* NOTE To view the full report, mouse over the bottom of the article to access navigation to all 28 pages
The Kedigh Reports - 2018
A Catalog Of 91 GAO / OIG Reports, Congressional Hearings, and Media Articles. A History of FAA “Partnership Programs” from 1995 TO 2020. Articles include 46 Office of the DOT Inspector General, 12 Government Accounting Office Reports, and 34 Media Articles. 7 FAA Management Retaliations Against 13 Employees
* Note this is a 59 page embedded PDF. To turn the page, mouse over the bottom of the article to reveal the document navigation.
FAA Criticisms Mar 2020Air Inuit de Havilland Dash 8-300 C-GXAI flying from Quebec City,QC to Schefferville,QC Canada suffered a tail strike while landing in in Schefferville Canada. Forty-two passengers and 3 crew were aboard. No injuries were reported.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau of Ethiopia released the preliminary report on the crash Ethiopian Airlines flight 302, Boeing 737-8(MAX), ET-AVJ. The flight took off from Addis Ababa Bole Int. Airporten route for Nairobi, but the Angle of Attack sensor recorded value became erroneous. The crash resulted in 157 fatalities. The report is available here
Preliminary findings on ET 302 crash:
1. Aircraft’s airworthiness was certified;
2. The crew were capable of flying& followed Boeing’s procedures;
3. Take off appeared normal;
4. Crew followed all procedures, but was unable to control the aircraft.
The release of the actual preliminary report by Ethiopia’s Ministry of Transport is expected during Apr 4th or Apr 5th 2019.
Boeing statement
We at Boeing are sorry for the lives lost in the recent 737 MAX accidents. These tragedies continue to weigh heavily on our hearts and minds, and we extend our sympathies to the loved ones of the passengers and crew on board Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302. All of us feel the immense gravity of these events across our company and recognize the devastation of the families and friends of the loved ones who perished.
The full details of what happened in the two accidents will be issued by the government authorities in the final reports, but, with the release of the preliminary report of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 accident investigation, it’s apparent that in both flights the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, known as MCAS, activated in response to erroneous angle of attack information.
The history of our industry shows most accidents are caused by a chain of events. This again is the case here, and we know we can break one of those chain links in these two accidents. As pilots have told us, erroneous activation of the MCAS function can add to what is already a high workload environment. It’s our responsibility to eliminate this risk. We own it and we know how to do it.
From the days immediately following the Lion Air accident, we’ve had teams of our top engineers and technical experts working tirelessly in collaboration with the Federal Aviation Administration and our customers to finalize and implement a software update that will ensure accidents like that of Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 never happen again.
We’re taking a comprehensive, disciplined approach, and taking the time, to get the software update right. We’re nearing completion and anticipate its certification and implementation on the 737 MAX fleet worldwide in the weeks ahead. We regret the impact the grounding has had on our airline customers and their passengers.
This update, along with the associated training and additional educational materials that pilots want in the wake of these accidents, will eliminate the possibility of unintended MCAS activation and prevent an MCAS-related accident from ever happening again.
What is significant here is that no report was filed on the United Boeing 787-800 (Washington Dulles,DC-Paris Charles de Gaulle) that received a main battery overheat indication while landing in Paris on
Nov 12th 2017. The battery was venting fluid via from the forward vent relief system. The NTSB reported to Aviation Herald that the occurrence was rated a non-reportable incident. No investigation was opened. 14 other SDR reports were filed).
Everything that is essential to a plane’s operation should be included in pilot training. The pilot must know his tools backward and forward. What happens when that training is curtailed?
On March 19th, the US Department of Transportation announced that its inspector general will audit the 737 Max 8’s certification process. Some pilots say they know how to address problems with the 737 Max 8’s maneuvering characteristics augmentation system (MCAS) system. Pilots say the MCAS software system can (apparently) be disabled by hitting the trim switch on the control column. Difference training is required for pilots who fly the Max, but apparently (MCAS) explanations, operations, procedures related to the differences were left out of the manual. The flight manual of Boeing’s 737 Max 8 planes mentions MCAS computer system only once. If MCAS information was cut from the manual to prevent the MCAS from having to be included in 737 Max transition training, whoever cut it considered only that it would save 737 Max operators training costs, but not what it would cost in terms of human lives.
On the flight prior the LionAir accident flight on the Boeing Max registered as PK-LQP, an off-duty fully-qualified Boeing 737-MAX 8 pilot was traveling home on flight JT-43. The plane encountered problems similar to the next flight that crashed it (i.e. the LionAir accident flight from Denpasar to Jakarta.) The crew aboard the earlier flight managed to land the aircraft at the destination. Based on the crew’s entry in the AFML, the engineer at Jakarta flushed the left Pitot Air Data Module (ADM) and static ADM to rectify the reported IAS and ALT disagree and cleaned the electrical connector plug of the elevator feel computer. The aircraft was subsequently released to carry out flight JT610.(A different crew manned the fatal flight.) The pilot was interviewed by the Kantor Komite Nasional Keselamatan Transportasi–Ministry of Transportation of the Republic of Indonesia (KNKT). The KNKT committee is responsible for investigating and reporting air transportation system accidents, serious incidents and safety deficiencies involving air transportation system operations in Indonesia.
The KNKT estimates that the release of the final report for Lion B38M in August or September 2019.
The KNKT is cooperating with Ethiopian Authorities but will make no official comment. News media reports suggest that on the earlier LionAir flight, a third pilot had occupied the observer’s seat in the cockpit of flight JT-43 and that this pilot identified the automatic trim runaway issue at hand and initiated that the trim cut out switches be used.
The preliminary report on the LionAir crash is located HERE.
The FAA is ordering the temporary grounding of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft operated by U.S. airlines or in U.S. territory. See PDF grounding 737 MaxThe agency made this decision as a result of the data gathering process and new evidence collected at the site and analyzed today. This evidence, together with newly refined satellite data available to FAA this morning, led to this decision.
The grounding will remain in effect pending further investigation, including examination of information from the aircraft’s flight data recorders and cockpit voice recorders. An FAA team is in Ethiopia assisting the NTSB as parties to the investigation of the Flight 302 accident. The agency will continue to investigate.
A Laser Aereo Colombia Douglas DC-3 en route from San Jose del Guaviare to Villavicencio declared emergency on approach to Villavicencio. The plane crashed on a rural dirt road near Villavicencio and burst into flames. All of the fourteen aboard perished. The mayor of Taraira, Meta, was traveling on the crashed plane. Pilot Jaime Carrillo, co-pilot Jaime Herrera and aviation technician Álex Moreno also died in the crash.
In 1945, this plane served in the US Navy and AirForce.
The telephone line 311 564 3040 has been set up for information and assistance to the families of the victims. Both Laser and the insurer will be assisting the families of the victims of this incident,” the communication states.
Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737-8 MAX Flight ET-302 had just taken off from Addis Ababa in Ethiopia en route to Nairobi Kenya when radar contact was lost, and the plane crashed. 149 passengers and 8 crew were lost. The impact occurred near Bishoftu, Ethiopia 17 m SSE of Addis Ababa. Ethiopian Airlines announced that no survivors were found. People from 33 different countries were aboard.
On Mar 10th 2019 Ethiopian Airlines reported that the crew reported difficulties and requested a return to Addis Ababa.
BBC Africa reported aboard were 32 Kenyan, 18 Canadian, 9 Ethiopian,8 Chinese, 8 Italian, 8 American,7 French, 7 British, 6 Egyptian, 5 Dutch, 4 UN passports, 4 Indian, 3 Russian, 2 Moroccan, 2 Israeli, 1 Belgian, 1 Ugandan, 1 Yemeni, 1 Sudanese, 1 Togolese, 1 Mozambican, 1 Norwegian
Ethiopian Airlines said:
Boeing said:
On January 17, 2019 at 15:59 minutes local time, Sky Service Chopper Eurocopter EC-130T2 crashed in Almaty, Kazakhstan on the grounds of a sanatorium. The pilot Valentin Shitov survived the impact but did not make it to the hospital. The ferry flight took off from Boralday but did not arrive at its destination Big Almaty Lake.
Source: Lion Air Releases
#1
Oct 29, 2018, 13:31 PM by Lion Corporate
TANGERANG, BANTEN – 29 October 2018
Lion Air flight JT610 en-route to Pangkalpinang has crashed near Kerawang (S 5’49.052” E 107’ 06.628” ), 13 minutes after taking off from Jakarta Soekarno Hatta International Airport at 6:20 AM.
The flight carried 178 adults, 1 child and 2 infant, including 3 crew under training and 1 technician.
The aircraft is a Boeing 737 MAX 8 with registration number PK-LQP. It is made in 2018 and started its operation at Lion Air since 15 August 2018. The aircraft was declared operationally feasible.
The aircraft is commanded by Captain. Bhavye Suneja and co-pilot Harvino with six cabin crew Shintia Melina, Citra Noivita Anggelia, Alviani Hidayatul Solikha, Damayanti Simarmata, Mery Yulianda, and Deny Maula. The captain has 6,000 flight hours and the co-pilot has more than 5,000 flight hours.
Lion Air is concerned with the incident and will work with the relevant authorities and agencies on this matter.
The number to the crisis center is 021-8082000?1 and for customer information 021-80820002.
Information will be updated from time to time on our website.
Jakarta – 29 October 2018. Lion Air (flight code JT) member of Lion Air Group updated on 29 October that BASARAS (National Search & Rescue Body) has confirmed that there are 24 body bags.
The evacuation of all passengers, crew and flight JT610 that was crashed on 29 October in the sea of Karawang, West Jawa is on-going.
The airline is very concerned about the incident and will continue to render their co-operation to all parties concerned to provide firsthand information with relates to the status of affected passengers and crew. It is with the hope that the families of the passengers and crew will have the strength and fortitude to go through this challenging time and the Search and Rescue (SAR) officers’ operations to go smoothly.
Lion Air’s effort in handling JT610 has flown in 166 people of the affected families from Pangkalpinang, Bangka and 3 others from Medan, North Sumatera.
At the moment, the family members has arrived in Jakarta with accommodations provided in Hotel Ibis Cawang, East Jakarta to ease hassle of travelling to the post in Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport.
Lion Air has opened the crisis center phone line (021)-80820000 and Passengers Information phone line (021)-80820002 to support to incident.
Lion Air will continue to update accordingly.
Whatever our individual politics, we are one nation, one people, one flag knit of many histories. That may be our greatest weakness, but it is also our greatest strength. Thanks to those who have walked before us. May we all continue to hold our flag high.
Wishing you the happiest 4th of July.
George Hatcher
Credits: NASA Photo / Carla Thomas
NASA’s remotely-piloted Ikhana aircraft, based at the agency’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, successfully flew its first mission in the National Airspace System without a safety chase aircraft on Tuesday. This historic flight moves the United States one step closer to normalizing unmanned aircraft operations in the airspace used by commercial and private pilots.
Flying these large remotely-piloted aircraft over the United States opens the doors to all types of services, from monitoring and fighting forest fires, to providing new emergency search and rescue operations. The technology in this aircraft could, at some point, be scaled down for use in other general aviation aircraft.
“This is a huge milestone for our Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration in the National Airspace System project team,” said Ed Waggoner, NASA’s Integrated Aviation Systems Program director. “We worked closely with our Federal Aviation Administration colleagues for several months to ensure we met all their requirements to make this initial flight happen.”
Flights of large craft like Ikhana, have traditionally required a safety chase aircraft to follow the unmanned aircraft as it travels through the same airspace used by commercial aircraft. The Ikhana flew in accordance with the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Technical Standard Order 211 — Detect and Avoid Systems — and Technical Standard Order 212 — Air-to-Air Radar for Traffic Surveillance.
The FAA granted NASA special permission to conduct this flight under the authority of a Certificate of Waiver or Authorization on March 30. The certificate permitted Ikhana’s pilot to rely on the latest Detect and Avoid technology, enabling the remote pilot on the ground to see and avoid other aircraft during the flight.
NASA successfully worked with its industry partners to develop a standard for Detect and Avoid technologies, complied with the requirements of the FAA Technical Standard Orders, and garnered flight approval from the FAA.
The Ikhana aircraft was equipped with detect and avoid technologies, including an airborne radar developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc., a Honeywell Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System, a Detect and Avoid Fusion Tracker, and an Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast capability – a surveillance technology where the aircraft determines its position via satellite navigation and periodically broadcasts this information so other aircraft can track it.
The flight took off from Edwards Air Force Base in California and entered controlled air space almost immediately. Ikhana flew into the Class-A airspace, where commercial airliners fly, just west of Edwards at an altitude of about 20,000 feet. The aircraft then turned north toward Fresno, requiring air traffic control to be transferred from the Los Angeles Air Route Traffic Control Center to the Oakland Air Route Traffic Control Center. On the return trip, the pilot headed south toward Victorville, California, requiring communication control to be transferred back to Los Angles.
During the return flight, the pilot began a gentle decent over the city of Tehachapi, California, into Class E airspace — about 10,000 feet — where general aviation pilots fly. The pilot initiated an approach into Victorville airport at 6,000 feet, coordinating in real time with air traffic controllers at the airport. After successfully executing all of these milestones, the aircraft exited the public airspace and returned to its base at Armstrong.
“We are flying with a suite of sophisticated technology that greatly enhances the safety capabilities of pilots flying large unmanned aircraft in the National Airspace System,” said Scott Howe, Armstrong test pilot. “We took the time to mitigate the risks and to ensure that we, as a program, were prepared for this flight.”
Tuesday’s flight was the first remotely-piloted aircraft to use airborne detect and avoid technology to meet the intent of the FAA’s “see and avoid” rules, with all test objectives successfully accomplished.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is the trade association for the world’s airlines, representing some 280 airlines or 83% of total air traffic. We support many areas of aviation activity and help formulate industry policy on critical aviation issues.
Geneva – The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that Femke Sickler a recent graduate of Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands was the recipient of the IATA FACE-UP award for 2018. FACE-UP is a competition for recent university graduates whose thesis is on the subject of innovation and transformation in air transport logistics (e.g. air cargo, supply chain management, mobility, IT solutions, etc.).
Sickler’s thesis addressed improving the air cargo value chain with regard to the acceptance process, trucking schedule and data communication. The award was presented at the 12th World Cargo Symposium (WCS) in Dallas.
“Among many worthy candidates I congratulate Femke Sickler for an outstanding achievement. It is great to see the next generation of air cargo professionals helping to drive the innovation that is needed in the global air cargo industry,” said Glyn Hughes, IATA’s Global Head of Cargo.
A senior panel of judges from across the industry selected three finalists who presented at the WCS closing plenary for the audience to nominate the ultimate winner of the FACE-UP competition. The finalists were selected based on showing innovation and also the potential to transform air cargo. Danny Jonker (Maastricht University) and Caroline Larisch (Maastricht University) made up the trio of finalists.
The biennial IATA FACE-UP competition is the first installment of its kind. The initiative is part of IATA’s Future Air Cargo Executives (FACE) Program which was launched in 2013 with the aim of attracting, retaining and developing a bright and diverse pool of young talent, preparing them to become the next generation of leaders in the cargo industry.
Update on the fatal crash of US-Bangla Airlines Flight BS211, a de Havilland Dash 8-400 #S2-AGU that performed flight BS-211 from Dhaka to Kathmandu.
There appear to be 22 survivors of 71 aboard. US-Bangla Airlines flight BS211 crashed on approach to Kathmandu-Tribhuvan Airport, Nepal with 67 passengers and 4 crew aboard: 33 were Nepalis, 32 Bangladeshis, one Chinese and one Maldivian.
AviationHerald posted that the Ministry of Tourism reported 39 people died in the accident, 31 were rescued alive. (These numbers will change.)
The pilots aborted their first approach and the flight was cleared to land on runway 20.
The airport reported flight BS211 veered right off the runway and slid for about 300 meters until coming to a rest on a field in flames. The bodies of thirty-one deceased were recovered at the crash site. Eighteen were pronounced dead upon arrival at various hospitals.The General Manager at TIA (airport) Chhetri said “…the plane took a missed approach touching down the fencing area next to the parked planes at the airport.”
Air Traffic Control said “… pilot of Bangladeshi plane repeatedly informed the tower that he was on the right move and proper direction…Then, the plane suddenly took a wrong direction to the west of the Runway 02 threshold and crashed.”
See also: US- Bangla Plane Crashes in Nepal; 39 Killed, others Injured
Monday, March 12, 2018
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released data for the 2017 safety performance of the commercial airline industry showing continued strong improvements in safety.
IATA - IATA Releases 2017 Airline Safety Performance
NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida will host a meeting of the National Space Council, chaired by Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday, Feb. 21.
NASA Television and the agency’s website will provide live coverage of the meeting beginning at 10 a.m. EST.
Media are invited to cover the vice president’s arrival on Tuesday, Feb. 20, at Kennedy’s Shuttle Landing Facility and the council meeting on Wednesday.
After his arrival on Tuesday, Vice President Pence will tour Cape Canaveral Air Force Station launch facilities and participate in a commercial spaceflight federal reception. On Wednesday, Vice President Pence will lead the National Space Council meeting inside Kennedy’s Space Station Processing Facility. “Moon, Mars, and Worlds Beyond: Winning the Next Frontier” will include testimonials from leaders in the civil, commercial, and national security sectors about the importance of the United States’ space enterprise. The Vice President will conclude his visit with a tour of Kennedy Space Center.
Students from six schools in Alamogordo, New Mexico, will speak with a NASA astronaut living, working and doing research aboard the International Space Station at 11 a.m. EST Wednesday, Feb. 21. The 20-minute, Earth-to-space call will air live on NASA Television and the agency’s website.
Middle and high school students will travel to Alamogordo High School for the call to Expedition 54 astronaut Scott Tingle aboard the space station, posing questions about life aboard the orbital outpost, NASA’s deep space exploration plans, and doing science in space.
Tingle arrived Dec.19 and is scheduled to return to Earth in June.
The New Mexico Museum of Space History (NMMSH) has collaborated with the Alamogordo Public School and the New Mexico School for the Blind and Visually Impaired for this event. NMMSH is a state museum chartered to educate the people of New Mexico and visitors in the history, science and technology of space.
Students have been preparing for the event by forming teams to design and build simple apparatuses or experiments involving fluid management, combustion, or crystal growth to compare performance in a 1g vs simulated microgravity environment. Some 1,500 students and teachers are expected to be on-site at Alamogordo High School during the downlink with 4,000 more watching virtually in school auditoriums throughout Alamogordo Public Schools.
American Airlines Flight AA192 had a little bit of an issue while standing prior to takeoff Oct 9 2017, earlier today. As the Boeing 777 was being loaded, the container loader malfunctioned, resulting in a fire. The fire spread, and burned the cargo container. The plane was scheduled to fly from Hong Kong-Chek Lap Kok International Airport to LAX in Los Angeles. According to Flightradar24, the flight was cancelled. (I expect so!)
A pilot sent us these images:
IMG_1275-1 Click to view .MOV file
IMG_1276 Click to view .MOV file
This day we are threatened by nature. Yesterday, the winds of Hurricane Harvey hammered Texas, and tomorrow Irma will be slamming Florida. It is a storm we will weather. We know we will, because we have lived through worse. We must remember this, because today is September tenth. And September 11, 2011 is a date no American can forget, marked as it is by four scars that will never heal. Four hijacked airliners carved the names of nearly three thousand victims into our memories, names written in blood. Three thousand names with more than three thousand families—and that is not even adding the number of injured, the number of rescuers, all losses that destroyed the innocence of our country. We were initiated on that day into a sad new world, scarred by tragedy that turned the sky from blue to red. How could we understand what was going on? The mass murder of our people, the senseless destruction, the planes crashing, buildings burning before our eyes. I’m just an ordinary guy. When it happened, I was bewildered by it all.
On Sept 11, this day, in 2011, Flight 11 and Flight 175 hit the twin towers.
The tragedy was filmed as it happened. We were glued to our screens, helpless, terrorized, mesmerized along with the international audience, the terrible scenes of desperate people making impossible choices: die in the burning towers, or jump to the unforgiving pavement. We cried, but we did not cry alone. The world cried with us.
American Airlines Flight 77 hit the Pentagon, 64 aboard the plane and 125 in the impact, all fatalities.
On Flight 93, we saw our people become heroes. We learned of Burnett, Beamer, and Bradshaw, of passengers fighting the hijackers. “Are you guys ready? Let’s roll.” They rolled into history as heroes. How many lives they saved by their actions—an incalculable number—and these were passengers who acted against the hijackers knowing they would lose their own.
Children of today who ride airplanes are accustomed to today’s security protocols. It must be impossible for them to believe that there was a time when we simply walked aboard. There was no threat. But these days are different. We live in a world that irrevocably changed that day. It is a day we can never forget.
We tightened our belts.
We sharpened our defenses.
And we are not alone in this. The whole world is a more vigilant place.
The twin towers were a symbol of our prosperity, a couple of the world’s greatest buildings in one of the world’s greatest cities; and though the towers stand no more, our cities and our country goes on. The Pentagon was rebuilt. A Pennsylvania park commemorates the heroes of Flight 93.
I certainly mourn those who were lost on September 11; and I feel for the families of the injured, as I believe we all do. I may mourn our loss of innocence, but I can also take pride that we stand now, scarred perhaps, but stronger because of what we have survived. We have taken measures to make our world safer, but we can never relax our vigilance. We can never such a thing to happen to us again. On the ashes of the towers, we rebuilt. Some of us are still rebuilding. On the ashes of history, we rise.
