Flight Safety Information April 24, 2017 - No. 082 Incident: American A321 at Las Vegas on Apr 23rd 2017, engine shut down in flight Incident: PAL A343 at Sydney on Apr 23rd 2017, could not retract gear Accident: Sita D228 at Phaplu on Apr 23rd 2017, wing collided with wall on landing Incident: Jet Airways B773 at Amsterdam on Apr 21st 2017, suspected tailstrike US pilot ejects from jet approaching carrier headed for Korean peninsula Drift Analysis Shows MH370 Likely Crashed North of Search Area Fatal Colorado Plane Crash Blamed on Pilots' Actions Pilots didn't know Telluride airport was closed before crashing into snowplow, NTSB report shows Incident: Southwest B737 near Chicago on Apr 19th 2017, smoke signals Air India to hire 80 co-pilots for wide-body Boeing planes ICAO to check progress in enhancing aviation safety (NEPAL) Jamaica Flying High - One Of 12 Countries Recognised For Air Travel Safety IATA chief calls for greater international cooperation on air accident investigations Malaysia Airlines CEO attempts 'greatest turnaround' Cathay Dragon eyes HK$30 billion order of aircraft, raising fleet investment by 50 per cent US astronaut Peggy Whitson breaks American spaceflight record Embry-Riddle Executive Master of Science in Safety Science New Graduate Research Survey Graduate Research Survey -2. Graduate Research Survey Request-3 SAFE Encourages Pilot Input on GA Runway Incursions (Survey) Incident: American A321 at Las Vegas on Apr 23rd 2017, engine shut down in flight An American Airlines Airbus A321-200, registration N180US performing flight AA-1871 from Las Vegas,NV to Charlotte,NC (USA) with 197 people on board, was climbing through 11,000 feet out of Las Vegas when the crew reported the right hand engine (CFM56) was showing overtemp and according to checklist needed to be shut down, they were declaring emergency and needed to return to Las Vegas. The aircraft landed safely on Las Vegas' runway 25L about 25 minutes after departure. http://flightaware.com/live/flight/AAL1871/history/20170423/1620Z/KLAS/KCLT http://avherald.com/h?article=4a80ae27&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: PAL A343 at Sydney on Apr 23rd 2017, could not retract gear A PAL Philippine Airlines Airbus A340-300, registration RP-C3435 performing flight PR-212 from Sydney,NS (Australia) to Manila (Philippines) with 220 passengers and 12 crew, was in the initial climb out of Sydney's runway 16R when departure control queried the crew "are you aware that your landing gear is still down?" The crew affirmed and indicated they might need to return to Sydney requesting to level off at 5000 feet and be vectored for a hold while working to retract the landing gear. ATC subsequently instructed the aircraft to climb to 8000 feet due to air space boundaries. The aircraft remained in the holding for about 35 minutes, the crew advised they would have no nose wheel steering, requested a tow truck and would be stopping on the runway. The crew requested a long final for runway 16R. The aircraft landed safely on runway 16R and was towed off the runway. A ground observer reported the #1 engine (CFM56) thrust reverser was inop during landing roll. The airline reported the aircraft returned due to operational requirements. http://avherald.com/h?article=4a80773d&opt=0 Back to Top Accident: Sita D228 at Phaplu on Apr 23rd 2017, wing collided with wall on landing A Sita Air Dornier Do-228, registration 9N-AHR performing flight ST-605 from Kathmandu to Lukla (Nepal) with 14 passengers and 3 crew, could not land in Lukla due to weather and diverted to Phaplu (Nepal). An aircraft's wing contacted a wall during landing however before coming to a stop. There were no injuries, the wing received damage. Local police reported a wing of the aircraft collided with a wall while landing at Phaplu and was cracked. There were no injuries. No weather data for Lukla or Phaplu are available. http://avherald.com/h?article=4a807381&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Jet Airways B773 at Amsterdam on Apr 21st 2017, suspected tailstrike A Jet Airways Boeing 777-300, registration VT-JEW performing flight 9W-234 from Amsterdam (Netherlands) to Toronto,ON (Canada) with 337 passengers and 15 crew, departed Amsterdam's runway 18C when tower advised the next departure to expect a delay due to a runway inspection needed following a tail strike. Tower handed the Jet Airways off to departure without mention of a tail strike. Following the runway inspection with no findings the next departure was cleared for takeoff. The Boeing continued the climb and was cleared to climb to FL240. Amsterdam Radar complained the aircraft was not showing their callsign on Mode-S (Transponder), it was all 0s, the crew advised they had set it, the aircraft was subsequently showing the callsign climbing through about FL140. A minute later the crew advised they'd like to divert back to Amsterdam and needed to dump fuel, they requested to descend to FL100 or below. Radar then informed the crew that tower believed to have seen their tail contact the runway surface upon departure, the crew acknowledged "that's correct". The aircraft descended further to FL060, dumped fuel and landed safely back on Amsterdam's runway 27 about one hour after landing back. Ground observers reported no damage was visible on the aircraft. The Dutch Onderzoeksraad (DSB) reported they dispatched investigators for exploratory research of an incident during takeoff at Schiphol Airport. The airline reported the aircraft suffered a suspected tail scrape during departure and returned to Amsterdam. The aircraft is currently being examined by maintenance engineers. A passenger reported that no evidence of a tail strike was discovered, however, the passengers were kept on board for 6 hours and became very impatient, then the flight was postponed to the next day and the passengers were taken to hotels. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Amsterdam 12 hours after departure. http://avherald.com/h?article=4a7eeac3&opt=0 Back to Top US pilot ejects from jet approaching carrier headed for Korean peninsula A pilot from the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier safely ejected from a fighter jet, according to a statement from the Commander of the U.S. Seventh Fleet. The pilot was quickly recovered by a helicopter and is being assessed by the medical team on board the carrier. There are no injuries at this time, the statement said. The pilot ejected from his F/A-18E Super Hornet as it was on its final approach to land on the USS Carl Vinson. The Navy said the plane had been conducting "routine flight operations during a transit in the Celebes Sea." The body of water is north of Indonesia and south of the Philippines. The statement did not detail what caused the pilot to eject or when the ejection occurred. The USS Carl Vinson recently gained international attention for its location, after President Trump recently said that the U.S. was sending an "armada" toward North Korea. The U.S. Pacific Command had issued a statement that Admiral Harry Harris had "directed the Carl Vinson Strike Group to sail north and report on station in the Western Pacific Ocean after departing Singapore April 8." The statement said that the Vinson would head north "rather than executing previously planned port visits to Australia." It made no mention of the Sea of Japan or North Korea, though a U.S. official told ABC News that the intended redirection of the Vincent was to the Sea of Japan east of the Korean Peninsula. Later, Trump administration officials framed the Vinson's movement to the Korean Peninsula as a reaction to military provocations by North Korea. National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster was asked why the Vinson strike group was moving to the Korean Peninsula during an interview with Fox News on April 9. "Well, it's prudent to do it, isn't it?" McMaster said. "I mean, North Korea has been engaged in a pattern of provocative behavior. Timeline of administration's statements shows confusion about location of US aircraft carrier Three days later, in an interview with Fox Business Network, President Trump said the United States was "sending an armada" after a question about North Korea. But the Vinson was not immediately headed north. It was actually headed south from Singapore to participate in a four-day military exercise with the Australian Navy that ended Tuesday. The carrier group is not expected in the Sea of Japan until the end of the month. The White House was forced to clarify the series of confusing and possibly misleading statements about the carrier's location. PHOTO: The aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) transits the Pacific Ocean in this Jan. 30, 2017 photo.Tom Tonthat/U.S. Navy/Department of Defense "Well, I mean I -- PACOM [U.S. Pacific Command] put out a release talking about the group ultimately ending up in the Korean peninsula. That's what it will do," White House spokesman Sean Spicer said at Wednesday's press briefing. When asked whether the president may have spoken too quickly on the ship's whereabouts before it actually headed north, Spicer replied, "The president said we'd have an armada going towards the peninsula. That's a fact. It happened. It is happening, rather." http://abcnews.go.com/International/us-pilot-ejects-jet-approaching-carrier-headed- korean/story?id=46936907 Back to Top Drift Analysis Shows MH370 Likely Crashed North of Search Area (CANBERRA) - Analysis of a genuine Boeing 777 wing flap has reaffirmed experts' opinion that a missing Malaysian airliner most likely crashed north of an abandoned search area in the Indian Ocean, officials said Friday. The $160 million search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 ended in January after a deep-sea sonar scan of 120,000 square kilometers (46,000 square miles) of ocean floor southwest of Australia failed to find any trace of the Boeing 777 that vanished with 239 people aboard on March 8, 2014. But research has continued in an effort to refine a possible new search. Australian government oceanographers had obtained a wing flap of the same model as the original and studied how that part drifted in the ocean, the Australian Transport safety Bureau said in a statement. Previous drift modeling used inexact replicas. The new analysis confirmed findings released in December that the airliner had likely crashed north of the searched area. The December findings were based in part on drift analysis of six replicas of a piece of Flight 370 known as a flaperon which was found on Reunion Island in the west Indian Ocean in July 2015. David Griffin, an Australian government oceanographer who worked on replica analysis, said the new research confirmed his suspicion that an actual flaperon would drift faster and to the left of the replicas' course. It supported the December review's findings by a team of international and Australian experts who re- examined all the data used to define the original search zone that the wreckage was most likely within a 25,000-square kilometer (9,700-square mile) area on the northern boundary of the last search zone. "We cannot be absolutely certain, but that is where all the evidence we have points us, and this new work leaves us more confident in our findings," Griffin said in a statement. The findings add weight to calls of victims' families for governments to resume the search for the airliner that flew far off course during a flight from Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia to Beijing. Malaysia, China and Australia have agreed that the search will remain suspended unless new evidence emerges that would pinpoint the plane's exact location.Australia has conducted the search on Malaysia's behalf. France is conducting its own investigation and has not handed over the Reunion Island flaperon to the wider investigation. http://time.com/4749984/mh370-malysia-airlines-drift-analysis/ Back to Top Fatal Colorado Plane Crash Blamed on Pilots' Actions Federal investigators say a plane crash at a Colorado mountain airport in 2014 was likely caused by the pilots' failure to control the corporate-style jet after an unstabilized approach to landing. DENVER (AP) - Federal investigators say a plane crash at a Colorado mountain airport in 2014 was likely caused by the pilots' failure to control the corporate-style jet after an unstabilized approach to landing. The Denver Post reports (http://dpo.st/2oBLO0r) the co-pilot, Sergio Carranza Brabata, was killed in the crash at Aspen-Pitkin County Airport. A pilot and passenger were injured. The three men were from Mexico and had been flying to Aspen from Tucson, Arizona, when the plane slammed into the runway. The National Transportation Safety Board blamed the flight crew's actions for the crash in a report released last week. The report says additional flight time for the pilots, who had little experience flying the twin-jet Bombardier CL 600, would have improved their decision-making while they attempted to land amid powerful wind gusts. https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/colorado/articles/2017-04-23/fatal-colorado-plane-crash- blamed-on-pilots-actions Back to Top Pilots didn't know Telluride airport was closed before crashing into snowplow, NTSB report shows No one was hurt in the 2015 crash at Telluride Regional Airport A photo of the crashed Hawker Beechjet 400 at Telluride Regional Airport on Dec. 23, 2015.Provided by the San Miguel County Sheriff's Office The two Mexican pilots of a jet that crashed into a snowplow in December 2015 while landing at a closed Telluride airport during a winter storm said they didn't know the airport was shuttered, according to a federal investigation. A National Transportation Safety Board factual report on the crash, released this week, also shows that the pilots said air traffic controllers never informed them of the closure as they were cleared to approach the runway. "Approximately at halfway of the runway ... we suddenly found a snow removal machine which was ... right on our path," the pilots wrote in a report about the crash. No one was hurt in the Dec. 23, 2015, collision, in which authorities estimated the plane - a Hawker Beechjet 400 registered in Mexico and which was carrying five passengers and two crew - hit the plow at 100 mph. Officials say the flight was en route from El Paso, Texas, on a vacation trip. The eight-page factual report shows the pilots knew before leaving Texas that the Telluride Regional Airport was going to be closed for several periods the day of the crash, but not when the Beechjet was expected to arrive. The airport operator, according to the NTSB report, entered a computer notice that the airport was closed at 1:50 p.m. for snow removal. At 1:58, an air traffic controller cleared the Beechjet for an approach to the airport. The report says the pilots did not change their radio frequency to the airport's common traffic advisory frequency. When the airplane collided with the plow, one of its wings was sheared off and it came to rest just off the snow-covered runway. The snowplow had only minor damage. "An airport employee told sheriff's deputies he was driving the snowplow when it was struck from behind and said he never saw the plane coming," the San Miguel County Sheriff's Office said in a news release at the time. The sheriff's office said there were broken snow showers at the time of the crash. "The Denver center controller position was initially staffed with a radar controller and a radar-associate controller," the report says. "Facility operating procedure requires controllers to issue appropriate (notices to airmen) to pilots. The facility added that in the past, they received a phone call from an airport operator notifying them of an upcoming NOTAM that closed the airport or a runway. However, currently, airport operators enter NOTAMs directly into the system and they do not receive the telephone call." The NTSB report says pilots of planes heading into airports without air traffic control towers - like Telluride's - should monitor common traffic advisory frequencies when they are 10 miles from landing. Cockpit voice recordings from the Beechjet showed the pilots were busy dealing with snowy weather - condition they were unfamiliar with - during their landing, the report shows. Bloomberg found that Telluride Regional Airport is one of the most difficult for pilots to land at in the U.S. The NTSB is expected to release a probable cause report, in which it rules on what led to a crash, in the coming weeks or months. http://www.denverpost.com/2017/04/21/pilots-didnt-know-telluride-airport-was-closed-before-crashing- into-snowplow-ntsb-report-shows/ Back to Top FAA: Turbulence injuries jolt twice as many flights in 2016 A gashed face while descending into Denver. A fractured spine while heading to the Cayman Islands. Second-degree burns from scalding water while heading to Barbados. These were among the most serious injuries from turbulence aboard airliners last year, when the Federal Aviation Administration said the number of injuries doubled from a year earlier. The 44 injuries in 2016 compared to 21 in 2015, the FAA announced Wednesday. During the last 15 years, the lowest total was 12 in 2006 and the highest was 107 in 2009, according to FAA. Passengers tend to get injured more than crew members, and three-quarters of the injuries last year were for passengers. But crew members often suffer serious injuries because they frequently are standing or walking around the cabin when so-called "clear air" turbulence strikes unexpectedly. The FAA urges passengers to listen to flight attendants and use an approved child-safety seat for children under 2 years old. The FAA also urges airlines to include turbulence in weather briefings, and to have pilots and dispatchers relay reports about turbulence. Flight attendants said the incidents serve as a reminder of the risks of their profession - and the need for passengers to remain seated with their seat belts fastened during flights. "The airplane cabin can be a dangerous work environment for flight attendants," said Bob Ross, president of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, the union representing crews at American Airlines. "Clear-air turbulence is particularly problematic and a leading cause of flight attendant injuries. By its nature, it is difficult or impossible to predict. That is why we stress that passengers keep their seat belts on whenever they are seated and pay particular attention to crewmember instructions during all phases of flight." The National Transportation Safety Board investigated airline turbulence incidents during 2016 including: --On Dec. 13, a United Airlines flight from San Francisco to Denver hit mountain-wave turbulence and a "big jolt" at 20,000 feet. A flight attendant securing the galley in the Boeing 737-800 was thrown to the ceiling and then struck her face on a counter that gashed her cheek and fractured a facial bone. --On Aug. 11, a JetBlue Airways flight from Boston to Sacramento encountered stormy weather above South Dakota. Three flight attendants and 24 passengers suffered minor injuries in the turbulence, and the Airbus A320 made an emergency landing in Rapid City. --On Aug. 3, an American Airlines flight descending to the Cayman Islands bumped into 6 to 8 seconds of severe clear-air turbulence with no warning, despite using weather radar aboard the Airbus A319. The seat-belt sign had been on for 10 minutes, but five passengers and three crew members were injured. One passenger was taken to the hospital with a fractured vertebra. --On July 28, a JetBlue flight from JFK to Barbados ran into clear-air turbulence with no warning from weather radar aboard the Airbus A321. A flight attendant carrying a pot of hot water swung the pot away from another crew member after one bump, but a sudden drop sent the pot into the air and scalded her left shoulder and side with second-degree burns. --On July 26, a United flight hit a few seconds of turbulence at about 16,500 feet while the Embraer 170 descended into Cleveland. A flight attendant fell in the galley and broke her left tibia, and a doctor aboard the flight assisted her. --On Jan. 15, pilots on a Southwest Airlines flight from Providence to Fort Lauderdale were warned about a weather front to the west of their path, but encountered 3 seconds turbulence over Titusville while beginning to descend. The seat-belt sign was illuminated aboard the Boeing 737-700, but a flight attendant securing the galley fell and broke her ankle. "Airplanes have seat belts for a reason. Turbulence is a serious threat in the air and it cannot always be predicted," said Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA. "It is one of the highest causes of serious on the job injury to flight attendants. The forces created in sudden clear air turbulence can throw bodies and unsecure items forcefully through the cabin much like the impact of a high speed collision. If you are not strapped in and secure, it could be deadly." http://www.khou.com/news/faa-turbulence-injuries-jolt-twice-as-many-flights-in-2016/433494172 Back to Top Air India to hire 80 co-pilots for wide-body Boeing planes Air India currently has about 170 co-pilots to steer its 15 B777 and 23 B787 planes as against a requirement of over 370. PTI file photo Mumbai, April 23 State-owned Air India is hiring over 80 junior pilots for its wide-body Boeing B777 and B787 aircraft to meet the shortage of cockpit crew. The process to induct these first officers or co-pilots is in the final stage and they are expected to join Air India by next month, an airline source said here. Air India currently has about 170 co-pilots to steer its 15 B777 and 23 B787 planes as against a requirement of over 370, the source said. It is scheduled to take delivery of four more Boeing 787 as well as three B777 between July this year and March next year. The airline operates these planes majorly on its long and ultra long haul routes. "As many as 95 candidates were selected for the simulator test after they cleared the written examination. Of these, 85 could clear the simulator test and they are now in the process of joining Air India," the source said. These candidates are already type rated on narrow body Boeing 737 and conversion as pilots for the wide- body B737 can be done easily, he said. "Conversion from a narrow body Boeing pilot to a wide-body Boeing aircraft pilot is easier than from Airbus to Boeing or vice versa as the training period then gets reduced from eight sessions to about four sessions," the source said. This, in turn, reduces the type rating cost as well, he said. Of the 85 co-pilots who are expected to join the airline in May, 45 are likely to be deployed on B777s and the remaining 40 on B787s, he said. Type rating is a regulating agencies' certification given to a pilot to fly a certain aircraft type that requires additional training, which involves huge cost, beyond the scope of the initial license and aircraft class training. According to the source, a B777 requires a set (each set has two pilots) of 13 pilots (26 pilots) and a set of eight pilots (16 pilots) is needed for operating a Boeing 787. There are nearly 90 co-pilots currently on B777 fleet and 80 first officers on B787s. "Going by the standard requirement, the airline needs at least 195 co-pilots for 15 B777s and 184 for 23 B787s. Moreover, seven more such planes are going to be added in the fleet in the next one year. So even after inducting 85 more pilots, the shortage will remain," the source added. PTI http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/air-india-to-hire-80-co-pilots-for-wide-body-boeing- planes/396347.html Back to Top ICAO to check progress in enhancing aviation safety (NEPAL) Nepal has performed poorly in effectively implementing air safety oversight systems, appearing way down among 46 Asian countries An International Civil Aviation Organisation (Icao) team is slated to arrive in June to check the corrective measures taken by Nepal to address significant safety concerns (SSC) relating to operations and other aspects, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (Caan) said. The United Nations aviation watchdog Icao monitors Nepal's aviation safety oversight capabilities through the Icao Coordinated Validation Missions (ICVM). "The ICVM team will conduct the audit from June 6-13," said Rajan Pokhrel, deputy director general of Caan. The mission is normally invited by a state when it is fully confident that it has fulfilled all the compliances with international safety standards. In July 2013, an Icao mission visited Nepal to validate the corrective measures taken by the country to address the deficiencies pointed out by the global aviation watchdog in 2009. The mission carried out an on-site audit from July 10-16. Unsatisfied with Nepal's progress, the UN supervisory body had given the significant safety concern (SSC) tag to Nepal's aviation sector in its audit report in August 2013. It had given a red flag on 'operations', among the eight critical elements of safety oversight, due to the large number of aircraft accidents and incidents between 2009 and 2012 when there were at least two passenger aircraft crashes annually. Nepal had performed poorly in effectively implementing air safety oversight systems, appearing way down among 46 Asian countries. The outcome of the audit had further consequences as the European Commission (EC) on December 5, 2013 put all Nepali carriers in its bad books for the worst record of air safety oversight. There are eight critical elements that Icao considers essential for a state to establish, implement and maintain in order to have an effective national safety oversight system. They include primary aviation legislation, organization and safety oversight functions, personnel licensing, aircraft operations, airworthiness of aircraft, aerodromes, air navigation system and accident and incident investigation. "Among the eight critical elements, the mission will audit four areas-legislation, organizational, operations and airworthiness," said Pokhrel. "Although, we requested Icao for an audit in all areas, accident and incident investigation did not come into the scope due to the unsatisfactory progress made by Nepal. Likewise, in three other areas-personnel licensing, navigation system and aerodromes-Icao did not deem it necessary to do an audit as we are good in these areas." After the audit, the mission will produce a final report in December. "We are hopeful that Nepal's air safety credentials will be reinstated," said Pokhrel. "There could be some minor issues, but we don't foresee any major issues because a lot has already been implemented as compared to previous audits." Caan decided to invite the audit mission after getting the go-ahead from the Combined Action Team (CAT) of Icao's Asia and Pacific office in Bangkok which has helped it in its evaluation and preparedness. A six- member CAT mission provided assistance to Caan from November 22-25 last year. International airlines and travellers hesitate to travel to a country whose air safety has been questioned by Icao. http://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/news/2017-04-22/icao-to-check-progress-in-enhancing-aviation- safety.html Back to Top Jamaica Flying High - One Of 12 Countries Recognised For Air Travel Safety Air traffic controller Sherizah Gallow is a picture of concentration while carrying out her duties in the new air traffic control tower at the Norman Manley International Airport, even as a touring party including Prime Minister Andrew Holness was in attendance. Jamaica's significant ongoing investment in air traffic management infrastructure has begun to pay off in a big way, less than eight months after the new air traffic control tower at the Norman Manley International Airport became operational. "The towers are just one part of it. The upgrades that we are doing to our radars and automation system is another part of it, and there is more to come over the next couple of years. But I think that the fact that we has been recognised by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for our significant safety performance in 2016, I think that speaks a lot to the efforts that the entire Civil Aviation Authority team and our Aerotel team has been putting in," Nari Williams-Singh, director general of the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority, told The Gleaner on Wednesday. Williams-Singh, speaking about the fact that he had been officially notified only on Tuesday that Jamaica was among the 12 member states recognised by the global organisation to receive its Council President Certificate for 2016. He put the first time honour in context. STRINGENT PERFORMANCE "Of the 192 countries which are signatory to the ICAO conventions, 12 are selected each year for this recognition and you have to meet very stringent performance criteria to be selected." The director general made this disclosure during the tour of the new air traffic control tower by Prime Minister Andrew Holness and Transport Minister Mike Henry, both of whom missed the official opening last November. At a height of 137 feet, eight inches the new tower stands more than 50 feet taller than the more-than- 65-year-old facility it replaced, and the well-trained staff now has cutting-edge technology literally at their fingertips to carry out the communications, navigation and surveillance demands of their job. "We have improved those three areas to make the delivery of air traffic service even better and we are trying to be not just at first-world standard, but be the example for everyone else to follow. That is our mandate and we want to ensure that the standard is maintained at the highest level, despite the traffic conditions," Richard Graham, supervisor for the control tower, told The Gleaner during a tour of the facility. "Once you have good, functioning equipment, we will be able to do that without failure." ... Standards key to safety Noting that air travel is a complex industry, Nari Williams-Singh, director general of the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority, has indicated that its seamless and safe operation at the local level is driven and sustained by the vigilant implementation and unfailing application of stringent yet dynamic standards. However, Williams-Singh went on to underscore the value of ongoing investment in human resources as critical to achieving the two highest standards of the civil aviation industry - safety and efficiency. TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION "Success is also fuelled by continuous, technological innovation process such as this tower and all these efforts are championed through dedication and vigilance from the energetic team of the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority and Aerotel. The success of Jamaica's air traffic services has been a combination of human heart, training and dedication with the brawn of the latest technology. It is this combination which Jamaica has continuously employed to maintain the safe, expeditious and orderly flow of traffic across Jamaica's airspace, in accordance with the standards and recommended practices of our global governing body, the International Civil Aviation Organization." http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20170424/jamaica-flying-high-one-12-countries-recognised-air- travel-safety Back to Top IATA chief calls for greater international cooperation on air accident investigations The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has urged aviation safety stakeholders to reinforce their commitment to a safety framework based on global standards, cooperation and dialogue, and the effective use of data. "Safety is the top priority for all involved in aviation - and aviation is the safest form of long-distance travel. Last year there were over 40 million safe flights. That's an achievement that we can all be proud of. And it was made possible by a framework that incorporates respect for global standards, cooperation and the value of data," said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA's director-general and chief executive officer. Speaking at the "IATA Safety and Flight Operations Conference" in Seoul, de Juniac identified air-accident investigations as a key area where greater cooperation on global standards is needed. "Global standards exist, but they are not being applied universally. The investigation process is one of our most important learning tools when building global standards. However, a recent study showed that of the approximately 1,000 accidents over the last decade, accident reports were available for only around 300 of them. "And of those, many had room for improvement. To learn from an accident, we need reports that are complete, accessible and timely. We also need states to fully respect the standards and processes enshrined in global agreements for participation in the investigation by all specified parties," he told the conference. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/business/EconomyAndTourism/30313208 Back to Top Malaysia Airlines CEO attempts 'greatest turnaround' Has Malaysia Airlines made a comeback? It may be the toughest job in the aviation industry. Peter Bellew is overseeing the revamping of Malaysia Airlines, the struggling carrier that was nationalized after it lost two passenger jets with hundreds of people aboard in separate disasters in 2014. Bellew, the airline's third CEO in less than three years, has clear ideas for what it needs to do. That includes driving down costs and turning its fleet of A380 superjumbo jets into charter planes for Muslim pilgrims. "I think this will be the greatest turnaround in the history of aviation and maybe even of any business," he told CNNMoney's Richard Quest. Related: Malaysia Airlines is 1st carrier to sign up for new satellite-tracking service The changes at the airline in recent years have been dramatic. It shed about 6,000 jobs and scrapped most of its long-haul routes to focus on flights within Asia. "I don't believe people in the [United] States or in Europe quite get the scale of the economy that there is here," said Bellew, a former executive at low-cost Irish airline Ryanair (RYAAY). He sees Malaysia growing as a transit hub for the rest of the region. Peter Bellew became CEO of Malaysia Airlines last year, the company's third leader in less than three years. Retooling the airline's A380s is one of his big moves. Next year, the six superjumbos will be retired from normal service and offered for charter by groups undertaking the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. The huge planes will be overhauled to carry as many as 715 passengers, with a business class section, prayer areas and washing zones for feet and hands. "We are trying to capture 5-6% of the global market, which is growing all the time," Bellew said. "People save to go to this for up to 30 years, and we've got great interest in the product already." For the carrier's main business, he's trying to balance the need to cut costs with reestablishing Malaysia Airlines as a premium brand. The company is succeeding in winning back passengers. At the end of last year, it hit its highest load factor -- a measure of how full its planes are -- in a decade. And the airline's name isn't changing. Despite the baggage of the disasters the airlines suffered in 2014 -- the disappearance of Flight 370 and the shooting down of Flight 17 -- Bellew says ditching the company brand would have thrown away decades of heritage. "The world loves the brand Malaysian Airlines," he said. "It's an asset the company can't let go of right now." After the disasters, the company was pulled from the stock market and taken private by Malaysian sovereign wealth fund Khazanah Nasional. The aim now is to list its shares again by 2019. Bellew says he took on the job because he knew it wouldn't be easy. "It's that challenge and that sense that I can help out or make them move the thing along and get it fixed," he said. http://money.cnn.com/2017/04/23/investing/malaysia-airlines-ceo-peter-bellew-transformation/ Back to Top Cathay Dragon eyes HK$30 billion order of aircraft, raising fleet investment by 50 per cent Cathay Pacific subsidiary eyes up to 32 new planes in what would be largest order since 2000 Cathay Dragon is pumping an additional HK$10 billion into its programme to buy aircraft, bringing the total investment up to HK$30 billion as it seeks up to 32 new Airbus or Boeing planes. The Asia-focused airline is seeking up to nine optional aircraft orders to be delivered ahead of the opening of the third runway at Hong Kong International Airport in 2024. The move by Cathay Dragon follows its initial HK$20 billion programme to replace its narrow-body aircraft. Meanwhile, its sister airline, Cathay Pacific Airways, said it was committed to investing for its passengers in the face of a HK$575 million loss last year. It is seeking HK$4 billion in savings in the next three years. Increasing aviation competition won't stop travellers coming to Hong Kong, former Cathay boss says Extra money is being aimed at giving Cathay Pacific's older lounges a fresh makeover. The lounges have brought global awards to the airline, one of Asia's largest premium carriers. Cathay Pacific lounges in Shanghai, Beijing and Seoul are set to be renovated by 2019, while a new facility in Singapore and the latest Hong Kong airport lounge makeover are due to be unveiled later this year. The airline's product general manager, James Evans, said the company was "committed to investing for the customer as we continue our review to renew Cathay Dragon's narrow-body fleet and expand our acclaimed airport lounges". Hong Kong-based Cathay Dragon is a sister airline of Cathay Pacific Airways. Photo: Handout Evans said the lounge renovation plans were well under way, buoyed by what he claimed was positive feedback from passengers regarding the new, higher quality facilities. "At the moment, we are assessing different options that will provide the best operating economics and growth opportunities," he said of the fleet plan for Cathay Dragon. Cathay Pacific's CEO-designate, Rupert Hogg. previously told the Post about the new aircraft order. "Depending on how many seats you will put in whatever aircraft we buy, you might replace a wide body with a narrow body," he said. "You might put in more frequency and less capacity." A final decision is to be made this summer, and the first of up to 32 new aircraft is to arrive in 2019. The choice of technologically advanced jets comes down to Airbus's A320neo and Boeing's 737 Max in what would be the operator's biggest order since 2000. Cathay Dragon has been a long-standing Airbus customer and currently has a fleet of 15 Airbus A320s and eight larger A321s. It also has a fleet of 23 twin-aisle Airbus A330 planes. The two airlines fly 167 passenger aircraft. The cost of the potential bumper order is based on the fleet's like-for-like replacement with the A320neo at US$108.4 million each and A321neo for US$127 million, plus the extra planes - or HK$30 billion at list price. But airlines typically negotiate deep discounts for large orders. The new neos and Boeing 737 Max planes are in demand for their fuel efficiency. Budget carrier HK Express's new A320neos burn up to 24 per cent less fuel on average, according to the airline. However, the new aircraft has seen a host of engine issues. Other A320neo operators such as US-based Spirit Airlines as well as Indigo and Go Air, both of India, have reported problems. http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/2089926/cathay-dragon-eyes-hk30-billion-order- aircraft-raising-fleet Back to Top US astronaut Peggy Whitson breaks American spaceflight record * Commander of international space station set to break a big record * U.S. astronaut Peggy Whitson is smashing records left and right. Whitson, 57, broke the record for the most cumulative time in space by an American astronaut early Monday, streaking past the 534-day record held by Jeff Williams. The 879-day global record, held by Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka, still stands. By the time she returns to Earth in September, Whitson will have spent 666 days in floating above the planet. She hopes she won't hold the title for long. "I'm not here because of the record," Whitson told ABC News' David Kerley via video teleconference from aboard the ISS earlier this month. "I'm definitely here for conducting the science." The research she's doing is "a really important stepping stone" to sending astronauts on even longer missions to Mars -- "the sooner the better," Whitson hopes. However, "we still have some critical questions to answer," including the medical complications that come with living in zero gravity, like bone density and muscle constriction, she told Kerley. "I think the biggest hurdle probably for the human body is going to be the radiation ... and probably the easiest solution is to get there faster so that you take less risk along the way." she said. Whitson, an Iowa native, is no stranger to shattering records. In 2008, she became the first woman to command the ISS, and just last month -- during her eighth spacewalk -- Whitson surpassed NASA's Sunita Williams for the woman with the most cumulative "extra-vehicular activity" time. Her journey hasn't always been smooth sailing. During re-entry following her second mission in 2008, her Soyuez capsule experienced a technical glitch, sending it hurtling into a violent dive and exposing the crew to forces eight times more powerful than the earth's gravity for more than a minute. Nevertheless, her time in space is "one of those rides you hope never ends," Whitson tweeted Sunday. "I am so grateful for all those who helped me on each of my missions." http://abcnews.go.com/US/us-astronaut-peggy-whitson-breaks-american-spaceflight- record/story?id=46976358 Back to Top Back to Top New Graduate Research Survey Hello my name is DEREK HAYNES and I am an MSc student at City University of London and a Captain on the B787. I trust you are well and I know that you are busy. Would you kindly please spare me a few minutes of your valuable time to complete my Air Transport Management MSc Pilot Survey - preferably by 27th April, (project deadline 1st May - it is anonymous). It takes <8 mins. Thanks a million, Derek. The survey can be completed here: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/WRQ686G Back to Top Graduate Research Survey -2 Dear colleagues, The flight crew of an airliner is expected to exhibit very high levels of decision making, all the time. Disasters are often attributed to poor decision making skills that are rigorously scrutinised after the event but a good decision never faces similar depth of review. I am doing a research on this very topic and need your help with a short anonymous survey. The primary objectives of this survey are to evaluate: 1. How pilots make decisions in a time and safety critical situation. 2. Whether there are any comparisons with other professionals facing similar time and safety pressures. The survey can be completed here: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/7TKJ66K Can you spare a few moments to take my survey? www.surveymonkey.co.uk Please take the survey titled "Anonymous Survey- Decision making in a time and safety critical environment.City University of London naveed.kapadia@city.ac.uk". Your feedback is important! Thank you for your help and support with this research. Naveed MSc student at City University of London Back to Top Graduate Research Survey Request-3 My name is Mohamed Sheryenna. I'm a student at the University of South wales (UK), MSc. Aircraft Maintenance System. I'm conducting this research about Importance of Implementation SMS to Aircraft Maintenance: For reducing accidents. This study would look to understand the approaches and benefits of implementation SMS in Aircraft maintenance organization to reduce risk of accidents or at least mitigate it by identify and manage risks in predictive phase. Moreover, the study sought to determine the influence of the organizational culture and its effective on maintenance. In addition, to assess some tools used by SMS to support maintenance and engineering to obtain optimal aircraft maintenance. Ultimately, the effectiveness of an SMS implementation means the organization can manage the complexity of these mechanisms to defend against risk incubation. All the information will be treated confidentially and reported in the aggregate. The resultant data will be analyzed as part of my master degree's thesis. I will strictly respect the confidentiality of all participants' input. If you are a participant, and if you desire, I will provide you with a copy of the outcomes of my study. Please return the survey with your business card or contact information to indicate your interest in receiving a copy of the results. I would greatly appreciate your input to my survey. I realize that you are very busy; and completion of the survey should require not more than 10 minutes of your time. These questionnaires are intended to explore SMS in Aircraft maintenance and are purely for academic purpose. Your participation in this research will be highly appreciated. please click the link below to go through the survey http://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/8YYUA/ Thank you very much for your cooperation. Sincerely yours, Mohamed Sheryenna 15050033@students.southwales.ac.uk Tel. 00447459876975 Back to Top SAFE Encourages Pilot Input on GA Runway Incursions (Survey) Active general aviation (GA) pilots are being asked to help an ongoing study of GA runway incursions by completing a new online questionnaire. The FAA has said that runway incursions - a vehicle or aircraft on the ground endangering aircraft landing or taking off - average three per day and are a "serious safety concern." GA pilots are involved in about 80 percent of runway incursions. "The question is, what are GA pilots doing, or not doing, that results in so many runway incursions?" said Professor Donna F. Wilt of the Florida Institute of Technology College of Aeronautics. "By analyzing such occurrences we can help mitigate those dangerous situations." The study is being conducted by the FIT College of Aeronautics, Hampton University Department of Aviation and Purdue University Department of Aviation Technology. It is funded through the Partnership to Enhance General Aviation Safety, Accessibility and Sustainability (PEGASAS), and the FAA Center of Excellence for GA. SAFE is a partner of PEGASAS. The questionnaire will be available from April 1 through April 30, 2017. To take the new questionnaire, click here or click on or copy and past the URL below. The questionnaire is also available on the SAFE web site at www.SAFEPilots.org and will be available at the SAFE booth at Sun 'n Fun. SAFE is encouraging its members to participate in the project. Direct Link URL: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeiJFFh52kh_afnEN7qoBRoliQvqLSUhksMQAGDGbO- EcDweg/viewform?usp=sf_link For more information, contact the project's Principal Investigator, Dr. Scott Winter. SAFE is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to supporting and promoting aviation education at all levels of learning. SAFE is a recognized leader in pilot training reform, safety education, and the mentoring of aviation educators. For information on free resource materials and membership, go to www.safepilots.org. Scott Winter Assistant Professor of Aviation Science College of Aeronautics, Florida Institute of Technology 321-674-7639 (Office) 218-269-9376 (Cell) Curt Lewis