News
01 SEP - U.S. runway incursions continue decline in 2003 01 SEP - NTSB wants quick replacement of B777 cargo hold light bulbs
03 SEP - 1999 Girona Boeing 757 crash report released
06 SEP - South Korean near-misses on the decline
08 SEP - Suitcase falls from aircraft at 12000 feet
10 SEP - Innocent pleas entered for controllers near miss case
17 SEP - MD-80 returns to O`Hare after birdstrike
18 SEP - Icing caused New Zealand Convair 580 crash in 2003
20 SEP - South Korean bird strikes on the rise
24 SEP - Six VASP Boeing 737-200s grounded
24 SEP - Fatigue cracks caused 2002 Boeing 767 uncontained engine failure
24 SEP - Concerns over airline flights in U.K. uncontrolled airspace
29 SEP - Pilots attacked on Norwegian plane
01 SEP 2004 U.S. runway incursions continue decline in 2003 [to table of contents]
U.S. runway incursions dropped 20 percent over a four-year period, according to an FAA report. Airports recorded 324 incursions last year, of which just 32 were characterized as high risk. Those serious incidents have dropped 50 percent since 2000. For the second consecutive year, none of the most serious incursions involved two large commercial jets. (FAA)
FAA Runway Safety Report
The NTSB urges quick replacement of light bulbs in the cargo holds of Boeing 777 planes after an Emirates Airlines flight experienced a fire warning Sept. 28, 2003. The heat of a halogen light bulb was found to have ignited a bag when the flight from Dubai to Singapore diverted to Chennai, India, after discharging a fire extinguishing agent into the cargo hold. (NTSB)
Safety Recommendations A-04-53 and -54
03 SEP 2004 1999 Girona Boeing 757 crash report released [to table of contents] The Spanish accident board CIAIAC released the report of their investigation into the 1999 accident of a Britannia Boeing 757 at Girona., The airplane landed heavy in torrential rain immediately after all runway lights had suddenly failed. The displacement of the nose landing gear support structure caused disruption to aircraft systems that led to uncommanded forward thrust increase, causing the plane to skid off the runway. (CIAIAC)
Technical Report A-054/1999
06 SEP 2004 South Korean near-misses on the decline [to table of contents] South Korean near-miss figures from the Construction and Transportation Ministry show a decline in the number of Air Collision Avoidance Systems (ACAS) warnings from 65 in 2001, to 46 in 2002, to 26 in 2003, and six in the first half of this year. In 73 percent of all cases since 2000 a military plane was involved. (Chosun Ilbo, Korea Times) 08 SEP 2004 Suitcase falls from aircraft at 12000 feet [to table of contents]
The U.K CAA has launched an investigation after a suitcase fell from the baggage pod of an Aberdeen-bound BAe Jetstream plane as it was flying at 12,000ft over the North Sea. The incident happened on 18 August as the Eastern Airways Jetstream 32 aircraft was on its way from Leeds Bradford airport with five passengers and three crew on board. As the aircraft passed through turbulence the baggage pod door indication light came on. (Scotsman) 10 SEP 2004 Innocent pleas entered for controllers near miss case [to table of contents]
Japanese lawyers entered innocent pleas for two air-traffic controllers facing charges of professional negligence in connection with a near miss that injured dozens aboard two Japan Airlines planes in January 2001. Their lawyers have contended that the incident was the result of many factors and that it is unfair to hold the controllers solely responsible. According to the indictment, when a warning sounded indicating the two aircraft were approaching each other the trainee controller mistakenly called out the wrong flight numbers while giving instructions. His instructor failed to notice the mistake. (Asahi Shimbun)
ASN incident description
17 SEP 2004 MD-80 returns to O`Hare after birdstrike [to table of contents] American Airlines flight 1374 from Chicago to Philadelphia sustained an uncontained nr.1 engine failure after the engines ingested birds. The MD-80 (N253AA) returned to O`Hare Airport and landed safely. (AP, FAA) 18 SEP 2004 Icing caused New Zealand Convair 580 crash in 2003 [to table of contents]
The New Zealand Accident Investigation Commission concluded that the October 3, 2003 crash of a Convair 580 was caused by icing. The airplane, on a cargo flight to Palmerston North, descended through an area of severe icing. It stalled, broke up due to overstressing of the wing structure and crashed into the sea. (TAIC)
TAIC report 03-006
20 SEP 2004 South Korean bird strikes on the rise [to table of contents] The number of civil aircraft bird strike occurrences in South Korea has been increasing in recent years, a report by domestic airport companies said. The report said the number of bird strikes rose from 63 in 2001 to 73 in 2002 and to 75 last year. (Asia Pulse) 24 SEP 2004 Six VASP Boeing 737-200s grounded [to table of contents]
"The Brazilian Departamento de Aviação Civil grounded six of VASP's Boeing 737-200 airplanes because of poor maintenance." (Folha Online) 24 SEP 2004 Fatigue cracks caused 2002 Boeing 767 uncontained engine failure [to table of contents]
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has found that fatigue cracking in the blade slots of a high-pressure turbine disk led directly to the uncontained failure of the left General Electric CF6-80A engine of an Air New Zealand Boeing 767 aircraft that occurred near Brisbane on 8 December 2002. As a result of the investigation findings, the engine manufacturer has implemented changes to the disk manufacturing and repair processes and has revised the inspection requirements for the disks fitted to the affected engine model. (ATSB)
Occurrence report 200205780
24 SEP 2004 Concerns over airline flights in U.K. uncontrolled airspace [to table of contents] The UK Guild of Air Traffic Control Officers (GATCO) is concerned about the growing number of airlines that are either planning or have commenced flights from UK airports which previously, had few or no airline flights. These airports, like Manston, Coventry and Birmingham, lack the protection of `controlled airspace` in which all flights are known to air traffic controllers and so are under their positive control. GATCO perceives this to be an unacceptably heightened collision risk. (GATCO)
press release
29 SEP 2004 Pilots attacked on Norwegian plane [to table of contents] Both pilots and a passenger were seriously injured when a man attacked the pilots of a Norwegian airplane with an axe. Kato Air flight 605 (a Dornier 288, LN-BER) was on approach to Bodø airport. Several passengers tried to restrain the man as the pilots regained control of the airplane and emergency landed at Bodø. The assailant was an asylum seeker whose application for asylum had reportedly been rejected. (Aftenposten)
