Flight Safety Information February 17, 2011 - No. 036 In This Issue Boeing 747-8 Needs Passenger Evacuation Tests, Airbus Says U.S. fines Delta Air $2 million over disabilities rules Woman charged with pointing laser at helicopter Six injured in helicopter crash on Swiss alps Qantas favours commercial settlement with Rolls-Royce... Air Transport Association Reorganized Legal Skills for Accident Investigators Course Boeing 747-8 Needs Passenger Evacuation Tests, Airbus Says Boeing Co. should be required by U.S. regulators to run passenger- evacuation tests on its new 747-8 Intercontinental since the jumbo jet can carry more people than its predecessor, rival Airbus SAS's sales chief said. Boeing, whose original 747 first flew in 1968, unveiled its latest version of the aircraft last weekend. The 747-8 will carry about 467 passengers in a typical three-class configuration, about 12 percent more than the 747-400 flying today, according to Boeing's website. The Chicago-based company has asked U.S. aviation officials for a waiver on emergency evacuation tests for the new model because of tests performed on the original version four decades ago, Airbus Chief Operating Officer John Leahy told journalists today in Paris. "That's wrong," he said. "I intend to fly in that airplane one of these days and I'd like to know you can get out of it." Boeing declined to respond directly to Leahy's comment. The company will work closely with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration on certification for the 747-8. "We will meet or exceed all certification standards," said Jim Proulx, a spokesman for the Chicago-based planemaker. The FAA couldn't immediately comment, a spokesman said. Emergency evacuation tests require a planemaker to fill the aircraft with the maximum number of passengers and crew that it's certified to carry, and then have everyone exit the plane in darkness, with random doors shut, to ensure that the plane can be emptied in the event of an emergency. Airbus in 2006 evacuated 873 people from its A380 in 80 seconds, 10 seconds faster than its goal. One person broke a leg in the exercise, which was carried out in a dark hangar at an Airbus factory in Hamburg. Boeing plans to take the 747-8 on its first flight before the end of March. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/ Back to Top U.S. fines Delta Air $2 million over disabilities rules WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Transportation fined Delta Air Lines $2 million for violating federal rules on passengers with disabilities, it said on Thursday. The fine is the largest ever imposed against an airline in a non-safety related case. The agency said it had found many violations of the requirements to provide assistance to passengers while getting on and off airplanes. The government also found Delta frequently did not respond adequately to disability complaints from passengers. Most of the fine can be used by the airline to improve its service for travelers with disabilities, especially those in wheelchairs. Back to Top Woman charged with pointing laser at helicopter LONG BEACH (AP) -A Southern California woman has been charged with pointing a laser at law enforcement helicopters during an intensive search for suspects who shot at two gang detectives. Long Beach police said Wednesday that they arrested 34-year-old Kelly Ann Smith on Feb. 5, days after their helicopter pilot complained of being nearly blinded by a laser beam. Police said somebody also pointed the laser at a Los Angeles County sheriff's helicopter, making it impossible to continue assisting in the manhunt. Officers on the ground went to the location where the light was coming from and found a laser pointer. They returned a few days after sorting out the shooting investigation and arrested Smith. She was arraigned Monday but did not enter a plea. A preliminary hearing is set for March 1. Back to Top Six injured in helicopter crash on Swiss alps Six people were injured when their helicopter crashed Thursday on the Swiss alps, Swiss police said. "The accident took place at about 12:30 pm on the Diablerets glacier around Tour St-Martin," said Jean-Marie Bornet, spokesman from canton Valais. "The helicopter of company Heliswiss crashed certainly while trying to land," he added. All onboard, including five passengers and a pilot, were injured in the accident which occurred at about 3,000 metres (10,000 feet) above sea level. "Four were moderately injured and two others slightly hurt," said Bornet. Weather conditions were good, said police, noting that there was no fog at the time of the accident. An investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the crash in western Switzerland. It marks the second air accident in less than a week in the Swiss alps. On Friday, a private plane crashed in the canton of Valais, at a similar altitude. The pilot and four French passengers were dead by the time rescuers arrived on site. http://www.expatica.com/ch/news/swiss-news/six-injured-in- helicopter-crash-on-swiss-alps_130788.html Back to Top Qantas favours commercial settlement with Rolls-Royce Qantas is prepared to wait for a commercial settlement with Rolls- Royce in regard to the repair and other costs stemming from a November uncontained Trent 900 engine failure on a Qantas Airbus A380 aircraft, "We want to reach the right commercial settlement for Qantas and we'll take the time necessary to do that," says Qantas chief financial officer Gareth Evans. "Both parties are keen to settle commercially rather than go down the legal path," Evans says. Qantas in December filed an injunction in Australia against Rolls-Royce. "Negotiations are moving forward quite well," Evans says. Qantas says A380 disruptions had an A$55 million (US$54.9m) cost impact in the first half of its financial year. The carrier estimates a further $25m impact in the second half of the year. Chief executive Alan Joyce says the cost to repair the damaged A380 and affected engines will exceed $100m. Insurance and contractual agreements with Rolls-Royce will cover the repairs, he adds. Earlier this month Rolls-Royce reported the uncontained failure and related costs for all affected Trent 900 operators totalled £56m (US$89.9m) in 2010. The engine manufacturer says it expects "a modest level of additional costs" in 2011. Evans could not say why Rolls-Royce's figures were short of Qantas's costs from the uncontained failure. "We're not privy to how Rolls-Royce undertakes their accounting. It's up to them to work out what numbers they put aside and how they account for the impacts," Evans says. Joyce cautions the figures cannot be directly compared. "The benefits to us from an agreement could be different than the cost to Rolls- Royce," he says. A commercial settlement, if and when reached, will be reflected in the carrier's underlying earnings before tax and interest, Qantas says. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Back to Top Air Transport Association Reorganized Changes Enabling Focus On Advocacy, Building Lobbying Team The Air Transport Association of America (ATA) has announced a significant reorganization which will shift the focus of the organization to building advocacy and lobbying capabilities and ensuring thought leadership on legislative and policy matters. ATA President and CEO Nicholas E. Calio, who was tapped to head the association last month, said Tuesday the changes reflect a shift, leveraging the association's strong operations and technical expertise with a significant increase in outreach to key stakeholders to advance policy and legislative issues. "As an association, we have strong technical and operational expertise that we will better leverage in our advocacy efforts with Congress, the Administration and other key stakeholders," Calio said. "The airline industry drives the economy and creates jobs, and with these changes, we are building the foundation that will enable the ATA to be the leading advocate for the industry, and ensure that the legislative and regulatory environment helps promote the growth of commercial aviation." From the standpoint of regulation, taxation and fees, and capital costs, the airline industry is more complex and challenged than most others, Calio said. "The direction from our board of directors is clear: ATA must build the capability to be a cutting-edge advocate for the industry, so that we can build a better understanding of the barriers that prevent commercial aviation in the United States from being sustainably profitable and from contributing even more to the global economy," Calio said. Changes to the association include the promotion of Sharon Pinkerton to Senior Vice President, Legislative and Regulatory Policy, a new position. In this role, Pinkerton will lead policy development on legislative and regulatory matters, and will continue to work with Capitol Hill and the Administration. Pinkerton joined the ATA in 2006. An attorney and certified public accountant, Pinkerton was assistant administrator for aviation policy, planning and environment at the FAA. She also served as transportation counsel to then House Aviation Subcommittee Chairman John L. Mica (R-FL.) and served on Capitol Hill for nearly 10 years. A new Senior Vice President of Global Government Affairs will be hired. In addition, the organization plans to add other top-line lobbyists to the government affairs function. Tom Hendricks is promoted to Senior Vice president of Safety, Security and Operations. Hendricks will take on responsibility for the technical and operational functions at ATA. He joined ATA in June as Vice President of Operations and Safety. Previously, he was Chief Pilot and then Director of Line Operations at Delta Air Lines. A retired Air Force Reserve colonel, Hendricks also served as a U.S. Navy officer. These appointments join recently announced Senior Vice President of Communications Jean Medina along with CFO Paul Archambeault and General Counsel David Berg, in comprising the leadership team reporting to Calio. As part of the reorganization, the ATA announced that Chief Operating Officer John Meenan and Chief of Staff Patty Higginbotham will be leaving the association. "Both John and Patty have made significant contributions to the ATA and the industry, and the board and I thank them for their service and their commitment to ATA," Calio said. With other changes, Tuesday's reorganization impacted approximately 10 percent of the association's staff. FMI: www.airlines.org Back to Top Legal Skills for Accident Investigators Course date: 14 Mar 2011 - 18 Mar 2011 Course overview The Cranfield Safety and Accident Investigation Centre is proud to offer a new course for transport accident investigators who may find themselves involved in the various legal processes including Coronial Inquiry, Public Inquiry, Fatal Accident Inquiry and both civil and criminal litigation. The course has been developed in close collaboration with qualified and experienced English lawyers, and the professional civil transport accident investigation community. The aim is to provide an understanding of the role and responsibilities of transport accident investigators with respect to National and International legislation, ICAO International Standards and recommended Practices and other relevant legal processes and how they can report their findings and present their evidence effectively including at legal inquiries. On successful completion of the module the student will be able to: * Describe the role of the accident investigator within the international and national legal frameworks and how they interact with Coronial, Fatal Accident Inquiry, the Public Inquiry and other relevant legal processes. * Define the role and responsibilities of the accident investigator as expert witness. * Prepare notes and accident reports which can be used appropriately by parallel investigation processes. * Develop the skills to present oral evidence in court effectively. * Develop the skills to respond effectively to cross-examination. Location: Cranfield University, Bedfordshire, UK Course fee: £1,450 Accommodation fee: £435 Course Directors: Professor Graham Braithwaite T: +44 1234 754252 E: g.r.braithwaite@cranfield.ac.uk Professor Dave King Former Chief Inspector, Air Accidents Investigation Branch E: d.king@cranfield.ac.uk Who should attend? Aircraft, rail and marine accident investigators working for government accident investigation agencies; military accident investigators; accident investigators working for operators, manufacturers, maintainers and regulators. Legal representatives and senior managers of operators, manufacturers, maintainers and regulators. Full course content can be found on our website: http://www.cranfield.ac.uk/soe/shortcourses/accident- investigation/page52032.html Further information: For more information on this course or booking details please contact: Academic Operations Unit T: + 44 (0) 1234 754192 E: shortcourse@cranfield.ac.uk Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC