As part of its continuing investigation into a plane crash in Montana, the National Transportation Safety Board will open the public accident docket on Friday, December 3, 2010.

On March 22, 2009, at 1430 mountain daylight time, a Pilatus PC-12/45, N128CM, crashed near the approach end of runway 33 at Bert Mooney Airport (BTM), Butte, Montana. The airplane was owned and operated by Eagle Cap Leasing of Enterprise, Oregon, as a personal flight under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. All 14 people on board the airplane were killed in the accident. There were no ground injuries. The flight departed Oroville Municipal Airport, Oroville, California, at 1110 Pacific Daylight Time (1210 mountain daylight time) on an instrument flight rules flight plan and was destined for Gallatin Field, Bozeman, Montana. The airplane was diverting to Butte at the time of the accident. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident.

The information being released is factual in nature and does not provide analysis. The docket includes: investigative group factual reports, interview summaries, crew statements, air traffic control transcripts, controller statements, the meteorology report, and other documents.

Additional material will continue to be added to the docket as it becomes available. Analysis of the accident, along with conclusions and a determination of probable cause, will come at a later date when the final report on the investigation is completed.

The docket material will be made available at 10:00 am ET on December 3 on the NTSB website at http://www.ntsb.gov/dockets/foia_fri-dockets.htm#Aviation2010 in the FOIA electronic reading room. Details are listed by date.

This will be a document release only. No interviews will be conducted.

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NTSB Release: TRANSPORTATION FATALITIES DROP IN 2009; PIPELINE AND MARINE DEATHS RISE

National Transportation Safety Board
Washington, DC 20594

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 6, 2010

Washington, DC – Transportation fatalities in the United
States decreased by 9.2 percent in 2009 from 2008, according
to preliminary figures released today by the National
Transportation Safety Board.

The data indicate that transportation fatalities in all
modes totaled 35,928 in 2009, compared to 39,569 in 2008.
Although highway, rail, aviation, deaths declined, pipeline
and marine fatalities showed an increase.

“While statistics show that transportation fatalities have
declined this past year,” said NTSB Chairman Deborah A. P.
Hersman, “we continue to see far too many accidents in all
segments of the transportation community. There is still
much work to do to prevent the loss of life on our roads,
rails, waterways, and skies.”

Pipeline fatalities increased by six (8 to 14), with an
increase in both categories – gas pipelines and liquid
pipeline operations.

Marine deaths increased from 783 to 817, with the vast
majority occurring in recreational boating (736). Other
marine categories, including cargo transport and commercial
fishing, showed increases as well, although commercial
passenger vessels showed a slight decrease.

Highway fatalities, which account for nearly 95% of all
transportation deaths, decreased from 37,423 in 2008 to
33,808 in 2009. In fact, highway fatalities decreased in all
categories including motorcycle fatalities (down 16 percent)
which had been on the rise in recent years.

Aviation deaths decreased from 574 to 538. Nearly 90% of
aviation fatalities occurred in general aviation accidents
(471), but they still represented a decrease from the
previous year (494).

Rail fatalities decreased 4% from 781 to 751. The vast
majority of these fatalities were persons struck by a rail
vehicle.

Aviation statistics are compiled by the NTSB. Marine numbers
are provided by the Department of Homeland Security, and
numbers for all other modes by the Department of
Transportation.

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NTSB Chairman Opens Child and Youth Transportation Safety Initiative at Safety Seat Check Event

National Transportation Safety Board
Washington, DC 20594

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 24, 2011

National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman recently launched the agency’s initiative to promote child and youth safety across alltransportation modes, with a particular focus on educating parents and
caregivers about ways to keep children safe when traveling. The yearlong effort was first announced at the NTSB’s forum on Child Passenger Safety in the Air and in Automobiles in December.

At a child safety seat check event in Bristow, Virginia sponsored by the Prince William County Fire and Rescue, Chairman Hersman spoke about child passenger safety and her own plans to renew her certification as a CPS technician.

“These community-sponsored seat checks give parents peace of mind,” Hersman said. “Every parent wants their child to be safe, so knowing that trained and knowledgeable CPS technicians are available to make sure that their child safety seats have been installed properly is invaluable to them.”

To view the video that captured highlights of the event, please visit: www.ntsb.gov/children.

Chairman Hersman noted that not all states have adequate child passenger safety laws. “As state legislatures begin their 2011 sessions, the NTSB is calling upon legislators to pass laws that ensure that all children up to 8 years old are using child safety and booster seats.”

Florida, the most lenient in child passenger safety laws, requires child safety seats only for children age 3 years or younger. The laws in Arizona, South Dakota, American Samoa and Puerto Rico are only slightly more
protective, covering children age 4 years or younger. Twelve states (Alabama, Arkansas, California, Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, and South Carolina) mandate child restraints for children age 5 or younger and six states (Connecticut, Idaho, Kentucky, Mississippi, New Mexico, and North Dakota) only cover children age 6 or younger.

The issue of improving child occupant protection has been on the NTSB’s Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Improvements since 1997.

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NTSB Safety Recommendation A-11-7 through -11

National Transportation Safety Board
Washington, DC 20594

The National Transportation Safety Board recommends that the Federal Aviation Administration:

Require Boeing to develop a method to protect the elevator power control unit input arm assembly on 737-300 through -500 series airplanes from foreign object debris. (A-11-7)

Once Boeing has developed a method to protect the elevator power control unit input arm assembly on 737-300 through -500 series airplanes from foreign object debris as requested in
Safety Recommendation A-11-7, require operators to modify their airplanes with this method of protection. (A-11-8)

Require Boeing to redesign the 737-300 through -500 series airplane elevator control system such that a single-point jam will not restrict the movement of the elevator control system and prevent continued safe flight and landing. (A-11-9)

Once the 737-300 through -500 series airplane elevator control system is redesigned as requested in Safety Recommendation A-11-9, require operators to implement the new design. (A-11-10)

Require Boeing to develop recovery strategies (for example, checklists, procedures, or memory items) for pilots of 737 airplanes that do not have a mechanical override feature for a jammed elevator in the event of a full control deflection of the elevator system and incorporate those strategies into pilot guidance. Within those recovery strategies, the consequences of removing all hydraulic power to the airplane as a response to any uncommanded control surface should be clarified. (A-11-11)

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This Months Bad News: Trans States Holdings Inc

This month’s poster child for how not to run your commuter airline:

Trans States Holdings Inc.

After two incidents in the last four months, there’s now a $2.5 million civil penalty in the offing for Trans States Holdings Inc. from the FAA. But more crucial than the last two incidents, the problem really comes down to hundreds of safety violations on 320 flights over the past two years, all related to maintenance, after repeated warnings and reoccurring violations.

What is it I always say?

Maintenance, maintenance, maintenance.

See Below:

FAA Proposes $2.5 Million in Civil Penalties Against Trans States, GoJet

WASHINGTON — The Federal Aviation Administration is proposing $2,476,075 in civil penalties against Trans States Airlines and GoJet Airlines of Bridgeton, Mo., for violation of various maintenance procedures and operating nine jets on 320 revenue passenger flights when the aircraft were not in compliance with Federal Aviation Regulations.

Trans States Airlines and GoJet Airlines are both owned and operated by Trans States Holdings. Trans States Airlines performs maintenance and training on GoJet aircraft.

The proposed civil penalties involve seven GoJet+ Canadair Regional Jets and two Trans States Embraer 145 regional jets. The FAA alleges Trans States and GoJet operated aircraft when maintenance had been carried out incorrectly, and that the company failed to complete required maintenance record-keeping.

The FAA alleges Trans States and GoJet violated a number of maintenance regulations and procedures, including use of outdated manufacturers’ maintenance instructions to perform repairs; failure to connect a wing flap actuator to its torque tube, rendering the flaps inoperative; failure to document an inspection after an aircraft was damaged by severe turbulence; failure to document and carry out proper repairs after aircraft warning systems identified problems; improper repair of an engine oil leak and failure to comply with minimum equipment list regulations.

“Air carriers cannot ignore maintenance requirements or allow employees to take a pass on following regulations,” said FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt. “Safety depends not only on maintenance work being done correctly, but also being recorded properly.”

Trans States and GoJet have 30 days from receipt of the civil penalty letters to respond to the agency.

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ADS-B Equipment Required in Next Decade

Notice Number: NOTC2314
New Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast (ADS-B) Rule
On May 27, 2010, the FAA published new rules (contained in 14 CFR §92.225 and §91.227) mandating airspace and avionics performance requirements after January 1, 2020. The avionics perform a function that is generally known as “ADS-B Out” which transmits precise location and other information about the aircraft to ground stations and other ADS-B equipped aircraft.

The ADS-B rule mandates ADS-B Out avionics performance when operating within the designated airspace, giving aircraft owners approximately 10 years to equip.

The ADS-B rule, like current transponder operating requirements, requires operators to have ADS-B Out avionics installed and operating in order to fly their aircraft in the busiest airspace, as described below:

Class A, B, and C airspace.

All airspace at and above 10,000 feet MSL (mean sea level) over the 48 contiguous United States and the District of Columbia.

Within 30 nautical miles of airports listed in 14 CFR §91.225, from the surface up to 10,000 feet MSL.

Class E airspace over the Gulf of Mexico from the coastline of the United States out to 12 nautical miles, at and above 3,000 feet MSL.
FAA Technical Service Orders (TSOs) describe the equipment approved for ADS-B operations. The ADS-B rule states that avionics must meet the standards of either TSO-C166b (for 1090ES link equipment) or TSO-C154c (for UAT link equipment). TSO-C166b is required in Class A airspace and either link can be used in all other airspace.

For more information about the FAA’s ADS-B program, visit www.adsb.gov.

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NTSB SENDING TEAM TO CANADA TO ASSIST WITH INVESTIGATION OF RUNWAY EXCURSION ACCIDENT

The National Transportation Safety Board is dispatching a team of investigators to assist the Transportation Safety Board of Canada with its investigation of today’s airplane accident in Ottawa.

At about 2:30 p.m. EDT, a Trans States Airlines Embraer-145 regional jet operated as United Express flight 8050 (N847HK), overran runway 25 while landing at Ottawa International Airport. Preliminary reports indicate that there were several injuries among the 33 passengers and three crewmembers onboard. The flight originated from Washington Dulles International Airport.

NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman has designated Air Safety Investigator John Lovell as the U.S. Accredited Representative. The U.S. team will also include an NTSB flight operations specialist, an NTSB survival factors specialist, and technical advisors from the Federal Aviation Administration. The team will arrive in Ottawa on Thursday morning.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada
(http://www.tsb.gc.ca/eng/contactez-contact/index.asp) will
release all information on the progress of the
investigation.

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