FAA Proposes $230,000 Civil Penalty against Continental Airlines

FORT WORTH, Texas — The Federal Aviation Administration is proposing a civil penalty of $230,000 against Continental Airlines Inc., of Houston for allegedly operating a Boeing 767 on 22 revenue flights when it was not in compliance with Federal Aviation Regulations.

The FAA alleges that on Aug. 12, 2008, Continental replaced the nose landing gear wheel and tire assembly on a B-767, but failed to install the required axle washer despite warnings in the maintenance manual and on the tire assembly itself. The warning said failing to install the washer could lead to failure of the wheel bearing.

FAA inspectors discovered the violation during a records check and noted three identical earlier violations.

Continental has 30 days from receipt of the civil penalty letter to respond to the agency.

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Contact photographer Darren Wilson

What: Flybe de Havilland Dash 8-400 en route from Manchester to Bournemouth
Where: Manchester
When: Jul 25 2010
Who: 40 passengers
Why: While en route, the pilot announced to the passengers they were undergoing a technical problem. That problem worsened, and eventually necessitated shutting down one engine and returning to Manchester. Passengers were provided a flight to Southampton, and a bus to Bournemouth.

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Air Methods Corporation Confirms Fatal Accident in Arizona
07/28/10
DENVER, Jul 28, 2010
Air Methods Corporation reported that a Eurocopter AS350 helicopter based in Douglas, Arizona crashed Wednesday afternoon at approximately 1:40 p.m. MST in Tucson, Arizona. The paramedic, flight nurse, and pilot on board the aircraft received fatal injuries. No patients were on board the aircraft at the time of the accident. The aircraft was operated in support of the company’s LifeNet Arizona program.

Company officials are en route to the area. Representatives from the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the accident with full cooperation and support from the Company.

“This is a sad day for all of us at Air Methods and we extend our heartfelt sympathy to the family and friends of our employees who perished while on duty,” said Aaron Todd, chief executive officer of Air Methods Corporation.
This news release was distributed by GlobeNewswire, www.globenewswire.com
SOURCE: Air Methods Corporation
CONTACT: Air Methods Corporation
Aaron D. Todd, Chief Executive Officer
(303) 792-7413

Medevac Crash

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Pictured: A LifeNet Eurocopter AS-350B-3 Ecureuil. The one in the crash is
registration # N509AM
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Contact photographer David J Transier

What: AirMethods American Eurocopter AS 350B3 Ecureuil en route from Marana to Southeast Arizona Medical Center
Where: Near Park and 1st Avenue, Tucson, Arizona
When: July 28, 2010, 2 pm
Who: pilot, flight nurse and paramedic
Why: On a medical helicopter service LifeNet Arizona flight, the crew had recently spoken to ATC when the helicopter crashed in a residential neighborhood behind a house. A witness said the pilot directed the helicopter away from the house; and that the engine made “popping noises” before it went silent. It’s rotors stopped, and it fell from the sky. No patients were aboard, but the crew died on the scene.

Video

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Contact photographer Galen Burrows

What: Air Canada de Havilland Dash 8-300 en route from Vancouver,BC to Kelowna,BC
Where: Vancouver
When: Jul 25th 2010
Who: 35 aboard
Why: While en route after takeoff, observers witnessed a piece of the plane fall off the plane and on to the runway. The part was determined to be a hydraulic hand pump handle. The decision was made to continue to Kelowna, where the plane landed safely and was examined.

Maintenance discovered the right engine nacelle missing. After maintenance, on return to Vancouver, the missing parts were replaced.

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What: Mauritania Airways Boeing 737-700 en route from Nouakchott to Dakar Senegal to Conakry
Where: Conakry
When: Jul 28th 2010, 1:30 am
Who: 91 passengers and 6 crew, ten injuries.
Why: While landing in Conakry Guinea in heavy rain, the pilot landed halfway down the runway, resulting in an overran; they came to a dead stop off the tarmac in scrub land.

Passengers evacuated via emergency services. Reports vary, but between 2 and 12 had minor injuries.

Mauritania Airways is 51% owned by Tunisair; 49% by investors and the Mauritanian government.

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WASHINGTON — NASA selected Orbital Sciences Corp.’s, Technical Services Division in Greenbelt, Md., for the agency’s Sounding Rockets Operations contract. The total value of this indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity cost-plus incentive fee contract is $310 million. The period of performance is five years.

Orbital Sciences will coordinate and implement NASA’s overall Sounding Rockets Program and provide services and supplies as necessary to complete individual missions and projects. Services include designing, fabricating, integrating, and performing flight qualification testing of sub-orbital payloads; providing launch
vehicles and associated hardware; and conducting various activities associated with subsequent mission launch operations.

Additional services to be provided under the contract may also include special engineering and technical support, education and outreach activities, and environmental studies.

The majority of the work will be done at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, which manages the agency’s sounding rocket program.

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July 28 – Pilots can fly into Wittman Regional Airport this week for the EAA AirVenture Fly-In knowing that the FAA is working to keep U.S. runways safe.

The U.S. aviation system continues to see a decrease in the number and severity of surface incidents and runway incursions. The FAA recorded a 50 percent decrease in the number of serious runway incursions in fiscal year 2009, compared to the previous year. Considering the amount of activity on U.S. runways — the many takeoffs and landings and the movement of vehicles and people across runways — this is great progress. But there is always more we can do. The FAA’s Runway Safety Program continues to work closely with domestic and international aviation stakeholders to keep improving runway safety and to reduce the number of incursions.

The Next Generation Air Transportation System or NextGen already is playing a role in runway safety. Technology such as ADS-B, ASDE-X, and Runway Status Lights will continue to make runways even safer.

The FAA is also keenly focused on working with general aviation pilots on runway safety issues, because GA pilots are involved in nearly 80 percent of runway incursions. The agency is working with the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) to reach its more than 400,000 member pilots and flight instructors. It also has launched national runway safety promotional campaigns aimed at pilots and vehicle drivers. One is called “If You Cross the Line, You’ve Crossed the Line,” highlighting the dangers of unsafe taxiing or driving. The FAA and AOPA also have created online courses to educate pilots on runway safety.

In 2007, after 25 serious incursions, the FAA launched a Call to Action with aviation leaders from airlines, airports, air traffic control and pilot unions, and aerospace manufacturers to address runway safety issues. As a result, the FAA agreed to expedite the installation of new technology at airports, the airlines developed better surface training programs for pilots, and the airports agreed to speed up improvements in signage and markings.

The FAA also hosted the first International Runway Safety Summit with participants from 17 countries. In large part, the summit focused on improving communication between pilots and controllers, a significant factor in international runway safety. Soon after that, the FAA implemented new phraseology to align with International Civil Aviation Organization standards

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July 28, 2010
MEDIA ADVISORY:

HOUSTON — NASA managers will discuss an upcoming spacewalk at the
International Space Station during a news briefing at 1 p.m. CDT on
Tuesday, Aug. 3.

Expedition 24 Flight Engineers Doug Wheelock and Tracy Caldwell Dyson
are scheduled to perform a 6.5-hour spacewalk on Aug. 5. The two NASA
astronauts will outfit the Russian Zarya module for future robotics
work and prepare the station for the installation of a new U.S.
permanent multipurpose module.

The news briefing on the spacewalk will take place at NASA’s Johnson
Space Center in Houston. It will air live on NASA Television and the
agency’s website. Journalists may ask questions from participating
NASA locations.

The briefers are:
- Dan Hartman, Integration and Mission Operations manager,
International Space Station Program
- Courtenay McMillan, Expedition 24 spacewalk flight director

NASA TV coverage of the spacewalk will begin at 5 a.m. on Aug. 5.
Wheelock and Caldwell Dyson are expected to begin the spacewalk from
the Quest airlock at 5:55 a.m. It will be Wheelock’s fourth spacewalk
and Caldwell Dyson’s first.

For NASA TV streaming video, schedules and downlink information,
visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

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Contact photographer Richard Vandervord

What: AirBlue Airbus A321-200 en route from Karachi to Islamabad Pakistan
Where: Margalla Hills about 10nm north of Islamabad
When: Jul 28th 2010
Who: 146 passengers and 6 crew
Why: While on approach to Islamabad in poor weather conditions during monsoon rain and low visibility, radio contact was lost (at 09:45) and the plane impacted the terrain.

Helicopters flew into the mountainous area, which is difficult to access. Initial reports were that there were no survivors then helicopters were reported to have flown five survivors to hospitals. Six bodies have been recovered including the pilot but there are no survivors (in spite of the video report.)

Video

Airbus Press Release

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First Release
28 July 2010

Airbus regrets to confirm that an Airbus A321 operated by airblue was involved in an accident shortly after 9.45 am local time. The aircraft was operating a scheduled service, Flight ED 202, from Karachi to Islamabad, Pakistan.

The aircraft involved in the accident, registered under AP-BJB, was MSN (Manufacturer Serial Number) 1218, initially delivered from the production line in 2000. The aircraft is leased to airblue in January 2006. The aircraft had accumulated approximately 34,000 flight hours in some 13,500 flights. It was powered by IAE V2533 engines. At this time no further factual information is available.

In line with international convention, Airbus will provide full technical assistance to the Authorities of Pakistan, who will be responsible for the investigation into the accident.

The A321 is a twin-engine single-aisle seating 185 passengers in a standard two-class configuration. The first A321 entered service in January 1994. To date, some 610 A321’s are in service with nearly 70 operators. The entire fleet has accumulated some 10.6 million flight hours in some 5.8 million flights. The A321 is part of the A320 Family which has achieved over 50 million take offs and landings since the first model, the A320, entered commercial service in 1988. Today, more than 4,300 aircraft are in operations to some 310 customers and operators worldwide.

Airbus will make further factual information available as soon as the details have been confirmed.

The concerns and sympathy of the Airbus employees go to the families, friends and loved ones affected by the accident of Flight ED 202.

* * *

For further information, please contact:
AIRBUS – MEDIA RELATIONS
Tel.: (33) 05.61.93.10.00

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National Transportation Safety Board
Washington, DC 20594

The National Transportation Safety Board is dispatching a team of investigators to assist the government of Saudi Arabia with its investigation of today’s cargo airplane accident in Riyadh.

At about 11:38 a.m. local time today, a Lufthansa MD-11(D-ALCQ) freighter crashed while landing at the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. The two crewmembers on
board survived the accident. Flight 8460 originated in Frankfurt.

NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman has designated Senior Air Safety Investigator Bill English as the U.S. Accredited Representative. The U.S. team will also include NTSB flight operations specialists, an NTSB aircraft systems specialist, and technical advisors from the Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing.

The investigation is being conducted by Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation
(http://www.gaca.gov.sa/GACA/Home.aspx?l=EN), which will release all information on the progress of the investigation.

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What: Lufthansa Cargo MD-11 freighter
Where: King Khaled International Airport, Riyadh
When: July 27 2010
Who: piloted by 2 German crewmembers
Why: Observers report seeing smoke coming from the plane as it approached the runway. On landing, the plane burst into flames in the mid-section where the hull broke. The plane split in two and collapsed.

The pilot and copilot have been hospitalized. No deaths are reported, but the plane is a total loss. It was carrying 80 tons of freight.

The Lufthansa press release on the crash is titled “Lufthansa Cargo plane crash in Riyadh, 27 Jul 2010.”

“According to the latest reports, a Lufthansa Cargo MD-11 freighter crashed this morning at 11.38 a.m. (local time) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The aircraft, coded Flight LH 8460, was on a flight to Riyadh from Frankfurt, Germany. The plane was piloted by a two-man crew, according to initial reports. Both pilots are being treated in hospital. On board Flight LH 8460 were 80 tonnes of freight. It is not yet known exactly what type of freight it was or which customers are affected. The cause of the accident is still being investigated. At the moment, we have no further details. We will communicate any further information immediately. Updates are also available at www.lufthansa-cargo.com.The next press release will be published at 2 p.m. CET.”

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Violating regulations on bumping passengers from overbooked flights has landed Delta’s subsidiary Comair a $275,000 fine from the Department of Transportation.

Federal rules require that overbooked flights seek volunteers to give up their seats for compensation, and if no volunteers are found, a written statement must be provided, along with financial compensation.

Comair filed inaccurate reports regarding how many passengers were denied boarding.

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FAA RELEASE:

If you’re in Oshkosh for EAA AirVenture, be sure and stop by the FAA Aviation Safety Center (next to the FAA control tower). This is where you can learn more about how the FAA is here to help you. There are exhibits on a host of aviation topics, from aircraft certification, air traffic control, and aerospace medicine, to the Next Generation Air Transportation System, runway safety, and the FAA Safety Team’s WINGS pilot proficiency program.

The safety education forums held at the Aviation Safety Center cover such topics as “Aeronautical Decision Making,” “Surface Safety,” and “VFR Charts, Little Known Facts.”

For more information on EAA AirVenture, go to www.airventure.org. You can also download a copy of the full FAA Aviation Safety Center schedule

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Contact photographer AviaStar

What: Delta Airlines Airbus A320-200 en route from Orlando to Las Vegas
Where: McCarran International Airport
When: Jul 23rd 2010
Why: On landing in Las Vegas, a main gear tire had a flat. No injuries were reported, but apparently the plane’s right wing was also damaged in the landing.

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What: Pinnacle Airlines Canadair CRJ-200 en route from Detroit to Ithaca
Where: Ithaca
When: Jul 25th 2010
Why: After landing, the plane struck a deer and received minor damage on the right wing.

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Contact photographer Jova

What: Aeromar ATR-42 en route from Saltillo to Mexico City
Where: Saltillo-Plan de Guadalupe International Airport, Mexico
When: 25-JUL-2020
Who: 38 passengers
Why: 25 minutes into the flight, a windshield cracked. The plane returned and made a safe landing in Saltillo. Passengers were not informed of what was happening until they had already returned to the terminal.

The plane was turned over to maintenance where it took twelve hours to replace the damaged glass. The crack was not due to a bird strike, but was considered “material fatigue.” Passengers waited at the airport for a replacement plane.

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Contact photographer Sven Waerder

What: American Airlines Boeing 767-300 en route from Chicago to Brussels
Where: Chicago
When: Jul 25th 2010,
Who: 274 on board
Why: After takeoff, both engines signified a problem over Ontario. Pilots entered a holding pattern and then landed safely back at O’Hare. No details are available regarding the problem with the engines. Passengers were provided a replacement jet.

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Contact photographer Felix Bahamonde

What: US Airways Boeing 767-200 en route from Charlotte to Philadelphia
Where: Charlotte,NC
When: Jul 23rd 2010
Who: 196 passengers
Why: Passengers had boarded the hot plane, disembarked and reboarded. Finally, after takeoff, a quarter hour into the flight, cabin temperatures had risen to over 110 degrees F. The plane returned to Charlotte and landed safely. Several passengers were hospitalized with heat issues.

No doubt there will be fines.

A replacement jet was provided.

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Contact photographer Olaf Wagner

What: Germanwings Airbus A319-100 en route from Stuttgart to Heraklion
Where: Stuttgart
When: Jul 25th 2010
Why: After takeoff, the Airbus had a bird strike. The pilots returned to Stuttgart where they made a safe landing. A replacement jet was flown in for passengers. There’s no report of the damage, nor if the incident involved ingestion into the engine, or impact only.

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