident. Speaking to MailOnline Travel, a spokesman for the airline said: 'Flight LH476 from Munich to Vancouver made an unscheduled landing in Hamburg for medical reasons. 'A passenger was exhibiting behavioural problems. His luggage was unloaded in Hamburg where he was then handed over to the emergency services. 'The aircraft landed in Hamburg at 18:04 and departed again for Vancouver at 19:54 pm.' The flight arrived in Vancouver two hours later than scheduled. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-3604559/Passenger-plane-diverts- screaming-man-attempts-light-cigarette-open-aircraft-door-36- 000ft.html#ixzz49ZKkQD7W Back to Top GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY REQUEST: I am a Masters student at City University London and write my dissertation about Aircraft Engine Selection Process. Would you kindly take 10 minutes of your time to help me with a survey https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Engine_selection_process Curt Lewis