Flight Safety Information July 21, 2016 - No. 142 In This Issue PROS 2016 TRAINING Oceanographer Says Flight 370 Could Be North of Search Area FAA Eases RVSM Application Process Sydney flight diverted as drunken passengers throw punches Muslim passenger kicked off American Airlines flight after attendant announced: 'I'll be watching you' Southwest Technology Problems Cancel, Delay Flights MTSU talks partnership with Chinese aviation college ISASI 2016, Reykjavik, Iceland...17 to 20 October, 2016 (ISASI) DFW Regional Chapter (DFRC) Summer Meeting, September 8, 2016 Graduate Research Request Graduate Research Survey Oceanographer Says Flight 370 Could Be North of Search Area The oceanographer whose calculations helped an American adventurer find potential debris from Flight 370 said Thursday that the Malaysia Airlines jetliner could have crashed slightly north of the current search area. Adventurer Blaine Gibson handed Malaysian authorities in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday three pieces of debris and personal belongings that he found on Madagascar beaches in June, which he suspects came from the Boeing 777 that vanished with 239 people on board during a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014. Western Australia University oceanographer Charitha Pattiaratchi said the same drift modeling that Gibson relied on led his team of oceanographers to suspect that the airliner could have gone down just north of the search area in the southern Indian Ocean. "The best guess that we think is that it's probably around the Broken Ridge region, which is slightly to the north of the area that they're looking at," Pattiaratchi said. But he could not eliminate the possibility that the aircraft had indeed crashed within the 120,000 square kilometers (46,000 square miles) of seabed currently being searched southwest of Australia. Despite the drift modeling and other predictions officials have made about the plane's possible flight path, no one knows what happened to the aircraft or precisely where it crashed in what has become one of aviation's biggest mysteries. Officials from Malaysia, China and Australia will meet in Kuala Lumpur on Friday to discuss the future of the underwater search, with fewer than 10,000 square kilometers (3,900 square miles) remaining to be scanned by ships towing sonar equipment. The search of the seabed has not yielded a single clue. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau, which has conducted the seabed search on Malaysia's behalf for almost two years, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Pattriaratchi's views. Drift modeling was not used to define the search area because no parts of Flight 370 had been found before a wing flap washed up on La Reunion island off the African coast a year ago. The search area was determined by analysis of satellite signals that the plane emitted in its final hours. But the ATSB has previously said that wreckage found far away on the southwestern shores of the Indian Ocean was consistent with the plane crashing in the expansive search area. Pattiaratchi's modeling was based on how long the first piece of confirmed Flight 370 wreckage took to reach La Reunion, and his team's calculations of the effects of currents, wind and waves on drifting debris put the crash site just north of the current search area. Pattiaratchi said the results were not definitive. But families of victims are calling for the search to be shifted based on vague clues from debris already found if the seabed search turns up nothing. The ATSB, like Pattiaratchi, had identified Madagascar as a potential place for debris to wash up. Another six pieces of potential debris found there by Gibson are waiting with Madagascar authorities for Malaysia to collect. Pattiaratchi said he had told Gibson that Flight 370 debris was likely to concentrate on Madagascar. Pattiaratchi's earlier advice had led Gibson to Mozambique where he found debris in February that experts later determined came from Flight 370. "He rang me from the Maldives and said: 'Where should I go? Should I go to Rodrigues, Mauritius, Reunion, Madagascar, Mozambique, South Africa?'" Pattiaratchi said Thursday. "I said: 'Your best bet is the northeast part of Madagascar,' which is where he went." Five pieces of debris found in the southwestern Indian Ocean have been determined as almost certainly from Flight 370. Gibson gives credit to Pattiaratchi and Australian government oceanographer David Griffin for his finds, although only one has been confirmed as part of Flight 370. Griffin's advice led Gibson to a second Madagascar island where he found the potential debris that he brought to Malaysia. Gibson said he had been told by Malaysian officials that costs were the reason that a Malaysian investigator had twice canceled plans to fly to Madagascar to retrieve debris he had found. "They tell me it's a budgetary situation," he said. "If you're spending hundreds of millions of dollars to search under water and finding nothing, and it's only a plane ticket to pick up six pieces and some personal effects, you ought to just do it." http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/oceanographer-flight-370-north-search- area-40760588 Back to Top FAA Eases RVSM Application Process The U.S. FAA enacted a rule yesterday that should ease the application process for operating in reduced vertical separation minimum (RVSM) airspace. The rule revises the agency's requirements for an application by "eliminating the burden and expense of developing, processing and approving RVSM maintenance programs." As a result of this revision, the FAA said that an applicant to operate in RVSM airspace "will no longer be required to develop and submit an RVSM maintenance program solely for the purpose of obtaining an RVSM authorization." The agency reminded operators that "because of other, independent FAA airworthiness regulations, all aircraft operators remain required to maintain RVSM equipment in an airworthy condition." Although there were slight variations, many of the comments submitted in opposition to the proposal claimed that easing the regulatory requirements for an RVSM authorization would reduce aviation safety. The FAA reiterated that this final rule "eliminates an application requirement, and leaves intact FAA requirements to maintain RVSM equipment and operate RVSM authorized aircraft in an airworthy condition." The new rule takes effect on August 19. http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2016-07-20/faa-eases-rvsm- application-process Back to Top Sydney flight diverted as drunken passengers throw punches SYDNEY (AP) - A flight from Sydney to Thailand was diverted to Indonesia to offload a group drunken Australian traveling companions who started throwing punches at each other, officials said on Thursday. Jetstar Flight 27 was carrying 314 passengers when it diverted to Bali on Wednesday night after the six who were traveling together to the tourist island of Phuket became "extremely disruptive among themselves" and refused requests from the crew, the Australian budget airline said in a statement. The airline said all six were forced off the plane, but Bali officials said only five men were held by airport security and faced deportation to Australia. It is not clear what happened to the sixth passenger. Bali airport manager Trikora Harjo said an investigation determined that the only reason men started fighting was because they were under the influence of alcohol. "There were not seriously injured, just bruised," Harjo said. Nine Network television showed video of one of the men with a black eye being escorted by security guards from the plane. Nine reported another man had bled heavily in the plane from a broken nose. Bali airport official Yusfandri Gona said the men would undergo health checks before they are deported. "They drank too much beer and liquor on the aircraft. Some of them started fighting, yelling and punching each other and ignored other passengers and the cabin crew's requests for calm and order," Gona said. Nine reported the fighting broke out five hours into the nine hours and 20 minute flight to Phuket. Bali is less than seven hours from Sydney. "The other customers on board supported the decision to offload the group in Bali and thanked the crew," Jetstar said. The plane continued on to Phuket an hour after landing in Bali. The airline did not say whether it will pursue the troublemakers for the cost of the diversion. http://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/sydney-flight-diverted-as-drunken- passengers-throw-punches/ Back to Top Muslim passenger kicked off American Airlines flight after attendant announced: 'I'll be watching you' The flight attendant stated the man's name and seat number several times, but did not make announcements about other passengers The man reported the incident to two other staff and was then asked to leave the flight Getty Images A muslim man was removed from an American Airlines flight after a flight attendant publicly announced his name, seat number and said she would be "watching" him. Mohamed Ahmed Radwan had boarded a plane in Charlotte, North Carolina and the flight attendant went to the tannoy and said: "Mohamed Ahmed, Seat 25-A: I will be watching you." The employee made no other announcements about any other passenger. Mr Radwan asked the employee why she had made the announcements. She reportedly responded that he was being "too sensitive". The passenger then reported the incident to two other American Airlines employees. He was told he must leave the plane as he had made the first air stewardess "uncomfortable". The Council on American-Islamic Relations has filed a complaint about the incident, which happened in December last year, to the Department of Transportation after failing to resolve the matter directly with the airline. CAIR's staff lawyer, Maha Sayed, wrote in the complaint that Mr Radwan was "singled out" and "unjustifiably" removed from the plane due to racial discrimination. "Given the continuing rise of anti-Muslim rhetoric and hate crimes occurring throughout the United States, this type of reckless and harmful conduct should not be tolerated by our nation's airlines, which are legally charged with safely carrying all individuals who are rightfully present in an equal and nondiscriminatory manner, without regard to their religious affiliation or ethnicity," the letter read. "This incident is particularly troubling given the recent wave of incidents in which airline personnel have arbitrarily removed passengers of Muslim and/or Middle Eastern background without an objectively reasonable cause or explanation," Ms Sayed added. An American Airlines spokeswoman said in a statement: "American [Airlines] was contacted by CAIR earlier this year. We thoroughly reviewed these allegations and concluded that no discrimination occurred. We serve customers of all backgrounds and faiths and do not tolerate discrimination of any kind." In April, a Muslim woman was removed from a Southwest Airlines plane at a Chicago airport after she had asked to switch seats as she was told she had made the flight attendant "uncomfortable". A Muslim family of five were also escorted off a United Airlines flight in March for "how they looked". They said they had asked staff if there were any safety harnesses for their three children. The pilot told them they had to leave as it was "a safety issue". http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/muslim-kicked-off-plane-american- airlines-racial-discrimination-cair-uncomfortable-a7147311.html Back to Top Southwest Technology Problems Cancel, Delay Flights DALLAS - Hundreds of Southwest Airlines flights across the country were delayed or canceled Wednesday after technology problems prevented many travelers from checking in or boarding flights. Southwest began having intermittent problems with several computer systems after an outage around 2 p.m. Central time. Southwest briefly held planes at their gates, according to spokesman Brad Hawkins. Even after those planes resumed moving, delays piled up over the next several hours. By late Wednesday night, the airline tweeted that it was still manually checking in passengers. For about three hours, visitors to Southwest.com couldn't buy tickets, check in for flights, or check their flight's status. The site appeared to be working again by late afternoon, then crashed again. Shortly before 10 p.m. Central time, Southwest said the outages had caused 600 to 700 canceled and delayed flights. Tracking service FlightStats Inc. put the numbers much higher - 400 cancelations and 2,000 delays. Southwest said that computer systems were gradually coming back, but it warned customers booked on Thursday flights to check their flight's status online and arrive at the airport early because long lines were expected. Anxious customers tweeted to Southwest that they could not check in for flights. Leah Boyd and her husband, Matt, were flying to Providence, Rhode Island, but were held up at the Baltimore airport for three hours by mechanical issues with two different planes. They finally boarded a plane, but after sitting at the gate for nearly an hour passengers were asked to exit because of the technology outage, Boyd said. Then the pilots reached the end of their shifts, so passengers waited for a replacement crew. The Boyds ended up canceling their reservations and planned to drive to Rhode Island on Thursday instead. Leah figured it would be hard to find seats on another flight. "I've never seen so many people in the terminal," she said. "All these people are going to be flying standby." Airlines have sprawling, overlapping and complicated technology systems, and even brief outages can cause thousands of passengers to be stranded for hours. Last October, an outage caused about 800 Southwest flights to be delayed and forced employees to issue tickets and boarding passes by hand. The airline blamed a software application, and it recovered in about a day. United Airlines and American Airlines both had computer problems last summer but fixed the problems within a day. Dallas-based Southwest Airlines Co. carries more passengers within the United States than any airline. However, it is far smaller than American, Delta and United when international traffic is included. http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2016/07/20/us/ap-us-southwest-airlines- outage.html?_r=0 Back to Top MTSU talks partnership with Chinese aviation college ZHENJIANG, China - Organizers of a China college opening this fall to help the country meet its demand for aerospace professionals approached Middle Tennessee State University on Wednesday to form one of its first foreign partnerships, according to a news release. MTSU President Sidney McPhee opened negotiations with Jiangsu Aviation Technical College in China's Jiangsu province, which will open its doors in September. The college hopes to link with MTSU for expertise in air traffic control and aircraft maintenance education. China's central government is expected to open general aviation space to private enterprise, which will create a demand for aerospace facilities. Jiangsu officials anticipate as many as 500 airports will be built in the next five years - and more than 3,000 will open within 10 years. "It speaks to the international reputation of our Aerospace department to be asked to be one of the first partners of this new college," said McPhee in the release. "We look forward to exploring opportunities with Jiangsu as they prepare to welcome their students." McPhee invited Sun Jia Zheng, a vice president of the college and a local economic development official for the region, to visit Murfreesboro this year to meet with the aerospace faculty and explore opportunities for collaboration. "There will be so many new general aviation airports in China," Zheng said. "Construction isn't the hard work. We feel our key focus needs to be in the training for the operation of these new facilities, including maintenance and air traffic control." Jiangsu will open this fall with an enrollment of 600 students and six aerospace degree programs. China's central government built the campus to handle many times that initial enrollment, with white marble buildings assembled in a large area in an aerospace research park. McPhee toured several of the new college's facilities, including a Boeing 737 cabin simulator that will be used to train students on passenger safety and service. "It's an incredible campus and it's well poised to serve the needs of China's emerging general aviation industry," McPhee said. "MTSU can help this college develop programs and processes it needs to help meet their needs." McPhee is in China along with a 28-member delegation that includes several Rutherford County schoolchildren, parents and teachers who are part of a unique educational exchange organized by MTSU. The delegation will visit classrooms, participate in enrichment activities and go with Chinese families for home visits as part of the reciprocal exchange with Dongcheng Education Group of Hangzhou Normal University. MTSU's Confucius Institute, a joint effort between the Hangzhou and Murfreesboro universities, oversees the annual exchange. Families paid their travel expenses to China, but most housing and travel costs were covered by the institute and Dongcheng. http://www.dnj.com/story/news/2016/07/20/mtsu-talks-partnership-chinese-aviation- college/87341270/ Back to Top ISASI 2016, Reykjavik, Iceland 17 to 20 October, 2016 The International Society of Air Safety Investigators (ISASI) will hold their 47th annual seminar at the Grand Hotel Reykjavik, Iceland, from the 17 to 20 October 2016. The seminar theme is: "Every link is important" Papers will address this theme in conjunction with other contemporary matters on aviation safety investigation, including recent case studies, new investigation methods and aviation safety trends or developments. Registration and details of the main seminar, tutorial and companion programmes are available at www.esasi.eu/isasi-2016. We look forward to seeing you in Iceland Back to Top RSVP by contacting Erin Carroll, DFRC President by September 1 Email: erin.carroll@wnco.com or Telephone: (214) 792-5089 Back to Top Graduate Research Request You are being invited to consider taking part in a research survey on the influence of the psychological contract (the unwritten expectations between an employee and their employer) on a pilot's safety behaviours. I am seeking to understand if this part of the employment relationship has an influence on the safety behaviours of pilots. My focus is primarily on the European aviation environment. This survey is being undertaken as part of my Master of Science (MSc) in Air Safety Management at City University, London. I am undertaking this research in a purely independent capacity for my own personally funded studies. The results of this survey will only be used to support my dissertation. All data will be kept anonymous. No personally identifiable information will be collected. All answers reported in the analysis of the survey will be made without any connection to you. If you have experience working as a pilot, preferably for a European commercial air transport operator, and wish to take part please click on the link below. https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/pilotspsycon Thank you for your support Kathryn Jones Back to Top Graduate Research Survey Helicopter Pilot Trust in Automation Study My name is Nick Currie and I am a helicopter pilot currently working towards my Masters of Aviation Safety at Florida Institute of Technology. Part of my program requires me to research a topic related to my field of expertise in order to satisfy the requirements of a Master's level thesis. My thesis is focused on the topic of trust in automation. More specifically, how much helicopter pilots trust two types of Enhanced Flight Vision Systems(EFVS): Enhanced Vision Systems (EVS) and Synthetic Vision Systems (SVS). The most common type of EVS technology is Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR), and the most common type of SVS technology is a 3D moving map display. I am interested in gathering responses from any helicopter pilot regarding their trust in each of these system's capabilities. If you have used one, both, or neither of the systems, I am still very interested in gaining your input in this study. Ultimately, by completing this research, I hope to develop a list of recommendations to improve EFVS automation to aid the pilot in accomplishing their primary tasks. The survey (see link below) takes no more than 10 minutes, and it asks a series of 12 questions on each display. Please consider taking a few minutes of your time to help improve this growing field of cockpit automation. Thank you for your time and consideration. Survey Link - https://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/2788023/Enhanced-Flight-Vision- Systems Nick Currie Curt Lewis