Agency

Public, government, national and international agencies

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    Helicopter News

    Just crossing the transom now, there were alerts today of a number of helicopter events:

    • The fleet of North Sea Super Pumas were reinstated after the Sumburgh crash that killed 4 oil workers:
      but the L2 version of the helicopter – the Super Puma model involved in Friday’s crash – will only be allowed to fly on the what has been described as “non passenger revenue operations”

    • 1 hurt in helicopter crash in Tonto National Forest when a helicopter leased by APS made a hard landing with six people aboard

    See Video below

    • Helicopter crashes for science at NASA Langley

    See Video below

    • The Canadian NTSB indicated that the Robinson Helicopter R44 II in July 2012 in Carcross, Yukon occurred because of the pilot’s failure to check winds affecting the landing area. On July 10, 2012, an R44 II operated by Horizon Helicopters Ltd. transported 2 Yukon Government surveyors to bear-bait sites in the Carcross area. The helicopter departed Carcross at 3 p.m. followed the north shore of Tagish Lake and approached the wildlife survey site from the west. At approximately 3:13 p.m., the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre received an emergency locator transmitter signal from the aircraft. The wreckage was found approximately 5 nautical miles east of Carcross on Nares Mountain. The pilot was fatally injured, one passenger was seriously injured, and another received minor injuries.
  • On Oahu, a civilian pilot and a passenger crashed in a pineapple field a mile south of Wheeler Army Airfield. Both were hospitalized. The privately owned AC 8KCAB Decathlon experienced a loss of power. The accident was originally listed as occurring in a helicopter, but it is a single engine fixed wing plane registered to J3 ENGINEERING.
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    Air India Safety Under Observation


    Now that an Air India cabin crew told the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) of Air India safety violations and that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has been tolerant and inactive regarding said violations, the ICAO may well take action. Problems were indicated, such as understaffing, inadequate rest areas for crew, lack of implementation of “Flight Duty Rules.”

    The letter says:

    “We have reported more than 5000 safety violations on long haul destination flights alone, over the past three years. However, as the DGCA has ignored them, we were left with no choice but approach the ICAO.”

    A ten member International Civil Aviation Organization team will be in India from August 19 to 24 and a representative of USFAA (US Federal Aviation Administration) will arrive in the county on September 9 as part of an inspection of India’s air safety preparedness.

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    NTSB Flight 1354 Media Briefing

    The National Transportation Safety Board launched a full Go-Team to investigate the crash of a United Parcel Service Airbus A300. The crash occurred while on approach to Runway 18 at Birmingham International Airport in Birmingham, AL.

    Senior Aviation Investigator Dan Bower will serve as investigator-in-charge. NTSB Board Member Robert Sumwalt accompanied the team to serve as the principal spokesman during the on-scene phase of the investigation.

    The National Transportation Safety Board will hold its second media briefing today on its investigation into yesterday’s crash of United Parcel Service flight 1354 in Birmingham, Ala.

    Event: Press Briefing

    Date/Time: Thursday, August 15, 2013 at 4:00 p.m. (CDT)

    Location: Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport

    (On the lower level in front of the Airport Operations Office
    near baggage carousels 3 and 4)

    See NTSB Video

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    NTSB Launches Go-Team to Investigate UPS Flight 1354 Crash in Alabama


    WASHINGTON – The National Transportation Safety Board is launching a full Go-Team to investigate this morning’s crash of a United Parcel Service Airbus A300. The crash occurred while on approach to Runway 18 at Birmingham International Airport in Birmingham, Ala.
    Senior Aviation Investigator Dan Bower will serve as investigator-in-charge. NTSB Board Member Robert Sumwalt is accompanying the team and will serve as the principal spokesman during the on-scene phase of the investigation.

    Public Affairs Specialists Eric Weiss and Keith Holloway will also be in Alabama to coordinate media related activities. Eric can be reached by mobile phone at 202-557-1350.

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    NTSB TO OFFER TRAINING


    The National Transportation Safety Board is devoting two days at its Training Center to offer guidance to aviation public affairs professionals on how to most effectively manage emergency communications following a major aircraft accident or incident.

    The training will be offered on October 24-25, 2013, at the NTSB Training Center in Ashburn, Virginia, (near Washington, D.C.) and is aimed at communications professionals working with airports, airlines, air charter operators and corporations with aviation departments.

    NTSB specialists will explain the process by which investigation-related information is verified and released to the news media and the family members of those affected by a major accident.

    Members of the national news media will be there to discuss how they cover aviation accidents and how social media is changing how breaking news is disseminated and consumed. Aviation communications professionals will provide case studies highlighting best practices and lessons learned during previous aircraft incidents and accidents.

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    NTSB ISSUES SECOND INVESTIGATIVE UPDATE ON SOUTHWEST AIRLINES ACCIDENT IN NEW YORK

    August 6, 2013
    WASHINGTON – In its continuing investigation of the July 22 accident in which Southwest Airlines flight 345, a B-737-700, landed hard at New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA), the National Transportation Safety Board has developed the following factual information:

    • The captain has been with Southwest for almost 13 years and has been a captain for six of those years. The captain has over 12,000 total flight hours, over 7,000 of which are as pilot-in-command. In 737s, the captain has over 7,900 hours, with more than 2,600 as the pilot-in-command.

    • The first officer has been with Southwest for about 18 months. The pilot has about 5,200 total flight hours, with 4,000 of those as pilot-in-command. In 737s, the first officer has about 1,100 hours, none of which are as the pilot-in-command.

    • This was the first trip the flight crew had flown together and it was the second leg of the trip. The first officer had previous operational experience at LGA, including six flights in 2013. The captain reported having flown into LGA twice, including the accident flight, serving as the pilot monitoring for both flights.

    • The en route phase of the flight, which originated in Nashville, was characterized by the flight crew as routine. On approach into LGA, the first officer was the pilot flying and the captain was the pilot monitoring. SWA 345 was cleared for the ILS Runway 04 approach.

    • The weather in the New York area caused the accident flight to enter a holding pattern for about 15 minutes. The crew reported that they saw the airport from about 5-10 miles out and that the airplane was on speed, course and glideslope down to about 200-400 feet.

    • The crew reported that below 1,000 feet, the tailwind was about 11 knots. They also reported that the wind on the runway was a headwind of about 11 knots.

    • SWA 345 proceeded on the approach when at a point below 400 feet, there was an exchange of control of the airplane and the captain became the flying pilot and made the landing.

    • The jetliner touched down on the runway nose first followed by the collapse of the nose gear; the airplane was substantially damaged.

    At this point in the investigation, no mechanical anomalies or malfunctions have been found. A preliminary examination of the nose gear indicated that it failed due to stress overload.

    Investigators have collected five videos showing various aspects of the crash landing. The team will be analyzing these recordings in the coming months.

    Parties to the investigation are the Federal Aviation Administration, Boeing Commercial Airplanes, Southwest Airlines, and the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association.

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    Easa Issues safety Recommendations

    Subsequent to the WizzAir accident in Rome on June 8, 2013.

    The flight departed from Bucharest with 165 passengers and six crew.

    The flight had an aborted approach due to problems with the undercarriage not locking.

    Below is a letter from ANSV to EASA, the BEA, Budapest TSB and the UK AAIB

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    NTSB to Hold Forum on Safety Culture


    The National Transportation Safety Board today announced that it will hold a forum addressing the importance of safety culture in transportation on September 10 and 11, 2013, in Washington, D.C.

    “In our accident investigations we’ve seen instances of weak or non-existent safety cultures,” said Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman. “In this forum, we want to highlight what’s present in strong safety cultures as well as identify what works to build these cultures in order to more effectively prevent accidents.”

    The forum will review the progress and innovations that have been made in developing safety cultures throughout the transportation community and pinpoint areas where there are opportunities for improvements. Participants — including operators, labor groups and oversight authorities — will outline their roles, responsibilities and methods for developing effective safety cultures, with emphasis on the remaining challenges and steps needed for further improvements.

    The two-day forum, “Safety Culture: Enhancing Transportation Safety,” will be chaired by Hersman; all five Board Members will participate. Panelists include researchers, regulators, and leaders in both transportation and non-transportation industries.

    The forum will address ways of enhancing safety by providing first-hand accounts of efforts from both transportation and non-transportation industries to develop effective safety cultures and to implement specific safety-enhancement techniques. Highlighting progress while recognizing remaining challenges, the invited panelists will discuss advances in safety culture research, and describe the roles, responsibilities, and methods for developing effective safety cultures within their industries.

    The forum panels will include:

    Research Perspectives on Organizational Accidents
    Techniques to Enhance Organizational Safety
    Non-Transportation Perspectives on Safety Culture
    Organizational Leadership Perspectives on Safety Culture
    Safety Culture Management and Oversight in Transportation
    Companies and their Safety Culture Experiences.
    There will also be a review of some recent organizational accidents that have been investigated by the NTSB. Invited panelists will include researchers, regulators, and industry leaders.

    The forum will be held in the NTSB Board Room and Conference Center, located at 429 L’Enfant Plaza E., S.W., Washington, DC. The public can view the forum in person or by live webcast. Webcast archives are generally available by the end of the next day following the forum, and webcasts are archived for a period of 3 months from after the date of the event.

    Organizations and/or individuals can submit input for consideration as part of the forum’s archived materials. Submissions should directly address one or more of the forum’s topic areas (identified by the panel titles) and should be submitted electronically as an attached document to: SafetyCultureForum@ntsb.gov. Input received will be entered into the public docket for this forum.

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    NTSB Issues Investigative Update into Southwest Flight 345 Accident

    The National Transportation Safety Board today released factual information from the July 22 accident involving a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700 landing at New York’s LaGuardia Airport. The airplane’s front landing gear collapsed on landing.

    • Evidence from video and other sources is consistent with the nose-gear making contact with the runway before the main landing gear.

    • The flight data recorder on the airplane recorded 1,000 parameters and contained approximately 27 hours of recorded data, including the entire flight from Nashville to New York.

    • The cockpit voice recorder contains a two-hour recording of excellent quality that captures the entire flight from Nashville to New York and the accident landing sequence.

    • Flaps were set from 30 to 40 degrees about 56 seconds prior to touchdown.

    • Altitude was about 32 feet, airspeed was about 134 knots, and pitch attitude was about 2 degrees nose-up approximately 4 seconds prior touchdown.

    • At touchdown, the airspeed was approximately 133 knots and the aircraft was pitched down approximately 3 degrees.

    • After touchdown, the aircraft came to a stop within approximately 19 seconds.

    • A cockpit voice recorder group will convene tomorrow at NTSB laboratories in Washington to transcribe the relevant portion of the accident flight.

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    Rx for Safe Flying


    Smart general aviation pilots won’t fly if they are taking a prescription that says Do not drive or operate machinery while taking this medication. But sometimes it’s not that clear cut. Other prescription drugs and even some over-the-counter medicines can affect a pilot’s performance.

    That’s why Administrator Huerta and the heads of 11 aviation associations today sent a letter to all U.S.-registered pilots urging them to be more aware of the effect both prescribed medicines and non-prescription drugs containing antihistamines can have on their skills and judgment.

    The letter tells pilots to read prescription labels carefully, talk with their doctors, and then decide if the drugs they’re taking could impair their performance in the cockpit. It also advises pilots to use a personal “IM SAFE” checklist to ensure they are not impaired by Illness, Medication, Stress, Alcohol, Fatigue or Emotion – any of which could affect their flying abilities. The letter counsels pilots who have recovered from an illness and have taken a medication with impairing side effects not to fly until at least five maximum dosage intervals have passed.

    While the FAA works closely with many aviation advocacy groups, the letter represents an unprecedented joint effort. “In all of my years of practicing aerospace medicine, I am not aware of any time in which so many aviation organizations have collaborated to get out the same message at the same time,” said Dr. James Fraser, the FAA’s Deputy Federal Air Surgeon. “We hope this collaborative educational effort will put a dent in pilots’ usage of impairing medications and help lower the general aviation fatal accident rate.

    Besides Administrator Huerta, signatories to the letter include executives from the Aircraft Electronics Association, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Experimental Aircraft Association, American Bonanza Association, General Aviation Manufacturers Association, Helicopter Association International, National Association of Flight Instructors, National Air Transport Association, National Business Aviation Association, Society of Aviation Flight Educators and the U.S. Parachute Association.

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    NTSB ISSUES INVESTIGATIVE UPDATE ON CRASH OF ASIANA FLIGHT 214

    The NTSB investigation into the crash of Asiana flight 214 pivots this week from the on-scene phase in San Francisco, with the NTSB closing its on-scene command post today and investigative groups wrapping up their work at the airport.

    The investigative team completed the examination of the airplane wreckage and runway. The wreckage will still be available for further examination if necessary at its secure storage location at San Francisco International Airport.

    The Airplane Systems, Structures, Powerplants, Airplane Performance, and Air Traffic Control investigative groups have completed their on-scene work and have left San Francisco. The Flight Data Recorder and Cockpit Voice Recorder groups completed their work in Washington last week.

    The Flight Crew Operations group completed several witness interviews over the weekend. The Survival Factors/Airport group will be completing their interviews of the first responders today.

    The next phase of the investigation will include additional interviews, examination of the evacuation slides and other airplane components, and more in-depth analysis of the airplane’s performance.
    This is an informational release only. No interviews will be conducted.

    Further investigative updates will be issued as warranted.

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    Ethiopian Airlines Fire at Heathrow


    photographer Josh May

    An Ethiopian Airlines’ Queen of Sheba, a Boeing 787 #ET-AOP which had been sitting empty for eight hours caught fire and shut down Heathrow Airport for an hour Friday. The fire seems to have started in the upper fuselage, far from the 787’s lithium-ion batteries. A battery fire would have been “contained by the new casing and…smoke would have been vented outside of the airplane.” Nearly a dozen fire trucks responded to the scene. The plane was parked on the apron taxiway E at Stand 592 next to a fire station.

    #ET-AOP had arrived from Addis Ababa as flight ET700 at 06:30a.m. Departure was scheduled as ET701 to Addis Ababa at 21:10.

    In photos, damage appears on the outside top of the upper fuselage near the vertical stabilizer, on the left side of the top of the airplane just in front of the tail. The fire was not caused by lithium-ion batteries, which are in in the cargo-bay.

    Potential causes of the fire:

    • a gadget such as the coffeemaker
    • a manufacturing or installation defect in his jet;
    • a different systemic defect in the 787 model

    NTSB Sends Investigator to Participate in Investigation of London Boeing 787 Dreamliner Fire

    The National Transportation Safety Board has sent an investigator to assist in the investigation of a fire that occurred yesterday aboard a parked Boeing 787 Dreamliner at Heathrow Airport, London, England.
    NTSB Senior Air Safety Investigator Lorenda Ward has been appointed as the traveling U.S. accredited representative. Ms. Ward will be accompanied by NTSB airplane systems investigators and representatives from the Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing.
    The investigation is being conducted by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) of the United Kingdom, which will release all information.

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    NTSB STATEMENT ON ERRONEOUS CONFIRMATION OF CREW NAMES


    NTSB STATEMENT ON ERRONEOUS CONFIRMATION OF CREW NAMES
    July 12, 2013
    WASHINGTON – The National Transportation Safety Board apologizes for inaccurate and offensive names that were mistakenly confirmed as those of the pilots of Asiana flight 214, which crashed at San Francisco International Airport on July 6.

    Earlier today, in response to an inquiry from a media outlet, a summer intern acted outside the scope of his authority when he erroneously confirmed the names of the flight crew on the aircraft.

    The NTSB does not release or confirm the names of crewmembers or people involved in transportation accidents to the media. We work hard to ensure that only appropriate factual information regarding an investigation is released and deeply regret today’s incident.

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    A Small Point about the NTSB and Investigations

    We’d like to remind people that NTSB investigations take a year or more.

    We post news as it comes. The media being what it is, we hope everyone that reads our posts realizes that tertiary sources gleaned through the media are speculative at best. This speculation, published or not, does not compare in merit to NTSB investigations that take a year or more, and are examined with a fine-toothed comb in order to determine causes and consequences.

    While the inexperience of the Asiana Crash on this particular plane at this particular airport may be a contributory cause, there may also be underlying causes that were behind autopilot being switched off, or the speed decreasing enough to cause a stick-shaker alert.

    See a Boeing 777 stick shaker test below:

    The NTSB has an extensive description of the investigative processes here:

    http://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/process.html

    Obviously, the brief summation of news teams and even witnesses can not compare to the depth and breadth of the official investigation.

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    NTSB launching team to investigate Boeing 777 crash in San Francisco

    The National Transportation Safety Board launched a full go-team to San Francisco, Calif., to investigate the July 6, 2013 crash involving Asiana Airlines Flight 214, a Boeing 777. The crash occurred while the aircraft was landing at San Francisco International Airport.

    NTSB Senior Aviation Accident Investigator Bill English will serve as investigator-in-charge. NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman is accompanying the team and will serve as the principal spokesman.

    Public Affairs Specialists Kelly Nantel and Keith Holloway will also be on-scene in San Francisco to coordinate media related activities. They can be reached by mobile phone at 202-557-1350.[portfolio_slideshow loop=true]

    * A cautionary note: The official investigation of the cause of the crash will take a year or more. No matter what news releases or speculations come about before the official investigation is just speculation. We do not know, for example, if some part or software in the plane malfunctioned, leading the pilots to respond as they did.

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    NTSB says FAA should modify air traffic control procedures

    July 1, 2013
    WASHINGTON – Following the investigation of five incidents in which commercial jetliners came within hazardous proximity of other aircraft while arriving or departing at major U.S. airports, the National Transportation Safety Board today has recommended that the Federal Aviation Administration modify the rules for air traffic controllers to ensure the safe separation of airplanes during go-around maneuvers.

    A go-around – an aborted landing attempt by an airplane on final approach – can be initiated at the direction of ATC or by the flight crew upon a determination that circumstances are unfavorable for a safe landing.

    The safety hazard identified in the five incidents all occurred when an airplane that was on approach to the airport aborted the landing attempt and initiated a go-around maneuver, which put the go-around airplane on a flightpath that intersected with that of another airplane that was either departing or arriving on another runway of the same airport.

    Although current FAA procedures have specific requirements for ensuring the separation between two airplanes that are departing from different runways but that have intersecting flightpaths, they do not prohibit controllers from clearing an airplane to land at a time when it would create a potential collision hazard with another aircraft if the pilots of the landing airplane perform a go-around.

    In such situations, a flight crew performing a go-around may be put into the position of having to execute evasive maneuvers at low altitude and high closing speeds with little time to avoid a mid-air collision. The NTSB has determined that existing FAA separation standards and operating procedures are inadequate and need to be revised to ensure the safe separation between aircraft near the airport environment.

    The NTSB has recommended that the FAA modify air traffic control procedures so that an airplane that executes a go-around instead of landing as expected, will not be put on a potential collision course with another airplane either in the process of landing or departing.

    The incidents upon which this safety recommendation is based are listed below.

    • Las Vegas McCarran International Airport
    On July 30, 2012, at 1:44 p.m., a Spirit Airlines A-319 was executing a go-around as a Dotcom Cessna Citation 510 was on short final for landing on another runway. The two planes came within about 1,300 feet laterally and 100 feet vertically of each other.

    • New York John F. Kennedy International Airport
    On July 30, 2012, at 4:04 p.m., an American Airlines B-737 was executing a go-around as a Pinnacle Airlines CRJ 200 regional jet was departing from another runway. The two planes came within about 1,800 feet laterally and 300 feet vertically of each other.

    • Charlotte-Douglas International Airport
    On July 14, 2012, at 11:44 a.m., an ExpressJet Embraer 145 regional jet was executing a go-around as an Air Wisconsin Canadair RJ was departing from another runway. The two planes came within about 1,000 feet laterally and 400 feet vertically of each other.

    • Las Vegas McCarran International Airport
    On April 26, 2012, at 11:25 a.m., a JetBlue Airways A-320 was executing a go-around as a Learjet 60 business jet was departing from another runway. The two planes came within about 1,800 feet laterally and 100 feet vertically of each other.

    • Las Vegas McCarran International Airport
    On January 27, 2006, at 5:44 p.m., a near mid-air collision occurred when a United Airlines A-320 was executing a go-around as an American Airlines B-757 jet was departing from another runway. The two planes came within about 1,400 feet laterally and 300 feet vertically of each other.

    The complete safety recommendation letter to the FAA, which includes additional information about the incidents referenced above, is available at http://go.usa.gov/busC.
    ###

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    Plane Crash Investigation Reveals Cause

    On April 29, we reported the National Air Cargo flight that crashed when it’s load shifted and the plane stalled. Federal investigators and Boeing experts went to Afghanistan to to assist in the investigation.

    On Jun 2nd 2013, the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation of Afghanistan investigation announced officially that it was the weight of three armored vehicles and two mine sweepers 80 tons––of shifting cargo that caused the plane to crash.

    The wiring in the back of the plane was cut by impact with the cargo, leaving the pilots helpless to control the plane.

    There were no survivors.

    As a result of the April Crash, on May 17, 2013 Boeing issued the following SAFO:

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    FAA Administrator Huerta Calls for More Action


    – As the busy summer flying season approaches, FAA Administrator Michael Huerta today met with leaders from the general aviation community to agree on actions to enhance safety and reduce accidents. The general aviation fatal accident rate has remained flat over the past five years and 149 fatal accidents already have occurred so far this fiscal year, killing 262 people.

    “We cannot become complacent about safety,” Huerta said. “Together, we must improve the safety culture to drive the GA fatal accident rate lower.”

    In the short term, the group agreed to raise awareness on the importance of basic airmanship and to promote a positive safety culture. The following organizations attended the meeting and are partnering with the FAA to reach out to the many diverse facets of the general aviation community: Aircraft Electronics Association (AEA), Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), Helicopter Association International (HAI), International Council of Air Shows (ICAS), National Agricultural Aviation Association (NAAA), National Air Transportation Association (NATA), National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the U.S. Parachute Association (USPA).

    For the long term, Administrator Huerta called on the aviation community to install life-saving equipment (angle of attack indicators, inflatable restraints, two-axis autopilots) in older airplanes, to improve general aviation data, and to improve airman certification testing and training. To meet these goals, the general aviation community and the FAA agreed to work together to move forward as quickly as possible on three key initiatives:

    Participate and invest in the General Aviation Joint Steering Committee (GAJSC): Industry participation is key to data analysis that leads to the development of voluntary safety enhancements. The group uses a data driven process modeled on the highly successful Commercial Aviation Safety Team (CAST). Sharing data through the Aviation Safety Information Analysis and Sharing (ASIAS) system and other voluntary programs will help educate and shape the safety culture of the GA community. The FAA plans to expand ASIAS to general aviation in the next few years. FAA and industry will work together to find incentives to increase voluntary reporting.

    Support the overhaul of airmen testing and training standards: An industry and government working group is overhauling the standards by incorporating risk management and decision-making into flight training and testing.

    Expedite the Part 23 certification process to reduce costs and install new technology in airplanes: An industry and government committee is working on streamlining certification for the installation of certain safety technologies.

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    International Progress on Environmental Standards


    Earlier this year, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP) advanced two important goals to make air travel cleaner and quieter worldwide. As a member of CAEP, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) played a crucial role.

    “Air transportation continues to grow within and amongst nations,” said FAA Administrator Michael Huerta. “These new environmental standards and procedures recognize that we can work together internationally to achieve positive advancements in making aviation as environmentally efficient as possible.”

    Relating to aircraft noise, CAEP has recommended a new international standard for newly designed aircraft that would reduce noise by 7 decibels relative to the current noise standard. The new requirement would become effective in 2017 for large aircraft and in 2020 for smaller models.

    To address global warming greenhouse gases produced in air travel, CAEP has agreed to new international certification procedures for aircraft relating to carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. At previous CAEP meetings, the committee had agreed on how to measure CO2. These new certification procedures now open the door for CAEP discussions on how stringent the standard should be set and whether the standard should only be applied to newly designed aircraft or some application to in-production aircraft. These discussions are expected to be completed by 2015.

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    Senators Protest Closure of Control Towers


    Forty-one senators have written a letter to the Department of Transportation supporting their belief that “$253 million in funding authority” is enough to keep open the 149 contract control towers which are currently scheduled to close after June 15.

    Senators Letter

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    NTSB Issues 9 New Safety Recommendations

    NTSB Issues Nine New Safety Recommendations as a Result of Its Investigation of the 8/26/2011 Crash of a Eurocopter AS350 B2 Near Mosby, Missouri

    May 6, 2013 The National Transportation Safety Board Issues the Following Recommendations to the Following Organizations:

    • Prohibit flight crewmembers in 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135 and 91 subpart K operations from using a portable electronic device for nonoperational use while at their duty station on the flight deck while the aircraft is being operated. (A-13-007)
    • Require all 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121, 135, and 91 subpart K operators to incorporate into their initial and recurrent pilot training programs information on the detrimental effects that distraction due to the nonoperational use of portable electronic devices can have on performance of safety-critical ground and flight operations. (A-13-008)
    • Require all 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121, 135, and 91 subpart K operators to review their respective general operations manuals to ensure that procedures are in place that prohibit the nonoperational use of portable electronic devices by operational personnel while in flight and during safety-critical preparatory and planning activities on the ground in advance of flight. (A-13-009)
    • Inform pilots of helicopters with low inertia rotor systems about the circumstances of this accident, particularly emphasizing the findings of the simulator flight evaluations, and advise them of the importance of simultaneously applying aft cyclic and down collective to achieve a successful autorotation entry at cruise airspeeds. (A-13-010)
    • Revise the Helicopter Flying Handbook to include a discussion of the entry phase of autorotations that explains the factors affecting rotor rpm decay and informs pilots that immediate and simultaneous control inputs may be required to enter an autorotation. (A-13-011)
    • Require the installation of a crash-resistant flight recorder system on all newly manufactured turbine-powered, nonexperimental, nonrestricted-category aircraft that are not equipped with a flight data recorder and a cockpit voice recorder and are operating under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Parts 91, 121, or 135. The crash-resistant flight recorder system should record cockpit audio and images with a view of the cockpit environment to include as much of the outside view as possible, and parametric data per aircraft and system installation, all as specified in Technical Standard Order C197, “Information Collection and Monitoring Systems.” (A-13-012)
    • Require all existing turbine-powered, nonexperimental, nonrestricted-category aircraft that are not equipped with a flight data recorder or cockpit voice recorder and are operating under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Parts 91, 121, or 135 to be retrofitted with a crash-resistant flight recorder system. The crash-resistant flight recorder system should record cockpit audio and images with a view of the cockpit environment to include as much of the outside view as possible, and parametric data per aircraft and system installation, all as specified in Technical Standard Order C197, “Information Collection and Monitoring Systems.” (A-13-013)

      To Air Methods Corporation:

    • Expand your policy on portable electronic devices to prohibit their nonoperational use during safety-critical ground activities, such as flight planning and preflight inspection, as well as in flight. (A-13-014)
    • Revise company procedures so that pilots are no longer solely responsible for nonroutine operational decisions but are required to consult with the Air Methods Operational Control Center for approval to accept or continue a mission when confronted with elevated risk situations, such as fuel-related issues and unplanned deviations. (A-13-015)
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    NTSB TO ASSIST AFGHAN AUTHORITIES WITH INVESTIGATION INTO BAGRAM CARGO PLANE CRASH


    The National Transportation Safety Board will lead a team to assist the Afghanistan Ministry of Transportation and Commercial Aviation in the investigation of a cargo plane crash at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan.

    NTSB Senior Air Safety Investigator Tim LeBaron will be the U.S. accredited representative. He will lead a team of three additional investigators from the NTSB as well as representatives from the Federal Aviation Administration and The Boeing Company.

    The private cargo plane, a Boeing 747-400 operated by National Air Cargo, crashed just after takeoff from the U.S.-operated air base at 11:20 a.m. local time Monday. All seven crewmembers onboard were killed and the airplane destroyed. The seven crew members were all American citizens. The accident site is within the perimeter of Bagram Air Base.

    The international cargo flight was destined for Dubai World Central – Al Maktoum International Airport, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

    The Afghanistan Ministry of Transportation and Commercial Aviation is leading the investigation and will be the sole source of information regarding the investigation. According to the International Civil Aviation Organization, they can be reached at (873) 68 2341450 / 49 or by fax at (873) 68 1280784.

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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

    Network pool coverage will be by NBC

    Live Webcast: A link to the webcast will be available at: www.capitolconnection.net/capcon/ntsb/ntsb.htm

    Event 2: Press Availability

    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