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The announcement yesterday that AMR, parent of American Airlines would spend $1.7 billion to buy TWA and some assets of UAL's United Airlines, in deals to give it a quarter of the U.S. air travel market received a "cautionary" welcome from the International Aviation Safety Association (IASA).
IASA USA Vice-Chairman, Edward B Block, a world recognized aircraft wire and cable expert, speaking today urged the airlines to make public the type of aircraft wiring used in their fleets and specifically those wired with 'Kapton.' "With the scrutiny that aircraft wiring is subject to at the current time" said Block "any prudent airline would take steps to ascertain the type of aircraft wiring aboard their aircraft -- and particularly that of an airline it is buying."
Kapton is a wiring insulation trademarked by DuPont and the name commonly used by experts to describe any aromatic

 polymide wire. Studies have shown that that a crack exposing a Kapton wire's conductor can lead to a more severe reaction when it short-circuits than other types of wire. The continued use of Kapton insulated wire was banned by the US Navy in 1987 -- and is no longer used in military aircraft in the United States and Australia. In 1999, the entire space shuttle fleet was grounded due to problems experienced with wiring on its spacecraft. 
The wiring in question: Kapton.

The wiring in aging aircraft has been implicated in a number of high-profile accidents including the crash of Swissair flight 111 on September 2, 1998 and in the TWA 800 disaster on July 17, 1996.
In fact, the wiring in aging aircraft has been described as an "issue of national concern" by the Executive Office of the President in a May 10, 2000 memorandum that heralded the formation of the Wire System Safety Interagency Working Group.
"With the airline mergers we are reading about on a daily basis, it is the appropriate time for the airlines to let the public know what wires surround them when they board an aircraft," continued Block "in this way the passenger can make an informed decision whether to board that aircraft or not." [...and, if customers start walking off aircraft as a result, it will be fifty years before any more information is voluntarily disseminated --ed.]
FMI: http://www.iasa.com.au

Last spring, after two fires on Delta Air Lines jets, the FAA gave airlines five years to inspect some 642 aircraft and to replace all metalized Mylar-covered insulation.

But in a letter this week to the FAA, the National Transportation Safety Board said the insulation blankets should be replaced "at the earliest maintenance opportunity."

"Given the fire hazard posed by metalized Mylar-covered insulation blankets ... the safety Board is concerned that the five-year-compliance period is too long," NTSB acting Chairman Carol Carmody wrote in a letter to the FAA.

While the FAA order applies to all of the insulation in the affected aircraft, the NTSB recommendation applies only to insulation nearest the heaters, a factor that could influence the FAA to look favorably upon the recommendation.

"I don't know what impact that (moving up the timetable) would have," FAA spokesman Les Dorr said. "It might prove that this would prove feasible, but I just can't speculate."

The FAA has 90 days to formally respond to the NTSB's recommendation.

The potential hazard came to light on September 17, 1999, when a fire erupted during flight in the cargo compartment of a Delta MD-88. The crew declared an emergency and landed at Northern Kentucky International Airport, from which it had just departed.

Delta inspectors focused on the heaters used to keep ice from building up on air pressure measuring devices. They concluded that sharp bends in the heater elements could concentrate the heat and eventually burn the Mylar-covered insulation blankets around the heaters.

Delta inspected all 136 of its MD-88s and MD-90s and determined that 11 percent of the airplanes had some type of damage to their heaters.

On January 3, 2000, after the removal of the metalized insulation blankets, another heater malfunctioned on a Delta MD-88 after takeoff from Columbia, South Carolina. After the plane returned safely, inspectors found damage from electrical arcing, but the damage was contained to the heater itself.

"The risk of fire is very low in any event," Dorr said. "And we think that the order that we finalized in May was a prudent action with an acceptable level of safety." But he added the FAA will look carefully at the NTSB recommendation."

FAA Proposes New In-Flight Rules

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Certain airlines would have to rewire their in-flight entertainment systems or keep them turned off during flights under new rules proposed Friday by the Federal Aviation Administration.

The proposed rules stem from an FAA investigation of the entertainment systems following the September 1998 crash of a Swissair plane flying to Geneva from New York. An electrical problem is suspected, though the cause remains under investigation.

In case of smoke, a burning smell, or an electrical short, airline crews would want to shut off nonessential electrical equipment to try to isolate the problem, but the entertainment systems on some aircraft can't be turned off without also shutting down other systems crucial to keeping the plane in the air.

FAA spokesman Les Dorr Jr. said the proposed rules were not connected to any possible cause of the Swissair accident, but the crash spurred the agency to begin looking at airplane entertainment systems.

At least 74 airplanes have entertainment systems that would need to be modified, most of them flown by American Airlines, Continental Airlines or Hawaiian Airlines.

The planes affected are certain Boeing, McDonnell Douglas and Airbus models.

Air carriers would have 18 months from the time the rule is adopted to make the necessary modifications. The FAA will accept comments on the proposal until next month.

04/13/2000 Seattle Post-Intelligencer (Copyright 2000) Federal agents investigating the crash of Alaska Airlines Flight 261 and the airlines' maintenance operations are also examining the Federal Aviation Administration's oversight of the airline, according to criminal justice and aviation industry sources.

. . . Such an investigation would focus on whether Alaska encouraged criminally improper maintenance practices that were either sanctioned by or ignored by the FAA. . . . Alaska has been under investigation since at least December 1998, when agents of the FBI and the Department of Transportation's Office of the Inspector General seized company records in raids at the airline's Seattle offices and at its maintenance hangar in Oakland, Calif. . . . The investigation was expanded to include circumstances around the Jan. 31 crash of Alaska Flight 261, which killed 88 passengers and crew. . . . Former Department of Transportation Inspector General Mary Schiavo , whose job through much of the 1990s included being chief watchdog of FAA integrity, said yesterday reports that the FAA has been lax on Alaska reflect "the good-old-boy network" in aviation. "It is just a comfortable way of doing business, the path of least resistance," said Schiavo, who is now an attorney in private practice. "Usually, nothing happens. It's only when something happens that they get caught. Here it is very different because there are a lot of dead people" (from Flight 261). Schiavo said that when she was inspector general, she often got complaints from FAA inspectors overseeing many different airlines saying that "when they got tough, they got transferred." Yet Schiavo said she cannot recall a successful criminal prosecution of an FAA inspector for allowing violations of Federal Aviation Regulations. Prosecutors would have to prove the inspector knowingly violated the law and wasn't simply lax or incompetent.. "If they just did a horrible, sloppy job, the U.S. attorney wouldn't go criminal," Schiavo said. "You have to prove criminal intent and that is an extremely high standard."

041300.htm

The flight was cruising at 32,000 feet msl in clouds at the time of the incident. A few minutes before the incident the flight was experiencing a phenomenon called Saint Elmo's fire. The phenomenon is a discharge of static electricity often seen on airplanes flying through or near stormy weather. Static electricity from clouds collects on the airplane structure and discharges from sharp points in the form of visible light. This activity lasted for about 3 minutes, after which an arc was observed at the location of the windshield heat wire bundle above the first officer's side window. The crew donned their smoke goggles and masks. Two of the windshield heat circuit breakers had opened and the crew opened the remaining breakers. The panel covering the wire bundle area was opened for application of a Halon fire bottle on the burnt area of the bundle. Post incident examination of the affected wires revealed electrical arcing had occurred between the airplane structure, an Adel clamp, and a 30-wire bundle, with burning occurring to 20 of the wires. The wire bundle passes behind the flight engineer's station and overhead to the heated windshield.

LOGAN -- The holidays mean more traveling, particularly by air. For those who fear airline tragedies, it can be especially stressful. Utah State University is working to alleviate some of those concerns. Students led by Professor Cynthia Furse, assistant professor in the electrical engineering department at USU, are developing an answer to a dilemma of airline safety that has caught the attention of the FAA, the National Transportation Safety Board, NASA, the Nuclear Regulatory Agency and the White House. The focus is on faulty wiring. 

Aging and damaged wires within the airplane is suspected as a possible cause of the crash of the TWA Flight 800 in which 230 people perished. Investigators are now looking closely at the problems caused by aging in airplane wiring systems that have resulted from the extended use of many aircrafts. Previously, planes were built to last for only a decade and then retired. Now planes are flying nearly double the time estimated when they were originally built, Furse said in a research report. 

Instead of retiring most planes, different components of the aircraft are being updated individually. While the different components are being replaced, the miles of wiring inside an airplane is not because it is too difficult and expensive to replace, Furse said. 

Aging wiring is visually inspected by technicians. However, many problems are too difficult to determine by this unsophisticated technique. Often when technicians are inspecting the wires they either miss problems or in the process of correcting damaged or malfunctioning wires they create more flaws. For these reasons various agencies and companies are developing different techniques to test the aging wires, according to Furse. 

One of the most promising of these techniques is being developed by the electrical engineering department at USU. 

Engineers at USU are developing a testing mechanism that will be a permanent fixture in the wiring system of aircraft. Because the mechanism is permanent, additional problems will not be created by technicians moving and bending wires when testing and examining them, Furse said. 

The mechanism called a "smart connector" includes a computer sensor, as well as electrodes, that send a signal down the wires. Problems are detected by the sensor analyzing the reflections of the signal sent down the wire, she said. 

With a "smart connector" pilots in the cockpit will be able to run a check of the wires minutes before takeoff. The "smart connector" would tell the pilot the location and severity of wiring problems, according to Furse. 

Planes could require more than a thousand "smart connectors" to monitor the wiring in a plane. For this reason, the engineers at USU have endeavored to create a connector that is inexpensive and lightweight. 

The implementation of this device not only has the power to save hundreds of lives, but also could save thousands of dollars in service and repairs, Furse said. 

The air division of the U.S. Navy is eagerly anticipating the completion of this project. They are already planning to implement "smart connectors" in many of their older planes. 

Furse said she anticipates that they will have a "smart connector" that is marketable in two years. 

However the engineers at USU do not plan to stop there. They have already begun research into developing a "smart wire" to be installed in new planes that would detect any problems and communicate them to the cockpit immediately. 

For more information, contact Furse at 797-2780. 

MIAMI, Florida (USA) - A 757 made an emergency landing at Miami International Airport Friday night. Miami-Dade fire officials said that an American Airlines pilot reported smoke in the cockpit. Emergency vehicles manned the runway and the plane landed safely.

Singapore Airlines is the world's 11th-largest airline in terms of passenger traffic. It employs more than 13,000 people and serves more than 40 countries on every continent except South America.

Smoke, electrical problems force Chretien plane to land in Quebec City  

Updated 10:00 PM ET October 25, 2000(CP) - Losing power and with traces of smoke drifting through its cabin, the campaign plane bearing Prime Minister Jean Chretien and his entourage was forced to make an unscheduled landing in Quebec City late Wednesday.

None of the 59 people aboard the Boeing 737 were hurt after the pilot announced they had a problem with their electrical generator. All the lights inside went off and the aircraft began descending quickly. Electrical smoke wafted through the cabin, undetectable to the eye but its acrid smell was unmistakable. Chretien came to the back of the plane to assure reporters that everything was fine.
The Boeing 737 was still taxiing as the temperature rose, but Chretien remained in the back, joking with reporters and telling stories about prior aviation mishaps.
His wife, Aline, remained up front in her seat immediately behind the cockpit.
"We know all about these things," Chretien said calmly.
The pair were whisked away in a car immediately after the aircraft pulled up to the terminal building.
The landing was termed precautionary, a technical moniker that signals to air traffic controllers that the situation requires less priority than if an outright emergency had been declared.

Boeing near deal with UPS to convert 30 used planes for cargo

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ASSOCIATED PRESS and KIRO 7 EYEWITNESS NEWS NEW YORK -- Boeing Co., the world's largest manufacturer of airplanes, is close to a deal with United Parcel Service to convert 30 used jumbo jets into freighters for moving cargo, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday.

The companies have reached a tentative pact calling for the conversion of a fleet of MD-11 passenger planes into cargo jets. The deal, expected to be completed soon, is said to be worth up to $1.5 billion.

The companies are also in the early stages of discussions to convert larger 747 models for cargo use.

Boeing began expanding into aircraft modification two years ago. If the UPS deal is completed, it would provide a huge boost for the division, industry analysts say.

Scheduled 14 CFR 121 operation of CONTINENTAL AIRLINES Accident occurred OCT-01-00 at BIRMINGHAM, AL
Aircraft: McDonnell Douglas MD-80, registration: N69826
Injuries: 1 Minor, 146 Uninjured.

On October 1, 2000, at 1650 central daylight time, a McDonnell Douglas MD-80, N69826, operated by Continental Airlines as flight 1579, experienced an electrical fire during cruise flight at flight level 310 near Birmingham, Alabama. Flight 1579 was operated under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121 as a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Atlanta, Georgia, to Houston, Texas. The flight departed Hartsfield International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia, at approximately 1720 eastern daylight time with two air transport pilots, one jump-seat rider, three flight attendants, and 141 passengers on board. The airplane sustained minor damage and the jump-seat rider received minor injuries; there were no other injuries reported. Visual weather conditions prevailed at the time of the incident, and flight 1579 operated on an instrument flight rules flight plan. According to the pilot, approximately 15 minutes into the flight, the cockpit filled with smoke and he heard a loud popping sound and saw sparks emitting from the area of the jump-seat. The jump-seat rider reported that he heard an explosion and leaned forward to avoid heat which he felt on his left shoulder. When the jump-seat rider looked at his left shoulder he noticed that his shirt was burning. He extinguished the fire on his shirt, and put on his oxygen mask, since the cockpit was filled with smoke. The pilot declared an emergency and imitated a descending right turn. The flight diverted into Birmingham, Alabama, and landed without further incident. The preliminary examination of the airplane disclosed a 2 by 1 1/2-inch fire-damaged hole in the left jump-seat wall. Several heavy gauge electrical wires were severed and welded together on the opposite side of the wall. There were also four 50 ampere circuit breakers popped on the left circuit breaker panel behind the pilot's seat.

Boeing played down the safety hazard, saying there was not enough voltage in the line to pose an immediate risk. In response to 747 ignition concerns in 1997, boeing maintained that aircraft aircraft was designed to eliminate all ignition sources from the fuel system and that even if a spark were created, the energy would not be enough to ignite a center wing tank."

The passengers were transferred to another Continental plane, Roy said.

EXTRACT From:  http://www.boeing.com/commercial/aeromagazine/aero_07/agingair.html

4. REVIEW AND UPDATE STANDARD PRACTICES FOR WIRING
The FAA has recommended that operators and the OEM develop a customized standard wiring practices manual to clarify and simplify electrical system installation and repair practices. This manual provides procedures for all types of electrical parts, some of which may not be used by a particular maintenance or repair facility. Removing unnecessary information and tailoring the procedures to specific repair facilities are expected to streamline the repair of electrical components.

In addition, the FAA recommended that a process that trains maintenance personnel to recognize aging effects on electrical systems and alerts them to proper repair procedures be defined.

The European Union's head office Wednesday revealed plans to create an aviation safety agency. ``The EU will at last have the means to conduct a genuine aviation safety policy,'' said EU Transport Commissioner Loyola de Palacio in a statement. The proposed agency would be responsible for drawing up and regulating EU-wide airplane safety and security standards. ``The agency will encourage the harmonization of technical rules and especially ensure their uniform application,'' the Commission said in a statement. It added that the agency would be loosely styled on the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, acting independently of national governments. The EU has already introduced regulations on noise and gas emissions for airplanes, which the agency will also enforce. Late last year, the Commission revealed plans to establish joint air traffic control of Europe's skies to replace a patchwork of national management systems and to reduce growing flight delays. The 15 EU nations are currently in talks with the aviation industry to work out plans for joint management. Increased cooperation among air-traffic authorities is already reducing flight delays according Eurocontrol, the agency that coordinates air traffic management in 39 European nations. In a statement this month, Eurocontrol said the average delay on commercial flights was 3.5 minutes, a 30 percent decrease on the August 1999 average, despite a 4 percent increase in the number of flights.

According to Heimdal, there are more reports of smoke in the cockpits of Norwegian aircraft than the average for other countries.

For these reasons, Weir suggested, deaths should be measured against the number of journeys made. This is not quite the same as the departure metric suggested by the GAO above but certainly represents a related approach. Weir used "passenger journeys," so 100 people in a jetliner taking off represent 100 passenger journeys in one departure. Weir claimed the "passenger journey" metric is used by the insurance industry. "By this measure, air travel takes on a rather different complexion," Weir wrote. "Deaths per 100 million passenger journeys are, on average, 55 for airliners compared to 4.5 for cars, and 2.7 for trains. Only motorbikes, at 100 deaths per 100 million passenger journeys, are more risky than aircraft on this basis." Indeed, in the U.S. motorcycle drivers are sometimes referred to as "organ donors" because of their high accident rate.

Downs writes. "Instead, it chooses to manipulate feedback to suit its own purposes. Some tactics used include putting a positive spin on news that is otherwise negative, and attacking the critic." (Note 1: For the full text of Weir's opinion essay, see this website: http://www.newscientist.com/ns/19990807/flightinto.html  . Note 2: We are indebted to Bart Crotty for bringing Down's observations on the cult of corporate narcissism to our attention.)

McDonnell Douglas, a unit of Boeing Co., produces military and commercial aircraft.

ORIGINAL  FAA  LOT  OF 1,819 ITEMS AVAILABLE OF APPROXIMATELY 3. 6 MB.   Contact  jking1@mediaone.net    

    59083    DOUG                                                                                       FUEL QUANTITY WIRING         CHAFING ARCING                      INSP/MAINT                           OTHER

                  DC-10-30                                                                                    ANPO138-502                               FUEL TANK # 3  PROBE 6          08/10/2000

28             47926       

                       “D” CHECK, FQI SYSTEM WIRING CHAFING AND ARCING INSIDE FUEL TANK # 3.  PROBE # 6, HARNESS FOUND CHAFING ON MOUNT BRACKET OF THE FILL PILOT-VALVE IN  BAY R07 (XORS: 298-500).  WIRES 3E900E226R X  3E901E22WH DAMAGED THROUGH OUTER SLEEVE INSULATION CAUSING ARCING ON BRACKET.  HARNESS WAS EXCESSIVELY SLACK.  HARNESS ANPO138-502 REPLACED IAW MM 28-91-08 FRM PROBE  6 (T2-104) TO JUNC PROBE E2 (T2-102).  PERFORMED STATIC BOND TEST ON ALL

                         BOOST PUMPS, D.C. START PUMPS, FEED SYSTEM DUCTS, RE FUEL DUCTS, VENT SYSTEM.  OVER ONE HUNDRED (100( READINGS GREATER THAN 100 MILLI-OHMS ACROSS ALL 3 MAIN TANKS AND AUX TANKS.  THE NECESSARY ACTION WAS TAKEN. (RE-BONDING).  

 So, arcing in the wiring of fuel-tank fuel quantity indicating systems (FQIS) is NOT an unknown phenomena. i.e. TWA800 was no fluke.  It's just that it also had the fuel heat-soaked by a long ground-run of the aircon packs under the CWT (centre-wing tanks).

   Sparks plus flammable vapour = explosion

This Forecast of Future Accident Activity is another graphic, prepared by the Boeing Company engineers. It is a bit cluttered but there is an important message here. The left hand scale can be read as either millions of aircraft departures or as hull losses (a euphemism for accidents). Notice in the lower right that the world’s hull loss accident rate (in red) has leveled off for the last few years at about 1 loss per million departures. Also the green line which indicates millions of departures continues to climb. With a constant accident rate (red line) – and more and more departures (green line) – one can forecast that there will be more accidents per year. Hull losses for the past three years have been about 20 per year. We can expect that number to increase.

Also we should consider the number of transport airplanes currently in service. There are about 14,400. By 2016 we expect to see about 25,600 airliners operating worldwide. Again with a constant accident rate (the red line) and more than 10,000 new airliners joining the fleet, we can expect to see an increase in the number of accidents per year.

Regional Perspective

This graphic, prepared by the Boeing Company, highlights the major differences in accident rates in various parts of the world. The U.S., Canada, Europe and Oceania are fortunate to have recorded between .3 and .7 accidents per million departures. On the other hand, Africa’s losses are extremely high, followed by Latin America and the Caribbean, China and the Middle East. If we view this data as an indicator, or a prediction of where future accidents are likely to occur, then we can expect to see numerous accidents in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, China and the Middle East.

High-tech cockpit safety devices are great, but one that was thrown out in the interest of economy was the flight engineer (AW&ST July 17, p. 66). Instead of putting someone in the jump seat to see what distractions and interruptions occur, why not put a third pilot there to:

• Monitor the pilot flying while the other pilot is distracted by setting the flight management system or communicating.
• Ensure that checklist items are performed appropriately.
• Help scan for traffic.
• Coordinate with flight attendants.
• Monitor instrument approaches and settings on navaids.
• Troubleshoot problems in the cockpit or elsewhere such as unruly passengers.

Flight engineer certificates wouldn't be needed, and the airplane wouldn't have to be modified. If airlines decide to use exter- nal TV cameras to monitor tires, brakes and engines during takeoff or for suspected problems, the extra pilot could have the responsibility. As always, the question is: "What price safety?"

Mike Scherer
West Palm Beach, Fla.

Hong Kong-New York Flight Makes Detour To Ontario

United Airlines' recent flight cancellation problems aren't restricted just to weather and labor issues. Last Saturday afternoon, a United 747 carrying 320 passengers from Hong Kong to New York had to land in North Bay, Ontario, after the crew reported hydraulic problems. According to an AVweb reader with a friend on the plane, after a safe landing and while taxiing off the runway, the plane went totally dead -- no battery power, no APU, no nothing. The passengers sat on the dead aircraft for four hours waiting for a ladder truck to get them off, since the North Bay airport was not equipped to handle wide-body transports. United Airlines sent another 747 from Chicago to pick up the passengers, but a problem forced it to return. The third time was a charm though, as another United plane successfully arrived at North Bay to carry the weary travelers to New York on Sunday morning.

AirTran: Where There's Smoke...

Tuesday's in-flight fire aboard an AirTran DC-9 shortly after taking off from Greensboro, N.C. (GSO) had some observers experiencing déjà vu all over again. Flight 913 had just taken of when the crew declared an emergency, told controllers they had smoke in the cockpit, and requested an immediate landing back at GSO. The flight landed safety, although nine of the 56 passengers and five crewmembers were apparently treated for smoke inhalation and injuries sustained during the plane's evacuation. According to the FAA, fire was seen behind the cockpit and in the forward galley after the plane came to a stop. AirTran is the successor to ValuJet, which became well known after the May 1996 crash of another DC-9 into the Florida Everglades killed all 110 aboard. That crash was attributed to a fire caused by hazardous material -- improperly shipped oxygen generators.

The Federal Aviation Administration was investigating.

 Two American Airlines MD-80 jets were forced
to make separate emergency landings on Monday, one after a report
of smoke in the cockpit and the other with possible stabilizer
problems, officials said. American's flight 1258 returned to
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport after take-off on Monday
and all 128 passengers left by the emergency exits after the crew
reported smoke, the airline said. The jetliner bound for Orlando
pulled onto a taxiway at the airport before the passengers and
five crew went out through the overwing exits and front and rear
stairs. American said passengers were bused to the terminal and
would be flown to Orlando on another plane. The MD-80 was taken
out of service to find the source of the smoke.

FAA Orders Inspections of MD-11 Cargo Compartment Wiring

Using external air conditioning could lower the time a plane's center tanks were potentially flammable to 22 percent of the plane's operational time from 30 percent, FAA said.

A recent study requested by the FAA said the ground infrastructure required for inerting would cost $1.6 billion over 13 years. It remains to be seen how much modification of planes might be required and at what cost.

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 The new independent, multi-modal Dutch Transport Safety Board (DTSB), (Raad voor de Transportveiligheid, RVTV), was officially inaugurated on June 30 in The Hague, The Netherlands. The DTSB brings together former separate accident investigation boards of the different transport sectors: the Dutch Railway Accident Investigation Board, the Dutch Maritime Board, the Netherlands Aviation Safety Board and the former Dutch Road Safety Council.

 The new DTSB is structured as one overall independent safety board with four chambers responsible for accident investigation in their sector – air, rail, marine and highway.  A major distinction of the DTSB is that it is an independent government organization and is not part of the Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management.

 The board is comprised of the chairman and vice-chairman of each chamber, together with the overall board chairman, Pieter van Vollenhoven, who also chairs the International Transportation Safety Association (ITSA), and several general transport safety experts.  The staff of the new DTSB will consist of about 32 employees, including many staff and chief investigators of the old modal boards.

 For more information: DTSB, Prins Clauslaan 18, 2595 AJ The Hague; Tel: 31-70-3337000, Fax: 31-70-3337077.

To Vol. 6, No. 1, Contents

Return to Newsletter Index

How about another AWIGG 'panel' to...select some promising ideas to NASA, FAA, or 'the Hill' (U.S. Congress) for more development and implementation?"

**Note: Flux-gates (aka flux-valves) are the amplified pick-offs of the pendulous detector elements of gyro-magnetic compasses.

I would expect Mr. Goldfarb's remarks to come from the airline industry, not those charged with regulating them in the public interest. I believe that the FAA has failed miserably as an advocate for the flying public. Personally, I'm not very interested in passengers' rights movement.

- Mark

The plane, a Boeing 767, was diverted to Fort Myers when the pilot reported the haze, Sanders said.

Swissair crash cases head for mediation

By David Morgan

PHILADELPHIA, June 28 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge will begin mediating negotiations next month in 15 lawsuits stemming from the 1988 crash of SwissAir Flight 111 in hopes of encouraging individual settlements in the massive liability case, lawyers said on Wednesday.

Closed-door negotiations were set to start July 17 before U.S. District Judge James Giles in lawsuits selected by attorneys for the plaintiffs and continue for about three weeks, possibly with other federal judges or magistrates serving as mediators.

``He wants to get the settlement process rolling sooner rather than later. He obviously wants to encourage that,'' said SwissAir attorney Michael Holland.

SwissAir , SairGroup, SR Technics AG, Boeing Co. (NYSE:BA - news), SwissAir code-share partner Delta Air Lines Inc. (NYSE:DAL - news) and Interactive Flight Technologies Inc. have all been named as defendants in 167 separate lawsuits seeking a combined $16 billion in damages.

Plaintiffs are the families of 229 people who died aboard SwissAir Flight 111 off Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia, on Sept. 2, 1998, when the Boeing-made MD-11 aircraft plunged into the Atlantic Ocean killing everyone on board.

Since last August, when the SwissAir case first came before Giles, only half a dozen suits have been settled despite the judge's repeated calls for individual settlement negotiations to produce results.

``After the 15 go through the process, I'm sure he'll set another conference,'' said Lee Kreindler, who chairs a plaintiffs' steering committee.

The judge ordered mediated discussions at a pre-trial conference on June 19.

Giles also is expected to rule by Aug. 31 on two defence motions. One motion would prevent 106 suits involving foreign plaintiffs from being heard in American courts. The other would put the remaining cases under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Death on the High Seas Act, which would exclude punitive damages.

The defendants have already agreed to pay compensatory damages.

Lawyers for crash victim survivors believe a fire caused by faulty wiring cased the disaster and allege that SwissAir knew the wiring posed substantial hazards at least seven years before the crash.

Airlines were put on notice by U.S. senators that customer service must improve or Congress will reconsider legislation setting rules for the handling of flight delays and other passenger inconveniences.