Flight Safety Information June 6, 2014 - No. 115 In This Issue Who left the hand-brake off? Investigation under way after Ryanair plane rolls backwards Helo crashes in Florida training; injuries minor New wrongful-death trial ordered in 2008 Chesterfield plane crash Google confirms Yakima Loon balloon crash Police investigate ultralight plane crash in Madison County PRISM SMS Men killed in Pierce County plane crash were retired pilots Pilots set to fly P51, F-16 for heritage flight Florida Tech Launches New Graduate Aviation Degree Upcoming Events Who left the hand-brake off? Investigation under way after Ryanair plane rolls backwards and crashes into airport building, destroying tail wing A Ryanair plane has been left with £200,000 worth of damage to its rear stabiliser after it rolled backwards 40 metres crashing into an airport fire station. The force of the impact tore apart the 'tail wing' of the £72m Boeing 737 at Rome Ciampino Airport yesterday. The accident happened shortly after the aircraft, which has been grounded, landed and passengers had disembarked. No one was on board the aircraft when the incident happened, according to a spokesman for Ryanair who said the aeroplane was parked but had not been properly secured. Witness said the plane suddenly began to roll backwards and smashed into the garage of the fire station at the airport causing external damage there as well. One witness told MailOnline Travel: 'It was surre al t o watch. This big heavy jet just started to roll backwards gathering speed until it crashed into the garage of the airport fire statio n. 'The whole thing only lasted a matter of seconds but the noise as it smashed into the building was terrific. It was grinding metal and the damage was quite severe. 'The guttering on the building was ripped off and wires and bits of metal were hanging off the plane. 'It's a good job no one was standing by the garage or driving past as the plane would have slammed into them.' Usually when a plane is parked stationary at an airport brakes are applied and chocks positioned against the wheels to prevent it rolling backwards or forwards. The area where the incident happened is slightly uphill and close to the main terminal which is used by millions of passengers, many of them British, every year. Ryanair, which was recently voted the UK's worst airline, blamed the ground handling agent for the incident. Robin Kiely said: 'Ryanair has asked the ground handling agent (Groundcare) to investigate why it failed to properly secure a Ryanair aircraft at Rome Ciampino Airport yesterday. 'The parked and unoccupied aircraft rolled back and made contact with a remote building damaging its rear stabiliser. 'This is currently being replaced and the aircraft will shortly return to service.' A spokesman for Ciampino airport said: 'We are investigating the cause of the incident and whether proper procedures were followed. 'We are aware of reports that chocks were not in place and that's why the police have also been involved and a criminal investigation is also under way. 'Until that is completed there is nothing else to say.' Groundcare, which was unavailable for comment, is currently on strike at the airport, forcing Ryanair to cancel flights. The damaged plane was out of service due to the strikes, which have seen Ryanair flights delayed today. Passengers at Rome's second airport are facing long lines and flight cancellations because of the wildcat strike by baggage handlers. The unannounced strike began Wednesday morning at Ciampino, a hub for Ryanair and other budget airlines. About 850 workers of Groundcare, one of seven private companies that handle unloading baggage and cargo at Rome airports, are striking to recover back pay. Groundcare recently filed for bankruptcy protection. Ciampino was paralysed by the dispute, and airport employees passed out water and hotel information to frustrated, stranded customers during the peak tourist season in Rome. Flights were cancelled into Wednesday evening. Italy's civil aviation authorities were meeting with Groundcare and the workers to try to resolve the dispute. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-2649525/Investigation-way-Ryanair-plane- rolls-backwards-crashes-airport-building-destroying-tail-wing.html Back to Top Helo crashes in Florida training; injuries minor A flight instructor and student sustained minor injuries Thursday morning after their helicopter crashed during a training flight in the Florida panhandle, a Navy spokeswoman said. The Marine Corps captain and Navy ensign trainee collided with trees when their TH-57 Sea Ranger helicopter went down in Outlying Landing Field Spencer at Naval Air Station Whiting Field in Pace, Florida, Naval Air Training Command spokeswoman Lt. Brynn Olson told Navy Times. They were treated at a local hospital and released on Thursday, Olson said. There are no groundings in place, she said, but that field was shut down for the day. "Following the incident, we went ahead and used the other outlying fields," she said. An investigation in the crash will start right away, Olson said. The incident comes just a month after a T-34C Turbomentor crashed off the coast of Texas, the Navy's 10th major aviation mishap of the fiscal year. Naval Air Forces boss Vice Adm. David Buss ordered a tactical pause following that incident. "... I ask each of you to review the details of the 10 Class Alpha mishaps this fiscal year and find the threads that make sense to your squadrons depending on the phase of the [Fleet Readiness Training Plan] that they are in," Buss wrote in a message to squadron commanders, obtained by Navy Times. The Thursday morning helo crash was the second mishap in 24 hours for the Navy, after an F/A-18E Super Hornet plunged into the Pacific Ocean while trying to land on the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson on Wednesday night. The pilot was unharmed. http://www.navytimes.com/article/20140605/NEWS/306050085/Helo-crashes-Florida- training-injuries-minor Back to Top New wrongful-death trial ordered in 2008 Chesterfield plane crash A unanimous Virginia Supreme Court on Thursday ordered a new trial in a Chesterfield County wrongful-death case stemming from a fiery airplane crash that killed two people and destroyed a house six years ago. The justices found that a report admitted into evidence during the 2012 trial was hearsay. The case was prompted by the April 27, 2008, crash that happened shortly after the Mooney M20M airplane took off from the Chesterfield County Airport. The pilot, Joseph Anthony Grana III, 40, of Florham Park, N.J., and his father, Joseph E. Grana Sr., 73, of Richmond, died on impact. A woman in a house the airplane struck was seriously burned. Roger Creager, lead counsel on the appeal for the two estates, said Thursday: "We are very pleased not only that we will now have a new trial of these two wrongful-death cases, but also that the Supreme Court of Virginia has issued a thorough, carefully considered opinion." The pilot was flying with instruments because of poor weather and cloud cover. The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of the accident to be improper pilot control caused by disorientation in 2010. However, the administrators of the estates of the two men filed wrongful-death suits against Honeywell International Inc., the manufacturer of the airplane's autopilot system, alleging it was defectively designed and led to the crash. The suits sought a total of $30 million in compensatory damages and $700,000 in punitive damages, Creager said. Honeywell denied any defective design and argued the crash was the result of an inexperienced pilot becoming disoriented while flying in clouds. After a nine-day trial, the jury returned a verdict for Honeywell on Nov. 14, 2012. Circuit Judge Herbert C. Gill Jr. turned down a request to set aside the verdict, and the case was appealed to the Virginia Supreme Court. Among other things, the administrators argued that the judge should not have allowed an accident investigation report by the Mooney Airplane Co. to be admitted as a "learned treatise" exception to the hearsay rule. But the justices held the report was not "a learned treatise" - something sufficiently trustworthy because the authors have no bias and are aware their work will be read and evaluated by others in their field. The report, noted the justices who also found other errors in the trial, was repeatedly brought to the attention of the jury by Honeywell's lawyers and was serious enough to require a new trial. The NTSB said that shortly after takeoff, it appeared the pilot had difficulty controlling the plane. Radar records indicated Grana made several turns to the left and right after ascending in a northwesterly direction for about one minute and climbing to 1,100 feet. The plane flew over U.S. 360, turned left and traveled in a south-southwesterly direction and climbed to 1,400 feet. The plane then turned to the right, first flying west at 1,800 feet, then to the left, the report says. The plane then turned to the right and descended. The plane hit the ground before sliding into the house in the 3100 block of Woodsong Drive in Chesterfield, the NTSB said. http://www.timesdispatch.com/news/state-regional/new-wrongful-death-trial-ordered- in-chesterfield-plane-crash/article_0926eec9-17de-5e79-a587-39022cba89aa.html Back to Top Google confirms Yakima Loon balloon crash Nearly a week after one of its Loon balloons crashed into a power pole near Yakima, Google acknowledged the incident. It really was a trial balloon, launched from Nevada, where the company conducts tests to improve the technology. The balloon went down Wednesday, damaging a pole and cutting power to nearby homes. Google is experimenting with its "Project Loon" balloons as a way to deliver wireless Internet access to underserved areas. Hopefully, the balloons will deliver information faster than Google's public-relations department. The company refused to discuss the crash last week with the Yakima Herald-Republic, which broke the story by obtaining confirmation from the FAA and an aviation enthusiast who saw radar tracking of the incident. Google finally acknowledged its involvement today and for attribution issued an opaque, on-the-record statement: "Since launching Project Loon in New Zealand last year, we've continued to do research flights to improve the technology. We coordinate with local air traffic control authorities and have a team dedicated to recovering the balloons when they land." Google simultaneously is experimenting with satellites to extend the reach of the Internet and its online services and advertising delivery system. Citing anonymous sources, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday that Google's spending more than $1 billion on the satellite program. Let's hope the company's more forthcoming if one of its satellites crashes in a populated area. http://blogs.seattletimes.com/brierdudley/2014/06/03/google-confirms-yakima-loon- balloon-crash/ Back to Top Police investigate ultralight plane crash in Madison County WINTERSET, Iowa -Authorities with the Madison County Sheriff's Office said an ultralight plane crashed in a field near the intersection of 210th Street and Earlham Road Thursday. Deputies identified the pilot as 54-year-old Patrick Cook of Winterset, Iowa. They said he had to be removed from the wreckage. He was flown to a Des Moines hospital with serious injuries. Authorities said witnesses reported seeing the plane clip a power line and crash into the field. The crash is under investigation. http://www.kcci.com/news/police-investigate-ultralight-plane-crash-in-madison- county/26356980#!VnCoi Back to Top Back to Top Men killed in Pierce County plane crash were retired pilots BONNEY LAKE, Wash. -- Two men killed in Wednesday's crash of a World War II-era plane in Pierce County were retired commercial pilots. Jim Cawley retired from Delta Airlines two years ago, according to his son, Clint Cawley. "You couldn't have two more experienced pilots piloting the aircraft," said Clint. Jim Cawley taught Clint and his younger son Curt to fly on the family's private airstrip. "He spread his love of flying and family to us," said Clint. Rod Richardson had owned the plane for the last 12 years and flew it about 600 hours without a problem. Cawley bought the plane from his friend Richardson this week. Clint Cawley said his father and Richardson flew the plane in the morning without incident. But shortly after taking off in the afternoon, it went down about a mile from the Cawley family's private airstrip near Bonney Lake in Buckley. The family does not know what caused the wreck. "We've just got to trust he made the right choice at the right time," said Clint. Clint works as a cargo pilot in Alaska. His younger brother works in operations with a Seattle airplane tour company. Clint said what happened to their father won't keep them out of the skies. "He'd want us to keep flying," he said. "I'll be back in the air soon." NTSB investigators used a crane to drag the plane wreckage out of the woods Thursday. The investigation could take months. http://www.king5.com/news/Men-who-died-in-Pierce-County-plane-crash-were-retired- pilots-262026171.html Back to Top Pilots set to fly P51, F-16 for heritage flight HILL AIR FORCE BASE - Two pilots are preparing to fly together at the Warriors Over The Wasatch Air Show at Hill Air Force Base on June 28 and 29, but the planes they are planning to fly are decades apart. A long-standing tradition at air shows across the country involves the Heritage Flight with a P51 and F-16 flying side-by-side, something Major Mark "Juice" Whisler, who will be flying the F-16, says is a sight worth a thousand words. "You put those two planes together in the sky at the same time in front of military and civilians, and you get to see and hear the differences between the two, and get a look at where we were and where we are now," said Whisler. Sometimes airshows will add an F- 22 into the formation he says, giving a sense of the past, present, and future of the Air Force. It will be the first time Whisler will get to perform at the HAFB air show, his current home base where he is stationed as the Chief of Standards and Evaluations for the 388th Fighter Wing. Whisler began training as an air show pilot for the 2013 season, but was put on hold because of sequestration. Though Whisler now feels air shows are an important military tradition, he didn't always feel that way. "I was always the guy that thought our resources could be allocated differently, until I was at an air show, and turned to the person next to me and said, 'Every person needs to go to an air show once a year to get this feeling I have now of patriotism,'" stated Whisler. Now that he has been flying at air shows this year, Whisler says being a part of the Heritage Flights is one he doesn't take for granted. His grandfather was a fighter pilot in the air force, having flown a P51. "Every time I take off and rejoin with one of the planes my grandfather flew in the 40s and 50s, it is a huge honor," said Whisler. Whisler notes that there are vast differences between the two machines. "The P51 is a prop plane, dealing with torque and pressure, intricacies our current pilots don't have to think about anymore with planes that are precision guided and radar they didn't have in those days," said Whisler. Greg Anders, a retired Lt. Col. in the United States Air Force for 23 years, will be flying the P51 in the Heritage Flight during the HAFB air show. Anders, who is now living in Washington State as the Senior Vice President and Executive Director of the Heritage Flight Museum, says he doesn't mind the difficult challenges with flying an old war bird. "It's a different kind of flying with the main wheels in front versus in the back," said Anders. "However, it is a privilege to fly the old war bird because I get to sit in that very special seat, reflecting on what they had to do in their time. I get to tell their story, and hopefully the crowd can appreciate and understand what the WWII pilots did for us, and that our current pilots are doing the same thing for us," said Anders. Anders has flown at HAFB several times, and says it is the largest crowd he has ever seen at an air show. "I literally remember the first air show I flew at HAFB, and at first I was just focused on my flying and getting the plane up, but then I looked over at the crowd and said, 'Holy Cats! Look at how many people there are,'" said Anders. "It is always a privilege to see a community that honors their air force so effectively." The Air Show is open to the public June 28-29 and tickets are not required for the event. For more information, visitwww.hill.af.mil, which includes the event map and performance line up which includes the US Air Force Thunderbirds, Army Golden Knights, and 17 other aerial performances. Gates open at 8 a.m. and the flying begins at 10 a.m. both days. http://www.hilltoptimes.com/content/pilots-set-fly-p51-f-16-heritage-flight Back to Top Florida Tech Launches New Graduate Aviation Degree MASTER OF SCIENCE IN AVIATION MANAGEMENT F.I.T. Aviation's training aircraft sit near the university's Emil Buehler Center for Aviation Training and Research. (Florida Tech image) BREVARD COUNTY * MELBOURNE - Florida Institute of Technology is launching a new online graduate degree program in Fall 2014 that is designed for adult working professionals in public, private or military aviation-related professions where advanced, graduate-level knowledge of aviation management concepts is a key to success. The Aviation Management degree prepares individuals for advanced leadership positions in the public, private, or military aviation sectors through specific skills and competencies training in aviation management. (Florida Tech image) The new degree, Master of Science in Aviation - Aviation Management, is offered by Florida Tech's College of Aeronautics and is a companion degree to the college's Master's in Aviation Safety and Master's in Human Factors in Aeronautics degrees, which are also available online. The Aviation Management degree prepares individuals for advanced leadership positions in the public, private, or military aviation sectors through specific skills and competencies training in aviation management. People interested in a wide range of aviation management applications, including airport managers, airport operations officers, and those in corporate investigative positions in government or private organizations, would find this degree meaningful. The program benefits of this 30-credit, non-thesis program include its online convenience and access to experienced, professional faculty, said Korhan Oyman, dean of the College of Aeronautics. "This online master's degree provides an outstanding opportunity for aviation professionals worldwide to benefit from Florida Tech's superior online delivery expertise and unsurpassed aviation management curricula," Oyman said. For information on admission requirements and curriculum information, please visit fit.edu/programs and click on "Aviation-Aviation Management Online." For information about graduation admissions, please contact the Florida Tech Graduate Admissions Office of Online Learning at gradadm-olocp@fit.edu or by calling 321-674- 8271. For academic program information, please visit the College of Aeronautics at coa.fit.edu or call 321-674-8120. http://spacecoastdaily.com/2014/06/florida-tech-launches-new-graduate-aviation- degree/ Back to Top Upcoming Events: Gulf Flight Safety Council Doha, Qatar 22nd of June 2014 membership@gfsc.aero 6th Annual Aviation Human Factors & SMS Seminar June 24th & 25th 2014 Dallas, TX www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?EventID=1384474 21st Century Pilot Reliability Certification Workshop June 30th and July 1st, 2014 Hasbrouck Heights, NJ 07605 Please contact Kacy Schwartz kacy@convergentperformance.com 719-481-0530 International System Safety Society Annual Symposium 04-08AUG2014 - St. Louis, MO http://issc2014.system-safety.org Curt Lewis