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Nigeria Airports Audited for Safety

The ICAO audit for Nigeria comes up in May (a whole lot of initials here — NAMA (Nigerian Airspace Management Agency), NCAA, FAAN, NCAT (Nigerian College of Aviation Technology), NIMET (Nigerian Meteorological Agency), and AIB (Accident Investigation Bureau)— and before all of that, the US American Transportation Security Administration (ATSA) is in phase two of auditing Nigerian airports.

Arik Air, United Airlines, and Delta Airlines will be audited for safety as well, as they are the three carriers which fly to the US. Now that Nigeria has Category “ONE” status and can fly to the US, the FAA will continue strict safety auditing in order to maintain that safety status.

In Montreal, Canada from 24-26 May 2011., the ICAO will be hosting an Enhancing Runway Safety symposium. The official event sponsors are Airbus, Airports Council International (ACI) and Boeing. In April of 2010, the ACI World Director General, declared support for the African States such as Nigeria who adopted the Abuja Declaration, which demonstrates the determination of African nations to contribute to the development of a new global aviation security strategy.

Great press, but what happens next? Africa has a long way to go to establish true aviation safety standards.

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    Redwings Airlines Suspension Pending


    Red Wings Airlines is grounded. Almost.

    Beginning Feb 4, Red Wings will be suspended due to the results of an inspection that turned up pilot training and flight preparation breaches.

    The Red Wings fleet is made up of Tu-204 jets.

    WE WONDER if the airline is under safety suspension why they are waiting until Feb 4 to ground the airline. If it is truly unsafe, why is it not immediately grounded? Why wait?

    Rosaviatsia has said it had found various violations, and claims the airline’s financial problems prevent adequate fleet maintenance.

    The airline is owned by Alexander Lebedev who is affiliated with the Novaya Gazeta; his son owns Britain’s The Independent and Evening Standard.

    Lebedev said the suspension is unfounded, that his airline was unfairly targeted, a political move, and a campaign against Tu-204 planes.

    On January 31, Rosaviatsia officials questioned if Tupolev Tu-204 airliners should have been grounded after Tu-204 reverser failure at Moscow Vnukovo International Airport resulted in an accident that killed 5 Red Wings crew and injured 3.

    On December 29, 2013, a Red Wings Tu-204 crashed on landing after overrunning runway 19 when engine thrust reverser shells to fail to deploy at Moscow Vnukovo International Airport. 8 crew aboard, 5 fatalities, 3 injuries.

    On December 20, 2012, a Red Wings Tupolev Tu-204-100V skidded off the runway during landing at Tolmachevo Airport . No fatalities.

    On May 24, 2009, a Red Wings Tupolev Tu-204 developed fuel system problems and diverted to Krasnodar. No fatalities.

    On August 2, 2008, a Red Wings Tupolev Tu-204 made an emergency landing in Minsk after an engine failure. No fatalities.

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    Stowaway Found in Arik Air Wheel Well

    What: Arik Air Airbus A340-542 en route from London to Lagos
    Where: Lagos Murtala Muhammed International Airport
    When: Oct 26, 2012
    Who: 1 fatality
    Why: The body of a man was discovered in the wheel well of an Arik Air Airbus after a flight from London to Lagos. The body had no identification. There is no indication how long the body remained there, nor where it came from.

    According to officials the body was discovered “during a check on the aircraft panel as it was being prepared for another flight and that the undercarriage compartment of the Airbus A340-500 is big enough to accommodate a person, besides the space for the tires.”

    Security at Lagos Murtala Muhammed International Airport is reputed to be lax, and authorities have apparently been ineffective in eliminating illicit activities.

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    Husband Files Dana Air Flight 992 Lawsuit


    Joy Chiedozie Allison died on Dana Air Flight 992. Her family has hired attorney Gary Robb. On June 7 (yesterday) Robb filed a 56 page lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Chicago, a discovery motion naming The Boeing Company, McDonnell Douglas Corporation, Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp., United Technologies Corporation and Estate of Peter Waxtan.

    In the Dana Airlines crash, both of the MD-83’s engines failed before it crashed into several buildings in Nigeria

    The chief engineer of Dana Air was also aboard the plane when it crashed. Employees of Dana airlines have said that owners were aware that the jet had mechanical troubles struggling on a Calabar flight;, but the crew was forced fly anyway, and fly it loaded to the hilt with passengers and luggage.

    Captain Oscar Wason is saying there may have been a bird strike. The black boxes have been recovered and will be sent to the US. The black boxes will have the truth.

    Joy Allison worked for Federal Express.

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    NTSB RECOMMENDS SYSTEM FOR LARGE AIRPLANES TO PREVENT COLLISIONS WHILE TAXING


    WASHINGTON – Today the NTSB recommended that the Federal Aviation Administration require that large airplanes be equipped with an anti-ground collision aid, such as an on-board external-mounted camera system, to provide pilots a clear view of the plane’s wingtips while taxing to ensure clearance from other aircraft, vehicles and obstacles.

    On large airplanes (such as the Boeing 747, 757, 767, and 777; the Airbus A380; and the McDonnell Douglas MD-10 and MD-11), the pilot cannot see the airplane’s wingtips from the cockpit unless the pilot opens the cockpit window and extends his or her head out of the window, which is often impractical.

    The NTSB said that the anti-collision aids should be installed on newly manufactured and certificated airplanes and that existing large airplanes should be retrofitted with the equipment.

    “A system that can provide real-time information on wingtip clearance in relation to other obstacles will give pilots of large airplanes an essential tool when taxiing,” said NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman. “While collision warning systems are now common in highway vehicles, it is important for the aviation industry to consider their application in large aircraft.”

    The recommendations follow three recent ground collision accidents (all currently under investigation) in which large airplanes collided with another aircraft while taxing:

    • May 30, 2012: The right wingtip of an EVA Air Boeing 747-400 struck the rudder and vertical stabilizer of an American Eagle Embraer 135 while taxing at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (Preliminary Report: http://go.usa.gov/rPFh).

    • July 14, 2011: A Delta Air Lines Boeing 767 was taxing for departure when its left winglet struck the horizontal stabilizer of an Atlantic Southeast Airlines Bombardier CRJ900 (Preliminary Report: http://go.usa.gov/rnzC).

    • April 11, 2011: During a taxi for departure, the left wingtip of an Air France A380 struck the horizontal stabilizer and rudder of a Comair Bombardier CRJ701 (Preliminary Report: http://go.usa.gov/rnzW).

    The NTSB made the same recommendation to the European Aviation Safety Agency, which sets standards for aircraft manufacturers in Europe.

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    Just Released: NTSB Welcomes Administrative Law Judge


    Washington – Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman has announced the appointment of Stephen R. Woody as an Administrative Law Judge for the agency.

    Since July 2009, Judge Woody has served as an Administrative Law Judge with the Social Security Administration. Prior to becoming an ALJ, he was a military trial judge in the U.S. Air Force, presiding over all judicial proceedings under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. He also served as a Staff Judge Advocate, and retired from the Air Force with the grade of Colonel.

    The Administrative Law Judges conduct formal hearings and issue initial decisions on appeals filed with the Safety Board relating to air safety enforcement actions by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) against pilots and other FAA certificate holders. Administrative Law Judges’ initial decisions can be appealed to the NTSB. The Board, in turn, takes final administrative action on appeals and issues decisions affirming, modifying or reversing judges’ decisions, or remanding cases to the judge for further proceedings.

    Judge Woody will primarily be responsible for hearing cases in the Office of Administrative Law Judges’ Northeast Circuit (Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Virginia). Judge Woody is a graduate of West Virginia University and earned his law degree at the West Virginia University College of Law.

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    FAA Selects Harris Corporation As Voice System Provider

    August 27- The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has selected Harris Corp. of Melborne, Fla., to support an essential element of the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). The NextGen-enabling program is called the National Airspace System (NAS) Voice System (NVS).

    NVS replaces the 40-year-old, legacy voice switches with a modern and flexible operational voice capability. NVS supports ground-to-ground voice communications between air traffic controllers and air-to-ground voice communications between controllers and aircraft. The FAA will deploy NVS in air traffic control towers, terminal and en route facilities, and future NextGen air traffic control facilities.
    “This system is another example of the critical role that interconnecting technologies serve as part of NextGen,” said FAA Acting Administrator Michael Huerta. “NVS will help ensure more efficient and reliable voice communications between our air traffic facilities as we maintain the world’s safest aviation system.”

    NVS will take advantage of modern router-based telecommunications technologies that enable the FAA to transition to a NAS-wide networked system. The current legacy voice switches operate independently at individual facilities and some have been in place since the early 1980s. NVS is a major modernization initiative that will enable the FAA to route, monitor and share information from one facility to another. It also offers the flexibility to allow the FAA to shift controller workload between facilities as needed.

    NVS will support airspace redesign, dynamic re-sectorization and offloading, and business continuity planning to protect against a loss of communications at air traffic control facilities. With the implementation of NVS, the FAA will have enhanced visibility and control over communications resources and will be able to manage them as a unified system versus individual platforms.
    The NVS contract has a five-year base and five two-year options, with a potential total value of $291.6 million.

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