September 24, 2002 - US Alters Air Crash Report After French Protest
WASHINGTON (USA) - U.S. safety investigators have deleted parts
of a report into the 1994 crash of a French-made plane in Roselawn,
Indiana after protests from France, according to a letter made
available on Tuesday.
The letter from the National Transportation Safety Board, dated
Sept. 13, told plane-maker Avions de Transport Regional (ATR)
and the head of France's civil aviation authority, DGAC, that
it was changing contested language in the report into the Oct.
31, 1994 crash of an ATR-72 that killed all 68 people on board.
**The
crash was blamed on ice forming on the plane, but the NTSB said
it was withdrawing language suggesting ATR and the DGAC already
had detailed knowledge that ice could cause control ailerons to
move in an uncontrolled way.
"The safety board wishes to clarify, by way of this response,
that such an interpretation is unwarranted," the letter said.
But it did say it would have been prudent for ATR to examine prior
incidents
more carefully and that there was ample data that
should have spurred the DGAC to require this additional work.**
"ATR and the DGAC should have conducted further research
and developed more effective means of preventing such incidents,"
the NTSB said.
It said it had decided to change its 1996 report into the crash
of the turbo-prop commuter plane operated by American Eagle, the
regional carrier for American Airlines, after considering petitions
from ATR and DGAC, and counter petitions from the Air Line Pilots
Association.
Efforts to reach an ATR spokesman about the NTSB letter were unsuccessful.
ATR is a 50-50 plane-making joint venture between EADS and Finmeccanica.
|
|
| September 23, 2002 - Defects found in fuel pumps
on some Boeing jets
SEATTLE, Washington (USA) -- Boeing Co. said on Monday
that checks for defective fuel pumps found four failed
units out of 1,300 examined on 118 of its jetliners
and said airlines would ultimately
need to check 3,284 aircraft.
U.S. regulators last month warned of suspect wiring
that could cause a fire or explosion if fuel tanks ran
dry on Boeing 737-600, -700, -800, -900; 747 and 757
jetliners, prompting airlines around the globe to begin
checking.
No accidents have been linked to the pumps, which were
manufactured by Boeing supplier Hydro-Aire Inc., of
Burbank, California.
The Federal Aviation Administration first warned of
the potential problem late last month after Hydro-Aire
discovered the defect when an inoperative pump was sent
back to the manufacturer and inspected.
The FAA said it received reports within that time frame
of three pumps that simply stopped working.
The FAA also ordered airlines to keep fuel tanks fuller
to make sure the pumps remain covered even when the
plane is not flying level and said it would explore
a longer-term strategy in the coming weeks.
Fuel pump safety received new scrutiny after the explosion
of TWA Flight 800 in 1996. Investigators concluded that
a possible wiring problem triggered that disaster, which
destroyed the 747 over the Atlantic Ocean.
Investigators are also trying to determine what caused
fuel tank explosions in a 737 jetliner in the Philippines
in 1990 and another 737 in March 2001 in Thailand. Both
of those planes were on the ground.
|
|
|
|
Final
Report - Cabin fumes in Bae 146 at Perth |
|
The following
is an extract from the Final Report released by the ATSB
on 18th September 2002 which investigated an incident
involving fumes inside the cabin of a Bae 146 at Perth
on 24th May 2001.
During taxi from the terminal, when the British Aerospace
BAe 146-100 was approximately 150 metres from the parking
bay, and while making the pre-flight safety public address,
a flight attendant began coughing due to a slight irritation
in her throat and was unable to finish the presentation.
When the second flight attendant went to the front of
the cabin to assist, she too developed a cough. Both flight
attendants saw what they described as a grey, smoky gas
in the airstair region of the left door.
At approximately the same time, the first officer experienced
an involuntary cough and stinging eyes and donned an oxygen
mask. A short time later a flight attendant opened the
flight deck door and advised the flight crew that smoke,
or fumes, were filling the forward section of the passenger
cabin. The flight crew turned off both air conditioning
packs and the Auxillary Power Unit and immediately returned
to the parking bay after advising Air Traffic Control
and the ground handling company. During the return to
the bay, the captain opened the left flight deck window
and the flight attendants moved the forward seated passengers
to the rear cabin and instructed passengers to cover their
nose and mouth.
Read the
Full ATSB Report here |
|
|
September 20, 2002 -
Irish Probe Found Jets Were Within Minutes Of Collision
DUBLIN, Ireland - Two trans-Atlantic passenger aircraft came within
minutes of a head-on collision off the southwest coast of Ireland
after a series of errors by crew and air traffic controllers, investigators
said.
On November 10 last year, an Air France Boeing 747-400 and an Airtours
International Airbus A330-200 were 20 nautical miles apart when
the Airtours plane took evasive action, the Irish Air Accident Investigation
Unit said in a report.
"The flights were closing at a speed of about 16 miles (25
km) per minute," said the report released this week.
Investigators estimated that even after the Airtours plane began
to dive, the aircraft came within 10 nautical miles of each other
before they were safely on separate courses.
"This is less than one minute's flying time," the report
said.
The Air France aircraft was on a scheduled flight from Havana to
Paris and the Airtours plane was making a charter flight from London
to Cancun, Mexico. Airtours is now MyTravel Group.
The report said a number of human errors had "combined to produce
an unthinkable situation whereby two passenger aircraft were allowed
to come within minutes of a possible head-on collision."
Investigators found air traffic controllers at Shannon, Ireland,
had failed to notice a warning signal flashing for at least 40 minutes,
while errors were also made by air traffic controllers at Prestwick,
in Scotland.
The Airtours pilot made the initial mistake with a one-hour error
in the estimated time he gave to controllers at Shannon for entering
their airspace.
"It is normal practice for pilots to request clearances to
ATC (air traffic control), including giving correct estimates for
reporting positions. It is also normal practice for ATC to check
and confirm such requests," the report said.
The report makes six safety recommendations designed to prevent
similar incidents. |
| The
New FAA Administrator
Even though the White House didn't move swiftly enough to ensure
a seamless transition at the FAA, it appears that Marion Blakey
will succeed Jane Garvey as the new FAA administrator.
So who's Marion Blakey? Well, for the past 11 months she's been
the chairman of the NTSB. In her brief tenure, she's won good
marks for her candor and management style, but she's kept a relatively
low profile.
Her principal attributes for the FAA job, in the eyes of White
House officials, are: She's a Republican and she's loyal, having
held several government posts when George Herbert Walker Bush
was heading the country.
Sources say Blakey was approached by the White House months ago
about the FAA job, but she gently pushed back on that offer, citing
her recent arrival at the NTSB and her desire to serve a full
term at the Safety Board. Those close to Blakey also note that
she is fully aware of the challenges facing the FAA.
But as time passed and the White House was unable to find another
suitable candidate, Blakey was approached again. Her loyalty to
the Bush team ultimately prevailed, and she agreed to take the
FAA job.
Despite her reluctance to give up a relatively "safe"
job at the NTSB for a seat in the center of the political hurricane
that surrounds the FAA, a top aide says Blakey relishes the challenge
of the management aspects of the much larger FAA. She has some
definite ideas of "how to do it and how to do it right, and
how to align resources," he said. She also has "a great
degree of confidence in her ability to succeed," he added.
Blakey, 54, knows her way around Washington and is well connected.
She's held senior posts at the Departments of Commerce and Education,
at the National Endowment for the Humanities and at the White
House. She also served a year as administrator of the DOT's National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
There are those who will bemoan Blakey's lack of aviation experience.
It's true, she isn't an ATP and she hasn't logged 10,000 hours
in the left seat. But her predecessor's aviation résumé
was pretty scant also, and by all accounts Jane Garvey did an
outstanding job during her five years at the FAA.
In fact, having to follow Garvey as FAA administrator may be
one of the biggest challenges Blakey will face. The Massachusetts
Democrat displayed an effective blend of charm, intellect, political
savvy and enthusiasm that will be tough to top.
Blakey will need all those qualities and more to keep the FAA's
focus on safety and accommodating traffic growth while preventing
security zealots from strangling the national airspace system
with new, cumbersome and unnecessary regulations.
We wish Ms. Blakey nothing but the best in her new job. And we
hope that when her five years as administrator are completed,
her constituents will be sorry to see her leave.
|
|
| September
14, 2002 - FAA Orders All Boeing 737s Inspected
WASHINGTON (USA) - The federal government ordered inspections Saturday
of Boeing 737s flying worldwide to see if any have potentially defective
flight control modules that could make the planes hard to control.
The emergency order by the Federal Aviation Administration gives airlines
10 days to complete the review.
Each plane has two modules that control hydraulic fluid to the flight
control system. A failure of both modules could significantly affect the
flight control systems, making the jetliners sluggish to nearly impossible
to operate, according to FAA spokesman Paul Takemoto.
To check the modules, ``you just have to look up into the wheel well
and check the serial number,'' Takemoto said.
The FAA said it's looking for a recent batch of modules that has a high
rate of failure. Fifteen modules were found to be defective, four while
in flight, 11 during inspections on the ground, Takemoto said. None caused
an accident, he said.
There are 84 foreign aircraft with the modules from the bad batch and
nine U.S. 737s, Takemoto said.
A spokesman for the company that made the modules, European-based Smiths
Aerospace, had no immediate comment on the FAA order.
James McKenna, managing editor of Aviation Maintenance magazine, said
the airplanes are probably built so that if all of the flight control
modules break, the pilot still has some mechanical physical control of
the airplane.
``Still,'' he said, ``there's a possibility that this could lead to a
crash.''
Seventy-eight of the 93 aircraft with possibly faulty modules have two
of the modules on them, Takemoto said.
|
|
|
19:54
AEST Mon 9 Sep 2002
|
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|
|
Claims
of poor airport security rejected
Penny
pinching by Australia's airports
has seriously compromised security systems, two
unions said.
However,
the country's busiest airport countered that it
had a high standard of security, endorsed by both
passengers and government, while the inspection
service called union claims "malicious lies".
The
dispute came as Britain's airport
security was under fire after journalists smuggled
lethal weapons onto an internal flight.
The
Transport Workers' Union (TWU) said more than 1,000
international passengers passed through Sydney's
airport each day without having their baggage screened.
The
miscellaneous workers' union added that about half
of screeners and security workers at international
airports across Australia were casuals,
often without adequate training.
|
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/National/story_14672.asp
|
60 protect us in the
air
By Mark Dunn
09sep02
JUST over half the promised air marshals are flying on Australian
planes a year after the September 11 terrorist highjackings.
Federal Justice Minister Chris Ellison has been forced
to extend initial promises that 111 air marshals would
be protecting Australian passengers by Christmas.
It is believed as few as 60 are on Australian domestic
flights and none are yet on Australian international services.
Mr Ellison was happy to stipulate an initial group of
22 marshals were flying in December 2001 and promise 111
would be operational by December 2002 at a cost of $17.8
million.
But he now says revealing the current number in the skies
would breach national security. The delay in training,
with initial complications over whether airlines would
be compensated for loss of seats, will see the last batch
of marshals begin training in February next year.
Based on forecast lengths of training and the revised
completion date, the Federal Opposition estimates as few
as 60 are now flying.
Mr Ellison's office said one reason for the failure to
train the required number of marshals was "early
operational experience", which showed a need for
additional training.
But Mr Ellison's spokeswoman said marshals had not been
involved in any security incidents while flying.
She also claimed the delay in completing the program
would not reduce its effectiveness.
Opposition justice spokesman Daryl Melham said the Government
had failed Australians in its security promise.
"I'm concerned about the effect of it, the fanfare
of when it was announced and the ineptitude of the Government
in implementing it," he said.
"It is a token gesture because of the number of
flights in the air they are only able to cover a minuscule
amount."
|
|
Knife Man's Hi-jack Attempt Fails
Sep 9, 2002
A knife-wielding passenger was overpowered by cabin crew when
he attempted to hi-jack a flight from Bombay to the Seychelles
today.
The man, reported to be carrying an Indian passport, tried to
burst into the cockpit of the Air Seychelles Boeing 737. A flight
attendant was injured as the attacker was restrained by crew and
other passengers.
The aircraft landed at Male in the Maldive Islands where the
man, said to be a 41-year-old construction worker, was arrested.
Aviation authorities in the Maldives said that other passengers
who may have been linked to the attacker were being questioned.
There are conflicting reports abut the number of passengers on
board the plane, but most are thought to be Indian nationals on
their way to vacation destinations in the Indian Ocean.
|
|
WELLINGTON,
New Zealand (AP) - Air
New Zealand said Wednesday a wing panel that fell off a jumbo
jet in mid-flight last week had only four of the 125 screws needed,
as the airline grounded another plane following the discovery
of rust on its wing.
The Boeing 747 was forced to make an emergency landing at Los
Angeles International Airport on Aug. 24 after pilots had trouble
extending the right wing flap. It was later discovered that the
4-foot panel dropped into the sea shortly after takeoff from Auckland.
Bill Jacobson, senior vice president of Air New Zealand's operations
and technical division, said although the panel had red tape on
it, indicating work was in progress, the plane had somehow been
allowed to go to Los Angeles. Civil Aviation has launched an inquiry
into the incident.
"There were signs of pull through tearing at each corner
... indicating that it had been held in place by only four screws
instead of the usual 125," Jacobson said in a statement.
The admission came as the airline grounded another Boeing 747-400
after engineers found rust in a wing flap during inspections of
the airline's seven jumbos.
Air New Zealand spokeswoman Rosie Paul could not say when the
two aircraft would return to service. |
August 29, 2002 -
U.S. Ups Pressure for Cockpit Doors
WASHINGTON (USA) - Federal regulators are concerned airlines and
aircraft manufacturers won't meet the April deadline to install
new bulletproof cockpit doors in all commercial aircraft.
A spokesman for large airlines said the companies believe they
can do the work in time.
``It will be met,'' Air Transport Association spokesman Michael
Wascom said Wednesday of the April deadline after a meeting in
which federal regulators met with airlines, manufacturers and
trade groups to find out how much progress they've made.
Yet some smaller airlines fear they won't get the doors in time
to meet the deadline. They say the Federal Aviation Administration
has been slow to approve new door designs, and they are worried
they'll have to ground planes if the doors don't arrive in time.
``Most people in the industry, particularly the carriers, would
like to proceed with this as soon as possible,'' said Ed Faberman,
executive director of the Air Carrier Association of America,
which represents smaller airlines. ``But before that happens,
we have to have doors that are certified.''
The process of installing the new doors is halfway over, as federal
officials in November gave the industry 18 months to meet the
April 9, 2003 deadline. The FAA doesn't know how many planes have
the new doors, and have asked the industry to supply that information.
The agency scheduled weekly meetings with the companies to get
updates on the progress toward getting the new doors in about
7,000 U.S. planes by the April 9 deadline.
Wednesday's meeting reassured the agency that progress was being
made, said FAA spokesman Scott Brenner. The FAA learned that more
than 80 percent of the door designs should get approved by late
September, Brenner said.
Once the door designs are approved, the manufacturers then produce
them and deliver kits to the airlines, who are responsible for
installing them.
Cockpit doors had been designed to provide a quiet office environment
for pilots who were trained to negotiate with hijackers. After
the Sept. 11 attacks, regulators decided pilots needed to be protected
from attackers. Air carriers were given 90 days to secure cockpit
doors with deadbolt locks and 18 months to install intrusion-proof
doors.
The mandate posed an engineering challenge. Bulkheads have to
be strengthened and electrical systems integrated. The doors themselves
have to be heavy enough to be bulletproof, but not too heavy to
weigh down the plane. They also have to allow pilots to exit in
an emergency and to allow air to blow through to the cabin in
case of rapid decompression.
``Its been difficult,'' said Jim Proulx, spokesman for The Boeing
Co. ``We've been asked to do stuff we've never done before.''
The company, which has manufactured about 5,500 of the passenger
planes registered in the United States, expects to get needed
approvals for nine models by October, if not earlier.
Each Boeing door costs at least $29,000 and takes about 14 hours
to replace. The federal government granted the airlines $17,000
to help pay for the doors.
Airbus North America, which made about 700 planes now registered
in the United States, will be in compliance by the end of the
year, company spokeswoman Mary Anne Greczyn said. Airbus and Boeing
make most of the planes registered in the United States.
Another 1,900 planes owned by foreign carriers that operate in
the United States will also have to get the new doors.
|
|
| CRITICAL OF the OSPREY
Modern compound helicopters ( AW&ST July 29, p. 64) appear
to offer nearly the same capabilities of range and speed as the
MV-22 Osprey without the MV-22's significant aerodynamic maneuvering
limitations and mechanical complexity.
Also, according to the Marines and Army pilots who flew the compound
helicopters in Boeing's flight simulation laboratory, the helicopters
demonstrated significantly improved handling qualities relative
to conventional helicopters.
Compare that to the Osprey where, after all these years and who
knows how many hundreds of millions in development costs, engineers
are still working to prevent the Osprey from "flipping out"
during low-level maneuvering. No matter how sophisticated its
warning systems and enhanced fly-by-wire envelope protections
become, the MV-22's rotor diameter and configuration make it vulnerable
to vortex ring-induced loss of control during the critical tactical
approach and landing phase.
Conventional single overhead rotor helo geometry also pays tactical
dividends when it comes to maneuvering in tight landing zones
where the Osprey's side-by-side prop rotors can make narrow but
otherwise useful landing areas untenable.
The Osprey's comparatively strong downwash relative to more conventional
rotorcraft designs is another negative when supporting troops
in tenuous terrain.
Marines hang on to their equipment for an amazingly long time.
As a former Marine Corps pilot of a CH-46 in Vietnam in 1966-67
I am amazed to see them still in the active inventory. I hope
Pentagon planners give the modern compound helicopter a fair evaluation
and make the hard judgments so Marines have the best available
rotorcraft in their future. What they buy now will be with them
for a long time.
Arnold Reiner
Tenafly, N.J.
|
|
August 19, 2002 -
3 China Airlines Pilots Grounded
TAIPEI, Taiwan - After months of investigation, authorities on Monday ordered
three China Airlines pilots to be grounded for mistakenly taking off from
a taxiway instead of the runway at an airport in Alaska.
A China Airlines Airbus 340 carrying about 250 passengers and crew took
off from a taxiway in the wrong direction at Ted Stevens Anchorage International
Airport in January.
The airplane's wheels scraped a snow berm while lifting off at the end of
the taxiway. Air traffic controllers said they didn't try to stop the aircraft
because they feared it was going too fast.
Taiwan's Civil Aeronautics Administration has ordered the pilot and the
captain grounded for eight months and the co-pilot seven months for the
error, said director Billy Chang.
China Airlines, Taiwan's largest airline, had suspended the pilots from
flying since the incident pending results of the investigation, officials
said.
The airline has also ordered all its pilots to reconfirm with controllers
that they are on the right runway before taking off, they said.
|
| August 26, 2002 - Helicopter
Carrying Philippine Troops Fighting Communist Rebels Catches Fire
MANILA, Philippines - A helicopter carrying Philippine army troops
pursuing communist guerrillas caught fire shortly after takeoff
near Manila on Monday, but its pilots managed to land safely,
the air force said.
No one was injured in the accident in a secured area safe from
rebel fire in Rodriguez town in Rizal, a hilly province east of
Manila, air force Maj. Restituto Padilla Jr. said.
The flight crew and troops were able to disembark from the UH-1H,
which was gutted by the fire apparently
set off by faulty electrical wiring, Padilla said.
|
|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 12, 2002 SB-02-21
TRANSPORTATION FATALITIES ROSE
SLIGHTLY IN 2001; 9/11 EVENTS MAIN FACTOR
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Transportation fatalities in the
United States last year increased 0.6 percent over the
total for 2000, according to preliminary figures released
today by the National Transportation Safety Board.
For the year 2001, preliminary figures show that 44,461
persons died in highway, aviation, rail, marine, and
pipeline accidents, up from 44,196 in 2000. Increases
in fatalities were registered in aviation and rail while
highway, marine, and pipeline fatalities declined.
Aviation fatalities rose from 779 to 1,162 in 2001,
with the increase largely attributable to the deaths
resulting from the terrorist acts on September 11. Total
airline fatalities, up from 92 the previous year, reached
531, with almost half that number occurring aboard the
four aircraft hijacked on September 11. Another 265
deaths resulted from the crash of American Airlines
flight 587 in November in New York.
General aviation fatalities decreased from 594 to 553
for the year, with air taxi deaths also declining from
71 to 60. (Detailed aviation statistics can be found
in NTSB press release SB-02-06, dated March 26, 2002,
on the Board's web site, http://www.ntsb.gov.
[Full text of the above is available in the Federal
Register at the following link:
http://www.ntsb.gov/Pressrel/2002/020712.htm.]
|
|
 A
pit bull got loose in the forward baggage area of a AA 757 (must
have been in a cheap kennel) and chewed through the forward liner
and into the avionics compartment chewing through several
communications cables (as you can see). Due to the redundant systems
installed on the airplane, it was able to land safely. However,
the bag handlers were a little freaked out when they opened the
cargo door and saw snarling pit bull AND all the damage
he created . |
August 10,
2002 - US Warns Airlines About Stolen Uniforms
WASHINGTON (USA) - The Bush administration, citing uniform thefts
from flight crews, has warned airlines to be alert for possible
impostors trying to gain access to planes or airports, the Washington
Post reported on Saturday.
The Transportation Security Administration issued a confidential
warning to air carriers on July 22. The warning did not cite any
specific case but said the government "continues to receive"
reports about thefts.
One occurred last month at the New York home of two flight attendants
for Delta Air Lines, the paper reported.
The FBI investigated that case and another in Kansas City, Missouri,
in which a delivery truck containing uniforms of airport workers
was stolen. The truck was recovered but the uniforms were not.
Investigators said they found no link to terrorism in either incident,
the Post reported, but they continue to keep tabs on both situations.
The government warning urged airport security officials to be
vigilant about checking employee identification cards.
It also suggested a "possible trend" in the reported
thefts of uniforms, vehicles and other items used by police, firefighters
and emergency personnel. |
|
Saturday, 10 August, 2002, 11:57 GMT 12:57 UK
BA jet makes emergency landing
A British Airways plane has been forced into making an emergency
landing at Sydney Airport after a fire broke out in the jet's cargo
hold.
The jumbo aircraft was on Flight BA 16 to Singapore en route to
the UK when the fire broke out in electrical wiring at around 1600
local time (0700 BST).
All 247 passengers were evacuated via a front exit after the plane
stopped on the main runway and no-one was injured.
Passenger Mike Souter said: "All we could smell was the burning
smell shortly after the plane took off."
Temporarily stuck
Lieutenant Commander Souter had been in Australia as part of the
Royal Navy's team dealing with the aftermath of HMS Nottingham,
which ran aground on rocks off Lord Howe Island.
He said passengers were now awaiting other flights.
He added: "There is no jumping up and down. People are resigned
that it is something that happened and they have got to sort it
out."
A call from the plane's pilot shortly after take-off prompted a
full-scale emergency response, with some 25 ambulances sent to Sydney
Airport.
BA said the plane's problem was a faulty warning light in the cockpit
and a spokeswoman insisted that there had been no fire.
A spokeswoman later said that when the cargo hold was opened, it
was found that the extinguishers had been activated.
'Smell of burning'
She said: "I can confirm there was the smell of burning and
some smoke in the cabin as the passenger said."
She added that fire crews had said there was a small electrical
wiring fire in the forward cargo hold.
"There's about a meter-square of fire damage," she said.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/world/asia-pacific/2184996.stm
|
Bombardier (Canadair)
CL-600 (Challenger) Series Aeroplanes AD/CL-600/59
Transport Canada received a report of an incident where the insulation
covering on
the IDG cable harness on a Regional Jet was chafed down to bare
wire; there was also
evidence that a brief flash fire occurred. In addition, Transport
Canada has received
two reports of chafing damage to the main engine right fuel manifold
on RJ aircraft.
This Directive requires inspection of IDG cables to verify clearance
and, if necessary,
corrective action to ensure adequate clearance and/or cable replacement.
These
actions are intended to ensure the integrity of the IDG cables and
fuel manifolds.
from this
link |
|
|
Number of airline fatalities in 2001 highest in 24
years - The Associated Press - 3/26/02 8:14 PM -
WASHINGTON (AP) --
Largely because of Sept. 11, the number of airline fatalities in 2001
was the highest in 24 years, the National Transportation Safety Board
reported Tuesday.
The safety board said 531 people died in crashes on U.S.-scheduled airlines
last year, the highest yearly total since 1977, when 582 people were killed
in the crash of two Boeing 747s collided on a Canary Islands runway.
All 265 passengers and crew members aboard four hijacked airliners were
killed Sept. 11. Terrorists crashed two of the planes into the World Trade
Center in New York City and one into the Pentagon near Washington. The
fourth plane crashed in a Pennsylvania field.
Another 260 passengers and crew members died two months later when American
Airlines Flight 587 crashed shortly after takeoff from New York's Kennedy
Airport. Five people on the ground also were killed.
In addition, one airport ground worker was struck by a propeller last
August.
The 265 deaths on Sept. 11 were the most from a terrorist attack on aviation
since Dec. 21, 1988, when 270 people died in the bombing of Pan Am Flight
103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, safety board statistics show.
The 1977 crash in Tenerife, Canary Islands, indirectly involved terrorism.
A KLM plane that had been diverted from Las Palmas, its original destination,
because of a bomb explosion crashed as it took off for an onward flight
from Tenerife into a taxiing Pan American 747.
|
HOUSE
OVERWHELMINGLY VOTES TO ARM COMMERCIAL PILOTS -
Airport Security Report:
The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed legislation
July 10 that would allow commercial airline pilots to carry firearms
inside the cockpit to defend themselves against possible threats
from
terrorists intent on taking over the aircraft. But the measure
faces
stiff opposition from the Bush Administration and Senate Commerce
Committee Chairman Ernest (Fritz) Hollings (D-SC).
"We're very encouraged, but we also recognize we have
a ways to go
and that's going to be a problem," said Capt. Mike Cronin,
an
American Airlines [AMR] pilot and executive director of the
Coalition
of Airline Pilots Associations (CAPA).
from this
link
|
| July
25, 2002 - Singapore
Airlines Pilots Suspended In Taipei Case
SINGAPORE - Singapore Airlines said on Thursday it suspended
two pilots pending the outcome of an investigation into how
one of its planes hit two objects on a taxiway at Taipei's Chiang
Kai-shek International Airport.
"Whenever there is an investigation in process, it is
normal procedure for the crew to be suspended," an airline
spokesman said. The pilots were suspended last Friday after
the collision.
Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight SQ29 was on the wrong taxiway
on July 19 when its wing hit two tail stands before take off,
Taiwan officials said. Tail stands are used to stabilise planes
during the loading and unloading of cargo.
The incident echoed the events that led to the crash of an
SIA plane at the same airport in 2000. That crash killed 83
of the 179 people aboard.
SIA said the pilot of Flight SQ29, which landed safely in Singapore
with minor damage to a wing panel, was told by air traffic controllers
that the wing "made contact with two tail stands"
at Taipei airport.
Singapore's Ministry of Transport was interviewing the crew
"to discover how the incident occurred," the airline
said.
|
John
Magaw Resigns as Head of TSA
Adm. James M. Loy To
Take Agency Helm
Secretary
of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta today accepted the resignation
of John W. Magaw, the Under Secretary of Transportation for Security.
Magaw,
who has headed the Transportation Security Administration since
January 28, will be replaced by James M. Loy. Upon his retirement
as Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, Loy was recently named
Deputy Under Secretary and Chief Operating Officer of the TSA.
“John Magaw is a dedicated public servant with a lifetime of
achievements in the law enforcement field, and we all owe him
a debt for his role in the start-up phase of TSA,” Secretary
Mineta said. “I also appreciate the difficulty of the task.
Creating a nationwide system customized to 429 very busy commercial
airports is a huge challenge.
“We
are extremely fortunate that Jim Loy has agreed to serve as
our new head of the TSA. Admiral Loy has amply demonstrated
his ability to motivate and manage a large federal agency when
he was commandant of the Coast Guard. Jim Loy is the right man
for this job, at the right time.
“As
a senior member of our DOT team for many years, Jim Loy already
knows the players, the policies and the issues involved in transportation
security. He is a superb manager, with impeccable credentials
in security, intelligence, law enforcement and customer service.
“I
have the utmost confidence in his leadership skills, and look
forward to working with him to make TSA a success,” Secretary
Mineta said.
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US
Transportation Security Chief Resigns
Jul 19, 2002
The head of the US air security agency, John Magaw, has resigned
amid speculation that he has been forced out of the job.
No reason was at first given for the departure of the Transportation
Security Administration chief but later Magaw said he was leaving
on health grounds.
His replacement has been named as Admiral James Loy, a former
commandant of the US Coast Guard, who has been deputy under-secretary
for transportation security and chief operating officer of the
TSA.
Criticism from the aviation industry and politicians about
66-year-old Magaw's apparent reluctance to consult over TSA
decisions may have speeded his exit.
Some politicians were unhappy about the work of the agency
and Magaw was due to face a House hearing next week at which
concerns about the size of the TSA are expected to be voiced.
There is also unease about a perceived lack of progress in improving
airline security.
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July
17, 2002
NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD CHAIRMAN
MARION C. BLAKEY STATEMENT REGARDING THE PRESIDENT'S INTENT TO
NOMINATE MS. BLAKEY AS THE NEXT ADMINISTRATOR OF THE FEDERAL AVIATION
ADMINISTRATION.
This is a critical time for the aviation industry, and I am honored
by
the President's trust in his intent to nominate me as the next
Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration.
# # #
NTSB Media Contact: Greg Martin (202) 314-6106 |
United
Plane Diverts In Package Scare
Jul 12, 2002
A United Airlines passenger jet was
forced to make a diversion to Glasgow Airport, Scotland, on
Thursday after a suspect package was discovered on board.
The Boeing 767, carrying 178 passengers,
was flying from London Heathrow to Washington Dulles Airport
when the alarm was raised.
After landing at the Scottish airport,
the plane was evacuated while a security sweep was carried
out, but was later allowed to continue its flight. Airport
operations continued as normal while the checks were made.
An airport spokesman told the Glasgow
Evening Times newspaper: "The captain made a decision
that it was unsafe to continue the journey and decided to
divert to Glasgow. We do not yet know what was believed to
have been in the package but investigations are ongoing."
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Electricity
sparks ideas
Karen Dearne
JULY 02, 2002
ELECTRIC technologies will power quieter, lighter
and cheaper ships and aircraft in the future, according to Rolls-Royce
technology director Mike Howse.
New technologies will be demanded from the power industry to achieve
expected growth in the marine and aerospace sectors, Dr Howse
told an Institution of Electrical Engineers conference in Bath,
England.
In ships, electric systems will allow greater flexibility in positioning
gas turbine generators that drive electric motors attached to
propellers.
This will increase manoeuvrability and reduce noise in both commercial
and naval vessels.
For aircraft, the new systems will work by way of a fan shaft
generator that will produce the bulk of the electrical power.
Traditional starter systems will be replaced by electrics, and
the oil system could eventually be entirely deleted, reducing
weight considerably.
Electrical systems will also improve passenger comfort and reduce
complexity.
"Only through strategic development of electric technologies
will the industry ensure that the products of tomorrow deliver
the capability required," Dr Howse said.
Rolls-Royce is involved in a number of electric technology research
programs, including a European Union-funded Power
Optimised Aircraft project that began in February.
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Virgin
Blue captain loses stripes over hot landing
By Darren Goodsir, Transport Editor
June 29 2002
The captain of a Virgin Blue aircraft that overshot a runway during
a "hot landing" has been demoted as authorities investigate
claims that the crew tried to cover up the safety breach.
It is the first serious safety issue experienced by the low-cost
airline since it began flying two years ago.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau confirmed yesterday that
it had ordered an investigation and would require the captain
and other staff to be interviewed.
Initial reports indicated that Flight 467 from Brisbane approached
the runway at Darwin International Airport "too high and
too fast" because of sudden blustery tail winds.
Instead of going around, the captain decided to continue the landing.
The aircraft, carrying 92 passengers and seven crew, touched down
far into the runway and stopped beyond the safety markings. There
were no injuries and the Boeing 737-800, which stayed on the tarmac,
was not damaged. But the incident, which happened at 11.40pm on
June 11, was not reported immediately. Transport safety officials
were alerted by airport staff who witnessed the event.
"The incident itself is serious but not devastating, but
the issue of concern is that it was not reported as it should
have been," an aviation source said. "That will be the
major aspect of the inquiry."
Virgin Blue's head of commercial, David Huttner, said the captain,
a former Air New Zealand and Ansett pilot with 28 years of commercial
flying experience, had been reprimanded and demoted. He would
be eligible to apply for retraining as a captain in six months.
"While the report was filed within the legal time frame,
it did not meet our expectations internally, as it was not brought
to our immediate attention," Mr Huttner said.
Pilots had been warned that the Darwin runway had been shortened
due to some repairs.
It is understood the air safety regulator is also monitoring Virgin
Blue's maintenance records, not least because of the huge strain
put on the fleet since Ansett's demise.
Virgin Blue has the youngest fleet in the world but its aircraft
have been operating non-stop as the airline seeks to pick up market
share. |
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Airport
staff face crash charges
http://europe.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/eu...tors/index.html
Airport staff face crash charges
June 28, 2002 Posted: 1901 GMT
MILAN, Italy -- Eleven people, mostly
air traffic controllers, face manslaughter
charges for a runway accident in which
118 people died.
The 11 have been at the centre of an
investigation into the cause of Italy's
worst civil aviation disaster.
All the passengers and crew of two planes
died when they collided on a runway
at Milan's Linate airport last October.
Four ground staff were also killed when
an SAS jumbo jet careered into a hanger
following the collision with a private
jet.
Of an original 20 or so people placed
under investigation, 11 remained on
the prosecutors' list, prosecutor Giuliano
Turone told The Associated Press on
Friday.
Prosecutors will ask a judge to charge
those 11 with manslaughter and other
indictments.
Most of the 11 are officials or former
officials with ENAV, the national air
traffic controllers' association, as
well as Linate airport officials.
Excluded from the list was Giorgio Fossa,
the president of the company that runs
the airport.
The SAS aircraft had veered off the
runway as it was taking off after hitting
the Cessna, which had crossed into its
path. The Cessna had been on the wrong
runway at the time.
Investigators said the crash was caused
by human error compounded by poor visibility
due to heavy fog.
But some claimed the ground radar, out
of service for months while a new system
was being installed, might have prevented
the catastrophe.
Ground radar has since been reinstalled
at the airport
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Mystery Sounds Baffle
CAL Crash Team |
Jun 24,
2002
Mystery noises recorded in the cockpit
of a China Airlines plane minutes before
it crashed last month, killing all 225
people on board, are baffling crash
investigators.
The unusual sounds have been identified
on the 'black box' cockpit voice recorder
which was recovered from the ocean bed
in the Taiwan Strait last week.
The head of Taiwan's Aviation Safety
Council, Kay Yong, admitted that so
far the investigation team have not
been able to identify the noises. The
Boeing 747's recorder is to go for computer
analysis.
Pilots familiar with the aircraft have
listened to the tape and agree that
the sounds were unusual, but the investigators
cannot say if they have any bearing
on the crash.
The 22-year-old plane broke up in mid-air
20 minutes after leaving Taipei on a
flight to Hong Kong.
Both of the Boeing's flight recorders
have been recovered. Tapes from the
flight data recorder are still being
examined
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Taiwan recovers second black box of crashed
jet
By Angus Chuang
TAIPEI, June 19 (Reuters) - Taiwan navy divers recovered on
Wednesday the second "black box" from the China
Airlines jet that broke up in mid-air and crashed into the
sea last month, killing 225 people, the Aviation Safety Council
said.
Retrieval of the Boeing 747-200's watertight flight data recorder,
which logs flight information, could help investigators determine
why the Hong Kong-bound plane broke into four pieces at 30,000
feet (9,000 metres) and crashed into the Taiwan Strait.
The box was found on the sea floor about 300 metres (1,000
feet) from the cockpit voice recorder recovered on Tuesday,
said safety council spokeswoman Tracy Jen. 
"The two black boxes appeared largely intact, but it
remains to be seen if the data is complete," Jen said.
"We hope to find out tiny bits of detail about what happened
to the plane minutes before it broke up. It's the recorders'
turn to speak."
Investigators have said, even with the recovery of the black
boxes, it might take a year to determine the cause of the
disaster -- the carrier's fourth fatal accident since 1994.
Together, the accidents have claimed more than 650 lives.
Aviation experts have floated several theories for the crash,
including metal fatigue, an internal explosion, a mid-air
collision or a military accident.
U.S. experts who investigated the mid-air explosion of a Trans
World Airlines Boeing 747 off New York in 1996 are in Taiwan
to help investigate the crash.
The two recorders would be brought back to Taiwan from Penghu
island, near the crash site, later on Wednesday for analysis,
Jen said, adding that it would take about a week to find out
the contents.
ANGRY RELATIVES
The data recorder from the older-generation Boeing 747-200
may not have gathered as much flight information as newer
models, but its recovery was still crucial to the investigation,
she said.
Grieving relatives have vented their anger at the government
and the airline for both the carrier's poor safety record
and for delays in recovering bodies from the May 25 crash.
Taiwan and foreign salvage teams have so far recovered 123
bodies and some 10 percent of the 23-year-old aircraft, which
crashed about 20 minutes after takeoff from Taipei.
The chairman and eight other board members of the state-controlled
China Aviation Development Foundation, which owns 71 percent
of China Airlines, resigned last month in the wake of the
accident.
The awkward ownership structure of the carrier -- the government
appoints a majority of the board members of the foundation
-- has been widely blamed for paralyzing management and making
safety reforms almost impossible.
The airline's shares have slid around one fifth since the
crash. On Wednesday, China Airlines shares were down 0.77
percent at T$12.85 by 0223 GMT, in line with a 1.93 percent
fall in Taiwan's main TAIEX (Taiwan:^TWII - News) index. |
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May 22, 2002 - Boeing Teams With AIS to Offer Security
Training to Flight Crews. 
The Boeing Company, through FlightSafety Boeing Training International
joint venture, is teaming with Advanced
Interactive Systems Inc. of Seattle to offer airlines new cabin and
flight-crew training programs.
The new training programs are designed to meet US Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA) rules requiring cabin and flight crews to be trained in identifying,
handling and defending against threatening passengers.
Boeing and AIS, a leader in interactive simulated training systems for
law enforcement, security and military agencies worldwide, are creating
a comprehensive course that will meet FAA's eight guidelines for enhanced
crew training.
AIS states that it will supply judgment-simulation technology for the
program. It includes a multi-screen computer simulator that simultaneously
portrays, fore and aft, passengers and threats using MPEG2 broadcast-quality
video. Trainees are subjected to multiple threats, both lethal and non-lethal.
A variety of scenarios are available to train cabin- and flight-crew members.
Each situation branches or changes in response to trainee reactions, providing
a full scope of possible outcomes to every situation. The system also
captures trainee responses for immediate playback and critique.
The eight major elements in which crews will receive training are: determining
seriousness of an occurrence; crew communication and coordination; appropriate
self-defense response; use of protective devices provided to crews; psychology
of terrorism, for coping with hijackers and passengers; live situational
training; flight deck procedures or aircraft maneuvers to defend the aircraft;
and any other subject identified by the FAA.
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All
Applicants Welcome, Be Careful What You Wish For
FAA Administrator Jane Garvey will soon step down from her post
after five years at the helm. There's only one problem. The
list of qualified applicants is desperately short -- even though
the job pays $150,000 and comes with perks like ready access
to a Gulfstream IV. Perhaps the thought of verbal abuse from
the airlines, the flying public, Congress, and anyone else remotely
associated with aviation is just a little too much for a sane,
qualified person to stomach? The Bush administration is so desperate
they've even asked Garvey to stay, according to a report at
Time.com. She's not budging from her departure plan, however,
and that has even the airlines scrambling to find a candidate
from within their segment of the industry. Complicating factors
include the fact that the FAA has not yet filled the position
of chief operating officer that Congress created in 2000, and
FAA acting deputy administrator Monte Belger will walk away
from his post July 31. "The job is only good for a human
punching bag," one aviation veteran told Time. |
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Saturday,
June 15, 2002
SIA flight SQ006
pilots receive suspended indictment
2002/6/15
The China Post staff
The Taoyuan District Public Prosecutor's Office yesterday gave two pilots
of Singapore Airlines flight SQ006 conditional indictment - suspended for
three years - for taking off on the wrong runway at CKS International Airport
into a fatal crash two years ago.
Captain Foong Chee Kong of Malaysia and co-pilot Latif Cyrano of Singapore
are on probation, and the charges will be dropped if they commit no crimes
in the next three years.
Altogether 83 people aboard were killed in the crash on October 31, 2000,
when the pilots made a disastrous attempt to take off from a runway closed
for repairs.
In reaching the decision, the prosecution took into account international
practice and the fact that Singapore Airlines had already settled disputes
with the victims' families out of court.
With the suspended indictment, Foong and Cyrano are banned from flying
to Taiwan for a period of one year, a prosecutor said.
Co-pilot Ng Kheng Leng of Singapore, who was not responsible for pre-departure
checkup, was not indicted.
None of the three were present when the prosecution announced the decision.
According to an Aviation Safety Council report, which the prosecution
adopted in investigating the accident, the three pilots had confirmed
five times with the control tower that they were taking off from the correct
runway-05L. The pilots were informed that adjacent runway 05R was closed
for repairs during a pre-flight briefing.
The report also said that a runway light which could have helped direct
the plane to the correct runway was broken while another one was too dim.
After the fatal crash, the three pilots were listed as defendants on
manslaughter charges by the prosecution. After a number of inspections
of the crash scene and interviews with survivors and tower control personnel,
prosecutors determined that Foong and Cyrano were guilty of manslaughter.
However, prosecutors noted that the pilots were busy checking typhoon
updates, resulting in their using of the wrong runway.
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