16 APR2009 _______________________________________ *Pilots 'Unaware' Fire Had Broken Out On Plane *Baby pythons escape during flight in Australia *United Wants More Money From Obese Passengers *Man crashes truck through gate at Arkansas airport *Jeppesen Awarded FAA OK For Airport Moving Map Data Processes *NTSB looks at Flight 3407 crew, training, weather **************************************** Pilots 'Unaware' Fire Had Broken Out On Plane Pilots prepared a Boeing 777 for takeoff from Heathrow airport unaware that a fire had broken out on the plane, an accident report has said. Smoke was spotted on the United Airlines Boeing 777 Four-and-a-half minutes passed before the cockpit crew of the United Airlines' plane learned of the emergency from a tug driver. He raised the alarm after seeing smoke, caused by an electrical fault, coming out of the aircraft's vents. The crew responded by shutting down the right engine, taxiing to a stand and safely evacuating the 185 passengers. But their lack of awareness of smoke may have delayed that action, the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) report said. The AAIB said there had been "significant smoke" but that the possibility of a fire "appeared to have been missed" by the crew. The passengers had been told by the relief co-pilot there had been an electrical problem which had shut down some of the air conditioning and cooling ducts. Moments before, a stewardess had told the cockpit crew "an electrical smell was present in the passenger cabin". The co-pilot and relief co-pilot had told her they had a problem with the equipment and the electrics but that there was no fire. In fact the electrical fault, the root cause of which is still undetermined, had seen molten droplets of around 1,000C in temperature fall on to insulation blankets beneath an electrical panel. This caused heat and fire damage to the plane's structure, cooling ducts and wiring. The incident came after the plane had pushed back from its stand and the engines were being started prior to take off on the morning of February 26, 2007. http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-News/Boeing-777-Plane-Fire-Pilots-Unawar e-At-Heathrow-Airport-Accident-Report-Says/Article/200904315262687?lpos=UK_N ews_Second_UK_News_Article_Teaser_Region_3&lid=ARTICLE_15262687_Boeing_777_P lane_Fire%3A_Pilots_Unaware_At_Heathrow_Airport%2C_Accident_Report_Says *************** Baby pythons escape during flight in Australia MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) - Four baby pythons escaped from a container aboard a passenger plane in Australia, leading to a search that forced the cancellation of two flights, the airline said Thursday. Twelve non-venemous Stimson pythons were being transported Tuesday on a flight from Alice Springs to Melbourne in the plane's cargo area in a bag inside a plastic foam box with air holes. When the flight landed, it was discovered that four snakes had escaped from the package, a Qantas spokeswoman said in a statement. A reptile expert searched for the 6-inch (15-centimeter) -long snakes but did not find them. It was not known if the snakes were still on the plane or if they had somehow escaped outside after the plane landed. In the meantime, the plane missed two flights it had been scheduled to fly and the passengers were transferred to other flights. When the snakes were not found, the airplane was fumigated and it returned to service on Wednesday. Stimson's pythons, which can grow up to three feet (one meter) long, live in western and central Australia and are not an endangered species. *************** United Wants More Money From Obese Passengers Joins Other Airlines In 'Pay For Two Seats' Policy If you're among the heavier-set members of the world population, you may soon have to shell out additional cabbage to fly onboard a United Airlines plane. WBBM-2 in Chicago reports United plans to implement an aggressive program, targeting passengers who "are unable to fit into a single seat in the ticketed cabin; are unable to properly buckle the seatbelt using a single seatbelt extender; and/or are unable to put the seat's armrests down when seated." Under the policy, fliers who fit that description will be forced to purchase an extra seat... and if no empty seat is available, they'll be bumped onto a later flight. "The seat purchase or upgrade must be completed for each leg of the itinerary," the United policy states. "If a customer meeting any of the above-listed criteria decides not to upgrade or purchase a ticket for an additional seat, he or she will not be permitted to board the flight." United enacted the policy this week, retroactive to tickets bought on or after March 4. Wednesday was the first day the new policy was in effect. The Chicago-based carrier -- already a perennial bottom-dweller on customer satisfaction lists -- defended the practice, even as WBBM reports some of United's own customer service agents questioned the legality of the decision. "Please understand that we care a great deal about all of our customers' well-being, and we have implemented this policy to help ensure that everyone's travel experiences with United are comfortable and pleasant," United said on its Web site. There seems to be conflicting precedents at work. Low-cost carrier Southwest Airlines has had a similar policy in place since 2000... and while it has been contested at times, Southwest still reserves the right to charge for two seats if a single passenger occupies both. Most other US carriers have adopted similar policies. Conversely, a Canadian court ruled in November 2008 airlines could not discriminate against those "functionally disabled by obesity" by charging them for two seats... a ruling that could impact US policies down the line. In any case, United's policy has given its rival American Airlines some free, positive publicity. Airline spokesman Tim Smith told WBBM that, while American technically has a right to charge for a second ticket... it will only do so when all other options have been exhausted. Further, "I don't remember us ever having to impose such a charge," added spokesperson Mary Frances Fagan. FMI: www.united.com aero-news.net *************** Man crashes truck through gate at Arkansas airport FORT SMITH, Ark. (AP) - A man in a pickup truck crashed through a fence gate at the Fort Smith airport, drove 100 yards and attempted to reach a parked airplane. The man, 28, would not have gotten anywhere after reaching the tarmac Thursday morning - the plane was missing its propellers. Witnesses told police that the man said he needed to "get to Israel" and that he had "all the answers." The man was arrested and taken to county jail. He faces charges of felony criminal mischief and misdemeanor criminal trespass. Police said the front gate and about 20 feet of fence were damaged. *************** Jeppesen Awarded FAA OK For Airport Moving Map Data Processes First In Industry To Receive Type II Letter Of Acceptance Jeppesen is the first company in the industry to have been awarded a Type II Letter of Acceptance (LOA) from the FAA for its Airport Moving Map data. "This regulatory acceptance of Jeppesen's data processes demonstrates our commitment to providing data to the flight deck with the necessary levels of quality and integrity for the intended functionality in the aviation environment," said Barry McDaniel, director, Quality and Standards. To obtain the LOA, Jeppesen complied with the requirements documented in Advisory Circular 20-153 and has passed audits in both Denver, CO and Neu-Isenburg, Germany. Jeppesen has been providing Airport Moving Map data to customers for over five years, as processed in compliance with the DO-200A/ED-76 standard. Jeppesen Airport Moving Map data is used as the foundation in a variety of front panel and electronic flight bag applications. Jeppesen was granted FAA approval for its Airport Moving Map application for Class 2 EFB devices in March 2008, and is the first and only company to have received TSO approval. Jeppesen Airport Moving Map uses a detailed database to dynamically render maps of the airport surface, and through the use of GPS technology, show pilots their position ('own-ship') on the airport surface. The result is improved positional awareness among flight crews, which is a critical safety factor for reducing runway incursions during ground operations at busy commercial airports with complex runway and taxiway layouts. Jeppesen's Airport Moving Map data and applications support a variety of customer airframes. FMI: www.jeppesen.com, www.faa.gov aero-news.net *************** NTSB looks at Flight 3407 crew, training, weather WASHINGTON - Tests show the pilot and copilot of Continental Connection Flight 3407 had not taken alcohol or drugs before the plane crashed in Clarence on Feb. 12, claiming 50 lives, but federal investigators said today they are examining whether the crew had the proper experience, training and rest. Icing and weather conditions are also being studied, but the National Transportation Safety Board's investigation will explore other issues as well at a hearing on the crash in Washington on May 12-14, said Mark V. Rosenker, acting chairman of the safety agency. "The tragedy of Flight 3407 is the deadliest transportation accident in the United States in more than seven years," said Rosenker, who will chair the hearing. "The circumstances of the crash have raised several issues that go well beyond the widely discussed matter of airframe-icing, and we will explore these issues in our investigative fact-finding hearing." Among those issues are "sterile cockpit rules" - which bar pilots from non-essential conversation and activities - crew experience, fatigue management and stall recovery training, the safety board said. All members of the safety board will participate in the hearing, but the agency has not yet detailed which other parties will participate. The detailed update of the investigation, which the safety board released this morning, appears to downplay the role of icing on the plane's wings or tail as a possible cause of the accident. The crew encountered "variable periods of snow" and "light to moderate icing" on its approach to Buffalo Niagara International Airport, the safety board update said. The flight data recorder and airplane performance models indicate that "some ice accumulation was likely present on the airplane prior to the initial upset event, but that the airplane continued to respond as expected to flight control inputs throughout the accident flight," the report said. The plane's systems appeared to be operating properly, although additional tests will be performed on the plane's de-icing system. "Preliminary airplane performance modeling and simulation efforts indicate that icing had a minimal impact on the stall speed of the airplane," the report added. In addition, the flight data recorder indicated the plane's stall warning and protection system activated at an airspeed and angle that would be expected for a plane flying with its de-icing equipment activated. Because airplanes stall at a higher speed when there is ice on their wings, the Bombardier Dash 8-Q400 - the plane that crashed in Clarence - includes a stall warning system that activates at a higher speed when the de-icing equipment is turned on. Investigators are continuing to examine the crew's actions after the stall warning and protection system alerted the pilot and copilot of the plane's potential for trouble. The safety board's Operations & Human Performance group has interviewed other flight crews that had worked with the crew that flew the ill-fated plane, as well as training personnel at Colgan Air, the Continental subcontractor that handled the Continental Connection flight from Newark to Buffalo. Investigators have also interviewed the Federal Aviation Administration personnel who oversee Colgan and have reviewed the flight manual and training materials that are provided to the airline's crews. "The Operations & Human Performance group continues to investigate and review documentation associated with the flight crew's flight training history and professional development during their employment at Colgan as well as prior to joining the company," the safety board said. The FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute toxicology lab tested the flight's pilot and copilot for drugs and alcohol. Co-pilot Rebecca Shaw tested negative for drugs and alcohol, and pilot Marvin Renslow tested negative for everything but diltiazem, a prescription blood pressure medication that the FAA had approved for use by air crews. The safety board said it is also investigating a recent Colgan Air flight in which a Dash 8-Q400's stall warning system activated during the plane's approach to Burlington International Airport in Vermont. That plane landed without incident. In addition, investigators are examining the instrument landing system for Runway 23 at the Buffalo airport. An FAA warning to pilots in January indicated a glitch in the instrument landing system's "glide slope guidance signal" leading to the runway. The anomaly involves one of the series of ground-to-plane signals along the runway approach, which falsely indicate aircraft are flying above their actual altitude. "To date, investigation into these reports has not revealed any connection to the accident flight," the safety board said. http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/618737.html *************** Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC