The agency has begun initial operation of its much-delayed en-route system at six more major ATC centers.

LAN Airlines' latest fleet plan reduces its 2012 Boeing 787 deliveries to just two aircraft.

Norwegian Air Shuttle’s large fleet expansion plans are causing European low-fare carriers to question their rival’s strategy.

Hungarian airline Malev appears to be close to running out of money.

Spanair late Friday ceased all operations but did not say whether it planned to file for bankruptcy.

Airbus CEO Tom Enders will replace EADS Louis Gallois this summer.

Carrier signs up for rival reengined single-aisles, with a large Boeing order and a major commitment for Airbus A320NEOs

Boeing issued a bullish forecast for 2012, setting up the possibility that it will regain the order and delivery lead from Airbus.

Saudi Arabian Airlines has been identified as the buyer of eight Boeing 777-300ERs.

Lufthansa chairman says the group should initiate much closer integration between its various airlines.

21 JAN 2012

The NTSB cited an operational error by a tower air traffic controller as the probable cause of a near mid-air collision involving a commercial jetliner and a small private plane over the Gulfport-Biloxi Airport.

On Sunday, June 19, 2011, at 12:35 p.m. CDT at Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport, a Cessna 172 was cleared for takeoff on runway 18 by the tower air traffic controller. Sixteen seconds later, the same air traffic controller cleared an Embraer 145, a commercial passenger flight, for takeoff on runway 14, the flight path of which intersects the flight path of runway 18.

While both airplanes were about 300 feet above the airfield, the Embraer passed in front of the Cessna. The closest proximity between the two planes was estimated to be 0 feet vertically and 300 feet laterally.

The Embraer 145, N13929, operated as ExpressJet flight 2555 (dba Continental/United Express) was carrying 50 passengers and 3 crewmembers, and was bound for Houston Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) where it landed uneventfully.

The Cessna 172P Skyhawk, N54120, operated on a local  instructional flight carrying an instructor and a student.

No one in either airplane was injured in the incident.

More information:

• Complete incident report
• The accident docket, which contains statements from the pilots, the airport diagram, and other investigation related documents

 

Tagged: airprox, ATC, Gulfport, near-miss, nmac, NTSB ()

Lufthansa and NetJets on Monday will unveil an expansion of their Private Jet offering into North America.

20 JAN 2012

The Peshawar High Court in Pakistan rejected the inquiry report of the fatal Airblue Airbus A321 accident, judging it incomplete.

On December 20, 2011,  the inquiry report into the fatal Airblue Airbus A321 accident was submitted to the Peshawar High Court in Pakistan. The investigators concluded that the crew had violated procedures during an attempted approach to land at Islamabad in inclement weather.

The Peshawar High Court on January 20  rejected the report, stating it was incomplete and inconclusive in several aspects that were mandatory for the inquiry.  The court issued orders to the Civil Aviation Authority to constitute a board to “revisit the findings from the starting point up to the crash, within three months.”

Additionally, the chief justice called for an inquiry on the performance of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) “regarding its crew, flying fleet, communication system, lights, landing, taking off and fitness certificates”.  He added that experts should also check the capabilities of the captains and crew members and submit its report to the court within 90 days.

Source: The News International, The Express Tribune, Dawn

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20 JAN 2012

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) issued an Airworthiness Directive (AD), ordering inspection of certain Airbus A380 aircraft for the possible presence of cracks in the wing rib feet.

The AD states:

Following an unscheduled internal inspection of an A380 wing, some rib feet have been found with cracks originating from the rib to skin panel attachment holes (Type 1 cracks according to Airbus All Operator Telex (AOT) terminology).

Further to this finding, inspections were carried out on a number of other aeroplanes where further cracks have been found. During one of those inspections, a new form of rib foot cracking originating from the forward and aft edges of the vertical web of the rib feet has been identified (Type 2 cracks according to Airbus AOT terminology). The new form of cracking is more significant than the original rib foot hole cracking. It has been determined that the Type 2 cracks may develop on other aeroplanes after a period of time in service.

This condition, if not detected and corrected, could potentially affect the structural integrity of the aeroplane.

For the reasons described above, this AD requires a Detailed Visual Inspection (DVI) of certain wing rib feet. This AD also requires reporting the inspection results to Airbus.

This AD is considered to be an interim action to immediately address this condition. As a result of the on-going investigation, further mandatory actions might be considered.

The cracks were discovered by Airbus engineers while performing repair work to a Qantas A380 that had suffered an uncontained engine failure near Singapore’s Changi Airport. Singapore Airlines also discovered some cracks in on the L-shaped feet of the wing ribs. The feet attach the rib, a vertical fixture, to the cover of the wing.

On January 9th a spokesman for the Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association demanded that all A380 aircraft should be grounded for inspections. Airbus reported that all planes were safe to fly and that the cracks did not pose a safety threat.

More information:

• A380 wing cracks ‘really is not a safety issue’: head engineer (Sydney Morning Herald, 6 Jan 2012)
• Singapore Air Checks A380s After Cracks Found (Bloomberg, 20 Jan 2012)
• EASA AD 2012-0013

Tagged: A380, AD, cracks ()

20 JAN 2012

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that Curaçao and Sint Maarten do not comply with international safety standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), based on an assessment of each country’s civil aviation authority.

As a result, the FAA has assigned both Curaçao and Sint Maarten an International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) Category 2 rating. With a Category 2 rating, Curaçao and Sint Maarten air carriers will not be allowed to establish new service to the United States, but can continue existing service. Both countries were previously part of the Netherlands Antilles, which had a Category 1 rating.

A Category 2 rating means a country either lacks laws or regulations necessary to oversee air carriers in accordance with minimum international standards, or that its civil aviation authority – equivalent to the FAA for aviation safety matters – is deficient in one or more areas, such as technical expertise, trained personnel, record keeping or inspection procedures.

As part of the FAA’s IASA program, the agency assesses the civil aviation authorities of all countries with air carriers that operate or have applied to fly to the United States and makes that information available to the public. The assessments determine whether or not foreign civil aviation authorities are meeting ICAO safety standards, not FAA regulations.

Countries with air carriers that fly to the United States must adhere to the safety standards of ICAO, the United Nations’ technical agency for aviation that establishes international standards and recommended practices for aircraft operations and maintenance.

More information:

• www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/iasa/

Tagged: Cat 2, Curacao, FAA, IASA, oversight, Sint Maarten ()

A new airline, Eaglexpress Air Charter, is planning to start Boeing 747-400 operations in Malaysia.

Bolstered by record orders, ATR plans to step up production quickly to keep pace with demand.

Airbus closed out its 2011 record year with $588 billion orders in its backlog.

Airbus may boost A330 output to a rate of 11 a month even as it delays ramping up A320 production.

17 JAN 2012

Flight ET409 flight profile

The Lebanese Ministry of Public Works & Transport released their investigation progress report regarding the January 2010 fatal accident involving a Ethiopian Flight 409 off the coast of Beirut.

On January 25, 2010 a Boeing 737-8AS (WL) passenger jet, registered ET-ANB, was destroyed in an accident 6 km southwest off Beirut International Airport (BEY), Lebanon. All 82 passengers and eight crew members were killed. The airplane operated on Ethiopian Airlines flight ET409 from Beirut International Airport (BEY) to Addis Ababa-Bole Airport (ADD).

The flight departed at night on an instrument flight plan. Low clouds, isolated cumulonimbus (CB) and thunderstorms were reported in the area. After take-off ATC (Tower) instructed ET 409 to turn right on a heading of 315°. ET 409 acknowledged and heading 315° was selected on the Mode Control Panel (MCP). As the aircraft was on a right turn, Control suggested to ET 409 to follow heading 270° “due to weather”. However, ET 409 continued right turn beyond the selected heading of 315° and Control immediately instructed them to “turn left now heading 270°”. ET 409 acknowledged, the crew selected 270° on the MCP and initiated a left turn.
ET 409 continued the left turn beyond the instructed/selected heading of 270° despite several calls from ATC to turn right heading 270° and acknowledgment from the crew. ET 409 reached a southerly track before sharply turning left until it disappeared from the radar screen and crashed into the sea about five minutes after the initiation of the take-off roll. The flight recorder data revealed that ET 409 encountered during flight two stick shakers for a period of 27 and 26 seconds. They also recorded 11 “Bank Angle” aural warnings at different times during the flight and an over-speed clacker towards the end of the flight. The maximum recorded AOA was 32°, maximum recorded bank angle was 118° left, maximum recorded speed was 407.5 knots, maximum recorded G load was 4.76 and maximum recorded nose down pitch value 63.1°.

Probable causes:

1. The flight crew’s mismanagement of the aircraft’s speed, altitude, headings and attitude through inconsistent flight control inputs resulting in a loss of control.
2. The flight crew failure to abide by CRM principles of mutual support and calling deviations hindered any timely intervention and correction.

Contributing factors:

1.  The manipulation of the flight controls by the flight crew in an ineffective manner resulted in the aircraft undesired behavior and increased the level of stress of the pilots.
2.  The aircraft being out of trim for most of the flight directly increased the workload on the pilot and made his control of the aircraft more demanding.
3.  The prevailing weather conditions at night most probably resulted in spatial disorientation to the flight crew and lead to loss of situational awareness.
4.  The relative inexperience of the Flight Crew on type combined with their unfamiliarity with the airport contributed, most likely, to increase the Flight Crew workload and stress.
5.  The consecutive flying (188 hours in 51 days) on a new type with the absolute minimum rest could have likely resulted in a chronic fatigue affecting the captain’s performance.
6.  The heavy meal discussed by the crew prior to take-off has affected their quality of sleep prior to that flight.
7.  The aircraft 11 bank angle aural warnings, 2 stalls and final spiral dive contributed in the increase of the crew workload and stress level.
8.  Symptoms similar to those of a subtle incapacitation have been identified and could have resulted from and/or explain most of the causes mentioned above. However, there is no factual evidence to confirm without any doubt such a cause.
9.  The F/O reluctance to intervene did not help in confirming a case of captain’s subtle incapacitation and/or to take over control of the aircraft as stipulated in the operator’s SOP.

More information:

• Investigation Report Ethiopian 409 Accident – Boeing 737-800 25th January 2010 Beirut – Lebanon
• ASN Accident Description

Tagged: Boeing 737, ET409, Ethiopian, Lebanon, loss of control ()