Flight Safety Information October 8, 2010 - No. 207 In This Issue FAA Posts Helicopter Operation NPRM To Federal Register FAA Proposes Safety Systems For Part 139 Certificated Airports... Flight makes safe emergency landing ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ FAA Posts Helicopter Operation NPRM To Federal Register Comment Period Closes January 10 The FAA has proposed broad new rules for helicopter operators, including air ambulances, which, if finalized, would require stricter flight rules and procedures, improved communications and training, and additional on-board safety equipment. "This is a significant proposal that will improve the safety of many helicopter flights in the United States," said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "The FAA's initiatives have helped the helicopter industry make progress on many safety issues, but it's time to take steps towards mandating these major safety improvements." Under the proposed rules published Thursday in the Federal Register, operators would use the latest on-board technology and equipment to avoid terrain and obstacles. The proposal also contains provisions which, if finalized, would require operators to use enhanced procedures for flying in challenging weather, at night, and when landing in remote locations. "We can prevent accidents by preparing pilots and equipping helicopters for all of the unique flying conditions they encounter," said FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt. "These new rules are designed to protect passengers, patients, medical personnel, and pilots." The FAA document includes new proposals covering a variety of helicopter operators. The proposed rules would require air ambulance operators to: Equip with Helicopter Terrain Awareness and Warning Systems (HTAWS). The proposal seeks comments on requirements for light-weight aircraft recording systems (LARS). Conduct operations under Part 135, including flight crew time limitation and rest requirements, when medical personnel are on board. Establish operations control centers if they are certificate holders with 10 or more helicopter air ambulances. Institute pre-flight risk-analysis programs. Conduct safety briefings for medical personnel. Amend their operational requirements to include Visual Flight Rules (VFR) weather minimums, Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) operations at airports/heliports without weather reporting, procedures for VFR approaches, and VFR flight planning. Ensure their pilots in command hold an instrument rating. Under the proposal, all commercial helicopter operators would be required to: Revise IFR alternate airport weather minimums. Demonstrate competency in recovery from inadvertent instrument meteorological conditions. Equip their helicopters with radio altimeters. Change the definition of "extended over-water operation" and require additional equipment for these operations. The proposed rules would require all Part 135 aircraft, i.e. helicopter and fixed wing on-demand operators, to: Prepare a load manifest. Transmit a copy of load manifest documentation to their base of operations, in lieu of preparing a duplicate copy. Specify requirements for retaining a copy of the load manifest in the event that the documentation is destroyed in an aircraft accident. In addition, the proposal would require Part 91 general aviation helicopter operators to revise the VFR weather minimums. Since August 2004, the FAA has promoted initiatives to reduce risk for helicopter air ambulance operations. While accidents did decline in 2005 and 2006, 2008 proved to be the deadliest year on record with six accidents that claimed 24 lives. Overall, from 1992 through 2009, 135 helicopter air ambulance accidents claimed 126 lives. From 1994 through 2008, there were also 75 commercial helicopter accidents (excluding air ambulances) that resulted in 88 fatalities. The estimated cost of the proposal in present value for the air ambulance industry is $136 million with a total benefit of $160 million over 10 years. The cost for other commercial operators is $89 million with a total benefit of $115 million over 10 years. The 90-day public comment period closes on January 10, 2011. FMI: www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/rulemaking/recently_published/ Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ FAA Proposes Safety Systems For Part 139 Certificated Airports October 8, 2010 - The FAA has proposed requiring airports certificated under Part 139 to put in place safety management systems (SMS) for all airfield and ramp areas. Part 139 requires FAA to issue airport operating certificates to airports that serve scheduled and unscheduled air carrier aircraft with more than 30 seats, server scheduled air carrier operations in aircraft with more than 9 seats but less than 31 seats. This Part does not apply to airports at which air carrier passenger operations are conducted only because the airport has been designated as an alternate airport. Airport Operating Certificates serve to ensure safety in air transportation. To obtain a certificate, an airport must agree to certain operational and safety standards and provide for such things as firefighting and rescue equipment. These requirements vary depending on the size of the airport and the type of flights available. The regulation, however, does allow FAA to issue certain exemptions to airports that serve few passengers yearly and for which some requirements might create a financial hardship. There are currently 553 airports in the U.S. that hold Part 139 certificates. These certificate holders serve scheduled and unscheduled air carrier aircraft with more than 30 seats. These certificate holders also may serve scheduled air carrier operations with air carrier aircraft with more than nine but less than 31 seats. SMS is a formal approach to managing an organization's safety through four key components - safety policy, safety risk management, safety assurance, and safety promotion.This proposal will help airports enhance safety by developing an organization-wide safety policy; implementing methods to mitigate airport hazards; and analyzing and mitigating risks before they change airport procedures or infrastructure. The proposed rule requires that SMS be used for airport movement and non-movement areas which includes runways, taxiways, ramps, aircraft parking aprons, and fuel farms. The FAA believes that SMS will provide an additional layer of safety at airports and help reduce airport incidents and accidents. Airports will have the flexibility to implement a SMS plan that considers their unique operating environment. While the proposed SMS requirement will not take the place of regular FAA Part 139 inspections, this proactive emphasis on hazard identification and mitigation will provide airports with robust tools to improve safety. Airports are identified by four classes, depending on the type of air carrier service at the airport.The proposal states that Class I airports would be required to develop a SMS implementation plan within six months and implement within 18 months after the final rule is published. The remaining Class II, III, and IV airports would be required to develop a SMS implementation plan within nine months and implement within 24 months after the final rule is published. The FAA will review and approve the SMS implementation plans. The NPRM is published in the Federal Register and open for a 90-day public comment period that ends on January 5, 2011. Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Flight makes safe emergency landing News Services October 8, 2010 An Air Canada flight carrying 155 passengers has landed safely at the Calgary International Airport after suffering hydraulic problems. EMS, fire and police rushed to the airport Thursday morning after the Toronto-bound airplane's wheel flaps wouldn't retract after takeoff. The airplane circled for 20 minutes to burn off fuel before landing without incident at 10:13 a.m., said Duty Insp. Grant Miller. Airport officials say the pilot had requested emergency standby and equipment for the landing due to the hydraulics issue. Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Article Headline Know your target audience. Who are your most important customers, clients or prospects, and why? Know what is important to them and address their needs in your newsletter each month. Include a photo to make your newsletter even more appealing. Inserting a link in your article lets you track which topics attract the most interest. Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Article Headline Know your target audience. Who are your most important customers, clients or prospects, and why? Know what is important to them and address their needs in your newsletter each month. Include a photo to make your newsletter even more appealing. Inserting a link in your article lets you track which topics attract the most interest. Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Article Headline Know your target audience. Who are your most important customers, clients or prospects, and why? Know what is important to them and address their needs in your newsletter each month. Include a photo to make your newsletter even more appealing. Inserting a link in your article lets you track which topics attract the most interest. Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC