Flight Safety Information August 8, 2016 - No. 154 In This Issue Balloon Pilot in Deadly Crash Tried to Duck Under Clouds, Investigators Believe Delta hit by computer outage, flights delayed worldwide Creator Of Bugatti 100P Replica Dies In Test Crash Dubai air crash investigation 'may take a year' Pilot Arrested for Reckless Operation of an Aircraft Deep sea search for missing AN-32 aircraft to begin soon FAA investigating after four commercial aircraft report being illuminated by lasers over Kentucky The Mistake Most People Make During an Airplane Evacuation FAA Upgrades Indonesia`s Aviation Safety Rating Airlines should keep pilots records for 3 years after training (India) FAA to investigate Calif. skydiving deaths Eurocopter AS350 Accident (Nepal) Several terrain warnings sounded before Il-76 crash Qantas buys new 787-9 flight simulator Iran plans to buy 20 regional jets from Japan's Mitsubishi Corp Airbus faces criminal corruption probe in Britain Oman Air adds two new B737-800 aircraft to fleet ISASI 2016, Reykjavik, Iceland...17 to 20 October, 2016 (ISASI) DFW Regional Chapter (DFRC) Summer Meeting, September 8, 2016 Graduate Research Survey Request Balloon Pilot in Deadly Crash Tried to Duck Under Clouds, Investigators Believe Pilot sought to quickly descend through a break in thick clouds, apparently without noticing power lines A Texas trooper talks with men at a checkpoint near the scene of a July 30 hot-air balloon crash that killed 16 people. By ANDY PASZTOR Federal investigators believe the pilot of a sightseeing balloon that crashed last month killing 16 people sought to quickly descend through a break in clouds, apparently without noticing power lines below, according to two people familiar with the details. The preliminary conclusions of National Transportation Safety Board experts, which haven't been made public, provide the clearest sequence of events so far about what likely led to the deadliest U.S. accident of a lighter-than-air vehicle in modern times. Evidence and interviews gathered by investigators-including a cellphone picture sent by a balloon passenger to someone on the ground minutes before the July 30 crash-indicate that contrary to safety rules, the commercial hot-air balloon was floating above a thick cloud bank with little or no visibility of the Central Texas pastureland beneath, according to a person briefed on the investigation. The image sent by the passenger showed a single break in the heavily overcast sky, according to this person, with shadows of towers holding up electrical transmission lines discernible in the surrounding cloud layer. The NTSB has said safety rules restrict such balloons to be aloft only when visibility is at least one mile, and pilots are supposed to stay clear of clouds. The tentative finding of investigators, according to the person who was briefed, is that the balloon got into trouble as the pilot seemingly tried to duck under the cloud cover. An NTSB spokesman declined to comment Sunday. The conclusions could change, and it could take up to a year for the safety board to issue a final investigative report. The safety board previously said investigators found "no evidence of pre-existing failures, malfunctions or problems" with the balloon. Last week, the NTSB said Alfred G. "Skip" Nichols IV, the 49-year-old pilot, had set the balloon to descend before part of it hit a power line, likely severing the basket that held 15 passengers and sparking what eyewitnesses described as a fireball on the ground from the propane the balloon used as fuel. Investigators also told reporters they were examining weather conditions in and around Lockhart, Texas, 30 miles south of Austin, where the crash occurred, including possible fog or overcast conditions. But until now, it hasn't been clear why the pilot may have picked that particular spot to descend, after sending his ground crew the message he usually transmitted to signal he was preparing to land. "Power lines are something that every hot air balloon pilot learns from a very early start in their career to avoid at nearly all costs," said Jeff Chatterton, a spokesman for the Balloon Federation of America. Investigators also are delving into a 2014 incident in which a balloon operated by the same company, Heart of Texas Hot Air Balloon Rides, experienced a hard landing near Kyle, Texas, that broke the leg of a passenger. Some safety board officials are pushing for a public hearing highlighting what critics have called the Federal Aviation Administration's inadequate oversight of commercial balloons and their operators. Balloon passengers expect the same level of oversight and safety requirements the FAA has imposed over the years on sightseeing operators using small planes or helicopters, Deborah Hersman, a former NTSB chairman, told CNN last week. The agency also is on the defensive because the pilot went to prison twice in Missouri on drug- and alcohol-related charges. Mr. Nichols was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 1999 for possessing a controlled substance, and served roughly 1 1/2 years in a Missouri Department of Corrections facility after pleading guilty to the charge. Court records show he went back to prison in 2010 for nearly two years after his parole was revoked following a 2007 arrest in Town and Country, Mo., for driving while intoxicated. After receiving an initial certificate, balloon pilots are obligated to tell the FAA about drug- or alcohol-related offenses, according to the agency. In 2014, the safety board publicly issued nonbinding recommendations calling for tighter regulation of balloons carrying passengers. Without such changes, the safety board said in an April 7, 2014, letter, "the potential for a high number of fatalities in a single air tour balloon accident is of particular concern." Nearly two years earlier, a report by an FAA safety inspector raised similar red flags and called for identical changes. But high-ranking FAA officials ultimately failed to take action on either set of warnings. Michael Huerta, the agency's administrator, responded to the board in a 2005 letter that, among other things, said the number of balloon flights nationwide "is so low," the FAA "believes the risk posed to all pilots and participants is also low." After the July 30 accident, an FAA spokesman said "it's too early to say what our next actions might be, until we've had a chance to gather and examine the evidence." http://www.wsj.com/articles/balloon-pilot-in-deadly-crash-tried-to-duck-under-clouds- investigators-believe-1470596149 Back to Top Delta hit by computer outage, flights delayed worldwide Delta Air Lines Inc (DAL.N) said a "major system-wide network outage" on Monday had delayed flights worldwide and technicians were working to resolve the computer problem as soon as possible. Flights scheduled for departure were not taking off, but those already in the air were operating normally, Delta said in a statement. Delta operates 5,000 departures a day and is a member of the SkyTeam alliance alongside airlines including Air France-KLM (AIRF.PA). It also partners for transatlantic flights with Virgin Atlantic [VA.UL], which said its flights were operating normally but cautioned that passengers should check tickets in case their flight was due to be operated by Delta as part of a code share agreement. "Delta experienced a computer outage that has impacted flights scheduled for this morning," said Delta, the world's second largest airline measured by revenue passenger kilometers flown. "Our systems are down everywhere. Hopefully it won't be much longer," the airline said on Twitter. The outage was affecting flights globally, a London-based spokeswoman for the airline said. Passengers stuck in check-in queues in airports across the world, or on board planes waiting to depart took to Twitter to share photos and frustration at the delays. "1 hr.+ lines @HeathrowAirport for @Delta due to system outage," tweeted user @MITJAKE with a picture of passengers waiting to check in. The glitch follows several high-profile computer problems faced by U.S. airlines in recent months. Budget carrier Southwest Airlines Co (LUV.N) last month had to halt departures after a technical outage, while American Airlines (AAL.O) had to suspend flights from three of its hubs last September after technical problems. Industry consultants say airlines face an increasing risk from computer disruptions as they automate more of their operations, distribute boarding passes on smartphones and outfit their planes with Wifi. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-delta-air-outages-idUSKCN10J0VP Back to Top Creator Of Bugatti 100P Replica Dies In Test Crash The Bugatti 100P was an airplane unique in its use and its existence-it was a one-off project by company founder Ettore Bugatti around the start of World War II, and it never got to fly as meant to. A replica of the plane reportedly crashed nose first in a test flight on Saturday, killing its builder. According to a report from local news station KFOR, the 100P replica went up for its third and final test flight on Saturday morning in Burns Flat, Oklahoma. Crew members told KFOR the replica-flown by creator Scotty Wilson, a pilot with a reported 11,000 hours in the cockpit-was to be put in a museum following the flight, and a small crowd gathered to watch the plane that morning. The plane took off from an Oklahoma air field before it "banked suddenly left and crashed nose first into a field," according to witnesses who spoke with KFOR. It smoldered for an hour following the crash, according to the station. From KFOR: Eyewitness crew member Aldert Van Nieuwkoop said, "It wasn't climbing at a very high rate. The next thing that I saw was a very sharp turn to left and down she went." Within seconds the wood frame craft caught fire. A chase helicopter landed quickly to give aid but the pilot, Scotty Wilson, likely died on impact. Crew members and onlookers are unsure of what caused the plane to go down, but KFOR reports that the National Transportation Safety Board arrived at the crash site on Saturday afternoon to assess the incident. KFOR has a video showing the takeoff and aftermath of the crash, cutting out the actual downward trajectory of the flight. A former U.S. Air Force fighter pilot, Wilson assembled a crew to revive the airplane in replica form a few years back and finally allowed the 100P-even if not the original-to fly. The whole story of the 100P and its replica can be found here. The original 100P never flew due to ending production too late for the race it intended to fly in, the 1939 Deutsch de la Meurthe Cup Race, and because of the start of World War II. Ettore Bugatti took the plane apart when German forces invaded France in 1940, keeping it at his estate and out of the path of war. The plane survived the war, but went to the Experimental Aircraft Association's AirVenture Museum for display after being reconstructed. The first flight of the replica came in August 2015, and a video of the event can be found here. A friend and colleague of Wilson's, Stan Shumway, said he was "the best guy in the world to build this." http://jalopnik.com/creator-of-bugatti-100p-replica-dies-in-test-crash-1784941472 Back to Top Dubai air crash investigation 'may take a year' DUBAI // Months of painstaking work sifting flight data, witness accounts and physical evidence will be needed to find out why and how Emirates flight EK521 crashed, according to an air safety expert. An investigation team led by the General Civil Aviation Authority with support from the 777 aircraft manufacturer Boeing and engine maker Rolls Royce began to examine the evidence hours after the accident on Wednesday. Ian Holder, principal consultant at the UK-based aviation safety consultancy Baines Simmons, said the investigation into the crash at Dubai International Airport could take between six months and a year to complete. "The main aim of an air accident investigator is to find what and why the incident happened so that we can learn from it and prevent similar things happening in future," he said. "It is not to proportion blame." The investigation process begins with securing the site so that it was safe enough for the team to conduct their work. "On this occasion the incident took place on a runway so it is already a secured area," said Mr Holder. "It would be much more difficult to secure a location if the accident happened in a remote area or the sea, as evidence can quickly disappear." Ideally, on-site work should be completed as soon as possible because there is a danger of contanimation as more people come into contact with it. "The site has already seen firefighters go onto the scene as well as others, so the sooner investigators can make their measurements and collect data, the better," he said. It was vital to retrieve the black box and cockpit voice recorder to help build a picture of what happened onboard. Investigators also take evidence of the placement of flaps and flight surfaces. "Collection of physical evidence as well as eye-witness accounts in this period is very important because this type of data will become degraded," he said. "People's perception of what happened can change quickly." Once key information has been collected, the aircraft is moved to a secure location where the data will be analysed in greater detail. "This means interviews with the pilots, air-traffic controllers, maintenance crews, aircraft manufacturers and the airline, among others, to develop a set of hypotheses, which will then be tested," said Mr Holder. "Aircraft are highly complex machines and so to have the manufacturer on-site can help to provide clarification for investigators in that regard." After all the evidence is gathered, it must be cross-referenced with what witnesses say and physical data, which is "very time-consuming", Mr Holder said. It is important for investigators to corroborate evidence because it is not uncommon for people to have differing accounts. "The idea is not to jump to a conclusion, but instead develop a set of hypotheses and keep challenging them," he said. If there is not enough evidence, the aircraft might be reconstructed to help show where the failures were, though this is more common for an accident that happened in the air rather than one the ground, Mr Holder said. "Investigators follow a structure and they evaluate the facts and from that they get findings and draw conclusions. It is never one thing that would have caused an accident, but rather a series of variables that happened together to create the circumstances for the crash," he said. Aviation is an "extremely safe mode of transport", Mr Holder said. "If you're someone who flies once a year then that is the safest journey you will have. The reason for that is we have learnt over the years how to put systems in place to reduce the risk of accidents. "For an aircraft accident to occur, a series of complex variables will have happened." Emirates flight EK521 from Thiruvananthapuram, India, crash-landed at Dubai International Airport on Wednesday. All 300 passengers and crew on board were safely removed from the plane, but a firefighter, Emirati Jassim Al Baloushi, died from injuries sustained during the emergency response. http://www.thenational.ae/uae/transport/dubai-air-crash-investigation-may-take-a-year Back to Top Pilot Arrested for Reckless Operation of an Aircraft OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. - On August 6, Osceola County Sheriff's deputies were patrolling in the area of West 192 in Kissimmee when they observed a red helicopter flying a few feet from the tops of cars traveling both eastbound and westbound. The helicopter's proximity was so close to the cars, that if a passenger van or semi-truck were traveling the same direction, there would have been a collision with the aircraft. At one point, a motorist, who witnessed the incident, alerted the deputy to make sure he saw the helicopter, too. Deputies responded Orlando HeliTours located at 5071 W. Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway, where the aircraft is registered, and spoke with the manager. They explained the incident they witnessed and asked to speak with the pilot, identified as Thomas Vorstman, upon his return. Deputies waited for Vorstman near the helicopter pad, but when he returned, he refused to exit the aircraft. Deputies made numerous attempts to get Vorstman to meet with them, but he would not turn off the aircraft and, for safety concerns, they were not able to approach him. Instead, Vorstman advised he could not exit and left in the helicopter with a group of passengers. Approximately 5 minutes later, Vorstman returned and, after finishing his safety checks and exiting the aircraft he met with deputies. He told them he "had a heavy load" and explained why he was flying low over traffic. They also spoke with the company owner who told deputies their pilots have procedures for handling matters like this which contradicted Vorstman's actions. Due to the safety concerns and Vorstman's reckless behavior, the company owner terminated Vorstman's employment immediately. Based on the statements and evidence, Vorstman was arrested and charged with Operating an Aircraft in a Reckless Manner and Resisting Without Violence. He was booked into the Osceola County Jail. Deputies notified the Federal Aviation Adminstration of the incident. http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/pilot-arrested-for-reckless-operation-of-an- aircraft/290093720 Back to Top Deep sea search for missing AN-32 aircraft to begin soon The deep sea search would begin around 169 miles off the Chennai coast. A deep sea search for the Indian Air Force aircraft AN-32 will begin late on Sunday evening in Bay of Bengal, as an ocean research vessel prepared to scan through the seabed. AN-32 transport aircraft went missing mid-air with 29 people onboard on July 22, about 15 minutes after it took off from Tambaram Air Force base to Port Blair. Speaking to the Times of India, NIOT director Satheesh C Shenoi said that the deep sea search would begin around 169 miles off the Chennai coast. "We are diverting Sagar Nidhi directly to the search location and she is expected to reach any time after 2pm. She has to search an area of 220 nautical miles, which may even begin in the night," TOI quotes Shenoi as saying. The missing AN 32 aircraft, which had flown multiple times over the Bay of Bengal carrying military personnel and equipment, did not have an underwater locator system, making it difficult for rescuers to pinpoint the position of the plane. In fact, none of the upgraded AN32 aircraft, the main workhorse of the military, has an underwater locator, unlike the modern transport planes like C130J or C17. The missing aircraft came with two Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) -- a stationary ARTEX C406-1 ELT manufactured by ACR Electronics/Artex Products, the US, and a French-made portable KANNAD 406AS ELT manufactured by Orolia In an emergency, the pilot has to activate the ELT beacon manually. The integrated ELT gets activated when the impact is about 2.3 G or 4.5 feet per second However, ELT would not get activated automatically since radio waves are not transmitted in the water. There is no signal from ELT under water for this reason, IAF sources said The sources said trials were already on to procure underwater ELTs for the aircraft and, as an emergency measure, effort is to have some kind of an underwater ELT on any aircraft that flies over water Also, the AN-32 aircraft does not have the Automatic Dependent Surveillance - Broadcast This system relies on navigational satellites to automatically transmit an aircraft's journey in real time and it can be switched on and off based on operational needs Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had said overdue action, as per the Standard Operating Procedures, started at 1230 hours, one hour after the scheduled arrival at Port Blair and nearly three-and-a-half hours after the plane went out of ground radar cover area It was only at 1225 hours that Maritime Rescue and Coordination Centre, Chennai reported that an IAF AN-32 (AF-330) was not in contact. The weather at the time when the plane went missing was overcast with multi-layered clouds and embedded convection The pilot had asked for deviation to the right to avoid a thundershower cloud before disappearing. http://www.thenewsminute.com/article/deep-sea-search-missing-32-aircraft-begin-soon- 47750 Back to Top FAA investigating after four commercial aircraft report being illuminated by lasers over Kentucky overnight LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating after the agency received four separate reports of lasers striking commercial aircraft overnight. According to the FAA, no one was injured. Local law enforcement agencies were notified and are investigating the reports, along with the FAA itself. Descriptions of the reports, provided by the FAA, are as follows: The first report came at 10:35 p.m. CDT, and involved UPS 1325, a McDonnell Douglas MD-11 aircraft, that was flying 39 miles south/southwest of Lexington at an altitude of 16,700 feet, heading northbound. The flight originated out of Orlando. The pilot reported that the aircraft was illuminated by a green laser. The second incident took place at 11:25 p.m. CDT, when the pilot of Republican Airlines Flight 4629, an Embraer E170 aircraft, reported that the aircraft was illuminated by a green laser. The aircraft was flying at an altitude of 17,000 feet, 25 miles south of Lexington over Lincoln County. The flight originated at Washington National Ronald Reagan Airport and was headed to Louisville. The third report came at 12:25 a.m. CDT, and involved flight UPS 891, an Airbus A306. The UPS aircraft was about four miles west of Louisville International Airport at an altitude of 5,000 feet, heading southeast, when the pilot reports that the aircraft was illuminated by a green laser. That flight originated out of Las Vegas. The fourth report came at 1 a.m. CDT, and involved UPS 913, a Boeing 757, that was flying nine miles west/southwest of Louisville International Airport. That pilot also reported that the aircraft was illuminated by a green laser. That flight originated out of Santa Ana, California. According to FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Burgen, between Jan. 1 to July 16, there were a total of 3,756 reports of lasers illuminating aircraft in the U.S. Of that total, 105 reports came from Kentucky, with 34 originating in Louisville and 16 in Lexington. There were 80 reports originating out of Indiana during the same time period. It is a federal crime to point a laser at an aircraft. According to a press release from the FAA, the agency considers the act of pointing a laser at an aircraft from the ground an action that, "could seriously impair a pilot's vision and interfere with the flight crew's ability to safely handle its responsibilities." "The maximum civil penalty the FAA can impose on an individual for violating the FAA's regulations that prohibit interfering with a flight crew is $11,000 per violation," the news release states. http://www.wdrb.com/story/32694277/faa-investigating-after-four-commercial-aircraft- report-being-illuminated-by-lasers-over-kentucky-overnight Back to Top The Mistake Most People Make During an Airplane Evacuation In an emergency, U.S. regulators require that aircraft be evacuated in 90 seconds. Earlier this week, an Emirates plane crash-landed in Dubai before bursting into flames that engulfed much of the Boeing 777. Miraculously, all 300 crew and passengers on board survived, primarily because they were able to deplane in less than 90 seconds. Yet in the wake of the accident, footage has emerged showing several passengers making a key mistake as they exit the plane: opening overhead compartments and attempting to grab their luggage. "Leave your bags behind! Jump and slide, jump and slide," one crew member can be heard shouting as smoke fills the cabin. These passengers are not alone. Despite warnings during in-flight safety briefings to leave all personal belongings behind in the event of an emergency, a 2000 study by National Transportation Safety Board found that nearly 50 percent of people in a commercial airplane evacuation had tried to take a bag, with the main motivations being grabbing money, wallets, or credit cards, with the secondary priorities being work materials, keys, and medication. A 2015 evacuation of a British Airways flight that caught fire in Las Vegas also showed passengers fleeing with luggage. Attempting to retrieve carry-on luggage in an emergency is a serious safety threat, and can take precious seconds off an evacuation time where every second counts: Aviation safety rules in the U.S., U.K., and Australia mandate that airplanes be built so that they can be completely evacuated in less than 90 seconds. This is not an arbitrary number- rather, it's because it takes just a minute and a half for the jet fuel in the tanks to ignite and explode. Some advocate for making it a crime to grab a bag when evacuating, likening it to smoking on an aircraft, which the FAA banned in 1990. "Smoking is not allowed because it can jeopardize the lives and the health of other passengers and the lives and health of the crew," Sara Nelson, international president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, told Bloomberg. "And carrying your bag could have the same consequence." http://www.cntraveler.com/stories/2016-08-05/the-mistake-most-people-make-during- an-airplane-evacuation Back to Top FAA Upgrades Indonesia`s Aviation Safety Rating TEMPO.CO, Jakarta-Indonesia passed the aviation safety and security standards by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The United States' aviation safety authority upgraded Indonesia's safety ratings from Category 2 to Category 1. With the upgrade, Indonesian airlines will soon be able to fly to the United States. "Finally, after 10 years, we passed it," Transportation Ministry's director of airworthiness and aircraft operation Mohammad Alwi said as quoted by Antara, yesterday, August 7, 2016. Alwi said the rating upgrade certificate will be delivered this week. One airline ready to fly to the US is Garuda Indonesia. Garuda president director M. Arif Wibowo said the national carrier will open a route to New York and Los Angeles in 2017. Arif said the flights will stop-over in Japan's Narita airport. "We want a direct flight, but for now that's not possible." According to Arif, the market potential of US-bound flights is 400,000 passengers per year. http://en.tempo.co/read/news/2016/08/08/056794043/FAA-Upgrades-Indonesias- Aviation-Safety-Rating Back to Top Airlines should keep pilots records for 3 years after training (India) NEW DELHI: Airlines offering typerated pilot training programmes should maintain records of the concerned individuals for at least three years after they complete their courses, aviation regulator DGCA has directed. The watchdog's directive, part of guidelines to be followed for Airline Type Rating Programme (ATRP), comes in the backdrop of persisting concerns over aviation safety and focus on psychological wellbeing of pilots. These requirements are part of the fresh Airline Type Rating Programme (ATRP) guidelines for scheduled operators issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Among other things, the operator should retain detailed student records to show that all requirements of the training course have been met as approved by the DGCA. These records have to be "kept for a minimum period of three years after completion of the training," as per the guidelines. The operator should maintain a system for recording the qualifications and training of instructional and examining staff. Such records would be kept for at least three years after the instructor or examiner ceases to perform a function for the operator. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/transportation/airlines-/-aviation/airlines- should-keep-pilots-records-for-3-years-after-training/articleshow/53584967.cms Back to Top FAA to investigate Calif. skydiving deaths File photo - A paraglider is seen prior to the ski jumping event in Oberstdorf, Germany, which is the first station of the Four-Hills Ski Jumping tournament on December 29, 2015.(Photo: Christof Stache, AFP/Getty Images) Authorities in northern California were trying to determine Sunday what caused the death of two skydivers in a tandem jump Saturday, one of whom was 18 and whose family watched as he hit the ground. Officers found the bodies in a field near the Skydive Lodi Parachute Center in Acampo, the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Department said in a statement. The parachute did not appear to deploy until after impact. The other victim was an instructor, according to Deputy Les Garcia. He did not release the names. "The parachute failed to eject properly. We have no explanation why," Bill Dause, owner of the Parachute Center, told KCRA-TV. "The only thing it looks like is something may have gone out of sequence (and) that may have caused the problem." The 18-year-old was jumping for the first time and had a brother and several other people with him at the skydive center, Dause said. The instructor was a skydiving veteran who had about 700 previous jumps, he said. The wind and other conditions were "perfect" at the time of the jump, Dause said. "Conditions had nothing to do with it." Deputies received a 911 call around 10 a.m. from someone reporting a skydiver hit the ground without an open parachute, according to the statement. The Federal Aviation Administration will investigate the cause of death. The Parachute Center, which opened in 1964, is based in one of the largest drop zones in the U.S., according to the business's website. It offers an introductory jump, in tandem with an instructor, from 13,000 feet for $100. Experienced skydivers can jump for $15. The skydive center was in the news in May, when a small plane carrying 17 skydivers landed upside-down after clipping a pickup. The worst injuries were minor cuts and scrapes. Saturday's deaths marked the second fatal jump at the Parachute Center this year. In February, a solo skydiver was killed when a parachute malfunctioned. "We didn't do anything wrong," Dause told KCRA-TV. "It's a love of the sport. You keep going. You feel sorry for the people who can't participate any longer." http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2016/08/07/skydivers-killed-california- parachutes/88361082/ Back to Top Eurocopter AS350 Accident (Nepal) Date: 08-AUG-2016 Time: Type: Eurocopter AS350 B2 Ecureuil Owner/operator: Fishtail Air Registration: 9N-AKA C/n / msn: 2766 Fatalities: Fatalities: 7 / Occupants: 7 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Aircraft missing Location: Betani jungle of Madanpur (VDC-9) - Nuwakot district - Nepal Phase: En route Nature: Ambulance Departure airport: Gorkha Destination airport: Katmandu Narrative: The helicopter carrying six patients crashed in jungle. A team was headed towards the incident site. It lies 35 kilomters away from the district headquarters. All seven on board including an infant, five adults and pilot died. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=189150 Back to Top Several terrain warnings sounded before Il-76 crash Russian investigators have determined that terrain collision-avoidance warnings repeatedly sounded in the 7min before an Ilyushin Il-76TD struck a hillside while combating wildfires. None of the eight crew and two other personnel on board the emergency ministry transport survived the 1 July accident in the Kachugsky district of Irkutsk. The Interstate Aviation Committee says the firefighting aircraft (RA-76840), which had been stationed at the Belaya airfield, departed at 10:19 local time. It was directed to a primary fire zone and the captain ordered the altimeter set for 1007mb. The aircraft descended to an altitude of 1,100m (3,600ft), on a heading of 045°, decelerating to 186kt. The aircraft exited the primary zone at a radio altimeter height of 250-400m and, at around 11:04, it turned left onto a heading of 342° to reach a secondary fire zone. Investigators state that the aircraft was subsequently flown manually. The captain instructed a further descent and the Il-76 conducted right turns to take its heading to 190°, descending to 1,000m altitude - some 210m above ground. Cockpit-voice recorder information shows that, over the last 7min of flight, audio 'terrain ahead' and 'pull up' warnings sounded "repeatedly", says the inquiry, as the aircraft crossed the undulating landscape. As it rolled out onto the southern heading the Il-76 was heading towards a hill with a summit of 945m. But the captain continued the aircraft's descent until it collided with the hill just after 11:13, some 55min into its flight. The Il-76 struck trees and carved through the forest, hitting the ground 415m further on, coming to rest at a height of 886m on the hillside, some 40m above the point of tree contact. According to the crew of a Beriev Be-200 deployed to search for the Il-76, weather conditions in the area were characterised by heavy smoke. The 22-year old Il-76 had been one of three modified with firefighting capabilities, and it had also been fitted with sophisticated avionics including satellite-based navigation and enhanced ground-proximity warning systems. Its captain was highly experienced with over 8,700h on the type, from a total of more than 11,200h. Investigators have issued a preliminary recommendation that crews familiarise themselves with features of the ground-proximity warning systems and the actions necessary when alerts are triggered. www.flightglobal.net Back to Top Qantas buys new 787-9 flight simulator Qantas says it will install a new Boeing 787-9 flight simulator at its Sydney Mascot base as the airline gears up for the arrival of the next generation aircraft in 2017. The $23 million investment in the new flight simulator, which will be used for new and recurrent training, and other training equipment was part of a new strategic partnership with the NSW government to "support efforts to develop aviation and related industries in and around Sydney Airport and at the future Western Sydney Airport", Qantas said on Monday. "The Dreamliner represents a new chapter for Qantas and we are delighted to announce that a new state-of-the-art flight simulator will be housed at our Mascot training centre," Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce said in a statement. "Our flight training centre operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week and is overseen by a dedicated team of trainers and check captains who help ensure that Qantas pilots are among the best in the world. "And from the end of next year, the centre will be used to train a new generation of Qantas pilots on the next generation aircraft." The airline group's low-cost unit Jetstar already has a 787 simulator in Melbourne. Qantas has ordered eight 787-9s, which will be powered by GEnx-1B engines, which also power Jetstar's 787-8. Pilots flying other Boeing aircraft with the rank of captain can transition to the 787 with about 44 hours of training in the simulator, Qantas said. The oneworld alliance member also planned to recruit 170 pilots to support its Dreamliner fleet. The first 787-9 is due to arrive in October 2017, Qantas International chief executive Gareth Evans told the CAPA - Centre for Aviation Australia Pacific Aviation summit in Brisbane on August 4. http://australianaviation.com.au/2016/08/qantas-buys-new-787-9-flight-simulator/ Back to Top Iran plans to buy 20 regional jets from Japan's Mitsubishi Corp An aerial view shows Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp's Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ) taking off for a test flight at Nagoya Airfield in Toyoyama town, Aichi Prefecture, central Japan, in this photo released by Kyodo November 11, 2015. REUTERS/Kyodo BEIRUT (Reuters) - Iran intends to purchase 20 Regional Jets from Japan's Mitsubishi Corp, according to Asghar Fakhrieh Kashan, deputy minister for international affairs at the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development. The Mehr News agency quoted Fakhrieh Kashan on Sunday as saying that the deal was likely to be finalised when a Japanese delegation visits Tehran in December. The aircraft will be acquired through a lease-purchase contract and will be used by Aseman Airlines on domestic routes, Fakhrieh Khashan said. The lifting of long-standing economic sanctions against Iran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear activities has allowed it to strike provisional deals worth around $50 billion with Boeing and Airbus to buy some 200 airliners to renew its ageing fleet. However, financial and political obstacles have continued to dog the deals, and Iran has made clear it is widening its search to include other suppliers. The Mitsubishi Regional Jet, Japan's first commercial airplane in half a century, will seat just under 100 people and is being developed by Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp. http://www.businessinsider.com/r-iran-plans-to-buy-20-regional-jets-from-japans- mitsubishi-corp-2016-8 Back to Top Airbus faces criminal corruption probe in Britain European plane maker Airbus is under criminal investigation in Britain over allegations of fraud, bribery and corruption. The manufacturer of the A320 and A380 said the probe by the U.K. Serious Fraud Office is connected to the use of third-party consultants by its passenger aircraft business. Airbus (EADSF) said it discovered "misstatements and omissions" in information it provided about the consultants in applications for export financing for some of its customers. The company, which competes with Boeing (BA) around the world, announced in April it notified the Serious Fraud Office and export credit agencies about the irregularities it had found. It said Sunday it's cooperating with the U.K. investigation. Export credit financing typically takes the form of loans and insurance provided to companies to help them cover the risks of selling products overseas. After Airbus reported the irregularities earlier this year, export credit agencies in Europe halted some of the financing to the company. The plane maker said last month it's aiming to get the financing restored by the fourth quarter of this year. Airbus also said it's carrying out a wide-ranging review of its relationships with third-party consultants. http://money.cnn.com/2016/08/08/news/companies/airbus-uk-criminal-investigation- corruption/index.html Back to Top Oman Air adds two new B737-800 aircraft to fleet Two new B737-800 aircraft will be added to Oman Air's fleet as the airline signed a letter of intent with Dubai Aerospace Enterprise. Oman Air adds two new B737-800 aircraft to fleet Muscat: Two new B737-800 aircraft will be added to Oman Air's fleet as the airline signed a letter of intent (LOI) with Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE) Ltd for the sale and leaseback of the aircraft. "The first of the two aircraft was delivered on July 25 and the second is expected to arrive at Muscat this month," the airline said in a statement. Abdulrahman Al-Busaidy, Deputy CEO & Chief Commercial Officer, of Oman Air, said that by expanding the size of our fleet, Oman Air is able to offer many more people the opportunity of experiencing our award-winning inflight products and services, as well as our exemplary on-time performance. "Our B737 aircraft serve as the backbone of our fleet and we are extremely pleased to have agreed the sale and leaseback arrangement with Dubai Aerospace Enterprise," he said while thanking DAE's highly professional team of experts. Under Oman Air's expansion programme, launched late 2014, the national carrier of Oman is in the process of increasing its fleet size to 70 aircraft by 2020. At that point, Oman Air's fleet will comprise 45 narrow-body aircraft and 25 wide-body aircraft, which will fly to an anticipated 75 global destinations. Since October 2014, Oman Air has received 12 new B737s, of which seven are the -800 variant and five are -900 variant. Each is currently deployed on routes from Muscat to destinations in the GCC region, in the wider Middle East and on the South Asian sub- continent. Firoz Tarapore, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Aerospace Enterprise, said that as a world leader in aircraft leasing, Dubai Aerospace Enterprise is delighted to have agreed this sale and leaseback agreement with Oman Air. "The airline is expanding at an impressive rate and we look forward to working with Oman Air again, should future opportunities arise," the CEO added. Dubai Aerospace Enterprise Ltd is a globally recognized aerospace company headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Formed in 2006, DAE has grown rapidly since its inception and the company now holds an aircraft leasing portfolio of 76 aircraft worth approximately $4 billion. http://timesofoman.com/article/89583 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 Survey Request I am Mohsen Berajeh, MSc student within an aircraft maintenance at the university of South Wales. I am conducting a research about outsourcing strategy in aircraft maintenance as a technique to improve safety, cost control and increase aircraft availability. However, part of my study contains a short survey questionnaire, this survey is just 10 questions and will not take more than 10 min. My study would look at the role of outsourcing in aircraft maintenance industry, where the maintenance market is heavily influencing the operating costs Therefore, the airlines implement the outsourcing as a successful approach for continuous improvement to face the world growing competition. Moreover, optimizing aircraft maintenance as a manner of strengthening their market share and confronting challenges in terms of a survival strategy. All operators, maintenance organisations, manufacturers, and owners are most welcome to participate in this questionnaire. Please click the link below to go to the survey. https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/CRNQGDZ Your participation in a questionnaire will be highly appreciated. Thank you for your time. Mohsen Berajeh 15002519@students.southwales.ac.uk Curt Lewis