News
04 JUN - African countries risk losing millions in aid over poor air safety 04 JUN - Arrow Air DC-10 runway overrun at Managua
06 JUN - IATA requires safety audit for all member airlines
07 JUN - Boeing 747 runway overrun at Medellin
08 JUN - CAA inquiry into falsified maintenance claims
09 JUN - Alaska and ground contractor have improved safety since Dec. 26 incident
12 JUN - ANA and Japan Air Commuter carry out survey of frequent Dash 8-400 mishaps
12 JUN - Asiana Airbus 321 lands with no nose, no radar, no view after hailstorm encounte
13 JUN - NTSB to reopen 1967 Hendersonville collision crash probe
19 JUN - Tawian: five meteorologists indicted over accident
19 JUN - Preliminary report on Armavia crash: engines were working, enough fuel on board
21 JUN - EU adds more airlines to aviation blacklist
23 JUN - European Commission updates its aviation blacklist
26 JUN - Kish Air Tu-154 contacts construction equipment on landing Dubai
26 JUN - Mexican ban on Aerocalifornia partly lifted
29 JUN - TSB investigation into Halifax Boeing 747F crash reveals need for systems to mon
30 JUN - ATSB releases Australian study into depressurisation accidents and incidents
04 JUN 2006 African countries risk losing millions in aid over poor air safety [to table of contents]
Upset that Africa`s poor aviation safety record is not improving, the World Bank and the IATA have decided to reward those countries that make a concerted effort to improve safety and punish those that do not. The World Bank is already withholding millions of euros of aid from countries that do not enforce world aviation safety standards, and has now announced a program of $150 million in grants and credits to reward those countries in West Africa and Central Africa that agree to work together to improve safety. (International Herald Tribune)
IHT article
An Arrow Air DC-10 (N68047) overran the runway on landing at Managua, Nicaragua. The aircraft operated on a cargo flight from Miami (MIA). The DC-10 overran by approx. 350 m, coming to rest with its nosegear collapsed. A left wing fuel leak was quickly contained by the fire services. (El Nuevo Diario) 06 JUN 2006 IATA requires safety audit for all member airlines [to table of contents]
The IATA Annual General Meeting formally approved a resolution requiring that all IATA member airlines be IOSA [IATA Operational Safety Audit] registered. All new members of the association will be required to pass IOSA before they join. And all existing members must contract for an IOSA audit by the end of 2006 and complete an audit by the end of 2007 to retain membership. Also, IATA honoured two governments—Chile and Egypt—for promoting safety by incorporating the IOSA into their safety oversight programmes. (IATA)
press release
07 JUN 2006 Boeing 747 runway overrun at Medellin [to table of contents] Tradewinds International Airlines' Boeing 747-200F N922FT was damaged after sustaining an engine failure on takeoff from Rionegro/Medellín-José María Córdova Airport (MDE/SKRG). Takeoff was aborted but the airplane overran the wet runway and came to rest 150 m past the runway end. MDE has a single 3500 m long runway. The airport was closed from 07:05 to 09:40. (El Tiempo) 08 JUN 2006 CAA inquiry into falsified maintenance claims [to table of contents]
The U.K. CAA is investigating an allegation that British Airways maintenance checks on planes at Glasgow Airport were falsified. A newspaper claimed that an engineering official arranged for an unqualified electrician to sign off work while he took a holiday. BA denied any safety breach and said maintenance was always double-checked. (BBC) 09 JUN 2006 Alaska and ground contractor have improved safety since Dec. 26 incident [to table of contents]
Alaska Airlines and its ground crew contractor, Menzies Aviation, have improved safety standards since the Dec. 26 incident in which an MD-80 returned to Seattle (SEA) with a decompression due to a punctured fuselage. A 90-day self-review resulted in two additional safety supervisors at Seattle and twice-daily safety briefings for luggage workers. Also, there is more consitency in the rosters so that employees are working with the same people regularly. The move is supposed to encourage them to report all accidents, for which the company has a non-punitive policy. (Seattle Post-Intelligencer) 12 JUN 2006 ANA and Japan Air Commuter carry out survey of frequent Dash 8-400 mishaps [to table of contents]
According to a survey, jointly conducted by All Nippon Airways and Japan Air Commuter, 49 of the 52 DHC-8-400 incidents were the result of design and production flaws. Of the 52 cases, 19 were caused by failures involving landing gear. Flight control system malfunctions, such as the autopilot system and steering failures, accounted for 11 cases. Engine problems were cited five times. Door problems also occurred five times. Four cases were related to hydraulic pressure systems, two were related to electrical equipment to maintain in-flight cabin pressure, and the remaining six were caused by other reasons. Concerning their causes, landing gear problems happened five times due to air accidentally entering hydraulic pumps, affecting normal operations. The remaining cases were caused by electrical failures in wiring and other errors. Flight control system malfunctions were mainly caused by failures in flight control computers and improper repairs of sensors on elevator control systems. The two airlines suspect that most of the cases were failures as a result of the introduction of the new type of aircraft and said they had had some parts changed or improved. (The Yomiuri Shimbun.) 12 JUN 2006 Asiana Airbus 321 lands with no nose, no radar, no view after hailstorm encounte [to table of contents]
On June 9, an Asiana Airlines Airbus A.321-200 (HL7594) encountered a severe hailstorm during a domestic flight in South Korea. Flight 8942 was en route from Jeju (CJU) to Seoul-Gimpo (SEL) when it encoutered the storm over Anyang, one hour into the flight. The nose radome and weather radar were destroyed. The wind shields of the flight deck were cracked and the forward view obstructed. A safe emergency landing was carried out at Seoul. (Donga) 13 JUN 2006 NTSB to reopen 1967 Hendersonville collision crash probe [to table of contents]
The NTSB has agreed to reopen an investigation into a 1967 mid-air collision involving a Piedmont Airlines 727 and a Cessna 310 over Hendersonville. Local amateur historian Paul Houle filed a petition for reconsideration in March 2005 after years of investigating the history of the collision. Houle's petition makes three main arguments: 1) The original NTSB report ignored the fact that the Cessna pilot reported his heading, which should have alerted the air traffic controller that there was a problem; 2) The NTSB report made no mention of a fire in a cockpit ashtray that preoccupied the Piedmont crew in the final 35 seconds before the collision; and 3) The lead NTSB investigator of the accident was the brother of a Piedmont vice president. (Hendersonville News) 19 JUN 2006 Tawian: five meteorologists indicted over accident [to table of contents]
Five Taiwanese Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) meteorologists were indicted over their alleged failure to issue a bad weather warning that led to a tragic plane crash in December 2002. The ATR-72 crashed off the Taiwanese coast, probably as a result of icing. (CNA) 19 JUN 2006 Preliminary report on Armavia crash: engines were working, enough fuel on board [to table of contents]
Preliminary data from the Interstate Aviation Committee (MAK) indicate that the engines of the Armavia Airbus A.320 that crashed off Sochi on May 3 were working and that there was enought fuel on board. Information further states that, during the last minute, the aircraft was switched into flight mode in which the flight director was active but the autopilot was disengaged. (MAK) 21 JUN 2006 EU adds more airlines to aviation blacklist [to table of contents]
The European Commission has added four new airlines to its aviation blacklist. Blue Wing, based in Surinam, and Sky Gate International, an airline licensed in Kyrgyzstan, are now subject to a total ban, after notifications by France and the UK. Star Jet, based in Kyrgyzstan, has also been banned by the commission after it discovered that Star Jet was the same company as Star Air, being licensed in Sierra Leone and already banned from flying within the EU. Meanwhile, the Sudan-based Air West, is now subject to operating restrictions when flying in EU territory after a notification by Germany. (EUobserver) 23 JUN 2006 European Commission updates its aviation blacklist [to table of contents]
The European Commission issued the first quarterly update of the list of airlines banned in the European Union drawn up in March this year. The main changes made are: 1) three companies have been added because of national measures notified by the Member States: Blue Wing, based in Surinam (notified by France), and Sky Gate International (licensed in Kyrgyzstan and notified by the UK) are now subject to a total ban and Air West, based in Sudan (notified by Germany), is subject to operating restrictions; 2) one company, Star Jet, based in Kyrgyzstan, has been banned on the initiative of the Commission. It was found to be the same company as Star Air, licensed in Sierra Leone and already banned within the European Union; 3) the lists of companies licensed in the five countries now subject to a total ban have been updated on the basis of the latest register published by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (13 more for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 26 for Equatorial Guinea, 19 for Liberia, 13 for Sierra Leone and 10 for Swaziland); 4) one company, Buraq Air, based in Libya, previously subject to operational restrictions on its cargo activities has been withdrawn from the list, as it no longer carries out this type of activity; 5) a European inspection visit established that companies based in Mauritania need not be subject to a ban on operations. Finally, not all the conditions for lifting the ban on GST Aero, based in Kazakhstan, have been fulfilled. (EU)
EU press release
26 JUN 2006 Kish Air Tu-154 contacts construction equipment on landing Dubai [to table of contents] A Kish Airlines Tupolev 154M (EP-LBR) sustained damage on landing at Dubai Airport (DXB). Flight 7106 coming from Tabriz (TBZ) hit building materials when it landed on a runway that was being upgraded. The aircraft`s landing gear suffered damage and a suspected fuel leak had been attended to immediately by ARFF. None of the 70 passengers and 12 crew members were injured. The airplane probably contacted the construction equipment being used for the extension of runway 12R. (Khaleej Times) 26 JUN 2006 Mexican ban on Aerocalifornia partly lifted [to table of contents]
Aerocalifornia said it would resume flying five of its 29 planes after the Mexican government agreed to lift an April decree grounding the airline for safety reasons. (AP) 29 JUN 2006 TSB investigation into Halifax Boeing 747F crash reveals need for systems to mon [to table of contents]
The fatal crash of an MK Airlines Boeing 747 cargo plane at Halifax, Canada in October 2004 underscores the need for better systems to ensure correct take-off speed and thrust, the TSB of Canada said in its final report. The report concluded that the speed and thrust settings selected by the crew members in preparation for their flight to Spain were incorrect for the weight of the Boeing 747-244SF, a converted B747. The aircraft did not achieve sufficient altitude, hit a berm at the end of the runway, crashed into the adjacent forest, and burned. All seven crew members died. The investigation found that the crew did not receive adequate training on the Boeing Laptop Tool, a computer program used to calculate the take-off velocity and power necessary in light of factors such as fuel weight, payload, and environmental conditions. TSB investigators found that crew fatigue and a dark take-off environment may have compounded the likelihood of error. (TSB)
press release
30 JUN 2006 ATSB releases Australian study into depressurisation accidents and incidents [to table of contents] The Australian ATSB published a study regarding depressurisation accidents and incidents involving Australian civil aircraft. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and consequences of aircraft decompression events. The aim was to document the prevalence, nature, type, degree and extent of decompression events, as well as the consequences of such events, especially hypoxia and pressure-related medical effects. A total of 517 pressurisation failure events were found (two accidents, eight serious incidents and 507 incidents). Only one pressurisation failure event was fatal. Mechanical factors were responsible for the majority of pressurisation system failures (ATSB)
ATSB Research and Analysis Report
