Flight Safety Information December 23, 2013 - No. 261 In This Issue Airlines call for new laws to deal with unruly passengers Russian airline grounded after crash Take off drama as British Airways jet crashes into building Did pilot deliberately crash Africa airliner that killed 33? Think ARGUS PROS Airlines call for new laws to deal with unruly passengers A drunken man gets tackled by a group of off-duty cops in November while trying to storm the cockpit on a flight from Warsaw to Toronto. An inebriated passenger on a January flight from Iceland to New York tries to grope and choke fellow travelers until crew members and other passengers bind him with duct tape. Such incidents are no longer flukes but rather a trend that has prompted airlines to call for new laws to deal with unruly passengers and other onboard mayhem on international flights. The number of incidents of unruly passengers jumped from less than 500 in 2007 to more than 6,000 in 2011, according to the International Air Transport Assn., the trade group for world airlines, which has been keeping track of the incidents. In 1963, representatives from 185 countries met in Tokyo to adopt a set of laws that focused on onboard crimes related to hijacking. But the laws are outdated and do not address the kind of mayhem that some passengers cause, delaying flights and fraying nerves, said Perry Flint, an IATA spokesman. "Lots of changes have taken place over the past 50 years," he said. "The old rules no longer do a good job of addressing this problem." For example, under the 1963 laws, the country where a plane is registered has legal jurisdiction over offenses on the plane. But today about 40% of commercial planes are leased, meaning the country where the plane is registered is not always the country where the airline is based, according to IATA. A meeting has been scheduled for March by the International Civil Aviation Organization, a branch of the United Nations, to discuss new rules on how to deal with unruly passengers. A location for the meeting has not been set. http://www.latimes.com/business/travel/la-fi-mo-airlines-laws-unruly-passengers- 20131222,0,5570551.story#ixzz2oIoOToUd Back to Top Russian airline grounded after crash Tatarstan Airlines, a Russian carrier, has been grounded after an investigation revealed its pilots and personnel were overworked and inadequately trained Russian airline grounded after crash A Tatarstan Airlines Boeing 737 crashed and exploded at the airport in the Tatarstan region's capital Kazan last month, killing all 44 passengers Russia's airline regulator said it was grounding the regional carrier last week following a crash on November 17 that killed 50 people. A Tatarstan Airlines Boeing 737 crashed and exploded at the airport in the Tatarstan region's capital Kazan last month, killing all 44 passengers - including a son of the oil-producing Russia province's leader - and six crew. The crash highlighted the poor safety record of regional airlines that ply internal routes in Russia. The regulator Rosaviatsia said it will cancel the airline's license from December 31 after inspections revealed "violations in established flight norms, working hours and rest periods for the flight crew and qualification standards of the crew." Crash investigators have said the pilot of the ill-fated passenger jet may have received his licence from a training centre that was later closed on suspicion of operating illegally. They also said the plane crashed after the pilot pushed the steering column into a position that pitched it into a nosedive in an attempt to prepare for landing after an initial approach was aborted. No technical problems had been reported on the passenger jet. The airline could not immediately be reached for comment on losing its licence. It has said the crew had plenty of experience but the lead pilot had never before been in a position in which he had to make a second landing attempt during an actual flight. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/10534606/Russian-airline-grounded-after-crash.html Back to Top Take off drama as British Airways jet crashes into building: Aircraft bound for London clips its wing as it taxis at Johannesburg airport Boeing 747 veered off taxiway and buried right wing in the brick structure Flight to the UK had been preparing to take off from Johannesburg All 182 passengers were led from plane to spend the night in a hotel British Airways says an investigation into the crash is underway A British Airways jet crashed into a building just before take-off at Johannesburg's main airport last night, injuring four airport officials. The flight, which was on its way to London, veered off the taxiway as it headed to the runway and buried its right wing in the two-storey brick structure. A spokesman for OR Tambo airport said all 182 passengers were taken off the 747 to spend the night in a hotel. A statement from the South African Civil Aviation Authority's (SACAA) preliminary report, the B747-400 aircraft was cleared for takeoff on Runway 03L. It said: 'It was confirmed to the SACAA that the air crew got instructions from the Air Traffic Control to taxi using taxi way B. The crew continued onto taxi way M which is narrower resulting in the aircraft impacting on an office building behind the SAA Technical hangers. This photograph, taken by passenger Harriet Tolputt, shows the aftermath of the crash, with the plane's wing buried in a building 'Four officials (of Bidvest, a South Africa-based distribution services and trading business) who were in the building were injured by the debris. The 17 Crew and 185 passengers who were in the aircraft escaped unharmed and were evacuated from the aircraft through door no. 5. 'The South African Civil Aviation Authority wishes a speedy recovery to the injured officials.' Fuel spillage was reported from the aircraft but this was contained by the airport fire services without further incident. The SACAA dispatched investigators last night and early this morning they witnessed the recovery of the aircraft as well as the removal of the flight recorder from the aircraft. The investigation continues. Harriet Tolputt, head of media for Oxfam, was on the flight and snapped the picture above. She posted on Twitter: 'BA plane crashes into building at J Burg airport. No one injured only the pilot's pride. Not impressed that first class passengers get off before premium economy during an emergency.' British Airways said an investigation was underway. A spokesman said: 'A British Airways Boeing 747 was damaged while taxiing at Johannesburg airport. 'The 182 customers disembarked safely and there were no reported injuries on board the aircraft. 'Customers were looked after by our staff and provided with hotel accommodation and we are arranging alternative flights for them. 'We have launched a full investigation into the incident and are giving our assistance to the independent South African Civil Aviation Authority with the matter.' http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2528213/Take-drama-BA-jet-bound-London-hits-airport- building.html#ixzz2oIeymsrQ Back to Top Did pilot deliberately crash Africa airliner that killed 33? Black box recordings show rapid descent while co-pilot was in the toilet and repeated banging on the cockpit door Herminio dos Santos Fernandes sent plane into descent when co-pilot was in the toilet Repeated banging on cock-pit door can be heard on black box recordings Officials claim the pilot 'intended' to cause accident that killed 33 people An airline pilot intentionally crashed a plane that killed 33 people in Africa, air officials have said. Herminio dos Santos Fernandes sent the Mozambican Airlines plane in a rapid descent from 38,000 feet while his co-pilot was in the toilet. Repeated banging on the cockpit door can be heard on recordings from the recovered black box. It isn't known if the banging was from the co-pilot or passengers. All 27 passengers and six crew members were on board when the plane crashed in the Bwabwata National Park in Namibia The plane was bound for Angola with six crew members and 27 passengers when it went down on November 29 in a Namibian national park. 'There was an intention to crash the plane,' Joao Abreu, chairman of the Mozambican Civil Aviation Institute said after analysing cockpit recordings. The pilot's motives are not known, and investigations will continue, he said. Radar data showed that, at an obligatory reporting position over northern Botswana, the plane suddenly started to slow downwards rapidly. The plane's movements were normal before that, with no mechanical functions, he said. The altitude selector was then manually altered three times, bringing the plane's altitude down from 38,000 feet to 592 feet, Abreu said, reading the preliminary report to reporters. Low and high intensity alarm signals can be heard on recovered recordings from the plane, along with the sounds of repeated banging on the cockpit door, he said. The investigation report does not say who was banging, but Abreu said that the co-pilot was not in the cockpit at the time of the crash and not responsible for the crash. The 'black box' flight recorders were recovered intact and sent to the United States National Transport Safety Board in Washington to be decoded and transcribed. Other indicators show manual operations were used, he said, adding that 'all these operations required detailed knowledge of the plane's controls, and showed a clear intention to crash the aircraft.' The control tower had lost voice and radar contact and set search operations in motion. The wreckage of the plane was found in the following days. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2528182/Did-pilot-deliberately-crash-Africa-airliner-killed-33-Black- box-recordings-rapid-descent-pilot-toilet-repeated-banging-cockpit-door.html#ixzz2oIdfUzcu Curt Lewis