Flight Safety Information June 3, 2016 - No. 109 In This Issue FAA Restructuring Is Grounded by Senate Opposition US Navy pilot killed in Blue Angels jet crash in Smyrna, Tennessee Pilot parachutes to safety before Thunderbird crashes US Gives $700,000 Grant to Improve Air Safety in Eastern Indonesia Anchorage police complete preliminary investigation of vandalized Merrill Field planes Allegiant flight declares emergency at St. Pete-Clearwater airport Europe To Relax Operating Restrictions On Iran Air Lockheed wins $28.3M contract to support FAA data system Frontier Airlines enters hiring partnership with regional carriers British Airways plane evacuated at US airport after phone threat Deliveries of huge aircraft expected soon (China) Ethiopian Airlines considering 10-15 Boeing 777-8 purchase: CEO PhD Research Request FAA Restructuring Is Grounded by Senate Opposition Proposal to shift control of air-traffic control system to nonprofit corporation will likely stall, stopgap funding bill looms An air traffic controller works at the tower at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, N.J. ENLARGE By ANDY PASZTOR WASHINGTON-A bid by House Republicans to shift the federal air-traffic control system to a nonprofit corporation's control has been sidelined by bipartisan Senate opposition, according to congressional staffers, airline industry officials and others participating in the process. Continuing disagreements between senators and the Republican chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee over a Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill have created a legislative logjam, these people said, likely to last until at least next spring or summer. The anticipated result, according to interviews during an industry conference here, is that the agency will be hobbled with another brief, stopgap funding bill that all sides had hoped to avoid. Such an outcome would maintain the FAA's basic spending levels and programs, while prompting uncertainty about new policy initiatives and leaving the agency without longer-term financial stability that would benefit its efforts to modernize the nation's aging air-traffic control system. A temporary extension also would be a blow to Rep. Bill Shuster of Pennsylvania, the House committee's Republican chairman, who has maneuvered for nearly two years to pass a major restructuring of the FAA's traffic-control network and its roughly 38,000 workers. His panel has adopted the sweeping structural and revenue changes, but the measure hasn't reached the House floor. The Senate overwhelmingly approved a bill in April that doesn't include any of those controversial provisions. According to industry officials, the committee bill doesn't have enough support at this point to clear the House. In a presidential election year, according to industry officials on both sides of the debate, time is quickly running out to hammer out any compromise with the Senate. Current FAA legislation expires July 15. Some of the most telling comments came from proponents of Rep. Shuster's proposal, who acknowledged it was essentially dead for the short term. Paul Rinaldi, president of the controllers union and a supporter of the House measure, said in an interview: "I would be really, really surprised if anything other than an extension came out that pushed" reauthorization into early 2017. Given summer legislative schedules and the election, he added, lawmakers have only "a handful of days to try to resolve something." Gerald Dillingham, a senior Government Accountability Office official who hasn't taken sides in the debate, acknowledged the same dynamics have run out the clock on the House position. "We're not really thinking that this decision is necessarily going to come" in 2016, he told the conference. The FAA's leadership, whipsawed by draconian budget cuts and employee furloughs in previous years, has indicated it is prepared to live with a temporary extension. Unlike those earlier times, "we're not really expecting a budget crisis," Michael Whitaker, the FAA's No. 2 official said during a speech to the conference Wednesday. "We're in a relatively stable place" with regard to air-traffic upgrades, he said. A staffer for Rep. Shuster said his boss "has not made a decision yet," adding that his game plan will become clearer in the next few weeks. But according to people familiar with the chairman's thinking, he has concluded that "a plain-vanilla extension" may leave him in a stronger position to resume the debate in 2017 and try to win converts than a longer extension incorporating various Senate proposals. A spokeswoman for the major U.S.-airline trade association, which also has strongly backed Rep. Shuster, said "if we want to continue to have the safest air traffic control system in the world, we need to modernize technology and ensure the system can't be interrupted by congressional budget impasses. We continue to believe this transformational change is necessary." Rep. Shuster's call for dramatic restructuring has run into a barrage of criticism, including from groups representing commercial pilots, private aviators and business-jet operators-all of whom he unsuccessfully tried to woo with favorable treatment under the bill. Bipartisan leaders of the Senate Commerce Committee in May urged the House to accept their bill, which beefs up airport security, promotes widespread use of commercial drones and streamlines certification of new safety systems for private aircraft. As of earlier this week, according to people familiar with the process, Senate leaders hadn't focused on the likely length of the looming reauthorization measure or whether they would try to attach certain security and consumer-protection provisions to some other legislative vehicle. A short term, uncluttered extension "keeps alive the only path forward for air-traffic control reform," according to Roger Cohen, an industry consultant who previously headed up the trade association representing U.S. regional airlines. "Congress likes to gripe about airlines, but only acts in crisis mode" such as a government shutdown or planes stuck on the tarmac according to Mr. Cohen, who added "the deck could get re-shuffled after the election." http://www.wsj.com/articles/faa-restructuring-is-grounded-by-senate-opposition-1464907321 Back to Top US Navy pilot killed in Blue Angels jet crash in Smyrna, Tennessee Date: 02-JUN-2016 Time: 15:01 Type: F/A-18 Hornet Owner/operator: USN Blue Angels Registration: C/n / msn: Fatalities: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: Smyrna/Rutherford County Airport (KMQY), Smyrna, TN - United States of America Phase: Take off Nature: Training Departure airport: Smyrna/Rutherford Co (KMQY) Destination airport: Narrative: A Boeing (MD) F/A-18 (Super?) Hornet operated by the USN Blue Angels as an afternoon maneuvering sessions flight impacted powerlines and open field terrain off the departure end of Runway 14 at Smyrna/Rutherford County Airport (KMQY), Smyrna, Tennessee. The airplane was destroyed by the impact and post-impact fire. The sole pilot onboard the aircraft received fatal injuries. Pilot was Captain Jeff Kuss. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=187832 Back to Top Pilot parachutes to safety before Thunderbird crashes Date: 02-JUN-2016 Time: 13:15 Type: General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon Owner/operator: USAF Registration: C/n / msn: Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Substantial Location: Near City of Colorado Springs Municipal Airport (KCOS), Colorado Sprin - United States of America Phase: Unknown Nature: Demo/Airshow/Display Departure airport: Destination airport: Narrative: A General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon #6 operated by the United States Air Force Thunderbirds force landed to high desert terrain south of City of Colorado Springs Municipal Airport/Peterson Air Force Base (KCOS), Colorado Springs, Colorado during a flyover in celebration of Air Force Academy graduation. The pilot ejected prior to ground contact. The airplane sustained substantial damage and the sole pilot onboard was not injured. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=187825 Back to Top US Gives $700,000 Grant to Improve Air Safety in Eastern Indonesia Jakarta. The US Trade and Development Agency, or USTDA, has granted a $700,000 assistance fund to improve air safety systems in eastern Indonesia, US Ambassador to Indonesia Robert Blake said on Thursday (02/06). The assistance fund was granted to the Transportation Ministry's civil aviation directorate general and will be used to develop new operation system, capital investment plan and implementation timeline in order to improve flight safety and air navigation practices in Papua and Maluku. "As a large, populous and mobile archipelago, air transport is crucial for Indonesia's economy and its citizens, both in terms of passenger and cargo traffic," said Ambassador Blake in Jakarta. "This grant supports the Government of Indonesia's efforts to improve air safety and to promote economic development, particularly in Papua and Maluku." USTDA will also provide technical assistance to help Indonesia update its air navigation capabilities and improve overall air safety in the eastern parts of the country. This project will get full support from the US-Indonesia Aviation Working Group, a bilateral forum to share best practices in the aviation industry. http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/us-gives-700000-grant-improve-air-safety-eastern-indonesia/ Back to Top Anchorage police complete preliminary investigation of vandalized Merrill Field planes Anchorage police have released new details on the vandalism that struck Merrill Field in the early hours of Thursday morning. Police say an unknown number of suspects on foot gained access through the southside of the airport on foot. The vandalism is believed to have taken place between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. this morning, the department said. Investigators are asking businesses along East 15th Avenue and Debarr Road near the airport to check their surveillance cameras for footage that may have captured those responsible for the crimes. Anyone with information that could be of use is asked to contact APD at 786-8900. Police also say a cash reward is being offered for information submitted anonymously through crimestoppers that leads to an arrest. ORIGINAL STORY: An airport manager says some 87 planes have been vandalized at Merrill Field, with the main tires slashed. That's more than one-tenth of the 850 or so aircraft stationed at the airport with the resulting damage estimated at $150,000 and $200,000, said airport manager Paul Bowers. Workers doing early-morning field checks noticed the tie-down lines of some planes were slack. When they got closer, they noticed that the tires on several dozen planes had been punctured. Anchorage police were notified shortly afterward, at around 6:30 a.m., Bowers said. "I've never seen vandalism like this in more than 30 years of airport management," he said. "It's outrageous." Owners of the vandalized planes have been notified. Anchorage police are reviewing surveillance video of the airport to try to identify a suspect. Whoever committed the vandalism likely drove onto the airport and jumped a fence to get to the aircraft. The crime comes as Merrill Field is undergoing a $5-million security upgrade that will bring more cameras to the airport and tighter security to the 30 or more access gates, Bowers said. The vandalism has no doubt inconvenienced pilots who were expecting to travel today or over the weekend. Bowers said he's heard from one charter operator who was expecting to fly passengers on a halibut fishing trip on the Kenai. "He's not happy," Bowers said. A pair of small airplane tires can run between $3,500 and $4,000, he noted. "I've never seen anything like this. This is a showstopper because there's commercial operators, there's private planes, and these guys are down until the tires get replaced," said Davee Bronson, a pilot who was at Merrill Field late Thursday morning. Bronson said he's had a plane at Merrill Field for 25 years. Owning a small plane in Alaska is kind of like having a pickup truck. "This is how we hunt and fish," he said. "If this happened in the middle of the winter it would be far less egregious because you have time to recover and you could order tires." Although his plane wasn't affected, Bronson said the fact that the vandalism happened at the start of the busy summer flying season makes the crime hit closer to home. http://www.ktuu.com/content/news/POLICE-As-many-as-87-planes-vandalized-at-Merrill-Field-tires- slashed-381681211.html Back to Top Allegiant flight declares emergency at St. Pete-Clearwater airport A mechanical problem reportedly caused an Allegiant Air flight to make an emergency landing St. Pete- Clearwater International Airport Wednesday. [Times files] An Allegiant Air flight made an emergency landing at St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport Wednesday after suffering a mechanical problem, according to WFLA-Ch. 8. An Allegiant spokesperson confirmed for the station that Flight 871 from Moline, Ill., made the emergency landing at the Pinellas County airport, its scheduled destination, at 12:19 p.m. The airline apparently did not identify the nature of the mechanical issue that caused the emergency nor say how many passengers and crew were aboard. The airline told WFLA that the plane landed safety and that it is investigating the mechanical problem. Allegiant officials did not respond to requests for comment. The Las Vegas headquartered airline has encountered a series of emergency landings and other maintenance issues during the last year and has been accused by its pilots' union of skimping on safety. The airline denies doing so and says Allegiant is one of the safest airlines in the nation. The airline carries about 95 percent of the passenger traffic at the St. Pete-Clearwater airport, which reported a record 1.6 million passengers in 2015. http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/airlines/allegiant-flight-declares-emergency-at-st-pete- clearwater-airport/2279881 Back to Top Europe To Relax Operating Restrictions On Iran Air Iran Air's Boeing 747s and its fleet of Fokker 100s will remain blacklisted. Photo: Adrian Pingstone/Wikipedia BRUSSELS - The European Commission will allow Iran Air to operate more aircraft to the EU when it updates its Air Safety List later this month, Aviation Daily has learned. The semi-annual update of the safety list, better known as the "EU Airline Blacklist," is expected to be released on June 16. According to the last update-released December 10, 2015-of the list of airlines that are subject to an operating ban or operational restrictions within the 28-member states bloc, Iran Air is allowed to deploy 12 specific aircraft to the EU: 10 Airbus A300s and two A310s. Following recent safety inspections by the EC and a number of member states, more Iran Air aircraft will be cleared. The decision was made by EU's Air Safety Committee at their meeting on May 31-June 1 in Brussels. All member states supported the easing of the operating restrictions, an EU official confirmed to Aviation Daily. Only Iran Air's Boeing 747s and its fleet of Fokker 100s will remain blacklisted, and Iran Air's operations into the EU will be subject to monitoring by EASA. The airline has two 747s and 15 Fokker 100s in its fleet, according to Aviation Week Intelligence Network's commercial fleets database. The Fokkers have an average age of 24 years; the 747SP-86 is 39 years old, and the 747-21AC is 28 years old. The Air Safety Committee's decision is not yet public and the decision first has to be formally transmitted to the European Parliament (EP) and the Council before the EC publishes its updated list. In accordance with established practice, the EC does ask for the EP's opinion within five working days. The easing of Iran Air's operational restrictions to Europe follows by a couple of months the preliminary purchase agreements signed by ATR and Airbus for almost 160 aircraft in total. ATR's deal with Iran Air, signed on Feb. 1, covers the introduction of 40 ATR 72-600s -20 firm orders plus 20 options, while the Airbus deal is for 21 A320ceo family, 24 A320neo family, 27 A330ceo family, 18 A330neo (-900), 16 A350-1000 and 12 A380 aircraft. The EU Safety List is "all about safety," an EC official emphasized, adding that the EC or the EU's Air Safety Committee would not clear Iran Air's operations for political or economic reasons. The EC and EASA conducted an EU aviation safety assessment visit to Iran recently, EASA Head of Communication and Quality Dominique Fouda confirmed. It included a follow-up assessment of the Iranian Civil Aviation Authority, following an earlier EU visit in 2010, which led to the partial restriction of Iran Air in the EU. While in Iran, the EASA team also performed a third county operator (TCO) audit of Iran Air in the wake of its application for EASA TCO authorization. The results of this mission were a discussion point during this week's Air Safety Committee meeting of the EC in Brussels, updating the EU Air Safety List. The EC and EASA have been there in an inspecting capacity, not as consultants providing technical assistance, Fouda said. The EC banned most of Iran Air's fleet from flying to the EU because of safety concerns in 2010. An Airbus spokesman said that the relaxation of the operational restrictions of Iran Air to Europe is not affecting the deal in any way. "We are in continuous talks with the customer and the required governmental authorities to have all necessary authorizations in place before starting any delivery," he said, while noting that the new Airbus aircraft could be used by Iran Air to other routes than to the EU. www.aviationsafety.com Back to Top Lockheed wins $28.3M contract to support FAA data system Lockheed Martin has won a five-year $28.3 million contract to continue its support of the Federal Aviation Administration's Microprocessor-En Route Automated Radar Tracking System (Micro-EARTS). Installed in four FAA facilities, Micro-EARTS receives and integrates air traffic data from multiple surveillance sources and displays the information for use in air traffic control, Lockheed Martin said in a release. Under the contract, Lockheed will continue its technical support including analysis, design, development and testing of air traffic control functionalities for Micro-EARTS. https://washingtontechnology.com/articles/2016/05/31/lockheed-faa-contract.aspx Back to Top Frontier Airlines enters hiring partnership with regional carriers Great Lakes Airlines, Silver Airways could provide up to 25 percent of Frontier's new-hire pilots Frontier Airlines has inked agreements with two regional airlines to create a direct pipeline for pilots to join the Denver-based ultra-low-cost carrier. The partnerships with Great Lakes Airlines of Cheyenne and Silver Airways of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., announced Thursday, guarantee pilots from the regional airlines a first officer position with Frontier as long as they complete certain experience requirements. Current pilots at Great Lakes and Silver and new recruits will be eligible for the Frontier Career Pilot Program, which the airlines plan to launch this month. "The looming pilot shortage is real," Frontier vice president of flight operations Jim Nides said. "We want to make sure, looking to the future, our sources for pilots is diversified and we're not just looking in one area or another. This is one channel we think makes perfect sense in that we get to look at a pilot for a couple of years before they actually come to us." For aviation students at Metropolitan State University of Denver, Frontier's new partnerships could be a particular boon, given the school's existing relationship with Great Lakes. Metro and Great Lakes announced a priority agreement of their own last year, guaranteeing job interviews during twice-annual on-campus career fairs to grads and seniors who meet hiring criteria. "It will nicely dovetail with any relationships our partner airlines may have with universities," Nides said. "This is really a defined career path for pilots that meet the qualifications." Under the Career Pilot Program, Frontier will be involved in the hiring process from the get-go, helping Great Lakes and Silver interview and recruit new candidates. To qualify for a guaranteed first officer position at Frontier, participating pilots must upgrade to captain with their regional airline and build at least 1,000 hours of pilot-in-command time. They must also meet dependability metrics and receive a letter of recommendation from the partner carrier. Frontier anticipates the program could provide as much as 25 percent of its projected new-hire pilot staffing, according to a company spokesman. "Pursuing a professional pilot career is as challenging today as it has ever been," Silver Airways vice president of flight operations David Lindskoog said in a statement. "Being able to offer a greater degree of certainty to a new pilot as he or she considers a pilot career is a big deal." These kinds of pathway agreements between regional and major carriers have "blossomed" in recent years in light of the pilot shortage and changes to federal regulations that have increased certification requirements, said Kevin Kuhlmann, associate chairman of Metro State's aviation and aerospace science department. United, American and JetBlue are among the other major airlines that have similar agreements or training programs in place, he said. Typically, civilian pilots - as opposed to pilots trained by the military - start their careers at smaller airlines to gain experience before trying to make the jump to a major carrier. "From the airline perspective, it's to their advantage to find ways to entice people to spend their dollars in the career field, become pilots and get the initial legwork done," Kuhlmann said. "You've got to dangle some carrots to show them it's worth it." http://www.denverpost.com/2016/06/02/frontier-airlines-piloting-hiring-partnership-with-two-regional- carriers/ Back to Top British Airways plane evacuated at US airport after phone threat A security alert over an unspecified threat to a British Airways flight from London to Newark has been lifted. US media reports that two threats made by a male caller proved unfounded. The flight, carrying 206 passengers and 13 crew, landed at Newark Liberty International Airport at around 13:00 local time (17:00 GMT). Passengers were evacuated from the plane and luggage removed. Police at the airport later said nothing harmful was found on board. Customs officials continued checking the luggage but the aircraft was given the all-clear. A spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the airport's operator, said they had released the plane to British Airways. Port Authority received the threat about the plane at around 10:00 local time (14:00 GMT), when it was already in the air. ABC television reports that the two separate threats now appear to have come from the same person. No arrests are reported to have been made and the investigation is ongoing. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-36439096 Back to Top Deliveries of huge aircraft expected soon (China) The domestically developed Y-20 heavy-lifting transport plane will soon be delivered to buyers, a project manager said on Thursday. The manager expects that China will need at least 1,000 of the huge aircraft. "I can't tell you the exact time planned for delivery, but ... it will be carried out very soon," Zhu Qian, head of Aviation Industry Corp of China's Large Aircraft Development Office, said at a technology exhibition in Beijing. "More than 1,000 Y-20s will be needed," he said, adding that the figure was calculated based on the experience of the United States and Russia. Both countries have used heavy-lifting transport aircraft for years. Zhu said the military and many civilian sectors will benefit greatly from delivery of the Y-20. The plane's engines will initially be imported, but it is only a matter of time before the Y-20 is equipped with domestically developed engines, he said. China will also develop transport jets that are even larger than the Y-20 and comparable to the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy from the United States and the Antonov An-225 Mriya, designed in the former Soviet Union. Wang Ya'nan, deputy editor-in-chief of Aerospace Knowledge magazine, said prototypes of the Y-20 have completed all planned tests, and AVIC will begin mass-production. "Once the Y-20 joins the military, it will enable the Air Force to move closer to its goal of building a strategic air power," he said. The Y-20, with a crew of three, made its maiden flight in January 2013, making China the third nation after the US and Russia capable of developing strategic transport aircraft. The plane has a maximum payload of 66 metric tons and a maximum takeoff weight of more than 200 tons, according to military sources. The high payload means it can carry the PLA's heaviest tank, the 58- ton Type-99A2. According to a technical evaluation in Aerospace Knowledge, the Y-20 when fully fueled and carrying a payload of 51 tons can fly for 5,200 kilometers. This means it can reach everywhere in Europe and Asia, the US state of Alaska, Australia and North Africa. With its maximum payload, it has a range of 3,700 km, enabling it to fly nonstop from Harbin in Heilongjiang province to Lhasa in the Tibet autonomous region, the report said. http://www.china.org.cn/china/2016-06/03/content_38594088.htm Back to Top Ethiopian Airlines considering 10-15 Boeing 777-8 purchase: CEO Ethiopian Airlines [ETHA.UL], Africa's largest carrier, is considering whether to buy 10 to 15 Boeing 777-8s to expand his longhaul fleet, the airline's chief executive Tewolde Gebremariam said on Thursday. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-airlines-iata-ethiopian-idUSKCN0YO2J6 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 of which 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. To participate, you must be between age 21 to 60 (federal/university requirement), had some type of 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 for your participation! Principal Investigator Scott Burgess Doctoral student at Northcentral University S.Burgess4793@email.ncu.edu Curt Lewis