Flight Safety Information May 21, 2012 - No. 101 In This Issue Man killed in Calif. military-style jet crash identified Jet makes emergency landing in NC after oil leak New Pilot Deviation Rules Surprise Pilots Remains identified of all 45 people killed in crash of Russian jetliner in Indonesia Pilot arrested at Buffalo airport with loaded gun in bag Helicopter rotor cracks spark inspection PRISM CERTIFICATION CONSULTANTS GULF FLIGHT SAFETY COMMITTEE AGM - DUBAI 6 JUNE 2012-05-21 FAA to reopen fatigue rules for cargo pilots FAA eases rule on distance between Airbus A380, trailing planes Pentagon restricts F-22 flights, safety a concern Back to Top Man killed in Calif. military-style jet crash identified CAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) - Officials have identified the pilot of a military-contracted jet who was killed Friday when his aircraft crashed into a Southern California farm field as he completed a training exercise. Thomas Bennett, 57, died on impact when the privately owned Hawker Hunter jet trainer went down near Naval Base Ventura County, according to Craig Stevens, a senior deputy Ventura County medical examiner. The jet came down at a near-90 degree angle and Bennett was partly ejected from the wreckage, Stevens said Sunday. Federal investigators were trying to determine what caused the aircraft to crash about two miles from the Navy installation's runway. The Camarillo resident was a former Navy pilot who retired as the captain of an aircraft carrier after a 28-year military career, his son Ryan Bennett told the Ventura County Star . Ryan Bennet said his father held a private pilot's license and once owned his own plane. "He loved flying," said Ryan Bennett, 28, of Chicago. "He absolutely loved everything about it." Investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board spent the weekend documenting the debris scattered across an area about the size of a football field. Terry Williams, a spokesman for the NTSB, told the newspaper it could take nine months to a year to determine the cause of the crash. The military-style aircraft, contracted to play the enemy in training exercises, took off from the base with another jet trainer and went down as it was returning. The farm field where the plane crashed is between Point Mugu State Park, Camarillo Airport, and the Naval base, some 50 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. There were no injuries on the ground and there was no fire. The British-built, single-seat Hawker Hunter was owned by Airborne Tactical Advantage Co. of Newport News, Va., known as ATAC. It provides aerial training to the military, including the Navy's elite Fighter Weapons School. The Naval base uses ATAC planes and pilots to provide adversarial support for its fleet of ships out of San Diego, base spokesman Vance Vasquez said. On March 6, one of the company's Israeli-built F-21 Kfir jets crashed into a building at Naval Air Station Fallon, Nev., killing the pilot. ATAC said at the time that although the investigation was continuing, there was no question that erratic and severe weather that had not been forecast contributed to the accident. Friday's crash occurred on the anniversary of the crash of a commercial aerial refueling tanker during takeoff from the Ventura base's air station at Point Mugu. All three crewmembers escaped on May 18, 2011, before fire destroyed the Boeing 707 registered to Omega Air Inc. of San Antonio, Texas. Back to Top Jet makes emergency landing in NC after oil leak Leaking oil forced an American Airlines passenger plane to make an emergency landing at Raleigh-Durham International Airport. Airport officials said the pilot noticed the leak shortly after taking off from Raleigh for Chicago around 8:15 a.m. Sunday. The first attempt at an emergency landing was scrapped, but the pilot brought the plane down safely as emergency crews stood by on the second attempt. Authorities say none of the 138 passengers on the MD-83 jet were injured. American Airlines was bringing in another plane to take the passengers to Chicago. http://articles.boston.com/ Back to Top New Pilot Deviation Rules Surprise Pilots Email this article |Print this article The Airline Pilots Association is advising members (PDF) to voluntarily report to the FAA Aviation Safety Action Program even the most minor deviation from ATC instructions, regardless of their origin (ie equipment failure or even weather deviations) or risk being written up for a pilot deviation (PD). Although airline pilots are more likely to run afoul of a new FAA internal reporting policy for deviations, it applies to all aircraft under active control and the consequences can include FAA enforcement and a note on a pilot's permanent record. While the intent of the policy shift appears to be to encourage pilots to self report deviations (doing so triggers enforcement "incentives" that reduce the consequences) ALPA says pilots who have been assured by controllers that the transgression is a minor one not worthy of FAA attention have found out later that they've been written up. In one case, according to ALPA, a Delta crew departing Atlanta on autopilot went off track briefly when the autopilot disconnected. They flew manually to the correct track and were assured by the controller that it was "no problem." Under the new rules, however, that controller was required to report the incident and it was forwarded to a "quality assurance 'clearing house'" which ultimately decided if an enforceable pilot deviation occurred. In that spirit, ALPA has essentially invited its pilots to flood the system with reports. "Any safety-related event, any slight deviation from clearance, even if not noted by ATC, should be documented via ASAP," ALPA advised its members. "Again, if in doubt, file. If you have doubt, and that doubt is somehow dispelled later, file anyway! Do not let assurances from ATC convince you that an ASAP report is somehow unnecessary." It's recommending that all members of the cockpit crew file the reports and that they also consider filing one to the NASA Aerospace Safety Advisory Program (also acronymed ASAP) whose mandate is to collect air safety data rather than mitigate enforcement action. http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/Pilot_Deviation_Rules_Surprise_Pilots_206720- 1.html Back to Top Remains identified of all 45 people killed in crash of Russian jetliner in Indonesia JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - Forensic experts say they have identified the remains of all 45 people on board the Russian plane that slammed into a jungle-clad cliff atop an Indonesian volcano. It's not clear what caused the Sukhoi Superjet 100 to crash during a May 9 demonstration flight for potential buyers. Authorities are still analyzing the cockpit voice recorder found at the bottom of a steep ravine. But they have given up hope of recovering the flight data recorder, which keeps track of all instructions sent to electronic systems on the aircraft. Col. Anton Castilani, a forensic expert with the police, said Monday all victims have been identified. They include 35 Indonesians, eight Russians, one Frenchman and an American. The remains will be handed over to relatives or country representatives. Back to Top Pilot arrested at Buffalo airport with loaded gun in bag BUFFALO (AP) - An airline pilot is accused of trying to board a flight at Buffalo for New York City with a loaded revolver in his bag, and authorities believe he'd been flying with it for two days. Sponsored LinksThe U.S. Attorney's Office charged 52-year-old Brett Dieter of Barbersville, Va., with possessing a concealed firearm. A screener spotted the .357 Magnum before Dieter boarded Friday at Buffalo Niagara International Airport. Dieter was to pilot a Piedmont Airlines flight to LaGuardia International Airport. Investigators believe Dieter had been flying with the gun since Wednesday, when he flew from Charlottesville, Va., to New York City without having his bag X-rayed. He'd made seven flights since. Dieter appeared without a lawyer in court. He's due back May 23. He couldn't be reached by phone Friday. A Transportation Security Administration spokeswoman said pilots cannot carry weapons on board aircraft unless they are members of a federal Flight Deck Officer Program. She said Dieter is not a member of the program, and TSA is investigating what routes he took to board planes he previously piloted. She said that in many airports, pilots can reach the aircraft through "access points" other than checkpoints. US Airways spokesman William McGlashen said he didn't know how long Dieter had been with Piedmont, a subsidiary of US Airways. He said an internal investigation was underway. Back to Top Helicopter rotor cracks spark inspection The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is requiring inspections of Eurocopter's EC135 model after cracks were found in its rotors, the company says. 'Initial investigations have confirmed that EC135 flights remain safe,' a Eurocopter spokesman said on Monday, adding that the company was in the process of identifying what was causing the cracks. EASA issued the directive on May 17, the newspaper Financial Times Deutschland reported. Eurocopter, a division of European aerospace giant EADS, is the world's biggest civil helicopter producer and the EC135 one of its most popular models, with more than 1000 sold to about 270 clients. EASA has called for operators of the EC135, a twin-engine helicopter widely used by police and ambulance services, to visually inspect rotors before each flight and replace the main rotor hub if cracks are detected. The military version, the EC635, should be subjected to the same tests. Another EADS subsidiary, civil aircraft manufacturer Airbus, is expected to pay some 260 million euros ($A339 million) to repair minuscule cracks found in some of its A380 superjumbo aeroplanes. http://www.skynews.com.au/world/article.aspx?id=752614&vId= Back to Top Back to Top GULF FLIGHT SAFETY COMMITTEE AGM - DUBAI 6 JUNE 2012-05-21 The Gulf Flight Safety Committee, the regional aviation safety forum for the Gulf, will hold its annual general meeting at the Emirates Training Centre in Dubai from 0830 to 1630 on 6 June 2012. In addition to the annual appointment of the executive committee and other GFSC business, there will be the usual mix of incident reviews and industry debate, followed by some informative safety presentations. All existing members are urged to attend and take part in shaping the next steps for the GFSC, and others with an interest in regional safety matters and perhaps thinking of joining are welcome to attend on this occasion. Further information is available on the website www.gfsc.aero and queries should be directed to chair@gfsc.aero or to the current chairman Jo Gillespie jgillespie@gatesaviation.com . Back to Top FAA to reopen fatigue rules for cargo pilots By JOAN LOWY WASHINGTON (AP) - The Federal Aviation Administration will revisit a decision to exempt cargo airlines from new rules to prevent pilot fatigue, saying it made "errors" in cost calculations used to justify the exemption. In a motion filed late Thursday, Justice Department attorneys representing the agency asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to put a pilots' union lawsuit on hold so that the exemption for cargo airlines could be re-examined. The FAA issued an overhaul of airline pilot-scheduling rules in December, but the new rules applied only to passenger airlines. FAA officials said at the time that imposing new rules on cargo airlines would have been too costly to the industry -- $214 million over a decade. The Independent Pilots Association, the UPS pilots' union, sued, saying it could find no justification for the cost estimate that was the basis for granting the exemption. In its motion, the department said, "These errors are of sufficient amount that the FAA believes that it is prudent to review the portion of its cost-benefit analysis related to all- cargo operations and allow interested parties an opportunity to comment on that analysis." FAA will issue a new evaluation of the costs "as expeditiously as possible" that "will fully disclose the extent and nature of the errors" in its initial cost-benefit analysis, the motion said. It's likely the new cost estimate will actually be greater, not less, than $214 million because some costs were left out of the original estimate, an FAA official told The Associated Press. The official, who wasn't authorized to comment publicly, spoke on condition of anonymity. A statement released Friday by the agency said the errors were inadvertent, and an outside group will be asked to review the cargo analysis before it is reissued for public comment. Lee Collins, a lobbyist for the Coalition for Airline Pilot Associations, a trade association that represents the UPS union, said in an interview that the association asked the FAA and the White House Office of Management and Budget for the data and methodology for the cost estimate but has been unable to obtain the information. The union requested the same information in its lawsuit. "A flawed cost-benefit formula, issued at the last minute, without opportunity for public comment and examination, was at the core of our legal objections to the FAA's exclusion of cargo pilots from new science-based pilot rest rules," William Trent, an attorney for the union, said in a statement. The trade association has also appealed to Rep. Chip Cravaak, R-Minn., a former cargo pilot, for help getting the information, Collins said. Cravaak has introduced a bill to extend the fatigue rule protections to cargo pilots. Cargo airlines, including United Parcel Service, had lobbied strongly for different rules from passenger airlines. The new scheduling rules, which go into effect in 2014, reduce the number of hours pilots can fly overnight. That would have had a greater impact on cargo airlines, which do much of their flying overnight. Stephen Alterman, president of the Cargo Airline Association, said he was "dumbfounded" by the Justice Department's request. "I have no clue what those errors are or what they are really up to," Alterman said. He said the cost estimate did not come from the cargo industry. ------ Follow Joan Lowy at http://www.twitter.com/AP--Joan--Lowy Back to Top FAA eases rule on distance between Airbus A380, trailing planes The FAA has relaxed the required separation distances for airplanes flying behind the Airbus A380 superjumbo. However, the giant airplane still requires greater minimum separations than Boeing's largest jet. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) this week relaxed its rule on the required separation distances for aircraft flying behind the massive Airbus A380. However, the giant double-decker jet still requires greater distances than Boeing's largest airplane, the new 747-8 jumbo. Planes must keep a certain distance behind other jets to avoid turbulent air from the wake of the airplane ahead. The bigger the airplane. the greater the potential turbulence. And the impact of turbulence on smaller airplanes will be greater than on larger planes. The FAA classifies the A380, which has a maximum takeoff weight of 600 tons, as "super heavy." The Boeing 747-8, at 493 tons, is classified as "heavy." On Monday, the FAA ruled that airplanes must fly at least 5 miles behind the A380 while cruising. On approach to an airport, the required separation distances behind the A380 are 8, 7 and 6 miles, respectively, for "small" airplanes (such as business jets); "large" planes (such as a 737); and for "heavy" planes (such as the 767 or 747). Previously, the required separation for small, large and heavy aircraft behind an A380 were 10, 8 and 6 miles. Airbus spokeswoman Mary Anne Greczyn said the FAA's relaxation of the rule "finally brings the separation distances for the A380 in the U.S. in line with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) recommended guidelines that have been in effect for several years." The FAA has set the separation distances for small, large and heavy aircraft f behind a 747-8 at 6, 4 and 4 miles. Shorter separations speed up aircraft traffic flow at airports by allowing landings to be closer together. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/ Back to Top Pentagon restricts F-22 flights, safety a concern WASHINGTON - Facing a mysterious safety problem with the Air Force's most-prized stealth fighter, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta on Tuesday ordered new flight restrictions on the F-22 and summoned help from Navy and NASA experts. Panetta endorsed Air Force efforts to figure out why some F-22 pilots have experienced dizziness and other symptoms of an oxygen shortage while flying, but his personal intervention signaled a new urgency. A secretary of defense does not normally get involved in a service-specific safety issue unless it is of great concern. The Air Force grounded its F-22s for four months last year because of the oxygen-deficit problem, and now some pilots are refusing to fly them. An Air Force advisory panel headed by a retired Air Force general studied the problem for seven months and reported in March that it could not pinpoint the root cause. It endorsed a plan keeping the aircraft flying, however, with pilots using special sensors, filters and other safety precautions. Panetta was briefed on the problem last Friday, just days after a CBS "60 Minutes" report featured two F-22 pilots who said that during some flights they and other pilots have experienced oxygen deprivation, disorientation and other problems. They cited safety concerns as well as the potential for long-term personal health issues. Asked why Panetta was acting now, Navy Capt. John Kirby, a Pentagon spokesman, said the defense chief has been aware of the F-22 problem "for quite some time." In light of the recent deployment of several F-22s to the Persian Gulf and because of pilots' expressions of alarm, Panetta chose to "dive a little more deeply into the issue." In a letter to Air Force Secretary Michael Donley, Panetta ordered that F-22 flights remain "within proximity of potential landing locations" so that pilots can land quickly in the event they experience an oxygen-deficit problem. Kirby said the specifics of those flight restrictions are to be set by individual F-22 pilots and commanders. Panetta also told Donley to accelerate the installation of an automatic backup oxygen system in each F-22. The first of those is to be ready for use by December, Kirby said. And the Pentagon chief ordered the Air Force to call on the expertise of the Navy and NASA in pursuit of a solution. Panetta's actions have no immediate effect on U.S. combat operations, since the F-22 is not in Afghanistan. But Panetta said the plane would give up long-distance air patrol missions in Alaska until the planes have an automatic backup oxygen system installed or until Panetta agrees the F-22 can resume those flights. Other aircraft will perform those missions in the meantime. Panetta's chief spokesman, George Little, told reporters that Panetta supports the Air Force's efforts to get to the bottom of the problem. "However, the safety of our pilots remains his first and foremost concern," Little said. Little did not rule out Panetta taking additional measures. Asked whether Panetta considered grounding the fleet again, Little said Tuesday's less drastic moves are "the prudent course of action at this time," adding that Panetta will keep a close eye on the situation, "and all options remain on the table going forward." In a conference call with reporters, Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., and Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., said they were briefed by the Air Force and told that the number of pilots who came forward with complaints has risen from two to nine. Warner called Panetta's action a "step in the right direction" but said questions still remain. "This is a confidence issue that has to be addressed fully and transparently by the Air Force," Warner said. The F-22 Raptor, which has never flown in combat, recently deployed to the United Arab Emirates for what the Pentagon called routine partnering with a Middle East ally. Little, the spokesman, told reporters that Panetta's order to impose new flight restrictions would not affect flight operations during the UAE deployment. The plane, conceived during the Cold War as a leap-ahead technology that could penetrate the most advanced air defenses, is seen by some as an overly expensive luxury not critical to fighting current conflicts. The fleet of 187 F-22s - the last of which was fielded just two weeks ago - cost an average of $190 million each. Panetta's predecessor as Pentagon chief, Robert Gates, persuaded Congress to cap production of the F-22 earlier than originally planned. He saw it as primarily of use against a "near-peer" military competitor like China, noting that the plane did not fly a single combat mission during a decade of war in Iraq and Afghanistan. With its stealth design, the F-22 is built to evade radar and has advanced engines that allow it to fly at faster-than-sound speeds without using afterburners. Its manufacturer, Lockheed Martin Corp., describes the plane as "the only fighter capable of simultaneously conducting air-to-air and air-to-ground combat missions with near impunity." The fleet of 170 F-22s is stationed at six U.S. bases: Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska: Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii; Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va.; Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.; Holloman Air Force Base, N.M.; and Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. F-22 pilots are trained at Tyndall. Flight testing is at Edwards Air force Base, Calif., and operational testing and tactics development is performed at Nellis. http://www.cbsnews.com/ Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP, FRAeS, FISASI CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC