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 Flight Safety Information |
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 Flight Safety Information |
April 22, 2015 - No. 077
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After CEO, 30 GoAir pilots quit (India)
NEW DELHI: Wadia Group's GoAir seems to be passing through a turbulent phase. Within weeks of GoAir CEO Giorgio De Roni quitting, 30 pilots of the low cost carrier (LCC) have now put in their papers. With a total strength of 200 pilots in the 19-aircraft- airline, this exodus means a 15% reduction in GoAir's pilot strength.
While the airline's spokesman declined to comment on this issue, sources say the pilots quit due to "training issues and possibly not getting adequate flying hours". The airline industry's pay structure for a pilot has two parts - a relatively low fixed component and flying allowances that form a lion's share of the package. Flying less could mean getting a truncated pay cheque.
Roni - who had turned around the LCC and made it profitable - quit. While the airline said Roni quit due to "health reasons", industry sources spoke of 'discord' within the airline. After Roni's departure, GoAir promoter and MD Jeh Wadia is running the airline with Tim Jordan, a recently-hired CCO (chief commercial officer) from Australia,.
GoAir, which started operation in 2005 around the same time as IndiGo and SpiceJet, does not fly abroad as it does not fully meet the 5/20 norm of having over 20 planes in the fleet and being over five-year-old. The airline was to induct its 20th aircraft this summer but decided against that as the supply of the fuel efficient Airbus A 320 new engine option (NEO) begins next year. GoAir has ordered 72 Airbus A32o NEOs.
Last December, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) had warned GoAir to bring its dues within the bank guarantee amount or be ready to be put on cash-and-carry. The airline brought the dues within bank guarantee limit after this warning.
The recent troubles in GoAir have surprised the industry as the LCC claims to be a profitable one - the only Indian carrier to be in black apart from IndiGo. GoAir had made a profit of Rs 100 crore in FY 2012-13. The subsequent fiscal (2013-14) was also profitable but the figure was lower due to fall in rupee and sharp rise in aviation turbine fuel (ATF) or jet fuel price. It is expecting a record profit in FY 2014-15.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/After-CEO-30-GoAir-pilots-quit/articleshow/47007052.cms
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GERMANWINGS FLIGHT 9525: WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR
On March 24, a dramatic aircraft accident left 149 innocent people dead and one under very serious scrutiny.
Andreas Lubitz was the copilot of Germanwings flight 9525, from Barcelona-El Prat Airport in Spain to the Dusseldorf Airport in Germany. He is currently believed to have intentionally caused the crash that left the aircraft's remains strewn along the side of a mountain in the French Alps, less than 100 miles from Nice.
"The search for bodies is over, but the search for the victims' personal belongings is continuing," a spokesman for the local government authority in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence region told Reuters on April 4.
The second black box was recovered and the BEA (Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses, France's equivalent of the NTSB) revealed a horrifying detail: using the autopilot, it was the copilot who had initiated the aircraft's descent to an altitude of 100 feet, increasing the speed of the aircraft multiple times during the descent.
Cockpit voice recorders confirmed that in the meanwhile, Lubitz had locked Patrick Sondenheimer out while the latter was on a bathroom break. Captain Sondenheimer was heard exclaiming: "Open the door, for God's sake!" before attempting to break down the Kevlar-reinforced door with a fire ax. Investigators have emphasized that it seems he did everything he could to try to get back into the cockpit after he was locked out.
Going back, investigators discovered that Andreas Lubitz had performed several internet searches the day before concerning the safety of cockpit doors as well as different suicide methods. This is after he was declared mentally unfit for flight and receiving medical leave notes for severe depression, but he withheld those from the company.
This raises the question of mental illness and the stigma associated with it, as well as the weight medical disqualification can have on a pilot's mind. Indeed, Lubitz had confided to one of his doctors that he had been worried about his license.
In response to these recent events, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has implemented new regulations requiring two authorized personnel at all times in the cockpit. A similar "Rule of Two" has been in place in the U.S. since 2002. This is not the first time that a crash has been attributed to crewmember suicide, as murder-suicide was the conclusion the NTSB reached for the Silk Air Flight 185 crash in 1997, and Egypt Air Flight 990 in 1999.
http://theavion.com/germanwings-flight-9525-what-we-know-so-far/
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NTSB Releases Video Safety Alert on Importance of Preflight Checks to Catch Flight Control Problems
________________________________________
April 21, 2015
WASHINGTON - A Video Safety Alert highlighting the extra vigilance that pilots should take in doing preflight inspections prior to a first flight after maintenance work was released today by the National Transportation Safety Board.
The video also addresses the crucial role that mechanics have in ensuring that a plane's flight control system is rigged correctly after maintenance activities. It features an airborne close-call - an inflight emergency on a general aviation airplane that occurred near St. Louis in December 2014.
The 14-minute video features interviews with two college-aged pilots struggling to maintain control of a small single-engine airplane on its first flight following maintenance work. The pilot flying the Cessna T-182T talks about how he was able to figure out that the flight control trim system had been reversed, and how he remedied the situation in time to land the plane safely.
In another interview, the highly experienced mechanic who did the work on the Cessna, shares his perspectives on how the maintenance error that led to the flight control problem occurred. He also offers advice to other aircraft maintenance professionals on how they can avoid a similar mistake.
"Improving safety in general aviation has been one of our Most Wanted List items for the last several years," said NTSB Chairman Christopher A Hart. "These safety alerts are important tools to share the lessons learned from our many investigations. In this instance, tragedy was averted. It is our hope that pilots and mechanics will take these lessons and apply them and avert future tragedies."
This video follows the release of four Safety Alerts that the NTSB issued on April 7, all of them focused on general aviation. Two of those Safety Alerts, "Pilots: Perform Advanced Preflight After Maintenance" and "Mechanics: Prevent Misrigging Mistakes" summarize the key findings presented in the video.
The Video Safety Alert released today, and eight others previously issued, are available at http://go.usa.gov/3ZYDH.
The PDF versions of all the Safety Alerts are available at http://go.usa.gov/3ZYDh.
www.ntsb.gov
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Southwest Airlines sued over death of financial trader
Southwest Airlines
The wife of a financial analyst is suing Southwest Airlines, claiming her husband didn't get appropriate attention when he collapsed during a flight last year. (Southwest Airlines)
By HUGO MARTIN contact the reporter Air Transportation Air Transportation Industry Southwest Airlines
A lawsuit says Southwest Airlines treated a dying man on a flight as if he were causing a disturbance
Southwest Airlines said the crew handled the medical emergency appropriately
The widow of a financial trader is suing Southwest Airlines, claiming the crew on her huband's flight last year didn't offer adequate medical attention when he collapsed in a lavatory.
Kelly Ilczyszyn filed a wrongful death suit in Alameda County Superior Court, saying the Dallas-based airline treated her dying husband, Richard Ilczyszyn, as if he were causing a disturbance when he was found moaning and crying in the bathroom of a Sept. 16 flight last year.
Lawsuit against Southwest Airlines
In a statement, Southwest Airlines said it responded "appropriately and professionally" to the "unfortunate medical event." The airline said the crew on the plane "attempted to reach the customer in an effort to provide assistance."
Richard Ilczyszyn, 46, a financial trader and contributor to CNBC's "Futures Now" show, died 17 hours after being taken off of the flight from Oakland International Airport to John Wayne Airport in Orange County. He died of a pulmonary embolism.
The suit asks for financial damages suffered by Kelly and her three children but does not list a specific dollar amount.
The suit said Richard Ilczyszyn collapsed in the bathroom about 10 minutes before the plane was scheduled to land in Orange County. Members of the flight crew opened the door to find Ilczyszyn "in distress while crying and moaning" and proceeded to treat the incident "as involving an improper disruption by a passenger" instead of a medical emergency, the suit says.
The plane continued to John Wayne Airport, where other passengers were removed before sheriff's deputies were called by the flight crew to deal with a passenger that had "barricaded himself in the bathroom," according to the suit.
The lawsuit suggests that Richard Ilczyszyn could have survived had the Southwest crew provided immediate medical attention.
Kelly Ilczyszyn worked as a Southwest Airlines flight attendant for 16 years. "I feel let down by my work family," she said. "They dropped the ball."
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-southwest-airlines-sued-20150420-story.html
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Woman Strip-Searched at Detroit Airport Settles Lawsuit
A woman of Arab and Jewish descent who was strip-searched at a Detroit-area airport has reached a settlement in a lawsuit filed on her behalf, the American Civil Liberties Union said Tuesday.
The federal government will give Shoshana Hebshi $40,000 as compensation for being humiliated on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks after armed agents forced her from a plane at Detroit Metropolitan Airport, made her undress during a search and held her for hours.
Frontier Airlines, the Transportation Security Administration and Wayne County Airport Authority were named in the federal lawsuit.
Hebshi, who has a Jewish mother and Saudi Arabian father, has said she was ethnically profiled based on her dark complexion.
"I filed this lawsuit because I didn't want others to experience the kind of unnecessary trauma that I did, and it has given me faith that the justice system can work to protect constitutional rights," Hebshi said in a release. "This settlement gives me some peace of mind. Now, I feel like I can finally put the incident behind me."
Hebshi of Sylvania, Ohio, was traveling home after visiting a sister in California when was removed from the Frontier Airlines flight after it landed Sept. 11, 2011. She was seated next to two Indian-American men, whom crew members had said spent a lot of time in the plane's bathroom.
All three were detained, according to the ACLU. Hebshi was held for hours before being released. The two men also were released.
"People do not forfeit their constitutional rights when they step onto an airplane," said ACLU attorney Rachel Goodman. "This settlement sends that critical message, and will help protect future passengers from having to endure what Shoshana went through."
The Airport Authority said its insurer agreed to a financial settlement to avoid "further time-consuming and costly litigation." That amount was not released.
Airport police "acted quickly and responsibly, and followed appropriate protocols in responding to a request for help from one of our airline partners," Authority Chief Executive Thomas Naughton said in a release. "I strongly support their actions. We remain committed to vigilantly protecting the safety of the travelling public."
As part of the settlement, Frontier will amend its employee handbook to more clearly state its zero-tolerance policy on discrimination and provide all new employees with training on that revision. The airline also will amend its customer complaint policy to ensure allegations of discrimination are given appropriate attention.
Frontier Airlines declined to comment on the settlement.
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/woman-strip-searched-detroit-airport-settles-lawsuit-30474470
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Asia Pacific Airline Training Symposium
15-16 September 2015 * Centara Grand Convention Center, Bangkok, Thailand
Call for Papers
The Journal for Civil Aviation Training (CAT) is now accepting presentation abstracts for the world's largest aviation training event in the Asia Pacific region. A limited number of speaker slots are available at the 12th APATS event, to be held 15-16 September, 2015, at the Centara Grand Convention Center in Bangkok, Thailand.
Over many years the challenges in aviation training have evolved, and increasingly detailed research has helped to develop a better understanding of the issues. Many conferences have provided an excellent platform on which to reveal the type and extent of the problems, but frequently the optimum solutions to these have been more difficult to discern.
The challenge for APATS 2015 is to identify and present practical solutions to some of the current headline topics in the aviation training world. The overall theme of APATS 2015 is "Training Solutions".
Presentation abstracts are invited to present best practice in the following areas, and the conference will be shaped by those abstracts.
How do we:
1. Recruit and retain new aviation professionals?
2. Select ab intio pilots, experienced crews and captains?
3. Adapt to cultural issues in the cockpit?
4. Deliver effective CRM?
5. Ensure that ICAO Level 4 Aviation English is properly examined?
6. Train to improve situational awareness?
7. Implement Evidence Based Training?
8. Train for Upset Prevention and Recovery?
9. Train to deal with lithium battery fires?
10. Deliver balanced assertiveness training for cabin crew?
Preference will be given to air carriers and training organisations with real world insights and "Lessons Learned" information. In no case will sales presentations be accepted. Actual presentations must fit into the APATS format which is 20 minutes, followed by a Q&A period. Longer presentations may be accepted if an in-depth explanation is required. In each case we are looking for two or three clear take-away ideas, so that those who deliver training, or who need certain capabilities can leave the conference with some specific plans to improve training.
To propose a presentation for the APATS conference, please send a maximum 200 word abstract by 30th April, 2015. Abstracts are required to be accompanied by a short biography of the speaker which should include contact information, titles, positions and employers, academic background and any conference presentation experience. Authors of accepted speaker proposals will be notified by 31st May, 2015. Abstracts can be sent to Chris Long, Conference Chair, at chris.long@halldale.com. File a copy to fiona@halldale.com and put "APATS 2015 ABSTRACT" in the subject block.
For more information about APATS 2015, please visit www.halldale.com/apats
Best regards,
Chris Long
APATS 2015 Conference Chair
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The Aeronautics Committee of the New York City Bar Association and Vaughn College host:
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles: The Law, Technology and Social Implications
Thursday, April 23 at 6 p.m.
6 to 9 p.m., free
Panelists to include: Brendan Schulman, Special Counsel, Kramer, Levin, Naftalis and Frankel; Ketih Hagy, Director, Engineering and Air Safety, Airline Pilots Association; Jay Stanley, Senior Policy Analyst, ACLU Speech, Privacy and Technology Project; Loretta Alkalay, Former Regional Counsel at Federal Aviation Administration; and Moderator Douglas McQueen, Aviation Attorney, LeClair Ryan.
The House of the New York City Bar Association
42 West 44 Street
New York, NY
RSVP: Alison Surcouf, asurcouf@condonlaw.com, 212.894.6863
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International Air Transport Association, Switzerland
and
Society of Air Safety Investigators Pakistan, announce:
Aviation Security Management
Course at Ramada Plaza Karachi
8th to 12th June, 2015
A unique training opportunity for security managers in South
Asia, Middle East and North Africa regions. Enhance your
capacity to meet the present and future challenges to aviation
security. Customize the course contents to your organizational
goals and objectives.
Course Objectives
* Combine security with customer service
* Select AvSec contractors and create RFPs
* Manage human factors in aviation security
* Implement quality control measures to improve security
* Conduct vulnerability assessment of your organization
* Evaluate screening points and procedures for passenger and cargo
Target Audience
* Managers from airports, airlines or civil aviation authorities,
service providers and ground handling agencies
* Airport Security Force, Police, Military and Civil organizations
who play vital role in responding to major security
emergencies
* Airport and Airlines administration representatives
* Custom and Immigration personnel
Key Topics
* Implementing international and national security legislation
(EU, TSA)
* Applying Annex 17, ICAO and IATA security manuals
* Contract management and Service Level Agreements
* In-house versus outsourced aviation security
* Controlling the flow of passenger and baggage
* Evaluating facilitation and Security Management Systems
* Ensuring the security of cargo, catering and stores
* Vulnerability assessments of airport facilities
* Guaranteeing asset protection
* Preventing fraud and smuggling
* Responding to major security emergencies
Activities
Participants will build a full security program using the
following: ▪ Exercises and assignments
▪ Case study analysis
▪ Group discussions
Final Exam
What You Get?
Participants will receive a
consolidated reference
binder of class material
as well as an electronic
version of the material
which will be of lot of
value to continue training
within their organization.
Upon successful
completion of the course
a certificate will be issued
by IATA.
Course Location
Karachi -A Shopper's
Paradise. The place of
this course is selected on
technical grounds but it is
a shopper's paradise.
One of the cheapest
cities of the world has a
wide range of activities
for visitors; eating out is a
fun in Karachi with
restaurants stretched
over six kilometers of
Beach. Shopping malls
and traditional bazaars
are full of negotiating
scenes where you can
buy carpets, wooden
articles and leather
products.
Course Fee
1,695 US$ per
person. It includes course
material, snacks during
tea and coffee break and
lunch during course days.
It also includes a
welcome breakfast on
first day and course
dinner with a boat trip at
"Port Grand" the land
For Registration info@sasi-pakistan.org Contact Air Cdre Rasheed A Bhatti Mob: 0303 9121694 Office +92 21 3645 0114 Email: rashidabhatti@hotmail.com Capt Mohsin 03333192665 mohsinausaf@yahoo.com; visit www.sasi-pakistan.org
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GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY REQUEST
Hello, you are receiving this message as a courtesy to Mr. Hussain Alhallaf, a Ph.D. candidate
at Florida Institute of Technology's doctoral program in Aviation Sciences in the College of
Aeronautics. He is examining the relationship between factors affecting the aviation profession
and the concept of aviation professionalism, specifically understanding aviation
professionalism, and is seeking your assistance to complete an online questionnaire, which
would take 10-15 minutes to complete. Mr. Alhallaf endeavors to understand why the aviation
profession is such an important career and how can we improve ourselves as professionals
within the aviation profession. In addition to taking the survey we also are seeking your
generosity in distributing the survey's link. Your assistance and participation are totally
appreciated.
If you have any questions or are unable to distribute the email to your members, please do not hesitate to
contact me via e-mail at halhallaf2014@my.fit.edu or by Cell phone at (386) 847-7671.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Yours faithfully,
Hussain Alhallaf
Ph.D. candidate in Aviation Sciences
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Upcoming Events:
ERAU NextGen 101 Seminar
April 21-22, 2015.
Washington D.C.
http://proed.erau.edu/programs/specialized-industry-training/nextgen-101-seminar/index.html
FAA Helicopter Safety Effort
three-day safety forum
April 21-23, 2015
Hurst, Texas
eugene.trainor@faa.gov
www.faahelisafety.org
Fundamentals of IS-BAO
April 23, 2015
PCAT Safety Smackdown, San Antonio TX USA
https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1657525
IS-BAO Auditing
April 24, 2015
PCAT Safety Smackdown, San Antonio TX USA
https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1657526
WATS 2015
21-23 April
Orlando, Florida, USA
www.halldale.com/wats
ERAU Aircraft Accident Investigation Seminar
Daytona Beach, FL
Apr. 27-May 1, 2015
www.erau.edu/cmas
ISASI MARC Meeting/Dinner
April 30, 2015
Herndon, Virginia
http://isasi.org/Documents/EventsAndAlerts/ISASI%20MARC%202015%20Dinner.pdf
GWBAA Safety Standdown
April 30th
NTSB Academy
www.gwbaa.com
ERAU Advanced Aircraft Accident Investigation Seminar
Prescott Campus, AZ
May 4-8, 2015
www.erau.edu/cmas
IATA Cabin Operations Safety Conference
May 5-7, 2015
Paris, France
www.iata.org/cabin-safety-conference
ERAU Aviation SMS Seminar
Daytona Beach, FL
May 12-14, 2015
www.erau.edu/sms
Aircraft Accident Investigation - Fire and Material Failures
New course offered by BlazeTech Corp.
Woburn MA USA
19-21 May 2015
www.blazetech.com
Fundamentals of IS-BAH
June 15, 2015
St. Hubert, Quebec Canada
https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1659069
IS-BAH Auditing
June 16, 2015
St. Hubert, Quebec Canada
https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1659079
6th Pan American Aviation Safety Summit
June 22-26th
Medellin, Colombia
http://www.alta.aero/safety/2015/home.php
Fundamentals of IS-BAO
April 23, 2015
PCAT Safety Smackdown, San Antonio TX USA
https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1657525
IS-BAO Auditing
April 24, 2015
PCAT Safety Smackdown, San Antonio TX USA
https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1657526
Fundamentals of IS-BAO
May 12, 2015
Toluca, Mexico
https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1698113
IS-BAO Auditing
May 13, 2015
Toluca, Mexico
https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1698115
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JOBS AVAILABLE:
Aviation Technical Writer
Garmin
www.Garmin.com/careers
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Curt Lewis & Associates, LLC - Services
Curt Lewis, PhD, CSP, FRAeS
curt@curt-lewis.com
PH: 1-817-845-3983
Web: www.curt-lewis.com
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Contact Information
"Flight Safety Information" is a free service of:
Curt Lewis, PhD, CSP, FRAeS
CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC
(Targeting Safety & Risk Management)
curt@curt-lewis.com
www.curt-lewis.com
www.fsinfo.org
PH: 817-845-3983
Fax: 682-292-0835
Twitter: curtllewis01
Skype: curt.lewis2
Curt Lewis & Associates, LLC is an international, multi-discipline technical and scientific consulting firm specializing in aviation and industrial safety. Our specialties are aviation litigation support, aviation/airport safety programs, accident investigation and reconstruction, safety & quality assessments/audits, system safety (PRA), human factors, Safety Management Systems (SMS) assessment/implementation & training, safety/quality training & risk management, aviation manual development, IS-BAO Auditing, airfield/heliport lighting products, patent infringement/invalidity expert testimony and Technical Support.
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