A dozen Augusta Westland helicopters Ontario purchased for $144 million have problems with tail rotors falling off.

EASA issued an air worthiness directive for the AW139. A directive from the European agency last Aug. 19 ordered helicopter owners to replace the tail rotors after 600 hours of flight following a fatal accident “possibly caused by cracks in a TR (tail rotor) blade.” A Feb. 17 directive called for inspections and maintenance of the tail rotors every 25 hours in the air.

In Ontario, Augusta Westland helicopters are in use as air ambulance helicopters. Ornge Founder Dr. Chris Mazza was fired, and an investigation is underway.

ORNGE helicopters are forbidden from entering U.S. airspace and must land at the border and use land ambulances. Issues relate to ORNGE’s new AgustaWestland helicopters, not the old fleet. A ground protocol exists for transporting burn unit or neurology bed patients. Former deputy minister of government services Ron McKerlie is now interim CEO of ORNGE, now non-profit.

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ALFONSO J. MONTANO APPOINTED NTSB ADMINISTRATIVE LAW JUDGE

National Transportation Safety Board
Washington, DC 20594

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 16, 2010
SB-10-31

Washington, DC – National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman today announced the appointment of Alfonso J. Montano as an Administrative Law Judge for the agency.

Judge Montano has been an Administrative Law Judge for 15 years with the Department of Health and Human Services and the Social Security Administration. During that time he heard adversarial cases dealing with Medicare nursing home compliance issues, fraudulent or abusive practices involving Social Security disability programs, and the exclusion or debarment of individuals or companies from participation in federal health care programs.

Before becoming an Administrative Law Judge, Judge Montano served as a trial attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice.

Judge Montano is a graduate of New Mexico Highlands University and earned his law degree at the University of San Francisco School of Law. He is a licensed private aircraft pilot.

Judge Montano resides in Prince William County, Virginia with his wife. He has two adult children.

Administrative Law Judges at the NTSB hear appeals from airmen, mechanics or companies that have had adverse action taken against their authority by the Federal Aviation Administration.

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American Airlines eyes Boeing Engine Pylons

Cracks in the engine pylons of three American Airlines Boeing 767’s are prompting concerns over the need of more frequent inspections of Boeing 767’s. The FAA says American and Boeing are looking for the cause of the cracking, which was discovered during routine metallurgical tests. Boeing is preparing a service bulletin establishing new guidelines for inspecting this particular part, over and above the every “1500 flights” which stands now. The flight which originally caught American’s attention had developed the cracks during the last 500 flights since its last pylon inspection. Caution about underlying structural issues is being addressed.

The preliminary conclusion is that certain maintenance practices may play in the underlying cause of the cracking. A known issue is that some of the cracks arise from holes used to install bolts, implying that the bolt holes may compromise the structural integrity, or at least affect the pylon’s longevity; and may affect “fail-safe” design.

The FAA has not yet mandated inspection of 767 other jets operated by other carriers, nor have they determined if winglets are a contributing factor.

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Cessna 172 Crashed in BC; Passenger Killed, Pilot Injured

CessnaA private Cessna 172 crashed near a golf course at the Crawford Bay Airport in British Columbia, Canada, at about 6:30 p.m. on August 30.

According to Bill Yearwood of the Transportation Safety Board, the plane crashed after the pilot executed a rejected landing and decided to take off again. “Something was not right on the landing and the pilot elected to abort the landing. During that takeoff from the aborted landing, the aircraft contacted trees and tragically crashed,” he said.

The aircraft landed in an upside down position and caught fire. However, the witnesses managed to pull out the pilot and his only passenger from the wreckage before it bursted into flames. The female passenger died in the accident while the pilot suffered burn injuries. He was taken to a hospital.

The RCMP, BC Coroner Services and the Federal Transportation Safety Board are looking into the cause of crash.

The plane was registered in Alberta.

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Three Injured after Porter Airlines Plane Runs into Turbulence

porterPorter Airlines flight PD-720 made an emergency landing at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport in Toronto, Canada, on July 15th.

The plane was flying from Washington Dulles International Airport, Virginia, when it ran into severe turbulence that injured two flight attendants and a passenger.

The plane landed safely.

The plane was carrying 61 people at the time.

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NTSB INVESTIGATING TURBULENCE EVENT OVER MISSOURI

NTSB Advisory
National Transportation Safety Board
Washington, DC 20594

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating yesterday’s turbulence event experienced by United Airlines Flight #967 (N773UA).

The airplane, a Boeing 777-200, en route from Washington, D.C. (Dulles) to Los Angeles, Calif.(LAX), encountered severe turbulence at approximately 6:14 p.m. (MDT) about 60 miles southeast of Kansas City, Missouri and about 40 miles north of Springfield, Missouri, at approximately 34,000 feet. The aircraft diverted and landed in Denver, Colorado.

The airplane had 255 passengers and 10 crew members onboard. Seventeen passengers and four flight attendants reported minor injuries. Initial reports indicate minor damage to the interior of the cabin.

Information from the flight data recorder was downloaded in Denver and was received at NTSB headquarters today where it will be studied by investigators.

Senior Air Safety Investigator, Bill English, is the Investigator-in-Charge. Mr. English and the NTSB technical experts assisting him will conduct the investigation from the NTSB headquarters in Washington, D.C. and will not travel to the scene.

Crew member, passenger, and weather information will be gathered over the coming days.

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Volcanic Ash Manual Now Available from ICAO


MONTRÉAL, 5 March 2012 ? Air transport operators now have a scientific basis for decision making in the event of a volcanic eruption thanks to a manual published by ICAO and endorsed by industry partners*.

Entitled Flight Safety and Volcanic Ash (Doc 9974), the manual provides guidance which States may recommend to aircraft operators when there is forecast volcanic ash contamination, placing the responsibility for such operations on the operator, under the oversight of the State regulatory authority.

The manual is based primarily on the work of the ICAO International Volcanic Ash Task Force (IVATF), set up by the organization and the aviation community following the 2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökul Volcano in Iceland which caused enormous disruption to air travel across western and northern Europe.

“The impact on air travel of the Eyjafjallajökul eruption was unprecedented. It forced us to align our guidance material with the latest technological and scientific developments. The new approach, while ensuring the safety of flight operations, provides more flexibility and recommends that the decision to operate a flight in airspace containing volcanic ash rest with airlines, under the supervision of State regulatory authorities,” said Raymond Benjamin, Secretary General of ICAO.

To ensure that the safety-critical information is readily available to Member States and the industry, the manual is now accessible in English at www.icao.int/publications/Pages/doc-series.aspx.

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