News
03 MAR - Study shows cell phone air safety risk 07 MAR - South Korea concerned over low cost airlines
07 MAR - Frontier protests FAA fuel-tank plan
08 MAR - UK concerns over El Al anti-missile system
10 MAR - Near misses in India up by 33%
14 MAR - Japanese transport ministry to tighten checks on Skymark
14 MAR - Indonesia to expand air safety audits
16 MAR - EU aviation blacklist agreed by Committee of national experts
20 MAR - France prosecutes six over 1992 Air Inter A.320 accident
21 MAR - Japanese court clears air controllers in near miss
22 MAR - ICAO will release country safety assessments in two years
22 MAR - European Commission adopts blacklist of 92 airlines
22 MAR - Alaska Airlines completes fleet-wide inspection of pressurization problems
22 MAR - Transport Canada fines International Express Aircharter and cancels AOC
23 MAR - Investigation: inadequate information leads to 737 sliding off slippery apron
23 MAR - JAL plane flew 41 flights without mandatory examination
24 MAR - Phuket Air working to meet EU safety standards
24 MAR - NTSB urges inspections of certain Airbus A.300 rudders
25 MAR - Egypt, French investigators disagree over Flash Airlines 2004 air crash cause
27 MAR - TSB issues safety recommendations to improve rudder inspections on Airbus aircra
27 MAR - SA Airlink to fight EU safety blacklisting of partner airline Swaziland Airlink
28 MAR - Skymark ignored Boeing`s safety instruction on five planes
30 MAR - NTSB issues urgent recommendations following CRJ onboard fires
03 MAR 2006 Study shows cell phone air safety risk [to table of contents]
A new study by the Carnegie Mellon University shows that interference caused by mobile phones and other portable electronic devices such as laptops or games consoles can interfere with critical aircraft electronics. The Carnegie study, carried out with support from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, also reveals that many passengers are flouting current in-flight cell phone bans (CNN)
Three low-cost airlines have come under criticism from the South Korean Ministry of Construction and Transportation for their frequent delays and substandard safety measures. The airlines are Thai Sky Airlines, Orient Thai Airlines and Royal Khmer Airlines. The government inspection detected 18 items which violated or did not satisfy aviation standards. In the case of Thai Sky, some pilots` working hours exceeded the 110 hours monthly limit, and planes were not provided with repair checkup manuals. Engineers in Korea who help with the airline`s aircraft checks were found not to have licenses issued by the Thai government. Orient Thai also did not update safety and operational regulation manuals. Safety equipment on planes, such as fire extinguishers and oxygen tanks was not functioning correctly. For Royal Khmer, nine lights indicating emergency exits on planes were inoperative, and flights did not carry updated guidebooks for air routes including information about Inchon International Airport. The planes also loaded engine oil together with passengers` baggage without proper safety measures. (The Korea Times) 07 MAR 2006 Frontier protests FAA fuel-tank plan [to table of contents]
Frontier Airlines has raised objections to requirements proposed by the FAA intended to reduce the potential for fuel-tank explosions. Frontier asked the FAA to exclude Airbus planes from the proposal since none of the previous accidents involved Airbus planes. It also argues that the FAA has not taken into account Airbus safety features such as a ventilation and cooling barrier incorporated between certain parts of the fuel tanks. It would cost the airline $11 million just to meet the regulations and would incur more costs going forward. (Rocky Mountain News) 08 MAR 2006 UK concerns over El Al anti-missile system [to table of contents]
U.K. trade union officials are pressing aviation authorities to reveal the exact potential safety issues that El Al`s “dark flare” anti-missile technology poses to its 30,000 members working at London-Heathrow (LHR). The Elta Flight Guard missile defence system has been installed on one Boeing 767 at the moment. The biggest fear is an accidental deployment on the ground or during the approach where it could endanger other aircraft. (Flight International) 10 MAR 2006 Near misses in India up by 33% [to table of contents]
During 2005, 21 air-miss or near-accident cases involving commercial aircraft were reported in India, an increase of almost 33 per cent over the previous year. In two cases there was an actual risk of collision. In the wake of the rise in the number of aircraft, the transport ministry has started imposing a ban on general aviation aircraft during the peak periods at Delhi and Mumbai airports. (Hindustan Times) 14 MAR 2006 Japanese transport ministry to tighten checks on Skymark [to table of contents]
The Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport will tighten its checks of Skymark Airlines. The airline had operated a Boeing 767-300 (JA767E) for about nine months past its repairs deadline. A dent 6 centimeters long, 1.5 cm wide and 1 millimeter deep under a front door on the right side of the plane was found during maintenance at a Taiwan airport in June 2004 when it was being operated by a Brunei airline. A Taiwanese maintenance company put a plate over the dent to repair it under the instructions of Boeing, which said more repairs needed to be done in a year. The 767 was bought by Skymark, and operated apparently without being aware of the deadline. In a statement, Skymark acknowledged there was such a document but blamed the failure to meet the repair deadline on insufficient liaison between it and the Taiwan maintenance firm. (Kyodo) 14 MAR 2006 Indonesia to expand air safety audits [to table of contents]
The Indonesian Ministry of Transportation will augment its regular safety audits with additional onboard inspections, as well as management audits. The onboard checks will apply to flights from all airports and airfields in the country, and be conducted on each carrier proportionally in accordance with the number of flights operated. n addition to specific technical checks, the ministry would also continue to audit airline managements, especially as regards safety-related issues. (The Jakarta Post,) 16 MAR 2006 EU aviation blacklist agreed by Committee of national experts [to table of contents]
The Aviation Safety Committee, responsible for helping the European Commission to draw up the list of airlines banned in the European Union, completed its work. The Committee`s unanimous opinion is the result of a detailed assessment of the national safety measures notified by the Member States and the information provided by the airlines and the civil aviation authorities concerned. On the basis of this, the Commission will adopt a Regulation on the European blacklist within the next week. (EU press release IP/06/318) 20 MAR 2006 France prosecutes six over 1992 Air Inter A.320 accident [to table of contents]
Six French aviation officials will go on trial in May over the fatal crash 14 years ago of an Air Inter Airbus A320 on approach to Strasbourg airport. Officials from the airline, the Airbus and French civil aviation authority DGAC, as well as the military air traffic controller on duty, have been indicted under the charge of involuntarily causing death and injuries. (Flight International)
article
21 MAR 2006 Japanese court clears air controllers in near miss [to table of contents] Two air traffic controllers were cleared of charges of professional negligence resulting in injury in connection with the 2001 near collision of two Japan Airlines planes over Yaizu, in which 57 passengers and crew were hurt. In handing down the ruling, the presiding Judge said that the errant instructions issued by the two air traffic controllers after they mixed up the flights were not the direct cause of the accident. (The Yomiuri Shimbun) 22 MAR 2006 ICAO will release country safety assessments in two years [to table of contents]
The ICAO has overcome opposition from most African and South American countries to win approval of a plan to open the organization's safety assessment records to the public. ICAO`s top official Kotaite offered up to two years to get national aviation safety records in order and allow the organization`s safety assessment to be made public. (International Herald Tribune) 22 MAR 2006 European Commission adopts blacklist of 92 airlines [to table of contents]
The European Commission has adopted the first EU list of airlines which are banned in the European Union. The black list has been compiled on the basis of national contributions and after an in-depth analysis with Member State experts. The list consists of 92 companies which face a complete ban and 3 companies which face operational restrictions. From now on the principle will apply that companies banned in one Member State are banned in the whole EU. (EU)
press release
22 MAR 2006 Alaska Airlines completes fleet-wide inspection of pressurization problems [to table of contents] A fleet-wide inspection of aircraft pressurization systems aboard Alaska Airlines jets has uncovered a few minor problems, but no systemic issues. The airline began inspecting all of its 112 jetliners Feb. 22 after a series of cabin pressurization failures caused several flights to make unscheduled returns to the airports where the flights began. The airline found an air leak around one plane`s entry door and a pressurization valve on another aircraft that was malfunctioning. (The News Tribune) 22 MAR 2006 Transport Canada fines International Express Aircharter and cancels AOC [to table of contents]
Transport Canada announced International Express Aircharter Ltd. was fined $125,000 for failing to maintain their aircraft properly, and their air operator certificate was cancelled. Without an air operator certificate, a company cannot provide commercial air services in Canada. International Express Aircharter Ltd. also does business as Regency Express Flight Operations and Sonicblue Airways. International Express Aircharter Ltd. was charged with failing to maintain five aircraft in accordance with the company`s air operator’s maintenance control system. In one case, a maintenance inspection was overdue by more than 270 hours. (Transport Canada)
press release
23 MAR 2006 Investigation: inadequate information leads to 737 sliding off slippery apron [to table of contents] The Dutch Safety Board completed its investigation into the accident involving an easyJet Boeing 737 that slid off the apron at Amsterdam-Schiphol (AMS) in December 2003. The fact that the flight crew did not follow up the instructions from air traffic control and decided to follow another taxiway route led to the pilot flying not being able to keep the aircraft under control, due to the slipperiness on that other route. The decision to take another route can be explained, among others, by the common, though incorrect, practice to let flight crews choose which taxiway they use in connection with the illumination of the taxiway lighting of both parallel taxiways and the lighting of the aprons. The crew had not been informed and could not be aware of the nature and degree of slipperiness on the scene. The information of the ATIS was not correct, both in terms of phraseology and in terms of the actual situation. (Dutch Safety Board)
DSB Investigation number 2003133
23 MAR 2006 JAL plane flew 41 flights without mandatory examination [to table of contents] The Japanese transport ministry ordered Japan Airlines to ground for further inspection an MD-87 that flew for 10 days (41 flights) without required checks on the main landing gear. JAL cited a lapse of communications between its mechanics and the department in charge of scheduling servicing aircraft. (Kyodo) 24 MAR 2006 Phuket Air working to meet EU safety standards [to table of contents]
Phuket Air from Thailand is revamping its maintenance system and hired specialists from Air France to help with the process. It is also working with the Thai Aviation Department to improve the maintenance system, in order to meet EU requirements and hoping to be taken from the recently published EU blacklist. (TNA) 24 MAR 2006 NTSB urges inspections of certain Airbus A.300 rudders [to table of contents]
The NTSB urged the FAA to order inspections of the inner skin of the composite rudder surfaces of certain Airbus A-300 series airplanes. The safety recommendations (one of which is classified as urgent) address a safety issue identified during the investigation of damage found during an inspection of a rudder from a Federal Express A.300-600 airplane. The Board noted that this incident might have applicability to a more serious rudder separation that occurred last year when an Air Transat A.310 suffered an almost complete rudder separation. (NTSB)
Safety Recommendation A-06-27 and -28
25 MAR 2006 Egypt, French investigators disagree over Flash Airlines 2004 air crash cause [to table of contents] Egypt and France gave differing explanations for the 2004 airplane crash of a Flash Airlines Boeing 737 near Sharm-el-Sheikh that killed 148 people. Egypt concluded in its final report that technical failure of the autopilot, which then led to pilot \"disorientation,\" caused the crash. The chief French investigator said the plane remained pilotable at all times, and that they considered that pilot spatial disorientation led the plane to go right instead of left. (AFP)
accident report
27 MAR 2006 TSB issues safety recommendations to improve rudder inspections on Airbus aircra [to table of contents] The TSB of Canada released two Aviation Safety Recommendations following the incident in which an Airbus A310-300 lost its rudder after leaving Varadero, Cuba in March 2005. As part of the ongoing investigation, information from post-occurrence fleet inspections suggests that the current inspection program for Airbus composite rudders might not ensure the timely detection of defects. Moreover, the recent discovery that delamination could grow undetected and the increasing age of the composite rudders suggest that increased attention is warranted. The TSB is therefore recommending that the Department of Transport and the European Aviation Safety Agency, in coordination with other involved regulatory authorities and industry, urgently develop and implement an inspection program that will allow early and consistent detection of damage to the rudder assembly of aircraft equipped with this type of rudder. (TSB)
Communiqué
27 MAR 2006 SA Airlink to fight EU safety blacklisting of partner airline Swaziland Airlink [to table of contents] SA Airlink, a franchise of South African Airways, is to appeal against a European Union (EU) decision to blacklist its partner airline Swaziland Airlink, arguing that it falls under SA's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), which it says is well-respected overseas. Swaziland Airlink is managed by SA Airlink, and uses only South African-registered aircraft and South African-licensed pilots. (Business Day) 28 MAR 2006 Skymark ignored Boeing`s safety instruction on five planes [to table of contents]
Skymark Airlines operated five Boeing 767s for four months without conducting an equipment check within 90 days as required by Boeing. Skymark needed to check a heater surrounding the model`s water duct within 90 days, but the airline failed to instruct maintenance workers to do the work. The inspection was done in July 2005, four months after the deadline. The Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport found the irregularity when it inspected the carrier after it was revealed earlier this month that it had operated a Boeing 767-300 without conducting a required check. (Kyodo, UPI) 30 MAR 2006 NTSB issues urgent recommendations following CRJ onboard fires [to table of contents]
A series of fires aboard Bombardier CRJ-200 aircraft has prompted the NTSB to issue seven recommendations to the FAA. Four of the recommendations are classified Urgent. The recommendations follow seven fires aboard CRJ-200 aircraft,six of them within the last 6 months. Although none of them has resulted in loss of life, the potential exists for an uncontained fire to compromise the oxygen line, which could develop into an even more critical situation. (NTSB)
Safety Recommendation A-06-29 through -35
