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NTSB TO MEET ON 2008 U.S. FOREST SERVICE CONTRACT FIREFIGHTING HELICOPTER CRASH IN WEAVERVILLE, CALIFORNIA

National Transportation Safety Board
Washington, DC 20594

December 1, 2010

The National Transportation Safety Board will hold a public Board meeting on Tuesday, December 7, at 9:30 a.m., in its Board Room and Conference Center, 429 L’Enfant Plaza, S.W., Washington, D.C.

There is one item on the agenda. The Board will consider a final report on the following accident:

* On August 5, 2008, a Sikorsky S-61N helicopter (N612AZ), impacted trees and terrain during the initial climb after takeoff, located at an elevation of about 6,000 feet in mountainous terrain near Weaverville, California. Impact forces and a post- crash fire destroyed the helicopter, which was being operated by the U.S. Forest Service as a public flight to transport firefighters and was contracted with Carson Helicopters, Inc. As a result of this accident, nine occupants were fatally injured and four were seriously injured.

A live and archived webcast of the proceedings will be available on the Board’s website at www.ntsb.gov. Technical support details are available under “Board Meetings.” To report any problems, please call 703-993-3100 and ask for Webcast Technical Support.

A summary of the Board’s final report, which will include findings, probable cause and safety recommendations, will appear on the website shortly after the conclusion of the meeting. The entire report will appear on the website several weeks later.

NEW TEMPORARY DIRECTIONS (due to ongoing construction) to the NTSB Board Room: Front door located on Lower 10th Street, directly below L’Enfant Plaza. From Metro, exit L’Enfant Plaza station at 7th and D Streets escalator, turn left, cross 7th Street, walk a half block, take stairs on left and walk into the entrance marked La Promenade, walk through shopping mall, turn right at florist shop, see the CVS store (on the left) and take escalator (on the right) down one level. The Board room will be to your left.

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    Earlier this year, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP) advanced two important goals to make air travel cleaner and quieter worldwide. As a member of CAEP, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) played a crucial role.

    “Air transportation continues to grow within and amongst nations,” said FAA Administrator Michael Huerta. “These new environmental standards and procedures recognize that we can work together internationally to achieve positive advancements in making aviation as environmentally efficient as possible.”

    Relating to aircraft noise, CAEP has recommended a new international standard for newly designed aircraft that would reduce noise by 7 decibels relative to the current noise standard. The new requirement would become effective in 2017 for large aircraft and in 2020 for smaller models.

    To address global warming greenhouse gases produced in air travel, CAEP has agreed to new international certification procedures for aircraft relating to carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. At previous CAEP meetings, the committee had agreed on how to measure CO2. These new certification procedures now open the door for CAEP discussions on how stringent the standard should be set and whether the standard should only be applied to newly designed aircraft or some application to in-production aircraft. These discussions are expected to be completed by 2015.

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    Boeing Delivers Air Austral’s First Next-Generation 737-800

    SEATTLE, Dec. 20, 2010 — Boeing delivered a Next-Generation 737-800 to Air Austral, as part of the airline’s modernization plan for its medium-haul fleet. The airplane is the first of two the airline ordered to replace one 737-300 and one 737-500 in its fleet. The new airplane continues the Boeing-Air Austral relationship that began 20 years ago with the 737 Classic. The delivery ceremony was attended by Gerard Etheve, president of the directory and chief executive officer of Air Austral. The airline is headquartered in St. Denis, Reunion, a French Department island located east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean.

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  • FAAST Blast — July 01, 2010 FAA Safety Briefing News Update

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    Blue Grass Airport Executive Director Eric Frankl Receives Federal Aviation Administration Award

    LEXINGTON, Ky., Jan. 28, 2011 — Eric J. Frankl, A.A.E., Executive Director of Lexington’s Blue Grass Airport, has been selected as the 2010 Air Carrier Airport Manager of the Year by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Southern Region. The award was presented at the annual FAA Southern Region Airports Communications Conference in Atlanta, Georgia on January 27, 2011.

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    FAA Finalizes Recurrent Aircraft Registration Rule

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    Rolls-Royce wins $2.2bn TotalCare® deal from Emirates

    Monday, 14 February 2011—

    Rolls-Royce, the global power systems company, has won a $2.2bn TotalCare® long term services contract from Emirates, covering Trent engines for 70 Airbus A350XWB aircraft. The agreement will bring the airline’s Rolls-Royce powered fleet of 128 aircraft, in service and on order, under TotalCare® arrangements.

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    Mark King, Rolls-Royce, President  – Civil Aerospace, said: “We are delighted to sign this contract with Emirates, a valued customer with three Trent engine family members already in service. With this contract all of Emirates’ Rolls-Royce powered fleet are, or will be, supported by TotalCare® packages that add significant value and allow customers to optimise their operations.”

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    The new TotalCare® contract for Trent XWB engines comes two months after Rolls-Royce won a $1.2bn TotalCare® contract for Trent 700 engines powering 27 Airbus A330s and Trent 800 engines powering 21 Boeing 777s.

    1. 1. Rolls-Royce is a world-leading provider of power systems and services for use on land, at sea and in the air, and has established a strong position in global markets – civil aerospace, defence aerospace, marine and energy.
    2. As a result of this strategy, Rolls-Royce has a broad customer base comprising more than 500 airlines, 4,000 corporate and utility aircraft and helicopter operators, 160 armed forces, more than 2,500 marine customers, including 70 navies, and energy customers in nearly 120 countries, with an installed base of 54,000 gas turbines.
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    5. In 2010, Rolls-Royce invested £923 million on research and development, two thirds of which had the objective of further improving the environmental performance of its products, in particular reducing emissions.
    6. Rolls-Royce supports a global network of 28 University Technology Centres, which connect the company’s engineers with the forefront of scientific research. 
    7. The Group has a strong commitment to apprentice and graduate recruitment, and to further developing employee skills.
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