Flight Safety Information June 21, 2016 - No. 121 In This Issue Egypt investigators to finish repairing crashed jet's black box memory units in hours Russian BAe 125 hit trees 18km from airport FAA Assessing Runway Status Lights Program The FAA Is Finally Going to Announce New Rules for Small Drones CAA and airlines to shoulder aviation safety (Taiwan) Russia developing aircraft engine for joint passenger jet with China Man arrested for illuminating aircraft Africa takes positive steps towards aviation safety Feedback prompts pilots to cut carbon emissions Bombardier receives 10-jet order from unnamed customer UK CAA to open EASA Part 66 exam centre in Istanbul ARGUS Charter Operator Flash Survey PhD Research Survey (I) PhD Research Survey (II) Egypt investigators to finish repairing crashed jet's black box memory units in hours A flight recorder retrieved from the crashed EgyptAir flight MS804 is seen in this undated picture issued June 17, 2016. Egyptian aviation investigators will finish on Monday repairing memory units from the black box recorders of an EgyptAir flight that crashed into the Mediterranean last month, a senior investigation official said. Extracting data from the memory units of the Cockpit Voice Recorder and Flight Data Recorder from EgyptAir Flight MS804 should help the country's Aircraft Accident Investigation Committee explain why the plane went down on May 19. The repairs will be complete "within hours" after which the committee will be able to determine how easy it will be to extract the data, said the official, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak. Both black box recorders from the Airbus A320, whose crash en route from Paris to Cairo killed all 66 people on board, were recovered from the Mediterranean last week. Investigators said the devices were heavily damaged and needed repair before they could be transcribed. If intact, the cockpit recorder should reveal pilot conversations and any cockpit alarms, as well as other clues such as engine noise. But crash experts say it may provide only limited insight into the cause of the crash. The data recorder, provided its memory chip is in good condition, will offer investigators a greater chance of determining the cause. The crash was the third blow since October to Egypt's travel industry, which is still suffering from the 2011 uprising that ended Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule. A Russian plane went down in the Sinai Peninsula in October, killing all 224 people on board in an attack claimed by Islamic State. In March, an EgyptAir plane was hijacked by a man wearing a fake suicide belt. No one was hurt. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-egyptair-airplane-idUSKCN0Z60V4 Back to Top Russian BAe 125 hit trees 18km from airport Russian investigators have disclosed that a tree-strike which substantially damaged a BAe 125-800 occurred 18km from its intended destination of Neryungri's Chulman airport. The 5 June accident involving the Aerolimousine aircraft occurred after a "premature descent", says a communique from federal air transport regulator Rosaviatsia. It states that the jet had been heading to Chulman after a service from Krasnodar and Tyumen. The aircraft was approaching the airport, sited in mountainous terrain, on a heading of 083° at night in low-cloud conditions. Rosaviatsia says the jet descended and struck the trees 18km from the aerodrome reference point. For a typical 3° glidepath an aircraft would normally, at this distance, have been operating at a height of some 3,000ft. The captain had logged more than 10,000h including over 6,800h on type, says Rosaviatsia. After executing a go-around the aircraft subsequently landed safely. Inspection of the airframe revealed substantial damage to the outer 2m of the left wing, specifically to the leading edge and winglet. There was damage to the wing fuel tanks, and dents to the flaps on both sides, as well as the right-hand horizontal stabiliser and inlet guide vanes on the right engine. None of the five passengers and three crew members was injured. Rosaviatsia has noted several instances of controlled flight into terrain during approach and landing, and has underlined the need to pay close attention to such matters as barometric height calculations, particularly when converting between metric and imperial measures, as well as minimum safe altitude restrictions. www.flightglobal.net Back to Top FAA Assessing Runway Status Lights Program The FAA is seeking input on its runway status lights (RWSL) program as the agency looks to expand the advisory system to more airports. RWSL, operational at 15 of the nation's busiest airports, alerts pilots and vehicle operators when it is unsafe to enter a runway or taxiway. RWSL taps into the airport's surface surveillance system to monitor current and future traffic on runways and taxiways. Red lights embedded in runway and taxiway pavement illuminate when other traffic makes it dangerous to enter or cross a runway, or begin takeoff, the FAA said. In 2013, the FAA announced plans to expand the scope of the program to 17 airports. All 17 are to be operational next year. The agency said it is considering installing the system at more airports. The FAA has developed a survey to assess whether the program is meeting expectations about cost, performance, schedule and benefits, according to NBAA, which noted that the findings will be compiled in a report accompanied by any potential recommendations for changes to the program. "NBAA fully supports the FAA's effort to gather this information to improve the RWSL program in support of airport safety," said Bob Lamond, NBAA director of air traffic services and infrastructure. "The RWSL program represents an important positive step in improving runway safety and avoiding runway incursions." http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2016-06-20/faa-assessing- runway-status-lights-program Back to Top The FAA Is Finally Going to Announce New Rules for Small Drones They will provide an easier way for small businesses to operate drones legally. The Obama administration is on the verge of approving routine commercial use of small drones, after years of struggling to write rules that would both protect public safety and free the benefits of a new technology. The Federal Aviation Administration is expected to announce as early as Tuesday the creation of a new category of rules for drones weighing less than 55 pounds. The long-anticipated rules would mean drone operators would be able to fly without special permission. Currently, they have to apply for a waiver from rules that govern manned aircraft, a process that can be time-consuming and expensive. Since 2014 the FAA has granted more than 6,100 waivers and another 7,600 are waiting for approval. Many more small companies have been using drones without FAA permission, say industry officials. Unless those operators make a serious mistake that brings them to the FAA's attention, there's not a lot the agency can do to track them down. The new rules would provide an easier way for those businesses to operate legally. The rules also would effectively lift the lid on flights by other potential operators who have held off using the technology - real estate agents who want bird's eye videos of properties, ranchers who want to count cattle and a multitude of other businesses. A summary of the new rules from last month was inadvertently posted online by the FAA, then removed Monday after it was reported by aviation bloggers. FAA officials declined to comment on the posting. The summary says operators must register their drones online and pass an aviation knowledge exam for drone pilots at an FAA-approved testing center. That would give them a drone pilot certification that's good for 24 months. Operators must also present identification for a security vetting similar to that applied to general aviation pilots. Operators also have to follow many of the rules that apply to model aircraft hobbyists-keep drones within sight at all times, and not fly them at night, over people or higher than 400 feet. The minimum age for commercial operators would be 16. Operators who want to fly near airports would have to get special permission first. The rules would still prevent delivery drones from flying across cities and suburbs clasping small packages, in part because that would entail flying over people. Amazon.com AMZN 1.08% and Google GOOG 0.29% announced two years ago that they are working on drone delivery systems for goods purchased online, and Google officials have said they expect deliveries to begin sometime in 2017. Earlier this year, the Senate passed an aviation bill that would require the FAA to issue regulations within two years to enable drone deliveries. The House has been unable to pass its own version of the bill due to unrelated controversies. Congress has been prodding the FAA for more than a decade to write rules to enable broad access to the national airspace by civilian drones. Initially, the agency put its emphasis on finding ways to enable larger drones like those used for military missions to safely fly at the same altitudes as airliners and other manned aircraft. After several years, the agency shifted its focus to small drones when it became clear that the market for their uses was developing much faster. But the FAA's slow pace led frustrated lawmakers to include a provision in a major aviation bill four years ago setting deadlines for the agency to issue regulations to safely integrate small drones into the national airspace by August 2014 and other drones by September 2015. The rules expected this week would fulfill that first deadline. The agency is also working on an array of other safety rules and standards to further broaden the circumstances under which drones can be flown. In April, FAA officials said they were drafting regulations based on recommendations from an industry advisory committee that would allow flights over people by drones weighing about 2 ½ pounds or less. Next month, another government-industry advisory committee is expected to recommend safety standards to the FAA for unmanned aircraft flights at higher altitudes. http://fortune.com/2016/06/21/faa-drones-rules/ Back to Top CAA and airlines to shoulder aviation safety (Taiwan) URGENT ISSUES:Taiwan's aviation crash record is higher than the global average, a report shows, as regulators push for training and aircraft upgrades to improve safety The Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) and the nation's airline companies are to be held accountable for the deterioration of aviation safety records, according to a report by the Aviation Safety Council (ASC). The report was unveiled at yesterday's meeting of the legislature's Transportation Committee, during which ASC Chairperson Hwung Hweng-hwung (???) briefed lawmakers on the council's progress in its investigation into the causes of aviation incidents and aviation safety research. According to the report, the average hull loss - an accident that damages an aircraft beyond economic repair - occurrence rate for commercial planes decreased from 3.18 times per million departures 10 years ago to 0.58 times per million departures this year. Although the 10-year moving hull loss occurrence rate for turboprop airplanes was zero between 2004 and 2013, it rose to 3.09 times per million departures because of the TransAsia Airways Flight 222 crash in Penghu in July 2014 and the TransAsia Airways Flight 235 crash in Taipei last year. The rate is higher than the global average, the report showed. The council has suggested several measures to improve the nation's aviation safety record. Aside from improving airport facilities, the council suggested simplified flight data recorders be installed in some older aircraft not already equipped with such devices. The council also said that there were eight incidents in the past five years involving aircraft overrunning the runway. To address the problem, the nation's airline companies need to train pilots regarding procedures when an aircraft needs to circle, it said. The CAA should have a safety-management system in place, the council said. When questioned by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lin Chun-hsien (??? ) on how the CAA has been implementing the changes recommended by the ASC, Hwung said that the agency is not mandated to enforce ASC's suggestions to improve aviation safety, except special projects overseen by the Executive Yuan. CAA Director-General Lin Tyh-ming (???) said that it had addressed some of the urgent safety issues facing the nation's airlines, adding that issues need to be completed in phases. DPP legislators Cheng Pao-ching (???) and Yeh Yi-jin (???) said that people should not just think of the ASC as an agency investigating the causes of air crashes. They said that human error and technical problems are the two main factors involved in airplane crashes in Taiwan, with percentages higher than the global average. The ASC should prevent incidents and stipulate aviation safety policies, they said. DPP Legislator Lee Kun-tse (???) pointed to the shortage of flight safety inspectors in the CAA. He said that the number of aircraft owned by domestic flight carriers has increased by 47 percent over the past six years. Domestic flights and domestic flight passengers have increased by 30 percent each, but the CAA only has 57 flight safety inspectors, Lee added. Lee said that not many pilots or airlines are willing to voluntarily file reports with the ASC's confidential aviation safety report system, adding that they were afraid that the reports would destroy careers or hurt the airline's public image. The council should offer more incentives for more pilots and airlines to do so, he added. People First Party (PFP) Legislator Lee Hung-chun (???) said he is concerned that a China Airlines industrial dispute could compromise aviation safety, adding that the CAA should intervene on safety grounds. http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2016/06/17/2003648828 Back to Top Russia developing aircraft engine for joint passenger jet with China Construction of a heavy-lift aircraft engine for a Russian-Chinese long-range wide-body aircraft has started, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin told reporters on Monday. "We've informed the Chinese side about the beginning of work on Russia's heavy-lift aircraft engine in the thrust segment of up to 35 tons. The decision was made by the Russian president in May, with all the necessary funds allocated", Rogozin said after the meeting of the Russian-Chinese intergovernmental commission. According to Rogozin, the new plane will have two engines instead of four. "Neither the Soviet Union nor Russia have ever developed such a powerful engine. They are manufactured only by General Electric and Rolls-Royce," said Rogozin, adding "now this kind of engine will also be developed for the Russian-Chinese joint project." "All development issues of a new passenger jet will now be solved, because you can't have a plane without an engine," he added. The memorandum on the creation of a new airliner was signed in 2014 during President Vladimir Putin's visit to China. It is part of a $13 billion aviation cooperation deal. A specially-created engineering center in Russia will undertake technical and electronics production while the construction of fuselage and the assembly of the airplanes will take place in China. The new 250-280 seat aircraft will reportedly be a development of the Russian-designed IL- 96. It will have a range of 12,000km. According to the managing director of Air Transport Observer magazine, Maksim Pyadushkin, the cost of the plane is estimated at $200-260 million which is similar to the American Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The first planes are expected to be completed by 2023 and to go on sale in 2025. https://www.rt.com/business/347492-russia-china-jet-engines/ Back to Top Man arrested for illuminating aircraft WESLACO, Texas The Texas Department of Public Safety arrested a male suspect today for allegedly illuminating an aircraft with a laser light in Hidalgo County. About 1:00 am, DPS troopers responded to 12th Street in La Joya to assist U.S. Customs and Border Protection aircraft personnel after their aircraft was illuminated by a laser light on the ground. The DPS officers were able to locate the suspect, Juan Peralez, 57, from La Joya. Peralez was arrested and transported to the Hidalgo County Jail. He was charged with illumination of aircraft by intense light, a Class A misdemeanor. Pointing a laser light at an aircraft can have serious consequences for the pilot and crew, temporarily blinding individuals inside the aircraft or potentially causing permanent eye injuries. http://www.rgvproud.com/news/local-news/man-arrested-for-illuminating-aircraft Back to Top Africa takes positive steps towards aviation safety The European Commission has updated the EU Air Safety List, the list of airlines that do not meet international safety standards, and are thus subject to an operating ban or operational restrictions within the European Union. Many African carriers have been on the banned list as the continent has long struggled to maintain international aviation safety standards. The update shows that airlines from three African countries have attained the relevant standard and they can now resume flights to the EU. All airlines certified in Zambia are cleared from the list, along with Air Madagascar and three airlines certified in Indonesia (Citilink, Lion Air and Batik Air). The majority of Iran Air aircraft are also cleared. An additional six airlines are subject to operational restrictions and can only fly to the EU with specific aircraft types: Afrijet and Nouvelle Air Affaires SN2AG (Gabon), Air Koryo (Democratic People's Republic of Korea), Air Service Comores (the Comoros), Iran Air (Iran) and TAAG Angola Airlines (Angola). Violeta Bulc, EU Commissioner for Transport, said: "Aviation safety is my top priority... I am happy to say that after seven years of work and extensive European technical assistance, we were able to clear all Zambian air carriers from the list." While safety has improved in some parts of Africa, there is still a long way to go. International Air Transport Association (IATA) figures reveal the continent still had the highest accident rate among regions in 2015, at 7.88 accidents per million sectors. However, there are some positive developments. The 32 sub-Saharan airlines on the IATA's Operating Safety Audit (IOSA) registry are performing 3.5 times better than non-IOSA operators in terms of accidents. This illustrates the importance of global safety regulations. IATA has called on African governments to improve safety oversight and adopt IOSA together with ICAO's safety-related standards and recommended practices (SARPs). According to IATA, in Africa some 70 million passengers are transported annually and aviation already supports some 6.9 million jobs and $80bn of economic activity. The continent has the potential to be one of the fastest-growing aviation regions over the next 20 years, with IATA figures suggesting expansion could average nearly five per cent per annum. This presents significant economic opportunities for Africa's 54 nations. Improving safety standards is one step towards opening up the continent, but is important to note that political stability and appropriate infrastructure development are also crucial to the sustainability and success of African aviation. http://mro-network.com/opinion/2016/06/africa-takes-positive-steps-towards-aviation- safety/12291 Back to Top Feedback prompts pilots to cut carbon emissions Giving airline captains tailored monthly information about fuel efficiency-along with targets and individual feedback-can save significant amounts of carbon emissions and money, report economists. The behavioral effects of such interventions are currently estimated to be the most cost- effective way to prevent a metric ton of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere. "Our study demonstrates the potentially large effects behavioral research can have in providing crucially important win-win solutions for the economy and environment, by improving existing efficiency opportunities in the workplace," says researcher Robert Metcalfe, an economist at the University of Chicago. "This inexpensive and scalable strategy represents a feasible and cost-effective way to help airline captains use standard fuel efficiency information in a more effective way." For many years, teams at Virgin Atlantic have been pursuing ways to enhance fuel and carbon efficiency, including having standard operational procedure information for fuel efficiency in pilot manuals. The company sought to work with researchers to deliver this standard operational procedure information in a more timely and useful way, and to measure the effects. Experts from Virgin worked with the study's authors to design the field work and gather data through the company's internal systems. The large-scale study incorporated data from more than 40,000 unique flights. "Every airline is looking for ways to improve fuel efficiency and working with the university team on this evidence-based study was an opportunity for us to use our data differently and engage with our captains in a way we hadn't before," says Claire Lambert, fuel efficiency manager for Virgin. "It was a substantial piece of work, but the results are impressive, and the insight we've gained invaluable. We're keen to build on this in the future." The airline pilots' steps in response to the interventions produced savings estimated at $250 per metric ton of CO2 abatement, the researchers found. The foremost existing approach of efficient residential lighting produces a savings of approximately $180 per metric ton of CO2 abatement. (Such calculations do not take into account the business costs of implementing the systems.) How much money will carbon emissions burn up? Airline captains take steps before takeoff, in the air, and upon arrival that can all affect fuel consumption. As part of the study, the researchers randomized captains to one of four groups, including one "business as usual" control group and three active intervention groups, and sent them monthly letters from February 2014 through September 2014. The letters provided one or more of the following: personalized feedback on the previous month's fuel efficiency practices; targets and feedback on fuel efficiency in the upcoming month; and a £10 donation to a charity of the captain's choice for each of three behavior targets met. Analysis of captains' responses to the interventions shows that: All four groups increased their implementation of fuel-efficient behaviors, demonstrating that informing captains of their involvement in a study significantly changed their behavior. Tailored information with targets and feedback was the most cost-effective intervention, improving fueling precision, in-flight efficiency measures, and efficient taxiing practices by 9 percent to 20 percent. Contrary to expectations based on prior studies, charitable contributions for meeting targets did not further change behavior, but captains in this group reported 6.5 percent higher job satisfaction than captains in the other groups. The interventions appear to induce habit formation, as fuel efficiency measures remained in use after the study ended. The researchers estimate a cost savings of $5.37 million in fuel costs for the airline and reduced emissions of more than 21,500 metric tons of CO2 over the eight-month period of the study. Source: University of Chicago http://www.futurity.org/feedback-airline-carbon-emissions-1186792-2/ Back to Top Bombardier receives 10-jet order from unnamed customer The parent of Wichita's Learjet says order valued at $472 million at list prices Bombardier has logged 428 firm orders for its CRJ900 regional jet. Bombardier Courtesy Bombardier said Monday that it has received a firm order for 10 CRJ900 aircraft, valued at $472 million. The Canadian parent of Wichita's Learjet said it would not name the buyer, "who has requested to remain unidentified at this time." Bombardier's CRJ - Canadair Regional Jet - Series aircraft has more than 100 owners and operators in more than 40 countries. This most recent order brings Bombardier's CRJ firm order book to 1,902 airplanes, including 428 CRJ900 aircraft. http://www.kansas.com/news/business/aviation/article84820312.html#storylink=cpy Back to Top UK CAA to open EASA Part 66 exam centre in Istanbul On behalf of the UK Civil Aviation Authority (UK CAA), CAA International (CAAi) is set to open a brand new EASA Part-66 Aircraft Maintenance Licence (AML) electronic examination centre in Istanbul, Turkey. The first exams will be delivered on Thursday 22nd September 2016 at British Side Language School, in Besiktas, Istanbul. This new exam service will give aircraft maintenance engineers in Istanbul and the surrounding regions the opportunity to sit UK CAA EASA Part-66 AML examinations locally. The exams will be delivered under the oversight of the UK CAA and will be administered locally by the British Council in Istanbul. For more information, please visit www.caainternational.com/aviation-examinations/easa- part66/istanbul-part-66-exam or contact Diane Dutton (diane.dutton@caainternational.com / +44 (0)1293 768700). Back to Top ARGUS Charter Operator Flash Survey Dear Air Charter Operators, We are asking for your help in collecting some quick metrics to assess revenue vs. non- revenue flight activity within the charter industry. This is a very short one-question survey that will take less than a minute of your time! Survey Link: http://survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07ecqh07moiomz0q4d/start Back to Top PhD Research Survey (I) Cranfield University Research: Do you or have you worked in aerospace design, manufacturing, or test engineering? My name is Steve Daniels, PhD researcher at Cranfield University, and ground crew for Lightning T-5 XS458. As part of my PhD, I am investigating how many aircraft design professionals have had some form of flying experience, and what effect this may have. If you currently work, or have previously worked in aerospace design, manufacturing, or test engineering (e.g: Conceptual Design, Aerospace Engineering Consultancy, Structural Engineering, Systems/Sub-Assembly Engineering, Computational Fluid Dynamics, Tooling Design, Flight Testing) I'd be grateful if you could spare some time to complete the survey by following the link below. If you know of anyone working in these areas who might also be interested, please share the link: https://cranfielduniversity.eu.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_82LinCFK4OdpEJn This research has been approved by the University's ethics committee, and will not record sensitive personal or commercial data. If you have any queries or comments, I welcome any contact at - s.daniels@cranfield.ac.uk Back to Top PhD Research Survey (II) Survey Link: https://cranfielduniversity.eu.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_d4IlfWhuMW3RgRn Curt Lewis