24 SEP 2008 _______________________________________ *Pilots complete suspensions for sleeping on flight *Futura International Airways License Suspended *NTSB investigates electrical anomaly in American 757 diversion *Prototype SkyCatcher's Loss Complicated By BRS Deployment Failure *Wheelchair on plane bursts into flames *Evergreen wins tentative approval for cargo service to China *ABX Air executive jumps to Hawaiian *FedEx to begin HUD EFVS installations this month *Quito ILS wrecked again by F28 overrun *************************************** Pilots complete suspensions for sleeping on flight Two pilots were suspended for sleeping through their flight's landing procedure Scott Oltman, Dillon Shepley were fired by Hawaii's Go airlines It is not known whether pilots are flying for another airline, FAA spokesman says HONOLULU, Hawaii (AP) -- Two pilots for Hawaii's Go airlines who slept through their flight's landing procedure were suspended for the careless and reckless operation of an aircraft, the Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday. The pilots, who have been fired by Go, completed their suspensions on September 9, FAA spokesman Ian Gregor said. He did not know whether they are flying again with a different carrier. Captain Scott Oltman, 54, who was also cited for failing to maintain radio communications, had his license suspended for 60 days. First Officer Dillon Shepley, 24, was suspended for 45 days. Gregor said no action was taken against Go because it did nothing wrong and provided the pilots with a 15-hour break before their shift, nearly double what the FAA requires. The National Transportation Safety Board had determined the two pilots fell asleep on the February 13 flight from Honolulu to Hilo. Oltman was later diagnosed with a severe obstructive sleep apnea. It causes people to stop breathing repeatedly, preventing a restful night of sleep. However, it was still unclear how both pilots fell asleep on the brief midmorning flight, which was carrying 40 passengers. No problems were found after examining the aircraft's pressurization system and carbon monoxide levels. The pilots failed to respond to nearly a dozen calls from air traffic controllers over a span of 17 minutes. In recordings obtained by The Associated Press, the controller is heard repeatedly trying to contact the pilots and talks to the pilot of another Go flight in hopes of reaching Flight 1002. "I'm worried he might be in an emergency situation," the controller says. Finally, about 44 minutes into what is usually a 45-minute flight, the controller was able to establish radio contact. By that time, the plane had passed the airport at Hilo by 15 miles, and the controller ordered the flight crew to return. The pilots were able to reverse course and landed safely at Hilo International Airport. Go is an inter-island carrier run by Phoenix-based Mesa Air Group Inc. It declined to comment on the suspensions. http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/09/24/sleeping.pilots.ap/index.html ************ Futura International Airways License Suspended Spanish civil aviation authority suspended the operating license of Futura International Airways, according to press reports. The license could be reactivated if Futura finds an investor to finance its restructuring plan before Jan. 1. The charter carrier suspended operations two weeks ago and filed for bankruptcy protection (ATWOnline, Sept. 9). ************* NTSB investigates electrical anomaly in American 757 diversion US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) officials in Chicago yesterday began investigating what forced an American Airlines Boeing 757-200 with seven crew and 187 passengers enroute from Seattle to New York JFK to stop short and overrun its landing after diverting to O'Hare Monday afternoon. According to the FAA, the pilots of American Flight 268 reported an electrical issue while enroute and requested to divert to O'Hare. After landing on Runway 22R at O'Hare, the aircraft came to rest on the left side of the overrun area with its nose gear and left main gear in the grass, where passengers deplaned using portable stairs. American Airlines says it continues to investigate the source of the electrical problem and that the aircraft remains out of service. The FAA says no one was injured during the 1335 incident Monday. http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2008/09/24/316394/ntsb-investigates-ele ctrical-anomaly-in-american-757.html **************** Prototype SkyCatcher's Loss Complicated By BRS Deployment Failure Airframe Chute's Failure Forces Real-Live Bail-Out... ANN has learned some surprising details surrounding the recent loss of a non-conforming flying prototype of the Cessna SkyCatcher LSA during exclusive conversations with personnel from Cessna Aircraft and BRS Parachutes. Cessna's prototype Model 162 SkyCatcher light sport aircraft (specifically shown above and below) crashed Thursday afternoon near Douglass, KS on what was described as a routine test flight, but a Cessna spokesperson now describes as an extensive evaluation of the aircraft's spin matrix... this particular test being devoted to "Full-Power, cross-controlled spins." The prototype aircraft, N162XP, was one of three flight test vehicles that Cessna has been evaluating, though this aircraft was not a fully conforming airframe. The accident plane had over 150 flight hours. This airframe first flew in March of this year. The company showed the production-spec SkyCatcher at Oshkosh in July. The spokesperson said the aircraft's structure survived the impact largely intact, with the wing and empennage still attached to the fuselage, and that the emergency centered on issues of aircraft control and not structures. The test pilot bailed out of the aircraft at a fairly high altitude and survived the incident with minor injuries. Cessna has been pretty open and up-front with the matter, at least to the extent of what is known just a few days after the incident. So far, Cessna and BRS have both confirmed that the pilot entered into some mode of irrecoverable flight condition in the spin tests and attempted to fire the rocket-deployed BRS emergency airframe parachute system. This corresponds to the "pops" and "sparks" reported by some witnesses. However; the BRS "failed to deploy as intended," according to a BRS staffer, and the pilot was left with no other choice but to egress the aircraft. No reason has been given for the alleged failure of the BRS parachute system but BRS confirms that they have personnel on sight to participate in the investigation. The pilot safely extricated himself and successfully deployed a Free Flight Preserve 1 canopy (thought to be part of a Para-Phernalia parachute system... the leading user of that canopy design), and landing about a quarter-mile from where the SkyCatcher impacted. While the airframe hit the ground largely intact, Cessna confirms that the aircraft is "totaled." Cessna has undertaken an aggressive flight test program with the SkyCatcher and their spokesperson confirms that the test program "meets or exceeds" the specs laid out by ASTM for LSA Certification. The first conforming test vehicle (P1) will take the place of this aircraft in the test program and resume the examinations fairly soon. It's still too soon to say whether Thursday's crash will affect Cessna's planned production schedule for the 162, which currently calls for the plane to enter production in 2009, but Cessna staff remain optimistic that the remaining test program can be conducted and the aircraft certified so that the SkyCatcher can be offered on a schedule close to that originally scheduled. ANN will continue to update this story as more information becomes available. FMI: www.cessna.com, www.brsparachutes.com aero-news.net ************** Wheelchair on plane bursts into flames Battery fire causes near disaster on British holiday jet carrying 229 passengers A holiday jet carrying 229 passengers narrowly avoided disaster when a wheelchair stored in the hold burst into flames shortly after landing at Manchester airport. Ground staff unloading baggage from the hold of the First Choice holiday jet noticed blue sparks coming from the chair, it was revealed today. The chair was removed from the Boeing 727-200 jet and placed on a vehicle - where it immediately burst into flames and was destroyed. The scare happened on Sunday September 7, when the First Choice flight FCA 2662 jet landed in the early hours of the morning after a flight from Fuerteventura. A spokeswoman for Manchester Airport praised the ground handling staff who "spotted the hazard and reacted quickly." The battery on the wheelchair should have been disconnected in the Canary Islands, she added. The scare today prompted the Civil Aviation Authority to issue a warning to passengers about the dangers of "seemingly innocuous items," said a spokesman. Geoff Leach, manager of the Dangerous Goods Office at the CAA, said: "Thankfully no-one was injured as a result of the Manchester incident. "The cause of the fire is currently under investigation, but it does highlight the need for passengers to be extremely vigilant when taking items on board aircraft. "Passengers need to be aware that some items, which are relatively innocuous in everyday use, are capable of posing a serious risk to the occupants of an aircraft, no matter where they are carried onboard and therefore need to be carefully checked." In highlighting the dangers, the CAA pointed to a fire aboard another aircraft in February, 2007, that was caused by a short circuiting camera battery. The fire started in an overhead locker in an aircraft that had just taken off from New York JFK Airport. Cabin crew managed to extinguish the fire, but the aircraft had to return to New York for an emergency landing. The CAA issued a checklist for battery powered wheelchairs: - ensuring the battery is securely attached to the wheelchair; - protecting the battery and chair from short circuiting; and - ensuring that the wheelchair cannot become switched on during transport. Spillable batteries are subject to additional requirements. In all cases, passengers should contact their airline in advance to check what special conditions apply, added the CAA. Said Leach: "Passengers frequently travel with electronic gadgets or other battery powered items and, although the batteries in these rarely pose a safety problem, if they are loose or the equipment is inadvertently activated there is a danger of fire." http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/travel/news/article4810663.ece ************* Evergreen wins tentative approval for cargo service to China Evergreen International Airlines has tentatively won DOT designation as a new all-cargo entrant in the US-China market to operate six round trip flights per week from Shanghai to New York. The route also includes additional stops in Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth and Columbus, Ohio. In May 2007 the US and China concluded an aviation agreement permitting the US to name a new all-cargo carrier to start service in March 2009. Two other carriers - Kalitta Air and Tradewind Airlines - applied for the 2009 rights. DOT reasons that Evergreen is in the best position to compete with all-cargo airlines currently serving the market. The carrier would also offer the first all-cargo service to China from both New York and Columbus. Evergreen was also the only applicant that aimed to use the entire capacity of its aircraft for China services, says DOT. Interested parties have 14 days to respond to DOT's proposed decision. The department tentatively awarded backup authority to Kalitta if Evergreen is unable to start service. Currently Fedex, Northwest Airlines, Polar Air Cargo and UPS offer all-cargo flights between US and China. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news ************** ABX Air executive jumps to Hawaiian Hawaiian Airlines has named Dennis Manibusan as vice president of maintenance and engineering effective 13 October. Manibusan joins Hawaiian from ABX Air where he has served as senior vice president of maintenance and engineering. That carrier was informed in May by its major US partner DHL that it planned to transfer flying ABX performs on behalf of DHL to UPS. As he transitions from ABX to Hawaiian Manibusan is filling a position left vacant since October 2007 after Charles Nardello was promoted to senior vice president operations. Manibusan is reporting to Nardello. Manibusan has also held positions at Alaska Airlines and Continental Airlines. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news *************** FedEx to begin HUD EFVS installations this month FedEx Express is ready to begin installing on its Boeing MD-10s a newly certified head-up display (HUD) and infra-red vision system which will become standard cockpit equipment across the cargo carrier's entire 362-aircraft fleet by 2015. FedEx managing director of strategic projects Joel Murdock told last week's Cargo Facts aircraft symposium in Miami the Memphis-based carrier will begin installing a new HUD with enhanced flight vision system (EFVS) technology on its MD-10 fleet by the end of September. He says when the first HUD EFVS-equipped MD-10 is placed into revenue service later this year it will mark the start of an eight-year effort, which will conclude in 2015 when the last aircraft in FedEx's fleet is slated to be equipped with the new flight safety technology. FedEx in June announced it had secured FAA certification authorising the new system for the MD-10. Murdoch says the FAA has since also certified the system for the Boeing MD-11. He notes FedEx intends to later certify the system for the Airbus A300, Airbus A310, Boeing 757 and Boeing 777. Murdock says each certification effort will take about one year to complete. Once certification is achieved, it will take another two to three years to complete installations on each aircraft type. FedEx currently operates 362 aircraft, which it uses to serve 220 countries and transport 3.5 million packages per day, says Murdock. This includes a mix of MD-11s, MD-10s, A300s, A310s as well as McDonnell Douglas DC-10s and Boeing 727s. FedEx plans to convert its remaining DC-10s into MD-10s and has just begun replacing its 727s with 757s. FedEx placed into service the first of 87 Singapore Technologies-converted 757 freighters in July and plans to put another three into service this month. Murdock says it was too early in the HUD-EVS programme to have the 757s outfitted with the technology during the conversion process so the fleet will instead be retrofitted early next decade. FedEx also has 15 777 freighters on order, which will also have to be retrofitted later with the HUD-EFVS cockpit. Murdock says the first 777 will be placed into service next September. FedEx has been looking at introducing new avionics combining the latest in HUD and EFVS technology since the late 1990s. After working closely with Gulfstream, which is considered the world's pioneer in integrating these types of technologies, FedEx in 2003 chose to combine a HUD supplied by Honeywell with an infra-red vision system featuring EFVS technology from Elbit System's Kollsman unit. Certification for the MD-10 was originally scheduled for 2006. While enhanced and synthetic vision has already become the latest rage in the business aviation community, FedEx is poised to be the first airline in the world to use the new technology. Murdock says the company's "magic windows program" will allow FedEx pilots to land below normal minimums in zero visibility conditions during the day and night. This will significantly improve the reliability of FedEx's operation as it operates into several airports which are often covered by fog or haze. "This technology sees through [fog and haze] with no problems," Murdock says. "We really feel this technology will be a big benefit for us." Murdock says the system allows the captain to be "head up" for the entire landing while the first officer looks out the windshield. On the captain's HUD, infra-red images from the EFVS are displayed showing real-life conditions, including the location of terrain. Once 50ft above the runway, a small cross appears on the HUD which guides the captain down for a perfect touchdown even if the first officer still cannot see the runway out the windshield. Guidance is even provided to allow the captain to compensate for gusty or crosswind conditions. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news *************** Quito ILS wrecked again by F28 overrun Investigators in Ecuador have retrieved the two flight recorders from the Icaro Air Fokker F28 which overran the runway at Quito International Airport yesterday. The aircraft, with 62 passengers and four crew, had been departing for Coca when it overran, destroying the instrument landing system. Quito Airport has issued a NOTAM declaring the ILS for runway 35, whose antenna is situated off the northern end, non-operational. "Technicians from the directorate-general for civil aviation are analysing various alternatives for repairing the ILS in the shortest time possible," says the airport's operator in a statement. Quito Airport's ILS was destroyed less than a year ago when an Iberia Airbus A340-600 overran while landing on runway 35. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news ***************