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Small Plane Crashed in Colorado Mountains; 5 Killed
NTSB RECOMMENDS SYSTEM FOR LARGE AIRPLANES TO PREVENT COLLISIONS WHILE TAXING

WASHINGTON – Today the NTSB recommended that the Federal Aviation Administration require that large airplanes be equipped with an anti-ground collision aid, such as an on-board external-mounted camera system, to provide pilots a clear view of the plane’s wingtips while taxing to ensure clearance from other aircraft, vehicles and obstacles.On large airplanes (such as the Boeing 747, 757, 767, and 777; the Airbus A380; and the McDonnell Douglas MD-10 and MD-11), the pilot cannot see the airplane’s wingtips from the cockpit unless the pilot opens the cockpit window and extends his or her head out of the window, which is often impractical.
The NTSB said that the anti-collision aids should be installed on newly manufactured and certificated airplanes and that existing large airplanes should be retrofitted with the equipment.
“A system that can provide real-time information on wingtip clearance in relation to other obstacles will give pilots of large airplanes an essential tool when taxiing,” said NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman. “While collision warning systems are now common in highway vehicles, it is important for the aviation industry to consider their application in large aircraft.”
The recommendations follow three recent ground collision accidents (all currently under investigation) in which large airplanes collided with another aircraft while taxing:
• May 30, 2012: The right wingtip of an EVA Air Boeing 747-400 struck the rudder and vertical stabilizer of an American Eagle Embraer 135 while taxing at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (Preliminary Report: http://go.usa.gov/rPFh).
• July 14, 2011: A Delta Air Lines Boeing 767 was taxing for departure when its left winglet struck the horizontal stabilizer of an Atlantic Southeast Airlines Bombardier CRJ900 (Preliminary Report: http://go.usa.gov/rnzC).
• April 11, 2011: During a taxi for departure, the left wingtip of an Air France A380 struck the horizontal stabilizer and rudder of a Comair Bombardier CRJ701 (Preliminary Report: http://go.usa.gov/rnzW).
The NTSB made the same recommendation to the European Aviation Safety Agency, which sets standards for aircraft manufacturers in Europe.
NTSB SAFETY RECOMMENDATION
National Transportation Safety Board
Washington, DC 20594July 7, 2011
http://www.ntsb.gov/doclib/recletters/2011/A-11-056-059.pdf
The National Transportation Safety Board makes the following recommendations to the Airborne Law Enforcement Association:Revise your standards to define pilot rest and ensure that pilots receive protected rest periods that are sufficient to minimize the likelihood of pilot fatigue during aviation operations. (A-11-56)
Revise your accreditation standards to require that all pilots receive training in methods for safely exiting inadvertently encountered instrument meteorological conditions for all aircraft categories in which they operate. (A-11-57)
Encourage your members to install 406-megahertz emergency locator transmitters on all of their aircraft. (A-11-58)
Encourage your members to install flight-tracking equipment on all public aircraft that would allow for near-continuous flight tracking during missions. (A-11-59)
Airbus 320 Reboot Confounds United Airlines Pilots
United Airlines pilots guilty as charged again, in that Airbus 320 that had to make an emergency return to New Orleans on April 4. A pilot in command should know he can’t skip procedures on the checklist (especially an Airbus checklist) or else there are consequences. In this case, the emergency restore didn’t work.
Ok, lest anyone accuse me of being incorrectly legal instead of correctly tongue-in-cheek, no one was “charged” with anything.
On April 4, 2011, the United Airlines Airbus 320-232 (N409UA), serial number 462, left Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport and returned 20 minutes after take-off due to electrical difficulties and an indication of smoke in the cockpit.
But the NTSB investigation points to pilot error. And as far as I am concerned any error that does not result in damage, but does result in amended procedures is a good thing. What has happened as a result of this pilot error is a revision to the pilot checklist that pilots have to follow when they are handling electrical malfunctions. The malfunction was not really the pilots however. There was a faulty fire-warning sensor, but the reboot procedures just made it worse since in the reboot procedure, a generator didn’t get turned back on.
Consequences the pilots had to deal with as a result of the absent generator included a blank screen for the copilot, steering issues with the jet’s nose gear and antiskid protection for the brakes, and the intercom.
It must have been a pretty exciting 20 minute ride for the passengers, as it ended on emergency slided.
NTSB Opens Public Docket on 2010 American Airlines Fuselage Rupture and Decompression
WASHINGTON – As part of the continuing investigation into the 2010 rapid decompression that occurred following a fuselage rupture aboard an American Airlines flight shortly after departing Miami, Florida, today the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) opened its public docket.
On October 26, 2010, American Airlines flight 1640, a Boeing 757-223, while climbing through 32,000 feet, experienced a rapid decompression. The crew executed an emergency descent back to Miami International Airport and landed the aircraft without further incident. There were no injuries to the 6 crewmembers and 154 passengers.
A ground inspection of the airplane shortly after it landed in Miami revealed a section of the fuselage crown skin, measuring approximately 18 inches by 7 inches, had ruptured just above and aft of the forward left passenger door.
Included in the documents released today are a summary of the cockpit voice recorder and reports from the metallurgy and airworthiness groups.
The information contained in the docket is factual in nature and does not provide any analysis.
Additional material will be added to the docket as it becomes available. Analysis of the accident, along with conclusions and a determination of probable cause, will come at a later date when the final report on the investigation is completed.
- Boeing | Japan Airlines | NTSB
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.

