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Collision risk high on U.S. airport runways: safety expert

The rate of close calls on airport runways in the United States is up over last year and the risk of a collision is high, a U.S. government investigator said Thursday.

Gerald Dillingham, the General Accountability Office's top expert on aviation safety, told a House of Representatives panel that there were 24 of the most serious kinds of runway incursions — defined as an event in which any aircraft, vehicle or person intrudes in space reserved for takeoff or landing — in fiscal 2008. Download gao_rw_incursions_092508_d081169t1.pdf

That's the same number of serious incursions as last year. But since air travel and airport operations have declined this year, the rate of serious incidents — measured by number of incidents per one million takeoffs and landings — has increased about 10 per cent, Dillingham said.

Both the number and rate of all types of runway incursions, ranging from near collisions to minor incidents in which there was no threat to safety, also are up, he said.

"We all agree … that [the Federal Aviation Administration] has given a higher priority to runway safety," including following several GAO recommendations, Dillingham said. "Despite these actions the risk of runway collisions is still high."

Serious incidents down from high of 53 in 2001
FAA Chief Operating Officer Hank Krakowski said the agency has made "solid progress" this year. He noted that the 24 serious incidents in 2007 were down from a high of 53 incidents in 2001.

FAA: Two controllers not fully certified

Pair was unsupervised in tower when two planes nearly collided, top official testifies.
By Josh Drobnyk | Call Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON - A top official at the Federal Aviation Administration told lawmakers Thursday he's concerned that two relatively inexperienced air traffic controllers were alone on duty in the tower -- while other controllers were on break -- when two planes narrowly missed colliding last week at Lehigh Valley International Airport.

A regional jet carrying 39 passengers had to swerve on takeoff last Friday night to avoid a small plane that was taxiing on the runway. They missed one another by about 10 feet.

Testifying before a U.S. House aviation panel, Hank Krakowski, chief operating officer of the FAA's Air Traffic Organization, said neither of the two controllers in the LVIA tower was fully certified. Of the six other controllers on duty, three were on break and the others were handling radar.

Krakowski said the controller who cleared the Chicago-bound United Express flight for take-off completed his training a month ago, but has been decertified and must undergo more training, as is normal procedure after a near-collision. The controller in charge at the time had been at LVIA for 10 months and had five years of experience.

Though neither was fully certified to handle every controller position, both had the proper training to handle traffic, Krakowski said.

Wing failure focus of FAA crash probe

BY RAY HAGAR
RGJ.com

An investigation into Saturday's fatal crash of a pilot practicing in a home-built aircraft for the Reno National Championship Air Races will focus on why the wings came off, a federal official said Sunday.

Formula One racer Erica Simpson, 32, of Phillipsburg, N.J., was killed about 9 a.m. while preparing for her second year of competition at Reno Stead Airport.

"She went into a roll. She was demonstrating a roll, and the wings came off," Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said. "That is what the investigation will center on."

Simpson, a commercial pilot raised in Port Wing, Wis., competed in the biplane class in 2006. She was flying a single-engine Cassult IIIM on Saturday.

Three pilots were killed in competition during last year's air races. There have been 19 fatalities in the 45-year history of the event.

The danger will prompt FAA officials to take extra precautions before the races begin Wednesday.

GA Awards Program Finds Home at AirVenture Museum

Committee hopes to fill in missing names, raise funds for display
OSHKOSH, WI (August 1, 2008)—For the first time in its 45-year history, the General Aviation Awards Program has a place to call home—and a place where the names of the annual recipients of the national awards can be publically recognized and honored.

A display honoring the recipients of the national Certificated Flight Instructor of the Year, the Aviation Maintenance Technician of the Year, the Avionics Technician of the Year, and the FAA Safety Team Representative of the Year (previously the Aviation Safety Counselor of the Year) was mounted in the EAA AirVenture Museum Hall of Fame during AirVenture Oshkosh 2008.

“Here now is a place where these names will forever be recorded,” said JoAnn Hill, chairperson for the awards program. “All of these people keep general aviation alive and well and safe; if we didn’t have good people, the industry wouldn’t survive.”

Spanair MD-82 struck terrain tail-first: investigators

Spanish investigators have disclosed that the Spanair Boeing MD-82 which crashed on departure from Madrid Barajas last week descended and struck the ground tail-first while struggling to climb away.

The aircraft travelled for 1.2km, hitting terrain three times before coming to rest.

Spain's Comision de Investigacion de Accidentes e Incidentes de Aviacion Civil (CIAIAC) revealed the information in the first update on the inquiry's progress since the 20 August accident which killed 154 of the 172 on board the jet.

It says that no marks or debris from the aircraft were found on the runway. Initial impact marks have been discovered to the right of the runway, indicating that the aircraft struck tail-first and that a section of the tail - possibly the tail-cone, which can detach to aid evacuation - came away.

The investigation agency has not confirmed the angle of attack of the aircraft at the point of impact.

CIAIAC's Francisco Javier Soto states: "[The MD-82's] movement along the ground lasted approximately 1,200m."

There is no firm indication of the height the aircraft achieved before it descended.

Specialists in the UK are extracting information from the cockpit-voice and flight-data recorders retrieved from the aircraft.

The aircraft's Pratt & Whitney JT8D-217 engines, thrust-reversers and auxiliary power unit have been recovered and stored for examination, along with some of the MD-82's avionics.

No conclusions have yet been reached over the status of the aircraft's engines or other systems at the time of the accident. The investigators are still collating data from several sources, including video surveillance, airport radar, air traffic control and maintenance personnel.

CIAIAC says that it is required to produce an initial factual report on the accident within a month.

NTSB issues brief Factual Report on Spanair Crash

NTSB Identification: DCA08RA090
Scheduled 14 CFR Non-U.S., Commercial operation of Spanair
Accident occurred Wednesday, August 20, 2008 in Madrid, Spain
Aircraft: Boeing MD-82, registration: EC-HFP
Injuries: 154 Fatal, 18 Serious.

On August 20, 2008, at 1245 local time, Spanair Flight JK5022, a Boeing MD-82 registered in Spain as EC-HFP, crashed upon take-off from Madrid Barajas International Airport, Mardrid, Spain. The flight was destined for Las Palmas De Gran Canaria Airport, in the Canary Islands. The aircraft was destroyed during the accident and 154 fatalities were reported. There were a total of 172 people on board. The Spanish Civil Aviation Accidents and Incidents Investigation Commission (CIAIAC) is the lead accident investigation authority. The NTSB sent a US Accredited Representative along with technical specialists to assist the CIAIAC.

For additional information on this accident investigation, contact the CIAIAC or check their website.

United Technologies tests world's fastest helicopter

BOSTON, Aug 27 (Reuters) - Diversified U.S. manufacturer United Technologies Corp, the world's second-largest helicopter maker, conducted the first test flight on Wednesday of what it called the world's fastest helicopter.

The prototype X2 aircraft has an estimated cruising speed of 250 knots, or 288 miles per hour (464 kmph), and has been in development since June 2005, United Tech's Sikorsky unit said.

The fastest helicopters on the market today top out at about 180 knots, or 207 miles per hour (333 kmph), according to Sikorsky officials. Textron Inc's V-22 Osprey tilt- rotor aircraft, which takes off and lands like a helicopter but flies like an airplane, cruises at about 275 knots, or 316 miles per hour (509 kmph).

Embry-Riddle Keeps Top Spot in U.S. News & World Report's Best College Rankings for Ninth Year in a Row

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., Aug 25, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ -- New Doctoral Programs in Aviation and Engineering Physics Planned

For the ninth year in a row, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has earned the top ranking in the annual "America's Best Colleges" guide published by U.S. News & World Report magazine.

In the specialty category of "Best Aerospace/Aeronautical/Astronautical Engineering Programs at Schools Whose Highest Degree is a Bachelor's or Master's," Embry-Riddle's Daytona Beach campus has been number one every year since the category was introduced in 2001. Embry-Riddle's Prescott, Ariz., campus has been number three in that category since 2004. The U.S. Air Force Academy took second place this year, the U.S. Naval Academy fourth, and Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo fifth.

Embry-Riddle has one of the largest and most well-regarded Aerospace Engineering programs in the nation. The Daytona Beach and Prescott campuses offer a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering. The Daytona Beach campus also offers two different master's programs in Aerospace Engineering.

"For the ninth straight year, U.S. News has honored Embry-Riddle for outstanding achievement," said Dr. John P. Johnson, Embry-Riddle president. "This prestigious accomplishment was made possible by top-caliber faculty, staff, and students in our engineering departments and throughout the University."

ICAO safety audit gives U.S. high mark

The U.S. aviation system received a score of 91 out of 100 in a new safety audit released by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

The U.S. score, which was well above the global average of 56, reflected U.S. compliance with over 9,500 international safety standards. The FAA led U.S. preparations for the audit, which also included the National Transportation Safety Board, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.

The team of ICAO auditors conducted a comprehensive audit of all aspects of civil aviation in the United States, including aircraft operations and airworthiness, accident investigation, navigation services, airports, personnel licensing and legislation and regulations. The auditors interviewed technical experts and conducted site visits to government and industry facilities to assess overall safety oversight.

The Universal Safety Oversight Audit Program was established by ICAO in 1995 at the urging of the United States. It provides civil aviation authorities throughout the world with valuable information on the overall health and effectiveness of their airspace systems. (FAA)

FMI: Aviation Safety

Obama plane crash scare was serious

WASHINGTON: The pilot of Barack Obama's chartered campaign plane declared an emergency and requested crash equipment at the site of an unscheduled landing last month.

Control tower tapes reveal that the July 7 incident, which ended safely, was more serious than previously thought.

The Democratic White House hopeful and 50 others including campaign staff and journalists were aboard the twin-engined Midwest Airlines MD-81 when its pilot detected problems with pitch controls, which keep the aircraft level in flight.