Flight Safety Information

August 16, 2010  -  No. 134

In This Issue

Since June, 17 people have died in airplane accidents in Alaska
Jet returns to Los Angeles after engine trouble

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Air ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Since June, 17 people have died in airplane accidents in
 Alaska.
(AP) Still, the Anchorage Daily News reports, that toll isn't unusual for Alaska
 summers. And pilots say there's a stronger emphasis on safety in a state where 
bad weather, remote airports and difficult terrain are common.
Last week's crash that killed former Sen. Ted Stevens and four others focused attention
on flying in Alaska. The National Transportation Safety Board says more than 20 
people died in the summers of 2003, 2004 and 2007. But it says fatalities have dropped
from an average of 80 a year in the 1970s to about 23 a year over the past decade.
Pilots say much has changed over the years, with more emphasis on professionalism
and safety. Still, Alaska Airmen's Association President Adam White said an event
like the Aug. 9 crash should make pilots think how they can do even more.
"We're all replaying events in our past that could have potentially turned out bad,"
White said.
"Sometimes it takes these kinds of events for people to stop and think, maybe I 
shouldn't be doing things the way that I have been," he said. "Maybe I ought not
 to load the airplane quite as heavy. Maybe I should wait a few more hours even 
though I think I can make it now because the forecast says it's going to improve."
Four days after the crash north of Dillingham came reports of yet another crash.
 Rescuers found two people dead Friday in the wreckage of a Piper PA-18 near McGrath.
Aviation experts say a combination of new navigation systems, better runways and
 a growing professionalism have significantly reduced accidents since the barnstorming
days of bush pilots and pipeline construction.
"It was a macho, bravado occupation to be in and pilots used to do risky things 
- and pilots that did that were looked upon as great pilots and heroes," said Richard
Harding, who began by flying for Pen Air out of King Salmon and later became president
of a federally funded nonprofit that offers pilot training and safety audits.
Read more: Fairbanks Daily News-Miner - Air crashes in Alaska claim 17 people this
summer

Back to Top
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jet returns to Los Angeles after engine trouble


LOS ANGELES (AP) - An American Airlines jet on its way to Texas has circled back
 to Los Angeles International Airport after experiencing engine trouble.
LAX spokesman Albert Rodriguez says the MD-80 aircraft took off for Dallas at 10:50
a.m. Saturday and was over Palm Springs when the pilot reported a problem with one
of its engines. The plane, carrying 146 people, returned to LAX and landed without
incident.
The nature of the engine problem is being investigated.
Rodriguez says passengers were being placed on other eastbound flights.

Back to Top
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP
CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC