02 SEP 2010

The European Commission has updated the list of airlines banned in the European Union to impose an operating ban on one air carrier from Ghana and to place operating restrictions on another air carrier from that country.

This update is adopted following exceptional measures taken by two Member States which have banned the air carriers in question from their territory. With this update, the carrier Meridian Airways from Ghana is included in the list of banned airlines as a consequence of a series of very poor results from inspections involving not only their aircraft but also facilities used by the airline in the EU.

Another air carrier from Ghana, Airlift International, was inspected in a Member State and the results indicated a standard well below that required by international standards. The Air Safety Committee unanimously supported the introduction of operating restrictions on Airlift International to exclude from operations into the EU the inspected aircraft, plus two others that are currently in storage. This leaves the company with one aircraft that is still permitted to operate into the EU. The Commission will continue to monitor closely the performance of the airline and will intensify its consultations with the civil aviation organisation of Ghana to find sustainable solutions to the identified safety problems. The Commission will review the case of the two carriers at the next meeting of the Air Safety Committee in November.

30 AUG 2010

The Japan Transport Safety Board (JTSB) issued safety recommendations to Transport Canada as a result of their investigation into a serious incident involving a DHC-8 engine failure.

On March 25, 2009 a DHC-8-402, registered JA847C, operated by Japan Air Commuter as regularly scheduled Flight 3760, took off from Tanegashima Airport (TNE). While the aircraft was climbing an abnormal noise emanated from the No. 1 engine and instrument indications showed the occurrence of engine failure. The engine was then shut down and the aircraft requested emergency landing clearance from the Kagoshima Radar Approach Control Facility. The aircraft landed safely at Kagoshima Airport.

JTSB concluded that it is highly probable that, while the aircraft was climbing after takeoff, the RGB helical input gearshaft of the No. 1 Pratt & Whitney Canada PW150A engine sustained fatigue fracture and was detached from its position; the fragments of the broken shaft then flew off, damaging the engine case and breaking the blades of the HPT and the blades and vanes of the LPT and PT at the downstream stages, and this resulted in breakdown of the engine. With regard to the fatigue fracture of the RGB helical input gearshaft, it is considered probable that fatigue cracks had started from the impurity inclusion present in the metal stock of the helical gear developed in the shaft, and after undergoing repetitive application of stress, the shaft was finally fractured.
In view of this serious incident, the Japan Transport Safety Board recommends that Transport Canada give careful consideration to the following and take necessary measures thereof:

(1) Considering the detrimental effect on safety brought about by the inclusion of impurities in the RGB helical input gearshaft of the engine involved in this serious incident, P&WC, the manufacturer of the engine, should make company-wide efforts including the management of the metal stock supplier and component manufacturer serving P&WC, towards improved quality control concerning the production of the RGB helical input
gear shaft.

(2) P&WC assigned a hazard severity of “Significant – Level 3â€� to this serious incident by considering only the occurrence of an IFSD as the basis for the risk level determination, but the actual conditions included the loss of all functions of the feathering system for the propeller of the shutdown engine in addition to the engine in IFSD.
The risk assessment of this serious incident should not be made only on the engine necessitating an IFSD, but instead the incident must be reassessed from the viewpoint of the safety of the entire aircraft, and safety improvement actions should be taken if the results of the reassessment indicate this to be necessary.

30 AUG 2010

The Aviation Safety Council (ASC) of Taiwan issued several safety recommendations as a result of their investigation into an  occurrence when an Airbus A330 made an emergency descent due to temporary interruption in the bleed air system supply.

On September 14, 2008 an Airbus A330-300, registered B-HLH, operated by Cathhay Pacific as regularly scheduled Flight CX521, took off from Tokyo-Narita Airport (NRT/RJAA), Japan on a flight to Hong Kong. Due to the presence of a typhoon the flight was rescheduled to Taipei-Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE/RCTP). There were 72 persons on board. The airplane was dispatched with the nr.1 engine bleed air system inoperative per MEL.

The aircraft encountered interruptions of the bleed air system supply at 38,544 ft during descent from flight level FL400. Flight crew members conducted an emergency descent and landed safely at Taipei international airport at approximately 19:29. The aircraft was not damaged and none of the 72 occupants were injured.

The investigators concluded:

Giving the de-activated status of the No.1 engine bleed air valve per MEL 36-11-02, the no.2 engine bleed air was the only one compressed air source for the two air conditioning systems.
The no.2 engine bleed air valve operated in a high demand status. During aircraft descent, the compressed air automatically bled from high pressure stage which provided the compressed air with higher pressure and higher temperature.
This led the pre-cooler downstream temperature air getting higher. Due to the THC’s grid filter contaminated from which to reduce the muscle air pressure to control fan air valve that resulted in the fan air valve could not open properly to provide sufficient cooling air to pre-cooler. The no.2 engine bleed air valve was shut down automatically due to bleed air overheat.
Both air conditioning systems lost the compressed air source and thereby aircraft lost its pressurization capability.

The Aviation Safety Council issued following 4 Safety Recommendations to Hong Kong CAD and Cathay Pacific Airways:

1. require Cathay Pacific Airways to consider evaluating or revising the MEL procedure to reduce the depressurization risk under one engine bleed air fail, and recover the cabin pressurization capability with APU in a timely manner when the second engine bleed air system also failed;
2. require Cathay Pacific Airways to consider evaluating the maintenance program for ThC shop-in service or overhaul interval before the new grid filter design or modification come to effect;
3. require Cathay Pacific Airways to consider evaluating the MEL restriction regarding aircraft been dispatched from home base with an inoperative system to lower the dual bleed system failure risk;
4. require Cathay Pacific Airways to review air dual bleed fault and emergency descent procedures and revise related inconsistent procedures accordingly; and require Cathay Pacific Airways cabin crew members to review cabin depressurization related procedures including: provide oxygen bottle side effect information, manually opening the oxygen cover panel to initiate oxygen flow; enhance cabin crew depressurization training.

Three safety recommendations were issued to the DGAC France to:

1. require manufacturer to modify or redesign the ThC grid filter to reduce the risk of A330 dual bleed system failure;
2. recommend the manufacturer to evaluate the maintenance program for ThC shop-in service or overhaul interval before the new design or modification come to effect and require manufacturer to review air dual bleed fault and emergency descent procedures and revise related inconsistent procedures accordingly; and
3. require manufacturer considering to take the in-service fleet events and family fleet problem solving experiences into Product Safety Process account and form the problem solving task force in an earlier time as proactive risk mitigation measure.

The Aviation Safety Council issued  recommendations to CAA Taiwan as follows:

1. require controller followed ATMP procedures;
2. enhance controller emergency response and situation awareness when handling the distress aircraft in accordance with the ATMP procedure;
3. enhance ATC internal coordination, communication during emergency situation includes the training, checking and handling of distress aircraft and carefully selected appropriate radio communication stations as backup system to avoid communication performance degrade; and
4. to revise the TACC Guard frequency radio test inclusive at SALMI waypoint and review and revise the ATMP Chinese version 2-4-15 word meaning in accordance with the English version 1-2-1.

28 AUG 2010

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has proposed a $24.2 million civil penalty against American Airlines Inc. for failing to correctly follow an Airworthiness Directive involving the maintenance of its McDonnell Douglas MD-80 aircraft. This civil penalty is the largest ever proposed by the FAA.

The FAA alleges American did not follow steps outlined in a 2006 Airworthiness Directive requiring operators to inspect wire bundles located in the wheel wells of MD-80 aircraft. The Airworthiness Directive, AD 2006-15-15, required a one-time general visual inspection by March 5, 2008 for chafing or signs of arcing of the wire bundle for the auxiliary hydraulic pump. It also required operators to perform corrective actions in accordance with the instructions of the applicable manufacturer’s Service Bulletin.

The purpose of the Airworthiness Directive was to prevent the shorting of wires or arcing at the auxiliary hydraulic pump, which could result in loss of auxiliary hydraulic power or a fire in the wheel well of the aircraft. The Airworthiness Directive also sought to reduce the potential of an ignition source adjacent to the fuel tanks, which, in combination with the flammable vapors, could result in a fuel tank explosion.

The FAA first detected the violations on March 25, 2008, during an inspection of two aircraft. The FAA informed American’s management that the aircraft did not comply with the AD, prompting a series of re-inspections and additional maintenance work that occurred during the following two weeks. On March 26, after American performed additional maintenance on its MD-80 fleet, the FAA inspected eight aircraft at American’s Tulsa maintenance base and found that seven did not comply with the Airworthiness Directive. On April 7, the FAA inspected another nine MD-80 aircraft at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and found that eight of them still did not comply with the AD.  A tenth aircraft inspected by American mechanics also did not comply. On April 8, American began grounding its MD-80 fleet to conduct new inspections and redo work as necessary.

The FAA subsequently determined that 286 of the airline’s MD-80s were operated on a combined 14,278 passenger flights while the aircraft were not in compliance with Federal Regulations. American ultimately completed the work required by the 2006 Airworthiness Directive. Over the last year and a half, FAA safety officials have reported progress in working with American Airlines to help improve the airline’s maintenance culture. The FAA is committed to continuing that work.

American has 30 days from the receipt of the FAA’s civil penalty letter to respond to the agency.

The Dallas Morning News quotes an American statement on the issue: “These events happened more than two years ago, and we believe this action is unwarranted….We plan to follow the FAA’s process and will challenge any proposed civil penalty. We are confident we have a strong case and the facts will bear this out.”

13 AUG 2010

The Danish National Audit Office published follow-up report on their 2006 safety oversight audit of the country’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), noting several improvements.

The office lauded the CAA for creating a supervisory planning system, improving the database which CAA uses as basis for inspection plans and inspection reports.

Also, the Ministry of Transport now receives information about the STK’s oversight activities.  Sandinavisk Tilsynskontor (STK) is a joint inspection office between the three Scandinavian civil aviation authorities.

Yet, the offices notes that SAS Scandinavian Airlines still carried out “irregular flights”, flights that were carried out without performing inspections required by 20 different airworthiness directives (ADs).

According to the Danish CAA SAS performed 11,114 irregular flight during the 2006-2009 period: 2331 in 2006, 2788 in 2007, 3714 in 2008 and 2281 in 2009. This number should be significantly reduced after completion of the anticipated reorganization of supervision by mid 2010.

This is the monthly Beacon SimUser message just to let you know that you are still a member of the SimUser mailing list and the list is still working. Thanks

Hello, We could greatly appreciate if someone could help in procuring a complete vital IV visual computer composed of: 1. Upper memory board P/N.

This is the monthly Beacon SimUser message just to let you know that you are still a member of the SimUser mailing list and the list is still working. Thanks

This is the monthly Beacon SimUser message just to let you know that you are still a member of the SimUser mailing list and the list is still working. Thanks

This is the monthly Beacon SimUser message just to let you know that you are still a member of the SimUser mailing list and the list is still working. Thanks

Arizona may be planning to take a chapter out of California's regulatory textbook and that could lead to significant extra costs for flight schools. National Association of Flight Instructors President Jason Blair says Arizona officials are meeting Thursday to discuss the regulation of flight instructors and flight schools. A similar meeting by California officials some time ago that lead to AB48, a hugely unpopular measure that will require flight schools to pay significant registration fees and prove financial viability through a debt-to-equity formula. The California law could lead to school closures and increased training costs and Blair says NAFI is afraid the same thing will happen in Arizona. "As a state that has a significant number of flight training providers, we're concerned about the chilling effect those fees may have on those businesses," Blair said. "We're encouraging our members in that state to get involved in this issue, so we don't have a repeat of the California situation." California legislators say the move is needed to protect flight students from unscrupulous operators but some aviation businesses have dismissed it as a ploy to raise revenue.

The software and server giant posted a profit of $3 billion for the latest quarter.

The airline CEO who suggested introducing pay toilets on his aircraft is now saying the right seat in the cockpit should fly empty. Michael O'Leary, the sometimes controversial and always publicity-hungry head of Ryan Air said he advocated abolishing first officers and since he said it to Bloomberg Business Week, it's now being widely reported. "Really, you only need one pilot. Let's take out the second pilot. Let the bloody computer fly it," were the exact words. And if the lone pilot can't, for some reason, make sure the computer is doing its job, O'Leary suggested he do what his passengers do when they have a problem and that's call a flight attendant, in this case, one that's been trained to land the aircraft. "If the pilot has an emergency, he rings the bell, he calls her in, she could take over." He apparently wasn't asked if it might make as much sense to make the FO push a snack cart when he or she isn't needed to watch the computer.

With Apple and Google bearing down, the early mover in enterprise smartphones has its quarterly numbers fall short.

>>> AVWEB FUEL FINDERCURRENT PRICE FOR 100LL: $4.76 (down 1¢ from last week)CURRENT PRICE FOR JET A: $4.42 (down 2¢ from last week)Fuel prices provided weekly by AirNav, based on prices from the past 2 weeks. Changes are relative to last week's prices. /TEXT_ONLY-->http://media.avweb.com/banmanavweb/a.aspx?Task=Click&ZoneID=0&CampaignID=5860&AdvertiserID=167&BannerID=2980&SiteID=19&RandomNumber=251669563&Keywords=/TEXT_ONLY-->AVweb reader Doug Latch pointed out that we'd given due praise to two FBOs who stepped up to the plate when traffic was routed away from Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh at the beginning of AirVenture — but no one had given a nod to KOSH's own Orion Flight Services:These people went well beyond normal. They treated me like I had a Gulfstream or Boeing business jet, and they knew from the start I was flying a 1966 Cessna Skyhawk. During AirVenture this year, parking was extreme and almost gone. [While] the other FBO was only accepting twins and jets, Toby Kamark took me and my Skyhawk and treated us like Royalty ... [then] he took as many people as he could to register for the show and returned. ... I was there after the show, and the level of service did not decline.Keep those nominations coming. For complete contest rules, click here.AVweb is actively seeking out the best FBOs in the country and another one, submitted by you, will be spotlighted here next Monday!

Software package brings business intelligence and speed to the financial services market to find trading triggers among more than 100 different data feeds.

The issues surrounding special light sport aircraft flight in instrument conditions are complex and arcane, and in an effort to ensure that some of the finer points are crystal clear, Dan Johnson, chairman of the Light Aircraft Manufacturing Association, sent a follow-up letter to AVweb this week expanding and clarifying some of the details touched on in Thursday's AVweb report. In his letter, Johnson adds background about some of the ASTM committee debates over the issue and emphasizes that safety is the prime concern. "The [committees] always put safety first in their efforts," he says. For the rest of Johnson's comments, see our Letters section.

John and Martha King will help the Santa Barbara Police develop training for members of the department to help them more effectively deal with incidents involving aircraft. The Kings were detained at gunpoint, handcuffed and held at the Santa Barbara Airport last Saturday after a case of mistaken identity over the N-number on their leased Cessna 172. Martha King told AVweb the chief of police, Camerino Sanchez, called her husband to apologize "clearly and profusely" for the aggressive manner in which they were detained. "He said that the police don't have any training for aircraft stops, and used the only procedure they knew – a 'hot stop' on a stolen vehicle," she said. The Kings will be providing the department with ideas on how to develop training for officers to intercept aircraft properly. John King also suggested the training could be developed into a national set of standard operating procedures for all police departments. Martha King said the conversation with the police chief was "very cordial." Meanwhile, AOPA is reporting that the FAA has removed the N-number from the list of stolen aircraft and the National Business Aviation Association is calling for further action that would likely have prevented Saturday's incident.

PremiAir today announced the addition of the Learjet 45 to its Air Operator's Certificate and the immediate availability of its newly acquired fleet of Learjet 45 aircraft for charter. This follows PremiAir's acquisition last month of the former Gold Air facilities at London Biggin Hill Airport.

Overheard in IFR Magazine's "On the Air"Heard on Chicago Center frequency:Pilot:"Chicago, Piper 12345 en route to St. Louis. Request flight following."Center:"Piper 12345, where in the world are you?"Pilot:"I'm down below the water [meaning south of Lake Michigan], heading for St. Louis."Center (deadpan) :"Piper 123, it must be pretty wet down below the water. Want to try again?"Pilot:"I'm ten miles south of Michigan City."Center:"That's more like it."John Urschalitvia e-mail

Qatar Airways has introduced its flagship Boeing 777 aircraft for the first time on one of its European routes, operating daily between London Heathrow and its Doha hub.

Can pilots be trained in a simulator to handle every conceivable emergency situation, or are we just kidding ourselves? In the latest installment of the AVweb Insider blog, Paul Bertorelli argues that at some point, you have to stop training and start flying. Read more and join the conversation.

Vueling carried 1,298,902 passengers in August, a historic record for the airline. This traffic figure represents a 4.8% increase year on year.

The recent past hasn't been all that pleasant for the business and commercial aircraft sectors, so a group of leading industry execs is looking to the future. Representatives of manufacturers, brokers and operators will debate the topic "Preparing For The Future" at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Long Beach, Calif., Sept. 14-16. Among the topics to be discussed are whether the recent uptick in orders signals an end to the downturn. There's also the interesting question of whether the absence of consolidation of manufacturers during the downturn was a good thing or a bad thing.

Flybe has today announced three new services to Bristol, East Midlands and Liverpool from George Best Belfast City Airport bringing the total number of routes offered from the Northern Ireland airport to seventeen.

Although business aviation in much of the world has been downplaying the luxury aspect and emphasizing efficiency and productivity, a major exhibition in Abu Dhabi next February embraces the undeniable comforts that come with private air travel. Most of the major business aviation companies are expected to take part in Big Boy Toys, which runs from Feb. 2-5, 2011, at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center. Although an exhibitors' list isn't available on the website, Al Bawaba, a Middle Eastern news agency, says the show is "expected to attract top aviation customers across the globe." In addition to kicking the tires on the latest that aviation has to offer, attendees can shop for high-end marine, automotive and electronics products and maybe even book their favorite superstar for a private concert. Meanwhile, the publication says the market for business aircraft looks rosy in the region and that bodes well for the show.

From 6 September 2010 bmi will be moving its trade website to bmiexperts.com. Information from Austrian Airlines, bmi, Lufthansa and Swiss is now quickly accessible and on one single, informative website.

The U.S. government has paid $261,000 to pull a long-retired Lockheed JetStar from an Arizona boneyard and repaint it for static display. As you might have guessed this isn't just any JetStar, nor is it just any paint job. The JetStar was used to shuttle former President Lyndon Johnson between Washington and his ranch in the Texas Hill Country. The shiny new-looking 13-seat aircraft will be put on permanent display at the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park at Johnson's ranch near Stonewall, Texas. The official dedication is Aug. 27.

Three-Year Old Airplane Attempted Emergency Landing Before Impact ANN is monitoring media reports in the aftermath of a tragic UPS 747 Freighter crash in which two crewmember lost their lives in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. While the accident investigation is barely underway, a number of industry and media reports indicate that the crew was struggling with extensive visual impairments caused by thick smoke in the cockpit prior to the aircraft's impact off airport after at least one attempt to execute an emergency landing after its departure.

The technology world's most quotable quips and comments from around the Web.

Klyde Is One Smart Ant... FMI: www.klydemorris.com

Despite early leaks and preorder glitches, it's another blockbuster launch for the closely watched Apple smartphone.

"With more than 35 million Americans living in hurricane-prone areas, we need the reliable, accurate data GOES provide..." Source: Gary Davis, director of the Office of Systems Development at NOAA's Satellite and Information Service. NASA and NOAA's latest Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, GOES-15, has successfully completed five months of on-orbit testing and has been accepted into service.

Dead-Sticks Onto Interstate There are some days when one's luck simply seems to be going form bad to worse... like the feeling one gets when one feathers a dead engine in a twin... sees the other taking a dive shortly thereafter. Here's just such a case in point.

Up To 19 Airbus A380s Covered Through 2020 Singapore Airlines has made a deal with Honeywell to provide wheels and carbon brakes material for its Airbus A380 aircraft over 10 years.