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Press Release: FAA Proposes $295,750 Civil Penalty Against Skywest Airlines

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faa

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is proposing a $295,750 civil penalty against SkyWest Airlines, Inc. of St. George, Utah, for allegedly violating DOT drug and alcohol testing regulations.

The FAA alleges SkyWest failed to include more than 150 safety?sensitive employees in its random drug testing pool. Further, SkyWest allegedly failed to receive verified negative drug test results for two other employees before hiring one for, and transferring the other to, safety-sensitive positions.

The FAA also alleges SkyWest subjected three employees who were not in safety-sensitive positions to post-accident drug tests that are only applicable to safety-sensitive employees, and improperly cancelled a return-to-duty test because it was not directly observed.

SkyWest is scheduled to have an informal conference with the FAA this month to discuss the matter.

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    Press Release – FAA Mandates Crew Resource Management Training for On-Demand Charters

    For Immediate Release
    January 20, 2011

    WASHINGTON – The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has finalized a rule that requires non-scheduled charter airlines and air taxis to train pilots and flight attendants in Crew Resource Management (CRM), a well-established concept that helps reduce human error in commercial aviation by teaching pilots, flight attendants and other aviation workers to act as a team.

    Air carriers affected by the final rule must establish initial and recurrent CRM training for crewmembers within two years of the effective date of the rule. The training must address the captain’s authority; intra-crew communications; teamwork; managing workload, time, fatigue and stress; and decision-making skills.

    “This type of training is critical for the safety of flight crews and passengers,” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood.
    The FAA has required CRM training for air carriers operating larger airplanes since December 1995.

    “I know the value of making Crew Resource Management part of the safety culture from my days as an airline pilot,” said FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt. “A crew that works as a team is a better crew, regardless of the size of the plane or the size of the airline.”

    CRM training focuses on the interactions among personnel including pilots, flight attendants, operations personnel, mechanics, air traffic controllers and flight service stations. This training in communications and teamwork can help prevent errors such as runway incursions, misinterpreting information from air traffic controllers, crewmembers’ loss of situational awareness, and failure to fully prepare for takeoff or landing.

    This final rule responds to a 2003 National Transportation Safety Board recommendation that is currently on the Board’s “Most Wanted” list of safety improvements.

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    Pilot Killed after Small Plane Crashed in Plainfield, IL

    A Piper PA30 plane crashed in Plainfield, Illinois, on July 21st.

    The plane was heading to Wisconsin when it went down, causing a house to catch fire.

    The pilot Garry T. Bernardo, 58, of Lake Worth, Florida, was killed in the crash. He was the only person aboard the plane.

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    Mexico Cessna Sport Fishing Hop has at least four fatalities

    mexicocrash

    On July 10, a Cessna 206 en route from Tamaulipas to Veracruz with seven aboard crashed in eastern Mexico has killed four people and injured two. The fall of the plane did not affect the residents of the town. No cause has been reported for the plane failure.

    The pilot reported engine failure at 22:18 to Veracruz ATC around the time the plane disappeared from radar..

    The wreckage is being recovered at Rancho Coralillos in the town of Alto Lucero. The remains of four people were found aboard the plane. (Number varies.) Two injured have been named as Sergio Rage Marrón and Jorge Arturo Velázquez Amorringa.

    The number of fatalities has been raised to five. The bodies inside the plane were burned, and difficult to identify.

    The injured were taken to a private hospital in Veracruz.

    The passengers had been going to a sport fishing competition.
    mexicocrash2

    The Secretary of Civil Protection and the Municipal Civil Protection and a navy Mi17 helicopter responded to the scene.

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    NTSB Holding Family Assistance Symposium

    NTSB Holding Family Assistance Symposium
    Panel discussions during the March 28-29 event will help the transportation industry, the media, and investigative agencies learn how families are helped after accidents around the world.

    The National Transportation Safety Board will hold a two-day conference March 28-29 for family members, transportation accident investigation agencies, transportation industry representatives, government agencies, and the media to discuss family assistance after transportation accidents in an international context. The event coincides with the 15th anniversary of the Aviation Disaster Family Assistance Act and the 10th anniversary of ICAO Circular 285 and will give those who attend the chance to learn firsthand from those involved worldwide in family assistance, according to NTSB.

    Day one features four panel discussions and will be webcast. Day two includes training by the NTSB Transportation Disaster Assistance staff, who will give an overview of the NTSB model for family assistance operations.

    The tentative agenda shows the panel discussions will be:

    Family Members: Perspectives from those affected by accidents, a discussion of their needs, and how those needs are met through family assistance programs.
    Transportation industry, vendors, and non-governmental organizations: Responsibilities of the industry, their vendors, and non-governmental organizations.

    Government transportation accident investigation agencies: How investigative agencies provide information about accident investigations and their role in family assistance.

    Media: How the media report on family members following accidents and how family assistance has affected such reporting.

    The event will take place at the NTSB Conference Center, 429 L’Enfant Plaza SW, Washington, DC 20594. Registration is free and is being conducted separately for each day. Visit this page to register and for links to transportation family assistance resources.

    Tentative Agenda

    Perspectives from Family Members, Industry, Government, and Media

    Welcome and Introductions: The Honorable Deborah A.P. Hersman
    Commemoration of the 15th Anniversary of the Aviation Disaster Family Assistance Act
    Four high-level panel discussions designed to share best practices and lessons learned in the provision of family assistance in transportation accidents internationally.
    Family Members: Perspectives from those impacted by accidents, a discussion of their needs, and ways in which those needs are met through family assistance programs.
    Transportation industry, vendors, and non-governmental organizations: Perspectives on the responsibilities of the industry, their vendors, and non-governmental organizations in providing assistance.
    Government transportation accident investigation agencies: How investigative agencies provide information about the accident investigation and their role in family assistance.
    Media: How the media reports on family members following accidents and how family assistance has impacted such reporting.
    March 29, 2011

    The NTSB Family Assistance Model: An Introduction

    NTSB family assistance legislation overview; information flow and timelines; family assistance operations; conducting effective family briefings; personal effects best practices; victim identification concerns; site visits, memorials, anniversaries.

    SEE AGENDA

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    NTSB Releases Details of Travis Air Show Plane Crash

    The NTSB has issued the preliminary investigation report on May 4’s Stearman biplane crash at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, California.

    The plane crashed when the 77 year old pilot, Edward Andreini, was attempting a ribbon cutting stunt during the Thunder Over Solano air show.

    According to the report, “The planned maneuver consisted of a total of three passes…The first two passes were successful, but on the third pass, the airplane was too high, and did not cut the ribbon. The pilot came around for a fourth pass, and rolled the airplane inverted after aligning with the runway. The airplane contacted the runway prior to reaching the ribbon, slid inverted between the ground crew personnel holding the poles, and came to a stop a few hundred feet beyond them.”

    The report also revealed that within 50 seconds of coming to rest, the plane’s right side was completely engulfed by flames but the firefighters took 3 to 4 minutes before they arrived at the scene to extinguish the fire.

    This post is an update of ‘Biplane Crashed during Thunder Over Solano Air Show in California; Pilot Killed‘

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    Small Plane Crash-Lands in Spain; 1 Killed, 1 Injured

    microlightA micro-light plane made a crash-landing in an orange orchard near the runway of Seville Airport, Spain, on August 23rd.

    The aircraft crash-landed after the pilot lost consciousness mid-air and his wife, with “no notion” of flying a plane, had to take charge.

    The flight was heading towards Coria del Rio from Trebujena, at the time.

    The pilot lost his life while his wife sustained serious injuries.

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