News
01 JAN - Aviation Safety Network releases aviation safety figures 2006 04 JAN - Onur Air MD-88 suffers in-flight opening of cargo door
04 JAN - Airline sues man for opening emergency exit
04 JAN - ATSB studies flight safety implications of hardened cockpit security doors
05 JAN - NPRM issued on security considerations in the design and operation of airliners
05 JAN - FAA issues AD re DHC-8-400 MLG extension failure procedures
06 JAN - Airlines refuse to fly to Bristol over safety concerns
06 JAN - Runway incursion incident at Denver
06 JAN - Korean Air flight lands on taxiway at Akita, Japan
09 JAN - FAA: new rules for extended operations (ETOPS) of multi-engine airplanes
09 JAN - Appeal court upholds acquittal of JAL pilot over fatal autopilot mishap
10 JAN - Report released: Hydraulic system failure and emergency landing- BAe ATP
10 JAN - NTSB determines cause of fatal CRJ crash in Jefferson City
11 JAN - ATSB issues research report on regional airline line operations safety audit
12 JAN - Moldova warns D.R.Congo for unairworthy Antonov 28
17 JAN - FAA extends compliancy period for fire penetration resistant insulation rule
17 JAN - Moldovan air companies not to provide flights to high-risk states
19 JAN - Kazakhstan grounds two airlines from EU blacklist
21 JAN - India to increase subscribed equity capital needed for airlines
24 JAN - NTSB determines probable cause of fatal Citation V crash near Pueblo
01 JAN 2007 Aviation Safety Network releases aviation safety figures 2006 [to table of contents]
The Aviation Safety Network today released last year`s airliner accident statistics showing a total of 888 airliner accident fatalities, as a result of 27 accidents. Noteworthy is the high number of `loss of control` accidents. Seventeen aircraft crashed as a result of a loss of control, killing over 800.
Africa still is the most unsafe region.
Over the year 2006 the Aviation Safety Network recorded a total of 27 fatal airliner accidents, resulting in 888 fatalities and 4 ground fatalities.
This is significantly lower than the ten-year average of 36 accidents and 1005 fatalities.
The moving 10-year average trends show a decrease in the average number of fatal accidents for all continents. All regions have recorded a steadily decreasing accident rate over the past seven years, except for Africa.
In 2006 Africa was again the most unsafe region:18,5% of all fatal airliner accidents happened in Africa, while the continent only accounts for approximately 3 percent of all world aircraft departures.
Fifteen fatal passenger flight accidents was below the five-year average of 17 accidents.
Where in 2004 cargo planes were reason for concern, 2006 showed a continuing decrease in cargo plane crashes to six.
A noteworthy figure in 2006 was the high number of `loss of control` accidents. Seventeen aircraft crashed as a result of a loss of control, killing over 800. Six accidents were attributed to loss of control on landing or takeoff. The in-flight `loss of control` accidents (eleven) were, amongst others, attributed to midair collisions, loss of situational awareness, weather and mechanical problems. This underscores the most pressing safety problems as identified by the Flight Safety Foundation (FSF), of which loss of control accidents is one.
Controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) accidents remained relatively low at five.
The year 2006 recorded three (attempted) hijackings, which is below the five-year average of 5,6. (ASN)
ASN Statistical review 2006 (PDF)
On January 1 the cargo door of an MD-88 operated by Onur Air opened during takeoff. The aircraft lost pressure while climbing through an altitude of 6000 feet. The crew decided to return to Istanbul. Upon touchdown the cargo door sprang open, causing luggage to fall onto the runway. (Flight International) 04 JAN 2007 Airline sues man for opening emergency exit [to table of contents]
Air Deccan filed a case against a passenger who opened the emergency-exit door of the aircraft. The airplane had returned to Mumbai as it could not land at Delhi due to poor weather conditions. When passengers were not allowed to deplane, a passenger was noticed trying to open the emergency exit. The escape slide deployed. (ibnlive.com) 04 JAN 2007 ATSB studies flight safety implications of hardened cockpit security doors [to table of contents]
In Australia reports were received from a number of aircraft operators regarding flight safety and operational hazards associated with the installation of hardened cockpit security doors in four different aircraft types. An investigation by the ATSB determined that, the development of regulation 4.68 of the Australian Transport Security Regulations 2005 did not take full account of the operational and flight safety requirements of the US FARs, or of other available international policy guidance. The result was a number of unintentional operational and flight safety hazards. (ATSB)
ATSB Aviation Safety Investigation Report 200504018
05 JAN 2007 NPRM issued on security considerations in the design and operation of airliners [to table of contents] The U.S. FAA has published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on security related consideration in the design and operation of transport category airplanes. Under this notice, the FAA proposes to implement certain security related requirements governing the design of transport category airplanes. The requirements would provide improved airplane design features and greater protection of the cabin, flightdeck, and cargo compartments from the detonation of explosive or incendiary devices, penetration by projectiles, and intrusion by unauthorized persons. The FAA also proposes to require operators to establish a `least risk bomb location` on all affected airplanes. These proposed changes would adopt several International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards. Also, this notice discusses six proposed advisory circulars (ACs) and proposed changes to two existing ACs. (FAA)
Document FAA-2006-26722-1
05 JAN 2007 FAA issues AD re DHC-8-400 MLG extension failure procedures [to table of contents] The FAA issued an AD for Bombardier Model DHC-8-400 series airplanes to ensure that the flightcrew has the procedures necessary to address failure of an MLG to extend following a gear-down selection; and to detect and correct such failure, which could result in a gear-up landing and possible injury to passengers and crew. (FAA)
AD 2007-02-03
06 JAN 2007 Airlines refuse to fly to Bristol over safety concerns [to table of contents] More than 80 flights in and out of Bristol International Airport, U.K. have been cancelled or diverted in a row over runway safety. All Easyjet, Aer Lingus, XL Airways, Thomson and BA flights in and out of the airport were cancelled or diverted by the afternoon of January 5. An Easyjet spokesman reported: `The airport has been laying a new runway and what they have not had a chance to do is cut grooves into the surface...We have found that this is having an effect on braking distances on the runway in wet weather.` (BBC) 06 JAN 2007 Runway incursion incident at Denver [to table of contents]
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating a runway incursion today at Denver International Airport involving two airliners. At 19:28, Frontier Airlines flight 297, an Airbus A.319, broke out of low clouds as it was about to land on runway 35L. The Frontier flight crew saw a Swearingen Metro, Key Lime Air flight 4216, which had inadvertently entered the runway. The Frontier flight immediately executed a missed approach. It is estimated that the aircraft came within 50 feet of each other. The Airport Movement Area Safety System (AMASS) alerted the control tower personnel of the situation at the same time the Frontier crew saw the Metroliner on the runway. Weather at the time of the incident was one-half mile visibility, ceiling 600 feet overcast, snow and mist. (NTSB) 06 JAN 2007 Korean Air flight lands on taxiway at Akita, Japan [to table of contents]
A Korean Air Boeing 737-900 with 133 people on board mistakenly landed on a taxiway instead of its designated runway at Akita, Japan. There were no aircraft on the 30-metre (100-foot)-wide taxiway, half the width of Akita airport`s runway 10/28, and the plane landed safely. The pilot indicated that visibility was poor due to rain. (The Nation) 09 JAN 2007 FAA: new rules for extended operations (ETOPS) of multi-engine airplanes [to table of contents]
The FAA published a comprehensive final rule that further reduces the risks for passengers and crews flying long-range regularly scheduled commercial routes over remote areas. The rule effectively changes the current limitations and opens up routes for twin-engine passenger and cargo planes, and sets uniformly high standards for all commercial passenger planes when they fly routes more than three hours from an airport. (FAA)
press release
09 JAN 2007 Appeal court upholds acquittal of JAL pilot over fatal autopilot mishap [to table of contents] An appeal court upheld a lower court`s acquittal of a former Japan Air Lines pilot over an autopilot mishap that left a cabin attendant dead. In July 2004, the district court found the pilot not guilty after concluding that he was not aware that his release of the autopilot would cause the aircraft to pitch up and down violently, resulting in the death a cabin attendant and injuries to 13 passengers and crewmembers. In the appeal trial, prosecutors claimed that the defendant could have predicted that his release of the autopilot could cause the aircraft to pitch up and lead to an accident. The accident occurred on June 8, 1997 on a JAL MD-11 jet with 180 passengers and crewmembers. (Mainichi Daily News) 10 JAN 2007 Report released: Hydraulic system failure and emergency landing- BAe ATP [to table of contents]
Investigation report released on the May 2005 serious BAe ATP incident near Ronaldsway, UK: Shortly after takeoff, a seal associated with the retraction line for the hydraulically operated integral airstairs at the front left cabin door, failed. This allowed hydraulic fluid to escape in the form of a fine mist, depleting the contents of the main hydraulic system. This misting was perceived by the cabin crew as smoke, and they informed the flight crew accordingly. In flight, this line is normally de-pressurised but, owing to a jammed airstairs UP selection switch and a stuck door safety microswitch, it had remained pressurised. The intensity of the misting in the forward section of the cabin led the cabin crew to reposition the passengers towards the rear of the cabin. As a result, the aircraft’s centre of gravity (CG) position moved beyond the operator’s specified aft limit. An emergency was declared to ATC and the aircraft returned to Ronaldsway. During the approach, the EGPWS system alerted the crew to an incorrect flap setting for landing. After landing, the aircraft was taxied clear of the runway but difficulties encountered with the nosewheel steering system forced the commander to stop the aircraft short of the terminal buildings. (AAIB)
AAIB AAR 01/2007
10 JAN 2007 NTSB determines cause of fatal CRJ crash in Jefferson City [to table of contents] The NTSB has reached its probable cause statement and safety recommendations regarding the October 14, 2004 accident at Jefferson City involving a CRJ accident: The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable causes of this accident were (1) the pilots' unprofessional behavior, deviation from standard operating procedures, and poor airmanship, which resulted in an in-flight emergency from which they were unable to recover, in part because of the pilots' inadequate training; (2) the pilots' failure to prepare for an emergency landing in a timely manner, including communicating with air traffic controllers immediately after the emergency about the loss of both engines and the availability of landing sites; and (3) the pilots' failure to achieve and maintain the target airspeed in the double engine failure checklist, which caused the engine cores to stop rotating and resulted in the core lock engine condition. Contributing to this accident was 1) the engine core lock condition, which prevented at least one engine from being restarted, and 2) the airplane flight manuals that did not communicate to pilots the importance of maintaining a minimum airspeed to keep the engine cores rotating. (NTSB)
NTSB summary
11 JAN 2007 ATSB issues research report on regional airline line operations safety audit [to table of contents] Very little formal research has been done in Australia or overseas to assist with the development of safety models and tools for regional airline operations. Regional Express (REX) is a relatively new airline that was created by merging two separate and culturally different airline entities. After a post start-up initial settling in period, REX needed a new tool to further develop safety-based auditing for its newly combined flight operations department. The Line Operations Safety Audit (LOSA) offered through the University of Texas LOSA Collaborative, provided an effective tool for this purpose. Around the time REX was reviewing its need in this area, the LOSA Collaborative was confirming an interest in conducting research with regional airlines. The LOSA Collaborative wished to obtain data from regional airlines to add to its LOSA Archive database in order to move toward making the database more representative and the LOSA tools more relevant for use in the regional airline environment. The LOSA Collaborative set out to attract three regional airline participants to add their data through the LOSA process. Regional Express was successful in attracting funding under the Australian Transport Safety Bureaus Aviation Safety Research Grants Program to undertake the LOSA process. Completion of this project has added to the expansion of the LOSA database to include regional airline data. This report describes the LOSA process as it applies within the regional airline context of REX and the reported outcome types specific to the LOSA methodology, process, and tools. Regional Express is one of the first regional airlines globally to participate in a LOSA program. (ATSB)
ATSB report b20040237
12 JAN 2007 Moldova warns D.R.Congo for unairworthy Antonov 28 [to table of contents] The Civil Aviation Administration of the Republic of Moldova directed a letter to the National Civil Aviation Administration of the Democratic Republic of Congo warning that the Antonov 28 ER-AJI is being prepared for operation in Congo by an unknown operator. The airplane has been declared unairworthy and NCAA Congo is being asked to take action and stop all work being performed on the plane and stop further exploitation of this aircraft. (ICAO)
ICAO FSIX
17 JAN 2007 FAA extends compliancy period for fire penetration resistant insulation rule [to table of contents] The FAA extends, by 24 months, the date for operators to comply with the fire penetration resistance requirements of thermal/acoustic insulation used in transport category airplanes manufactured after September 2, 2007. This extension is from September 2, 2007, to September 2, 2009. This action is necessary to allow airframe manufacturers enough time, after getting an acceptable certification test facility, to select and certificate appropriate installations. (FAA)
FAA-2006-24277
17 JAN 2007 Moldovan air companies not to provide flights to high-risk states [to table of contents] The Moldovan State Administration of Civil Aviation (ASAC) issued an order, under which it will further deny the approval of contracts on leasing airplanes registered in Moldova for flights in the states of high-risk. The leasing contracts should include the following special clause: the air company registered in Moldova will not conduct flights to the states, in which the air space is not effectively controlled by the civil aviatic authorities, as well as in the high-risk zones (zones in which the international insurance organizations do not cover the operating risk). Moreover, the ASAC recommended the air companies to cease flights to the countries the air space of which is not effectively controlled in line with the international rules and standards by the civil aviatic authorities, and in the zones with increased risk. The following countries are named in the ASAC`s press release: Burundi, D.R.Congo, Eritreea, Etiopia, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Afganistan, Yemen, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Iran, Iraq. (Moldpres, ASAC)
press release
19 JAN 2007 Kazakhstan grounds two airlines from EU blacklist [to table of contents] The Kazakhstan Civil Aviation Committee of the Ministry of Transport and Communications suspended that AOC`s of BGB Air and GST Aero. Both airlines are included in the EU`s safety black list. (Gazeta.kz) 21 JAN 2007 India to increase subscribed equity capital needed for airlines [to table of contents]
The Indian government has tightened the norms for airline operations in the country by increasing the subscribed equity capital needed for starting a scheduled airline with five large aircraft from Rs. 30 crore to Rs. 50 crore. The decision to raise the bar in the fast expanding aviation sector is aimed at encouraging serious players only. The new norms will be applicable with retrospective effect for those having aircraft weighing 40,000 kg each. Existing airlines would, however, get a year to comply. The Government has stipulated that such airlines will have to pump an additional Rs. 20 crore into the subscribed equity capital for every five additional aircraft they induct. (The Hindu) 24 JAN 2007 NTSB determines probable cause of fatal Citation V crash near Pueblo [to table of contents]
On February 16, 2005, a Cessna Citation 560, N500AT, crashed east of Pueblo Memorial Airport, while on an ILS approach to runway 26R. The two pilots and six passengers on board were killed. The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable causes of this accident were the flight crew`s failure to effectively monitor and maintain airspeed and comply with procedures for deice boot activation on the approach, which caused an aerodynamic stall from which they did not recover. Contributing to the accident was the FAA`s failure to establish adequate certification requirements for flight into icing conditions, which led to the inadequate stall warning margin provided by the airplane's stall warning system. (NTSB)
NTSB/AAR-07/02
