News
01 MAY - Landing rights of Phuket Air suspended in the Netherlands over safety issues 01 MAY - Plane lands on closed runway at Tokyo-Haneda
01 MAY - Norwegian DHC-8 suffers gear collapse on landing in high winds
06 MAY - Safety at Wonderboom air show questioned
10 MAY - Afghanistan grounds Kam Air An-24`s
10 MAY - Fatal Air China 2002 crash probe released
12 MAY - Lack of communication causes risk of collision between Cessna and 737
12 MAY - Germans, Dutch ground Onur Air
14 MAY - China Airlines passes IATA flight safety audit
18 MAY - Crosswind landing techniques cited in 2003 Fedex MD-10 crash at Memphis
19 MAY - Airport movement restrictions in Fiji following ground incident
19 MAY - JAL provided maintenance service for other airlines without approval
21 MAY - Airplane`s wake vortex throws off roof tiles near Sydney Airport
24 MAY - Teterboro Airport could get foam arrestor beds could by 2007
24 MAY - Onur Air ban lifted by the Netherlands, France, Germany and Switzerland
24 MAY - In-flight emergency slide deployment on MD-90
25 MAY - Six agencies involved in NATO`s hiring of crashed Yak-42
28 MAY - Lawsuit: Boeing planes used defective parts
29 MAY - Congolese company of crashed Antonov near Entebbe did not have a licence
29 MAY - EU to consider harmonised air safety measures
30 MAY - U.S. testing missile defence system for airliners
30 MAY - JAL B747 grounded in Sydney for investigation after incident
31 MAY - IATA focuses on Africa with safety initiatives
01 MAY 2005 Landing rights of Phuket Air suspended in the Netherlands over safety issues [to table of contents]
The landing rights of Phuket Air have been suspended in the Netherlands. The decision has been taken as a result of inspections of the airline by the Dutch Transport and Water Management Inspectorate at Amsterdam-Schiphol Airport. An April 30 inspection found that a pilot of Flight 620 to Bangkok did not have a valid medical certificate. (ANP)
A Japan Airlines plane carrying 51 passengers landed on a runway that had been closed for repairs at Tokyo-Haneda Airport on April 29 because air traffic controllers forgot about the closure. JAL Flight 1158 from Obihiro landed at 21:40. Two minutes later, another JAL airplane from Sapporo was preparing to land on the same runway, but was redirected when air traffic controllers realized the runway was closed. The runway was closed three days a week between 21:30 and 07:00 for repair work to runway marker lights. There were no work vehicles on the runway when JAL Flight 1158 landed because the work was scheduled to start at 23:00. Both JAL captains had knew that the runway would be closed and queried the landing instructions four times, but air traffic control gave incorrect advice each time. (The Yomiuri Shimbun) 01 MAY 2005 Norwegian DHC-8 suffers gear collapse on landing in high winds [to table of contents]
A Wideroe flight from Tromsų suffered a right-hand main gear collapse on landing at Hammerfest, Norway. The DHC-8-100, with 27 passengers and a crew of three on board, came to a stop just 20 meters away from a jet fuel pumping station. The accident will usher in new limits on landings when winds are high. (Aftenposten) 06 MAY 2005 Safety at Wonderboom air show questioned [to table of contents]
Water pressure to support any fire-fighting capability in the event of a disaster during the recent international air show at Pretoria's Wonderboom airport (South Africa) was at least three times below international safety requirements, experts said. A Civil Aviation Authority senior inspector said water pressure at the airport was not even at 2,5 bar. (Sunday Times) 10 MAY 2005 Afghanistan grounds Kam Air An-24`s [to table of contents]
Afghan Transport Ministry officials have banned Kam Air from operating two Antonov 24 planes deployed on domestic routes because they were `very old`. (AP) 10 MAY 2005 Fatal Air China 2002 crash probe released [to table of contents]
The Korea Aviation-accident Investigation Board (KAIB) released the report of their probe into the April 2002 accident of an Air China B767 at Pusan. The crew lost situational awareness during the circling approach. Failure to execute a missed approach caused the plane to fly into a mountain. (KAIB)
Aircraft Accident Report KAIB/AAR F0201
12 MAY 2005 Lack of communication causes risk of collision between Cessna and 737 [to table of contents] The Canadian TSB released its final report on a risk of collision between a Cessna 182 and a WestJet Boeing 737 on the runway at Vancouver on March 3, 2003. The Cessna landed faster and further down the runway than normal, causing the pilot to miss the assigned exit and that the controller cleared the 737 for take off without ensuring that the runway was clear. This resulted in a risk of collision between the two aircraft. Transport Canada will amend the AIP to indicate that a pilot is expected to immediately advise ATC if they are not able to comply with an ATC instruction that they have received and acknowledged. (TSB)
press release A06/2005
12 MAY 2005 Germans, Dutch ground Onur Air [to table of contents] The German and Dutch authorities have banned Istanbul-based Onur Air for a month due to `serious safety deficiencies observed in respect of aircraft, operational procedures and aircraft handling`. The decision was made following an incident involving an Airbus A.300 on May 10 when the airplane developed problems with the thrust reversers at Antalya, Turkey. (IVW, Deutsche Welle) 14 MAY 2005 China Airlines passes IATA flight safety audit [to table of contents]
China Airlines has passed an IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA), and become an IOSA certified operator. The IOSA is a comprehensive review of eight disciplines fundamental to the safety of an airline. (China Airlines)
press release
18 MAY 2005 Crosswind landing techniques cited in 2003 Fedex MD-10 crash at Memphis [to table of contents] The NTSB determined the probable cause of the crash on landing of a FedEx MD-10 cargo aircraft in December 2003 was the first officer`s failure to properly apply crosswind landing techniques to align the airplane with the runway centerline and to properly arrest the airplanes descent rate before the airplane`s touchdown. Additionally, the captain`s failure to adequately monitor the first officer`s performance and command or initiate corrective action during the final approach and landing contributed to the accident. (NTSB)
press release
19 MAY 2005 Airport movement restrictions in Fiji following ground incident [to table of contents] An accident involving two aircraft on April 21 has prompted the Fiji CAA to only allow one aircraft to land at nominated airstrips if there is another plane on the ground. The move comes after a Sun Air Twin-Otter`s wing hit an Air Fiji aircraft parked on the tarmac at Savusavu Airport. The rule applies to Savusavu, Cicia, Moala, Gau, Vanuabalavu, Bureta, Koro and all private aerodromes. (Fiji Times) 19 MAY 2005 JAL provided maintenance service for other airlines without approval [to table of contents]
Japan Airlines Corp. conducted maintenance on 23 passenger planes owned by affiliated or foreign airlines between March 2001 and October 2002 without getting mandatory government approval. However, the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry said that a recent investigation has found that the methods JAL used in the maintenance were appropriate and that there were no problems in terms of the safety of those aircraft. (Japan Times, Yomiuri Shimbun) 21 MAY 2005 Airplane`s wake vortex throws off roof tiles near Sydney Airport [to table of contents]
A house under Sydney`s flight path lost two-thirds of its roof tiles when a plane flying overhead created a wake vortex. The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) is investigating the incident. A spokesman for Airservices Australia said conditions were right for a vortex. (ABC Online) 24 MAY 2005 Teterboro Airport could get foam arrestor beds could by 2007 [to table of contents]
Within the next two years foam arrestor beds could be installed at Teterboro Airport, site of an overrun accident in February that injured 20 people. Additionaly, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey will shift a road adjacent to the airport about 1,000 feet east of its current location. The authority is also ordering new fire trucks for the airport and will take over airport fire service this winter from a private contractor. (AP) 24 MAY 2005 Onur Air ban lifted by the Netherlands, France, Germany and Switzerland [to table of contents]
A ban on flights by Turkish airline Onur Air to the Netherlands, France, Germany and Switzerland was lifted, after the airline promised to meet their safety concerns on its flights. The four countries will carry out controls on aircraft operated by the carrier in the coming weeks and pool the information to ensure the plan had taken effect. (AFP) 24 MAY 2005 In-flight emergency slide deployment on MD-90 [to table of contents]
A Delta Air Lines MD-90 operating flight DL589 to New Orleans, carried out an emergency landing back at Salt Lake City because the 2L emergency slide had suddenly inflated inside the cabin. The airplane, N910DN, landed without incident. One flight attendant sustained a minor injury. (FAA) 25 MAY 2005 Six agencies involved in NATO`s hiring of crashed Yak-42 [to table of contents]
The Spanish minister of Defense reported that six different agencies were involved in the hiring of a UM Air Yakovlev 42 plane to transport Spanish peacekeeping forces back home from Afghanistan. He argued that this was a factor in the accident, additional to the preliminary conclusions drawn by the international accident investigation committee. Reportedly poor CRM, improper inflight planning and crew fatigue were responsible for the May 2003 accident near Trabzon, Turkey. (ABC.es) 28 MAY 2005 Lawsuit: Boeing planes used defective parts [to table of contents]
Three members of a Boeing Wichita internal investigative team are suing the Boeing on behalf of the U.S. government, claiming dozens of aircraft with subassemblies manufactured in Wichita contained defective parts. They also contend that the company knew about these bogus parts and continued to buy them. The parts ended up on Boeing planes sold to the U.S. Navy and Air Force and military forces of a.o. Japan, Italy, Turkey and Australia. (Seattle Times) 29 MAY 2005 Congolese company of crashed Antonov near Entebbe did not have a licence [to table of contents]
The Ugandan investigation commitee released a report regarding the January accident of an Antonov 12 near Entebbe. The owner, Service Air, neither did not have an AOC, nor did they meet the minimum requirements for such operations. For instance, the company had no record of maintenance and no quality controls. There was no records on licensing and training of the crew members or the insurance for the operations. The airplane was found to have crashed due to engine failure and the plane being loaded outside the weight and balance safety envelope. (New Vision) 29 MAY 2005 EU to consider harmonised air safety measures [to table of contents]
The European Union said that it would propose an emergency coordination procedure for airline safety so that European governments would not take unilateral action against airlines. The proposal came after the Netherlands imposed a ban on the Onur Air because of safety concerns, prompting similar bans at Swiss, French and German airports. The European Commission also wants EU members to give it the power to impose flight suspensions and bans throughout the Union. The member states have rejected such a move in the past. (International Herald Tribune) 30 MAY 2005 U.S. testing missile defence system for airliners [to table of contents]
An American Airlines Boeing 767 and two jets owned by Northwest Airlines and FedEx will be tested with infrared laser-based systems designed to find and disable shoulder-fired missiles. The tests are being financed by the Department of Homeland Security and are conducted in the light of several attempts to bring down civilian planes using so called Man-Portable Air Defense Systems (MANPADS) such as Stingers and SA-7`s. (The Seattle Times) 30 MAY 2005 JAL B747 grounded in Sydney for investigation after incident [to table of contents]
Australian aviation authorities grounded a Japan Airlines Boeing 747-346SR at Sydney Airport after one of the two main wheel rods broke shortly before its was due to take off. The airplane, JA8184, was scheduled to depart to Osaka-Kansai as flight JL778. JAL plans to send 15 maintenance officials to Sydney to join the Australian investigation. (JAL, Kyodo) 31 MAY 2005 IATA focuses on Africa with safety initiatives [to table of contents]
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced two major initiatives on safety with specific reference to Africa. IATA is investing USD 2 million in the IATA Partnership for Safety (IPFS), which will promote the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) standards among airlines and governments with training and analysis. (IATA)
press release
