Flight Safety Information January 13, 2014 - No. 011 In This Issue Southwest flight lands at wrong Mo. airport Four killed when jet crashes, erupts in flames in western Germany Airline safety performance continues to soar Think ARGUS PROS Position Available: Director of Safety. Southwest flight lands at wrong Mo. airport Federal officials are investigating why a Southwest Airlines flight that was supposed to land at Branson Airport in southwest Missouri, instead landed at another airport about 7 miles away that only had about half as much runway. Southwest Airlines Flight 4013, carrying 124 passengers and five crew members, was scheduled to go from Chicago's Midway International Airport to Branson Airport, airline spokesman Brad Hawkins said Sunday in a statement. But the Boeing 737-700 landed at Taney County Airport, which is also known as M. Graham Clark Downtown Airport. "The landing was uneventful, and all customers and crew are safe," Hawkins said. Hawkins did not have information on why the plane went to the wrong airport. Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Tony Molinaro says the agency is investigating the incident. It's the second time in less than two months that a large jet has landed at the wrong airport. In November, a Boeing 747 that was supposed to deliver parts to McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita, Kan., landed 9 miles north at Col. James Jabara Airport. That plane was flown by a two-person crew and had no passengers. The website for M. Graham Clark Airport says its longest runway is 3,738 feet. Branson Airport's website says its runway is 7,140 feet long. "The landing was really abrupt and the pilot applied the brakes really strongly," Dallas attorney Scott Schieffer, who was on the flight, told WFAA-TV. "You could hear it and you could certainly feel it." Flight tracking website Flightaware.com said the Southwest flight landed at 6:11 p.m. Sunday. It was partly cloudy and in the high 50s in Branson at that time. "Our ground crew from the Branson airport arrived at the airport to take care of our customers and their baggage," Hawkins said. Flight 4013 had been scheduled to go from Branson to Dallas' Love Field. Hawkins said a plane was flown in specifically to Branson Airport around 10 p.m. to take the passengers and crew to Dallas, which flightaware.com showed landed at 11:42 p.m. Hawkins told The Associated Press the aircraft at M. Graham Clark Downtown Airport will be able to take off on the smaller runway, and Southwest expects to fly it out "as early as (Monday) morning." The Taney County Sheriff's Office referred all calls to M. Graham Clark Downtown Airport. Messages left for comment from M. Graham Clark Downtown Airport were not immediately returned. http://www.stltoday.com/news/national/southwest-flight-lands-at-wrong-mo- airport/article_64f62701-9e22-5bfc-a158-2b335299f4bc.html Back to Top Four killed when jet crashes, erupts in flames in western Germany TRIER, Germany, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- All four people aboard a corporate jet died Sunday when the plane crashed in western Germany, police said. The plane burst into flames after crashing near the town of Trier, CNN reported. Authorities said they are investigating the cause of the crash. Local fire officials said that the plane hit a power pole due to foggy weather. The jet had come from England and was flying to Fohren, Germany, and the four victims were German nationals, CNN said. http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2014/01/12/Four-killed-when-jet-crashes- erupts-in-flames-in-western-Germany/UPI-86261389550464/#ixzz2qHW7CbC2 *************** Status: Preliminary Date: Sunday 12 January 2014 Time: ca 12:00 Type: Cessna 501 Citation I/SP Operator: private Registration: N452TS C/n / msn: 501-0231 First flight: 1981 Engines: 2 Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15D-4 Crew: Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 Passengers: Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 Total: Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4 Airplane damage: Destroyed Airplane fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: 4 km (2.5 mls) NE of Trier-Föhren Airport (Germany) Phase: Approach (APR) Nature: Unknown Departure airport: Shoreham Airport (ESH/EGKA), United Kingdom Destination airport: Trier-Föhren Airport (EDRT), Germany Narrative: A Cessna Citation I/SP corporate jet, registered N452TS, crashed while on approach to Trier-Föhren Airport in Germany. All four on board were killed. The airplane was approaching runway 22 Trier-Föhren Airport when it reportedly struck an electricity pole and crashed. It came to rest inverted on the site of a landfill located 3,8 km from the treshold of runway 22 and about 700 m to the left of the extended centreline. A fire erupted. The accident occurred in conditions of of low visibility. There is no automated Metar weather report for Trier-Föhren Airport. The closest weather observations are from Spangdahlem (ETAD): ETAD 121058Z AUTO 08003KT M0400 R23/0150 FZFG VV001 M01/M01 A3024 RMK AO2 SLP251 T10081012 $ Weather observations at 10:58Z (11:58 LT): Wind 080 degrees at 3 knots; Visibility: 400 m; indefinite ceiling with vertical visibility of 100 feet AGL; freezing fog; Temperature: -1°C, dew point: -1°C; 30.24 inches Hg. Latest available information indicates that the Trier Airport did not have an ILS. www.aviation-safety.net Back to Top Airline safety performance continues to soar The world's airlines had 29 accidents in 2013 that, combined, resulted in a record-low 265 fatalities, research shows. Airline safety keeps improving The last two years represented a dramatic drop in airline fatalities from the 10- year average of 720 per year, according to research. Above, a plane prepares to land at Los Angeles International Airport in April. Grouse all you want about shrinking airline seats and annoying fees for onboard food, drinks and entertainment, but the industry's safety record is looking up. The world's airlines had one of their safest years on record in 2013. There were 29 airline accidents last year, which, combined, resulted in a record-low 265 fatalities, according to the Aviation Safety Network, a private research group in the Netherlands. That's out of about 31 million commercial flights worldwide. The world's airlines had a pretty safe year in 2012 as well, with 475 fatalities from 23 airline accidents, including passenger and cargo flights, the research group said. The last two years represented a dramatic drop from the 10-year average of 720 fatalities a year. The deadliest accident in 2013 took place in Kazan, Russia, on Nov. 17 when a Tatarstan Airlines Boeing 737 crashed on approach, killing 50 people. Closer to home, an Asiana Airlines plane crashed at San Francisco International Airport on July 6, killing three people. It was carrying more than 300 passengers and crew members. Harro Ranter, president of the research group, attributes the improved safety record to the efforts of international aviation groups to impose safety guidelines on airlines around the world. If you still harbor a fear of flying, you might be comforted to hear about Qantas, the Australian airline that recently was rated as the world's safest by AirlineRatings.com. The airline hasn't had a fatal accident since 1951. "Safety is our No. 1 priority, and our teams work around the clock to ensure the safety of our passengers and our crew," a Qantas spokesperson said. AirlineRatings.com gave its lowest safety ratings to Kam Air in Afghanistan, SCAT Airlines in Kazakhstan and Blue Wing Airlines in Suriname, a tiny country in South America. TSA finds 20% more firearms at airports in 2013 Have gun - won't travel. Last year, Transportation Security Administration officers uncovered 1,828 firearms at airports nationwide, a 20% increase from 2012, according to a study by Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. The tally represents the fifth year in a row that the number of guns confiscated by the TSA has increased. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport - the world's busiest airport - had the greatest number of uncovered guns, 110, according to the study. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport came in second with 98 guns, and George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston came in third with 76. A vast majority of the confiscated guns - 84% - were loaded when TSA officials found them, the study said. Americans vent about notion of cellphone calls on planes The Federal Communications Commission has yet to formally open a public comment period on a plan to lift a ban on cellphone calls on commercial planes. But that hasn't stopped Americans from venting to the FCC about the idea. Based on a sample of the nearly 400 comments submitted since mid-December, the public is staunchly opposed. The 30-day comment period is expected to begin once the FCC publishes the proposed rule in the Federal Register. In the meantime, FCC officials said they would accept the comments already added at http://www.fcc.gov/rulemaking/13-157. Many of the comments are tinged with anger, with opponents saying cellphone calls on planes would incite "air rage." "You want to see blood in the aisles, just go ahead and allow cellphone voice communications on aircraft," one comment said. Another person wrote: "There are many dumb ideas and then there is this." http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-0113-travel-briefcase- 20140113,0,3868923.story#ixzz2qHYVDqlD Back to Top Back to Top Position Available: Director of Safety F.I.T. Aviation, LLC of Melbourne, Florida is recruiting for the position of Director of Safety. F.I.T. Aviation was established in 1968 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Florida Institute of Technology, supporting the college of Aeronautics aviation program through our flight training activities. The Director of Safety is responsible for ensuring that appropriate standards are established and maintained to provide the highest level of safety. The Director of Safety develops, coordinates and implements preventive measures affecting present and potential safety issues. The successful candidate will have a bachelor's degree in Safety Management, Aviation Management, or Business Management; have 2- 3 years related work experience in aviation Safety Management Systems (SMS); and hold a Commercial Pilot Certificate, ATP, or ICAO equivalent. Salary will be commensurate with experience. A complete job description or to apply to this position please visit our website at http://fitaviation.hirecentric.com/jobs/. This posting will remain active until January 31, 2014. F.I.T. Aviation, LLC is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. Curt Lewis