Flight Safety Information January 4, 2017 - No. 004 In This Issue Russia's Investigative Committee looking into accident with jet at Kaliningrad airport American Airlines Jet Has 3rd Fume Incident in 3 Months Scottsdale Airport closes for hours after jet's 'hard landing' Pak Airlines Plane Hits Air France Jet At Toronto Airport Cessna T210 Accident (Arizona) FSF Chairman Selected to Lead Aviation Safety Assurance Committee Tamarack Aerospace Receives FAA Approval for Active Winglets Taiwan's Eva Air among world's 10 safest airlines Air New Zealand ranked number two for safety NASA Awards Fresh Contracts To Boeing, SpaceX To Ferry Astronauts To And From International Space Station Call for Abstracts of Technical Papers...ISASI 2017, San Diego CA ESASI SEMINAR 2017 - LJUBLJANA, SLOVENIA RESEARCH STUDY SURVEY Najeeb E. Halaby Graduate Student Fellowship Russia's Investigative Committee looking into accident with jet at Kaliningrad airport The airport schedule suggests the first flight is to take off from Khrabrovo at 05:00 hours EEST, or 03:00 hours UTC Share MOSCOW, January 4. /TASS/. The regional branch of the Northwestern Department of Investigations in the Sphere of Transport, which reports to Russia's Investigative Committee, has opened an inquiry inRO an accident that occurred at Khrabrovo airport in the Baltic exclave region of Kaliningrad late on Tuesday night. An A321 jet of the major Russian airline, Aeroflot veered off the runway after landing at 22:54 EEST on Tuesday. Its nose landing gear broke down after getting on to rough soil. "The jet had seven crewmembers and 167 passengers aboard," a spokesperson for the committee said. "Three people have asked for medical aid by now and the jet's NLG was damaged." "Examination of the spot of the accident and questioning of eyewitnesses has begun," he said. "Specialists are taking other emergency steps." Aeroflot's press service confirmed the information on the accident earlier. "The airliner that was performing flight SU 1008 from Moscow to Kaliningrad veered off the runway after landing and its nose landing gear broke down in the process," it said. "All the customers were evacuated from the jet. There were no injuries." As the possible causes of the accident, the press service named poor adhesion of the wheels to the runway and a strong crosswind. After evacuation, airport medics did the customers' checkup to establish if any of them had received injuries. Airport services removed the jet from the stop of accident. Preparations for the reopening of the airport in the morning were in full swing at the time this report went on wire. The airport schedule suggests the first flight is to take off from Khrabrovo at 05:00 hours EEST, or 03:00 hours UTC. http://tass.com/society/923763 **************** Status: Preliminary Date: Tuesday 3 January 2017 Time: 20:54 UTC Type: Airbus A321-211 (WL) Operator: Aeroflot Russian International Airlines Registration: VP-BES C/n / msn: 6817 First flight: 2015-10-09 (1 year 3 months) Engines: 2 CFMI CFM56-5B3/3 Crew: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 7 Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 167 Total: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 173 Airplane damage: Substantial Location: Kaliningrad-Khrabrovo Airport (KGD) ( Russia) Phase: Landing (LDG) Nature: Domestic Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Moskva-Sheremetyevo Airport (SVO/UUEE), Russia Destination airport: Kaliningrad-Khrabrovo Airport (KGD/UMKK), Russia Flightnumber: SU1008 Narrative: Aeroflot flight SU1008 suffered a runway excursion and nose landing gear collapse after landing at Kaliningrad-Khrabrovo Airport (KGD) in Russia. The aircraft, an Airbus A321, departed Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport at 19:18 UTC on a domestic service to Kaliningrad. The flight landed on runway 24, a 2400 m long runway, but was not able to stop on the runway. It overran, coming to rest in the snow with the a collapsed nose landing gear. https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20170103-0 Back to Top American Airlines Jet Has 3rd Fume Incident in 3 Months, 7 Flight Attendants Transported to Hospital and Released Flight attendants on an American Airlines aircraft complained about headaches due to an "odor in the cabin" following the Airbus A330's arrival in Orlando just before midnight Monday, the airline has confirmed. And according to Service Difficulty Reports filed with the Federal Aviation Administration, the aircraft has suffered at least three fume incidents, including the aforementioned one, in the past three months: The aircraft "experienced a dirty sock odor" on November 23, according to one of the SDRs, and then five days later, on November 28, flight attendants said they "smelled fumes," on the aircraft, according to another report filed. The eight flight attendants who staffed flight 1868 -- originating in Charlotte and carrying 89 passengers and 10 crew members -- were evaluated and cleared by paramedics at the airport, according to an American Airlines spokesperson. But seven "insisted" they be transported to a hospital. The flight attendants were released a few hours later, the spokesperson said, adding that none of the passengers were transported to a hospital. The A330 is currently undergoing a "thorough maintenance inspection," but American has not yet identified what caused the incident, nor has it ruled out any possible causes, the airline said. "The health and welfare of our crews and customers continues to be our top priority at American Airlines," the airline said in a statement. "We take cabin odor issues seriously and have devoted extensive efforts over time, including working with aircraft, engine and auxiliary power unit manufacturers, to address these types of concerns." The statement continues, "Our Technical Operations team actively monitors and conducts in-depth inspections whenever a cabin odor event is reported by one of our crew members. Our employees are encouraged to report any issues so that we can make improvements to their work environment." According to a study conducted at Kansas State University, the average rate of smoke/oil/fumes incidents is 0.2 incidents per 1000 flights. According to the flight attendants union, there were 59.69 million departures over the 6-year period studied (2007-2012). Do the math, and that works out to more than 5.45 incidents per day. "The issue of oil-contaminated bleed air in the cabin continues to be a serious threat for crews to become impaired/incapacitated in-flight, and cause long-term and disabling health effects," said Association of Flight Attendants-CWA president Sara Nelson, adding that because of their physical activity and resulting elevated respiratory rates, flight attendants are at higher risk than passengers. Nelson added, "We must all demand regulation of cabin air quality to protect flight crews and passengers." http://abcnews.go.com/US/american-airlines-jet-suffers-fume-incident-months-flight/story?id=44535862 Back to Top Scottsdale Airport closes for hours after jet's 'hard landing' A small passenger jet attempting to touch down at Scottsdale Airport had a "hard landing" Monday afternoon after its landing gear failed, according to airport officials. The incident shut down the airport's lone runway for more than two hours, with aircraft being diverted to Deer Valley, Phoenix Sky Harbor International and other nearby airports. Sarah Ferrara, aviation planning and outreach coordinator for Scottsdale Airport, said two crew members had been on board the Hawker-brand jet. No one on board was injured, according to Scottsdale Fire officials. At about 6:15 p.m., the jet was resting on the runway tilted forward onto the nose, and six people were inspecting the aircraft. Ferrara indicated the plane belonged to Scottsdale-based Pinnacle Aviation, which provides private charter services. http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/scottsdale-breaking/2017/01/02/scottsdale-airport-closed- after-jet-has-hard-landing/96092746/ ************* Date: 02-JAN-2017 Time: 16:43 Type: Raytheon Hawker 800XP Owner/operator: Zoom Aviation LLC Registration: N910JD C/n / msn: 258420 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Minor Location: Scottsdale Airport (KSDL), Scottsdale, AZ - United States of America Phase: Landing Nature: Ferry/positioning Departure airport: Tucson (KTUS) Destination airport: Scottsdale (KSDL) Narrative: The aircraft experienced a nosegear collapse upon landing at Scottsdale Airport (KSDL) in Scottsdale, Arizona. The airplane sustained minor damage and the two crew onboard were not injured during the incident. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=192522 Back to Top Pak Airlines Plane Hits Air France Jet At Toronto Airport A Pak Airlines flight was suspended after the plane clipped the wing of the Air France plane. TORONTO: A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) aircraft hit an Air France plane while taxiing at Toronto Pearson International Airport, the media reported. The PIA flight from Toronto to Lahore was suspended on Tuesday evening after the plane clipped the wing of the Air France plane which was parked at Terminal 3, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) reported. No one was injured and the damage to the plane was minor, said the report. Confirming the incident, PIA spokesperson Danyal Gilani said the matter is under investigation, reported Pakistan's News International daily on Wednesday. There's some damage to the equipment which may need replacement, he added. "Apparently it was due to some error during marshalling by the ground personnel," he said. A night stop was declared at Toronto and flight passengers were provided hotel accommodation. All steps were being taken for making the aircraft serviceable as soon as possible, he said. http://www.ndtv.com/world-news/pak-airlines-plane-hits-air-france-jet-at-toronto-airport-1644938 Back to Top Cessna T210 Accident (Arizona) Date: 02-JAN-2017 Time: Type: Cessna T210K Centurion Owner/operator: N9402M Aviation LLC Registration: N272EF C/n / msn: 21059302 Fatalities: Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: 14 mi N of Payson, AZ - United States of America Phase: En route Nature: Private Departure airport: Scottsdale Airport, AZ (KSDL) Destination airport: Telluride Airport, CO (TEX/KTEX) Narrative: The plane crashed under unknown circumstances. The four occupants confirmed dead. The Gila County Sheriff's Office verified that the plane's tail number matched FAA records identifying the owner as Eric Falbe of Scottsdale. Falbe was aboard the downed plane, as was wife Carrie Falbe and his two daughters. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=192521 Back to Top FSF Chairman Selected to Lead Aviation Safety Assurance Committee ALEXANDRIA, Va. - Kenneth J. Hylander, chairman of Flight Safety Foundation's Board of Governors, has been selected to chair a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine committee on aviation safety assurance. The ad hoc committee is being convened to create a national research agenda for the development of a suite of tools needed to support a prototype for the integration of a safety monitoring and assurance system that detects, predicts and prevents safety problems in the national airspace system in real time, particularly with regard to commercial transports. Hylander, a long-time member of the Foundation's board, is entering his third year as board chairman. Before retiring from the airline industry, he held executive positions with Delta Air Lines, Northwest Airlines and United Airlines, and his expertise lies mainly in the areas of airline engineering, safety, security, quality assurance and operations. He also is a member of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration Research, Engineering and Development Advisory Committee, and previously was industry co-chair of the U.S. Commercial Aviation Safety Team. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine are private, nonprofit institutions that provide expert advice on some of the most pressing challenges facing the nation and the world. The Academies' work helps shape policies, inform public opinion, and advance the pursuit of science, engineering, and medicine. Flight Safety Foundation is an independent, non-profit, international organization engaged in research, education, advocacy and publishing to improve aviation safety. The Foundation's mission is to be the leading voice of safety for the global aerospace community. http://www.aviationpros.com/press_release/12291084/fsf-chairman-selected-to-lead-aviation-safety- assurance-committee Back to Top Tamarack Aerospace Receives FAA Approval for Active Winglets (Sandpoint, Idaho, January 3rd, 2017) - Tamarack® Aerospace Group, Inc. announced today that it received U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for its Active Winglet system for the Cessna CJ business jet. The FAA STC follows the validation of the European Aviation Safety Administration (EASA) STC granted Dec 23, 2015. Tamarack now has approval for the installation of its Active Winglets on the Cessna CJ, CJ1, CJ1+ & M2 in the US and all of Europe. Customers will enjoy fuel savings, a range increase, higher initial altitudes, faster climbs, a 400 lb MZFW increase, 12-15% higher single engine climb gradients, better high-hot performance and a significant stability increase. Tamarack's revolutionary and patented Active Winglet system is unique because it is comprised of a wing tip extension, a highly tuned winglet and load alleviation technology. The combination of winglet and wing tip extension significantly increases the wing's aspect ratio and efficiency, resulting in substantial performance improvements and fuel savings, typically 3 to 4 times that of a passive winglet. The patented load alleviation technology works by counteracting and alleviating gust loads and maneuver loads so there is no need for wing structural reinforcement. In contrast, all traditional (passive) winglets are compromised designs balancing winglet efficiency against the additional weight of the required wing reinforcement. By eliminating structural reinforcements, the time required for Active Winglet installation is dramatically reduced. Fatigue life extension, and gross weight increases are also possible with Tamarack's Active Winglet system. The technology is scalable and can be installed on any aircraft type. Additional airframe programs are in-development. Tamaracks CEO Nick Guida stated, "The importance of the FAA approval cannot be understated. We have a long list of orders and our customers are actively working with our partner, Cessna, on scheduling installs. With the STC behind us, we expect a significant number of new orders from customers who have waited for certification." Inquiries regarding Active Winglets can be made via the Tamarack website, tamarackaero.com or by calling Tamarack directly +1.208.255.4400. Tamarack® Aerospace Group, Inc. Idaho based Tamarack Aerospace Group Inc. invented and patented the revolutionary Active Winglet system. Tamarack's certified Active Winglets are three to four times more efficient than passive (traditional) winglets. The Active Winglet system typically provides a 12-18% reduction in fuel burn, performance gains and increased asset value. The Active Winglet system is comprised of a wing tip extension, a highly tuned winglet, and load alleviation technology. The load alleviation system counteracts gust or maneuvre wing loading events and eliminates the heavy wing reinforcement and structural additions required by all passive winglets. In 2013, Tamarack set an unofficial world record by flying 1853nm (26 kt tailwind) in an Active Winglet equipped Cessna CJ. In 2016 Tamarack flew a CJ3 2037 nm (25 kt tailwind) at MMO, landing with 1130 lbs. of fuel on-board. http://www.aviationpros.com/press_release/12291129/tamarack-aerospace-receives-faa-approval-for- active-winglets Back to Top Taiwan's Eva Air among world's 10 safest airlines Eva Air is the only Taiwan-based carrier to be included on the top 10 list. TAIPEI (Taiwan News) - Taiwan's Eva Air has been ranked sixth among the top 10 safest airlines in the world by the German-based Jet Airliner Crash Data Evaluation Centre, or JACDEC. JACDEC on Tuesday released its annual list of the world's safest airlines, in which 60 international airlines were rated based on the organization's aviation safety data. The world's safest airline was Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific Airways, followed by Air New Zealand and Hainan Airlines from China. Eva Air is the only Taiwan-based carrier to be included on the top 10 list, while it fell three notches in the rankings from a year ago, when it was ranked 3rd and trailing only behind Cathay Pacific Airways and Emirates. Another Taiwan-based airline on the list was China Airlines, ranked 60th. In November, rating agency AirlineRatings.com also announced its list of top 10 best global airlines, with Eva Air taking out the 9th spot. The world's top 10 safest airlines, according to JACDEC: 1. Cathay Pacific (China, Hong Kong) 2. Air New Zealand (New Zealand) 3. Hainan Airlines (China) 4. Qatar Airways (Qatar) 5. KLM (Netherlands) 6. Eva Air (Taiwan) 7. Emirates (United Arab Emirates) 8. Etihad Airways (United Arab Emirates) 9. Qantas (Australia) 10. Japan Airlines (Japan) http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3063125 Back to Top Air New Zealand ranked number two for safety Air New Zealand has been named the world's second safest airline. The Kiwi airline has come out second only to Cathay Pacific in the annual safety rankings released by a European group of airline safety enthusiasts. Germany-based Jet Airliner Crash Data Evaluation Center, or JACDEC, calculates its annual rankings based on aircraft loss accidents and serious incidents where an accident nearly occurred over the past 30 years. Cathay Pacific came in at number one, with Qantas in ninth place. The resulting Safety Index relates the accidents to the revenue per passenger kilometre [RPK] performed by the airline over the same time. JACDEC has so far released its top 12 tankings for 2017, which is based on data and results from 2016. Air NZ has come in at number two, ahead of Qantas, which made it in to ninth spot. For the past three years Cathay Pacific has sat in the top spot. Last year, Air NZ wasn't included in the top 60 rankings but in previous years the airline has come in at sixth (2015), first (2014), and second (2013). The index data does not go as far back as New Zealand's worst airline disaster in 1979 when Air New Zealand flight TE901 crashed into Antarctica's Mount Erebus killing 257 passengers and crew. It also leaves out the loss of three pilots, three engineers and an aviation inspector when an Air New Zealand Airbus A320 plunged into the Mediterranean Sea in November 2008 on a test flight before rejoining the airline's commercial fleet. The full results for JACDEC's 2017 safety rankings are yet to be released. http://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/news/88137956/air-new-zealand-ranked-number-two-for-safety Back to Top NASA Awards Fresh Contracts To Boeing, SpaceX To Ferry Astronauts To And From International Space Station NASA on Wednesday awarded four more contracts each to SpaceX and Boeing for crewed flights to the International Space Station (ISS). The contracts, announced under the space agency's Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) program, bring the total number of missions awarded to SpaceX and Boeing to six each. "Awarding these missions now will provide greater stability for the future space station crew rotation schedule, as well as reduce schedule and financial uncertainty for our providers," Phil McAlister, director of NASA's commercial spaceflight development division, said in a statement. "The ability to turn on missions as needed to meet the needs of the space station program is an important aspect of the Commercial Crew Program." SpaceX's first uncrewed flight test is scheduled for November 2017, and would be followed by its Crew Dragon capsule tests in May next year. Boeing, meanwhile, has scheduled the first crewed CST-100 Starliner test for August 2018. Crewed missions to the ISS would begin once the companies receive flight certification from NASA. "The Commercial Crew Program will help NASA get full operational use from the national laboratory for scientific research by increasing the number of astronauts on the space station, and allowing the crew members to dedicate more time to research," the space agency said in the statement. "The commercial crew vehicles will transport up to four astronauts for NASA missions, along with about 220 pounds of critical cargo to the space station." NASA on Wednesday awarded four more contracts each to SpaceX and Boeing for crewed flights to the International Space Station. Pictured: Artist's concept of the Crew Dragon capsule (left), and Boeing's CST-100 Starliner (right). Photo: NASA Since the U.S. ended its space shuttle program in 2011, Russia's Soyuz rockets have the only means of ferrying astronauts to and from the ISS. Under its current arrangement, NASA has to shell out nearly $80 million for every seat on the Soyuz rocket. However, last year, Russia's Roscosmos announced that it does not have any plans to send U.S. astronauts to the ISS after 2018. This means that unless SpaceX or Boeing are ready with their flagship capsules by then, U.S. presence on the space station would be directly impacted - at least temporarily. "Returning human launch capabilities to U.S. soil underscores NASA's commitment to the station and the research that the orbiting laboratory makes possible including the advancement of scientific knowledge off the Earth, for the benefit of those on the Earth and to prepare for future deep space exploration," the space agency said. http://www.ibtimes.com/nasa-awards-fresh-contracts-boeing-spacex-ferry-astronauts-international-space- 2469295 Back to Top Call for Abstracts of Technical Papers ISASI 2017, San Diego CA August 22 - 24. 2017 The International Society of Air Safety Investigators (ISASI) will hold their 48th annual seminar at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina from August 22 - 24, 2017. This year's theme is: "Investigations - Do They Really Make a Difference?" Abstracts of Technical papers are invited to address the theme in conjunction with other contemporary matters on aviation safety investigation, including recent case studies, new investigation methods and aviation safety trends or developments. For those interested in presenting a paper, submissions of abstracts are due by March 15, 2017. Abstracts should include a title and up to 300-word summary of the main points of the proposed paper. Please also include your name(s), affiliation, position, and a brief resume. Submissions, or any inquiries regarding submissions, are to be sent to: isasi2017abstracts@gmail.com The panel reviewing the submitted abstracts will consider criteria such as the quality of the paper for relevance to the seminar theme and air safety investigation. They will also endeavour to ensure that a broad range of topics are covered during the seminar. Decisions on the selected abstracts will be made by the April 15, 2017 and details on the required format of the final presentations will be issued at that time. Presenters will be required to submit their papers by July 15, 2017. Up to date information on ISASI 2017 can be found at www.isasi.org Back to Top ESASI SEMINAR 2017 - LJUBLJANA, SLOVENIA The European Society of Air Safety Investigators (ESASI) will hold their annual seminar in Ljubljana, Slovenia, on the 19 and 20 April 2017. Further details, and previous seminar programmes, can be found at www.esasi.eu . ESASI would welcome proposals for presentations to be given during the 2017 seminar, which should last a maximum of 25 minutes with a further 5 minutes for questions. Presentations should address issues relating to air safety investigations; particular areas of interest are: * challenges faced by air safety investigators, * the environment, and culture, that air safety investigators operate in, * practical experience of applying investigation techniques, * new techniques to aid the investigation, * topical case studies. Details of proposed presentations should be sent to Brian McDermid, by 31 January 2017, at presentations@esasi.eu. The ESASI committee will select the presentations in early February 2017. Back to Top RESEARCH STUDY SURVEY Hello, I'm Dr. Tim Holt and I'm currently the Program Chair for Aeronautics and an Associate Professor with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, AZ. In this position I'm responsible for faculty, curriculum, course updates, course alignment, etc... Furthermore, I teach undergraduate courses in aeronautics, safety, unmanned systems, and airport management for the Bachelor of Science in Aeronautics program. To this day, there are no reported statistics of general aviation pilots that have survived hypoxia during normal flight operations. More often than not there are tales of pilots getting themselves into a hypoxic situation and not surviving; rarely do people hear of those that survive. This leaves the aviation community unsure of the common circumstances that these pilots find themselves that create a hypoxic state, as well as whether or not that reported the occurrence to the proper establishments. The data collected from this survey issued to general aviation pilots, will hopefully give insight as to how best to prevent these occurrences from happening, as well as promote a healthy safety culture to report these events. It is with this in mind that we decided to embark on this research study. This survey is completely anonymous and individual responses will not be recorded. It should only take 5- 10 minutes to complete. The link to the survey will provide you the Informed Consent and contact information of the researchers involved in the study. Thank you in advance, it's truly appreciated. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GAHYPOXIA Back to Top Najeeb E. Halaby Graduate Student Fellowship The Najeeb E. Halaby Graduate Student Fellowship was established by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) to shape the next generation of aviation researchers, honoring the late Najeeb Elias Halaby, an eminent aviator and administrator, for his vision and more than five decades of extraordinary contributions to aviation (http://www.ral.ucar.edu/halabyfellowship.pdf). The Fellowship The recipient of a Najeeb E. Halaby Graduate Student Fellowship will spend three months (in 2017 or early 2018) in residence with NCAR's Aviation Weather Research Program, which Mr. Halaby was instrumental in establishing in the 1980s. As the nation's leader in addressing aviation weather research, NCAR plays a unique role in meeting user needs by transferring research results to operations through its Research Application Laboratory (http://www.ral.ucar.edu/). The Fellow will conduct research broadly aimed at improving the integration of weather into decision support tools for enhanced mitigation of weather sensitivities (e.g., weather impact avoidance) and management of air traffic. The Fellowship will provide: * a monthly stipend for three months, including temporary living expenses * round-trip travel expenses to and from Boulder, CO * travel to a conference to present results * page charges for one publication of key results Eligibility and Application The Halaby Fellowship targets graduate students (late Masters or early PhD level) enrolled in an aviation- relevant department or program of a domestic or international university. Interested candidates should have advanced research skills, far-reaching vision, and dedication to get things accomplished. Consideration for this Fellowship will be given to candidates based on the following submitted material: * Curriculum vitae * Proposal (maximum five pages) presenting the research to be conducted at NCAR, the anticipated outcome of that, and how the proposed effort ties into the candidate's ongoing graduate research project(s) * Contact information for three references (one of which should be the student's primary advisor) NCAR will accept applications for the Halaby Fellowship each year. Email Applications by February 28, 2017 to halabyfellowship@ucar.edu Curt Lewis