Safety News in Brief

Air Safety Week, Dec 18, 2006

Date: 12-Dec
Incident: Russian minister for transport Igor Levitin has presented medals
recognizing the courage of those involved in the evacuation and rescue of
passengers from Siberia Airlines flight S7 778 which caught fire after
overrunning the runway at Irkutsk on 9 July:  Olga Dmitriyenko - senior flight
attendant  Tatiana Yegorova - senior flight attendant  Victoria Zilberstein -
flight attendant  Vladimir Danilov - branch manager, New Moscow bank  flight
attendant Andrei Dyakonov, posthumously.

Date: 12-Dec
Incident: Government and industry officials say the FAA may soon raise the
required retirement age for airline pilots from 60 to 65. Insiders say FAA
Administrator Blakey will gauge support from new Democratic leaders in Congress
before announcing a policy change.

Date: 12-Dec
Incident: Several radar upgrades at Los Angeles International Airport originally
planned to be in situ in 2006 are months behind schedule. Air traffic
controllers say the equipment is essential to prevent potential collisions on
the ground. The FAA attributed the delays in the ASDE-X system at LAX to
construction at other airports that required the agency to install the equipment
at those facilities first. Ian Gregor, an FAA spokesman, emphasizes that the
current runway safety equipment at LAX is not "insufficient in any way. Given
the scope and complexity of what we're doing, it's inevitable that delays will
occur."

Date: 12-Dec
Incident: With airlines relying increasingly on extended global routes, U.S.
air-safety regulators have set an important precedent by allowing pilots to fly
longer than normal shifts on certain nonstop trips. The FAA took the first step
late last month by permitting some Delta pilots to be scheduled behind the
controls for a total of more than the current eight-hour limit during a single
workday. It issued special operational rules covering Delta's daily flights
between Mumbai, India, and New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport that
will allow the carrier to complete the trips without having to add any
additional flight crew beyond the four pilots normally required on shorter
international routes.

Date: 10-Dec
Incident: On October 18, 2006, at 1347 mountain standard time, a Piper PA-42
(Cheyenne III), N121CS, was destroyed when its tail section separated in flight
while maneuvering about 16 nautical miles northeast of Prescott, Arizona. The
airline transport pilot and four passengers sustained fatal injuries and the
airplane was destroyed. The intent of the flight was to take aerial photographs
of a MiG 21 airplane (N21UT). It is now believed that after inflight photos were
nearly completed, and the Cheyenne maneuvered very closely behind the Mig,
afterburner was apparently used for a breakaway shot, and the tail was torn
completely off the Cheyenne (NTSB Lax07fa012)

Date: 9-Dec
Incident: The head of the watchdog agency overseeing air safety in Russia and
other ex-Soviet republics on Wednesday called for tougher controls over aircraft
parts after several deadly crashes this year. Tatyana Anodina, head of the
Moscow-based Interstate Aviation Committee, also voiced concern about the age of
Soviet-built passenger jets still in service. "The aging of the aircraft fleet
causes concern," she told a news conference. She said her committee, which
investigates air crashes in Russia and 11 other ex-Soviet republics and issues
air safety guidelines, would draft new rules on extending planes' lifetimes,
combating counterfeit parts and providing maintenance. Russia's top prosecutor
said in October that some Russian airlines were using fake and substandard
parts. Shortly thereafter, authorities arrested two executives at a company
based at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport on charges of selling spare aircraft
parts that had outlived their service lifetime. "The use of counterfeit products
means tragedy," Anodin

Date: 9-Dec
Incident: The Civil Aviation Administration of China and Japan Airlines have
reached an agreement to launch cooperative projects with the Civil Aviation
Safety Institute of China aimed at contributing to the development of global
flight safety. A meeting to exchange information and opinions was held December
12-15 in Tokyo. The Civil Aviation Safety Institute of China, under the umbrella
of the Civil Aviation Administration of China, was established in Beijing on May
24, 2006 with the aim of strengthening the safety management system of China's
civil aviation due to the rapid increase of air transportation and to train
personnel to promote flight safety. It has six departments of study, comprising
operational standards, airport safety management, air traffic safety management,
aircraft airworthiness certification, accident investigation and safety
information, and safety theory. The Institute also provides specialist education
on air safety for Chinese commercial airlines' staff and students. It aims to
expand the scal

Date: 8-Dec
Incident: Brazilian federal police on Friday charged two New York pilots
involved in a collision that killed 154 people with exposing an aircraft to
danger. The charges could carry a penalty of 12 years in prison. Joseph Lepore,
42, of Bay Shore, and Jan Paladino, 34, Westhampton Beach, were questioned by
police for six hours and then were allowed to pick up their passports and leave
the country, but they are required to return for their trial.

Date: 7-Dec
Incident: The Bush administration is close to finalizing a measure that will
allow twin-engine airliners on long-haul flights to take more direct (ETOPS)
routes over water and the polar region, a US aviation regulator said on
Wednesday.