Public Statement

STRONG CONSENSUS REACHED AT ICAO SAFETY CONFERENCE ON WAYS TO REDUCE ACCIDENTS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PIO 04/10

MONTREAL, 1 April 2010 – A High-Level Safety Conference which concluded today established a strong mandate for the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to create a strategy to further reduce the global accident rate, through the sharing of safety-related information among Member States and the air transport industry.

More than 600 participants at the four-day event, attended by Ministers and Directors General of Civil Aviation from 150 Member countries as well as industry representatives, recommended that ICAO create a global safety information exchange to enable analysis of key safety indicators. This will guide future strategic decisions related to the evolution of today’s air transportation system. The Conference called upon ICAO to facilitate the collection, analysis and dissemination of safety information provided by States and industry partners, throughout the international aviation community.

The Conference further recommended that ICAO develop processes to give the general public access to relevant safety information, thereby allowing them to make an informed decision about the safety of air transportation and to further ensure that such information is used solely to improve aviation safety and not for retribution or the purpose of gaining economic advantage.

“We have traditionally focused our efforts on accident reports as a means to improve safety. This new approach will help us to better identify and deal with safety threats before they result in accidents”, said Roberto Kobeh González, President of the Council of ICAO.

“Regulators and industry must come to manage safety-critical information in the same way that they view accidents. Both must become triggers for action in preventing accidents,” he added.

On Tuesday, ICAO, the Federal Aviation Administration of the United States (FAA), the Commission of the European Union (EC) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) signed a Declaration of Intent on the development of a global safety information exchange agreement.

In the months to come, the parties will establish an operational framework for the information exchange. It will address technical, confidentiality, legal and policy implications, as well as the relevance and timing of information collected.

“ICAO has long promoted the concept of information sharing on a global scale so as to connect the various databases of regulators and industry. The recommendation from the Conference and the Declaration of Intent represent a breakthrough in achieving our objective of better utilizing data to reduce the accident rate globally and in specific regions and States around the world,” Mr. Kobeh emphasized.

On the question of black boxes, the Conference recommended that ICAO look into technical enhancements that would improve the ability to locate and recover the units, such as longer time periods for signals, better resistance to crashes and floatability.

“While the electronic transmission of information during flights is progressively improving, black boxes will remain absolutely indispensable for years to come as the primary source of technical data in cases of accidents or incidents,” Mr. Kobeh said.

The Conference also called on States and industry to ensure improved communication and surveillance of flights over oceanic and remote areas through the use of all available technologies.

Reaffirming the fundamental mission of ICAO to ensure the safety of international civil aviation, the Conference endorsed the creation of a new Annex to the Convention on International Civil Aviation, one dedicated exclusively to safety management principles.

Recommendations from the Conference will be submitted to the Council of ICAO for consideration in the coming weeks.

Boeing Contribution to Shuttle Mission Includes Troubleshooting, Payload Prep

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla., April 2, 2010 — The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] has been providing NASA with a wide variety of hardware and services — including troubleshooting a stuck valve — to ensure Space Shuttle Discovery launches as scheduled on April 5.

One of two helium isolation valves in the shuttle’s starboard Orbital Maneuvering System (OMS) pod failed in the open position on March 13 during helium tank preparations prior to OMS pod propellant loading. High-pressure helium is used to push propellants from storage tanks into small rocket motors used for routine orbital maneuvers.

“As the original equipment manufacturer for the space shuttle and a major subcontractor on the program, Boeing engineers were a part of a NASA-led problem resolution team that analyzed the complex data and provided recommendations,” said John Mulholland, Boeing Space Shuttle Program vice president and program manager. “The team concluded that given the redundancy in the system, the space shuttle is safe to fly with the valve in this configuration.”

Shuttle mission STS-131 will transport four experiment racks to the International Space Station (ISS), along with one systems rack, seven resupply stowage platforms, and four resupply stowage racks. Boeing engineers in Huntsville, Ala., designed and built two of the four experiment racks — the Expedite the Processing of Experiments to Space Station (EXPRESS) Rack 7 and the Window Observational Research Facility (WORF).

EXPRESS Rack 7 is a multipurpose payload rack system that will store and support science experiments aboard the ISS. Experiments can be easily integrated into the system, which includes structural interfaces, power, command/data, video, cooling, nitrogen, vacuum exhaust, and other items needed to operate experiments in space.
The WORF fits over the U.S. Destiny lab window and will maximize the use of the window via attachments for cameras, camcorders, and other instruments to capture imagery of the Earth and space.

The mission also will deliver an Ammonia Tank Assembly (ATA) that Boeing refurbished at Kennedy Space Center. The ATA works in conjunction with the station’s External Active Thermal Control System to help cool the exterior and interior components of the ISS.

The Boeing Checkout, Assembly and Payload Processing Services (CAPPS) team prepared the entire mission payload for launch. The services and support Boeing provides under its CAPPS contract include planning for and receiving payloads, maintaining associated ground support systems, integrating payloads with the space shuttle, launch support, and space shuttle post-landing payload activities.
Boeing is the prime contractor to NASA for the ISS. In addition to designing and building all the major U.S. elements, Boeing also is responsible for ensuring the successful integration of new hardware and software — including components from international partners — as well as for providing sustaining engineering work for the ISS.

Aviation Organizations Launch Safety Information Exchange

Montreal – The International Air Transport Association (IATA), along with three governmental aviation safety organizations, took the first step to creating a global information exchange to improve aviation safety.

IATA, together with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the Commission of the European Union (EU), has signed a Declaration of Intent to exchange safety data. The signing took place during the ICAO High-Level Safety Conference in Montreal.

“Today’s milestone agreement marks the first time the global aviation community has come together to work on a global safety information exchange. Data must drive our actions so that we can focus our joint efforts on reducing the greatest risks,” said Giovanni Bisignani, IATA’s Director General and CEO.

“Working together with governments using global standards, safety has improved tremendously. In 1945, there were 9 million passengers and 247 fatalities. In 2009, 2.3 billion people flew with 685 fatalities. Every fatality is a human tragedy and reminds us that we must do better. Today’s agreement is one more important step to make a safe industry even safer,” said Bisignani.

Audit data will be a key element in the project. IATA, ICAO, the FAA and the EU conduct audit programs that collect complementary safety information. “We must understand safety trends, not just from the handful of accidents each year, but by bringing together and analyzing data from millions of safe flights. With this we can take more effective action to reduce risks and improve safety performance,” said Bisignani.

“There is no competition when it comes to safety. Cooperation is the way forward. We have a common goal of zero accidents and zero fatalities. The safety data from audits and oversight programs contains important parts of a whole picture. Agreeing to put this data together is a major step forward,” said Bisignani.

The four organizations will now start work on a way to standardize safety audit information and ensure compliance with local privacy laws and policies. This is targeted to be completed within 12 to 18 months.

The 2009 global accident rate, measured in hull losses per million flights of Western-built jet aircraft, was 0.71. This is a significant improvement of the 0.81 rate recorded in 2008. Compared to 10 years ago, the accident rate has been cut 36% from the 1.11 rate recorded in 2000.

NTSB INVESTIGATING NEAR MID-AIR COLLISION OVER SAN FRANCISCO INVOLVING COMMERCIAL JETLINER AND SMALL PLANE

National Transportation Safety Board
Washington, DC 20594

March 30, 2010

NTSB INVESTIGATING NEAR MID-AIR COLLISION OVER SAN FRANCISCO INVOLVING COMMERCIAL JETLINER AND SMALL PLANE

The NTSB has launched an investigation to determine why a commercial jetliner and a small light airplane came within an estimated 300 feet of colliding over San Francisco on Saturday.

At about 11:15 a.m. PDT on March 27, the crew of United Airlines Flight 889, a B777-222 (N216UA) destined for Beijing, China, carrying 251 passengers and a crew of 17, was cleared to takeoff from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) on runway 28L and climb to an initial altitude of 3,000 feet. The first officer, who was flying the aircraft, reported that after the landing gear was retracted and the jet was at an altitude of about 1,100 feet, the tower controller reported traffic at his 1 o’clock position. Immediately following the controller’s advisory, the airplane’s traffic collision avoidance system (TCAS) issued an audible alert of “TRAFFIC TRAFFIC.”

The pilots saw a light high wing airplane, an Aeronca 11AC (N9270E), in a hard left turn traveling from their 1 o’clock to 3 o’clock position. The first officer pushed the control column forward to level the airplane. Both crew members reported seeing only the underside of the Aeronca as it passed to within an estimated 200-300 feet of the 777.

TCAS then issued an “ADJUST VERTICAL SPEED” alert, followed by a “DESCEND, DESCEND” alert. The first officer complied and the flight continued to Beijing without further incident.

NTSB investigator Scott Dunham is traveling to San Francisco to begin the investigation.

Santiago Chile-March 24-25

The six page keynote address by the Secretary General of ICAO Mr Richard Benjamin at the IATA 2010 “Wings of Change” conference is available in pdf form here. The Wings of Change 2010 is the main Latin American forum which addresses the regulatory needs of the Latin American aviation industry in these challenging times. This biennial conference will once again cover the main topics facing airlines, aviation authorities, airports, regulators and other industry stakeholders.

Among other things, the address talks about the safety conference, and discusses an Annex to the Chicago Convention dedicated to Safety Management to highlight safety as ICAO’s focus; issues in fatigue management; security challenges; Aviation Environmental Protection.

For Immediate Release
Date: 25 March 2010

Geneva – The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released the following comments in response to today’s Memorandum of Consultation on Second Stage Open Skies agreement between the US and the European Union:

“It is disappointing that, at this critical time, we did not make significant progress on the issue of ownership. The agreement was not a step backwards, but it did not move us forward. The long-term financial sustainability of the industry is dependant on normal commercial freedoms. I urge both governments to keep this on the radar screen for urgent follow-up,” said Giovanni Bisignani, IATA’s Director General and CEO.

IATA welcomed the reaffirmation within the agreement that environmental issues leading up to COP-16 should continue to be addressed through the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). “ICAO is the right forum to reach a global sectoral approach to deal with aviation’s carbon emissions. I welcome the agreement’s reaffirmation of this as the industry continues to pursue its ambitious environmental targets to improve fuel efficiency by 1.5% per year to 2020, cap net emissions from 2020 with carbon neutral growth and cut net carbon emissions in half by 2050 compared to 2005,” said Bisignani.

The National Transportation Safety Board is sending a team
to investigate the crash of an emergency medical services
(EMS) helicopter this morning in Brownsville, Tennessee,
about 55 miles northeast of Memphis. Three crewmembers were
killed in the accident; there was no patient onboard at the
time of the crash.

NTSB Air Safety Investigator Ralph Hicks has been designated
as Investigator-in-Charge and is traveling to the scene from
the Safety Board’s regional office in Atlanta. NTSB Chairman
Deborah A.P. Hersman will serve as principal spokesman
during the on-scene investigation.

Improving the Safety of (EMS) flight operations has been on
the NTSB’s Most Wanted List of Safety Improvements since
2008:
http://www.ntsb.gov/Recs/mostwanted/aviation_improvesafety_e
ms_flights.html

Peter Knudson will be the press officer on-scene. Mr.
Knudson may be reached on his cell phone (202-557-1350) when
he arrives in Tennessee this afternoon.

National Transportation Safety Board
Washington, DC 20594

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 23, 2010
SB-10-09

NTSB CHAIRMAN HIGHLIGHTS RUNWAY SAFETY AND HUMAN FATIGUE IN
ADDRESS TO AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS
Washington, DC – In an address to the National Air Traffic
Controllers Association (NATCA) in Orlando today, NTSB
Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman lauded controllers for their
role in keeping the number of runway incursions low while
challenging the Federal Aviation Administration to hasten
the pace of its efforts to improve runway safety.

Attributing the decline in runway related incidents and
accidents in part to “robust procedures, safe designs, and
well-trained and alert controllers and pilots,” Hersman said
that “we still have a lot of work to do,” and that the FAA
needs to move more aggressively to lower the risk of runway
accidents.

Hersman chaired the NTSB’s February meeting in which runway
safety was again voted onto its Most Wanted List of Safety
Improvements where it has been since its inception in 1990.
The Safety Board’s recommendations to the FAA includes
providing immediate warnings of probable collisions and
incursions directly to flight crews in the cockpit;
requiring specific ATC clearance for each runway crossing;
requiring operators to install cockpit moving map displays
or an automatic system that alerts pilots when a takeoff is
attempted on a taxiway or a runway other than the one
intended; and requiring a landing distance assessment with
an adequate safety margin for every landing.

Citing an ongoing investigation of an incident in which a
767 landed on a taxiway in Atlanta in October, Hersman said
that the NTSB took a strong interest in the event “because
we want to know what led a professional flight crew to
mistake a taxiway for a runway, whether the controllers
could have detected the misaligned final approach to landing
and intervened, and whether there are technological tools
that can be used to prevent such incidents from ever
occurring in the first place.” Although no one was injured
in the incident, Hersman said that “if this event had
resulted in a fatal collision, there would be – far and wide
– immediate and understandable calls for changes.”

Hersman also cited human fatigue as an area that the Safety
Board has become particularly focused on, saying that “We
are seeing fatigue as a causal or contributing factor in
numerous accidents across all transportation modes.” The
NTSB has made recommendations to the FAA to set working hour
limits for flight crews, aviation mechanics, and air traffic
controllers, and has asked the FAA develop a fatigue
awareness and countermeasures training program for
controllers and those who schedule them for duty.

Recently, NATCA and the FAA established a working group to
collaboratively address the human fatigue issues that the
NTSB has identified. Hersman noted the significance of this
positive step by the leadership of both organizations and
called it a very encouraging development.

Concluding with an invitation for air traffic controllers to
participate in a three-day forum on pilot and controller
excellence that the NTSB will be holding in Washington in
May, Hersman emphasized the value of learning from the
numerous examples of superior job performance by
controllers. “Through our work we are very good at finding
out what went wrong, but frankly, it is just as important to
know what is going right, because we want to replicate that
throughout the entire national airspace system,” she said.

The complete text of Chairman Hersman’s speech may be
obtained on the Board’s website at
http://www.ntsb.gov/Speeches/hersman/daph100323.html

###