Flight Safety Information May 26, 2016 - No. 103 In This Issue Egypt aviation minister: "Nothing has been ruled out" in EgyptAir crash MH370: Three new pieces of airplane debris to be examined in Australia Bird Strike Forces Emergency Landing at Reagan National Airport Visiting Mitsubishi employees join AeroTEC for airplane certification Air Ambulance Crash: Pilot Says He Had Just Ten Seconds To Make The Final Decision Air Safety: Pilot Suicide?. 3 former Skydive Kauai pilots had safety concerns about crashed plane Lockheed Eyes Tata to Help Land Next Big India Warplane Deal. Aviation history for May GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY REQUEST Egypt aviation minister: "Nothing has been ruled out" in EgyptAir crash CAIRO -- Egypt's civil aviation minister told CBS News' Holly Williams on Wednesday that "nothing has been ruled out" in determining the cause of the EgyptAir flight 804 crash that killed all 66 passengers and crew on board. Minister for civil aviation Sherif Fathy told Williams that at this premature stage, no possible causes of the crash have been ruled out. "It could have been anything, but mechanical failure is, how do you call it, one of four or five assumptions or possibilities that might have happened to the aircraft," Fathy said. Fathy told Williams that the possible causes for the downing of the flight include: mechanical failure, a fire on board, an electrical problem, or a terror act. "It could have been many other things," Fathy added. "Nothing has been ruled out. And it's too early for that, Holly, the investigation has to really continue and we have to locate the data boxes before we say anything." The flight recorders still need to be retrieved, and as Fathy points out, once they are retrieved it could take a period of months to analyze the data. The chief of EgyptAir says Egypt has contracted two foreign companies to help locate the flight data recorders of the carrier's plane. Safwat Masalam said on Wednesday that a French and an Italian company will be working with Egyptian search teams to try and find the black boxes, which could give clues as to what happened in the final minutes of the flight. He didn't identify the companies. Earlier, President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi said a submarine would join the search. Ships and planes from Britain, Cyprus, France, Greece and the U.S. are also participating in the search for the debris from the aircraft, including the black boxes. Some wreckage has already been recovered, including human remains. There's confusion, too, about the plane's black boxes. An Egyptian government official told CBS News they had been approximately located by the pings they emit, though not retrieved. That was also reported by media in Egypt, but so far, there's been no official confirmation, and others have denied it. Meanwhile, data published by an aviation industry website appears to show that there was smoke on board the jet in the minutes before it crashed, but experts say the smoke alarms could also have been triggered by a sudden loss of pressure in the cabin. Even the black boxes may not tell us what went wrong; it depends on the information they contain -- if they're recovered. Williams notes that the crash of EgyptAir Flight 804 was just the latest incident in a truly disastrous year for Egyptian aviation. A Russian Metrojet passenger plane was downed by a suspected ISIS bomb in the country's volatile Sinai Peninsula in October, and another EgyptAir passenger plane was hijacked by a man wearing a fake suicide belt in March. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/egyptair-flight-804-crash-civil-aviation-minister-says-nothing-has-been- ruled-out/ Back to Top MH370: Three new pieces of airplane debris to be examined in Australia Three new pieces of airplane debris believed to be from the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 are set to be examined in Australia, the country's transport minister announced on Thursday. Two of the new pieces of debris are coming from the small nation of Mauritius while the third piece was found in Mozambique, Transport Minister Darren Chester said. "The Malaysian government is yet to take custody of the items; however, as with previous items, Malaysian officials are arranging collection and it is expected the items will be brought to Australia for examination," Chester said. "These items of debris are of interest and will be examined by experts," he added. Flight MH370 disappeared on March 8, 2014 en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board. The latest news follows an announcement earlier this month that pieces of debris found in South Africa and Mauritius were thought to be "almost certainly" from MH370 after examination by experts in Australia. According to the Joint Agency Coordination Centre -- the Australian body in charge of the Indian Ocean search for the missing Boeing 777 -- more than 105,000 sq km of the 120,000 sq km "search zone" in the southern Indian Ocean has been combed for evidence of the missing jetliner. http://www.business-standard.com/article/international/mh370-three-new-pieces-of-airplane-debris-to- be-examined-in-australia-116052600466_1.html Back to Top Bird Strike Forces Emergency Landing at Reagan National Airport, Startling Neighbors An emergency landing at Reagan National Airport Tuesday, caused by a bird strike, frightened residents who live nearby. News4 Transportation Reporter Adam Tuss has details. (Published Wednesday, May 25, 2016) A plane made an emergency landing at Reagan National Airport Tuesday after a bird took out one of its engines, startling nearby neighbors. A couple that lives off Foxhall Road in northwest D.C. told News4 they heard a huge bang and looked up in the sky. The plane was making a sound so loud and unusual, they thought it was going to crash. "All of a sudden I hear this bang and I realized it was an airplane and I come out of the garage and I look up and I hear this plane going baaaaaaaa," Mike Harbold said. Harbold is used to the sound of planes flying right above his home, but that was anything but normal. For Harbold and his wife, Alexandra, it wasn't the first major plane incident with which they've dealt. They were in New York in 2001 when an American Airlines plane crashed just a few blocks away from where they were in Queens. "What are the chances of something like that happening again?" Alexandra Harbold said. "You get used to hearing the planes and you don't think it's such a big deal, but when you've had that experience, any noise out of the ordinary you start to panic and you think you are got to relive this experience." The plane landed safely and no one was hurt. American Airlines has not replied to a request for comment. Bird strikes happen frequently. More than 13,000 were reported in 2014, according to the FAA. Most famously, a 2009 bird strike in New York City took out both engines on a plane, requiring pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger to land on the Hudson River. All 158 passengers and crew members survived what is known as the Miracle on the Hudson. http://www.nbcwashington.com/traffic/transit/Bird-Strike-Forces-Emergency-Landing-Reagan-National- Airport-Startling-Neighbors-380859921.html Back to Top Visiting Mitsubishi employees join AeroTEC for airplane certification MOSES LAKE (VIDEO) - Thirty-seven jobs remain open for the Mitsubishi MRJ 90 Regional Jet certification project at the Grant County International Airport. The new passenger jet is designed to carry 78 or 92 passengers, depending on the model, for regional airline service. It is designed to use less fuel, fly quieter and with less emissions. Roughly 400 employees are going to work on the project to secure flight certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Japanese government. About half of the people are engineering staff employed by Mitsubishi and will be temporarily stationed in Moses Lake, according to Port of Moses Lake Executive Director Jeff Bishop. The number of Mitsubishi employees working in Moses Lake at any one time depends on the work being performed. Mitsubishi is not bringing the families of its staff unless they are scheduled to be in Moses Lake for more than a year. Bishop said they estimate about 25 to 50 children could be brought with them. To take care of the transferred Mitsubishi employees, the company is arranging to house employees in a new apartment complex that is under construction, said Bishop. The Japanese company leased 60 cars for them to use during the visit and plans to have a small clinic at the airport to accommodate people speaking Japanese as their native language. The rest of the staff, needed to complete the three year project, is working for AeroTEC. "AeroTEC is contracted to test the Mitsubishi Regional Jet. We are expanding our staff to accommodate this and other projects," the company stated. "AeroTEC will provide Mitsubishi with flight test services, aircraft certification services and technical support." The company has offices and a 65,000-square-foot hangar at the Grant County International Airport. The hangar is capable of accommodating three Mitsubishi MRJ 90 aircraft at one time. It is large enough to fit a Boeing 777-9X, according to The Seattle Times. Representatives for Mitsubishi stated they decided to test their aircraft in Moses Lake because of the long runways, built in the 1960's at the former Larson Air Force Base, and because of the congested airspace above Japan. AeroTEC hired 108 people from Moses Lake, and anywhere they could find applicants meeting their job requirements. The company continues looking for people to be hired for the 37 positions remaining unfilled (as of May 25). People can apply for jobs at the AeroTEC corporate website, according to AeroTEC President Lee Human. The economic impact of the additional AeroTEC staff and visiting Mitsubishi employees is going to be beneficial to the Moses Lake area, Bishop said. Jobs at AeroTEC and money spent by Japanese visitors will help businesses from grocery stores and restaurants to gas stations and retail stores. All of the employees, hired by AeroTEC or temporarily stationed by Mitsubishi, will pay taxes and boost revenue used by government agencies. Bishop said he couldn't guess how much money the project will infuse into the economy and is considering seeking a study about the economic impact. The success of AeroTEC to facilitate Mitsubishi could lead to more companies doing business at the Grant County International Airport. Bishop wouldn't say how many companies were talking to the port about future business, but he said community support is important. "We are all economic developers," he said. Everyone living in Grant County makes a difference with how they talk about, or how they communicate on social media, about their community and by showing support for new businesses, said Bishop. Companies follow comments on Facebook and news websites to help determine if the public welcomes new businesses. http://www.ifiberone.com/news/visiting-mitsubishi-employees-join-aerotec-for-airplane- certification/article_bffaded4-22d7-11e6-a1e5-a71f83ea1b75.html Back to Top Air Ambulance Crash: Pilot Says He Had Just Ten Seconds To Make The Final Decision NEW DELHI -- The pilots of Beech King Air C-90A air ambulance had a window of just about "ten seconds" to make the decision for crash-landing the ill-fated flight after both its engines had failed. Captain Amit Kumar, the man who piloted the aircraft and whose prompt decision-making saved the lives on board and avoided casualty on the ground yesterday, recalling the last moments said his aim was to ensure safety of people. The air ambulance coming from Patna with a patient, who had suffered a brain stroke, and six others on board crash landed in Najafgarh area in south-west Delhi after both its engines shut down one after the other but all passengers escaped unhurt. Delhi was around 40 kms away when the first engine failed. "The airplane had sufficient fuel. When the first engine collapsed, there was still possibility of making it to the airport, so we went ahead. "Within another eight to ten minutes, the second engine also failed. We were around 15 km away from the airport and now we knew that we could not reach our destination. "At that crucial moment, we did not have to think twice before turning right, which is towards Haryana. To our left was the crowded Najafgarh town," Kumar told PTI. The airplane was flying at an altitude of less then 3,000 ft, for the pilots to have a closer look on the ground. However, they were in touch with the Air Traffic Control (ATC) throughout. "We had ten more seconds to go when we spotted the field (located at Kair village in Najafgarh). There were no electric poles there and the closest village was nearly 100 metres away. The decision was taken," he said. Seconds after the touchdown, the aircraft bumped on a cemented plane in the field and its landing gear was shorn off. "My only aim was to ensure safety of the passengers and I am happy that I succeeded," said the pilot, who has been flying airplanes since 2011. The 27-year-old six-seater aircraft had crash landed at around 2:40 PM on a field in Kair village in Najafgarh, about 10 km from the IGI Airport. The plane was co-piloted by Rohit Singh. Meanwhile, a posse of police personnel remain deployed at the site today as the aircraft was inspected by multiple agencies, probing the technical causes behind the crash landing. The police have registered a case of 336 (act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) of IPC against unknown persons at Jafar Kalan Police Station in connection with the incident. 61-year-old patient Virender Rai, who was being flown to Delhi, was rushed to the Medanta hospital in Gurgaon immediately after the mishap. The four other onboard included Rupesh (doctor), Jung Bahadur (aircraft technician), Juhi and Bhagwan Rai (both relatives of the patient), besides the pilot and the co-pilot. A small 20-year-old BSF plane had crashed near Dwarka in December last year in which all 10 people on board had been killed. A DGCA official said the final investigation into the matter will be conducted by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau. http://www.huffingtonpost.in/2016/05/26/air-ambulance-crash_n_10137826.html Back to Top Air Safety: Pilot Suicide? Alan B. Hoffman On the morning of February 19, 1955 TWA Flight 260, a Martin 404 piloted by Captain Ivan Spong, took off from Albuquerque for Santa Fe, New Mexico. The weather was overcast and snowing, with clouds obscuring the mountains in the vicinity, including 10,800 foot Sandia Mountain just north of the Albuquerque airport. After taking off to the southeast, the aircraft made an extended right turn toward its northbound course toward Santa Fe. Instead of rolling out on a northerly heading, however, it continued turning toward the east and disappeared into the overcast. The tower called Flight 260 to confirm that it was on course; there was no answer to this or further calls, and the flight was reported missing. When the weather cleared the next day the wreckage was located in a remote area on Sandia Mountain. Recovery of key components was hampered by the difficulty of reaching the crash site, but eventual analysis of the radio equipment and navigational instruments revealed no evident malfunction. On October 12, 1955 the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB), which at that time conducted aviation accident investigations, issued its report. It concluded that the probable cause was "a lack of conformity with prescribed enroute procedures and the deviation from airways at an altitude too low to clear obstructions ahead." The CAB also concluded that only the peak of Sandia Mountain was obscured by cloud, and that even if there had been instrument failure, "all the pilot had to do was look outside to determine that he was not following the airway." Therefore, it stated, "from all available evidence and lack of any evidence to the contrary, the Board can only conclude that the direct course taken by the flight was intentional." (emphasis added). In short, it accused Captain Spong of committing suicide, taking his crew and passengers to their deaths with him. But the story does not end there. The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) launched its own accident investigation with the support of TWA's Engineering Department. They uncovered a history of malfunctions in the Radio Magnetic Indicators (RMIs) of Martin 404s which had caused significant heading errors, and presented this evidence to the CAB. In August, 1957, the CAB issued an amended report that dropped the word "intentional," but again rejected instrument failure as the cause, citing the "excellent visibility" near the area of the crash." It said, "there is no understandable reason why the pilots would not know, by reference to the conspicuous terrain features, that they were not on the planned course." Even if there was instrument failure, it concluded, the accident wouldn't have occurred if the crew had been paying attention. The airline and the union did not give up. Using eyewitness testimony in the CAB record, they established that given the wind velocity, temperature, flight path, gross weight and climb capabilities of the aircraft, it entered the overcast at an altitude at which the continued turn toward the mountain was not evident. They also pointed to the radio communications record, which showed that before takeoff Captain Spong asked the tower to repeat a reporting point, to define its exact location, and to confirm his understanding of its location-requests he was unlikely to have made if he did not intend to comply. The airline and the union also submitted demonstrative exhibits showing that technical data, together with evidence in the CAB's own investigative record, established that an RMI malfunction could have led the aircraft to the point of impact while the pilot-relying on the instrument while in the clouds-believed he was on course to Santa Fe, not a collision course with a mountain. The CAB held a third hearing in January, 1959. On June 15, 1960-more than five years after the accident- the CAB issued a further amended report. It conceded that the final course Spong took could not have been intentional. It admitted the possibility of instrument malfunction. And it changed its probable cause determination to "Unknown." The story of TWA Flight 260 is that of an airline, its pilots and their lawyers joining forces to successfully challenge the findings and conclusions of the government agency responsible for investigating air accidents, and persuading it to change its findings and conclusion to exonerate a pilot it had accused of deliberately causing a fatal air crash.[1] It underscores the potential impact of careful analysis and presentation of evidence and effective advocacy. Husch Blackwell LLP - Alan B. Hoffman http://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=4fccc20f-ff59-4f78-acd7-0e1390e90b66 Back to Top 3 former Skydive Kauai pilots had safety concerns about crashed plane Three former Skydive Kauai pilots said they were concerned about the airworthiness of the plane that crashed Monday just after takeoff, killing all five people on board. "I didn't feel comfortable flying that plane myself," said one pilot. Two of the pilots said they quit rather than go up in the 51-year-old plane again. The third said he left Skydive Kauai in 2012 when he asked to see the plane's maintenance logs and was fired. Hawaii News Now granted the three pilots anonymity. The pilot who said he was fired said that he had experienced a minor maintenance issue with the airplane and lost oil pressure in the engine. "Luckily, I was on the ground," he said. The pilot said Skydive Kauai's owner subsequently refused to show him the maintenance log books for the aircraft. "It kind of made me wonder something was going on with the airplane," he said. Skydive Kauai owner David Timko, who has headed the company since 2005, said the company has a "perfect safety record." The plane that crashed Monday had no prior incidents in the last 11 years. Authorities said the Cessna 182H had just taken off about 9:30 a.m. Monday when it ran into trouble. A witness said he could hear the engine sputtering, and saw the plane beginning to turn back toward the airport when the engines cut out and the aircraft burst into flames. On board were two brothers from Oklahoma who were to skydive, two tandem skydive instructors, and a pilot. The NTSB is investigating the crash. Attorney Rick Fried, who has handled a number of wrongful death lawsuits over plane crashes, said the maintenance records of the aircraft will be a focus of the federal investigation that's now underway. "With the severity of the incident, I think they'll look at all that very closely, he said. http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/32057464/former-skydive-kauai-pilots-say-they-had-safety- concerns-about-crashed-plane ************** Date: 23-MAY-2016 Time: 09:30LT Type: Cessna 182H Skylane Owner/operator: D & J Air Adventures Inc dba Skydive Kauai Registration: N2007X C/n / msn: 18256107 Fatalities: Fatalities: 5 / Occupants: 5 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: near Port Allen Airport, Hanapepe, Kauai, HI - United States of America Phase: Take off Nature: Parachuting Departure airport: Port Allen (PHPA) Destination airport: Port Allen (PHPA) Narrative: The aircraft impacted terrain during an apparent attempted return to Port Allen Airport, Hanapepe, Kauai, Hawaii. The pilot, two skydive instructors and two tandem jumpers were believed to be aboard. The airctraft was partially consumed by the ensuing fire and the five occupants onboard received fatal injuries. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=187561 Back to Top Lockheed Eyes Tata to Help Land Next Big India Warplane Deal * India needs hundreds of fighter jets to replace aging fleet * Lockheed, Tata have joint venture to build cargo plane parts Lockheed Martin Corp. is leaning toward the Tata Group as a potential partner to build its flagship F-16 as India looks to modernize an aging fleet of fighter jets. "Naturally we would gravitate to Tata," George Standridge, Lockheed Martin's vice president for Aeronautics Strategy and Business Development, said in an interview in New Delhi on Wednesday when asked about production of F-16s. "We know them well and we have worked with them well." Lockheed Martin, Boeing Co. and Saab AB are all maneuvering for the next big fighter jet contract in India, which may be announced sometime in the next year. India still needs hundreds of warplanes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi scaled back an order for Rafale jets due to disagreements over price. About a third of India's 650 fighter jets are more than 40 years old, putting the nation's defenses at risk as neighboring China bolsters its military capabilities. Replacing them with planes made locally would improve security and help achieve Modi's goal of transforming India from the world's biggest weapons importer into a global hub for defense manufacturing. Lockheed and Tata Advanced Systems Ltd. have had a joint venture since 2012 to build tail sections and center wing-box components for the C-130 cargo plane's global supply chain. Tata Advanced Systems had no comment on a possible tie-up with Lockheed Martin to build F-16s, according to a spokesperson. Rafale Deal Since January, Indian government officials have listened to pitches from foreign manufacturers to build combat planes in India. No announcement has been made on either the timeframe or the quantity under consideration. Any agreement is likely to be between governments, however, after a tender process for 126 warplanes that began in 2007 -- the world's biggest fighter jet deal at the time -- has yet to be concluded. India picked Paris-based Dassault Aviation SA in 2012 to build the planes at an estimated cost of about $11 billion. Yet talks stalled over price and quality guarantees, and Modi decided last year to instead buy only 36 of the fighter jets directly from the French government. The deal is still being finalized. For an analysis of why Modi scaled down the Rafale deal, click here. Lockheed Martin has been in talks with the U.S. government over producing in India for more than a year, Standridge said. 'Ready to Go' "We are ready to go with the Indian government when it is ready to go," he said. "We are engaging with the Indian government on a recurring basis to ensure we are responsive." The U.S. and India have strengthened defense ties since Modi came to power. Last month U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter reiterated plans to help India develop jet-engine technology. It would be feasible for Lockheed Martin to set up an F-16 assembly line if about 100 jets are to be produced for the Indian Air Force and for possible exports, Abhay Paranjape, a director for business development of the company, said in March. Saab has proposed setting up a production facility in India for its Gripen aircraft as well as a development center for the plane, Ulf Nilsson, the company's Head of Aeronautics, said in a March interview. Boeing has also offered to manufacture its F/A-18 fighter jets -- the mainstay of the U.S. navy -- in India. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-05-25/lockheed-eyes-tata-as-f-16-partner-for-next-big- india-jet-deal Back to Top Aviation history for May: * May 1, 1965 - A speed record of 2,070 miles per hour in level flight was set by a U.S. Air Force YF-12A, which also carried the designation of A-11 and, more famously, SR-71. * May 3, 1923 - The first transcontinental nonstop flight from Roosevelt Field, Long Island, New York to San Diego in a Fokker T-2 flown by O.G. Kelly and J.A. Macready of the U.S. Air Service, then an element of the Army. * May 12, 1949 - The Berlin Airlift ends after moving 2.32 million tons to the beleaguered city on 276,926 flights. * May 13, 1940 - First free flight of the first practical single-rotor helicopter in the United States by Igor Sikorsky. * May 14, 1908 - First airplane passenger as Wilbur Wright takes up Charles W. Furnas. * May 15, 1939 - The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association is incorporated in Trenton, New Jersey. * May 15, 1941 - The first British jet - the Gloster E28/39 powered by a Whittle W/X jet engine made its first official flight at Cranwell, England. * May 19, 1953 - Jacqueline Cochran becomes the first woman to fly faster than the speed of sound in an F-86 Sabrejet, a product of North American Aviation, now part of Boeing. * May 21, 1927 - Charles Lindbergh lands in Paris his solo flight of 33 hours, 39 minutes in the Ryan "Spirit of St. Louis." * May 21, 1958 - Sen. A.S. "Mike" Monroney introduced a bill to create an independent Federal Aviation Administration to succeed the Civil Aeronautics Administration under the Department of Commerce. * May 31. 1967 - The first nonstop transatlantic flight was begun with two Sikorsky HH-3Es. The flight to the Paris Air Show was completed the next day after nine aerial re-fuelings. 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