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FAA Proposes Hazmat Civil Penalties Against 11 Companies

WASHINGTON – The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is proposing civil penalties ranging from $54,000 to $91,000 against 11 companies for alleged violations of Department of Transportation Hazardous Materials Regulations.

For further information on the following cases, please contact Arlene Salac or Jim Peters at 718-553-3015.

  • $91,000 against Boston Scientific Corporation of Natick, Mass, for allegedly offering a fiberboard box containing medical-grade silicone fluid, a flammable liquid, to DHL for transportation by air from Alajuela, Costa Rica, to Boston Scientific headquarters, Oct. 23, 2009. The shipment was undeclared. DHL employees at its Cincinnati sorting hub discovered the leaking package.
  • $78,000 against Westfield Coatings Corp., of Westfield, Mass., for allegedly offering a fiberboard box containing paint, a flammable liquid, for transportation by air from Westfield to Hudson, N.C., August 11, 2009. The shipment was undeclared. UPS workers at the Louisville sorting hub discovered the non-hazardous material leaking from the package.
  • $54,000 against Fragrance Resources, Inc., of Clifton, N.J., for allegedly offering a fiberboard box containing a flammable liquid for transportation by air from Clifton to Ft Lauderdale, Fla., Dec. 23, 2009. The shipment was undeclared. UPS workers at the Louisville sorting hub discovered the package.

For further information on the following cases, please contact Elizabeth Cory at 847-294-7849/-7427.

  • $65,000 against Flight Options, LLC of Cleveland, for allegedly offering a fiberboard box containing isopropyl alcohol, a flammable liquid, to UPS for transportation by air from Cleveland to Las Vegas, Sept. 9, 2009. The shipment was undeclared. UPS workers at the Louisville sorting hub discovered the leaking package.
  • $54,000 against the Hammelman Corporation, Dayton, Ohio, for allegedly offering a fiberboard box containing methanol, a flammable liquid, for transportation by air from Pompano Beach, Fla., to Dayton, March 23, 2010. The shipment was undeclared. UPS workers at the Louisville sorting hub discovered the leaking package.

For further information on the following cases, please contact Kathleen Bergen at 404-305-5100.

  • $58,000 against Kemet Electronics Corporation of Simpsonville, S.C. for allegedly offering a fiberboard box containing silver paint, a flammable liquid, to UPS for transportation by air from Brownsville, Texas to Simpsonville, Aug. 20, 2009. The shipment was undeclared. UPS workers at the Louisville sorting hub discovered the leaking package.
  • $56,000 against MSI Aircraft MTC SVS International, GMBH of Ruesselsheim, Germany, for allegedly offering a fiberboard box containing a fuel control unit, to FedEx for transportation by air from Ruesselsheim to Miami, May 22, 2009. The shipment was undeclared. A fuel control unit containing jet fuel is considered a hazardous material. FedEx employees at Fort Lauderdale discovered the shipment was leaking.
  • $65,000 against Federal Express of Memphis, Tenn., for allegedly accepting a fiberboard box containing an unspecified toxic, corrosive liquid classified as a poison, for transportation by air from Oxford, Ala., to Chino Calif., April 1, 2010. An FAA hazardous materials special agent identified the mislabeled shipment before it could be loaded on an aircraft.
  • $54,000 against Vitacost.com of Lexington, N.C., for allegedly offering a fiberboard box containing a flammable liquid and non-hazardous material for transportation by air from Lexington to Boca Raton, Fla., Jan. 29, 2010. The shipment was undeclared. UPS workers at the Louisville sorting hub discovered the leaking package.
  • $91,000 against Cardinal Health of Madison, Miss., for allegedly offering a fiberboard box containing skin care products containing alcohol, a flammable liquid, to DHL for transportation by air from Madison to St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Sept. 11, 2009. The shipment was undeclared. DHL workers at the Cincinnati sorting hub discovered the leaking package.

For information on the following case, please contact Lynn Lunsford at 817-222-4455.

  • $54,000 against PSS Medical of Lubbock, Texas for allegedly offering a fiberboard box containing ammonium nitrate, a corrosive material, to UPS for transportation by air from Lubbock to Las Cruces, N.M., Dec. 31, 2009. The shipment was undeclared. UPS workers at the Louisville sorting hub discovered the package while sorting packages for shipment and delivery.

In all instances, the companies allegedly offered the hazardous material for transportation (or, in the case of Federal Express, accepted it) when it was not packaged, marked, classed, described, labeled or in condition for shipment as required by regulations.

Companies have 30 days from receipt of the FAA’s notice of proposed civil penalty to respond to the agency.

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    Adoption of Security Roadmap Key Step In Countering Terrorism

    MONTRÉAL, 15 February 2011 – The adoption of a roadmap by 14 ICAO Member States to further protect global air transport from terrorist and other security threats was praised today by the Secretary General of the International Civil Aviation Organization, Raymond Benjamin, at the conclusion of a two-day regional aviation security conference in New Delhi.

    Among the measures included in the roadmap are actions that States will take to strengthen security screening procedures by ensuring that professionals are appropriately trained and equipped. Air cargo security will be enhanced through working with Customs authorities on common goals. Capacity-building assistance to States in need in cooperation with ICAO, other States and the aviation industry is emphasized in the roadmap.

    The conference was the first in a series on implementing the ICAO Declaration on Aviation Security, unanimously adopted by the Organization’s Assembly last October to deal with known, new and emerging threats to civil aviation.

    “The challenge, OUR challenge, is to turn commitment into action. Terrorism is a global problem that requires global solutions,” Mr. Benjamin emphasized when urging participants to develop the roadmap during the opening of the conference.

    “This roadmap is a key step in addressing the security challenge and can serve as a model for other regional aviation security conferences, culminating in a global security conference planned for next year at ICAO Headquarters in Montréal,” Mr. Benjamin indicated.

    In support of the roadmap’s initiatives, Mr. Benjamin pointed to ICAO’s ongoing collaboration with the air transport industry on a security checkpoint of the future concept to improve the effectiveness of passenger and carry-on baggage screening at airports. ICAO is also working with the World Customs Organization to establish best practices for air cargo security.

    The Government of India, through the Minister of Civil Aviation, is to play a leading role in the implementation of the roadmap in the region through technical cooperation and other initiatives.
    Attachments
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    Press Release: KLM Makes Upset Training Mandatory

    KLM, Holland’s flag carrier, has signed a deal with Arizona-based APS Emergency Maneuver Training to provide upset recovery training to ab initio pilots training at the airline’s flight school in Mesa. KLM has done its pilot training in sunny Mesa for 65 years at Falcon Field and APS is at neighboring Phoenix-Mesa Gateway. As technology mitigates many of the risk factors associated with airline flying, in-flight loss of control has emerged as the leading cause of airline crashes, according to a study released by Boeing last year. APS teaches pilots of all experience levels what to do when their world is turned upside down.

    Although recognition and prevention of unstable flight conditions is (or should be) a fundamental part of flight training, there are times when even the most careful and well-prepared pilot can find himself hanging from the harness thanks to weather, wake turbulence or other factors. APS teaches pilots how to put earth and sky back in their appropriate places without breaking the airplane, and the only way to do that is to intentionally upset aircraft. APS uses Extra 300s. KLM spokesman Robert van den Heuvel said KLM has made upset recovery a mandatory part of ab initio training for all its academy cadets and the deal with APS is a multi-year one.

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    FAA Proposes $304,000 Civil Penalty Against Great Lakes Aviation


    The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is proposing a $304,000 civil penalty against Great Lakes Aviation of Cheyenne, Wyo., for allegedly conducting 19 flights with aircraft that were not in compliance with Federal Aviation Regulations.

    Great Lakes operated the aircraft in conditions in which the carrier could reasonably expect frost, snow or ice to adhere to the planes, the FAA alleges. The FAA maintains that Great Lakes flew Beech 1900 aircraft out of Hays, Kan., in January 2011 with deicing fluid that exceeded the maximum temperature of 180 degrees Fahrenheit. The Great Lakes deicing manual states that fluid heated to more than 180 degrees could damage the aircraft or the deicer.

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    FAA Release: Speech – “Respect and Consideration”

    “Respect and Consideration”
    Michael Huerta, Indianapolis, IN
    September 15, 2010

    National Black Coalition of FAA Employees National Convention

    Good morning, and thanks for inviting me.

    You’re holding this conference at an important juncture for our society. And you’re holding it in a place that’s been a lightning rod for the very things that are perplexing our nation at this time.

    I’m going to raise some hot button issues today, and I by no means am poising myself as the One Who Holds the Answer. But what I am doing – and what I’m hoping that you’ll do alongside me – is to discuss these issues – the ones that are turning up the heat on the kettle we call America.

    As everybody knows, all last week there was a horrendous display of religious, ethical and cultural intolerance in Florida. No one can say that terrorism is the answer. But burning a holy book – a book held near and dear by millions of Americans – well, that did nothing to bring about healing, much less win an argument. Pouring salt into an open wound is not, in my opinion, the springboard to intelligent discourse.

    Instead of raising a concern, they raised the temperature – put fuel to the fire – agitated – whatever you want to call it.

    And in New York City, we have another situation of equal tension. The plans to build a mosque near Ground Zero have both sides in an uproar.

    So here’s my question to you: we are indeed the land of the free and the home of the brave. We are a land of religious tolerance. We’re a land where equality is supposed to be the law of the land.

    So if all this is true, why is it that we’re having the same argument over and over and over again?

    It comes down to respect. And by “respect,” I mean consideration – thinking about something from someone else’s point of view.

    As far as both of those issues are concerned, I must say that just because you have a right doesn’t make you right; that just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.

    If you remember the movie, you know that this is what caused the problem in Jurassic Park. One of the more memorable lines from the movie was delivered by an eccentric mathematician who thought cloning dinosaurs was a bad idea. He said, “You were so busy wondering whether or not you could create these things that you never stopped to wonder if you should.” In the haste to make a buck – or a statement – they plowed ahead without thinking about long-term consequences. Or maybe even short-term consequences.

    That’s a fictional example, but it fits. We’re talking about something that is scary, and has really, really big teeth. Both sides on these issues – the books and the mosque, not the dinosaurs – are raising points that are at the very core of our freedoms.

    But, and this is unfortunate for us, there’s more time spent slinging mud than there is building a bridge.

    You can build a bridge with brick and mortar, with concrete and steel.

    But the bridge between opposing sides must be built with respect. You must be considerate of what the other person has to say.

    Everyone here who’s faced discrimination of any kind knows this to be true. Screaming an epithet at someone who just screamed one at you is not the answer. But it’s our nature to say, You hurt me, I hurt you. An eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth.

    All of which leaves you with a bunch of one-eyed guys trying to gum each other to death.

    At the agency, we’re not necessarily facing things that are quite that blatant, but we are indeed in an era of change – not just for our work place, but for the entire NAS. The things that we’ve grown comfortable with, like ground-based radar – well, they’re changing as new technology comes along. We’re obligated to change along with them. We’re obligated to see things from a different perspective.

    There was a time, I’m sure, that the idea of horseless carriages seemed pretty strange. And cable TV? Why on earth would anyone pay for cable when you can get TV for free with an antenna? I’ve heard more than once about moms and grandmas who said, “Don’t even take that microwave oven out of the box. I don’t need it, and I won’t use it. And you shouldn’t either.”

    Those examples make us smile, but there are others in our workplace that grate against the grain. For those of you who are used to filling out the paperwork with an actual piece of paper, you’re butting heads with a new generation that can’t figure out why anyone would use paper when you can do it on-line.

    And what about tracking systems that are leading us to cost accounting? We never had to do that before, why should we do it now? Don’t you trust me? Don’t you think I’m doing my job?

    Those are just a couple of things rolling our way. As we know, in an era where the budget isn’t getting any bigger and the work we’re being asked to do isn’t getting any smaller, well, change is upon us.

    It’s a NextGen workplace, and I’m not just talking about satellites. Randy says, “Be ready for Destination 2025,” and he’s right. It’s time for us to recognize that we must adapt to new scenarios, even ones that make us a little uncomfortable – maybe a lot uncomfortable. If we’re going to provide safe, efficient, secure, environmentally friendly service, there’s no other way. We know that the approach we’ve taken has worked so far, but it is indeed time for a change.

    And just like the larger social issues I raised at the beginning, some of the changes we’ll agree with and some we won’t. Some we’ll like and some we might even despise. But at the core of this must be respect – consideration for co-workers, colleagues, friends, supervisors, managers, even – even someone who works for a different line of business. We laugh at that one, but we’re not going to get to Destination 2025 unless and until we learn to work across organizational boundaries.

    I’m looking to you for the support that will make it happen. The kind of support that ripples through an organization and energizes it. Raising the level of those around you is one of the strong themes I see at this conference, and that is definitely the right way to go, definitely the right thing to do.

    So let me close with this. I know where I stand on these issues, but where I stand is not as important right now as it is for us to remember that what makes us great is that we allow differing opinions, differing views, differences of race and creed; and that while we might not respect the opinion on the other side of the argument, we still have respect for that person.

    This is a time for us to show ourselves for what it is we are supposed to be: the land of the free, and a land big enough to have room for ideas with which we disagree, even ideas that we despise with the very essence of our being.

    Let me close again by saying thank you for the invitation. Thank you for holding a conference where important ideas can be raised. You have my respect and my best wishes for success. Thank you.

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    Boeing 787 Dreamliner to Receive Aviation’s Highest Award


    DENVER, Jan. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Few aircraft since the Wright Flyer have truly become an “Aircraft of Legend.” Like the DC-3, the technological advancements of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner are expected to profoundly impact commercial aviation. The Living Legends of Aviation have chosen the Boeing 787 Dreamliner to receive the “Aircraft of Legend Award” which will be presented at the 9th Annual Living Legends of Aviation Awards to be held January 20th at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles, Calif. Mr. Scott Fancher, VP and General Manager of the Boeing 787 Program, will be accepting the award on behalf of all who have contributed to the “Boeing Dreamteam.” The
    Living Legends of Aviation Annual Awards is the most important and prestigious recognition event of aviation.

    On December 17, 1903 at 10:31 am with Orville at the controls and Wilbur running along side steading the wing, the world experienced the first controlled powered flight. Exactly 100 years later the Living Legends of Aviation organization was born to celebrate and recognize significant contributions for the second hundred years of aviation.
    The “Living Legends of Aviation” are a group of extraordinary people of accomplishment. They are defined as aviation entrepreneurs, innovators, record breakers, astronauts, industry leaders, pilots who have become celebrities and celebrities who have become pilots.

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    NEXT INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION CREW HOLDS NEWS CONFERENCE

    HOUSTON — The next three crew members to live and work aboard the International Space Station will hold a news conference at 1 p.m. CST on Wednesday, Jan. 26 at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The news conference will be broadcast live on NASA Television and the agency’s website. Questions will be taken from participating NASA centers.

    NASA astronaut Ron Garan and crewmates, Russian cosmonauts Alexander Samokutyaev and Andrey Borisenko, will participate in individual round-robin interviews, in person or by phone, following the news conference. The crew also will participate in a photo opportunity for reporters at Johnson.

    U.S. and foreign media representatives planning to attend the briefing or participate in the round-robin interviews must contact the Johnson newsroom at 281-483-5111 by 4 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 24.

    Garan, Samokutyaev and Borisenko are three of the six crew members for Expedition 27 and 28. The trio is scheduled to launch to the station aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on March 29 (March 30 Kazakhstan time). They will join Expedition 27 NASA astronaut Cady Coleman, European Space Agency astronaut Paolo Nespoli and Russian cosmonaut Dmitry Kondratyev who will stay aboard the station until mid-May.

    On June 1, NASA’s Mike Fossum, Japan’s Satoshi Furukawa and Russia’s Sergei Volkov will join Garan, Samokutyaev and Borisenko to complete the Expedition 28 crew.

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