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NTSB Investigating In-Flight Separation of B-757 Wing Panel

National Transportation Safety Board, Washington, DC 20594

March 27, 2008

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating an aircraft accident in which a panel from the wing of a US Airways B-757, flight 1250 en route from Orlando, Florida, to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, separated from the aircraft somewhere over Maryland. The aircraft landed in Philadelphia about 30 minutes after the separation occurred. None of the 174 passengers or 6 crew were injured.

On Saturday, March 22, 2008, at about 9:30 a.m. EDT, a composite panel, measuring about 4 feet by 5 feet, on the trailing edge of the upper side of the left wing, broke lose from the aircraft and struck several of the windows towards the rear of the aircraft. The impact caused the outer panel of one window to crack. The inner pane was undamaged and the pressurization of the aircraft was not compromised.

Because the loss of the wing panel adversely affected the flight characteristics of the aircraft, the event has been classified as an accident. The wing panel has not yet been located.

Anti-missile system pushed for commercial planes

Defense contractor urges the Defense Department to install its system

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Military planes have them. Major airlines don't want them.

Desert Shield troops leave a Civil Reserve Air Fleet jet. Two companies want anti-missile systems on such planes. So Northrop Grumman -- maker of a system to protect planes from shoulder-fired missiles -- is trying to tap a market that bridges the military and civilian worlds.

The defense contractor Wednesday urged the Defense Department to install its anti-missile system on commercial airlines that transport soldiers and military equipment to war zones. "We believe that the most immediate and best use of this kind of technology is to protect those aircraft, those commercial civilian airplanes that you and I fly on, that are called into service to support military troop and cargo movements in and out of those areas today," said Jack Pledger, a Northrop Grumman executive.

FAA Official Seeks Changes for Inspectors

By CHRISTOPHER CONKEY
Wall Street Journal
March 27, 2008; Page A4

WASHINGTON -- Amid rising concerns over lapses in airline maintenance, the nation's top aviation safety official says he wants to make it easier for federal inspectors to raise concerns even if their bosses object.

Nicholas Sabatini, the Federal Aviation Administration's associate administrator for aviation safety, says the proposed changes are designed to prevent a repeat of the situation that occurred at Southwest Airlines Co., which flew older 737s that were overdue for inspections with the blessing of an FAA supervisor who dismissed the concerns of lower-level inspectors. That episode has spawned federal investigations, a $10.2 million civil penalty, a series of industrywide audits and intense scrutiny of how dependent the FAA has become on industry cooperation to assess safety risks.

"I'm ultimately accountable for the Southwest issue," Mr. Sabatini said in an interview. "I don't step away from that responsibility." More important, he said, are the "lessons learned." "What this pointed out to us is the human risk," he said.

U.S. airline fleets showing their age - New Focus on Perils of Outsourcing

Maintenance issues ground American, Delta planes, leading to flight cancellations.
By Martin Zimmerman and Tiffany Hsu, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
March 27, 2008

The nation's aging airline fleets, already struggling with high fuel costs and growing passenger demand, delivered another blow to travelers Wednesday as American Airlines and Delta Air Lines canceled hundreds of flights while planes were reinspected for compliance with federal maintenance rules. More disruptions are expected today.

Experts said the airlines' decision to voluntarily ground the planes didn't signal that they were unsafe. But the episode is the latest indication that a combination of aging aircraft and schedule reductions are leaving the industry with fewer options.

U.S. airlines, beset by financial woes that have forced them to postpone capital investments, operate some of the oldest fleets in the world, noted Richard Aboulafia, an analyst with the Teal Group.

Older aircraft need more upkeep, which can result in more down time.

"This isn't a safety issue," he said. "But reliability is becoming a concern due to the age of the fleet." And with fewer planes, the carriers also are hard-pressed to re-book passengers onto other flights when there are cancellations for inspections or other reasons.

2-Seat Rocket Planned for Space Tourism

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A California aerospace company plans to enter the space tourism industry with a two-seat rocket ship capable of suborbital flights to altitudes more than 37 miles above the Earth.

The Lynx, about the size of a small private plane, is expected to begin flying in 2010, according to developer Xcor Aerospace, which planned to release details of the design at a news conference Wednesday. The company also said that, pending the outcome of negotiations, the Air Force Research Laboratory has awarded it a research contract to develop and test features of the Lynx. No details were released.

Xcor's announcement comes two months after aerospace designer Burt Rutan and billionaire Richard Branson unveiled a model of SpaceShipTwo, which is being built for Branson's Virgin Galactic space tourism company and may begin test flights this year.

Delta Grounds 133 Aircraft for Inspections

Atlanta, Georgia - Delta Airlines on Wednesday night ordered voluntary inspections of wire bundles on its MD-88 and MD-90 aircraft. The aircraft were inspected earlier this year but Delta says it is "proactively and voluntarily revalidating" compliance with an Airworthiness Directive from the Federal Aviation Administration.

The airline is not sure how long the inspections will take but Delta cancelled about 56 flights out of Hartsfield Airport Wednesday evening. No flights to Tampa were affected but flights to Tallahassee, Sarasota, and Pensacola were scrubbed. Delta says it won't be able to help stranded travelers until Thursday. The airline is contacting people with future flight plans to reschedule their travel.

Earlier Wednesday, American Airlines cancelled about 325 flights so maintenance crews could inspect wiring bundles on its MD-80 aircraft. Seven American Airlines flights to Tampa International Airport were scrubbed. Seven departing flights were also cancelled.

FMI: TampaBay10

American Airlines cancels 300 flights to inspect MD-80 aircraft

The canceled flights represent about 13% of the estimated 2,300 flights that the nation's biggest airline had scheduled for the day. The highest concentrations of the cancellations were in the airline's hubs at Dallas-Fort Worth and Chicago O'Hare international airports.

American initially put the number of cancellations at 200, but spokesman Tim Wagner said that was a conservative estimate because the airline prefers to hold off on cancellations as long as possible. The entire fleet of MD-80s is being inspected, Wagner said.

The need for the new inspections became known during an audit of American by a joint team of inspectors from the Federal Aviation Administration and the Fort Worth-based airline, Wagner said.

PAMA/SAE Institute Announces Composites Program Design Workshop

Dear Industry Stakeholder,

In preparation for the PAMA/SAE Institute Composite Bonded Structures Certification Program Design Workshop scheduled for Tuesday, April 15, 2008 in Athens, Greece, a Webex telecon has been scheduled to initiate discussion on the appropriate certification tracks that should be developed. This concurrent online telecon will set the stage for the content of the one-day Athens Workshop. Participation is open to all interested stakeholders, subject matter experts, and other industry professionals.

Note: This Webex telecon is particularly important for those unable to attend the Athens meeting.

If you are interested in participating in this initial (and future) Webinar(s) on Monday, March 31, 2008 - 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. EDT, please contact me and we will forward the details in the next couple days.

Thank you for your support!

Laura Blanchard
Certification Coordinator
PAMA/SAE Institute Professional Certifications

PAMA/SAE Institute Announces Composites Program Design Workshop

Dear Industry Stakeholder,

In preparation for the PAMA/SAE Institute Composite Bonded Structures Certification Program Design Workshop scheduled for Tuesday, April 15, 2008 in Athens, Greece, a Webex telecon has been scheduled to initiate discussion on the appropriate certification tracks that should be developed. This concurrent online telecon will set the stage for the content of the one-day Athens Workshop. Participation is open to all interested stakeholders, subject matter experts, and other industry professionals. Note: This Webex telecon is particularly important for those unable to attend the Athens meeting.

If you are interested in participating in this initial (and future) Webinar(s) on Monday, March 31, 2008 - 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. EDT, please contact me and we will forward the details in the next couple days.

Thank you for your support!

Laura Blanchard
Certification Coordinator
PAMA/SAE Institute Professional Certifications

Boeing To Provide Airplane Health Management System To Qantas

Will Monitor Unscheduled Maintenance On 747-400s
Boeing announced Monday that Qantas Airways' fleet of 747-400 airplanes will be monitored by Boeing's Airplane Health Management (AHM), a software system that helps airlines improve the management of unscheduled maintenance events.

In addition, Qantas will use Airplane Health Management for future 787 Dreamliner deliveries, of which the airline has 65 on order. Qantas' 30 747-400s will use Airplane Health Management to gather and evaluate critical in-flight data on the real-time flying condition of its airplanes, information that can be used across the enterprise to identify and address overall efficiency.