News
01 OCT - FAA issues emergency AD on GE-equipped Boeing 777-200s 02 OCT - Top prosecutor says airline safety inadequate in Russia
03 OCT - Mandala 737 skidded off runway at Tarakan, Indonesia
06 OCT - Serious runway incursion incident at LAX between Gulfstream and CRJ700
10 OCT - Proposed amendments for Canadian airport emergency response
10 OCT - Final investigation report into Helios crash released
12 OCT - Korea to issue airline blacklist in 2007
13 OCT - Italy introduces confidential aviation safety reporting system
13 OCT - EU adds Kyrgyz operators and DAS Air Cargo to aviation blacklist
17 OCT - Australia develops regulations to introduce a multi-crew pilot licence
19 OCT - Joint industry resolution regarding criminalization of aviation accidents
26 OCT - Czech Gripen fighter helps KLM Boeing 737 with visual inspection
31 OCT - Improper loading caused crash of corporate jet in Teterboro
01 OCT 2006 FAA issues emergency AD on GE-equipped Boeing 777-200s [to table of contents]
A FADEC software fault in certain Boeing 777-200 airplanes equipped with General Electric GE90-110B and -115B engines caused the FAA to issue an emergency AD. Two occurrences were reported of engine thrust rollback (reduction) during
takeoff. In both cases, only one engine was affected. The N1 thrust level on the affected engine progressively dropped resulting in a thrust loss of 65 to 77% due to an erroneous N1 command computed by the FADEC. The AD requires revising the Airplane Flight Manual (AFM) to prohibit takeoffs at less than full-rated thrust. This is an interim action since the engine manufacturer has advised that it currently is developing a modification that will eliminate the unsafe condition. (FAA)
Emergency AD 2006-20-51
Russia`s top prosecutor said the safety of passenger flights in Russia is inadequate. Prosecutors and ministry officials conducted checks of airlines, airports, the Federal Service for Transport Supervision, the Federal Air Transportation Agency, and the Federal Agency for Industry. The use of low-quality or counterfeit airliner parts and the lack of permits at airports and air carriers were among the most serious and widespread violations. The functioning of regulatory bodies was also revealed to be inadequate. (RIA Novosti) 03 OCT 2006 Mandala 737 skidded off runway at Tarakan, Indonesia [to table of contents]
A Mandala Airlines Boeing 737-200 flying from Balikpapan (BPN) skidded off the runway while landing at 11:20 am at the Tarakan-Juwata Airport (TRK). Tarakan was engulfed in a thick, choking haze caused by ground and forest fires. Visibility was reported to be about 400m as flight RI 394 landed on runway 06/24 (1845 m long). The airplane reportedly ended up in a swampy area. (AFP) 06 OCT 2006 Serious runway incursion incident at LAX between Gulfstream and CRJ700 [to table of contents]
On September 30 a runway incursion at Los Angeles (LAX) caused a near collision between two jets. Skywest flight 6430 to San Antonio was cleared for takeoff when a Gulfstream executive jet crossed the runway. The Skywest Canadair RJ700 aborted the takeoff at a speed of about 100 kts and came to a stop less than 100 feet from the Gulfstream. The Gulfstream pilot told officials he was certain that the controller had cleared him to cross both runways, even though he twice read back the `hold short` instructions correctly according to the FAA. (LA Times) 10 OCT 2006 Proposed amendments for Canadian airport emergency response [to table of contents]
The Canadian Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities announced proposed regulatory amendments requiring all certified Canadian airports to follow a clear and consistent set of criteria when developing and evaluating emergency response plans. The proposed amendments include provisions for ensuring a more formal approach to airport emergency planning and for how the plans are tested. (Transport Canada)
Media Release
10 OCT 2006 Final investigation report into Helios crash released [to table of contents] Greek investigators concluded their investigation into the August 2005 crash of a Helios Airways Boeing 737. It was concluded that the direct causes were: 1) Non-recognition that the cabin pressurization mode selector was in the MAN (manual) position during the performance of the Preflight procedure, the Before Start checklist and the After Takeoff checklist; 2) Non-identification of the warnings and the reasons for the activation of the warnings (Cabin Altitude Warning Horn, Passenger Oxygen Masks Deployment indication, Master Caution); and 3) Incapacitation of the flight crew due to hypoxia, resulting in the continuation of the flight via the flight management computer and the autopilot, depletion of the fuel and engine flameout, and the impact of the aircraft with the ground. (Hellenic Ministry of Transport)
accident description
12 OCT 2006 Korea to issue airline blacklist in 2007 [to table of contents] South Korea will release a blacklist of substandard foreign airlines that have had frequent accidents, and will limit their operations to Korea as early as the first half 2007. The Ministry of Construction and Transportation said that a bill revising the Aviation Safety Law has recently passed at the Construction and Transportation Committee of the National Assembly. (The Korea Times) 13 OCT 2006 Italy introduces confidential aviation safety reporting system [to table of contents]
The Italian Air Safety Board (ANSV) introduced a voluntary, confidential aviation safety reporting system as stated in the EU Directive 2003/42/EC. The objective is the prevention of accidents, not the apportion of blame or responsibility. (ANSV)
press release
13 OCT 2006 EU adds Kyrgyz operators and DAS Air Cargo to aviation blacklist [to table of contents] The European Commission adopted the second quarterly update of the Community list of airlines banned in the European Union. All of the 27 companies certified in the Kyrgyz Republic have been banned. DAS Air Cargo/Dairo Air Services has been added to the list. Compared to the previous list, Air Services Comores is no longer banned but subject to operational restrictions. Ariana Afghan has sold the only aircraft with which it was authorised to operate in Europe, so it is now banned. (EU)
EU press release
17 OCT 2006 Australia develops regulations to introduce a multi-crew pilot licence [to table of contents] The Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has started work on developing regulations to introduce a multi-crew pilot licence. Safety research over many years has indicated that failures in teamwork are a major contributor to airline accidents. One reason is that traditional methods of training pilots emphasise independence and individual skills. This suits single pilot operations but pilots moving to work in airlines have needed `top up` training to work effectively in the small teams that fly air transport aircraft. The training behind the proposed new licence is designed to embed multi-crew teamwork from the very start of training. CASA will undertake a comprehensive consultation process with the relevant sectors of the aviation industry in developing the regulations to introduce the new licence. (CASA)
Media Release
19 OCT 2006 Joint industry resolution regarding criminalization of aviation accidents [to table of contents] The Flight Safety Foundation (FSF), the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (CANSO), the Royal Aeronautical Society in England (RAeS) and the Academie Nationale de L’Air et de L’Espace (ANAE) in France jointly signed a resolution noting the increased criminalization of aviation accidents. The resolution makes 5 recommendations to the aviation industry as a whole. (Flight Safety Foundation)
the entire resolution (PDF)
26 OCT 2006 Czech Gripen fighter helps KLM Boeing 737 with visual inspection [to table of contents] A Czech Air Force Jas-39 Gripen fighter from the Caslav air base assisted the crew of a KLM Boeing 737 on October 25 who suspected that one of the cargo doors might have opened in flight. Several Gripens were on a training mission in the area when one of them was called in for a visual inspection over Benesov at FL280. No problems were noted and the KLM flight from Vienna continued to Amsterdam. (Prague Daily Monitor) 31 OCT 2006 Improper loading caused crash of corporate jet in Teterboro [to table of contents]
The NTSB determined that the probable cause of a Challenger CL-600 corporate jet accident at Teterboro in 2005, was the flight crew`s failure to ensure the airplane was loaded within weight and balance limits and their attempt to take off with the center of gravity well forward of the forward takeoff limit, which prevented the airplane from rotating at the intended rotation speed. The investigation revealed that neither pilot used the available weight and balance information appropriately to determine the airplane`s weight and balance characteristics for the take off. (NTSB)
press release
