Flight Safety Information October 23, 2014 - No. 216 In This Issue Pilot in Palos plane crash may have been suffering 'spatial disorientation Vnukovo Airport chiefs resign over Total CEO plane crash In-flight medical calls spike on Ebola fears Tonga works toward upgrading aviation safety system 2 planes damaged after clipping wings at Twin Cities airport before takeoff Man indicted for aiming laser pointer at an aircraft PRISM TO HELP PREPARE FOR E-IOSA Boeing Sells Aircraft Manuals, Navigation Charts to Iran Air Embry-Riddle UAS Challenge Invitation to the 2014 Global FOD Prevention Conference General aviation poised to grow in China Air New Zealand Safety Video Upcoming Events Employment Pilot in Palos plane crash may have been suffering 'spatial disorientation' National Transportation Safety Board investigators and local emergency personnel investigate the site of a small plane crash in the backyard of a Palos Hills neighborhood off of 101st Street. The National Transportation Safety Board issued a preliminary report on the plane crash in Palos Hills that killed three Kansas doctors, but officials said it may take a year or more before air safety investigators determine the cause of the accident. Family and friends of pilot Tausif Rehman and passengers Ali Kanchwala and Maria Javaid, all doctors from Lawrence, Kan., said they were visiting a friend on a spur-of-the-moment trip to Chicago when their plane, a twin-engine Beechcraft Baron, crashed in a field in a residential neighborhood Oct. 12. Victims of plane crash ID'd as 3 Kansas doctors: 'They had the American dream' Victims of plane crash ID'd as 3 Kansas doctors: 'They had the American dream' Lauren Zumbach, Alexandra Chachkevitch While many details are still unknown, including details on Rehman's qualifications and experience as a pilot, the report's description of the plane's brief flight and "marginal visual meteorological conditions" suggests Rehman may have become badly disoriented in the overcast, nighttime conditions, said Fred Schieszer, a professor at University of Central Missouri's Department of Aviation and aircraft accident investigation consultant and expert witness. "You don't have the same sense of balance you normally would while flying," said Schieszer, also a licensed pilot for more than 45 years. Particularly if they can't rely on what they see out the window, a pilot suffering spatial disorientation "might not be able to tell if they're rightside up or upside down," he added. Most private pilots are used to flying and navigating using visual cues such as the horizon or buildings on the ground, he said. The National Transportation Safety Board hasn't yet said whether Rehman had a qualification indicating he could fly by the plane's instruments alone, but even a pilot with that credential could have struggled in the conditions Rehman faced without plenty of recent experience, Schieszer said. Cloud cover would have been too dense to see through at 1,400 feet above the ground, according to ther report, around the height where Rehman appeared to begin having trouble, Schieszer said. Three die when plane crashes in field in Palos Hills The plane, bound for Lawrence, Kan., took off from Midway Airport at about 10:35 p.m. It rose to an altitude of 2,200 feet above sea level when it turned left and began descending, according to the preliminary report, citing radar track information. The plane turned back to the right and continued descending to 1,500 feet, then began climbing again, when it turned left in a full circle before losing radar contact at an altitude of 2,000 feet, according to the report. The plane crashed just five minutes after takeoff and was near vertical when it struck a group of trees in a field in the 10100 block of South 86th Court, the report said. That left circle - the "graveyard spiral" - isn't unusual in plane accidents, Schieszer said. Rotational forces from the engines mean a plane has a natural tendency to turn left and descend, but that left turn creates forces that push a pilot firmly back in their seat, making it feel like the plane is flying stably, he said. If a pilot couldn't see the ground and wasn't paying close attention to the instruments, it's possible they would not be aware anything was wrong, he said. No distress call was sent from the plane, said John Brannen, senior air safety investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board, as authorities began investigating the crash and removing debris the following day. The report noted Rehman hadn't filed a flight plan, but Schieszer said that while it's generally a good idea to do so, it isn't required and he may have intended to file one once en route. The wreckage, which "exhibited severe crushing and fragmentation of all components," was removed from the site for additional investigation, according to the report. Nothing was being ruled out as a potential cause, Brannen said the day after the accident. "Accidents are rarely due to one thing," Schieszer said. "Perhaps there are things that might suggest he could have made better decisions, but the pilot did nothing wrong." Palos Hills police Deputy Chief James Boie said it was "very fortunate" the plane did not damage any homes. Matthew Wills, a neurosurgeon at the Stormont-Vail HealthCare center in Topeka, Kan., where Rehman, a neurosurgeon, and Kanchwala, a pulmonologist, both worked, said Rehman was a passionate pilot who flew his Beechcraft Baron weekly and had never mentioned any accidents or close calls. Like surgery, flying required technical expertise, Wills said. "There are steps, a mastery to it, and I think that appealed to him," Wills said. "It was the No. 1 thing he talked about short of neurosurgery," Wills said, adding that Rehman had been to Midway Airport before and "knew the territory." Kent Palmberg, senior vice president and chief medical officer at Stormont-Vail HealthCare, said he'd heard the plane crashed into a vacant lot surrounded by homes. "It's hard for any of us to understand those last few minutes, but I know if he had any control over that plane and ability to avoid more harm to more people, he would have done it," Palmberg said. "I like to think they probably did try to save lives in those last few minutes." http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/palos/ct-palos-plane-crash-report-tl-ssw-20141021-story.html Back to Top Vnukovo Airport chiefs resign over Total CEO plane crash Vladimir Martynenko, the snowplow driver The head and deputy-head of Vnukovo Airport have resigned, the airport's press service announced amid the ongoing investigation into the plane crash that killed Total CEO Christophe de Margerie and three crewmembers. "Due to the tragic events on the night of October 20 to 21, the head of the Vnukovo International Airport, Andrey Diakov, and deputy head, Lieutenant-General of Aviation in Reserve Sergey Solntsev, have resigned. The resignations have been accepted," said a statement. Along with the airport leaderships' resignations, the provisional director of the airport, the head of the operation unit in the airfield and leading airfield maintenance engineer have been suspended, added the press service. Vnukovo Airport is doing everything possible to ensure the tragedy is quickly and objectively investigated, said the press service, adding that despite the ongoing investigation the airport is still operating. First video: Total CEO's Falcon 50 plane crash site in Vnukovo Airport Earlier four Vnukovo Airport employees, the leading airfield maintenance engineer Vladimir Ledenev, flight operations director Roman Dunayev, trainee air traffic controller Svetlana Krivsun and air traffic controller Aleksandr Kruglov, have been taken for interrogation. The spokesman from Russia's Investigative Committee Vladimir Markin said the investigators didn't find alcohol in the blood of these four Vnukovo employees. "All of them are suspected that they didn't provide the security requirements of the flights and for failing to conduct ground checks that led to the tragedy," added Markin. Snowplow driver proved drunk during accident Vladimir Martynenko, the snowplow driver whose machine collided with the Falcon plane of Total CEO, was arrested on Thursday after an investigation established he was drunk at the time of the accident. He will be detained till December 21. He had a 0.06 percent blood alcohol level (which corresponds to 100 grams of vodka), said Markin. Total CEO plane crash plow driver drank liquor-laced coffee - reports Vladimir Martynenko.(RIA Novosti / Alexander Karabanov)Vladimir Martynenko.(RIA Novosti / Alexander Karabanov) After the court hearing Martynenko's lawyer, Aleksandr Karabanov said that he would appeal the court's decision in Moscow State Court. "Today we heard an act of violence towards a man. The court didn't take into consideration Martynenko's state of health, his flawless reputation and his readiness to collaborate with investigation," he said. Total CEO crash: Investigators say snowplow driver 'drunk', lawyer rejects claim Karabanov earlier said Martynenko suffers from an acute heart condition and does not drink at all. http://rt.com/news/198368-four-detained-vnukovo-total/ Back to Top In-flight medical calls spike on Ebola fears (Reuters) - As a doctor who advises flight crews about medical issues that crop up in the air, Paulo Alves has heard a lot about Ebola lately. Alves' company, MedAir, has received a spike in calls reflecting overblown fears of Ebola, he told a business aviation conference on Wednesday. A passenger from Papua New Guinea in the Pacific Ocean, north of Australia, triggered a call by flight personnel who seized on the word Guinea, one of the West African countries suffering from the deadly virus that has also broken out in Liberia and Sierra Leone, Alves said. Another call resulted from a man who told crew his wife needed a "favor" which they misheard as "fever." Alves, who formerly worked as medical director at Varig Airlines in Brazil, advocated exit screening for people leaving countries with infectious diseases, even after the current Ebola epidemic in West Africa passes. It should be considered "business as usual" to contain diseases to their countries of origin, and is more effective than screening passengers on arrival, he said The discussion, hastily added to the agenda, drew a standing-room only crowd at the conference, organized by the National Business Aviation Association. Amid talk of rising jet sales and new aircraft types, the panel of experts urged that programs to screen passengers before they leave a country be made permanent. Alves, who fields medical inquiries from aircraft in flight and ships at sea, said exit screening is difficult to do effectively in countries with poor medical care, because people are tempted to lie about their condition to reach better medical care elsewhere. Quay Snyder, chief executive officer at Aviation Medicine Advisory Service, which advises airline unions on medical issues, said it was important to keep the West African outbreak in perspective. Ordinary influenza kills many thousands of people a year, and in light of that, U.S. government policies to protect the public from Ebola are "very reasonable," he added. http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/22/us-ebola-businessjets-idUSKCN0IB2R420141022 Back to Top Tonga works toward upgrading aviation safety system Tonga's Civil Aviation Authority with the assistance of the Pacific Aviation Safety Office PASO is currently working toward upgrading its Civil Aviation Safety System to be in line with safety standard demanded by the International Civil Aviation Organization ICAO. A report, with recommendations for action by a working group that is made up of personnel from the Pacific Aviation Safety Office PASO, and the Tonga Civil Aviation Authority will be presented to the Prime Minister, Lord Tu'ivakano tomorrow, Friday. Ringo Fa'oliu, Tonga's director of Civil Aviation told Matangi Tonga yesterday, 22 October that ICAO has given Tonga until the end of December to get its Civil Aviation Safety System up to ICAO standard. Ringo was confidence that work toward achieving ICAO safety standard would be in an upbeat after tomorrow. "If we will move on to the next stage of recertification during the coming weeks, we hope somebody could help when we stop one aircraft but allow another to fly. We have to take them off the air one by one," said Ringo. There is a need to upgrade Tonga's Civil Aviation Safety System before the end of December. Ringo was optimistic that if they are committed to upgrading the safety system ICAO could give Tonga an extension. The standard of Tonga's Civil Aviation Safety System became an issue last year after the New Zealand government issue an advisory notice to New Zealand nationals who are visiting Tonga, over a Chinese made MA60 aircraft that Tonga certified for its domestic air services. New Zealand, Australia, and other countries do not certifiy the MA60 aircraft. In July this year, the Tonga Civil Aviation informed ICAO that it was going to certify a Chinese made Y12 aircraft. The response from ICAO was for Tonga to upgrade its aviation safety certification legal framework, and for Tonga to address its lack of aviation engineering competency. Following on from these demands by ICAO Tonga has been desperately trying to keep its domestic air service in operation but at the same time raise the standard of its Civil Aviation Safety System. A rumor that New Zealand has downgraded its advisory warning to New Zealand nationals who are visiting New Zealand, according to Ringo was a joke. He said that what New Zealand did was delete the MA60 from its advisory notice. http://matangitonga.to/2014/10/23/tonga-works-toward-upgrading-aviation-safety-system Back to Top 2 planes damaged after clipping wings at Twin Cities airport before takeoff MINNEAPOLIS - Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport officials say two planes have been damaged after their wings collided while preparing for takeoff. An airport spokesman says the Delta Air Lines planes clipped their wings Wednesday night at Minneapolis- St. Paul International Airport after leaving their gates and getting ready to take off. A Delta 757 was bound for Los Angeles and an Embraer E175 was headed to Louisville, Kentucky. The spokesman says there were no injuries. The planes returned to their gates and the flights were delayed. It's unclear what caused the collision. http://www.startribune.com/local/280154742.html Back to Top Man indicted for aiming laser pointer at an aircraft RALEIGH - United States Attorney Thomas G. Walker announces that a federal grand jury in Raleigh, North Carolina returned an indictment charging CHRISTOPHER LEE FUNK, 34, with knowingly aiming the beam of a laser pointer at an aircraft in flight (a helicopter), in violation of the provisions of Title 18, United States Code, Section 39A. If convicted, the maximum penalty for this charge is 5 years imprisonment followed by 3 years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is considered innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. The case is being investigated by the Oak Island Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Eric D. Goulian is prosecuting the case for the government. http://www.jdnews.com/jdnewstream/man-indicted-for-aiming-laser-pointer-at-an-aircraft-1.390264 Back to Top Back to Top Boeing Sells Aircraft Manuals, Navigation Charts to Iran Air Boeing Co. said Wednesday it sold aircraft manuals, drawings, navigation charts and data to Iran Air using a license issued by the U.S. Treasury Department. The Chicago-based company, which posted strong quarterly earnings, said in a securities filing that it disclosed the sales to Iran Air as required by U.S. sanctions law. "Disclosure is required even if the activities, transactions or dealings were conducted in compliance with applicable law," the company noted in the filing. Boeing said it generated about $120,000 in gross revenue and $12,000 in profit from the sales, and it may engage in additional sales to Iran Air under the license. The company said it applied for the license from the U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control, using guidance issued by Washington connected to an interim nuclear deal between Iran and global powers. That deal expires next month; negotiations for a longer-term deal are ongoing. The disclosure was earlier reported by Reuters, which said it was the first acknowledged dealings between a U.S. aerospace company and Iran since 1979. http://blogs.wsj.com/riskandcompliance/2014/10/22/boeing-sells-aircraft-manuals-navigation-charts-to- iran-air/ Back to Top Embry-Riddle UAS Challenge We're holding another Challenge at the Wings Over Houston Airshow, 1-2 Nov 14 and would appreciate any publicity you would offer. Below is our official press release and the registration/rule info is located at: http://worldwide.erau.edu/Assets/worldwide/data/Houston%20UAS%20Challenge.pdf Back to Top Invitation to the 2014 Global FOD Prevention Conference 2014 Global FOD Prevention Conference Birds, Bolts, Budgets - Tracking the Dangers of Foreign Objects and What We Can Do About It The 2014 Global FOD Conference will take place at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on 2 December 2014. You can purchase tickets for the event at www.stopfod.com. Diverse and distinguished speakers from all parts of the aviation industry will discuss problems that airports face with FOD and their implications to flight safety and airport operations. The discussions will cover the FOD problems and potential mitigating measures from a variety of perspectives, including that of regulators, airport operators, media analysts, insurers, technological experts and finance. Participants will have a number of opportunities to network and share experiences and practices with the speakers and other representatives. Keynote speaker: Christopher Hart NTSB Acting Chairman http://www.ntsb.gov/about/bio_hart.html Please visit www.stopfod.com to learn more about the conference. There are limited seats available, we encourage participants to register early to avoid disappointment. Limited Sponsorship Opportunities available. We look forward to seeing you at the 2014 Global FOD Conference! www.stopfod.com Back to Top General aviation poised to grow in China Personal-aircraft sales and the general-aviation market in China are poised to grow as the country eases restrictions that have hampered the industry, according to aircraft manufacturers. In particular, new rules on flight permit procedures and low-altitude airspace management - 1,000 meters or below -- are likely to open a new chapter for general aviation in the country, they said. General aviation typically refers to relatively small, privately owned - and often business-related - aircraft, in contrast to commercial airliners or military planes. China initiated new flight approval procedures in 2013. Under the new regulations, general aviation flights no longer need advance applications and approvals from authorities except in special circumstances such as flying through restricted zones and conducting aerial photography of military facilities. Andrew Ponzoni, senior communications manager for Dassault Falcon told China Daily Wednesday that this has helped to boost general aviation activities in the country.Before the new regulations, business travelers sometimes had to wait two to three weeks to obtain a permit to fly from Shanghai to Beijing, for example. "That wasn't very conducive for effective business travel,"said Ponzoni. "Travel that can get a person from one location to another quickly is an essential element in today's business world." Ponzoni said that Dassault is proof of the potential for the general aviation market in China."In 2006 we sold our first plane in China. By 2011, China represented our largest worldwide market for new aircraft sales," he said. He said China is now the second largest market for sales of his company's top-of-the-line business jet, the Falcon 7X, behind the US. Dassault said sales in China were so strong the company relocated its international sales office to Beijing in 2010. Shortly after Dassault began to build a customer-service infrastructure in the country that includes a service center and a parts warehouse in Shanghai. Restrictions on use of low-altitude airspace have limited the development of the general aviation industry in China as most civil flights operate in the low-altitude airspace below 1,000 meters.A new regulation for low-altitude airspace management that is expected to ease restrictions for private aircraft use of airspace is expected to be unveiled by the end of the year in China. While that will be a positive step for general aviation, Steve Cass, vice-president of technical marketing and communications for Gulfstream Aerospace Corp, said more needs to be done. "The Chinese authorities recently opened up the low-altitude airspace, which is a positive step for general aviation. Unfortunately, this improvement doesn't help most business jets like Gulfstream that cruise up to 15,000 meters. Gulfstream continues to work with the CAAC (Civil Aviation Administration of China) and other government authorities to address the airspace regulations at the higher altitudes. Relaxing airspace restrictions at the higher altitudes will lead to more direct routings and will enable our aircraft to operate at optimum altitudes for greater fuel efficiency," he said in an email statement to China Daily. Cass said one way to expand general aviation in China is to create small general aviation airports and provide more slots at larger commercial airports. "One of the major benefits of general aviation is to have the flexibility to depart at your own schedule. Right now, operators are adapting their flight schedules to accommodate the limited number of departure slots," he said. Cass said Gulfstream recognizes the need for maintenance facilities to service the growing number of private aircraft in China. Gulfstream has established the first company-owned maintenance facility at the Beijing Capital Airport to support the more than 130 Gulfstream aircraft based in the China region. Cass said Gulfstream continues to build its presence in China. "We have sales and sales support offices in both Beijing and Hong Kong. We have established a product support office in Hong Kong with a customer service call center and a parts distribution warehouse. We have also worked closely with Flight Safety International to open the first G450 / G550 flight simulator in the region," he said. Airbus Helicopters, the world's largest civil helicopter manufacturer, said it expects China to become its biggest global market within six years, according to a Reuters report on Tuesday. http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2014-10/23/content_18789151.htm Back to Top Air New Zealand Safety Video The Most Epic Safety Video Ever Made #airnzhobbit Back to Top Upcoming Events: ERAU UAS Challenge November 1-2, 2014 Houston, TX http://worldwide.erau.edu/Assets/worldwide/data/Houston%20UAS%20Challenge.pdf IASS 2014 Abu Dhabi, UAE November 11-13, 2014 http://flightsafety.org/meeting/iass-2014 ERAU SMS Seminars Daytona Beach, FL Nov. 17-18 & 19-21, 2014 www.erau.edu/sms ICAEA-ANAC-CIPE Aviation English Workshop. Buenos Aires, Argentina. International Civil Aviation English Association Workshop, hosted by Argentina ANAC and CIPE. "Skills and competencies needed in aviation communications: The Latin American Challenge." Open to anyone interested in aviation English. Nov. 20-21, 2014. www.icaea.aero 2014 Global FOD Prevention Conference Birds, Bolts, Budgets - Tracking the Dangers of Foreign Objects and What We Can Do About It Reagan National Airport 2 December 2014 www.stopfod.com ERAU UAS FUNDAMENTALS COURSE December 9 - 11, 2014 ERAU Daytona Beach Campus, FL www.daytonabeach.erau.edu/uas A3IR CON 2015 January 16-17, 2015 Phoenix, AZ http://commons.erau.edu/aircon/2015/ Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF) NTSB Training Center, Ashburn, VA March 10-11, 2015 www.acsf.aero/symposium FAA Helicopter Safety Effort three-day safety forum April 21-23, 2015 Hurst, Texas eugene.trainor@faa.gov www.faahelisafety.org IS-BAO Workshop Information and Registration 12 - 13 Nov. 2014 Omaha, Nebraska USA 18 - 19 Nov. 2014 Houston, TX USA 2 - 3 Dec. 2014 Orlando, FL USA 6 - 7 Dec. 2014 Dubai, UAE 13 - 14 Jan. 2015 Baltimore, MD USA https://www.regonline.com/CalendarNET/EventCalendar.aspx?EventID=1592658&view=Month Back to Top Employment: Position Available: Flight and Maintenance Safety Manager www.piedmont-airlines.com/careers/ Curt Lewis