14 OCT 2008 _______________________________________ *Incorrect flight data led Qantas A330 to descend sharply: ATSB *Air Fiji aircraft hits airport terminal building *Pilot, Photographer Lost In News Helo Accident *Taking the Brace Position *Branson reportedly to inject capital into Virgin America *************************************** Incorrect flight data led Qantas A330 to descend sharply: ATSB A Qantas Airways Airbus A330 that descended suddenly appears to have received faulty data from one of its units and this then played havoc with the aircraft's flight control system. "At this stage of the investigation, the analysis of the available data indicates that the air data inertial reference unit (ADIRU) 1 abnormal behaviour is the likely origin of the event," the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) says in a statement today, referring to an incident that occurred on 7 October while the Qantas A330 was enroute from Singapore to Perth. "The faulty ADIRU unit continued to feed erroneous and spike values, for various aircraft parameters, to the aircraft's flight control primary computers." This "led to several consequences including: false stall and over-speed warnings, loss of altitude information on the captain's primary flight display and several centralised aircraft monitoring system warnings." Because the ADIRU 1 generated very high, random and incorrect angles of attack it meant that "the flight control computers commanded a nose-down aircraft movement, which resulted in the aircraft pitching down to a maximum of 8.5 degrees." It also "triggered a flight control primary computer pitch fault". The ATSB says the crew responded in a timely fashion and helped prevent the aircraft's rapid descent from being even greater. In its preliminary review released on 9 October the ATSB says the A330 descended about 650ft in about 20s, before returning to the cruising level of 37,000ft. Then about 70s later the A330 descended about 400ft in about 16s before returning to the cruising level. In both instances the aircraft was pitched nose-down. Of the 303 passengers and 10 crew on board 14 people were seriously injured, an additional group of up to 30 had serious enough injuries to receive medical treatment in hospital and up to a further 30 required first aid treatment, says the ATSB. The Qantas pilots responded by making an emergency landing at Learmonth, a remote airport in northwest Western Australia and from there the passengers were put on other aircraft and flown to Perth. In today's statement the ATSB says Airbus a few moments ago issued an operators information telex providing information about the incident along with recommendations to A330 and Airbus A340 operators that have aircraft fitted with the same type of ADIRU as on the Qantas aircraft. The recommendations include "guidance and checklists for crew response in the event of an inertial reference system failure". ATSB says it will issue a preliminary factual report within 30 days of the incident. ADIRUs provide data with regards to the aircraft's air speed, altitude, position and altitude. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news ************** Air Fiji aircraft hits airport terminal building Fiji's Civil Aviation Authority has launched an investigation into an incident that occurred the day before yesterday in which an Air Fiji aircraft rolled into an airport terminal building. The CAA of Fiji has launched an investigation and Air Fiji too is "currently doing an investigation into the incident," says Malakai Nawai, former chief pilot of Air Fiji and CEO of Air Fiji's sister company Airlines Tonga. "Supposedly it was a hydraulic problem but there are also other factors that need to be considered," he says. Malakai says the incident, involving a 15-seat Harbin Y12 with nine passengers and two pilots on board, occurred at around 14:00 on 12 October. The Y12 had just completed a flight - from Nadi to the other Fijian island of Taveuni further north - and was taxiing to the terminal. "The pilot was not able to stop and the aircraft rolled into the terminal building," he says. Despite hitting the building there was no further damage to the aircraft, he adds. Malakai was unable to give the registration of the aircraft but pictures published in local newspapers show the registration is DQ-FHC. According to Air Fiji's website it has five Harbin Y12s. He says the aircraft involved in the incident was used by both Air Fiji and Airlines Tonga. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news ************** Pilot, Photographer Lost In News Helo Accident Witness Says Helo Pitched Sharply Right Before Crash Officials have identified the victims of the Monday morning downing of a news helicopter northwest of Houston, TX. Pilot John Downhower and photographer Dave Garrett were killed when their Bell 206L-4 Long-Ranger helicopter crashed as it flew to the scene of a police-involved shootout near Magnolia. Both were employed by Houston ABC affiliate KTRK-13; the accident aircraft was the station's helicopter, known as "SkyEye HD." The station confirmed no distress signal was issued before the helicopter fell from the sky. KTRK said last video image received from the helicopter showed one of the landing skids, with the aircraft apparently in a sharp right bank. Riley Swanson, who saw the accident unfold from the ground, gave a similar account. "He just cleared the back side of our subdivision when I noticed his chopper made a sharp right-hand -- down, straight down into the ground -- turn," Swanson said, adding the helicopter (type shown below) was flying extremely low when the accident occurred. Investigators with the FAA and NTSB were on scene Monday night. According to the station, Garrett had worked with the station "for years," and often reported on breaking news from the air. " We didn't often see him on air, but he talked us through some of the biggest stories this city has seen," KTRK said. Downhower, 43, was rated to fly both fixed-wing and rotary-winged aircraft. He worked for Helicopters, Inc, the company that operated the 206L4 for the station. Prior to his work for the station, he flew helicopters in the Gulf of Mexico, and before that as a news pilot in California. KTRK spokesperson Tom Ash released the following statement Monday: "All of us at KTRK-TV are deeply saddened by the tragic accident involving SkyEye13 and our hearts go out to the families of the pilot and the photographer." Original Report 1330 EDT: Two persons onboard a news helicopter, type unconfirmed, were killed Monday morning when the helicopter crashed in a wooded area near the Houston suburb of Magnolia, TX. Local media reports state the crew onboard the helicopter was covering a police-involved shooting for KTRK-13 when the aircraft crashed just after 1100 CDT. The Channel 13 helicopter -- believed to be "SkyEyeHD 13" -- crashed about five miles from the site of a shooting following a police chase. Investigators have not disclosed any possible causes for the downing. SkyEyeHD-13 is a 1993 Bell Model 206L4 Long Ranger, reports Fox-26. Representatives with KTRK have not released the names of the victims, saying only the ABC-affiliate did not directly employ the two. The station lost uplink contact with the helo about 1115. FMI: www.faa.gov aero-news.net *************** Taking the Brace Position It took another deadly plane crash to make regulators get serious about air safety in Kyrgyzstan. BISHKEK | These days, when travelers buy an air ticket in Kyrgyzstan, they have to weigh not only the cost but also the chances of staying alive. After three crashes in as many years, the industry's safety record has become a major concern for passengers and airlines alike. "I think flying with Kyrgyz airlines is very dangerous, because their planes are really old," said Aiganysh Duisheeva, 23, a computer programmer who has used domestic and foreign airlines. "I'd rather not fly with them. I choose the better Turkish ones." Some Kyrgyz airlines have tried to ease such concerns. "[Our company] has proved to be a reliable carrier, meeting all the safety requirements for flights," reads the website of Itek Air, a major carrier here. But that assurance is less likely to persuade flyers after the late-August crash of one of the company's planes. Shortly after takeoff, the Boeing 737 fell and burst into flames near the Manas international airport, 10 kilometers from the capital. One survivor said the engines stopped working while still in the air. Sixty-four of the plane's 90 passengers and crew died, making it the deadliest crash in the nation's post-Soviet history. The accident is being investigated by experts from the Commonwealth of Independent States' Interstate Aviation Committee. The panel has finished its field work and has released preliminary findings that point to a loss of cabin pressure and a failed emergency landing. Yury Goncharov, the 54-year-old pilot, was arrested one week before the findings were made public. He is charged with violating transportation safety rules. If convicted, Goncharov could face seven to 15 years in prison. In the week between the arrest and the release of the committee's report, some experts doubted that human error was the culprit. "The captain was very experienced . and just three days before the accident he had returned from training, where emergency situations are worked through," said Bakyt Dzhunushaliev, a deputy director of the Civil Aviation Department. Meder Dzhundubaev, an adviser to the Kyrgyz carrier Esen Air, agreed. "Apparently, there was a serious breakdown on board. Currently, [the pilot] might be under pressure with the purpose of making him a scapegoat. If the [investigative] committee comes to the conclusion that blame lies with the crew, then they will be brought to trial and that's that," he said. "But admitting that the plane didn't function properly, that's a different story. It could, most likely, lead to the bankruptcy and closing of the airline. The Department of Civil Aviation will become involved because of the necessity to punish the guilty. . No one needs such complications. The exposure of a technical reason as a cause of the crash would not be welcome to very many people." The investigating committee has said the plane's in-flight recorder does not have a record of the final flight. The data recorder does, but the device was reportedly damaged in the fire. More findings of the investigation are expected this month. Widespread suspicions about aircraft safety here, like those voiced by Dzhundubaev, are based in part on the use of old equipment. The average age of a Kyrgyz passenger plane is 28. By comparison, all major carriers in the United States, except Northwest, had an average fleet age of under 15 in 2006, according to a report last year by The Airline Monitor, a newsletter that forecasts airline trends. "All our air fleet is very old," said Svetlana Usuvalieva, deputy director of the Glavtour travel agency in Kyrgyzstan. "But people who need to fly will fly." Since 2006 the European Commission has banned all Kyrgyz airlines from flying into European Union airports for failure to meet international safety standards. And the list of closed air gates is growing. "Besides the European Union, [Kyrgyz] planes are not admitted into Saudi Arabia and South Korea," said Dzhundubaev, a 36-year veteran of the Kyrgyz aviation industry. "The situation is deplorable. Technical maintenance is very poor. But to say that one cannot fly on our planes would be wrong, one can fly with them. Yet if our air fleet is not renewed, at least with airplanes made in the 1990s, then it will become completely useless." Dzhundubaev said that during the Soviet era, once an airplane reached 10 years, it underwent major repairs. After another 10 years, the craft was practically rebuilt. But today's airlines scrimp on repair and maintenance, he said. Whatever the cause, the recent Itek Air tragedy attracted international attention and highlighted the need to bring the country's civil aviation regulations into compliance with standards set by the UN's International Civil Aviation Organization, or ICAO. The government is slowly responding. In July, 22 Kyrgyz airlines were on the European Commission's blacklist. By September, that number had shrunk to 16 because the Kyrgyz civil aviation authorities revoked six carriers' licenses. The reduction came on the heels of tightened state requirements for registering an airline. Those new regulations prohibit carriers from registering planes more than 30 years old, down from 35. The age limit will drop to 25 in 2010. Craft more than 40 years old must be retired. In addition, airlines will no longer be able to register any craft that has been deemed unsafe to fly for more than two consecutive years. By comparison, Indonesia, all of whose airlines are also included on the European Commission's blacklist, is considering banning the registration of planes more than 10 years old. Even with the recent cull of airlines allowed to fly in Kyrgyzstan, the country has a disproportionately high number of carriers. With 16 registered airlines, the ratio is one to every 330,000 residents. By comparison, the ratio in the United Kingdom, with 36 general aviation carriers registered, is 1-to-1.7 million. That's a far cry from the Soviet era, when the single carrier was Aeroflot. In 2002, the Kyrgyz government adopted a civil aviation plan that called for the 12 carriers that were registered at the time to be reduced to three or four. Instead, their numbers have increased, owing largely to the loose regulations. Before adoption of the new regulations, an airline could simply open an office and rent planes from other companies. The new code requires an airline to own at least one aircraft. "There are airlines that don't meet the [safety] requirements of the ICAO, but we're getting rid of them," Dzhunushaliev said. "The equipment is expensive, and some airlines say they don't have the money. In that case, we have only one answer for them: no." While saying "no" to poor carriers, the aviation department says "yes" to money from the airlines. Struggling itself with lack of finances, the department, in a controversial move, is looking at raising money through fees on airlines. Over the past 10 years, Kyrgyzstan built up a debt of $135,000 in unpaid member fees to the ICAO. As a result, the country was denied the right to vote in the organization. The right was regained only in 2007, after the debt was paid. Now the department has to prepare for ICAO inspections in 2009, which will entail new expenses, such as special training of its staff. Clearly, money will be crucial to getting out of the crisis, but whether it will solve all of the industry's problems is less certain. "Many scandals, including some involving corruption, have rocked civil aviation in our country for at least 10 years," according to a letter to President Kurmanbek Bakiev that was signed by employees of Esen Air and delivered to the Kabar news agency. Esen Air lost its license in June over maintenance issues. "The reason [for the current situation] is corruption. Everyone is thinking of his advantage, overlooking the primary point: safety," said Dzhundubaev, the Esen Air adviser. "We've repeatedly raised this issue, but we've been chastised for it. Since pilots need to renew a license every year through the Civil Aviation Department, no one wants to stick their neck out." The solution, even to the industry's technical problems, lies in hiring better people to oversee and run Kyrgyz aviation, Dzhundubaev said. "Even purchasing the newest airplanes won't solve all the problems. The president's support is needed." http://www.tol.cz/look/TOL/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=4&NrIssue= 290&NrSection=3&NrArticle=20082&ST1=ad&ST_T1=job&ST_PS1=1&ST_AS1=0&ST2=body& ST_T2=letter&ST_PS2=1&ST_AS2=0&ST3=text&ST_T3=aatol&ST_PS3=1&ST_AS3=0&ST_max =3 **************** Branson reportedly to inject capital into Virgin America Virgin America is moving forward with its business plan amid reports that Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson will give the US startup more capital. "Unfortunately, I can't provide further details on a capital raise--as we're private and are not yet disclosing the information. I can say that our investors are confident and we're moving forward with our business plan," explains a spokeswoman for Virgin America. The carrier needs more capital to break-even in light of fuel prices, various media are reporting. Escalating fuel costs have been challenging for most carriers, especially for Virgin America since it does not have fuel hedges in place. News of the likely capital infusion comes as Virgin America awaits a ruling from US regulators regarding the confidentiality of most of its financial, traffic and other operating data. US carriers are required to supply that data to DOT, but Virgin America has sought to keep the information confidential, arguing competitors would gain valuable information on its costs and expenses. DOT has disagreed with the carrier's argument, but Virgin America appealed the department's June decision requiring the release of the data. But the carrier's data still remains confidential since DOT has not formally ruled on Virgin America's appeal. The Air Transport Association of America (ATA) recently told DOT "three months after it was denied Virgin America is still not making Form 41 data publicly available, and it continues to enjoy a significant and unfair advantage over its competitors because of the situation". The airline, which launched operations in August 2007, lost $34.8 million for the period ended 30 September 2007. Virgin America raised $177.3 million in startup capital, of which $90 million was from VAI Partners, a US investment group funded by Black Canyon Capital and Cyrus Capital Partners. About $30 million came from various companies owned by Branson and the rest is debt held by Virgin companies. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news ***************