Flight Safety Information March 22, 2013 - No. 061 In This Issue Boeing Faulted by NTSB for Comments on 787 Battery Fix Berlin police helicopter collision caught on film Pilot Impersonator Arrested at Philly Int'l Airport: FBI Airplane makes emergency landing after smoke reported on board (Ottawa) Fuel tanker hits into Emirates aircraft at KK airport (Zambia) PROS IOSA Audit Experts Lion takes on AirAsia with record jet orders Jet jitters: Expected 777 upgrade raises question: Where will it be built? Chinese Automotive Giant Eyes GA Aircraft F-35B makes first vertical takeoff-landing at MCAS Boeing Faulted by NTSB for Comments on 787 Battery Fix A model of the newly redesigned battery for Boeing Co.'s 787 Dreamliner is displayed during a news conference in Tokyo on March 15, 2013. By Alan Levin U.S. officials rebuked Boeing Co. (BA) for comments its executives made at a media briefing on plans to get the grounded 787 Dreamliner flying again. The National Transportation Safety Board said Boeing didn't inform investigators about what it planned to say in the March 15 briefing in Tokyo, which is "inconsistent with our expectations" from a company involved in an accident probe, agency General Counsel David Tochen wrote in a letter yesterday. March 18 (Bloomberg) -- Howard Rubel, an analyst with Jefferies & Co., talks about the outlook for Boeing Co. and the company's 787 Dreamliner after the plane was grounded by overheating batteries. Rubel speaks with Tom Keene and Sheila Dharmarajan on Bloomberg Television's "Surveillance." (Source: Bloomberg) The letter signals tension in an investigation with high stakes for Boeing, which is trying to limit damage to the image of its high-efficiency plane once it's cleared to fly. "The NTSB's primary concern is that during their March 15 briefing in Tokyo on the modifications to the 787 battery system, Boeing representatives provided their own analysis and conclusions regarding an ongoing NTSB investigation," Kelly Nantel, an safety board spokeswoman, said in a statement. The agency stopped short of restricting Boeing's access to its investigation into a Jan. 7 fire in Boston involving the lithium-ion battery on a Japan Airlines Co. (9201) plane. A second incident on an All Nippon Airways Co. (9202) plane, in which a battery overheated and emitted fumes, prompted the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to ground the 787 on Jan. 16. "We have received the correspondence, and remain fully committed to support the NTSB and other regulatory authorities in their investigations into the cause of the 787 battery incidents, and also continue our around-the-clock efforts to return the 787 fleet to service," said Marc Birtel, a Boeing spokesman. Briefing Comments Boeing officials at the briefing in Tokyo said their proposed design changes to the Dreamliner's battery systems may allow commercial flights to restart within weeks, pending the FAA's approval. While the NTSB is investigating the incidents, it doesn't have authority over flights. Mike Sinnett, vice president and chief project engineer for the 787, said that the NTSB's preliminary findings on the Jan. 7 fire in Boston indicated there hadn't been flames within the battery case. "It was widely reported that there were flames, explosions and fires," Sinnett said. Referring to the agency's initial findings, he said: "In the factual report you can see that the only report of flame was two small three-inch flames on the front of the battery box on the connector. There were no flames inside the battery." When asked about the comments the next day, Peter Knudson, a safety board spokesman, said investigators hadn't ruled out fire within the battery case. Short Circuits U.S. investigators have found evidence of short circuits inside the Boston battery. They haven't found the reason for the shorts. The NTSB, which has limited staff, relies on the expertise of the companies and labor unions affected by its investigations. Those groups, called "parties" in the investigation, must agree to cooperate with the agency and to provide all information requested. In addition, these parties sign a legal form saying they "must refrain from providing opinions or analysis of the accident." In some previous cases, the NTSB has gone so far as to throw participants off an investigation for violating its rules. In December 2010, the safety board removed American Airlines Inc. from an investigation into a runway accident in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, two days earlier. American had taken one of the plane's two crash-proof recorders and downloaded its contents prior to turning the device over to the agency, according to a press release. In addition to working with the NTSB on the Boston case, Boeing is also a technical adviser to the U.S. agency in the Japan incident under a United Nations treaty governing international investigations. Back to Top Berlin police helicopter collision caught on film Berlin police helicopter collision caught on film Two helicopters operated by the German federal police collide in snowy conditions while conducting a training exercise close to Berlin's Olympic stadium, leaving at least one person dead. German authorities said two helicopters crashed near Berlin's Olympic Stadium during a federal police exercise on Thursday. One of the helicopter pilots died at the scene, fire service spokesman Stephan Fleischer said. Five people were injured, four of them seriously, he said. It wasn't immediately clear whether the injured people were in the helicopters, Mr Fleischer said. He didn't have details on how the accident happened. The two helicopters apparently clipped each other and crashed as they landed in a snowstorm near the Olympic Stadium. Eyewitness Johannes Malinowski said three helicopters were supposed to land during the exercise, but "three helicopters were supposed to land on the field during the exercise, two of them landed, there was a huge white cloud because that stirred the snow. Then you could hear an explosion. Someone screamed 'down', and wreckage flew everywhere. There was blood was on the ground" According to the local newspaper Der Tagesspiegel, the incident occurred around 10.30am local time. The police were conducting a training exercise on dealing with football violence. The Olympic Stadium is home to the Hertha Berlin soccer club. It also hosts the annual German Cup final and was the venue for the 2006 World Cup final. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/germany/9946035/Berlin-police- helicopter-collision-caught-on-film.html Back to Top Pilot Impersonator Arrested at Philly Int'l Airport: FBI A French man wearing what appeared to be an Air France shirt talked his way into the plane's cockpit A man was arrested Thursday for allegedly impersonating a pilot. Authorities say he got into the cockpit of a U.S. Airways plane moments before takeoff. Police say he had on an Air France uniform, had fake credentials, and was carrying phony flight plans. NBC10's Rosemary Connors reports from Philadelphia International Airport. A French man impersonating a pilot was arrested at Philadelphia International Airport on Wednesday night after boarding a US Airways flight scheduled to fly to West Palm Beach, Fla. Philippe Jernnard, 61, talked his way into a cockpit, saying he wanted to sit in one of its jump seats, according to the FBI. He told the captain and first officer that he was a pilot with Air France and knew how to fly 747, but they grew suspicious when he couldn't figure out how to open the jump seat. NBC10's Rosemary Connors talked with airport police Capt. Michael Murphy who says that Jernnard was wearing an Air France shirt, had an Air France bag and presented a ticket to the gate agent and walked onto the plane. The gate agent told authorities that Jernnard had asked if there was any room in first class and was told "no." According to the arrest report, Jernnard became irate after being told "no" and told her that he hated Americans and began to argue with her. When the gate agent finished boarding the flight and went to close the plane's doors for takeoff, the arrest report states that she saw Jernnard sitting in the jump seat behind the captain's seat and his carry-on bag was stowed in the cockpit. "She just assumes he takes his seat in coach and when she goes in to inform co-captain of the number of passengers on the flight that's when she kind of recognizes he's out of place," said Philadelphia Police Lt. John Walker. According to that arrest report, the agent told Jernnard that he couldn't sit there unless he filled out paperwork and the captain told him to return to his assigned seat. Police say Jernnard started arguing and that's when they notified authorities. After Jernnard was taken off the plane, police found an Air France ID card that had been changed to match his name. Jernnard was arrested and charged with criminal trespass, tampering with records, impersonating a person privately employed and presenting a false ID to law enforcement. He will be charged federally Friday morning. http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/national-international/NATL-COPY-Pilot- Impersonator-Arrested-at-Philly-Intl-Airport-FBI--199514131.html#ixzz2OGqD0MPr Back to Top Airplane makes emergency landing after smoke reported on board (Ottawa) An airplane with 179 passengers and 7 crew on board has safely made an emergency landing at the Ottawa International Airport after the crew reported smoke on board. Ottawa fire dispatch recieved a call from Ottawa airport security about the emergency. Air Traffic Control recordings reveal Sunwing Flight 326 made the "Mayday" emergency call to the Ottawa Tower around 6:30. The flight landed safely on Ottawa's runway 32 shortly afterwards. Flight 326 was en route to Varadero, Cuba. It departed Ottawa at 6 Friday morning. At 6:55, airport fire crews reported that the smoke had cleared from the cockpit and emergency crews were checking the aircraft's brakes. There were no injuries. http://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/airplane-makes-emergency-landing-after-smoke-reported-on- board-1.1206473#ixzz2OGpJkuzG Back to Top Fuel tanker hits into Emirates aircraft at KK airport (Zambia) MORE than 350 passengers were on Wednesday stranded at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport for several hours after an Emirates aircraft EK 714, a Boeing 777- 300ER, was severely damaged by a fuel tanker before take-off. The Dubai-bound plane was about to refuel in readiness for take-off on Wednesday night when the fuel tanker rammed into it. Emirates spokesperson Gillian Langmead, who confirmed the incident in an interview in Lusaka yesterday, said the plane was bashed by a tanker and all the passengers were told to go back to their hotels while fresh arrangement were being made. Ms Langmead said the aircraft is currently parked at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport and is being repaired by a team of engineers. "The aircraft was delayed last night (Wednesday) after it was hit by a truck. The aircraft is currently under repair," she said. Ms Langmead, who could not give more details, said Emirates management was making arrangements to bring another Boeing 777 plane to fly passengers from Lusaka to Dubai. "Passengers were accommodated in hotels last night (Wednesday) and will join today's (Thursday) scheduled EK 714, a different 777-300ER, expected to depart Lusaka at 21:20 hours," she said. And sources said the fuel tanker that was about to refuel the aircraft hit into one of the engines, causing severe damage and cancellation of the flight to Dubai. The sources said Emirates management has ordered new spare parts for the plane so that it can be repaired as soon as possible. One source said the National Airports Corporation and Emirates management have launched investigations into the incident. In October last year, an Emirates aircraft bound for Dubai was forced to make an emergency landing at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport due to a technical fault shortly after takeoff. The flight EK714 took off at 21:18 hours on October 21 but returned to Kenneth Kaunda International Airport at about 21:50 hours after a technical fault was detected by pilots. There were no injuries reported as a result of the forced landing. http://www.daily-mail.co.zm/?p=1391 Back to Top Back to Top Lion takes on AirAsia with record jet orders KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) - Indonesia's top discount carrier, which catapulted into the global aviation spotlight with record deals to buy Airbus and Boeing planes, is taking the battle for Asia's budget-minded travelers to the backyard of the airline that helped pioneer low cost flights in the region. Lion Air, hardly known beyond Indonesia until giving Boeing and Airbus their biggest orders ever, made its first foray outside its home market with the launch Friday of Malindo Air in Malaysia, the base of AirAsia, which after a decade of rapid growth dominates cheap travel in the region. Lion Air inked a $24 billion deal this week to buy 234 Airbus planes, the biggest order ever for the French aircraft maker. It also gave Boeing its largest-ever order when it finalized a deal for 230 planes last year. The planes will be delivered from 2014 through to 2026. The two deals raised Lion's aircraft on order to a massive 600, the Sydney-based Center of Asia Pacific Aviation, or CAPA, said in a report. The Airbus announcement also meant Lion has the largest number of planes on order among airlines in Asia, surpassing AirAsia by 200 jets. The ambitious expansion by Lion, which has a 50 percent share of Indonesia's air travel market, is in part a bet on rising incomes in developing Asian nations and more open skies after 2015 when Southeast Asian countries aim to create a common economic community. "Lion Air wants to assert itself and is trying to overtake AirAsia," said Shukor Yusoff, aviation analyst with Standard & Poor's in Singapore. "Malindo has to be successful to open more doors for its regional expansion. If it fails, it will mean trouble." While Lion's plans may seem overly ambitious amid intensifying competition, CAPA said the airline enjoys a dominant position in Indonesia, which with its population of about 240 million could easily support over the next decade at least half the new aircraft it has ordered. Lion Air President Rusdi Kirana told Indonesian reporters in Paris ahead of signing the Airbus deal that the first six planes will be delivered in mid-2014 to service routes in Asia and the Pacific. He said Lion expects to have ordered 1,000 planes in the next few years. "Those aircraft were targeted to expand our airline in the Asia-Pacific region," Rusdi said. "We are not satisfied just to develop our business domestically. We will go international, especially with the emergence of the open skies policy in the Asia-Pacific." Lion, which grew out of Kirana's family-owned travel agency business, started flying in 2000, about a year before AirAsia. The Malaysia-based airline and its CEO Tony Fernandes pioneered low-cost air travel in Southeast Asia, opening up skies previously dominated by full service carriers such as Singapore Airlines, Malaysian Airlines and Thai Airways. These airlines today have their own low cost offshoots to vie with AirAsia. AirAsia also has spread its wings with affiliates in Indonesia, Philippines, Japan, Thailand and India. Lion Air, which has relied mainly on the Indonesian market for its growth, now wants a slice of global aviation. It is banned from flying to Europe due to broader safety lapses in the Indonesian airline industry but this is expected to change with its new plane orders. Malindo Air, which Lion jointly owns with a Malaysian company, is a critical first test for the longer-term plans. It made its debut Friday with a domestic flight in Malaysia. Rusdi has said Malindo will start flying between Malaysia and Indonesia with a fleet of 12 new Boeing 737 planes in May, before expanding to other cities in Southeast Asia. He said 12 planes will be added each year to bring the total fleet to more than 100 in a decade, including adding Boeing 787 Dreamliner jets by 2015 to fly to routes to China, Japan and Australia. Lion also plans to start Batik Air, a full service carrier in Indonesia, next month. The plans add up to a looming dogfight with AirAsia. Fernandes has said he believes Malindo would not be able to offer cheaper fares than AirAsia. Air travel in Asia is expected to grow 6.7 percent annually in the next 20 years, from 780 million passengers in 2010 to some 2.2 billion by 2030. Budget aviation now has a quarter of the air travel market in Asia, and growing. AirAsia flew nearly 34 million passengers last year, while Lion carried 32 million people. Lion is eyeing potential affiliates in other Southeast Asian countries and Australia, similar to AirAsia's model. CAPA however, warned establishing such ventures may be challenging as its brand is not well known outside Indonesia. "AirAsia has a more powerful pan-Asian brand and also has first mover advantage in every market except Indonesia," it said. CAPA said air travel in Indonesia has nearly doubled since 2008, hitting 72.5 million passengers in 2012 and is expected to reach 100 million passengers in 2015 and 180 million in 2018. It said Lion Air can easily absorb another 300 planes to grow its fleet in Indonesia to 400 by 2018 to cater to domestic demand. Dozens of airlines have emerged in Indonesia since it deregulated its aviation industry in the 1990s, making air travel affordable for the first time for many of the country's people, and luring passengers away from ferries and trains. With only a five percent share of seat capacity for Indonesian international flights, compared with about 25 percent for AirAsia and about 16 percent for national carrier Garuda, Lion can close the gap with its rivals internationally while keeping the big gap it enjoys domestically, CAPA said. Standard and Poor's Shukor said Lion also appeared to be entering the lucrative aircraft leasing business with the establishment of an affiliate company in Singapore called Transportation Partners. "Lion Air has secured plane delivery slots for the next decade. The game plan is to expand their airline business and at the same time, capture potential business in the leasing market," he said. However, he said Lion Air has to first ensure it is able to secure trained pilots and other aviation professionals and grapple with the issue of how Indonesia's creaky airports can keep up with its growth. At Malindo, Lion seeks to be a step above its competition. Malindo's tagline - "Not just low cost" - reflects its aim to win market share by offering free checked-in baggage, in-flight entertainment and light meals. It is also flying out of Malaysia's main international airport where aerobridges offer convenience to travelers, compared with AirAsia which is operating out of the country's low-cost terminal. Tickets prices will be competitive and planes are fitted with a lower-than-usual 180 seats, offering more legroom. "It will not be easy to challenge a strong incumbent. Pricing is everything. It will depend on their strategy, and their luck," Shukor said. Back to Top Jet jitters: Expected 777 upgrade raises question: Where will it be built? In this Feb. 14, 2011 file photo, the front of a Boeing 777 jet stands in a production line at the company's manufacturing plant, in Everett, Wash. Boeing board members in the coming weeks are expected to give Boeing Commercial Airplanes the green light for selling and building an upgraded version of the 777 - a decision that comes with a recurring dose of anxiety for Washington state. In recent years, every Boeing decision to build a new or upgraded jetliner has been accompanied by concerns over how much of the work would be done in Washington state. Boeing's decision to open a second 787 assembly plant in South Carolina in 2009 only heightened Washington's anxiety. At stake with every new and upgraded Boeing aircraft are hundreds, if not thousands, of jobs, to say nothing of the health of a diverse array of Boeing suppliers with Washington state operations. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has already vowed to do "everything in my power" to keep the assembly of the upgraded 777 in Washington state. Boeing's board is expected to give Boeing Commercial Airplanes division the "authority to offer" to customers an upgraded version of the 777 jetliner dubbed the 777X. That action could come before the Chicago-based company's annual meeting on April 29. Boeing has promised to start delivering the first 777Xs, with new composite wings and engines, into service before 2020. In Boeing's fourth-quarter conference call with analysts on Jan. 30, Chief Financial Officer Greg Smith said the "most likely design is some increased capacity and a composite wing with new engines, and some other additional work." The company on March 15 took a concrete step toward producing the 777X when it selected GE Aviation to supply engines for the aircraft. Sometime after the Boeing board decides to proceed with the 777X, the company will decide where to assemble the aircraft. Conventional wisdom says the jet would be built in Everett, but that's far from certain. The topic has given John Monroe some sleepless nights. Monroe, chief operating officer of the Economic Alliance Snohomish County, was previously an engineer at Boeing. "I'm worried it (the 777X) won't be done in Puget Sound," he said. "We need to be doing the right things as a county and state to make the incentives for it to stay here." Monroe is concerned about whether Boeing would open a new 777X production line rather than adding the new aircraft to the existing production line in Everett. A dramatically new design for the 777X could make it more difficult for the company to make the new and the old versions in Everett, perhaps increasing the odds that the 777X would be assembled elsewhere. Monroe also wonders about where Boeing would build the upgraded jet's mostly composite wings, which could be as long as 233 feet tip-to-tip, about 21 feet longer than the wing on the popular 777-300ER. If Boeing builds the 777X wings in house, that would require a new manufacturing plant as well as a way to move the wings from fabrication to final assembly. If the wing halves are too long to travel by highway, air or rail, the wing facility would have to be close to the main assembly plant in Everett - or, perhaps, Charleston, S.C. Charleston may be a long shot because Boeing would have to build a new assembly line there. But Charleston does have some appeal because Boeing already builds the largest number of composite assemblies in Charleston, the work force is nonunion and the company has an agreement to buy 320 acres of open land near the plant. Washington's governor says he will do everything possible to make sure the state doesn't lose the work. "I am committed to doing everything in my power to ensure this airplane and as many of its component parts as possible are assembled and manufactured in Washington state," Inslee said in a written statement. http://www.komonews.com/news/business/Jet-jitters-Expected-777-upgrade-raises- question-Where-will-it-be-built-199452201.html Back to Top Chinese Automotive Giant Eyes GA Aircraft With the Chinese government expected to announce a lifting of the ban on flying below 1,000 meters (3,281 feet), Beijing Automotive Group (BAIC) is looking at building "reliable general aviation aircraft," said company chairman Xu Heyi. The company did not specify what category or class of aircraft it is planning to build. BAIC sold 1.7 million cars last year, an increase of 10.3 percent over 2011 despite a faltering Chinese economy. In 2011, BAIC and Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics co-launched Beijing General Aviation (Group) with capital of 100 million yuan ($15.9 million) to focus on developing GA aircraft. Xu said the aviation group hopes to generate 10 billion yuan in 2014, adding that BAIC chose to enter the general aviation field "to enhance its future competitiveness." BAIC said China currently has approximately 1,050 general aviation aircraft, compared with the U.S. fleet of 230,000. The company also pointed out that the U.S. general aviation industry registers annual revenue of $150 billion, about 1 percent of total gross domestic product - and accounts for 1.26 million jobs. www.flyingmag.com/news/chinese-automotive-giant-eyes-ga- aircraft#kJvEAAwCRl8iXfVR.99 Back to Top F-35B makes first vertical takeoff-landing at MCAS A F-35B Lightning II from Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 conducted its first short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVAL) Thursday morning from the flightline at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma. Maj. Richard Rusnok, an F-35B Lightning II test pilot, conducted the maneuvers, which also included performing the Marine Corps' first-ever F-35B hover and vertical landing done outside of a testing environment. "The first STOVL flight for an F-35B outside of the test environment was another milestone achieved by the Marine Corps and the Green Knights today here at MCAS Yuma," said VMFA-121's commanding officer, Lt. Col. Jeffrey Scott, who accompanied the maneuvers flying a second F-35B as a chase aircraft. "The F-35 program and specifically the F-35B have made significant progress to make this possible." Capt. Staci Reidinger, director of public affairs at the air station, said Thursday's flights also marked another first. It was the first time, she said, that the squadron has had two F-35Bs operating at the same time. VMFA-121 will be home to approximately 300 Marines and is expected to receive additional F-35s throughout the next eight to 12 months, with a total of 16 aircraft scheduled to arrive by late 2013. As the squadron expands its operations and strength, it will continue revolutionizing expeditionary Marine air-ground combat for all types of battlefields through the use of MCAS Yuma training ranges in Arizona and California. VMFA-121 will be home to approximately 300 Marines and is expected to receive additional F-35s throughout the next 8 to 12 months, with a total of 16 aircraft scheduled to arrive by late 2013. Reidinger said MCAS Yuma currently has three F-35Bs, but expects to receive two or three more in the coming weeks. In January, the B variant of the F-35s were grounded for nearly a month as a precaution after a fueldraulic hose failure was discovered in one of the test jets. They were grounded again nine days later, and one day after the first local flight here in Yuma, when a cracked engine blade was discovered during a routine inspection of one of the test plane's engines. Unlike the past suspension, which was only for the B variant, the most recent grounding was for all versions of the aircraft. The grounding was lifted nine days later. VMFA-121 is also the first squadron to join Marine Aircraft Group 13, which is currently composed of four AV-8B Harrier squadrons a Marine Wing support squadron and a Marine aviation logistics squadron. In all, Marine Corps Air Station Yuma will get five squadrons of F-35B's each with 16 aircraft, and one operational test and evaluation squadron of eight aircraft. These 88 aircraft will replace Yuma's four existing squadrons of 56 AV-8B Harriers. The F-35B is one of three variants of the Joint Strike Fighter and is slated to replace the Marine Corps' aging F/A-18 Hornets, AV-8B Harriers and EA-6B Prowlers. It will provide multi-role, fifth-generation capabilities in the form of one common tactical fixed-wing aircraft, reducing maintenance costs while ensuring the Marine Corps maintains the tactical aircraft dominance required to deter potential adversaries and protect the nation's interests. http://www.yumasun.com/articles/marine-86207-aircraft-35b.html#ixzz2OGo6zQ2S Curt Lewis