07 AUG 2008 _______________________________________ *9 believed dead, 4 injured in firefighter helicopter crash *Nine Believed Dead in Helicopter Crash *Aircraft clip each other at Manchester Airport *American Airlines jet evacuated after emergency landing at LAX *Foreign co-pilots can work in India for two more years *American Airlines Flight Attendants Under Fire **************************************** 9 believed dead, 4 injured in firefighter helicopter crash (CNN) -- Nine people were missing and presumed dead and four were hospitalized Wednesday after the crash of a Sikorsky S-61 helicopter Tuesday night, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration said. Three of the injured were contract firefighters battling wildfires, and the fourth was the pilot, spokesman Ian Gregor said. The crash occurred 35 miles northwest of Redding in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest in northern California. The chopper had gone into a remote area to pick up firefighters, Gregor said. He identified those aboard as two crew members and 11 firefighters. ************** Nine Believed Dead in Helicopter Crash FAA Confirms Fatal Helicopter Crash Near Redding, Calif. Nine people are feared dead in a helicopter crash that occurred Tuesday evening near Redding, Calif., the Federal Aviation Administration has confirmed. The FAA said Wednesday that it believes 13 people were onboard the helicopter. Four have been critically burned while nine are unaccounted for. The FAA believes the nine people missing are dead. The helicopter was destroyed by fire. Watch "World News With Charles Gibson" tonight at 6:30 p.m. ET for the full report. The crash occurred Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. PT, about 35 miles northwest of Redding in rugged terrain near Junction City. The helicopter had gone into the remote area to pick up firefighters battling a wildfire, and crashed after getting them onboard due to unknown circumstances. The National Transportation Safety Board is launching an investigation and safety board representatives plan to leave Washington, D.C.,for California this afternoon. Sharon Heywood, forest supervisor for the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, said in a statement Wednesday that three of the people injured have been taken to the University of California-Davis Medical Center. She said that the pilot of the helicopter is one of those patients and is in serious condition. The Sikorsky S-61N helicopter is registered to Carson Helicopters. http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/story?id=5526544&page=1 ************** Aircraft clip each other at Manchester Airport Planes were taxiing on the runway when collision occurred, spokesman says LONDON - Manchester Airport says two planes clipped each other when the wing of a Futura aircraft touched the tail of a Lufthansa jet. A spokeswoman for the airport says both the Lufthansa Airbus A320 and the Futura Boeing 737 were taxiing on the runway when the collision occurred Tuesday afternoon. Jenny Dunn says she is not exactly sure how the incident happened or whether there was any damage. Dunn says passengers were safely evacuated from the planes, which remain on the airfield. **************** American Airlines jet evacuated after emergency landing at LAX Honolulu-bound Flight 31 was turned back and evacuated after smoke was detected in the cockpit. American Airlines flight diverted to LAX after pilots report smoke, smell of fuel August 5, 2008 10:55 AM PDT -- Passengers were evacuated this morning from an American Airlines jet that made an emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport when smoke was detected in the cockpit. The Boeing 757 was bound for Honolulu but turned back for LAX after the pilot reported the smoke, said Paul Haney, deputy airport director. American Flight 31 landed safely about 9:30 a.m., said Ian Gregor, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman. Passengers and crew exited the plane on emergency chutes. The crew in the cockpit donned oxygen masks when they saw the smoke, Haney said. Firefighters were on the tarmac to assist with the exit. Both south runways were closed during the evacuation and later one was reopened. Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey told CNN that the pilot requested an emergency landing about an hour into the flight after crew members reported the smell of smoke in the cabin. He said firefighters were using thermal imaging equipment but had not detected a fire on the plane. Two minor injuries have been reported among the seven crew members and 150 passengers onboard. http://travel.latimes.com/articles/la-trw-evacuation6-2008aug06 ************** Foreign co-pilots can work in India for two more years NEW DELHI: Foreign co-pilots will be allowed to work for Indian carriers for two more years as per a directive of the industry regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), a top official said. The DGCA directive follows an appeal by Indian air operators to allow foreign co-pilots to work in India as they have the requisite training, DGCA's joint director general AK Chopra said. Spokespersons of Air India, Jet Airways and Kingfisher confirmed having foreign co-pilots on their rolls. Earlier this year, the DGCA had asked all airlines to have Indian co-pilots from June 1, as almost 3,000 young pilots are jobless. Chopra said airline operators had urged the government last month to allow foreign co-pilots to work till July 2010, the deadline for foreign pilots designated as commanders to fly Indian air carriers. In 2005, the government allowed airline operators to hire foreign co-pilots till May 30, 2008 and senior pilots or commanders till July 2010 as India did not have enough trained pilots. DGCA director general Kanu Gohain said 1,490 foreign pilots were given licences last year to seek work in the Indian civil aviation sector. At present, India has 944 foreign pilots - 810 commanders and 134 co-pilots. The extension of tenure for co-pilots, however, has not gone down well with Indian pilots. "This has dashed all hopes for the aspiring pilots who were looking forward for an opening in the airline industry," Indian Commercial Pilots' Association general secretary Vikram Yadav said. Almost 3,000 graduate pilots had applied for the 25 posts of co-pilots announced by Jet Airways this year, he said. Those aspiring to become pilots have to spend anything up to Rs 2.2 mn - almost everyone takes a loan for this. "It is mayhem. Young aspiring pilots are turning towards Gulf air carriers for jobs," Yadav said. "Despite having a valid commercial pilot licence (CPL), many of the aspiring young Indian pilots have not been able to get through any Indian air carriers," he added. Air India, Jet Airways, Indigo, Alliance Air and Blue Dart have the maximum number of expatriate co-pilots. SpiceJet and JetLite don't have any foreign co-pilot. Explaining the rationale behind recruiting foreign pilots, an airline official said graduate pilots in India don't have type rating (training to fly a certain aircraft) for flying a plane like the A-320 or Boeing 737. "Because of this, young Indian pilots cannot start flying the moment they join us. That is why we approached the government to extend the tenure of foreign co-pilots to fly Indian aircrafts," he said. Hiring a fresh Indian co-pilot means airline operators have to first secure type rating for them. This would mean sending commercial pilot licence holders abroad for training on simulators of planes like an A-320 or Boeing 737, which could take a few months and cost anywhere up to Rs1 million. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Transportation/For eign_co-pilots_can_work_in_India_for_two_more_years/articleshow/3332861.cms ************** American Airlines Flight Attendants Under Fire Some American Airlines flight attendants are under scrutiny from their bosses for deciding, on their own, to deploy evacuation slides after a jetliner with 194 people aboard made an emergency landing earlier this week at Los Angeles International Airport, according to controllers, airport officials and others familiar with the details. The incident, which temporarily closed two of the airport's four runways and generated nationwide TV coverage, also has prompted federal regulators to take another look at evacuation rules and practices in such instances, and how procedures may vary among carriers. The Honolulu-bound jetliner returned to Los Angeles on Tuesday about an hour after departure, because some of the 188 passengers reported smelling smoke and seeing a haze in the cabin of the Boeing 757. News networks showed extensive video clips of passengers sliding down inflatable chutes while the aircraft was stopped in the middle of a runway, temporarily disrupting air traffic during the morning rush. The plane landed safely and there were no serious injuries. Fire crews and federal investigators didn't find any evidence of smoke, fire or mechanical problems. American hasn't identified the pilots or flight attendants. But as investigators from the company and the Federal Aviation Administration continue to examine what happened, they are asking why one or more flight attendants opened some doors and deployed slides -- without any command from the captain. On Wednesday an FAA spokeswoman said, "We're looking into all the issues that have been raised." An airline spokesman said, "We are still gathering information from our crew members to better understand the details of the event" and their "decision to deploy the slides." Unlike cabin crews at some other big airlines, American's flight attendants have the authority to unilaterally deploy evacuation slides if they determine there is a serious and imminent threat, according to industry and government officials. But it's routine for them to first check with the captain. In this case, according to people familiar with the details, during the emergency approach the captain didn't alert controllers or fire crews that he planned to deploy the slides, something pilots are supposed to do if they intend to evacuate the plane in that manner. Immediately after the Boeing 757 came to a stop -- and as firefighters rushed toward the jet -- the captain walked toward the back of the cabin to discuss with the lead flight attendant how the passengers would get off the aircraft. But before that conversation took place, according to these people, the slides began deploying. Pilots generally deploy the slides only in the most serious emergencies, because such evacuations run the risk of injuring passengers. They also take planes out of service, reflecting the extra time it takes to deal with the slides. Despite estimates that reports of smoke or suspected fires result in dozens of airliners making emergency landings across the U.S. every month, it's rare to have emergency slides actually deployed. Even in Tuesday's incident, some of the passengers left the aircraft using mobile stairs. The evacuation received unusual media and FAA attention, because a bevy of reporters, camera crews, news choppers and agency officials was on hand to commemorate the planned arrival of the first Emirates Airlines Airbus A380 superjumbo jet to Los Angeles. The demonstration flight was put into a holding pattern southwest of Los Angeles to accommodate the emergency, and a planned salute by firefighters using water cannons was scrapped. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121806957007518857.html?mod=googlenews_wsj ***************