AIR SAFETY WEEK :: NOVEMBER 17, 2008

Lawyer Calls for Stricter Helicopter EMS Safety Standards
Helicopter crashes are on the rise, particularly medevac flights that are meant to save lives. The most recent occurred Oct. 15 when a Bell 222 EMS helicopter crashed outside Chicago, killing four people, including an infant whose life those on board were trying to save. The chopper, flying at night, crashed...

Another News Chopper Makes News
The pilot and traffic reporter on board a news gathering helicopter escaped harm when their Bell 206B3 JetRanger III lost power and made a hard landing near I-95 in West Palm Beach, FL on Nov. 11. The WPEC-12 reporter said he saw the chopper's main rotor stop spinning as it neared the ground. Both men were...

Performance Based Navigation Discussed
The aviation industry must accelerate implementation of advanced airspace management technologies to counteract pressure from a public increasingly concerned about the environment, improved schedule reliability and increased safety. That's the message Chris Manning, former chief pilot at Qantas, delivered to...

Mercy Flight Ends in Tragedy
A man flying to Gainesville, FL for a kidney transplant, his wife and a pilot were killed when their twin-engine aircraft attempted to make an instrument landing and crashed short of the Gainesville airport Friday, Nov. 7. Killed in the crash were pilot Andrew Ricciuti, 45, who flew for a charter company...

ADS-B: At What Price?
Emphasizing the need for affordable equipment along with services that deliver good value for general aviation operators, AOPA on Oct. 31 submitted comments formally expressing its support for key recommendations from the FAA's Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) report on ADS-B. The ARC report echoed...

With a Wing and a Prayer
Last week, Air Safety Week reported on how a Qantas jumbo jet with a malfunctioning weather radar was guided to a safe landing This week, we relate how a blinded British Cessna pilot flying solo was able to make it back to the ground. The 65-year-old private pilot who was left almost entirely blind when he...

Safety & Technology Trends
NWA Grounds Jetliners It is reported that Northwest Airlines temporarily grounded 27 of its Boeing 757 aircraft on Friday, Nov. 7 as a result of an internal audit. The planes were cleared to resume flying within three hours. "We learned that we were technically noncompliant with one minor aspect of an...

Security Shortlines
Paperless Boarding Pass Rolled Out The paper airline boarding pass may soon become a thing of the past inasmuch as the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is testing an electronic boarding pass that is download-able to a passenger's cell phone or personal digital assistant (PDA). Each paperless...

Safety Rules & Regulations
Airworthiness Directive; Boeing Model 757-200 and 757-300. Final Rule. SUMMARY: This AD requires installing a bonding jumper between a ground and the clamp on the tube of the forward and aft gray water composite drain masts. For certain airplanes, this AD requires inspecting existing aft bonding jumper...

Accidents & Incidents
Date Aircraft Type Narrative Death/Injury Remarks Sept 06, 2008 Muzino Village, Russia Robinson R-44 RA-04180 Four-place R-44 crashed in a wildlife preserve under unknown circumstances. Two fatalities, one serious Accident location was near Kuzmino Village, Smolensk Region, Russia. Helicopter was...