News
08 NOV - Northwest grounds 27 of its 757s for three hours after an audit 12 NOV - Nigeria to ban aircraft without ELT
14 NOV - EU updates blacklist: Siem Reap Airways and all Angolan airlines banned
19 NOV - FAA issues emergency AD on Boeing 737 fuel pump wiring
19 NOV - Fast Air surrenders AOC during Transport Canada investigation
20 NOV - Police inquiry: Officials blamed for Brazil crash
08 NOV 2008 Northwest grounds 27 of its 757s for three hours after an audit [to table of contents]
Northwest Airlines temporarily grounded 27 of its Boeing 757 airplanes on as a result of an internal audit.
"We learned that we were technically noncompliant with one minor aspect of an FAA air worthiness directive on a 757 main landing gear component," Tammy Lee Stanoch, a Northwest vice president, said in a statement.
The planes were cleared to resume flying within about three hours. (Star Tribune)
The Nigerian Federal Government will by January 1, 2009 ban aircraft that operate without Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT). Similarly government has directed that no aircraft will be registered or granted certificate of airworthiness without installing the device. The decision was made known in Abuja by authorities of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) at a meeting of stakeholders called by National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), to review the search and rescue operation during the accident of a Beechcraft 1900, which disappeared over Obudu in Cross River State, on March 15, 2008. (This Day) 14 NOV 2008 EU updates blacklist: Siem Reap Airways and all Angolan airlines banned [to table of contents]
The European Commission adopted the ninth update of the so-called blacklist of airlines that are banned from flying into the countries of the European Union due to safety concerns. In addition to the previous restrictions, the Commission has imposed a ban on all operations of Siem Reap Airways International from Cambodia. At the same time, it has extended the ban on TAAG Angola Airlines to all airlines certified in Angola on the basis of "significant safety concerns" raised by ICAO in its audit report of 1st October 2008, which still remain open and affect the safety of operations of all Angolan carriers. The Commission decided to maintain the ban on all operations of Ukraine Mediterranean Airlines and Ukraine Cargo Airways as the airlines have not proven the successful implementation of corrective actions for the permanent resolution of previously detected safety deficiencies. With regard to Nouvelle Air Affaires certified in Gabon, the Commission decided to maintain the full operating ban already imposed on the air carrier. There is no evidence so far that the company's plan of corrective measures has been approved and verified by the Gabonese civil aviation authorities. (EU)
press release
19 NOV 2008 FAA issues emergency AD on Boeing 737 fuel pump wiring [to table of contents] The FAA issued an emergency Airworthiness Directive (AD) to certain owners and operators of Boeing 737-600,-700,-700C,-800, and -900 series airplanes. Information indicates that, when the flightcrew manually turns off the center wing tank (CWT) pump switches, that action turns off the right-hand pump, but re-energizes the left-hand pump due to incorrect wiring. The low-pressure lights turn off, incorrectly indicating to the flightcrew that power to both pumps has been removed. The failure condition results in continual running of the left-hand fuel pump without indication to the flightcrew, which could lead to localized overheating of parts inside the fuel pump, and which could produce an ignition source inside the fuel tank. The FAA requires the operators of aircraft effected to carry out a wiring test as specified in the AD. (FAA)
Emergency AD 2008-24-51;
19 NOV 2008 Fast Air surrenders AOC during Transport Canada investigation [to table of contents] Winnipeg-based Fast Air voluntarily surrendered its air operator certificate. Although Transport Canada had already been conducting an investigation into the airline before the surrender -- and still is -- Fast Air has not been charged with violating any regulations. (Winnipeg Sun) 20 NOV 2008 Police inquiry: Officials blamed for Brazil crash [to table of contents]
The Brazilian Policia Civil charged 10 people for their role in the accident of a TAM Airbus A320 at Sao Paulo, which killed 199 people last year. Those criminally charged include the former head of the national aviation authority (ANAC) as well as officials at TAM and at the airport authority Infraero. They are all accused of violating national aviation security and could face prison terms of up to 6 years. (Reuters)
