Curt Lewis, P.E., CS

Flight Safety Information

June 22, 2010  -   No. 123

In This Issue

Four injured in Thai 777 turbulence incident

Concerns about Boeing 767 cracks grow

A month later, no report on AI crash

Pilot who buzzed Santa Monica Pier in military jet gets 60 days in jail, fine

Cessna's Pelton: Fewer pilots a problem

USDA Chartered Aircraft Crashes Colorado Killing Three

Flights cancelled after Manila Airport's VOR breaks down

Four injured in Thai 777 turbulence incident

A Thai Airways International Boeing 777-200 aircraft encountered turbulence on a flight to Osaka yesterday, resulting in injuries to four people.

Flight TG622 from Bangkok, which was due to arrive in Osaka yesterday at 07:00hr, encountered turbulence 90 minutes before its scheduled landing time while it was preparing to descend, says the Star Alliance carrier.

Four people suffered minor injuries as a result of the incident, it adds. Reports say three of the four injured people were cabin crew.
"The flight landed safely at Kansai International airport five minutes before the schedule landing time," says Thai.

Source: Air Transport Intelligence news

Concerns about Boeing 767 cracks grow

Structural cracks discovered recently on at least two American Airlines Boeing 767 jetliners, including one jet that air-safety regulators believe could easily have lost an engine, are prompting concerns that some of the problems may turn out to be more widespread.

Over the past two weeks, American, with oversight from the Federal Aviation Administration, has checked the bulk of its wide-body 767 fleet to look for possible cracks in critical components that attach engines to the wings. On Monday, the FAA said problems were found on three planes.

The agency said it was working with American and manufacturer Boeing Co. to "identify the source of the cracking" and was considering new industry-wide safety mandates. "We are considering additional action, including requiring more frequent inspections" of the suspect parts, called engine pylons, according to an FAA spokesman.

American spokesman Tim Wagner disputed the FAA's tally of affected planes. He said the recent flurry of inspections found two planes with pylon-related cracks and the problems "were caught when they should have been." He also said Monday that with metallurgical tests pending, "any speculation on the cause" of the cracks "isn't based on science or technical findings." Until the laboratory results are available, according to Mr. Wagner, definitive conclusions "would be a guess at best."

Boeing, which has been working closely with the FAA to identify reasons for the cracks and assess their significance, didn't have any immediate comment.

The size and type of some of the cracks discovered in the pylons surprised Boeing, which is now drafting a service bulletin that in the next few days is likely to recommend substantially stepped-up inspections by virtually all 767 operators, according to people familiar with the details. The FAA, which has authority to mandate the changes, is expected to adopt most of Boeing's guidelines.
The issue is attracting high-level attention inside the FAA, Boeing and American partly because for years there have been relatively strict requirements to inspect certain parts of all 767 engine pylons after every 1,500 flights. Despite the frequent inspections, these people say, a routine check of one American jet for a different issue found a combination of cracks that hadn't been seen before and was deemed by FAA officials to pose a significant hazard.
This aircraft, which had the most serious safety issues, had flown only about 500 trips since its last required structural inspection for pylons, according to FAA records.

Depending on the details, the anticipated FAA mandates could disrupt current maintenance timetables while increasing operating costs across the industry. Some safety experts said more-frequent inspections could conceivably result in minor schedule disruptions at some carriers.

Certain parts now under heightened scrutiny can't be easily inspected and may require removing engine pylons from aircraft.
Both American and FAA officials agree the safety concerns aren't the result of missed or botched inspections. Rather, the issues highlight that neither government nor industry experts expected to see the emergence of such structural problems in the wake of earlier risk analyses and ramped-up inspections.

American said it expected by early Tuesday to complete checks of the last two of the 56 Boeing 767s subject to the latest inspections. The twin-engine models are widely used by carriers across the globe, including on many trans-Atlantic flights and routes across the U.S.

Engine pylons, which attach the engines to the wings, are intended to flex as planes maneuver in the air, encounter turbulence and undergo other dynamic forces. Pylons have to withstand strong and sometimes rapidly changing stresses, including sudden changes in engine thrust and aircraft altitude.

In addition to analyzing the impact of structural loads during flight, FAA officials also are examining whether specific maintenance procedures used by American on the ground could have caused or worsened some of the cracking.
The FAA's preliminary conclusion is that some of the cracks came from holes used to install certain bolts, an issue that has been recognized since the FAA issued its repetitive inspection rules five years ago.

On at least one American aircraft, however, FAA experts believe a number of cracks found on a part of the pylon near those bolts rendered certain fail-safe designs ineffective.

The FAA's upcoming safety directive is expected to call for routinely inspecting more portions of the engine pylon than is currently required. The agency and Boeing have already agreed on the broad outlines of such a step, according to people familiar with the details.

The FAA's action would directly affect about 360 Boeing 767s operated by U.S. carriers. Foreign regulators typically order their airlines to adhere to enhanced inspection standards developed by the FAA in conjunction with Boeing.

At this point, the FAA doesn't appear to favor mandating immediate inspections of 767 jets operated by other U.S. airlines.
Separately, American and the FAA are examining another complex but unrelated structural issue that also has potentially significant safety implications for the airline's Boeing 767 fleet. Engineering experts, according to people familiar with the matter, continue to assess whether large, upwardly curved panels attached to the wingtips of some American 767s have caused or contributed to certain cracks discovered in a section of the structural backbone of a few planes.

Called winglets and installed on many types of commercial and business jets, the additions are designed to increase fuel efficiency.

-By Andy Pasztor, The Wall Street Journal

A month later, no report on AI crash
 
 
MUMBAI: Even a month after Air India Express IX 812 crashed at Mangalore airport killing 158 passengers and crew members, several important questions remain unanswered. The civil aviation ministry and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) are not keen on releasing a preliminary investigation report. It points to a lack in transparency in the system. TOI chalks out a list of five questions which need to be answered:

Why doesn't India have a practice of releasing a preliminary investigation report after an aircrash?

The Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) can be downloaded in 15 days and the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) can be decoded in a couple of hours. Both of these were retrieved just days after the Mangalore crash. A court of inquiry headed by Air Marshal Bhushan Nilkanth Gokhale, former vice-chief of air staff, and four others will investigate and submit the findings by August 31. According to sources, the inquiry team sought a deadline extension and it has been granted.

The last airline aircrash investigation report to be released in India was that of Alliance Air Patna aircrash in 2000. After three years, a page-long investigation report stating pilot-error as the cause of crash was released.

Why doesn't the investigating team have a single official who is an expert on the particular aircraft?

The aircraft which crashed was from Boeing 737 Next Generation series. Airline accident probe in India are always handled by IAF officials, who are not familiar with civilian aircraft types. Of the four investigators, Capt Ron Nagar is the only expert with experience in civilian aircraft. The country does not have an independent agency like US's National Transportation Safety Board or the UK's Accident Investigation Board.

Why was Mangalore airport's only radar, the Air Route Surveillance Radar (RSR), kept off?

Why did the Mangalore airport authorities need 72 hours to carry out monsoon maintenance work on the Westinghouse RSR when the same is done in 12 hours in airports such as Chennai and Guwahati, which have a similar radar from the said company? If the radar has been on, the controller could have seen the aircraft's height and if it was high on approach, the radar controller would have warned the pilot for altitude correction.

Why was an outsider (a villager) and not an air traffic controller, the first person to inform the police?

Air traffic controllers are trained for emergency response, but manpower shortage makes it impossible for the controllers to inform 20 other units within the desirable 5-10 minutes of the accident. How long did the fire tenders take to reach the scene?

Why is Air India still following lower 'G' limits for landing, even after DGCA has issued a circular to all airline operators to maintain Aircraft Maintenance Manual (AMM) limits for landing?

Weeks after the tragedy, the DGCA issued a circular stating that pilots need to be made aware that achieving a particular G-value (vertical acceleration due to gravity on touchdown) is no measure of a good landing. Landings should be judged not by how soft the landing has been, but if it has been made at the correct speed and touchdown zone on the runway.

Pilot who buzzed Santa Monica Pier in military jet gets 60 days in jail, fine

David G. Riggs, 48, flew low over the pier in November 2008 to promote a film. He was also placed on probation and ordered to clean beaches for 60 days. The prison term was stayed pending an appeal.

A movie producer who buzzed the Santa Monica Pier in a Soviet-era military jet to promote an action film was sentenced Monday to 60 days in jail and fined $900 for recklessly operating an aircraft in a manner that endangered life and property.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Harold I. Cherness also placed David G. Riggs, 48, on three years' probation, imposed $260 in court fees and ordered him to clean city beaches for 60 days as community service. Cherness, however, stayed the jail sentence pending an appeal.

"I wanted a little more jail time," said prosecutor Terry White, who heads the criminal division of the Santa Monica city attorney's office. "But I understand the court's reasoning. Beach clean-up is for 60 days, eight hours a day. There's no time off for good behavior," as there is with a jail sentence.

A jury convicted Riggs on Thursday of violating a rarely used section of the California Public Utilities Code that is designed to protect the public from careless and reckless pilots. A violation of the law is a misdemeanor and carries a maximum penalty of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Prosecutors accused Riggs of making low-level passes over the Santa Monica Pier on Nov. 6, 2008, to promote "Kerosene Cowboys," an unfinished film his company was making about a maverick squadron of Americans and Russians on a secret mission to Iran.

During the stunt, Riggs, the chief executive officer of Afterburner Films, flew a 1973 Aero Vodochody L-39 Albatros, a Czechoslovakian jet trainer that was popular in the Soviet bloc during the Cold War. His plan was to attract potential investors attending an American Film Institute convention near the pier, which he raced toward at altitudes of 50 to 100 feet.

Before the sentence was pronounced, prosecutors told the judge about Riggs' criminal history, including federal convictions for wire fraud, bank fraud and passport fraud for which he was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

White said that there have been few prosecutions for reckless flying in the state and even fewer jail terms upon conviction. In the last 25 years, at least five people have been convicted of reckless flying in Southern California. Four were fined and placed on probation. One pilot, who was intoxicated while flying, received a six-month jail term.

Cessna's Pelton: Fewer pilots a problem

Jack Pelton, chairman, president and CEO of Cessna Aircraft Co., spoke Monday to the Aero Club of Washington, D.C.

Among the topics Pelton hit upon was a lack of new pilots.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration expects the number of student pilots to fall to a 10-year low next year.

"This is a problem for all of us in aviation, and all of us should be part of the solution," Pelton said in his remarks, according to a news release from Cessna. "Fewer pilots equate to less business for all of us, and it threatens the strong, sustainable aviation system our nation counts on. Gone are the days when the military was producing all the pilots the airlines could absorb, or when a broader GI Bill funded expansive flight training for veterans returning to civilian life. We need legislation that fosters and stimulates our industry."

Pelton also told the gathering that he feels the negative rhetoric surrounding general aviation has waned, thanks to what he said were the combined efforts of industry leaders.
"This cooperation we've experienced in general aviation must span all areas of aviation," he said, "and the Future of Aviation Advisory Committee launched by DOT Secretary La Hood is an excellent start."

Pelton in May was chosen to represent general aviation on the committee.

Pelton said cooperation also will help create gains in the environmental concerns surrounding general aviation.
In April, Pelton was named the winner of the Lindbergh Foundation's 2010 Lindberg Award for his ongoing efforts to reduce the general aviation industry's environmental impact.

"The market demands efficiency. And with greater fuel efficiency comes reduced emissions," he said. "Still, we recognize there is much more we must do. The philosophy of the Lindbergh Foundation has it right - we must pursue policies and practices that balance progress and technology with environmental sensitivity."
Pelton told the gathering of aviation leaders Monday that cooperation also is key in implementing the Next Generation Air Transportation System.

"It's encouraging to see this type of cooperation, and I hope it will continue as we look to deploy components of the NextGen program," Pelton said. "That is the only way to truly ensure the safety, efficiency, and economic and environmental benefits we are all counting on from NextGen."

USDA Chartered Aircraft Crashes Colorado Killing Three


June 22, 2010 - On Monday a Cessna T210L, N30286 chartered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture crashed on approach to Lock Haven's William T. Piper Memorial Airport killing all onboard.

At about 1 PM, the chartered Cessna aircraft crashed into a utility pole, a house and two cars west of the runway on its final approach. The chartered aircraft was owned and registered by Wings and Wheels 2LLC of Aurora, Colorado.

Officials did not know where the aircraft was coming from, its final destination or whether more than three people were onboard.

The aircraft crashed about 100 yards from the runway, bursting into a ball of flames. The pilot did not notify air traffic controllers of any problems other requesting normal landing instructions. No one on the ground was injured.

The blue tarp on the Cessna 210 shields the three Forest Service workers who died in the plane crash. The FAA and NTSB are investigating this crash.

William T. Piper Memorial Airport is a public general aviation airport located two miles east of the central business district of Lock Haven, a city in Clinton County, Pennsylvania. The airport was named after an American airplane manufacturer, and founder of Piper Aircraft Corporation.

William Thomas Piper Sr. born January 8, 1881 - January 15, 1970, was an American airplane manufacturer, and founder, eponym, and 1st president of Piper Aircraft Corporation from 1929 through 1970. He graduated from Harvard University in 1903, and became known as "the Henry Ford of Aviation". The William T. Piper Memorial Airport is named in his honor.

The William T. Piper Memorial Airport is located at the foot of the Bald Eagle Mountain ridge, between the West Branch Susquehanna River and its tributary, Bald Eagle Creek. It covers 112 acres, with two runways and is operated by the City of Lock Haven.

Flights cancelled after Manila Airport's VOR breaks down

Dozens of flights were cancelled over the weekend at Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport after its radio navigation system broke down.

Low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific cancelled 30 domestic night-time flights, while fellow Philippine carriers ZestAir and Seair also reportedly cancelled flights.

The airport's VHF omnidirectional range (VOR) radio navigation system broke down on the morning of 19 June, says Alfonso Cusi, the director-general of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines.

However, he adds that the airport's radar and other systems were still working and that flights could still land.
"Some local airlines thought mistakenly that the airport was closed and cancelled their operations," says Cusi.
Heavy rain on 19 June also led to some flight delays and diversions, he adds.

Flight operations at the airport are back to normal, says Cusi. The airport is using a replacement VOR system brought in from Subic International Airport, while it works on repairing its own.
"We hope that it will be fixed this afternoon," he adds.

Source: Air Transport Intelligence news

P
CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC
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