12 FEB 2009 _______________________________________ *FAA Issues Emergency Suspension Against AAR Landing Gear Services *Iceland: fatigue factor in B 737-800 runway excursion at Keflavik *FAA plan could mean new $40M center in Kansas City *Former pilot favorite to be FAA chief **************************************** FAA Issues Emergency Suspension Against AAR Landing Gear Services Says Proper Overhaul Procedures Were Not Followed The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued an Emergency Order of Suspension against AAR Landing Gear Services of Miami, FL for violations of Federal Aviation Regulations. AAR is an FAA-certificated repair station operating under Part 145 of the Federal Aviation Regulations, with ratings to repair aircraft landing gear, airframe and aircraft accessories. The Emergency Order was issued following inspections which revealed that AAR did not follow aircraft manufacturer maintenance manual procedures for conducting liquid penetrant exams, shot peening and cadmium plating before returning to service a variety of landing gear parts for air carrier aircraft. The FAA maintains AAR employed defective processes and followed defective inspection protocols. Shot peening is a procedure to harden the surface of metal parts and remove corrosion. Cadmium plating is a coating applied to metal parts to prevent corrosion. Penetrant examination is a non- destructive testing method usually performed to detect cracks and corrosion. The agency determined that AAR's actions returned aircraft parts to service as being overhauled when they were not, and failed to perform required maintenance procedures. All affected operators were notified of the suspect parts in March 2008 and corrective action was taken. The Emergency Order of Suspension was effective Tuesday, and remains in effect until AAR Landing Gear Services demonstrates that it meets the requirements of the Federal Aviation Regulations. AAR may appeal the Emergency Order to the National Transportation Safety Board by February 20. "We have worked diligently with the FAA over the past year to respond to its concerns," said David P. Storch, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, AAR CORP. "We remain committed to resolving this matter as expeditiously as possible. The company will also work equally hard to minimize any inconvenience to its customers and employees during this period." FMI: www.faa.gov, www.aarcorp.com aero-news.net *************** 11 FEB 2009 RNF Iceland: fatigue factor in B 737-800 runway excursion at Keflavik The Icelandic Aircraft Accident Investigation Board (RNF) released their final investigation report regarding the serious incident involving a Boeing 737-800 at Keflavík, Iceland. The airplane operated a subcharter fight from Antalya, Turkey to Iceland. The flight crew made an unscheduled fuel stop in Edinburgh before continuing on the last leg to Keflavik. An approach was set up for runway 02 at Keflavik International Airport. The aircraft contacted the runway and then bounced up into the air again before full runway contact was made with the main landing gear tires followed by the nose landing gear tire. The aircraft was not decelerated enough when nearing the runway end so the pilot flying attempted to turn the aircraft onto taxiway November at the end of the runway. The aircraft skidded off the taxiway and came to rest parallel to the taxiway with the nose landing gear and the right main landing gear off the paved surface. It was amongst others concluded that the flight crew was likely fatigued and this had a degrading effect on their performance. The rest facilities and cockpit environments were less than optimal for sleep and decreased the likelihood that rest periods would help to reduce the risk of fatigue related errors. On approach, the information on the runway and taxiway conditions the pilot flying received led him to expect that no extra precautions would be necessary during the landing. Upon landing there was absence or very little flare before touchdown which resulted in a hard bounced landing. The pilot flying did not use reverse thrust and braking to its maximum effectiveness and applied brake pressure late. (RNF) (aviation-safety.net) *************** FAA plan could mean new $40M center in Kansas City A plan that would consolidate meteorologists from 21 air traffic control centers across the country into two centers — in Kansas City and College Park, Md. — could mean a new $40 million to $50 million facility to house the center in Kansas City. The Federal Aviation Administration has asked the National Weather Service to give it a proposal by Feb. 23 for such a consolidation, said Dan Sobien, president of the National Weather Service Employees Organization. The union, along with the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, oppose the move on the grounds that removing meteorologists from local air traffic control centers would decrease air safety. The working FAA plan calls for moving one of the consolidated centers to the existing Aviation Weather Center in Kansas City at 7220 NW 101st Terrace. Sobien said that facility is too small to accommodate such a consolidation. “The current facilities in Kansas City would be inadequate for an infusion of that many new people, and a new facility would need to be found,” he said. He estimated a new facility could cost $40 million to $50 million, or about twice the cost of a typical National Weather Service office. Each of the 21 air traffic control centers typically has four meteorologists. The FAA proposes to cut the number of meteorologists to about 50 with the consolidation to two centers. Sobien said the cost of labor and some overhead for the meteorologists nationally two years ago was $11 million. The consolidation would save the FAA $2 million to $3 million a year, he said. Sobien said opposition to the plan by the National Weather Service Employees Organization and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association “isn’t about a union saving jobs.” “This is an issue because this would seriously hurt the safety of air traffic around the country.” Tony Molinaro, a spokesman an FAA spokesman in Chicago, said that the FAA has had an agreement with the National Weather Service since 1978 to provide meteorologists in air traffic control centers. That agreement will expire soon and the FAA wants to look at the best way to use available technology to provide the service, he said. The FAA is not mandating the change, Molinaro said. If the FAA accepts the National Weather Service proposal, a nine-month demonstration and evaluation process would follow, said Chris Vaccaro, a National Weather Service spokesman in Washington. The process would be subject to third-party review by academia and the National Transportation Safety Board, he said. http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/stories/2009/02/09/daily37.html *************** Former pilot favourite to be FAA chief Randy Babbitt, a consultant and former airline pilot, has emerged as the leading candidate to become the next leading US civil-aviation regulator. US officials are still negotiating with Mr Babbitt on the role of running the Federal Aviation Administration, the agency that supervises the industry’s safety standards and air traffic control systems, people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday. Mr Babbitt would replace Lynne Osmus, the FAA’s acting administrator. The next administrator will face a host of challenges that have confounded predecessors, including finding resolutions to contract negotiations between the agency and its air traffic controllers and alleviating congested air space around airports in large cities such as New York. President Barack Obama picked a former Republican congressman, Ray LaHood, to run the US Transportation Department, prompting airline executives and labour leaders to predict that the next FAA administrator would have closer ties to both the industry and organised labour. Mr Babbitt, a consultant with Oliver Wyman, was a pilot for Eastern Airlines for more than 25 years. He later served as president of the Air Line Pilots’ Association, an aviators’ union. He is a presidential appointee to the FAA Management Advisory Council, and was named by transport officials last year as part of a team appointed to evaluate the FAA’s aviation safety system. Mr Babbitt was a partner at Eclat Consulting, which joined Oliver Wyman in 2007. Speculation that Mr Babbitt was the first choice had mounted in the past week. Jerry Costello, an Illinois Democratic congressman who chairs the US House aviation sub-committee said on Wednesday the FAA had offered the job to someone and that officials were in talks with that candidate. Mr Costello’s statement came during a hearing to discuss legislation that would authorise the FAA’s funding for two years and set its policies for taxing carriers. Mr Babbitt did not immediately return calls seeking comment. A White House spokesman declined to comment. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/97394a78-f8ad-11dd-a52b-000077b07658.html ***************** Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC