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Flight Safety Information (19SEP07-265)

Thursday, 20 September 2007

Flight Safety Information (19SEP07-265)

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*Flight alert as jet's wheels stick in mud

*Pilots warned after runway approach error

*PAL backs IATA call for safety audit

*Wind shear alert was down

*Airline begins compensation payments

*Airline to Test Wi-Fi for Passengers

*China to remain world's largest jet engine buyer

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Flight alert as jet's wheels stick in mud

A DUBAI-bound flight with more than 200 people on board was cancelled yesterday when the aircraft got stuck in mud as it taxied for take-off.

Emirates flight EK26 was heading towards the runway at Glasgow Airport when it edged about two metres on to grass while turning a corner.

The aircraft suddenly stopped and pilots radioed that the wheels were stuck in the muddy grass.

All 237 passengers had to be taken off the Boeing 777 to allow workers to examine the undercarriage and pull the aircraft back on the tarmac.

Emirates has launched an investigation.

http://news.scotsman.com/glasgow.cfm?id=1497612007

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Pilots warned after runway approach error

Pilots flying into Dublin Airport have been warned about the risk of mistaking rooftop lights for an approach to a runway.

The warning came after an incident last month in which a flight from Lisbon on approach to the airport's alternative runway just before midnight began to deviate course and continued to descend without proper visual identification.

On instruction from Air Traffic Control, the plane ascended and later landed without further incident.

AdvertisementThe Air Accident Investigation Unit found that flight FLT344E had mistaken the roof lighting of a 16-storey building at Santry Cross for the red and white lights of a runway approach system.

The warning to pilots was part of interim safety recommendations from the AAIU (read the report here) to the Irish Aviation Authority on the incident, which is still being investigated.

The investigators also asked the IAA to review the suitability of what it called 'obstacle lighting' on the 52-metre high building.

Speaking on RT? Radio's Morning Ireland, aviation journalist Gerry Byrne said the tone of the AAIU's report demonstrated the potential danger of what was called a 'serious incident'.

'They normally use very measured language in these reports and the use of the word serious implies that a disaster could have happened if this had not been corrected,' Mr Byrne said.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0919/air.html

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PAL backs IATA call for safety audit

MANILA -- Philippine Airlines has thrown its support behind the International Air Transport Association (IATA)’s campaign to make safety a cornerstone of air travel, particularly in the wake of last Sunday’s fatal crash landing of a Thai budget carrier in Phuket.

“As a pioneer member of IATA, having joined the organization in 1946, and the only Philippine carrier to pass the IATA Operational Safety Audit, PAL upholds the principle that safety is the bedrock of airline operations,” said PAL president Jaime J. Bautista.

“All airlines, especially so-called low-cost or budget carriers, should submit themselves to the IATA safety audit. The safety of passengers and crew must never be compromised.”

Bautista backed the call of IATA director general and CEO Giovanni Bisignani for airlines and governments to constantly raise the bar on safety.

IATA, which counts over 240 of the world’s leading airlines as members, is the global trade organization for the air transport industry. It was founded in April 1945 and is the prime vehicle for inter-airline cooperation in promoting safe, reliable, secure and economical air services.

“Every accident reminds us that we must do better. We have had many reminders recently and it will take all of our efforts to keep the accident rate down,” Bisignani said in a major policy speech in Montreal over the weekend.

The Phuket tragedy, where an MD-83 jet operated by Thai low-cost airline One-Two-Go skidded off the runway and burst into flames, killing 89 people, brought to the fore the poor safety record of Asia’s fast-growing budget airline sector.

Aviation experts warn that as air fares drop and more people travel, safety is often overlooked by low-cost carriers.

In an interview with the Associated Press, Tom Ballantyne, chief correspondent of Orient Aviation magazine, said travelers must be more discriminating in choosing carriers by scrutinizing their safety standards and not just go for the cheapest fare.

“Look for accidents or safety issues. Look at the sort of planes the airline is operating. Are they new or old? What is the background of the airline?”

IATA itself has called on all industry players, including budget carriers, to undergo the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA), which is the internationally accepted benchmark for safety management in airlines.

“Our common target is zero accidents. Transparent global standards are the only way to get there,” said Bisignani.

Alone among Philippine carriers, PAL hurdled the IOSA tests in 2006 and received its certification in February 2007. The national flag carrier is now among 160 airlines worldwide listed on the IOSA registry.

“We congratulate Philippine Airlines for achieving this global standard,” said then IATA vice president for Asia-Pacific Andrew Drysdale during the certification ceremony.

http://business.inquirer.net/money/breakingnews/view_article.php?article_id= 89514

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Wind shear alert was down

Officials say system not crucial for landing

Phuket airport officials attend a merit-making ceremony near the runway yesterday. Behind them is the covered wreckage of the ill-fated One-Two-Go airliner, which has been moved from the actual accident site further up the runway.

Systems to detect dangerous winds at Phuket international airport have emerged as a new factor possibly linked to the horrendous crash of the One-Two-Go flight on Sunday.

Wuttichai Singmanee, director of air safety at the Civil Aviation Department, said three of the six wind shear alert systems at the airport had problems.

''Three out of six low-level wind shear alert systems were not working at the time,'' Mr Wuttichai said in a report by the AP.

An official at Phuket airport who declined to be named told the Bangkok Post that the system run by the Meteorological Department had not functioned for months.

The systems detect sudden strong winds, also known as wind shear, which could cause trouble for a plane landing at the airport.

Officials responsible for the system would normally alert air traffic controllers to warn pilots about the situation on the ground.

These systems are installed at all international airports in Thailand. They are located in areas around the airport.

With investigators still trying to determine the cause of the tragedy, it was unclear yesterday whether the accident, which left 89 people dead and 41 injured, was due to pilot error or weather conditions.

But Mr Wuttichai said even though the wind shear detection system was not fully functional, this would not necessarily lead to an accident.

The airport at Phuket was also equipped with its own, separate wind detecting system and could inform incoming and outgoing planes of the situation, the official said.

''The wind shear alert system is not a requirement for an international aviation standard,'' he said.

A pilot of Thai Airways International (THAI), who asked not to be named, agreed with Mr Wuttichai, saying the wind shear detection system was not crucial for landing or take-off.

Most passenger aircraft nowadays were equipped with their own wind detection equipment, which the pilot could refer to, he said.

Transport permanent secretary Chaisawat Kittipornpaiboon, who is heading the inquiry into the disaster, said wind shear had not been ruled out and it had been the cause of several major airline accidents.

Transport and aviation authorities yesterday appealed to the public not to point the finger at Arief Mulyadi, the chief pilot on the fatal flight.

Chaisak Ungsuwan, director-general of the Civil Aviation Department, said no judgement should be passed before the information on the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder had been analysed.

The recorders, which were retrieved from the wreckage of the plane, were being sent to the United States for analysis, he said. The McDonnell Douglas MD-82 was made in the US.

''I do not want to see any blame heaped on the pilot or any other party involved because it is not fair. We should wait for the results of the examination of the data recorders,'' said Mr Chaisak.

Khajit Hapnanont, chief executive officer of One-Two-Go Airlines, echoed the appeal. He insisted the airline's safety was not lax and that Mr Mulyadi was one of the company's best.

Mr Chaisak, quoting a recorded conversation between the pilot and the flight tower, said flight OG 269 requested landing permission and inquired about weather and wind speed about four minutes after an aircraft owned by Orient Thai Airlines, which owns One-Two-Go, landed safely.

He said flight OG 269 also acknowledged that wind shear had been reported by the other plane before asking for landing approval.

Khanit Promsathit, a THAI pilot, said Phuket airport is a difficult place to land especially at night or in bad weather.

Two critically injured passengers were yesterday flown to a hospital in Bangkok for intensive burn treatment.

Phuket public health office chief Wanchai Sattayawuthiwong said Chainarong Maharae, 38, chief of Bang Muang tambon administration organisation in Phangnga and Ms Bethan Jones, 22, a Briton, sustained 40-60% burns and were transferred to a Bangkok hospital.

Pol Col Pornprasert Kanjanarin, deputy chief of the Foreign Affairs Division, said 36 bodies of Thai victims had been claimed by relatives.

Forensic officials had identified 20 out of the 53 foreigners killed.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/19Sep2007_news01.php

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Airline begins compensation payments

Phuket – One-Two-Go, operator of the airliner which crashed in bad weather Sunday, has paid the first compensation to relatives of those who died in the air crash at Phuket International Airport.

Phuket deputy governor Vorapot Rajsima met with One-Two-Go airline executives Wednesday on compensating relatives of the dead.

The airline agreed to pay 100,000 baht to the family of each victim. More than 10 relatives of the dead victims received the money from the airlines, but they will later receive more -- about five million baht -- from the insurer.

Relatives of Kaninnart Martmuang, one of 89 passengers killed in the air crash, said the compensation payment was delayed. They said they received an initial sum of 20,000 baht in compensation.

Meanwhile, out of 89 bodies, 41 bodies including 36 Thai nationals and five foreigners were returned to their relatives.

All 32 bodies of Thai passengers and 26 bodies of other nationalities have been identified while the remaining 31 bodies of international passengers remain unidentified as forensic officials are waiting for evidence from their relatives. (TNA)

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=121836

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Airline to Test Wi-Fi for Passengers

SEATTLE (AP) — Alaska Airlines said Tuesday it will be the first U.S. carrier to test a satellite-based in-flight wireless Internet service next year and may equip its entire fleet.

There have been several moves across the industry to offer passengers Internet access while they're traveling.

Seattle-based Alaska plans to install Westlake Village, Calif.-based Row 44 Inc.'s broadband service on one Boeing 737 jet next spring.

Row 44's system is designed to work over water and across international borders. Alaska Airlines said the service is intended to work on all its routes, which include flights within the lower 48 states and to Alaska, Hawaii, Canada and Mexico.

If it works, Alaska may add the service to all 114 of its aircraft.

Customers with Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as laptops or smart phones, will connect to the system through wireless hotspots in the aircraft cabin. A dome-shaped device mounted on top of the plane will house the antenna that receives and transmits satellite signals.

Alaska Airlines, the nation's ninth-largest carrier, is researching various pricing options, spokeswoman Amanda Tobin Bielawski said.

AMR Corp.'s American Airlines announced last month that it would test a high-speed air-to-ground Internet service on some of its Boeing 767 jets. For that system, AirCell LLC said it would build cellular towers throughout the continental United States to transmit the broadband signals.

AirCell said American will charge a fee, and that details on pricing would not be announced until the service is ready to roll out.

About a year ago, Boeing Co. pulled the plug on a planned in-flight Internet service after it failed to sign on enough airlines. Called Connexion by Boeing, it offered high-speed in-flight Internet hookups via satellite that cost $10 for the first hour and $27 for 24 hours.

First announced in April 2000, Connexion suffered a major setback with potential U.S. airlines after the 2001 terrorist attacks triggered an industrywide downturn.

Boeing had deals with major international carriers such as Germany's Lufthansa AG, Japan Airlines Corp., Korean Air Co., and Singapore Airlines, but large U.S. carriers were reluctant to invest in the service.

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China to remain world's largest jet engine buyer

China will still be the largest aircraft and engine buyer in the world two decades from now, according to a market outlook report released by Rolls-Royce today.

The British jet engine supplier released the latest Rolls-Royce Market Outlook at the press conference at the Beijing International Aviation Expo being held from September 19 to 22.

With the average annual growth of passenger traffic expected to reach 8.8 percent or higher, Chinese airlines will need more than 3,100 new airplanes in the next 20 years, according to the report. It will create a large demand of 6,600 engines, worth more than US$65 billion.

Rolls-Royce also said the Asia-Pacific market is expected to need 26,000 new engines in the next 20 years, of which 46 percent will be high-thrust engines that power twin-aisle wide body aircraft.

Asia is the key market for new aircraft in the 400-plus seat category, with aircraft of this size expected to account for 55 percent of deliveries in the region, it said.

The company added that global demand over the next two decades will require 60,000 new civil aircraft, providing a market opportunity for 132,000 engines, totaling 700 billion pounds.

These engines will create an additional after service business of around US$550 billion over their in-service life.

Rolls Royce also said it is ready to launch its newest Trent engines on the Airbus A350 XWB, the Boeing 787 and Airbus A380.

The Trent 1000 engine, having been prepared for use on the Boeing 787 "Dreamliner" later this year, will also power Air China's 15 Boeing 787 and is due to enter service on that plane model next year.

China Southern Airlines, the only mainland customer for the A380, has also chosen the Trent 900 engine, Rolls Royce said.

Currently 10 Chinese airlines operate jets powered by Rolls Royce's engines. Cathay Pacific Airways received the 100th planes powered by the Trent engine in Greater China last year.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2007-09/19/content_6119345.htm

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