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NTSB Safety Recommendation


The National Transportation Safety Board makes the following recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration:

Require that Avions de Transport Régional (ATR)42-seriesairplanes operating in the United States incorporate a revised stickpusher activation angle of attack(AOA), such that the stick pusher activates before the stall AOA in the presence of airframe ice accretions. (A-12-24)

Evaluate all U.S.-certificated transport-category airplanes equipped with stick pushers to ensure that the stick pusher
activates at an angle of attack that will provide adequate stall protection in the presence of airframe ice accretions.(A-12-25)

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    NTSB PR: Jim Cash Awarded Sammie

    National Transportation Safety Board’s James Cash has been awarded a Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals for career achievement in public service.

    “Jim Cash is a humble and soft-spoken gentleman. But underneath that demeanor, there is a lion-hearted intellectual dedicated to investigation and committed to safety,” said NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman. “Through his decades of work, his dogged determination and expertise, Jim has made significant contributions to accident investigations that have yielded the clues that led to important safety improvements. Because of that work, he has long been recognized by his colleagues around the world as a pre-eminent technical expert in accident investigation. He truly exemplifies the best of our NTSB staff and of public service overall. I am honored to work along-side him, to learn from him, and to share his passion and commitment to transportation safety.”

    Cash is the NTSB’s Chief Technical Advisor in the Office of Research and Engineering. He has spent nearly three decades deciphering information from electronic recording devices to help determine the causes of major aviation and other transportation accidents that, in turn, led to recommendations to advance transportation safety for the traveling public. Cash is one of world’s leading experts on cockpit voice recorders and flight data recorders, which help determine the system failures and human errors that cause airplane crashes.

    The Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals, or “Sammies,” honor outstanding federal employees. The winners were nominated by colleagues familiar with their work and selected by a committee that includes nearly 20 leaders in government, academia, the private sector, media and philanthropy. More than 400 nominations were submitted for medal consideration this year.

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    UPS Flight 1354 Agenda and Media Logistics for Investigative Hearing


    The National Transportation Safety Board today released the agenda for the investigative hearing on the ongoing investigation into the Aug. 14, 2013 crash of UPS Airlines flight 1354, an Airbus A300-600, on approach to Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport in Birmingham, Ala.

    The hearing will be held February 20 at the NTSB’s Board Room and Conference Center at 429 L’Enfant Plaza SW in Washington and begins at 8:30 a.m.

    Hearing witnesses, including representatives of the Federal Aviation Administration, Airbus, UPS Airlines, Independent Pilots Association and the Transport Workers Union will testify and answer questions from NTSB Board members, technical staff, and parties about non-precision approaches, human factors and flight dispatch issues. The agenda, list of panel witnesses, biographies and other related information is available at the hearing event page at http://www.ntsb.gov/news/events/2014/ups1354_hearing/index.html

    Investigative exhibits for the hearing will be placed in the electronic docket at the start of the hearing and will also be available on the hearing event page once the hearing begins.

    NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman will be available to answer questions from the media at the conclusion of the hearing. Additional details about the availability will be included in an advisory on Wednesday.

    Television coverage of the proceedings will be by network pool provided by CNN. Escorted cutaway for video media will be permitted for brief periods throughout the hearing. Still photographers will be permitted in the seating area of the Board Room and by escort to areas in front of the witness panels.

    Because of construction at and around L’Enfant Plaza, satellite and other media trucks will have to check in for parking and running cable through the construction zone. Please RSVP to eric.weiss@ntsb.gov by Feb. 19. Media access to the Board Room is available beginning at 7:30 a.m.

    A media room is also available with tables, chairs and an audio mult box. Generally-accepted media credentials will be required for access to the media room. In addition, a fully equipped overflow room has been established and will serve as a storage area for video equipment during the hearing.

    Seating for the general public in the Board Room is on a first-come, first-served basis. The hearing will be webcast live. Access to the webcast can be found at www.ntsb.gov.

    ===
    The National Transportation Safety Board has scheduled an investigative hearing on February 20 into the crash of a UPS Airbus A300-600 on approach to Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport in Birmingham, Ala., on Aug. 14, 2013.

    The two flight crew members were killed and the airplane was destroyed when it impacted the ground less than a mile short of Runway 18. The cargo flight had originated from Louisville, Ky. Runway 18 was being used because the main runway at the airport was closed for repairs at the time of the airplane’s arrival.

    The one-day hearing will examine:

    Execution of non-precision approaches, including initial and recurrent training, adherence to standard operating procedures, and proficiency
    Human factors issues associated with effective crew coordination and resource management applicable to this accident, including decision-making, communication, fatigue and fitness for duty, as well as monitoring and cross-checking, policies, standard operating procedures, guidance, and training provided to UPS crewmembers.
    Dispatch procedures, including the training, evaluation, roles and responsibilities of UPS dispatchers and the limitations of dispatch-related software.
    The investigation is ongoing and this hearing will develop additional facts to support the investigation. The hearing will be held in the NTSB Board Room and Conference Center in Washington, D.C. A detailed agenda and a list of attendees will be forthcoming.

    Parties to the hearing will include the Federal Aviation Administration, UPS, Airbus, the Independent Pilots Association and the Transport Workers Union. The accredited representative from the French Bureau d’Enquêtes et d’Analyses pour la sécurité de l’aviation civile (BEA) will participate on the technical panels.

    The determination of the probable cause of the crash will be released when the investigation is complete. Just prior to the start of the hearing, the public docket will be opened. Included in the docket are photographs, interview transcripts and other documents.

    ____________________________________________________________________________________________

    NTSB public events are also streamed live via webcast. Webcasts are archived for a period of three months from the time of the meeting. Webcast archives are generally available by the end of the event day for public Meetings, and by the end of the next day for Technical conferences.

    If you wish to obtain a copy of NTSB meetings, please contact the NTSB Records Management Division at (202) 314-6551 or 800-877-6799. You may also request this information from the NTSB web site or write the following: National Transportation Safety Board, Records Management Division (CIO-40), 490 L’Enfant Plaza, SW,Washington, DC 20594.

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  • IATA PR: IATA e-freight Goes Live In US Domestic Market

    Washington – The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced today the dawn of a new era for the air cargo supply chain in the domestic United States market. IATA e-freight for domestic shipments went live in the US earlier this month and is currently operational at 58 US airports.

    IATA e-freight, one of the Simplifying the Business projects, improves service and cuts costs by taking the paper out of the air cargo supply chain. Facilitated by IATA, the project is an industry-wide initiative involving customs authorities, carriers, freight forwarders, ground handlers and shippers. IATA e-freight effectively eliminates the need to send paper documents with air cargo shipments, hence streamlining processes, improving speed and reliability.

    The IATA e-freight implementation team was led by American Airlines Cargo in close cooperation with DB Schenker Logistics.

    International e-freight in the US went live in October 2008 and operates at Chicago, New York JFK and Miami for both imports and exports, and Atlanta, Dallas/Fort Worth and Los Angeles for imports only. There are plans to increase the number of US ports for both export and import over the coming months.

    IATA e-freight is also operational in Australia, Austria, Canada, Chile, China, Chinese Taipei, Denmark, Dubai, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Iceland, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mauritius, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom and United States.

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    Press Release – FAA Celebrates Completion of San Francisco International Airport Recovery Act Projects

    For Immediate Release
    August 27, 2010

    SAN FRANCISCO — The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today marked the completion of $14.5 million in runway projects funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) that will ensure continued safety for flights at San Francisco International Airport (SFO).
    “The Recovery Act made it possible for this important safety work to happen ahead of schedule,” said U.S Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “These projects kept workers in good-paying jobs, and these safety improvements will benefit the airport and passengers for years to come.”
    On Friday, FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt marked the completion of the work at an event at San Francisco International Airport. A $5.5 million ARRA grant allowed the Runway 10L/28R project to be completed a year ahead of schedule. Runway 1R/19L was also completed two years ahead of schedule thanks to a $9 million ARRA grant.
    “Healthy runways are safe runways,” said Administrator Babbitt. “Old pavement can crumble, creating debris that can damage aircraft and shut runways down causing delays for passengers.”
    The Recovery Act-funded projects leveled out two runways that tend to settle over time because of ground conditions. The new asphalt concrete resurface also will prevent unexpected runway shutdowns due to pavement breakdown, and will guard against crumbling pavement creating debris that can damage aircraft. The work also included: paving both runways with asphalt concrete; reconstructing sections of the runways; upgrading the runway and taxiway lighting systems with more energy efficient LED lighting; re-painting runway markings to increase visibility and improve safety for aircraft on the airfield; and improving the surrounding drainage system.
    Granite Rock Company of Watsonville, Calif. was the prime contractor for both projects, which required 92,000 tons of asphalt concrete covering 3.46 million square feet of runways. Work on both runway projects was done on the weekends to minimize disruption to the traveling public.
    The Recovery Act funded an additional $22.4 million in upgrades to airports and facilities in and around the San Francisco Bay Area.
    At Oakland International Airport, $14.9 million in Recovery Act funding is being used in the reconstruction of a large apron area used by airlines and cargo carriers and to reconfigure a taxiway. By replacing old apron pavement, the project will improve efficiency and allow larger aircraft to use the taxiway.
    In San Jose, a $5.17 million Recovery Act grant is funding the extension a taxiway at Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport. This project, which was recommended by an FAA Runway Safety Action Team, will improve safety by eliminating the need for private planes to cross a runway while taxing to an engine run-up area.
    An additional $2.4 million in Recovery Act funds is being employed to modernize and make safety upgrades at area facilities and airports.
    Nationwide, $1.3 billion in Recovery Act money has been made available for both airport improvement projects and air traffic control facility and system upgrades. These Recovery Act grants have been distributed to airports that serve commercial passengers, cargo and general aviation.

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  • Aeroflot may lift in-flight call ban

    The issue of lifting the call ban will be a topic at a Feb 19 governmental commission meeting.

    They plan on allowing the use of an onboard antenna which creates a local GSM network rather than the standard phone which can disrupt pilot equipment.

    OnAir and Norway’s Telenor Mobile Aviation offer mobile calls on Delta, Air France, Lufthansa, Emirates Airlines and Ryanair.

    The State-owned Russian Rossiya Airline is going to be merging with Aeroflot. Aeroflot is already more than 50% government owned.

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    Lockheed Martin Awarded $15 Million Production Contract to Upgrade Military Helicopter Sensor System

    ORLANDO, Fla., Jan. 6, 2011 — The U.S. Army awarded Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) a $15 million contract for production of a low-light-level TV capability, called VNsight, for the Apache’s combat-proven Modernized Target Acquisition Designation Sight/Pilot Night Vision Sensor (M-TADS/PNVS), also known as Arrowhead®. The new VNsight visible/near infrared sensor is integrated into the Modernized PNVS, providing the Warfighter with significant tactical advantages, particularly in low-light-level conditions.

    The VNsight Lot 1 production contract for 65 sensors and spares will equip two Apache battalions. It will also provide an initial quantity of cameras and spares to outfit a Foreign Military Sales customer. The M-TADS/PNVS systems will be upgraded as a field retrofit. Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control will produce the VNsight lens and serve as the system integrator, while Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and Sensors in Akron, OH, will provide the sensor’s camera.

    “The VNsight completes a commitment to the Warfighter to deliver a blended image capability in the Apache to support both situational awareness for the pilot and improved air-to-ground coordination,” said U.S. Army Apache Sensors Product Manager Lt. Col. John Vannoy. “After thorough testing of this system with pilots experienced in both combat theaters, I’m confident that their appraisal of the system as a must-have capability will result in the Apache becoming even more lethal on the battlefield.”

    “The VNsight camera upgrade represents a mission enhancing capability improvement for the Lockheed Martin produced Apache sensor,” said Monty Watson, VNsight program manager at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. “VNsight provides an increase in pilot situational awareness, flight safety and mission flexibility.”

    By blending VNsight imagery with the M-PNVS forward looking infrared (FLIR) imagery, pilots can see cultural and military lighting (lasers, markers, beacons, tracer rounds, etc.) accurately registered within the thermal image over the full 30-by-40 degree field of view of the sensor. This ensures safer flying conditions and enhanced mission capability by improving situational awareness in low-light-level conditions and situations where existing light sources cannot be imaged by the FLIR.

    The capability to image light sources in-band with the VNsight sensor allows aviators to see some laser pointers, improving coordination with ground units. It also allows the aircrew to see their own laser spot while designating targets for laser-guided munitions engagements, providing an extra level of certainty that the correct target and aim-point are designated. Enhanced air-to-ground situational awareness reduces the potential for fratricide.

    Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 133,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation’s 2009 sales from continuing operations were $44.0 billion.

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