News
07 JUN - Papua New Guinea CAA grounds Airlink over safety concerns 07 JUN - NTSB again urges FAA to act on most wanted safety improvements
10 JUN - Interference plagued Beijing Airport radar
11 JUN - NTSB investigating runway incursion in San Francisco
12 JUN - Boeing 737 lands on wrong runway at Delhi
14 JUN - South Korea publishes airline safety information
15 JUN - Ground engineer hit by propeller - fatally injured
18 JUN - Nimrod planes reported to leak fuel during mid-air refuelling
18 JUN - Kenya Airways crash voice recorder recovered
20 JUN - Russia to ban four airlines from operating to EU
21 JUN - FAA raises safety rating for Guatemala
21 JUN - Bulgaria cancels AOC of four cargo carriers
25 JUN - Indonesia revokes licenses of 4 airlines, suspends 5 others
27 JUN - South Korea to inspect safety of six foreign airlines
27 JUN - DC-10 air tanker nearly crashes
28 JUN - EU black list of airlines: new measures against unsafe carriers
29 JUN - Twin Otter suffers nose gear collapse in Nepal
07 JUN 2007 Papua New Guinea CAA grounds Airlink over safety concerns [to table of contents]
The Papua New Guinea Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has grounded Airlink Limited for four weeks. The grounding of the fleet of seven planes came into effect last May 31 following an investigation into company`s air safety operation. CAA ordered the investigation last month following a crash landing of one of its planes in Goroka and the Bureau of Accident Investigation Unit of the Transport Department carried out the audit. Airlink reported that the issues raised were in the engineering, flight and ground operations and the airline already rectified the issues raised from the investigation. (The National)
National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Mark V. Rosenker told U.S. Congress that he was disappointed at the number of recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration on the Board`s Most Wanted List that are in an unacceptable action status. Testifying today before the Subcommittee on Aviation of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Chairman Rosenker noted that, of the six items before the FAA from the Board`s Most Wanted List, five of them have been color-coded Red, for Unacceptable Response. These deal with reducing dangers to aircraft flying in icing conditions, preventing runway incursions, improving audio and data recorders and requiring video recorders on aircraft, reducing accidents caused by human fatigue, and improving crew resource management for Part 135 (air taxi) operations. The sixth item, eliminating flammable fuel/air vapors in fuel tanks of transport category aircraft, has been given a Yellow color code, meaning that the FAA's response is acceptable but progressing slowly. (NTSB) 10 JUN 2007 Interference plagued Beijing Airport radar [to table of contents]
Radar at Beijing`s airport was affected by interference from radio-controlled cameras in a building nine miles away, potentially putting flights at risk, state media said. The radar at the airport was plagued by fuzzy signals for almost a week because of three mini-cameras with radio aerials installed in elevators at a dormitory, the China Daily newspaper said. `The radio was using the same frequency channel as the airport radar, therefore, largely dampening the performance,` Su Qing of the Northern China Air Traffic Management Bureau was quoted as saying. (AP) 11 JUN 2007 NTSB investigating runway incursion in San Francisco [to table of contents]
The NTSB is investigating a runway incursion in San Francisco (SFO) on May 26 in which two airliners may have come within 50 feet of each other on intersecting runways. The SFO tower controller cleared SkyWest Airlines flight 5741, an Embraer 120 arriving from Modesto, to land on runway 28R. Forgetting about the arrival airplane, the same controller then cleared Republic Airlines flight 4912, an Embraer 170 departing for Los Angeles, to take off from runway 1L, which intersects runway 28R. After the SkyWest airliner touched down, the Airport Movement Area Safety System (AMASS) alerted and the air traffic controller transmitted `Hold, Hold, Hold` to the SkyWest flight crew in an attempt to stop the aircraft short of runway 1L. The SkyWest crew applied maximum braking that resulted in the airplane stopping in the middle of runway 1L. As this was occurring, the captain of Republic Airlines flight 4912 took control of the aircraft from the first officer, realized the aircraft was traveling too fast to stop, and initiated an immediate takeoff. According to the crew of SkyWest 5741, the Republic Airlines aircraft overflew theirs by 30 to 50 feet. The FAA has categorized the incident as an operational error. (NTSB)
NTSB preliminary report
12 JUN 2007 Boeing 737 lands on wrong runway at Delhi [to table of contents] A Spicejet Boeing 737-800 landed on a runway closed for routine maintenance. The incident happened to flight SG-851 (Srinagar-Jammu-Delhi)when it landed at Delhi (DEL) around 14:30. The flight had been cleared for an ILS approach to the main runway; the crew opted for a visual approach and landed on the wrong runway. (The Times of India) 14 JUN 2007 South Korea publishes airline safety information [to table of contents]
South Korea`s Civil Aviation Safety Authority published comprehensive airline safety information, including passenger deaths, of 47 domestic and foreign airlines. The information includes an EU blacklist of airlines, records of deaths over the last five years and rates of delay and cancellation of flights at Incheon International Airport. Four out of 43 foreign airlines operating in Korea have recorded deaths over the last five years: Garuda Airlines, Air China, China Airlines, and Uzbekistan Airways. In terms of flight cancellations, Iran Air topped the list at 4.55 percent, followed by Sakhalinskie Aviatrassy Airlines at 3.47 percent, Vladivostok Air JSC at 3.11 percent, Cambodia`s Royal Khmer Airlines at 2.67 percent and Russia`s Dalavia-Far East Airways at 2.67 percent. (Digital Chosun Ilbo) 15 JUN 2007 Ground engineer hit by propeller - fatally injured [to table of contents]
A Payam Airlines Embraer 110 (EP-TPJ) had started its engines at Payam Airport, Iran for departure. A ground engineer was struck by one the propellers, sustaining fatal injuries. (CAA Iran) 18 JUN 2007 Nimrod planes reported to leak fuel during mid-air refuelling [to table of contents]
According to The Times RAF Nimrod planes flying over Iraq and Afghanistan have been losing hundreds of gallons of fuel during mid-air refuelling, quoting leaked official reports. The documents record large amounts of fuel running along the inside of the fuselage and pouring out of the rear of the aircraft leaving it at risk of fire or explosion. (The Times)
The Times article
18 JUN 2007 Kenya Airways crash voice recorder recovered [to table of contents] A search team has found the cockpit voice recorder of the Kenya Airways Boeing 737 that crashed in Cameroon last month. The search team, which included 22 Cameroon firemen, eight motor pump operators, the Cameroon accident investigation team and the Kenyan team, also recovered additional engine parts, including fan blades. The CVR will be sent to the TSB in Canada for read-out. (AP) 20 JUN 2007 Russia to ban four airlines from operating to EU [to table of contents]
Four Russian carriers are set to be banned from operating to the European Union as of June 25, while five other carriers will face restrictions on their operations. Russia`s federal transport authority Rostransnadzor and air transport agency Rosaviatsiya have proposed banning Kavminvodyavia (KMV), Yakutia Airlines, Kuban Airlines and Airlines 400. The action follows advisories from the European Commission to Russian authorities concerning the carriers` non-compliance with EU air safety requirements; the nature of these has not been disclosed. The decision also places operational restrictions on KrasAir, Ural Airlines, Atlant-Soyuz, UTAir and industrial transport specialist Gazpromavia. These restrictions centre on aircraft types used for flights into Europe. (Flight)
Flight article
21 JUN 2007 FAA raises safety rating for Guatemala [to table of contents] The U.S. FAA announced that Guatemala complies with international safety standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), following a reassessment of the country’s civil aviation authority on April 16, 2007. Guatemala`s safety rating was raised from Category 2 to Category 1. A Category 1 rating means the country’s civil aviation authority complies with ICAO standards. (FAA) 21 JUN 2007 Bulgaria cancels AOC of four cargo carriers [to table of contents]
Bulgaria`s transport ministry has canceled the air operator certificates (AOC) of four cargo carriers and banned another from flying to the European Union for failing to meet EU safety requirements. The four grounded airlines are: Air Sofia, Bright Aviation Services, Scorpion Air and Vega Airlines. Heli Air is allowed to carry out cargo flights but limited to countries outside the EU. (EUbusiness) 25 JUN 2007 Indonesia revokes licenses of 4 airlines, suspends 5 others [to table of contents]
The Indonesian government has revoked the licenses of four airlines and suspended five others. The AOC`s of Jatayu, Prodexim, Alfa Trans Dirgantara and Aviasi Upataraksa were revoked. The suspensions included SMAC and Kura-Kura Aviation. They have three months to improve their safety. The government has declared national carrier Garuda Indonesia the best airline in the country. Garuda has fulfilled 84 percent of aviation standards. (Kyodo News, Reuters) 27 JUN 2007 South Korea to inspect safety of six foreign airlines [to table of contents]
South Korean aviation officials said that they plan to conduct a safety inspection of six foreign airlines that have high accident rates and records of poor maintenance. The measure came after the crash of a plane belonging to PMT Air. Along with PMT Air, five other companies -- Garuda Indonesia, Royal Khmer Airlines, SAT Airlines, Vladivostok Air and Dalavia -- will be subject to inspection due to their records of accidents and maintenance negligence, according to the official. (Yonhap News) 27 JUN 2007 DC-10 air tanker nearly crashes [to table of contents]
A DC-10 (N450AX) air tanker of Cal Fire nearly crashed while fighting a Kern County fire in the southern San Joaquin Valley. Tanker 910 was caught in a downdraft and struck several trees before being able to climb away. The left wing sustained damage and the airplane continued to Victorville for an emergency landing. (Contra Costa Times) 28 JUN 2007 EU black list of airlines: new measures against unsafe carriers [to table of contents]
The European Commission has received the unanimous opinion of its Air Safety Committee on the fourth update of the Community list of airlines banned in the European Union. On the basis of this opinion of the Committee, the Commission should adopt a regulation updating the Community list in the coming days. The decisions which the Commission intends to adopt include, in particular: (1) a ban on all the 51 airlines certified in Indonesia; (2) a ban on TAAG Angola Airlines; (3) a ban on Volare Aviation Enterprise, Ukraine; (4) the operational restriction already imposed on Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) since March 2007 will be modified in order to allow operations into the Community with specific Boeing 747 and Airbus 310 aircraft in addition to its Boeing 777 fleet already authorised; (5) a revision of the list of existing Kyrgyz companies. (Financial Mirror) 29 JUN 2007 Twin Otter suffers nose gear collapse in Nepal [to table of contents]
Twin Otter 9N-AFP belonging to Yeti Airlines suffered a nose gear collapse while landing at Surkhet Airport. The plane that had taken off from Dolpa, Nepal. (Kantipur Report)
