Aviation News, Headlines & Alerts
 
Category: <span>Agency</span>

IATA Releases 2013 Commercial Aviation Safety Performance Statistics

IATA-logoInternational Air Transport Association (IATA) has released the 2013 commercial aviation performance statistics.

According to IATA, more than 3 billion people enjoyed safe air travel last year, through 36.4 million flights. 81 air accidents happened throughout the year, out of which 16 were fatal. The total fatalities in commercial aviation accidents were 210, as compared to 414 in 2012.

Furthermore, the global Western-built jet accident rate for 2013 was 0.41 i.e. one accident per 2.4 million flights. The rate is 14.6% lower than the five year average of 0.48.

The Western-built jet hull loss rate for IATA members remained 0.30 in the year 2013, showing an improvement of 28.6% in the five year average rate of 0.32.

The Director General and CEO of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Tony Tyler has urged the governments and the aviation industry to make combined efforts in order to ensure flight safety. He said that the MH370 case has highlighted the pitfalls in flight tracking technologies. The airline industry, its stakeholders and regulators should make efforts to avoid such accidents in future.

Asiana Airlines Plane Crash Update: Plane was Flying too Slow

sanfranciscoRecent documents released by the federal investigators reveal Asiana Airlines’ stance on the San Francisco plane crash that happened on July 6, last year.

The documents are a part of the report submitted by Asiana Airlines to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). In the report, the airline has acknowledged that the slow speed of plane was probably a cause of accident, and the irregularities in the Boeing 777-200ER’s autothrottle contributed to some extent. The plane’s navigation equipment was showing the autothrottle to be upholding the set speed, when in fact the equipment had disabled the minimum airspeed protection function of the aircraft.

Boeing has maintained in their report submitted to the NTSB that all the components and functions of the aircraft were working properly and did not contribute to the crash.

The incident happened when the flight was en route from Taipei to San Francisco. Three lives were lost while 200 were injured.

Recently Asiana Airlines admitted the pilot was flying too slowly.

The post is an update of:
Breaking News: Asiana Airlines Crash in San Francisco
NTSB Issues Investigative Update on Crash of Asiana Flight 214
Before Crash, Asiana Airlines Told to Revamp
Update on Asiana Crash
Asiana Crash Updated
Asiana Flight 214 Investigative Hearing Postponed
Automated Cockpit Props up Undertrained Pilots


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$325,000 Civil Penalty Against Alfa Chemistry

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is proposing a $325,000 civil penalty against Alfa Chemistry of Stony Brook, New York, for allegedly violating U.S. Department of Transportation Hazardous Materials Regulations.

The FAA alleges that on two separate FedEx cargo flights, Alfa Chemistry shipped undeclared hazardous material that DOT regulations prohibit from being transported on passenger and cargo aircraft. The company allegedly shipped approximately one pint of Acrolein on April 19, 2013 and three additional pints of it on May 23, 2013. Acrolein can become explosive when combined with air and is classified as a toxic/poisonous material and flammable liquid under DOT Hazardous Materials Regulations.

On May 24, 2013, FAA and FedEx personnel tried to inspect the second shipment of Acrolein at the FedEx sort facility in Peabody, Massachusetts, after it began emitting a strong, pungent odor. However, they were unable to examine it because they began to experience coughing fits and extreme eye, nose and throat irritation due to the severity of the odor and vapors coming from the shipment. A FedEx employee had to put on a protective suit to inspect the shipment.

The FAA determined that neither shipment had required shipping papers or emergency response information. The FAA also determined that the May 23, 2013 shipment was not marked, labeled, or packaged as required by the Hazardous Materials Regulations.

Additionally, the FAA determined Alfa Chemistry failed to properly train and test the employees who packaged the Acrolein.

Alfa Chemistry has 30 days from the receipt of the FAA’s enforcement letter to respond to the agency.

$51,651 Civil Penalty Proposed Against AAA Services


The Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration’s proposes a penalty of $51,651 against All American Aviation Services, LLC for FAA drug and alcohol testing regulation violations. All American allowed eight employees in sensitive positions without securing their drug and alcohol testing records, and failed to abide by follow-up testing procedures on two marijuana-positive testees.

One employee who tested positive was excluded from the random testing program, and one employee who failed a test failed to provide the return to duty test result.

The discrepancies came to light during a March 2013 inspection where the company’s antidrug and alcohol misuse prevention program was audited.

Father Dies, Daughter and Schoolmate Injured in Round Lake Plane Crash

single engine

A single-engine small plane en-route from Chicago to St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport crashed on March 22, near McMullen Booth Road and Enterprise Road in Clearwater, Florida.

The 53-year-old pilot, Jeffrey Bronken, was killed in the crash. Katherine Bronken, Jeffrey Bronken’s daughter, and Keyana Linbo, her classmate, both 15-year-olds from Round Lake were injured.

Drivers are advised to avoid the area of McMullen Booth Road and Enterprise Road. The investigation by the Sheriff’s deputies and the FAA is underway.


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Nigerian Airports Still Not Certified by ICAO

Unsatisfactory safety and security arrangements at the Nigerian Airports have halted the certification from the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

A few years ago, Dr Harold Demuren, a former Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) was reported saying that the NCAA could not certify any airport in Nigeria because none of them satisfied the minimum requirements for certification, as set by the ICAO.

According to Chinedu Eze, the Nigerian government must ensure security, in addition to improved infrastructure, at the airports.

To date, no airport in Nigeria has proper security fencing, although some have perimeter fencing.

Single Engine Plane Crashes Near Montrose

Reservoir

Five people are feared dead after a single engine plane crashed in Ridgeway Reservoir Colorado.

The incident happened in the south of Montrose at 1:50 pm on March 22, 2014. The plane was on its way to Montrose regional airport from Oklahoma. Investigators believe that none of the five passengers survived, although no victims have been found yet.

Rescue and search efforts are still in progress, whereas a team of divers is recovering the parts of plane from water. NTSB and FAA will be investigating the incident.

ICAO Statistics Suggest Air Travel Safety Has Enhanced Over the Years

The mysterious disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 has raised many concerns about the air travel safety. However, the global statistics reveal that air travel is becoming safer with time.     International Civil Aviation Organization     

As per the recent statistics released by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), the reported number of fatalities in international flight incidents was 372 in 2012. In 2013, the number reduced to 173.

In Asia alone, the number of fatalities has reduced from 161 in 2012 to 50 in 2013.

The disappeared Malaysian Airlines aircraft, Boeing 777 remained involved in only 1 fatal accident last year i.e. the Asiana Airlines Flight Crash, resulting in 3 deaths.


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Former MD, NTSB Criticizes Malaysia’s Handling of Airplane Disappearance Crisis

According to Peter Goelz ,former managing director of the United States National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Malaysia has not abided by the protocols of the Convention on International Air Transportation, in handling the Malaysia Airlines’ (MAS) MH370 disappearance crisis.

In a recent interview, he regarded Malaysia’s conduct in this case as ‘the worst he has ever seen’.

NTSB Report Blames Clear Air Turbulence for United Airline Flight Injuries

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released the preliminary investigation report on the February 17 incident of United Airlines Flight 1676, flying from Denver-to-Billings, which suddenly started to jolt, injuring many passengers.

According to the report, the airplane was in cruise flying mode at an altitude of 34,000 feet, when it ran into extreme clear air turbulence and resulted in several injuries. The report further elaborates that among 114 passengers and flight crew, 2 were seriously injured while 9 were hospitalized with minor injuries.

The Boeing 737-700 was also damaged and was taken to United maintenance facility in Houston.


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Turbulence Fact sheet

Automation at Fault?


Here’s the question: do pilots rely too much on automation? This question has been on my mind since hearing the parallels between the UPS Cargo jet crash and the Asiana passenger jet crash. This is on my mind not only as one who works toward aviation safety but also as a very frequent flyer. You can only imagine how my work carries me into international situations. I don’t fly as frequently as a pilot, but sometimes I fly internationally several times a month. I am on these planes frequently. I rely on them.

So I find it disturbing that the NTSB’s hearing Thursday revealed parallels between the crash of UPS Flight 1354 and Asiana Filght 214. While I don’t know the answers, I can only hope the investigation shines light on ways to deal with this problem. What is the solution? Less reliance on Automation? Better training for pilots?

On the other side of the coin, some parties will want even more automation, but I am reluctant to go in that direction. The idea of even more reliance on automation is anathema to me because the engineers and advocates of reliance on even more automation will not be on those even-more automated planes. While the technology and/or training will be on the chopping block, their actual necks won’t be.

What I don’t find disturbing is the professionalism of the hearings. The webcast is well worth watching.

The hearing webcast is recorded here: http://ntsb.capitolconnection.org/022014/ntsb_archive_flv.htm

Note the NTSB cautions participants in the hearing not to engage the media and to stick to the facts.

Or the recorded captions (unformatted) are here.
https://airflightdisaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/ntsb022014.htm.pdf

bio docket: https://airflightdisaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/biodocket.pdf


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Safety First: Aviation Lessons Learned

We at Air Flight Disaster are always trying to learn from our mistakes, and your mistakes and everyone’s mistakes. Which is why we would applaud the following Helicopter Expo event “Lessons Learned from Helicopter Accident Investigations” even if Air Safety wasn’t our business.

Pilots and interested parties wanting to learn lessons from recent helicopter accidents should pay attention to the following event:

2014 HAI Rotor Safety Challenge

Event: Lessons Learned from Helicopter Accident Investigations

Date/Time: Monday, February 24, 8:00 am to 12:00 p.m. (PST)

Location: Anaheim Convention Center (Ballroom C, Level 3), 800 W Katella Ave, Anaheim, CA 92802

Participants: Vice Chairman Christopher Hart and NTSB senior air safety investigators

Senior investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board will hold a training session about the lessons that have been learned from several recent helicopter accident investigations at the 2014 Helicopter Association International’s Heli-Expo in Anaheim, Calif., next week.
Investigators will present case studies that emphasize NTSB safety recommendations related to helicopter maintenance, flight simulators, and flight recorders. The case studies will be followed by industry-led panel discussions on best practices in the industry. NTSB Vice Chairman Christopher Hart will provide opening remarks for the session.

The preliminary schedule is posted below:


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FAA Issues Final Rule to Improve Helicopter Safety

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today issued a final rule that requires helicopter operators, including air ambulances, to have stricter flight rules and procedures, improved communications, training, and additional on-board safety equipment. The rule represents the most significant improvements to helicopter safety in decades and responds to government’s and industry’s concern over continued risk in helicopter operations.

“This is a landmark rule for helicopter safety,” said Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “These improvements will better prepare pilots and better equip helicopters, ensuring a higher level of safety for passengers and crew.”

All U.S. helicopter operators, including air ambulances, are required to use stricter flying procedures in bad weather. This will provide a greater margin of safety by reducing the probability of collisions with terrain, obstacles or other aircraft.

Within 60 days, all operators will be required to use enhanced procedures for flying in challenging weather, at night, and when landing in remote locations. Within three years, helicopter air ambulances must use the latest on-board technology and equipment to avoid terrain and obstacles, and within four years, they must be equipped with flight data monitoring systems.

“This rule is a significant advancement in helicopter safety,” said FAA Administrator Michael Huerta. “This rule will help reduce risk and help pilots make good safety decisions through the use of better training, procedures, and equipment.”

Under the new rule, all Part 135 helicopter operators are required to:

  • Equip their helicopters with radio altimeters.
  • Have occupants wear life preservers and equip helicopters with a 406 MHz Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) when a helicopter is operated beyond power-off glide distance from the shore.
  • Use higher weather minimums when identifying an alternate airport in a flight plan.
  • Require that pilots are tested to handle flat-light, whiteout, and brownout conditions and demonstrate competency in recovery from an inadvertent encounter with instrument meteorological conditions.

In addition, under the new rule, all air ambulance operators are required to:

  • Equip with Helicopter Terrain Awareness and Warning Systems (HTAWS).
  • Equip with a flight data monitoring system within four years.
  • Establish operations control centers if they are certificate holders with 10 or more helicopter air ambulances.
  • Institute pre-flight risk-analysis programs.
  • Ensure their pilots in command hold an instrument rating.
  • Ensure pilots identify and document the highest obstacle along the planned route before departure.
  • Comply with Visual Flight Rules (VFR) weather minimums, Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) operations at airports/heliports without weather reporting, procedures for VFR approaches, and VFR flight planning.
  • Conduct the flight using Part 135 weather requirements and flight crew time limitation and rest requirements when medical personnel are on board.
  • Conduct safety briefings or training for medical personnel.

Since August 2004, the FAA has promoted initiatives to reduce risk for helicopter air ambulance operations (See FAA Fact Sheet). While accidents did decline in the years following that effort, 2008 proved to be the deadliest year on record with five accidents that claimed 21 lives. The FAA examined helicopter air ambulance accidents from 1991 through 2010 and determined 62 accidents that claimed 125 lives could have been mitigated by today’s rule. While developing the rule, the FAA considered 20 commercial helicopter accidents from 1991 through 2010 (excluding air ambulances) that resulted in 39 fatalities. From 2011 through 2013, there were seven air ambulance accidents resulting in 19 fatalities and seven commercial helicopter accidents that claimed 20 lives.

The estimated cost of the final rule in present value for the air ambulance industry is $224 million with a total benefit of $347 million over 10 years. The cost for other commercial operators is $19 million with a total benefit of $83 million over 10 years. There is no cost for any operators to use new Class G airspace weather minimums for visual flying but the benefit is $147 million over 10 years.

The rule responds to the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 and National Transportation Safety Board recommendations.

The final rule is on display at the Federal Register.


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Media Availability with NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman

NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman will take questions from the media after today’s investigative hearing on the crash of UPS Airlines Flight 1354, which crashed on approach to Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport on Aug. 14, 2013.
Date/Time: Thursday, Feb. 20, 2014 at 5:45 p.m.EST

Location: Hearing Room A/B, next to the NTSB Boardroom where the hearing is taking place.
Address: 429 L’Enfant Plaza, SW
Washington, DC 20594

Participant: NTSB Board Chairman Hersman

UPS Flight 1354 Agenda and Media Logistics for Investigative Hearing


The National Transportation Safety Board today released the agenda for the investigative hearing on the ongoing investigation into the Aug. 14, 2013 crash of UPS Airlines flight 1354, an Airbus A300-600, on approach to Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport in Birmingham, Ala.

The hearing will be held February 20 at the NTSB’s Board Room and Conference Center at 429 L’Enfant Plaza SW in Washington and begins at 8:30 a.m.

Hearing witnesses, including representatives of the Federal Aviation Administration, Airbus, UPS Airlines, Independent Pilots Association and the Transport Workers Union will testify and answer questions from NTSB Board members, technical staff, and parties about non-precision approaches, human factors and flight dispatch issues. The agenda, list of panel witnesses, biographies and other related information is available at the hearing event page at http://www.ntsb.gov/news/events/2014/ups1354_hearing/index.html

Investigative exhibits for the hearing will be placed in the electronic docket at the start of the hearing and will also be available on the hearing event page once the hearing begins.

NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman will be available to answer questions from the media at the conclusion of the hearing. Additional details about the availability will be included in an advisory on Wednesday.

Television coverage of the proceedings will be by network pool provided by CNN. Escorted cutaway for video media will be permitted for brief periods throughout the hearing. Still photographers will be permitted in the seating area of the Board Room and by escort to areas in front of the witness panels.

Because of construction at and around L’Enfant Plaza, satellite and other media trucks will have to check in for parking and running cable through the construction zone. Please RSVP to eric.weiss@ntsb.gov by Feb. 19. Media access to the Board Room is available beginning at 7:30 a.m.

A media room is also available with tables, chairs and an audio mult box. Generally-accepted media credentials will be required for access to the media room. In addition, a fully equipped overflow room has been established and will serve as a storage area for video equipment during the hearing.

Seating for the general public in the Board Room is on a first-come, first-served basis. The hearing will be webcast live. Access to the webcast can be found at www.ntsb.gov.

===
The National Transportation Safety Board has scheduled an investigative hearing on February 20 into the crash of a UPS Airbus A300-600 on approach to Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport in Birmingham, Ala., on Aug. 14, 2013.

The two flight crew members were killed and the airplane was destroyed when it impacted the ground less than a mile short of Runway 18. The cargo flight had originated from Louisville, Ky. Runway 18 was being used because the main runway at the airport was closed for repairs at the time of the airplane’s arrival.

The one-day hearing will examine:

Execution of non-precision approaches, including initial and recurrent training, adherence to standard operating procedures, and proficiency
Human factors issues associated with effective crew coordination and resource management applicable to this accident, including decision-making, communication, fatigue and fitness for duty, as well as monitoring and cross-checking, policies, standard operating procedures, guidance, and training provided to UPS crewmembers.
Dispatch procedures, including the training, evaluation, roles and responsibilities of UPS dispatchers and the limitations of dispatch-related software.
The investigation is ongoing and this hearing will develop additional facts to support the investigation. The hearing will be held in the NTSB Board Room and Conference Center in Washington, D.C. A detailed agenda and a list of attendees will be forthcoming.

Parties to the hearing will include the Federal Aviation Administration, UPS, Airbus, the Independent Pilots Association and the Transport Workers Union. The accredited representative from the French Bureau d’Enquêtes et d’Analyses pour la sécurité de l’aviation civile (BEA) will participate on the technical panels.

The determination of the probable cause of the crash will be released when the investigation is complete. Just prior to the start of the hearing, the public docket will be opened. Included in the docket are photographs, interview transcripts and other documents.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

NTSB public events are also streamed live via webcast. Webcasts are archived for a period of three months from the time of the meeting. Webcast archives are generally available by the end of the event day for public Meetings, and by the end of the next day for Technical conferences.

If you wish to obtain a copy of NTSB meetings, please contact the NTSB Records Management Division at (202) 314-6551 or 800-877-6799. You may also request this information from the NTSB web site or write the following: National Transportation Safety Board, Records Management Division (CIO-40), 490 L’Enfant Plaza, SW,Washington, DC 20594.

ICAO Safety report

2013 was the safest year ever recorded for international air carriers according to a preliminary report by the ICAO.

Some points:

  • fatalities were down 53.5 from 2012.
  • There were 173 fatalities in 2013
  • There were 372 fatalities in 2012
  • 2013 is the third consecutive year of a decrease in fatalities

The air transport system experienced a marginal overall increase of scheduled commercial departures in 2013 compared to 2012.

Download the official press release


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Revised Safety Rating for India

India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has been notified that the US is downgrading its aviation safety ranking, based on failure to meet the standards of the ICAO. The International Civil Aviation Organization regulates technical, training, inspection, records, airworthiness, and operations standards. The safety downgrade is partially due to a September FAA audit which found 33 DGCA deficiencies including too few experts, maintenance deficits and poor documentation.

India’s being lowered to safety category II means that there will be consequences affecting Air India and Jet Airways Indian flights.

See the release below:

Press release: FAA Announces Revised Safety Rating for India
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today announced that India has been assigned a Category 2 rating under its International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) program, based on a recent reassessment of the country’s civil aviation authority. This signifies that India’s civil aviation safety oversight regime does not currently comply with the international safety standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO); however, the United States will continue to work with India’s Directorate General for Civil Aviation (DGCA) to identify the remaining steps necessary to regain Category 1 status for India. With a Category 2 rating, India’s carriers can continue existing service to the United States, but will not be allowed to establish new service to the United States.

India achieved a Category 1 rating, signifying compliance with ICAO standards, in August 1997. A December 2012 ICAO audit identified deficiencies in the ICAO-set global standards for oversight of aviation safety by India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Subsequently, the FAA began a reassessment of India’s compliance with ICAO standards under the FAA’s IASA program, which monitors adherence to international safety standards and practices. The FAA has consulted extensively with the DCGA and other relevant Indian government ministries during its evaluation, including consultations in India in September and early December, and meetings this week in Delhi.

“U.S. and Indian aviation officials have developed an important working relationship as our countries work to meet the challenges of ensuring international aviation safety. The FAA is available to work with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation to help India regain its Category 1 rating,” said FAA Administrator Michael Huerta.

The Government of India has made significant progress towards addressing issues identified during the September 2013 IASA assessment. On January 20, the Government of India took further steps to resolve outstanding issues when the Indian Cabinet approved the hiring of 75 additional full-time inspectors. The United States Government commends the Indian government for taking these important actions, and looks forward to continued progress by Indian authorities to comply with internationally mandated aviation safety oversight standards.

Additional Background on the FAA’s IASA Program:

As part of the FAA’s IASA program, the agency assesses on a uniform basis the civil aviation authorities of all countries with air carriers that operate or have applied to operate to the United States and makes that information available to the public. The assessments determine whether or not foreign civil aviation authorities are meeting ICAO safety standards, not FAA regulations.

A Category 2 rating means a country either lacks laws or regulations necessary to oversee air carriers in accordance with minimum international standards, or that its civil aviation authority – equivalent to the FAA for aviation safety matters – is deficient in one or more areas, such as technical expertise, trained personnel, record-keeping or inspection procedures.

Countries with air carriers that fly to the United States must adhere to the safety standards of ICAO, the United Nations’ technical agency for aviation that establishes international standards and recommended practices for aircraft operations and maintenance.


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NTSB to Hold Investigative Hearing Into August 2013 UPS A300 crash in Birmingham, Ala.


NTSB to Hold Investigative Hearing Into August 2013 UPS A300 crash in Birmingham, Ala.

Jan. 30, 2014
WASHINGTON – The National Transportation Safety Board has scheduled an investigative hearing on February 20 into the crash of a UPS Airbus A300-600 on approach to Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport in Birmingham, Ala., on Aug. 14, 2013.
The two flight crew members were killed and the airplane was destroyed when it impacted the ground less than a mile short of Runway 18. The cargo flight had originated from Louisville, Ky. Runway 18 was being used because the main runway at the airport was closed for repairs at the time of the airplane’s arrival.
The one-day hearing will examine:
• Execution of non-precision approaches, including initial and recurrent training, adherence to standard operating procedures, and proficiency
• Human factors issues associated with effective crew coordination and resource management applicable to this accident, including decision-making, communication, fatigue and fitness for duty, as well as monitoring and cross-checking, policies, standard operating procedures, guidance, and training provided to UPS crewmembers.
• Dispatch procedures, including the training, evaluation, roles and responsibilities of UPS dispatchers and the limitations of dispatch-related software.
The investigation is ongoing and this hearing will develop additional facts to support the investigation. The hearing will be held in the NTSB Board Room and Conference Center in Washington, D.C. A detailed agenda and a list of attendees will be forthcoming.
Parties to the hearing will include the Federal Aviation Administration, UPS, Airbus, the Independent Pilots Association and the Transport Workers Union. The accredited representative from the French Bureau d’Enquêtes et d’Analyses pour la sécurité de l’aviation civile (BEA) will participate on the technical panels.
The determination of the probable cause of the crash will be released when the investigation is complete. Just prior to the start of the hearing, the public docket will be opened. Included in the docket are photographs, interview transcripts and other documents.

Life Jacket with AirPocket Can Save Lives


The Lifejacket Airpocket Plus (LAP) combined lifejacket and hybrid rebreather is a lifesaver. Imagine a life jacket that lets you breathe air. Genius, right? I’ve seen too many helicopter crashes to and from oil rigs. Some of those fatalities should be preventable. This hybrid life jacket would really come in handy to have on a Super Puma helicopter plunging into the North Sea, or the Gulf of Mexico. I hope I’m never in that situation, but if I am, you can bet I’ll be wearing one, and I’ll have read the directions.

A couple of lives may not have been saved with it simply because of directions.

A rebreather is an apparatus that absorbs the carbon dioxide of exhaled breath to permit the recycling of available oxygen. The hybrid unit is a little something extra.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) believes the instructions on how to use this device need to include the information that the rebreather has an air supply; so if someone is in the middle of drowning, they don’t have to be going down with a last breath of air. The rebreather already has some. It’s not like a scuba diving tank with loads of air, but hey, it’s a way to breathe if you’re submerged in a helicopter and don’t have gills. What if all you need is just enough air to keep you alive to get the seatbelt off, or to swim out of an opening? That’s some precious air, all right.

So kudos to the revised pre-flight briefing material. Even if it is a knee-jerk reaction after another tragic helicopter crash, good idea AAIB.


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Slow ID in November 2013 LAM Crash

Identification of the remains of those aboard the LAM Embraer-190 that crashed en route from Maputo to Luanda is moving at a snails pace. Sixteen of the 33 fatalities have been identified, mostly, according to police reports, by fingerprint evidence.

The scientists who are making the identification are working with fragments.

I am not a scientist, and it does not appear that the scientists in this case are using DNA identification. But I did uncover an article here where a forensic scientist explicitly lists the time it takes for DNA identification. This reference might prove useful in providing some kind of framework to the families who are waiting for remains of their recently lost family members to be identified if the Mozambique investigation turns to DNA identification. The families have been waiting since the date of the crash, 29 November 2013.

The cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and the flight data recorder (FDR), were recovered from the crash site within four days of the crash. But the preliminary report only says:

NTSB Identification: DCA14RA018
Accident occurred Saturday, November 30, 2013 in Rundu, Namibia
Aircraft: EMBRAER ERJ190 – UNDESIGNAT, registration:
Injuries: 33 Fatal.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. The foreign authority was the source of this information.

The Namibia Ministry of Works and Transport (MWT) has notified the NTSB of an accident involving an Embraer ERJ-190 that occurred on November 30, 2013. The NTSB has appointed a U.S. Accredited Representative to assist the MWT investigation under the provisions of ICAO Annex 13 as the State of Manufacturer and Design of the engines.

All investigative information will be released by the MWT.

Read more

Read more


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NTSB PARTICIPATING IN JAPAN’S INVESTIGATION OF B-787 BATTERY SMOKE EVENT

A maintenance crew observed a Japan Air Lines Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner at Tokyo-Narita Airport with white smoke coming from the lithium-ion batteries when one of eight cells started leaking. The euphemism used by the media was “venting gas.” No passengers were aboard and the plane was parked undergoing maintenance when it occurred but 158 passengers scheduled to fly on it were provided a different plane.

Press Release
The National Transportation Safety Board will participate in the investigation of a smoke event involving the main battery of a Japan Airlines B-787 that occurred while the aircraft was parked at Tokyo’s Narita Airport on Jan. 14.

The investigation is being led by the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau. NTSB aircraft systems investigator Mike Bauer will travel to Japan to assist with the investigation.

NTSB PROVIDES UPDATE ON BOEING 787 BATTERY FIRE INVESTIGATION



WASHINGTON – The investigative work into the Jan. 7, 2013, fire aboard a Japan Airlines Boeing 787 at Logan International Airport in Boston, is estimated to be completed by the end of March, the National Transportation Safety Board said today. The analytical and report writing phase of the investigation will follow the completion of the investigative activities. The final report is expected to be presented to the Board at a public meeting in Washington in the fall.

Members of the investigative team have been conducting work in the United States, Japan, France, and Taiwan. As the investigation has progressed, the NTSB has been working closely with Boeing, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Japan Transport Safety Bureau, the French BEA, and technical advisors from Japan and France.

Some of the investigative activities include:

– Completed disassembly and documentation of the individual cells of the incident battery.

– Completed examinations of exemplar batteries and battery cells for baseline reference and comparison to the incident battery. These examinations were conducted at NTSB and independent laboratories and included computed tomography scans, non-destructive soft short testing, and destructive evaluation and analysis of the batteries and cells.

– Awarded a contract to Underwriter’s Laboratories to assist the NTSB in defining and performing system-level tests of the Boeing 787 battery and charging system. The testing includes characterization of the thermal and electrochemical properties of the battery and oscillatory testing and is expected to be completed in February.

– Radiographic studies, which included over 200,000 CT scan images, were conducted to examine and document the internal configuration of individual cells from the incident and exemplar batteries.

– Conducted interviews with FAA, Boeing, Thales, and GS Yuasa personnel to review and document key steps, personnel roles and responsibilities, data and information flow, design artifacts, and approvals in the certification process for the battery and charging system.

– Evaluated and documented the process for the battery system safety assessment, including a review of the supporting tests and analysis performed and the safety analysis standards relevant for lithium-ion batteries.

– Conducted on-site survey of battery manufacturing facility in Japan including a review of design, engineering, and production documentation, as well as manufacturing processes, procedures, and training for personnel involved in the manufacture of the battery.

The date of the Board meeting at which the findings of the investigation will be released, including the probable cause of the battery fire, will be announced later in the year.


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NTSB ISSUES FIVE NEW GENERAL AVIATION SAFETY ALERTS


The National Transportation Safety Board issued five new Safety Alerts last week that provide general aviation (GA) pilots with mitigating strategies for preventing accidents. These Safety Alerts follow five that were issued in March at a Board Meeting that focused on the most frequent types of general aviation accidents.

“Knowing these accidents, which sometimes include entire families, can be prevented is why ‘General Aviation Safety’ is on our Most Wanted List of transportation safety improvements,” said NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman. “At a time when many people are putting together their list of resolutions for the coming year, these five Safety Alerts remind pilots, mechanics and passengers of basic safety precautions to add to their checklists to ensure a safe flight for all on board.”

A Safety Alert is a brief information sheet that pinpoints a particular safety hazard and offers practical remedies to address the issue.

The five Safety Alerts issued last week are:

• Check Your Restraints
• Engine Power Loss Due to Carburetor Icing
• “Armed” for Safety: Emergency Locator Transmitters
• All Secure, All Clear (securing items in the aircraft cabin)
• Proper Use of Fiber or Nylon Self-Locking Nuts

The NTSB is charged with investigating about 1,500 aviation accidents annually. Each year, about 475 pilots and passengers are killed and hundreds more are seriously injured in GA accidents in the United States.


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Mishaps of the day

Some events that happened today:

  • December 16, 2013, on JetBlue Flight 836#N661JB, the Airbus A320 arrived at the gate at JFK airport, New York, and the left wing struck the jet bridge. There was only minor damage and no injuries reported.
  • In Farmington NY on December 17, 2013, a Piper PA28#N43080 engine caught fire when the plane started up. The fire was extinguished, with unknown damage.
  • December 16, 2013, a Lancair/235#N15TG landing at John’s Island Charleston SC, when the nose gear collapsed. Minor damage was reported.
  • December 16, 2013, a Cessna/172 #N421ER was taxiing when the wing struck a light pole. The accident occurred in Wickenburg Arizona. Minor damage was reported.
  • December 16, 2013, an experimental plane, a Zenith 601#N581SL crashed in Leakey Texas under unknown conditions.
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