Flight Safety Information February 5, 2011 - No. 027 In This Issue France to search again for downed jet Jet From J.F.K. Came Close to 2 Air Force Cargo Planes Seven dead as Ankara-bound jet crashes in Iraq 2 survive helicopter crash north of Sacramento First Mariner Bank CEO detained after taking gun into airport (BWI) More disabled travelers complaining about airlines NTSB investigates a near mid-air collision over New York ISASI - Southeast Regional Chapter Meeting ISASI - Southeast Regional Chapter Meeting Reservation Form France to search again for downed jet Paris (CNN) -- Search crews plan to look for a fourth time for the wreckage of Air France Flight 447, which crashed into the southern Atlantic Ocean two years ago. The search will begin March 18 and will end July 8, said Thierry Mariani, secretary of state for transport. The new search for debris from the Airbus A330-200 will use state-of-the art underwater robots and submarines. "I think there is the technology to really examine the accident and then, of course, we expect if there have been mistakes made, be it by Air France, be it by authorities or by Airbus, then we hope to find those people responsible for it," said Dr. Bernd Gans, president of an association for relatives of the victims. The area to be explored encompasses about 3,900 square miles (10, 000 square kilometers). Airbus SAS and Air France will pay for the search, which will cost 10 million euros. Three previous searches have found no debris on the ocean's floor. About 50 bodies and some pieces of debris were recovered on the ocean's surface in the days after the crash on June 1, 2009. Investigators have not yet established what caused the plane to crash as it flew from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, killing 228 people. Back to Top Jet From J.F.K. Came Close to 2 Air Force Cargo Planes By MATTHEW L. WALD WASHINGTON (NYT) - An American Airlines jumbo jet that took off from Kennedy International Airport on the evening of Jan. 20 heading southeast toward Brazil came within a mile of a formation of two Air Force C-17 cargo planes, the National Transportation Safety Board said Friday. The board has begun a major investigation. The airliner, a Boeing 777, was under the control of one Federal Aviation Administration air-traffic controller, and the two military planes were under the jurisdiction of another, but the three planes were near a boundary that divided the two controllers' airspace, according to the aviation agency, which is also investigating. Controllers told the pilots to take evasive action, and a cockpit warning system on the American plane also provided instructions, the safety board said. No one was injured. The board offered only basic information; it said the planes came within a mile of each other, but did not specify their difference in altitude. It said radar data located the encounter about 80 miles southeast of New York City, which would apparently put it over the Atlantic Ocean, although neither the safety board nor the aviation agency would say so on Friday. The military planes were flying northeast toward McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey. In a statement, the F.A.A. said that as a result of its preliminary investigation, all air- traffic operational personnel guiding high-altitude traffic in the New York region were "already reviewing a variety of procedures including the handling of formation flights, aircraft near sector boundaries." Because the safety board has begun a formal investigation, some of the entities involved have been invited to join the process and are sworn to secrecy until the investigation is completed. Both the safety board and the aviation agency have received an increased number of reports of near-collisions, but for reasons unrelated to the actual numbers of such incidents. The safety board changed its rules in March, requiring airlines to report certain categories of in-cockpit warnings. Since then, it has begun investigations of near-midair collisions over Minneapolis, involving a US Airways jetliner and a small cargo plane; over San Francisco involving a United Airlines 777 and a single-engine propeller plane; over Houston involving a Southwest Airlines jet and a news helicopter; and near Anchorage involving a US Airways plane and a Boeing 747 cargo plane, among others. The aviation agency, independently, started a program under which controllers can report air-traffic errors without implicating themselves, so the data can be used to improve system safety. That program mirrors one that has been in place for years for pilots. As a result, both organizations say, recent numbers cannot be compared with previous ones. Back to Top Seven dead as Ankara-bound jet crashes in Iraq A SMALL private jet en route to Turkey's capital Ankara crashed soon after takeoff on Friday in Sulaimaniyah, northern Iraq, killing seven people, airport officials said. "The aircraft caught fire just after it took off," Hadi Amer, an official at the airport 270km north of Baghdad, told AFP. "It turned back to try to return to the airport but crashed at around 5:50 pm (1:50am AEDT) as it tried to land," he said, adding that seven people had been killed. Dead were the jet's crew of three plus a Lebanese and three Iraqis who were employed by, or held shares in, the Iraqi mobile telecom operator Asiacell, which is based in Sulaimaniyah, the second biggest city in Iraqi Kurdistan. Among the fatalities was Bassel Rahim, a shareholder in Asiacell and brother of Rand Rahim, who was the first Iraqi ambassador to Washington after the 2003 US-led invasion that ousted dictator Saddam Hussein. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/ *********** Status: Preliminary Date: 04 FEB 2011 Time: ca 17:00 Type: corporate jet Operator: Registration: registration unknown C/n / msn: First flight: Crew: Fatalities: / Occupants: Passengers: Fatalities: / Occupants: Total: Fatalities: 7 / Occupants: 13 Airplane damage: Written off Airplane fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: Sulaymaniyah International Airport (ISU) (Iraq) Phase: Initial climb (ICL) Nature: Executive Departure airport: Sulaymaniyah International Airport (ISU) (ISU/ORSU), Iraq Destination airport: Ankara (unknown airport), Turkey Narrative: A corporate jet was destroyed in an accident at Sulaymaniyah, Iraq. Seven on board were killed. Local news sources reported that there were six survivors. Among the passengers were technicians and shareholders with Iraqi mobile phone company Asiacell. Weather about the time of the accident (ca 14:00 UTC / 17:00 local): ORSU 041400Z 15006KT 1500 SN OVC035 03/00 Q1022= [Wind: 150 degrees at 6 knots; 1500 m visibility in snow; overcast 3,500 ft; Temperature 3°C; Dewpoint 0°C* www.aviation-safety.net Back to Top 2 survive helicopter crash north of Sacramento Sacramento, Calif. (AP) --The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department says both people aboard a construction helicopter survived when the chopper crashed in a field north of the capital city. The department says the male pilot and female passenger walked away from the crash reported at 2:23 p.m. Friday near Elverta. Both individuals were taken to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The helicopter was helping with construction of electrical towers in the rural area. No one on the ground was injured. Sheriff's spokeswoman Sharon Chow says the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating. Neither she nor the FAA immediately had the identities of those on board. No information has been released on what caused the crash. Back to Top First Mariner Bank CEO detained after taking gun into airport (BWI) Edwin F. Hale Sr. Hale, chairman and chief executive officer of First Mariner Bancorp, was detained at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport Friday morning for having a loaded handgun in his carry-on luggage, The Sun's Jessica Anderson reported. Hale, who also owns the Baltimore Blast indoor soccer team, said he was traveling to Milwaukee for a game, but was stopped at a security checkpoint in the Southwest Airlines terminal. He said he had intended to leave behind the .38 caliber revolver that he regularly carries in his briefcase. Cheryl Sparks, a spokeswoman with the Maryland Transportation Authority Police, said Hale was not arrested, but "was detained as a result of a TSA screening violation. This will be presented to the State's Attorney office" in Anne Arundel County, so prosecutors can determine whether criminal charges should be filed. http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/ Back to Top More disabled travelers complaining about airlines People who have disabilities face a confusing landscape of federal regulations and airline policies when they attempt air travel. While her nurses were stowing the 100 pounds of medical equipment she needs to travel with, Carrie Salberg was given a startling order: Get off the plane. Salberg, who has muscular dystrophy, was never told why she couldn't use the ventilator she requires to breathe on the Jan. 13 flight that was supposed to carry her home to Minneapolis-St. Paul from New Orleans. Just a month before the flight, Delta Air Lines said her equipment met the company's requirements. "It was humiliating, it was upsetting, it was embarrassing," said Salberg, 33. "We just did what we were told. We didn't really have much of a choice." Salberg's story illustrates the confusing landscape of federal regulations and airline policies that confronts travelers with disabilities. The Air Carrier Access Act, established in 1986, prohibits discrimination against someone with disabilities during air travel, provided any necessary medical equipment is approved according to in-flight rules. But disabled travelers are increasingly complaining about their rights being violated. In 2009, disabled passengers filed 17,068 complaints against airlines, up 22 percent from the previous year, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. In 178 cases, airlines refused to let disabled passengers board a plane, according to complaint data. Recent changes to the federal rules governing the travel of disabled persons have in some cases misfired. What labels? For instance, a 2009 rule was supposed to simplify the process for determining which medical equipment was approved for in-flight use. Instead of forcing crew members to inspect devices to see if they met various criteria, each approved item would come with a sticker showing it met Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requirements. But the federal government never authorized anyone to make the stickers, so a traveler like Salberg with approved equipment has to prove repeatedly that it meets regulations. "They made this rule to make it easier,"said Michael Luber, a Milwaukee man who was unable to fly in May 2009 because of his ventilator. "The problem is ... they don't have stickers and it's been a year and a half." Luber said it's been frustrating, but "we're a minority. Who's going to pay attention to the one in a million flying with a ventilator?" In April, the U.S. Department of Transportation plans to revisit the rules and is considering eliminating the labeling requirement. Determined traveler Salberg waited years to be able to travel because the equipment she needs to breathe wasn't portable. Since 2005, she has taken cruises and gone to Mexico. "It's a lot of work and a lot of planning, and getting on and off the plane is pretty much the worst part of a trip," said Salberg. "But it's worth it." While planning her trip to New Orleans, Salberg and her mother contacted Delta to make sure they understood the airline's rules for medical equipment. Salberg also had a certificate of compliance from the manufacturer. Her flight to New Orleans went smoothly. She even got a free upgrade to first class. Trouble on return Salberg's problems began shortly before takeoff on her return flight. As one of her nurses lugged a 25-pound battery on board, she was stopped and told that the pilot needed to inspect it. Salberg, who was already in her seat, said she couldn't tell the flight crew she already had airline approval because she didn't have the device she needs to speak. Crew members were shown the compliance letter and told Salberg had flown previously, but those reassurances were brushed off. Instead of a direct flight, which Salberg had paid extra for, her group was put on a flight to Atlanta, delaying their arrival in Minneapolis by about five hours. The delay meant Salberg couldn't drink anything because she isn't able to use a public restroom. "It's more than just an inconvenience," Salberg said. "It can be a matter of health when they make decisions like that." http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/traveloutdoors/2014134832_airlinetraveler05.htm l Back to Top NTSB investigates a near mid-air collision over New York NTSB is investigating a near-miss between a commercial flight and two military planes The aircraft were within a mile of each other at the closest point, NTSB says The incident is being investigated as "operational error," according to NTSB New York (CNN) -- A near mid-air collision last month between a commercial airliner and two military planes just outside New York City is under investigation, the National Transportation Safety Board said Friday. According to the NTSB, an American Airlines Boeing 777 left John F. Kennedy airport heading for Sao Paulo, Brazil, on January 20 when it encountered two U.S. Air Force C- 17s, which were headed toward McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey. Radar data indicates the aircraft came within a mile of each other at their closest point, a statement from the NTSB said. The near collision sent an electronic notification to the NTSB, the air traffic controllers, and the American Airlines crew, allowing them to avoid any contact between the aircraft. "Every airline has to make sure such incidents don't happen," said Ed Martelle, a spokesman for American Airlines, who said he was unaware of the incident until he was contacted by CNN. The incident is being investigated as "operational error," according to the NTSB. Martelle declined to comment further on the incident due to the ongoing investigation by the NTSB. Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC