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FAA fines United for Jackson Hole runway excursion - Brake wires "cross-connected"

FAA has officially notified United Airlines it will fine the carrier $18,000 for violating regulations related to an Airbus A320 veering off the runway at Jackson Hole, Wyoming in February.

A spokeswoman for the carrier confirms United has received the fine letter, and says no decision has been made about contesting the charges.

The aircraft, operated by United's wholly-owned budget carrier Ted, came to rest 35m (116ft) past the end of the runway and 43m (140ft) right of the runway centerline.

Investigators with the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined that wires in the landing gear brake configuration on the A320 were cross connected. Specifically, the board's examination of the left main landing gear brakes revealed the inboard and outboard wheel speed tachometer wires were crossed.

Previously, NTSB has said United's maintenance records indicated both main landing gear units were replaced on the incident aircraft in early February.

The board is also examining a similar United A320 incident that occurred in October 2007.

Source: Air Transport Intelligence news

FAA Issues AD for Eclipse 500® Very Light Jet

AD Requires Eclipse 500 Pilot Inspections; Eclipse 500 Fleet Remains Airborne
ALBUQUERQUE, NM — June 13, 2008 — The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued an Airworthiness Directive (AD) for the Eclipse 500 fleet of aircraft manufactured by Eclipse Aviation. The AD, released late Thursday evening, was issued following an emergency landing performed by an Eclipse 500 pilot on June 5, 2008 at Chicago Midway International Airport. Download 20081351_emergency_ad_eclipse.pdf

The two pilots and two passengers aboard the aircraft were not injured and the aircraft did not sustain any damage. In advance of the premature National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) recommendation and the FAA’s issuance of the AD, Eclipse Aviation issued two communications proactively informing all Eclipse Aviation customers and Eclipse 500 operators of the occurrence in Chicago. As of this morning, all fleet operators using the Eclipse 500 already have complied with the AD inspection requirement, and their aircraft are in the air operating normally.

The AD requires a pilot inspection of the thrust quadrant assembly on each Eclipse 500 in advance of the aircraft’s next flight. Contrary to early erroneous reports, the AD does not require that any plane in the Eclipse 500 fleet be grounded. The required inspection of the thrust quadrant assembly can be performed by any licensed pilot and noted in an aircraft logbook. This inspection can be completed in less than 10 minutes. The isolated occurrence stems from an exceedance of certified design limits and Eclipse has instituted a procedure that deals with this condition.

NTSB ISSUES URGENT RECOMMENDATIONS TO FAA TO INSPECT ALL ECLIPSE 500 THROTTLE QUADRANTS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 12, 2008 SB-08-27

Washington, DC - The National Transportation Safety Board today issued two urgent recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration to address a safety issue concerning a failure that resulted in uncontrollable engine thrust in an Eclipse 500 airplane and the lack of emergency procedures developed for that failure.

The Safety Board recommended that the FAA should require immediate inspection of all Eclipse 500 airplane throttle quadrants to ensure that pushing the throttle levers against the maximum power stops will not result in an engine control failure, and that the FAA should further require that all units that fail inspection be replaced and replacement parts be similarly inspected.

The Board also recommended that the FAA require Eclipse to immediately develop for the Eclipse 500 airplane an emergency procedure for a dual engine control failure and incorporate the procedure into the airplane flight manual and quick reference handbook via an airworthiness directive.

NTSB Issues Recommendations For B757-200 Wing Panels

Says Panels Should Be Inspected For Missing, Cracked Clips

Following a March incident involving a Boeing 757-200 flying for US Airways, on Thursday the National Transportation Safety Board issued to address loose, cracked, and incorrectly-fastened wing panels on the type.

As ANN reported, on March 22 a Boeing 757-225 operated by US Airways as flight 1250 experienced an in-flight separation of the left upper wing fixed trailing edge panel during cruise flight at FL270 enroute from Orlando, FL, to Philadelphia, PA. The panel struck several windows toward the middle of the aircraft, cracking the outer pane of one window. The inner failsafe pane was undamaged, and the pressurization of the aircraft was not compromised.

No emergency was declared, and the airplane landed at Philadelphia International Airport about 30 minutes after the separation occurred. None of the 174 passengers or six crewmembers was injured.

To date, the panel has not been recovered. The B757 upper wing fixed trailing edge panel is a rectangular panel approximately four feet by five feet, with approximately half of the forward side of the panel attached to the panel support beam, which is in turn attached to the wing rear spar vertical stiffeners using three support clips and spacers.

NTSB Says Failed Clips To Blame For 757 Wing Panel Shedding

Fastener Change Performed As Part Of 1991 AD

It now appears a Boeing 757 which lost a four-by-five-foot composite wing panel somewhere over Maryland late last month, suffered failed fasteners which were installed as part of an FAA airworthiness directive in 1991.

The National Transportation Safety Board says that missing panel -- which flew off the jet March 22, as ANN reported -- was never located, but adds the Board has found enough evidence in surrounding components to determine what happened to US Airways flight 1250.

"Initial examination of these components revealed that two of the three clips that secured the leading edge of the panel to the wing had failed due to metal fatigue sometime prior to the incident flight," the NTSB noted in an update Tuesday. "The remaining clip failed during flight 1250, causing the panel to separate from the aircraft."

The board added that a fastener change was mandated in an FAA airworthiness directive in 1991, and was completed on this particular 757 by its then-owner, Eastern Airlines. The board says it was the redesigned fasteners that failed on flight 1250.

Since the March incident, NTSB says inspections of all flying 757s has found problems with wing panel fasteners on several other aircraft, which have since been repaired and returned to service.

The loss of the panel has also been downgraded from an accident to an incident in official jargon, since the plane's flight data recorder revealed no adverse affect on the plane's handling after the panel detached. The debris did strike the side of the plane, however, causing minor damage to the fuselage and cracking the outer pane of a cabin window in row 19.

FMI: NTSB, US Airways, ANN

Hearing Will Review Death Of El Paso Airline Mechanic

Former FAA Inspector Says Investigation Was Cut Short

The tragic death of an airline mechanic on the ramp at El Paso International Airport has come under scrutiny, after a former FAA inspector said his supervisors at the time rushed their investigation into the matter.

As ANN reported, Donald Gene Buchanan was killed January 16, 2006, as he checked a reported oil leak on a Continental Airlines Boeing 737-500. The contract mechanic was ingested into a turbofan when another mechanic, believing the area around the engine's inlet was clear, told the plane's flight crew to throttle power up to 70 percent.

According to the NTSB Probable Cause report, Buchanan step into the inlet hazard zone as the turbofan spooled up from idle. The Board cited Buchanan's failure to maintain proper clearance with the engine intake during a jet engine run, as well as the failure of contract maintenance personnel to follow written procedures and directives contained in the airline's general maintenance manual, as the primary causes of the accident.

A lack of proper mechanic training by Continental, as well as the failure of the airport to enforce its own rules prohibiting ground run-ups above idle power in the terminal area, were noted as contributing factors.

NTSB To Hold Safety Forum on Unmanned Aircraft Systems

Washington, D.C. - The National Transportation Safety Board will hold a three-day forum on the safety of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). The forum will be convened April 29 to May 1 in the NTSB Board Room and Conference Center in Washington. The forum will provide an opportunity for the Board and interested parties to understand the safety implications presented by the growing use of UAS in the National Airspace System.

Issues addressed will include:

- Regulatory standards
- Integration with the National Airspace System
- Perspectives of current UAS operators
- Design, certification and airworthiness
- Human factors
- Future UAS applications and perspectives of current
users of the National Airspace System

The forum is a result of the Safety Board's investigation into a Predator B unmanned aircraft that crashed near Nogales, Arizona, in April 2006. The Board's October 2007 meeting on this accident resulted in 22 safety recommendations to address deficiencies associated with the civilian use of unmanned aircraft.