Flight Safety Information September 14, 2016 - No. 181 In This Issue U.S. Agency Faults Pilot of Delta Jet That Slid Off La Guardia Runway Flight Returns to JFK Airport Due to Disruptive Passenger Nigeria's largest airline has shut down operations as a dollar crunch bites Southwest Airlines Flight Makes Emergency Landing in Chicago Singapore Airlines not to extend lease on first A380 jet U.S. Agency Faults Pilot of Delta Jet That Slid Off La Guardia Runway Delta Air Lines Flight 1086 from Atlanta veered off the runway and up an earthen berm above Flushing Bay on March 5, 2015. Credit Karsten Moran for The New York Times A Delta Air Lines jet skidded off a snowy runway at La Guardia Airport and nearly plunged into Flushing Bay last year because its pilot used excessive force to slow the plane as it landed, federal transportation safety officials said on Tuesday. The National Transportation Safety Board said the probable cause of the crash into a berm and fence at the water's edge was that the captain reversed the engines too aggressively. In trying to keep the plane from shooting off the end of the slippery runway, he inadvertently caused it to veer to the left toward the bay, the board concluded. By the time he regained control, the plane was sliding toward a perimeter fence. It came to a rest with its nose hovering over the bay, its left wing broken and spewing fuel. But none of the 127 passengers and five crew members aboard were seriously injured. "This was a very close call," Christopher A. Hart, the chairman of the safety board, said about the accident, which occurred on March 5, 2015. He added that "the passengers and crew of Delta Flight 1086 were fortunate to have survived this crash with no loss of life or serious injuries." The board also found fault with the response once the plane came to a rest. After the crash, it took the aircraft's crew 12 minutes to start evacuating the passengers over the right wing. The evacuation was complicated by the failure of the plane's internal communication systems, the board said. But the board also faulted the three flight attendants for leaving their positions at the front and rear of the plane as well as for allowing passengers to retrieve their coats before getting out. The board said that the captain did not convey any urgency to evacuate after the crash and that a video supplied by a passenger showed that the lead flight attendant did not announce the evacuation for six minutes. Passenger videos revealed that "the flight attendants were confused," the board said, about the timing of the evacuation, and it took them 17 minutes to get everyone off the plane. Delta released a statement that said the airline respected the board's "findings, conclusions and recommendations" and would use its guidance to enhance the safety in its operations. The Air Line Pilots Association said it was disappointed that the board placed the blame on the pilot, given all of the factors it cited. "The N.T.S.B.'s single probable cause failed to fully and directly acknowledge the multiple factors that contributed to the accident," the association said in a statement A Delta spokeswoman said the pilots returned to work after "an appropriate period of training and evaluation in 2015." As they brought Flight 1086 from Atlanta through a snowstorm, the pilots had received reports that the landing conditions at La Guardia were "good," the board's report said. But as the plane broke through the clouds, they were surprised to see the runway's "snowy appearance," the report said. With about a quarter-inch of snow covering the tarmac, the conditions for landing were marginal, it said. The challenge of landing with a tailwind on a short, snow-covered runway that has water at one end "likely exacerbated the captain's situational stress," the board concluded. Even before the plane's nose gear touched down, the pilot had applied the thrust reversers on both engines to supplement the plane's automatic brakes. Almost immediately the engines were revving higher than the plane's maker, Boeing, recommends during landings on wet runways. So much reverse thrust can reduce the effectiveness of the rudder for steering, an effect known as "rudder blanking." The plane quickly began drifting to the left and the pilot could not steer it back on course. At the repeated urging of the co-pilot to come "out of reverse," the pilot shut down the reverse thrusters. But by then, it was too late to prevent the plane from leaving the runway entirely. In every similar instance investigators studied, the pilots revved the engines beyond the target level recommended by Boeing. That finding prompted the board to recommend that co-pilots be instructed to call out to notify the pilot when reverse thrusters have reached the recommended maximum levels for dry and wet conditions. The board said that the operators of La Guardia had also reacted to the crash by deciding to send out notifications about landing conditions in bad weather at least once an hour. The airport, which is run by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, had not sent out an advisory for two hours before the accident because it said conditions had not changed in the interim. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/14/nyregion/delta-air-lines-jet-skidded-off-la-guardia- runway.html?_r=0 Back to Top Flight Returns to JFK Airport Due to Disruptive Passenger An American Airlines flight returned to John F. Kennedy Airport shortly after takeoff due to a disruptive passenger experiencing a possible medical issue. Airline spokesman Kent Powell says American Airlines Flight 83 bound for Los Angeles had taken off from New York about 6:30 p.m. Tuesday when a passenger became disruptive and was not following instructions. Powell says the passenger didn't hurt anyone, but the crew decided the best course of action was to return to New York. The Airbus A321 carrying 97 passengers and a crew of eight landed at JFK Airport about 45 minutes later. Powell says the passenger was taken off the plane to be evaluated. The flight refueled and later departed. http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/flight-returns-jfk-airport-due-disruptive-passenger- 42072718 Back to Top Nigeria's largest airline has shut down operations as a dollar crunch bites A Boeing 737-7BD Arik Air aeroplane is seen parked on the tarmac at the local airport in Lagos November 2, 2012. Grounded. Arik Air, Nigeria's largest airline, temporarily shut down its operations on Tuesday (Sept. 13). As a result, hundreds of passengers have been left stranded across the country after their flights were cancelled. For its part, the airline described the shutdown as a "temporary disruption pending approval of aircraft documentation related to insurance renewal." And late on Tuesday night, an Arik Air spokesperson told Quartz the airline's operations will resume tomorrow (Sept. 14) at 11am, Lagos time. News of the Arik shutdown and an insurance debt problem was first reported by Sahara Reporters before the airline confirmed. One travel industry source said Arik's suspension of flights was also impacted by its main aviation fuel supplier cutting it off for non- payment. News of Arik's operational shutdown comes two weeks after Aero Contractors, Nigeria's oldest working airline, indefinitely suspended its operations citing tough economic conditions. Fola Akinkuotu, Aero Contractors' CEO, said the airline had faced "grave challenges" for months. On Sept. 1, First Nation, a smaller local airline, also suspended flights for maintenance of its aircraft. Nigeria's economic headwinds have been particularly tough on Nigeria's aviation industry. The dwindling value of the Nigerian naira has meant there's an ongoing dollar shortage which hampers suppliers trying to import aviation fuel. Consequently, flight plans across the country have been disrupted. Amid the scarcity, back in July, Arik Air warned that the aviation fuel scarcity could hobble its operations as "more flights could be delayed or cancelled." Foreign airlines have also been hit. In May, United Airlines canceled flights to Nigeria citing difficulties repatriating dollar profits amid the government's tight currency controls. Being the country's largest airline, Arik's closure is likely to have severely impaired local air travel as it shortened options available to travelers. http://qz.com/780577/arik-air-nigerias-largest-airline-has-shut-down-operations-amid- the-countrys-first-recession-in-decades/ Back to Top Southwest Airlines Flight Makes Emergency Landing in Chicago A Southwest Airline aircraft flying from Columbus, Ohio, to Denver has been forced to make an emergency landing at Chicago's Midway International Airport. In a statement, a Southwest Airlines spokeswoman says the pilot declared an emergency Tuesday and the flight was diverted to "investigate potential smoke in the cockpit." The statement said protocol was followed and emergency vehicles met the aircraft upon its arrival. There were no injuries. Southwest said 112 passengers and five crew members continued on to Denver on a different aircraft. The original aircraft will remain out of service pending a review by Southwest maintenance teams. http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/southwest-airlines-flight-makes-emergency- landing-chicago-42072327 Back to Top Singapore Airlines not to extend lease on first A380 jet An Airbus A380-841 airplane of Singapore Airlines takes-off from Zurich airport, Switzerland, April 14, 2016. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann Singapore Airlines Ltd (SIA) (SIAL.SI) will not extend the lease on its first Airbus A380 jet when it expires next year, a further blow for Airbus Group (AIR.PA) as the manufacturer seeks to bolster new sales of the world's largest passenger plane. "Our first five A380s are on a 10-year lease, with options to extend. The first one will expire in October next year, and we have decided not to extend it," a SIA spokesman said. "For the other four, decisions will be made later." The Southeast Asian airline, which at present has 19 A380s in its fleet, was the first to fly the world's largest jetliner in 2007. Airlines usually have to give around one year's notice on whether to renew leases for large aircraft. SIA's decision not to extend the lease comes amid doubts over demand for the double- decker A380, after Airbus cut the jet's production in July, but said it remained optimistic about its long-term prospects. "We do not comment on the fleet plans of individual airlines. We are confident in the market for second-hand A380s, which can be leased or acquired at attractive rates. This will offer a great opportunity for new entrants with new business models to start operating the A380," said an Airbus spokeswoman. SIA said the decision not to extend the lease was the result of a regular review of its fleet requirements. "The fact that an incumbent is moving on does leave a big question mark over the A380 program. Market dynamics have changed, though it partly depends also on each airline's requirements," said one executive at a Western lessor, who declined to be identified as he was not authorized to speak to the media. "We have five other A380s on firm order with Airbus and deliveries will start in the second half of 2017," SIA's spokesman said. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-singapore-airlin-airbus-idUSKCN11K0XS Curt Lewis