Air Safety Week back issues from September 2008:
Good Report Card for U.S. Air Carriers.
Sep 08, 2008 ... Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) air safety inspectors found an overall adherence rate of 98 percent in conducting more than 5,600 audits of Airworthiness Directive (ADs) compliance at over 100 U.S. air carriers, Acting Administrator Robert A. Sturgell announced on Sept. 5. ...
Impasse Between FAA and Southwest.
Sep 08, 2008 ... Southwest Airlines has refused to pay the FAA a multi-million dollar penalty for alleged safety violations, with the matter awaiting movement to the federal courts. The U.S. aviation agency had set a deadline of Aug. 29 for payment. A Southwest spokeswoman said airline management told ...
Boeing 777 Airworthiness Directive Imminent.
Sep 08, 2008 ... The UK's Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) has concluded that ice in fuel lines "most probably" caused a twin-engine British Airways Boeing 777- 236ER (G-YMMM) to lose power just prior to landing on Runway 27L at London Heathrow this past January. The crash heavily damaged the new ...
Open Safety Issues at Qantas.
Sep 08, 2008 ... Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) wants Qantas to make a series of improvements to the way it handles aircraft maintenance following a special review carried out by Australia's air safety regulator. CASA has ordered the air carrier to produce a plan to address ...
Airport Slot Auction on Hold.
Sep 08, 2008 ... The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) delayed a slot auction planned for early September at Newark Liberty International after running into fierce opposition from the affected air carriers and the New York area airports. The U.S. airlines had asked the FAA's Office of ...
Fatal Air Tanker Crash in Nevada.
Sep 08, 2008 ... An air tanker built in 1962 crashed Sept. 1 shortly after departing from Reno-Stead Airport, killing all three crewmembers. National Transportation Safety Board (NTB) investigators said on the scene that an engine fire broke out just after takeoff, sending the aerial tanker ...
No Engine Failure in Easton Crash.
Sep 08, 2008 ... The NTSB's preliminary report indicates that an engine failure did not cause "Angel Flight 15 Delta" to nose-dive into a supermarket parking lot in South Easton , MA on Aug. 12, killing the pilot, a cancer patient and another passenger. The veteran pilot lost control of the ...
New Report Examines SMS in Aviation.
Sep 08, 2008 ... DUBLIN, Ireland-based Research and Markets has added a "Safety Management Systems in Aviation" report to the company's product line. Although aviation is among the safest modes of transportation in the world today, accidents still happen. In order to further reduce accidents ...
Raising the Safety Bar.
Sep 08, 2008 ... FAA Acting Administrator Robert A. Sturgell says Africa's role in aviation in growing but must strive to attain the highest level of safety possible. Sturgell, the first FAA administrator to participate in the African Aviation Leadership Conference, said "The FAA has for a ...
F-15 Accident Report Released.
Sep 08, 2008 ... Pilot error caused the Feb. 20, 2008 loss of two Eglin AFB-based F-15C Eagle fighters flying off the coast of Florida, according to an Air Combat Command accident investigation board (AIB) report. One pilot was killed in the mishap. The other pilot ejected from his aircraft ...
NTSB Provides a 'Crash' Course.
Sep 08, 2008 ... The NTSB is offering a two-day course on how public relations personnel can most effectively manage emergency communications following a major aircraft accident. The training will be offered on October 28-29 at the NTSB Training Center in Ashburn, VA and is open to airport and airline ...
ASDE-X and PRM-A for Detroit.
Sep 08, 2008 ... The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has chosen Detroit Metro Wayne County Airport "as one of the key locations to help advance modern runway safety technology. The advances that are taking place here will serve as the building blocks for the next level of aviation safety," stated ...
S&T Trends.
Sep 08, 2008 ... ICAO Gives U.S. High Marks The U.S. aviation system received a score of 91 out of 100 in a new safety audit released by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the United Nations agency that oversees international civil aviation. The U.S. score, which was well ...
Security Shortlines.
Sep 08, 2008 ... Hijackers of Sudanese Jetliner Surrender Two hijackers gave up to Libyan authorities a day after they hijacked a Sun Air Boeing 737, with nearly 100 passengers on board, shortly after takeoff from Nyala, Darfur's largest city, on Aug. 26. The flight was bound for the Sudanese ...
Safety Rules and Regs.
Sep 08, 2008 ... Emergency Airworthiness Directive (EAD). MD Helicopters MD-500 and 600N. There have been two incidents of impaired directional control. This impaired directional control occurred after the Vertical Stabilizer Control System (VSCS) circuit breakers were pulled in accordance with EAD ...
Accidents and Incidents.
Sep 08, 2008 ... <Pre> Date: August 02, 2008 Mount Clemens, MI Aircraft Type: Eurocopter AS-350-B3 N204TU Narrative: A/c operated U.S. Customs and Border Protection as public use flight substantially damaged during hard landing at Selfridge ANG Base. Death/Injury: No injuries Remarks: Flight originated ...
FAA Air Safety Reforms Ordered.
Sep 15, 2008 ... U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters has ordered the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to implement safety recommendations advanced by an Independent Review Team (IRT) formed in the wake of the Southwest Airlines maintenance snafu. Peters said the team's report ...
FAA Moves to Improve Air Safety Oversight.
Sep 15, 2008 ... The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has made progress in implementing systems and processes that will improve air carrier safety oversight after gaps in maintenance compliance were uncovered at Southwest Airlines in April. Southwest continued to fly aircraft that did not ...
Voluntary Disclosures Retain Backing.
Sep 15, 2008 ... The Federal Aviation Administration's evolution from a forensic to a prognostic aviation safety agency through voluntarily submitted data from U.S. airlines rather than inspectors on the floor appears safe and retains the backing of the senior FAA leadership A high-level ...
EU Promises Tougher Airliner Checks.
Sep 15, 2008 ... Safety checks will be stepped up on European Union registered jetliners in the wake of the August Spanair MD-82 crash at Madrid's Barajas airport that killed 154 people, says the EU's transport commissioner. In a speech before the EU Parliament, Antonio Tajani said the ...
Alaska Air Acquires Runway Awareness Technology.
Sep 15, 2008 ... Alaska Airlines is the first major U.S. passenger carrier to equip its entire fleet of 112 Boeing 737s with a system designed to help prevent accidents on runways and taxiways. The Honeywell Runway Awareness and Advisory System (RAAS) provides pilots with audible alerts when ...
Small Cargo Plane Crashes In Ohio Killing Three.
Sep 15, 2008 ... An empty cargo plane crashed into a row of trees and skidded into a cornfield shortly after takeoff September 1, killing the captain, the first officer, and a company pilot sitting in the observer seat. The twin-engine Convair 580 (N587x), owned by Air Tahoma, had departed ...
Pilot Error for August 2007 Lancair Crash.
Sep 15, 2008 ... The National Transportation Safety Board has ruled that the August 31, 2007 crash of a Lancair Columbia 400 (N252OP) attempting to land at Kern Valley Airport, Kernville, CA was due to pilot error and violation of weight restrictions. The aircraft stalled as it maneuvered in ...
Main Rotor Failure Eyed in Air Evac EMS Chopper Crash.
Sep 15, 2008 ... It appears that an Air Evac EMS Bell 206L-1 (N37AE) crashed in Greensburg, IN Aug. 31 after its main rotor blades separated from the aircraft. The pilot, a flight nurse and a paramedic sustained fatal injuries. The flight had just departed Burney, IN for the aircraft's base ...
Risky Business.
Sep 15, 2008 ... Flying firefighting tankers over raging wildfires continues to be a dangerous business. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reports that on August 27 a single-engine Air Tractor AT-802A (N189LA) was totaled after crashing near Meeker, CO. The pilot, the ...
'Engine-Out' in Navajo Crash?
Sep 15, 2008 ... A Piper PA-31-350 Navajo (N212HB) crashed into a parked car in a driveway located about one mile from Runway 7 at North Las Vegas (VGT) Aug. 28, killing the pilot. FAA spokesman Ian Gregor said the plane's pilot, the sole person onboard, reported a "rough-running engine" ...
New LIDAR System Sees the Sky in 3D.
Sep 15, 2008 ... EPFL, the Swiss National Science Foundation and Switzerland's National Weather service, MeteoSwiss, have inaugurated a new LIDAR measurement system in Payerne, Switzerland that provide continuous data on atmospheric humidity for Western Switzerland's weather forecasting headquarters. ...
Aviation Remains at Risk to Terrorists.
Sep 15, 2008 ... Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff says aviation remains vulnerable to terrorist attack seven years after 9/11. Chertoff was speaking at the National Press Club on the eve of the seventh anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, in which terrorists crashed hijacked ...
B-1B Crash Blamed on Mechanical Failure.
Sep 15, 2008 ... A brake-metering-valve failure caused a B-1B Lancer to collide with two firefighting rescue vehicles March 7 on Guam, according to an accident investigation board report released Sept. 2. The board determined the aircraft began to roll forward after engine shutdown at ...
Safety & Technology Trends.
Sep 15, 2008 ... ACI-NA Backs Congestion Pricing Scheme Airports Council International - North America (ACI-NA) opposes the Air Transport Association's (ATA) petition for review of the Department of Transportation's (DOT) Policy Regarding Airport Rates and Charges. It says "DOT recognized ...
Security Shortlines.
Sep 15, 2008 ... Jury Decision on Liquid Bomb Plot Three British Muslim citizens were convicted on Sept. 8 of conspiracy to commit murder in an aviation terror plot, but the jury did not reach a verdict on whether they actually targeted transatlantic jetliners with liquid explosives. The jury ...
Safety Rules and Regulations.
Sep 15, 2008 ... Emergency Airworthiness Directive. 2008-19-51 This emergency airworthiness directive (AD) is sent to all owners and operators of Rolls-Royce AE 3007A series turbofan engines. These engines are installed on, but not limited to EMBRAER EMB-135 and EMB-145 aircraft. This emergency AD results ...
Accidents & Incidents.
Sep 15, 2008 ... <Pre> Date: August 02, 2008 Fretin, France Aircraft Type: McDonnell Douglas MD-902OO-NHL Narrative: A/c operated by Noordzee Helikopters Vlaanderen experienced a separation of the right hand sliding door while in flight. Death/Injury: No injuries Remarks: The flight originated from ...
Boeing 777 Cold Weather AD Issued.
Sep 22, 2008 ... The FAA has issued an airworthiness directive affecting Rolls-Royce RB211 Trent 800-powered Boeing 777-200/300 jetliners that are operated in extremely cold temperatures. The AD that is effective Sept. 29 requires revision of the aircraft flight manual to include in-flight ...
Analysis: FAA's Rush to Certify First VLJ.
Sep 22, 2008 ... By Kathryn B. Creedy, Editor, Aviation Today's VLJ Report More criticism was heaped on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) last week as the House Transportation and Infrastructure Aviation subcommittee held a hearing on certification of the first very light jet, the ...
Congress Gets Status Report on NextGen.
Sep 22, 2008 ... The House Committee on Science and Technology held a hearing on Sept. 11 to examine the status of the Next Generation Air Transportation System initiative, known as NextGen. Committee Members explored key issues related to the initiative and the interagency Joint Planning and ...
Better Aircraft Maintenance & Pilot Training for Sky Divers.
Sep 22, 2008 ... The National Transportation Safety Board has released a special investigative report identifying several safety issues with parachute jump operations and recommending improvements in aircraft maintenance and pilot training. The Safety Board said there are about three million ...
Cabin Air Quality Under Study.
Sep 22, 2008 ... A leading Australian medical figure is heading a new group of experts to look at the issue of cabin air quality inside jetliners. Dr. Michael Bollen leads the Expert Panel on Aircraft Air Quality, which will review for Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), ...
Runway Status Light Installations Begin at LAX.
Sep 22, 2008 ... Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) officials say installation of new airfield safety equipment began on Sept. 15 and should be completed in early 2009. New Runway Status Lights are expected to improve airfield safety by reducing the possibility of runway incursions at ...
New ATC System Model Tracks Variables Without Human Input.
Sep 22, 2008 ... University of Texas professor Constantine Caramanis and colleagues at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are working on an air traffic decision-making system that rapidly adapts its flight recommendations without human input based on thousands of changing variables. ...
USAF Initiative for Flight Deck Safety.
Sep 22, 2008 ... Aircrews flying Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers in hot climates may soon have an easier way to keep their flight decks cool when on the ground thanks to the Air Mobility Battlelab's KC-135 Hot Weather Cooling Sock Initiative. The initiative addresses a current problem where ...
South Florida Gets ADS-B.
Sep 22, 2008 ... Pilots flying in aircraft equipped with Automatic Dependent Surveillance- Broadcast (ADS-B) avionics in South Florida now receive free traffic and weather information on their cockpit displays, marking the first time that pilots are able see the same traffic information as air traffic ...
Safety & Technology Trends.
Sep 22, 2008 ... Computer Upgrade for Processing Flight Data The FAA says critical upgrades to its National Airspace Data Interchange Network (NADIN) are just months away. NADIN supports the critical exchange of flight plan data, weather information, Notices to Airmen and other flight ...
Security Shortlines.
Sep 22, 2008 ... Biometric Security Test at BWI The TSA and Southwest Airlines are testing a new biometric scanning system for airline crews at Baltimore/Washington International. SecureScreen uses fingerprinting or similar proof of identity to positively identify airline pilots. More than 200 ...
Safety Rules and Regs.
Sep 22, 2008 ... Auction Procedures for Allocating Slots at LaGuardia, Kennedy International, and Newark International. Notice of Availability. SUMMARY: In accordance with rulemaking activity that is not yet complete, the FAA may use an auction to allocate leases for a certain number of slots at New ...
Accidents & Incidents.
Sep 22, 2008 ... <Pre> Date: August 04, 2008 Gearhart, OR Aircraft Type: Cessna 172K N828CC Narrative: A/c impacted small neighborhood residence. Pilot, passenger, and three people on ground killed, and three people on the ground seriously injured. Pilot rented a/c from operator at Seaside Municipal ...
Risky Runways Subject of House Hearing.
Sep 29, 2008 ... The risk of runway incursions at U.S. airports remains high despite concerted effort by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to reduce the air safety risk, FAA and government investigators testified last week. The General Accountability Office's Gerald Dillingham told a ...
DayJet Shutdown Won't Impact NextGen.
Sep 29, 2008 ... Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials say the recent demise of DayJet will have "no impact" on the five-year, phased implementation of Next Generation (NextGen) technologies, including Automatic Dependent Surveillance- Broadcast (ADS-B), throughout southern Florida. ...
Maintenance Error Behind Air Atlantic Icelandic Accident.
Sep 29, 2008 ... The Aircraft Accident Investigation Board (AAIB) of Iceland recently determined that the loss of a Boeing 747 in Bangladesh earlier this year was caused by a maintenance error. There were only minor injuries among the 307 passengers and 19 crew members during the evacuation, but the ...
TSB of Canada Sees Safety Risk With See-and-Avoid.
Sep 29, 2008 ... The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) recently released its final investigation report into the August 4, 2006, mid-air collision west of Caledon, Ontario. The collision involved a Cessna 172P operated by the Brampton Flying Club and flown by an instructor and ...
FAA to Pay $4.5M in Torrance Chopper Crash Settlement.
Sep 29, 2008 ... The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has agreed to pay $4.5 million in damages to the lone survivor of a 2003 mid-air helicopter collision at Torrance Municipal Airport in California. According to the NTSB, the fatal accident occurred on Nov. 6, 2003, and involved a ...
Safety Board Probes Fatal Hot Air Balloon Accident.
Sep 29, 2008 ... The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released its preliminary report regarding a Sept. 7, 2008 hot air balloon accident in Phoenixville, PA that killed the veteran pilot and seriously injured four passengers. The Lindstrand Balloons USA Model 150A (N844LB) was ...
GPS Can Be Spoofed.
Sep 29, 2008 ... Just like flat-screen televisions, cell phones and computers, global positioning system (GPS) technology is becoming something people can't imagine living without. So if such a ubiquitous system were to come under attack, would we be ready? It's an uncomfortable question, but ...
Cloud Radar Predicts Weather More Accurately.
Sep 29, 2008 ... Scientists at the UK's Science and Technology Facilities Council have developed a system that measures the individual layers of cloud above us. The Cloud Radar will not only allow forecasters to predict the weather more precisely, the information gathered will also enable ...
Bombardier Holds Safety Standdown 2008.
Sep 29, 2008 ... Bombardier's safety seminar will take place in a new location: The Hyatt Regency Crown Center, Kansas City, MO. Held annually in Wichita, Kansas for the past 11 years, Safety Standdown 2008 will get underway Oct. 20-23. The free seminar offers three full days of lectures and one day of ...
Safety & Technology Trends.
Sep 29, 2008 ... TMA Reducing Air Traffic Delays The FAA says passenger delays are being reduced thanks to a program that increases the efficient use of runway capacity at major airports. Airlines are reporting major savings in time and money because of Traffic Management Advisor (TMA), which ...
Security Shortlines.
Sep 29, 2008 ... El Al Jetliner Lands in Israel after Bomb Scare An El Al Boeing 767 flying from Paris landed safely on Sept. 24 at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport with a fighter escort. Security officials received a warning that al Qaeda may have planted a bomb on board, but this proved to be ...
Safety Rules & Regs.
Sep 29, 2008 ... Airspace Designations; Incorporation by Reference. Final Rule. SUMMARY: This action amends Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) part 71 relating to airspace designations to reflect the approval by the Director of the Federal Register of the incorporation by reference (IBR) of ...
Accidents & Incidents.
Sep 29, 2008 ... <Pre> Date: August 28, 2008 Fresno, CA Aircraft Type: Canadair CRJ2 Narrative: Runway incursion involved Piper PA-46 (N9219T) and SkyWest (SKW) Flight 69R, a Canadair CRJ2 at Fresno Yosemite International. The PA-46 landed on Runway 29R but was unable to exit runway on high speed Taxiway ...