Flight 447: Press release N° 10

Paris, 02 June 2009 – 21:26 local time
Memo to the press
Inter-religious ceremony wednesday 3 June
In respect for the mourning of the relatives and friends of the victims, we inform the press that they will not be able to attend the inter-religious ceremony to be held inside Notre Dame cathedral tomorrow at 4pm. There will be a sound broadcast of the ceremony on the square outside the cathedral.

Paris, 02 June 2009 – 14:20 local time
Press release N° 10
Homage to victims in Paris
An inter-religious ceremony for the relatives and friends of the victims will be held on Wednesday 3 June at 4pm at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris.

Note for media: practical information will be sent later.

To include the featured image in your Twitter Card, please tap or click their icon a second time.

Similar Posts

  • |

    Boeing Initiates Changes to 787 Power Panel, Updates to Software

    EVERETT, Wash., Nov. 24, 2010 /PRNewswire/ — Boeing (NYSE: BA) is developing minor design changes to power distribution panels on the 787 and updates to the systems software that manages and protects power distribution on the airplane. These changes come as the result of what has been learned from the investigation of an onboard electrical fire on a test airplane, ZA002, earlier this month in Laredo, Texas.

    “We have successfully simulated key aspects of the onboard event in our laboratory and are moving forward with developing design fixes,” said Scott Fancher, vice president and general manager of the 787 program. “Boeing is developing a plan to enable a return to 787 flight test activities and will present it to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as soon as it is complete.”

    Engineers have determined that the fault began as either a short circuit or an electrical arc in the P100 power distribution panel, most likely caused by the presence of foreign debris. The design changes will improve the protection within the panel. Software changes also will be implemented to further improve fault protection.

    The P100 panel is one of five major power distribution panels on the 787. It receives power from the left engine and distributes it to an array of systems.

    The 787 team is now assessing the time required to complete the design changes and software updates that are being developed. A revised 787 program schedule is expected to be finalized in the next few weeks.

    “Our team is focused on developing these changes and moving forward with the flight test program,” said Fancher. “The team in Laredo is also well along in preparing to return ZA002 to Seattle.”

    Forward-Looking Statements

    Certain statements in this report may be “forward-looking” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “projects,” “believes,” “estimates,” “targets,” “anticipates,” and similar expressions are used to identify these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based upon assumptions about future events that may not prove to be accurate. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in these forward-looking statements. As a result, these statements speak to events only as of the date they are made and we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by federal securities laws. Specific factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements we make regarding our guidance relating to future financial and operating performance, the effect of economic conditions in the United States and globally, and general industry conditions as they may impact us or our customers, as well as the other important factors disclosed previously and from time to time in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

    To include the featured image in your Twitter Card, please tap or click their icon a second time.
  • |

    IATA Press Release Talks about African Safety


    The International Air Transport Association (IATA) called on public and private stakeholders to work together to address critical priorities to enable aviation to do more to drive economic growth in Africa.

    “Aviation supports 6.7 million jobs and some $68 billion of economic activity in Africa. Those numbers are impressive but I am convinced aviation has an even bigger role to play in providing the connectivity that drives economic growth and development,” said Tony Tyler, IATA’s Director General and CEO.

    Speaking at Aviation Day Africa, Tyler said that, “Africa is poised for rapid development and great changes. Half of the top 20 fastest growing economies over the next five years are expected to be on this continent. Aviation’s part in driving growth and development will become even more prominent.”

    In order for this to occur, however, Africa must address major challenges in safety, infrastructure, and liberalization.

    Safety:
    “Safety is our top priority. And Africa’s performance is well below what we are achieving globally,” said Tyler. In 2012 African airlines had one accident (with a Western-built jet aircraft) for every 270,000 flights. Globally, the industry average was 1 accident for every 5 million flights. However, no IATA member experienced a Western-built jet hull loss accident last year and that includes the 25 member airlines based in Africa. Likewise, none of the 384 airlines on the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) registry had a hull loss with a Western-built jet—also including those carriers based in Africa. “It is clear that IOSA is making a difference—not just in Africa, but in safety globally,” said Tyler.

    The Abuja Declaration, which was endorsed by the African Union Summit this year, sets out a comprehensive approach to reaching world-class safety levels by 2015. Completion of IOSA by all African carriers is a condition of the Declaration and Tyler urged African governments to make IOSA mandatory for airlines. IATA is sponsoring 10 airlines with in-house training to achieve IOSA registration.

    In addition to IOSA participation, the Abuja Declaration calls for:

    • The establishment of independent and sufficiently funded civil aviation authorities
    • Implementation of effective and transparent safety oversight systems by all African states
    • Implementation of accident prevention measures focused on runway safety and loss of control
    • Implementation of flight data analysis
    • And implementation of safety management systems by all service providers

    “Meeting the Abuja Declaration’s commitments will require a major effort across the continent. We have a lot of ground to cover and we cannot lose momentum. IATA is a committed partner and we must work together as a team of stakeholders to deliver world class safety to Africa,” said Tyler.

    Infrastructure

    “Infrastructure is also a major challenge. Some of the challenges are physical—infrastructure in many parts of Africa needs to improve,” said Tyler. Several infrastructure projects are ongoing in the region—upgrades at Lagos Airport, Performance-Based Navigation investments for Nigerian air traffic management and ambitious airport infrastructure re-development in Ghana.

    Nonetheless, there are some infrastructure challenges including the reliability of fuel supply in Lagos. “We must find a sustainable long-term solution. The vandalized pipeline is no longer in use. And trucking fuel from Apapa terminal through dense traffic is inefficient and costly. The same can be said of building extra capacity to store fuel on site. Without minimizing the challenges involved, providing security on a few kilometers of pipeline is not an impossible task. We are working with the oil industry to find a solution. And we will be seeking the government’s political will to help us make it happen. Ensuring fuel reliability is critical to Lagos’s future as a hub for connectivity across South-West Africa.,” said Tyler.

    Infrastructure costs and charging policy are also hindering African connectivity. “Just as with safety, global standards exist to provide guidance on charges, as developed and recommended by the International Civil Aviation Organization. These include cost-relatedness, non-discrimination and transparency. It is also recommended that charges be developed in consultation with users. And there should be no pre-financing,“ said Tyler.

    “Governments must also recognize that every dollar counts. If we average the entire industry’s profits for 2012, airlines retained about $2.50 for every passenger. And African airlines have been basically hovering around break-even for a decade or more. Without sustainable income, airlines cannot expand to meet rising demand and in fact, they may have to reduce services,” said Tyler.

    Liberalization
    “Africa’s economic development needs aviation connectivity. And for that to further develop, airlines need to be able to access markets. Ironically, connectivity from Africa to other continents is more developed than connectivity within the continent. From Lagos there are daily flights to Atlanta but not to Dakar or Abidjan—and Lagos is one of the better connected cities in Africa. Africa has a visionary framework for growing connectivity across the continent in the now epic story of the Yamoussoukro Declaration which started in 1988. There has been some progress. But it is far from being transformational. It is interesting to see that African governments find it somehow easier to expand bilateral arrangements with long-haul trading partners than within the region,” said Tyler.

    To include the featured image in your Twitter Card, please tap or click their icon a second time.
  • |

    NTSB INVESTIGATING OPERATIONAL ERROR NEAR NEW YORK

    The National Transportation Safety Board has been investigating an operational error that occurred near New York City in January.

    The Safety Board was notified of a Traffic Collision and Alerting System (TCAS) resolution advisory that occurred due to a near midair collision involving American Airlines flight 951 on January 20, 2011, at about 10:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. The American Airlines aircraft, a Boeing 777-200 (N7CA), had taken off from John F. Kennedy International Airport en route to Sao Paulo, Brazil and was flying southeast. A flight of two U.S. Air Force C-17s was heading northwest toward McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey. There were no injuries in the incident.

    The NTSB has interviewed air traffic controllers on duty at the time of the incident, and is gathering information from American Airlines and the Air Force.

    The air traffic controllers talking to each of the aircraft received conflict alerts, and immediately provided traffic advisories and turned their aircraft to resolve the conflict. In addition, the American Airlines crew responded to directions provided by TCAS. Radar data indicate that the aircraft came within a mile of each other at their closest point. The incident occurred about 80 miles southeast of New York City.

    Betty Koschig has been designated the NTSB’s Investigator-in-Charge for this incident. Further information will be released as it becomes available.

    To include the featured image in your Twitter Card, please tap or click their icon a second time.

  • NTSB LAUNCHES TEAM TO INVESTIGATE MARINE ACCIDENT IN SOUTH CAROLINA

    NTSB Advisory
    National Transportation Safety Board
    Washington, DC 20594
    December 7, 2009

    The National Transportation Safety Board has launched a go-team to investigate Saturday’s marine accident in Charleston Harbor, Charleston, South Carolina. NTSB senior marine investigator Thomas Roth-Roffy is the Investigator-in-Charge and is leading the Safety Board’s investigation. He is accompanied by two NTSB investigators.

    On Saturday, December 5, at approximately 8:30 pm, a commercial passenger vessel and a 25 foot Coast Guard patrol boat collided. There were no fatalities.

    NTSB Media Contact:
    Terry N. Williams
    (202) 314-6100
    williat@ntsb.gov

    To include the featured image in your Twitter Card, please tap or click their icon a second time.
  • |

    Series of Operational Errors by Pilot Led to 2009 Airplane Crash in Montana

    The National Transportation Safety Board determined today that the cause of the March 2009 deadly crash of a Pilatus airplane was a series of operational errors made by the pilot. The pilot failed to ensure that a fuel system icing inhibitor (FSII), commonly referenced by the brand name “Prist”, was added to the fuel prior to the accident flight.

    The pilot also failed to take appropriate remedial actions, including diverting to a suitable airport, after the airplane warning systems indicated a low fuel pressure state that ultimately resulted in a significant lateral fuel imbalance. And, the pilot lost control while maneuvering the left-wing heavy airplane near the approach end of the runway.

    “The pilot’s pattern of poor decision making set in motion a series of events that culminated in the deadly crash,” said NTSB Chairman Deborah A. P. Hersman. “Humans will make mistakes, but that is why following procedures, using checklists and always ensuring that a safety margin exists are so essential – aviation is not forgiving when it comes to errors.”

    On March 22, 2009, at about 2:32 pm (MDT), a Pilatus PC-12/45, N128CM, crashed about 2,100 feet west of runway 33 at Bert Mooney Airport (BTM) in Butte, Montana. The flight departed Oroville Municipal Airport in Oroville, California, en route to Gallatin Field in Bozeman, Montana but the pilot diverted to Butte for unknown reasons. The pilot and the 13 passengers were fatally injured and the aircraft was substantially damaged by impact forces and a post-crash fire. The airplane was owned by Eagle Cap Leasing of Enterprise, Oregon, and was operating as a personal flight under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident.

    During the investigation, the NTSB determined that the pilot did not add a fuel system icing inhibitor when the airplane was fueled on the day of the accident. The Pilatus flight manual states that a fuel system icing inhibitor must be used for all flight operations in ambient temperatures below 0 degrees Celsius to prevent ice formation in the fuel system. The NTSB concluded that the airplane experienced icing in the fuel system which resulted in a left-wing-heavy fuel imbalance. The increasing fuel level in the left tank and the depletion of the fuel from the right tank should have been apparent to the pilot because that information was presented on the fuel quantity indicator. This should have prompted the pilot to divert the airplane to an airport earlier in the flight as specified by the airplane manufacturer.

    The NTSB issued recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration and the European Aviation Safety Agency, to require fuel filler placards and guidance on fuel system icing prevention.

    To include the featured image in your Twitter Card, please tap or click their icon a second time.

  • ASPIRE Partnership Goes Green on Daily Basis

    The Asia and Pacific Initiative to Reduce Emissions (ASPIRE), a partnership with the FAA’s counterparts and airlines in Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Singapore to reduce aviation’s impact on the environment, is moving beyond the demonstration stage with the launch of ASPIRE-Daily service in selected Pacific markets.

    Air New Zealand will begin ASPIRE-Daily service from Auckland to San Francisco on Feb. 21 using some of the flight procedures identified by the ASPIRE partners to help reduce fuel burn and carbon emissions.

    “This is another significant step in our rollout of the Next Generation Air Transportation System,” said FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt. “We’re beginning to bring the green benefits of NextGen to the airlines and passengers in the Pacific on a daily basis.”
    Over the next four months, other carriers are expected to join Air New Zealand in flying ASPIRE-Daily routes between additional city pairs.

    Airlines flying ASPIRE-Daily routes must be equipped with advanced avionics that allow them to use at least four of the environmentally friendly procedures per flight outlined in the ASPIRE program. These include the satellite-based Required Navigation Performance avionics, which automatically update an aircraft’s precise position to air traffic controllers and provide an on-board system to monitor navigation performance. Another satellite-based system in use is the Future Air Navigation System, which transmits communications data directly from pilots to controllers.

    Five ASPIRE demonstration flights have taken place since the agreement was signed on Feb. 12, 2008. Air New Zealand flew the first demonstration flight from Auckland to San Francisco in September 2008. Qantas flew from Los Angeles to Melbourne in October 2008. United flew from Sydney to San Francisco on November 2008. Japan Airlines flew from Honolulu to Kansai in October 2009, and Singapore Airlines flew from Los Angeles to Singapore via Tokyo in January 2010.

    ASPIRE-DAILY PROGRAM PROCEDURES:
    User-Preferred Routes allow an airline to request a specific routing, regardless of projected winds, instead of flying along a fixed route. This procedure, made possible by advanced technologies used by air traffic controllers monitoring aircraft over oceanic airspace, results in a substantial reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

    Dynamic Airborne Reroute Procedures are the airborne equivalent of User-Preferred Routes. While User-Preferred Routes are approved prior to takeoff, Dynamic Airborne Reroute Procedures allow an aircraft to deviate from its flight path to take updated wind projections into account. This procedure also results in reduced fuel burn.

    30/30 Reduced Oceanic Separation is the safe reduction in the required separation between aircraft from 100 nautical miles to 30. This procedure improves capacity and efficiency over oceanic routes.

    Time-based Arrivals Management allows controllers to sequence aircraft more efficiently as they get closer to their arrival airports. This reduces low altitude vectoring and holding patterns, which burn fuel, while improving the merging and spacing of arriving aircraft to maximize efficiency.

    Arrival Optimization is the use of any one of several satellite-based procedures that allow aircraft to descend smoothly from cruising altitude to the arrival airport. These procedures – Continuous Descent Approaches, Optimized Profile Descents and Tailored Arrivals – allow aircraft to descend at idle thrust, rather than doing step-down descents that burn more fuel.

    Departure Optimization is the climb-out version of Arrival Optimization. This minimizes low altitude vectoring and the need to level off at interim altitudes.

    Surface Movement Optimization allows aircraft to move between gates and runways as efficiently as possible to save time and reduce fuel burn.

    To include the featured image in your Twitter Card, please tap or click their icon a second time.