AOPA and ALEA TAKE ACTION ON NTSB SAFETY RECOMMENDATIONS


National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman today praised two organizations for their response to NTSB safety recommendations.

The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association took action that exceeded the NTSBs recommendations following the investigation into the Aug. 9, 2010 airplane accident in Alaska that killed former U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens. The NTSB recommended that AOPA educate pilots about the benefits of notifying passengers about the location and operation of survival and emergency communication equipment aboard the airplane.

In response, AOPA produced a video to educate pilots about briefing passengers on emergency equipment such as basic VHF radio operation, the cockpit emergency locator transmitter switch and the location of emergency gear. The video also included a sample passenger safety briefing. AOPA also developed a printable checklist for use in the aircraft. All this information is available on its website at www.aopa.org/asf/video/passenger-safety-briefing.html.

“This is a perfect example of an organization embracing not only the letter, but the spirit of our recommendation,” said Deborah A.P. Hersman, chairman of the NTSB. “This will result in a higher level of safety for general aviation passengers, who often are friends and family.”

Hersman also praised the action of the Airborne Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission in implementing multiple NTSB recommendations as a result of its investigation into the June 9, 2009 crash of a helicopter operated by the New Mexico State Police. The NTSB recommended rest standards to prevent pilot fatigue, training in encountering instrument meteorological conditions and encouraged the installation of flight-tracking equipment and 406-megahertz emergency locator transmitters on their aircraft.

“The fact that the Airborne Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission implemented all of the NTSB’s recommendations in just six months is to be highly commended,” Hersman said.

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    3 Killed, 7 Injured as Plane Crashes in Alaska

    crashA small floatplane plane crashed north of Iliamna Airport in Iliamna, Alaska, on September 15.

    The DeHavilland DHC-3T Turbine Otter aircraft, carrying 10 people, went down while it was taking off from East Wind Lake.

    Three people were killed in the accident. They were identified as 80-year-old Tony W. Degroot, of Hanford, California, 69-year-old James Specter, of Shavertown, Pennsylvania and 70-year-old James P. Fletcher, of Clovis, California.

    Seven others were injured and were shifted to hospitals.

    The plane belonged to Rainbow King Lodge.

    The NTSB is investigating.

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    Southwest In the News

    Click to see video
    Southwest just reported that El Paso-Phoenix jet that landed at 9:30 p.m. in Phoenix with one engine did so because of an engine exhaust problem. Good for them for catching it.

    This was certainly less of an issue that the April 1 2011 surprise, the fuselage rupture in the roof of the Southwest Phoenex-Sacramento flight. That fifteen year old plane lost pressure (kind of a given, one would think, with a huge hole in the roof) and had to make an emergency landing in Yuma, 150 miles southwest of Phoenix. There were no injuries except to Southwest’s reputation.

    On April 4, the FAA sent out a letter mandating operators of specific early Boeing 737 models to conduct initial and repetitive electromagnetic inspections for fatigue damage.

    The NTSB is investigating. And all of the onus is not on Southwest–it’s also on Boeing, as they examine that

    Southwest is a busy airline operator. The stats of take offs and landing every 24 hours must be staggering. Their 737s are renowned workhorses that don’t tire, but they have to be taking a beating.

    Let’s not wait for something terrible to happen. Let’s double on maintenance. Let’s do the footwork to prevent another metal fatigue occurrence to happen again, busting a hole in the fuselage at 36,000 feet.

    Audio, Documents Detailing Southwest Emergency Released: MyFoxPHOENIX.com

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    NTSB INVESTIGATIVE HEARING ON BOEING 787 BATTERY FIRE

    April 23, 2013 Press Release
    The National Transportation Safety Board today will begin the first of two days of investigative hearings into the Jan. 7 battery fire aboard a Boeing 787 in Boston.

    The all-day hearings will end with a separate press availability by NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman.

    Event 1: Investigative Hearing

    Date/Time: Tues., April 23, 9 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. ET.; Wed., April 24, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. ET

    Location: Board Room, NTSB Board Room and Conference Center
    429 L’Enfant Plaza, SW
    Washington, DC 20594

    Participants: NTSB Board Members, witnesses, NTSB staff technical panel, party members

    Media Logistics: http://www.ntsb.gov/news/2013/130419.html

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    Participant: NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman

    Date/Time: Tues., April 23, 5:45 p.m. ET.; Wed., April 24, 5:15 p.m. ET

    Location: Room A/B, NTSB Board Room and Conference Center
    429 L’Enfant Plaza, SW
    Washington, DC 20594

    Media-only phone teleconference: 800-776-0420 or international 913-312-0945
    Participant passcode: XXXXXX
    Call 5-10 minutes before start of press conference and give your media affiliation, name and email.

    Meeting Agenda

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    IMPROPER MAINTENANCE LED TO Vegas AIR TOUR HELICOPTER CRASH

    What is it that I’ve always said? Maintenance, Maintenance, Maintenance.

    Looks like the NTSB Findings agree with me! See their report below about a helicopter crash in December 7, 2011, that occurred in my home away from home, Las Vegas Nevada.

    PRELIMINARY REPORT
    On December 7 at 4:30 Pacific Standard Time, a Eurocopter AS350-B2, operated by Sundance Helicopters as flight Landmark 57, crashed in mountainous terrain approximately 14 miles east of Las Vegas. The flight, a sightseeing tour, departed Las Vegas McCarran International Airport (LAS) en-route to the Hoover Dam area was operating under visual flight rules. The helicopter impacted in a narrow ravine in mountainous terrain between the cities of Henderson and Lake Mead. The pilot and four passengers were fatally injured.

    The National Transportation Safety Board determined today (Jan. 29, 2013) that the probable cause of the Dec. 7, 2011, air tour helicopter crash near Las Vegas, Nev., was inadequate maintenance, including degraded material, improper installation, and inadequate inspections.

    “This investigation is a potent reminder that what happens in the maintenance hangar is just as important for safety as what happens in the air,” said NTSB Chairman Deborah A. P. Hersman.

    At about 4:30 p.m. Pacific standard time, a Sundance Helicopters Eurocopter AS350, operating as a “Twilight City Tour” sightseeing trip, crashed in mountainous terrain about 14 miles east of Las Vegas, Nev. The helicopter originated from Las Vegas McCarran International Airport at about 4:21 p.m. with a planned route to the Hoover Dam area and then return to the airport. The accident occurred after a critical flight control unit separated from another, rendering the helicopter uncontrollable. After the part separated, the helicopter climbed about 600 feet, turned about 90 degrees to the left, descended about 800 feet, began a left turn, and then descended at a rate of at least 2,500 feet per minute to impact. The pilot and four passengers were killed and the helicopter was destroyed.

    The NTSB found that the crash was the result of Sundance Helicopters’ improper reuse of a degraded self-locking nut in the servo control input rod and the improper or non-use of a split pin to secure the degraded nut, in addition to an inadequate post-maintenance inspection.

    Contributing to the improper (or lack of) split pin installation was the mechanic’s fatigue and lack of clearly delineated steps to follow on a “work card” or “checklist” The inspector’s fatigue and lack of a work card or checklist clearly laying out the inspection steps to follow contributed to an inadequate post-maintenance inspection. As a result of this investigation the NTSB made, reiterated and reclassified recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration.
    “One of the critical lines of defense to help prevent tragedies like this crash is improved maintenance documentation through clear work cards, or checklists,” Hersman said. “Checklists are not rocket science, but they can have astronomical benefits.”

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    Letter to Pinnacle from Hersman, NTSB


    Two weeks ago, we were disappointed to learn of internal documents released by Pinnacle Airlines Corp., parent company of Colgan Air, that were not provided to the NTSB during the course of our investigation into the February 12, 2009, crash of Colgan Air Flight 3407. The NTSB investigation began immediately after the crash and concluded with a public meeting on February 2, 2010.

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    While the content of the newly released email exchanges appears to be consistent with information our investigators learned through other means during the course of the investigation, it is critical that the factual record of this accident be complete. The previously undisclosed documents do not appear to give reason for reconsideration of the NTSB’s final report and probable cause determination.

    https://airflightdisaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Demand_Letter_Pinnacle_110911.pdf

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