25 NOV 2009 _______________________________________ *NTSB: Both engines of Frontier jet damaged in goose encounter *FAA Convenes First International Runway Safety Conference *FAA Withdraws Crew Rest NPRM After 14 Years *Fines imposed for stranded passengers aboard a jet *Laser Pointers Posing Frightening Risk To Pilots **************************************** NTSB: Both engines of Frontier jet damaged in goose encounter US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) officials say both engines of a Frontier Airlines Airbus A319 (N924FR) that hit a half-dozen or more large birds on departure from Kansas City International airport on 14 November were damaged in the encounter. Information from the crew and flight data recorders indicate that as the aircraft was climbing through 4,260ft enroute to Denver with 130 passengers and crew onboard, it struck "six or seven geese". The aircraft's right engine spooled down to flight idle after the collision, with attempts to advance the throttle again accompanied by "severe" compressor stalls that passengers described "fireballs being ejected from the engine", according to the NTSB's preliminary report of the incident. After declaring an emergency, the pilots returned the aircraft to Kansas City and performed an uneventful landing using the left engine. Officials say a post-landing inspection revealed damage to both engine inlet cowlings, though only internal damage to the right side CFM56 turbofan engine. The US Airways A320 that successfully ditched in the Hudson River in January had received internal damage to both CFM56 engines during the encounter, which left the aircraft largely without thrust. http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2009/11/24/335426/ntsb-both-engines-of- frontier-jet-damaged-in-goose.html *************** FAA Convenes First International Runway Safety Conference "Taxiing Toward Tomorrow" In D.C. In Early December The FAA, in cooperation with the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) and the MITRE Corporation, will hold the first International Runway Safety Conference December 1-3 at the Omni-Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C. Nearly 500 people are expected to attend "Taxiing Toward Tomorrow" which will focus on the reduction and eventual elimination of runway incursions and excursions. The event will bring together members of the safety community and a cross-section of key industry stakeholders to work towards solving one of aviation's most serious problems. While the vast majority of runway incursions do not result in accidents, they point to a risk in the system that needs to be addressed immediately. During Fiscal Year 2009 serious runway incursions dropped 50 percent. This is a positive development but more needs to be done. The FAA and the aviation industry are committed to finding the most effective ways to eliminate these incidents. FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Transportation John Porcari, NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman and Capt. Robert Bragg - the last surviving flight crew member involved in the 1977 runway collision of two jumbo jets at Tenerife - will headline the conference. Capt. Bragg, the first officer and last living crew member from the Pan Am jet involved in the Tenerife accident, will offer his unique, real-world perspective at the summit. Special keynote talks by Administrator Babbitt and Chairman Hersmann will emphasize runway safety's prominent role in the U.S. safety agenda. The agenda also includes discussions and reviews of runway safety's most critical issues, including human factors, airport layouts, technology, cockpit and air traffic control procedures and safety management systems. Panels will assess runway safety progress to date, initiatives underway, and plans being made for future environments both in the U.S. and around the world. Industry and stakeholder groups expected to attend are: Air Line Pilots Association, National Air Traffic Controllers Association, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Experimental Aircraft Association, the Air Transport Association, and EuroControl. FMI: www.faa.gov aero-news.net **************** FAA Withdraws Crew Rest NPRM After 14 Years Issue Will Be Revisited, But For Now, Proposed Rule Is "Out Of Date" The FAA announced Tuesday it is withdrawing a previously published NPRM that proposed to establish one set of duty period limitations, flight time limitations, and rest requirements for flight crewmembers engaged in air transportation. The NPRM also proposed to establish consistent and clear duty period limitations, flight time limitations, and rest requirements for domestic, flag, supplemental, commuter and on-demand operations. The notice or withdrawal, published in the Federal Register, said the administration is taking the action because the NPRM is outdated, and because of the many significant issues commenters raised. The FAA intends to issue a new NPRM to address flight, duty, and rest. The proposed NPRM was first drafted 17 years ago by the Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee (ARAC) Flight Crewmember Flight/Duty Rest Requirements working group. The notice was first published back in 1995. The proposed rule was based on proposals from the ARAC working group, the petitions for rulemaking from the industry and others, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recommendations, and existing knowledge of fatigue, including research by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Subsequently, and in response to requests from the industry, the FAA extended the comment period closing date and answered clarifying questions to the NPRM in a 1996 notice published in the Federal Register. Over 2000 comments were received. Although some commenters, including the NTSB, NASA, Air Line Pilots Association, and Allied Pilots Association, said the proposal would enhance safety, the same commenters had specific objections. For example, the pilot unions objected to the proposed increase in allowed flight time. These commenters also said the proposal should have included special duty and flight time limits for disruptions in circadian rhythm and for operations with multiple takeoffs and landings. Many industry associations opposed the NPRM, stating the FAA lacked safety data to justify the rulemaking, and industry compliance would impose significant costs. Since 2001, the agency has undertaken other fatigue mitigation efforts. Among these efforts was the Part 125/135 Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC),7 which was convened in February 2003, to do a comprehensive regulatory review of rules on flight, duty, and rest. The ARC submitted its recommendations in September 2005. Also, in June 2008, FAA held an Aviation Fatigue Management Symposium 8 that provided the industry with the latest information on fatigue science, mitigation, and management. Currently, the agency is developing an Advisory Circular on fatigue that incorporates information from the Symposium. Additionally, in June 2009, the FAA chartered the Flight and Duty Time Limitations and Rest Requirements ARC9 comprised of labor, industry, and FAA representatives to develop recommendations for an FAA rule based on current fatigue science and a thorough review of international approaches to the issue. Given all that history, the FAA is withdrawing the 1995 Flight Crewmember Duty Period Limitations, Flight Time Limitations and Rest Requirements NPRM because it is outdated and because it raised many significant issues that the agency needed to consider before proceeding with a final rule. Instead of adopting the provisions of the 1995 NPRM, the FAA intends to develop a new NPRM later this year that considers the Flight and Duty Time Limitations and Rest Requirements ARC recommendations, scientific research, NTSB recommendations on fatigue and flight duty time, and the recommendations of the Part 125/135 ARC. FMI: www.faa.gov aero-news.net *************** Fines imposed for stranded passengers aboard a jet WASHINGTON (KGO) -- The U.S. Department of Transportation today imposed the first fines ever issued for stranding passengers aboard a jet. In August, a Continental Express flight was diverted to Rochester, Minnesota at midnight because of stormy weather. The passengers were forced to stay on board all night because there was no security in the terminal. The plane ran out of food and drink, and bathrooms overflowed. The DOT fined Continental and ExpressJet a combined $100,000. Mesaba Airlines was fined $75,000 because its employees refused to open the terminal doors. Sen. Barbara Boxer renewed her call for a passenger bill of rights to prevent ordeals like this one. http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/7_on_your_side&id=7137432 ***************** Laser Pointers Posing Frightening Risk To Pilots BAY AREA, Calif. -- Bay Area pilots are experiencing it all too often: a colored laser beam aimed into their cockpit that many say it is, literally, an attack. "If it's a powerful enough laser, it can completely incapacitate you," said Kerry Smith, KTVU's helicopter pilot. The Federal Aviation Administration says there have been about 3,000 reported laser incidents nationally in five years. "In the Bay Area, there have been literally dozens and dozens of laser illuminations reported by pilots at the three major airports," says FAA spokesman Ian Gregor. Kerry Smith and a photographer managed to capture a laser attack on a camera as the beam searched for their helicopter from the backyard of a San Jose home. The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department is investigating. "The last thing we want, especially in the Bay Area, is for an aircraft to come down in a residential area," said Smith. Rob Heyde, a Santa Clara County Sheriff's department pilot, was recently hit by a laser while flying in his helicopter. In response, the sheriff's special operations unit set a trap, flying continuously over the same neighborhood and, this time, videotaping the attacker. "From infra-red camera, he was standing in a stance targeting the helicopter as it went by," says Heyde. Finding and purchasing a laser is as simple as searching for one online. In fact, because lasers have become so common, many pilots say the long term solution will be changing the public's awareness and attitude about just how dangerous lasers can be to aircraft. The FAA is considering forming a regional task force on laser attacks combining federal and local law enforcement. Some pilots say the main concerns include the increasing number of cases and the possibility of terrorist acts. Most pilots KTVU spoke with say the most effective public awareness campaign would include arrests and convictions. The Santa Clara County Sheriff's case is one of the few that put someone behind bars. "It's satisfying because when after an arrest is done you fly for a couple of weeks and you don't get hit with a laser. Previously, before this arrest, it seemed like every other time we flew somebody is basically harassing you with a laser," said Heyde. There is no word on when the FAA might actually organize a regional task force, but many pilots want to see it sooner not later. They do not want a deadly crash to be the takeoff point. http://www.ktvu.com/news/21714480/detail.html ************** Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC