Flight Safety Information September 24, 2012 - No. 193 In This Issue Shuttle Endeavour Hoisted Off Jumbo Jet for Road Trip to L.A. Museum New System Targets Runway Overruns Flight Attendant Tries to Bring Loaded Gun Through Airport Security FAA Seeks Enhanced Inspections to Detect Boeing 737 Cracks FAA Proposes $400,000 Civil Penalty Against Atlantic Southeast ICAO audit: slight improvement in Hungary's safety level PRISM Certification Support Boeing Response to Newsletter item regarding Boeing 787 training Makeover of 777 Agitates Boeing Accident Investigation for Aviation Management - Cranfield Course 'Fake pilot who joined cabin crew in cockpit' is arrested Flight Attendant Tracked Down And Arrested For iPad Theft By App Boeing 747-8, 777 to join 787 in support for in-flight cellphone use and WiFi Shuttle Endeavour Hoisted Off Jumbo Jet for Road Trip to L.A. Museum http://www.space.com/17725-shuttle-endeavour-hoisted-off-carrier-plane.html Back to Top New System Targets Runway Overruns Now being tested by four carriers, the technology gives pilots objective, current data on conditions. By ANDY PASZTOR (WSJ) Mike Dahl has spent the past five years looking for a way to keep airliners from rolling off slippery runways. Now, U.S. carriers and regulators increasingly see his idea as a potential safety breakthrough. Mr. Dahl's closely held company has developed a system to provide pilots with more accurate information about conditions on the tarmac, particularly for landings in bad weather. By automatically retrieving and analyzing data already collected by aircraft sensors and onboard flight-control computers, Aviation Safety Technologies LLC seeks to give pilots what they sorely lack: standardized, real-time measurements of local braking conditions right before touchdown. Four U.S. carriers are testing the concept. "It's a wonderful technology, and we are pushing this very hard," Patrick Doyle, the Federal Aviation Administration's top runway-safety official told an industry conference in August. He called it superior to current methods, which can cause delays when specially equipped vehicles are sent to determine surface conditions. "You're taking that runway out of service for a period of time," Mr. Doyle says, maybe for as long as 20 minutes. Injuries and Damage Each year on average, more than 30 commercial flights trundle off snowy or wet runways world-wide, resulting in scores of injuries and aircraft damage amounting to tens of millions of dollars. Between 1995 and 2010, while the U.S. and many other countries saw significant declines in overall fatal-accident rates, so-called runway overruns claimed the lives of some 1,100 passengers and crew members around the globe. Mr. Dahl's system, dubbed SafeLand, seeks to reduce that toll. With cooperation from AMR Corp.'s American Airlines, Delta Air Lines Inc. DAL -0.93%and two smaller carriers, Mr. Dahl's team is testing the technology and software, which sifts through various streams of information measuring aircraft weight; friction between tires and the strip; brake pressure; wind direction and speed; and other factors. This data, downloaded from the computers of planes that recently landed, is collected in a central repository, then melded and manipulated with the goal of giving digital updates on runway conditions in less than a minute. "It's vastly improved intelligence about what's really happening on the ground," Mr. Dahl says. Early testing highlighted promising safety benefits, and the FAA is now planning a broader study to assess whether SafeLand could improve airlines' on-time performance at busy airports. Mr. Dahl is confident it can. "For a relatively small investment, the system can provide hundreds of millions of dollars of efficiencies in schedule reliability," he says. Subjective Reports Despite advances in air travel over the decades, aviators, air-traffic controllers and airport operators have continued to rely heavily on radio transmissions from individual pilots describing the impact of slush or water on runways. But such reports are subjective, and conditions can change rapidly. Also, one pilot's report of "good" or "fair" braking traction for a compact business jet may not be helpful to the crew of a much larger and heavier jumbo jet miles behind. "An 18-wheel truck stops differently than a Volkswagen Beetle; it's the same way with airplanes," says Christopher Oswald, a top safety official for a trade association representing North American airports. If SafeLand works as advertised, personal descriptions of runway conditions will be replaced by numerical scores. "It's intriguing to take all that subjectivity out of the [safety] equation," says Mark Maestas, an American Airlines manager. Managers at JetBlue Airways Corp., JBLU -0.60%one of the carriers testing the system, have been "very encouraged by the initial results," especially "the consistency and reliability of the measurements," according to Steve Predmore, who recently stepped down as the carrier's chief safety official. Before the service can gain widespread acceptance, proponents must answer questions about who would be liable for faulty readings and whether airlines or airports would end up paying for the data. More testing also is needed, says Mr. Predmore, adding that "we're a long way from this being useful" for the average pilot. Mr. Pasztor is a senior special writer for The Wall Street Journal in Los Angeles. Email him at andy.pasztor@wsj.com. Back to Top Flight Attendant Tries to Bring Loaded Gun Through Airport Security . A Republic Airlines flight attendant was detained and then charged with disorderly conduct after she attempted to pass through security at the Philadelphia International Airport with a loaded .38 revolver in her purse, triggering an incident in which police accidentally discharged the weapon while securing it, authorities said. . According to officials, at 6:33 a.m. today, the flight attendant entered a Terminal C security checkpoint lane with a loaded .38 caliber Smith and Wesson Airweight revolver in her purse. A Transportation Security Administration employee discovered the gun on the x-ray machine and notified police. The flight attendant was taken to secondary screening room, where an airport police officer attempted to unload the gun, and it discharged into a wall. There were no injuries to passengers, employees or police, officials said. The flight attendant, identified by ABC station WPVI-TV in Philadelphia as Jaclyn Luby, of West Chester, Pa., had a valid Chester County permit to carry a concealed weapon, police said. The permit was confiscated and forwarded to the Chester County Sheriff, and the weapon - an Airweight revolver - was confiscated by the crime scene unit and transported to for testing. She was charged with disorderly conduct, as per Airport Unit policy. The officer who accidentally discharged the flight attendant's gun is on desk duty pending completion of an internal investigation, police said The Airweight is a small frame, aluminum alloy, short barrel personal defense revolver and is among the most popular of these. http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/09/flight-attendant-tries-to-bring-loaded- gun-through-airport-security/ Back to Top FAA Seeks Enhanced Inspections to Detect Boeing 737 Cracks By ANDY PASZTOR (WSJ) Federal aviation regulators, worried about potentially dangerous cracks on Boeing Co. BA +0.17%737 jets, took action on Tuesday aimed at ratcheting up airline inspections of more than 1,600 of the widely used planes. The Federal Aviation Administration indicated the moves were prompted by concerns that undetected fuselage or bulkhead cracks-potentially affecting all 737 versions-could result in hazardous rapid decompressions. The FAA's call for extra fuselage checks was prompted partly by a high-profile July 2009 incident, when an aging Southwest Airlines Co. LUV -1.12%Boeing 737 carrying 126 passengers developed a one-foot-wide hole in its aluminum skin while flying to Baltimore from Nashville. The opening at the top of the fuselage caused the cabin to suddenly lose air pressure at around 30,000 feet, oxygen masks deployed and the pilots made an emergency landing in Charleston, W. Va., without any injuries Within months, the FAA ordered enhanced structural inspections of more than 130 similar older Boeing 737s. On Tuesday, the FAA extended those checks to many more and younger planes. Four separate proposed inspection mandates, covering the same fuselage inspections but applying to four later Boeing 737 versions, were published in the Federal Register. An FAA spokeswoman declined to comment. A Boeing spokesman said the company voluntarily made design changes to certain upper fuselage sections in 2011. The company also said stepped-up efforts to look for potential cracks in those areas won't kick in for about two years, based on the FAA's proposal and the average age of the current 737 fleet. The agency wants U.S. carriers to enhance initial and repetitive inspections, including the use of ultrasound and other electronic techniques, with some of the rechecks slated for relatively short intervals of every 1,200 flights. The FAA issued only preliminary rules covering detection of fuselage checks, so mandates for those aircraft won't become final for months until public comments are received and evaluated. A fifth and final rule, slated to be published Wednesday, requires enhanced inspections for cracks and other possible defects affecting bulkheads on more than 560 older 737 models. None of the enhanced inspection procedures was sparked by a crash. In many cases, the procedures are partly extensions or more-stringent revisions of earlier limited FAA safety mandates. Still, the latest steps highlight the agency's heightened concerns about the structural integrity of many Boeing 737s as they age and the importance of establishing strict inspection programs to detect possible problems on older parts of the world-wide 737 fleet. Foreign regulators typically piggyback on FAA safety mandates, requiring their airlines to follow the U.S. lead. Some of the more-aggressive inspection standards were prompted by various fatigue cracks found during routine inspections of aging planes already in service. Other cracks surprised safety experts, when they were detected during Boeing's extended structural testing of some newer 737 models. In proposing enhanced fuselage checks, the FAA said some of the cracks Boeing uncovered "occurred late in the testing program." Left uncorrected, such cracks "could result in rapid decompression of the airplane," according to the FAA. For some carriers, the FAA's moves are likely to mean extra inspections of certain areas of many 737s every few months. Back to Top FAA Proposes $400,000 Civil Penalty Against Atlantic Southeast The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is proposing a civil penalty of $400,000 against Atlantic Southeast Airlines (ASA), of Atlanta, for allegedly operating a Bombardier regional jet when it was not in compliance with Federal Aviation Regulations. The FAA alleges that ASA maintenance returned the aircraft to service after routine work, but without an authorized signature on the airworthiness release and without an appropriate entry in the aircraft's flight discrepancy log. The FAA alleges the aircraft made 49 revenue passenger flights between July 7 and July 15, 2010, when it had not been properly released for service. In 2010 Atlantic Southeast acquired ExpressJet Holdings, parent company of ExpressJet Airlines. The two airlines merged in 2011 and now operate as ExpressJet. Atlantic Southeast has 30 days from receipt of the FAA's civil penalty letter to respond to the agency. www.aviation-safety.net Back to Top ICAO audit: slight improvement in Hungary's safety level The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) published the findings of a March 2012 audit of Hungary's safety oversight system. Slight improvements were noted in comparison with a previous audit. ICAO carried out an initial safety oversight audit of Hungary in June 2008 under the so called ICAO Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP). An audit team compared amongst others the aviation legislation and the organisation of the aviation authorities to the international Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) as published by ICAO. The level of implementation of eight critical elements, on a scale of 1-10 scored an average of 6.5 following the first audit. From 26-30 March 2012 an audit team revisited Hungary to establish the level of progress made in implementing the corrective actions recommended in 2008. The new average score is 6.9, compared to a global average of 5.9. The following critical elements were audited (score 2008 / 2012): *Primary Aviation Legislation (9 / 8) *Specific Operating Regulations (6 / 6) *State Civil Aviation System and Safety Oversight Function (7 / 7) *Technical Personnel Qualification and Training (3 / 4) *Technical Guidance, Tools and the Provision of Safety-Critical Information (7 / 8) *Licensing, Certification, Authorization and Approval Obligations (7 / 8) *Surveillance Obligations (6 / 6) *Resolution of Safety Concerns (7 / 8) www.aviation-safety.com Back to Top Back to Top Boeing Response to Newsletter item regarding Boeing 787 training On September 13, 2012; FSI - No. 186 published an article entitled "Boeing Pilots Protest Use of Contractors to Train 787 Crews". The source being: http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/2012-09-12/boeing-pilots-protest-use- contractors-train-787-crews Boeing Commercial Airplanes has responded to the article with the following points: *There have been zero complaints from 787 customers about training. *Boeing purchases instructor pilot services through a third party vendor. One group of instructor pilots trains customers using simulators and other training devices at Boeing Flight Services locations or a customer's location. Another group of instructor pilots trains customers in their airplanes. *All Boeing flight instructors receive the same training and ongoing refresher courses, whether they are Boeing employees or purchased service instructor pilots. Purchased service instructor pilots are required to have the same qualifications as Boeing pilots. *There is no difference in qualification and training - all wear the Boeing uniform. *The practice of engaging purchased service instructor pilots makes good business sense. Boeing saves cost and decreases the number of layoffs during a downturn or during fluctuations in demand for training services. Source: JIM CONDELLES Communications Manager Flight Service Commercial Aviation Services Boeing Commercial Airplanes Back to Top Makeover of 777 Agitates Boeing (WSJ) Boeing Co. is wrestling with one of the thorniest problems in business: How and when do you replace a successful product? The aircraft giant's big 777 twin jet needs a makeover, according to the airlines and lessors who have made the plane a mainstay on long-haul routes since its introduction in 1995. The 777 pays Boeing's bills, delivering as much as $1.2 billion in revenue each month, based on its average sale price for the largest and most popular model, according to aviation consulting firm Avitas. That's a lot of money to put at risk on a new design, but orders for the 777, which currently has no rival, are slowing as airlines anticipate the next generation of the jetliner and a competing model on the horizon from European plane maker Airbus. Infighting erupted this summer at Boeing over how to keep the cost of the new jet under control, company insiders and airline executives say. Important customers also are at odds over the aircraft's final design. The internal debate has been amplified by Boeing's missteps updating its single-aisle 737 and the years of delay and billions of dollars in cost overruns on its last big development project, the 787 Dreamliner. But much of the wrangling over how to build a new 777 with a realistic price tag is central to the complex process of designing a jetliner. "It is a thorough process, with ongoing robust discussions, to ensure we come to market with the right airplane, at the right time, leveraging the right technology and delivering the right economics," Boeing said in a statement. Early this year, Boeing appeared to have a clear road map. Dubbed the 777X, the proposed revamped jet included a new wing, upgraded engines and other improvements to boost performance. But its plans aren't as clear today, customers say. Boeing is moving aggressively to cut the cost of its ambitious new design, even though it is favored by Dubai-based Emirates Airline, the 777's largest customer. "I've stressed to [Boeing Chief Executive] Jim McNerney that this was a product they should be seriously looking at. They were enthusiastic, and then it all seemed to go wrong," said Tim Clark, Emirates' CEO. Mr. Clark is expected to air his views again Thursday in a speech to the British American Business Council in Seattle, close to where Boeing makes the 777. Boeing landed more than 200 orders for 777s last year, including 50 more from Emirates, and plans to deliver roughly 100 of the planes next year. But Emirates' latest order was "partly contingent" on converting some of those planes to the new 777X, says Mr. Clark. In August, Ray Conner, the new CEO of Boeing's commercial unit, sought to dispel a report in the Seattle Times that work on the 777X program was slowing with a note to employees: "When we are satisfied with the risks, costs and schedule, as well as many other important factors, we intend to present a plan" to customers and the board of directors late in 2012 or early 2013. Boeing has had to make tough calls before. The company was forced to hastily revamp, rather than replace, its bestselling 737 single-aisle jet last year, after AMR Corp., AAMRQ +16.76%the parent of American Airlines, which previously maintained an all-Boeing fleet, split an order between Boeing and Airbus, a unit of European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co., EAD.FR -0.91%ordering hundreds of upgraded Airbus jets. Last year, distracted with getting its 787 Dreamliner and 747-8 jumbo jet into service and wrestling with the 737, Boeing's 777X development program continued, but with less urgency, far from the spotlight of senior management. Lars Andersen, a former 777 program manager who had helped design the original plane in the 1990s, was called out of retirement to start on the 777X in 2010. He and his small team came up with what would be the most efficient commercial airplane ever sold, according to conversations with customers and documents obtained by The Wall Street Journal, eclipsing even the Dreamliner's performance. The plans shown to airlines were for a plane 21% more fuel-efficient than the latest model of the jet, the 777-300ER, costing 16% less to operate. The updated 777, with Dreamliner-inspired carbon-fiber composite wings, would be even larger than the company's double-deck 747 jumbo jet. Boeing would stretch the body on two models and install new engines. After the cost overruns on the Dreamliner, Boeing, which was also spending money to update its 737 and to develop a new tanker for the U.S. Air Force, was looking to conserve resources. Mr. Andersen's team delivered what the airlines wanted, but the huge development costs of the new high-performance jet would have meant a correspondingly high price tag for airlines. After troubles with outsourced parts of the Dreamliner, Boeing wanted to keep much of the 777X under its own roof. To build the jet's composite wings in-house at a rate of 100 a year would require a major investment in equipment and infrastructure. By mid-2012, Mr. McNerney and Jim Albaugh, Mr. Conner's predecessor as head of Boeing's commercial jet unit, were uncomfortable with how the scope and cost of the program had grown, said a Boeing executive with knowledge of the matter. Emirates' Mr. Clark says the 777X would have carried a sale price 10% to 15% higher than today's 777, a figure deep-pocketed and fast-growing Emirates was ready to pay. But other customers were split on whether the improvements were worth it. Steven Udvar-Házy, CEO of Air Lease Corp., AL +1.53%an important customer, wanted a more-affordable solution that included a wing made from traditional aluminum. During a series of Saturday meetings to discuss cost-cutting plans, Mr. Andersen grew frustrated with the direction and pace of the 777X work, say people familiar with the meetings. In late June, just as Mr. Conner took over Boeing's commercial airplane division, Mr. Andersen cleaned out his office. Mr. Conner, also a former 777 program chief, urged Mr. Andersen to return to Boeing in early August as an "advocate for customers" on the project, according to an internal memo obtained by the Journal. Now, after 18 months of studies, Boeing, as part of its cost-cutting moves, is re- examining the idea of a less-expensive metal-winged 777X that would retain two-thirds of the current wing. But Boeing's less-ambitious design would be 3% to 4% less efficient than its larger carbon-fiber counterpart, according to one potential customer. "Just like all other airplane development efforts, it's an iterative process. We let the data from our studies and the input from our customers drive the best airplane design," Boeing said. With the Dreamliner's slowed delivery and the Airbus 350 stalled, airlines have turned to the older 777 and twin-aisle A330 as demand for air travel continues to expand. Adam Pilarski of Avitas says time is on Boeing's side, because the Airbus A350 that aims to make the 777-300ER obsolete, faces its own delays. It is now set to enter service in 2017, rather than in 2015, as previously planned. Back to Top Accident Investigation for Aviation Management Cranfield University, UK 29 October - 9 November 2012 The Cranfield Safety and Accident Investigation Centre is proud to offer its world renowned two-week investigation course for aviation managers. The course brings together the considerable expertise of investigators, operators and researchers to deliver a learning experience that is tailored to those working at a management level. Cranfield University has run aircraft accident investigation courses each year since 1977 and was recognised earlier this year for its world-leading work in aviation safety through teaching and research in air accident investigation through a Queen's Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education - the highest honour that can be given to a UK academic institution. Course description The aim of the two-week course is to provide safety professionals and operational staff with the fundamentals behind both incident and accident investigation and the roles that will be played by operators, regulators, manufacturers, legal and government investigation agencies. Upon completion of the course, delegates will be able to conduct incident investigations within their organisation's safety management system and also co-operate with major accident investigations. Who should attend? The course is designed for professionally qualified flight crew, airline or military flight safety officers, managers, union representatives, regulatory authority or air traffic services management and others concerned with the operational aspects of flight safety. In particular, the course is aimed at those who may be required to carry out investigations into occurrences, or to act as advisors or technical representatives to official aircraft accident investigation teams. The course is primarily intended to provide an introduction to fundamental investigative techniques and procedures in accordance with international requirements. Those who are aiming to become full-time investigators may find that their needs are more comprehensively covered in our six-week Aircraft Accident Investigation Course. Course content * Notification and reporting of incidents and accidents * Investigation within the context of safety management systems * ICAO Annex 13 recommended practices * European regulation 2010/996 * Emergency response and crisis management * Health and safety on site * Sources and preservation of evidence * Interviewing techniques * Human factors * Passenger behaviour and cabin safety * Engineering investigations * Medical factors * Analytical techniques * Management of investigations * Relations with the government investigation agency, police, media and others * Developing and managing recommendations * Investigation report writing * Safety promotion * Accident prevention * Visit to the AAIB at Farnborough * Case studies - including the investigation process and outcomes * Practical investigation field exercise * Use of accident investigation laboratory. Further Details http://www.cranfield.ac.uk/soe/shortcourses/training/accident-investigation-aviation- management.html Back to Top 'Fake pilot who joined cabin crew in cockpit' is arrested in plot mirroring Spielberg's hit film Catch Me If You Can A man who posed as a pilot and joined cabin crew in a plane cockpit has been arrested, Italian police said today. The unemployed 32-year-old man, whose real identity was not released, created a fake profile for himself on Facebook and called himself Andrea Sirlo, even posting pictures of himself wearing a uniform and Aviator sunglasses. To complete the illusion he made up fake identity cards and even sent himself imaginary comments from dozens of fake cabin crew friends who expressed their 'delight' at being rostered with him on flights. The unemployed 32-year-old man posed as a pilot and joined cabin crew in a plane cockpit. He has been arrested by Italian police Police held the man in the bar at Turin's Caselle airport and revealed details of the elaborate scam at a press conference - as they compared it to the hit Leonardo Di Caprio film Catch Me If You Can in which he posed as a fake pilot and con man who flew more than one million miles around the world in the 1960s. Officers said they believed he had flown in the cockpit of at least one flight between Munich and Turin in October last year and a link on his Facebook page highlighted the trip on a low budget airline called Air Dolomiti but did not take command of the plane. They had been tipped off about him by an Italian Civil Aviation Authority who had become suspicious at how he could claim to be a captain when he appeared to be so young. After he was arrested he took police to the garage of his home in Turin where he showed them the fake uniforms including white shirts and gold epaulets plus bogus identity cards, two books on flight theory and a plane log book. Police compared the scam to the hit 2002 Leonardo Di Caprio film Catch Me If You Can in which he posed as a fake pilot and con man who flew round the world Other pictures on his Facebook page showed him posing on an airport tarmac with planes behind him and in another he was seen inside the cockpit of a plane although it was not clear when and where it had been taken. The site has now been closed by police but a person using the same identity and pictures also had a Twitter account in which he described himself as first officer for Lufthansa City Line. Police said they believed he had taken another flight in April of this year as well but added they were still investigating the background of the man who they said was known to them and had previous convictions for fraud. A spokesman for Turin police said: 'We are investigating several breaches of airport security and the man has been questioned about his motive but has not really provided a clear explanation of why he pretended to be a pilot.' Turin airport said they were also investigating the case but they had not issued any identities in the name of Andrea Sirlo - the surname is the name of an air corridor over Turin. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2207422/Italian-police-arrest-man-posed-pilot- joined-cabin-crew-budget-airline-cockpit.html Back to Top Flight Attendant Tracked Down And Arrested For iPad Theft By App A Nevada man who lost his iPad on an airplane used an app called 'Find My iPad' to locate it inside the home of a flight attendant in Oregon, according to police. Wendy Ronelle Dye, 43, a flight attendant for Horizon Air, was arrested in Oregon City on Friday evening. The iPad's owner said he had downloaded the anti-theft app only days before the September 11 flight to Los Angeles, and forgot about its installation until activating it on Wednesday. While being questioned by police, Dye initially denied having the iPad or knowing one was missing. The flight attendant then confessed that a passenger brought her the tablet, which cost around $500, saying it had been left on a seat. She said she never used the iPad and planned to turn it over to airline officials, but placed it in a personal bag and soon forgot about it. Police say they found some of her personal information on it, however, including a reminder for her husband's upcoming birthday. Arrangements are being made to return the tablet to its owner in Reno. http://www.ksee24.com/news/local/Flight-Attendant-Tracked-Down-And-Arrested-For- iPad-Theft-By-App---170890301.html Back to Top Boeing 747-8, 777 to join 787 in support for in-flight cellphone use and WiFi, like it or not The more cynical among us would argue that allowing cellphones in-flight is only a guarantee of an even more unpleasant trip, at least for anyone wanting a distraction- free cabin. There must still be a few optimists: Boeing is promising that future production runs of the 747-8 and 777 will have the necessary support for in-flight cellphone use, live TV and internet access that comes through either headrest screens or WiFi. Aircraft with the upgrade should roll off the production lines before the end of 2013, and they'll be following a slight change to the 787 later this year that makes the technology support a common option. Some of us may wind up reaching for the earplugs in countries where regulators approve in-air wireless, but there's definite upsides for all but the biggest curmudgeons -- Boeing's moves could lead to more ubiquitous in-flight WiFi next year, on top of ready-made wireless media streaming due in 2014. http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/22/boeing-747-8-777-to-join-787-in-support-for-in- flight-cellphones/ Curt Lewis