JACDEC SAFETY NEWS 2009

30.DEC.2009 At last minute, DHS extends certification for pilots to carry firearms. / CNN 
24.DEC.2009 Aviation experts decry staggering annual losses to aerodrome incidents (Nigeria) / BusinessdayOnline 
23.DEC.2009 SA Airlink grounds all Jetstream 41s over engine concerns /  / TheAviationHerald, Flightglobal 
22.DEC.2009 Air safety improves in 2009: IATA / Economictimes 
13.DEC.2009 Airbus backs overhaul of pitot icing certification standards / Flightglobal 
03.DEC.2009 EASA Pushes Use of Children´s Car Seats On Airlines / Aviationweek 
01.DEC.2009 East African countries to improve flight safety / AfricaNews 
30.NOV.2009 FAA turned down Boeing 777 warnings: report / Reuters
23.NOV.2009 Expert warns: Namibia is still lacking Air Safety System / Allafrica
19.NOV.2009 Safety rating of the Russian air carriers announced /  Russia-ic
18.NOV.2009 Cyprus passed EASA Aviation Safety Inspection / Famagusta Gazette
09.NOV.2009 France to Renew Search for Data Recorders of Air France Flight 447 / NY-Times
07.NOV.2009 UAE Zooms In On Banned Airline Operators / bernama
02.NOV.2009 After 82 years, Israel to get an aviation law. / Haaretz
30.OCT.2009 Pilots seek Indian study on fatigue. / Timesofindia
27.OCT.2009 Southwest Airlines settles lawsuit with investors for $3.5M over safety problems. / ASN
21.OCT.2009 New EgyptAir chief upbeat on European safety assessment. / AirTransportIntelligence
19.OCT.2009 South Africa: Safety Steps Credited for Drop in Air Accidents. / AllAfrica
15.OCT.2009 FAA proposes million dollar penalties against United Airlines and US Airways. / FAA1 + FAA2
12.OCT.2009 Boeing 737-200 are temporarily banned in Kyrgyzstan. / ferghana
08.OCT.2009 FAA announces serious runway incursions down by 50 percent. / FAA
08.OCT.2009 European Pilots Want Stricter Safety Rules to Fight Fatigue. / foxnews
29.SEP.2009 Pilots report more than 900 laser contacts in 2008. / boston.com
04.OCT.2009 Thirty US airlines ignore FAA’s “Call to Action" on crew fatigue issues. / flightglobal
03.OCT.2009 Hong Kong Government To Shorten Aircraft Approach Routes Into Hong Kong Airport. / NASDAQ
29.SEP.2009 Pilots report more than 900 laser contacts in 2008. / boston.com
24.SEP.2009 O'Hare Airport hit for safety violations in FAA report. / ChicagoTribune
24.SEP.2009 US threatens to downgrade India to level two safety rank. / TimesofIndia
21.SEP.2009 NTSB determines probable cause of evacuation slide inflation incident aboard MD-80 aircraft carrying then Senator Obama. / NTSB-News
17.SEP.2009 BAE teams with Quest on system to detoxify cabin air. / flightglobal
14.SEP.2009 Air safety is improving in Indonesia. / StraitsTimes
14.SEP.2009 European commission to rule on Antonov An-26 operations. / flightglobal
11.SEP.2009 Pilots, airlines urge new fatigue rules for short haul and regional flights. / WSJ
07.SEP.2009 After Air France crash, Airbus is looking to eliminate black boxes. / MonstersandCritics
04.SEP.2009 American Airlines faces escalating dispute with FAA. / Reuters
04.SEP.2009 Black boxes from Yemenia Airways flight damaged. / Yobserver
03.SEP.2009 Runway incursion technology deployed at Boston Logan. / ATI
02.SEP.2009 EASA issues Thales angle-of-attack transducer airworthiness directive for Canadair RJ´s. / Flightglobal
01.AUG.2009 FAA orders airlines to replace pitot probes in Airbus jets. / Seattle Post Intelligencer
31.AUG.2009 FAA gives Southwest Airlines until December to replace unapproved plane parts. / Star-Telegram
31.AUG.2009 Namibia's air safety record has shown a marked improvement in the first half of this year. / Allafrica
28.AUG.2009 NTSB calls for new air traffic rules over Hudson River. / CNN
27.AUG.2009 EgyptAir is confident it will not be included on the European Commission's banned airlines blacklist./ Air TransportIntelligence
12.AUG.2009 Loss making airlines in india are facing a governmental safety check by the indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The intention of the DGCA is to ensure that despite an economic downturn and tighter budgets all safety regulations were met, a ministry source said. The checks will focus on maintenance procedures. Currently the majority of indian airlines are in a non profitable financial situation and are suffering from high oil prices and overcapacities. / EconomicTimes
11.AUG.2009 The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in Cologne set a 4 months time window for all operators of Airbus A330 and A340 aircraft to replace all pitot probes by manufacturer Thales with models manufatured by  Goodrich. Thales model "AA" came into focus after a series of airspeed anomalies and the loss of an Air France Airbus A330 on June 1st. Thales developed a more reliable "AB" variant but this model has yet to prove its reliability, the EASA said. / Flightglobal
20.JUL.2009 Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority (ECAA) confirmed reports of an dramatic increase in bird strike occurences over the last nine years. These bird collisions created additional repair costs of 3.6 million dollars, the study said. In the fist five motnhs of 2009 alone, seven bird incidents have been recorded, the authority said. / Nazret
14.JUL.2009 European Commission published another update of its so-called " EU Blacklist ". The list comprises all airlines restricted from flying into the EU airspace because of safety concerns. Ban lifted to the following airlines: Garuda Indonesia, Airfast Indonesia, Mandala Airlines, ET Antarbenua. TAAG Angola, Nouvelle Air Affaires Gabon and Air Astana are allowed to operate to the EU-countries only by certain aircraft of their fleets. New banned countries are Benin, Kazakhstan and Zambia. / Download_complete_list
09.JUL.2009 Philippine regional airport of Caticlan (Boracay) suffered major setback in traffic after government authority CAAP imposed tighter rules for its passenger operations after two overrun incidents. As a result, all airlines except Southeat Asian Airlines (Seair) moved their operations to Kalibo instead. / BusinessMirror
29.JUN.2009 Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAA) imposed tighter rules for aircraft operatons at Caticlan Airport. Due to obstructing terrain and limited runway lengh take off were only allowed in direction of runway 24, while landings on runway 06. The move came as result of two overrun accidents within 6 months, the last occured on June 25th. In both cases were Xian MA-60 Turboprop aircraft of national carrier Zest Air were damaged. / Flightglobal
12.JUN.2009 After mexican carrier Aviacsa has won a legal battle against intense concerns from the national Mexican Aviation Authority DGAC and was allowed to operate all of its 737s, the US Federal Aviation Administration banned the airline from flying into the USA. / Flightglobal
08.JUN.2009 Nigerias largest airports by traffic volume Lagos and Abuja, are about to install new radar equipment. The move comes as part of a nationwide upgrade of its civil aviation infrastructure. The implementation of the new system was delayed over financial problems. The old at Lagos aircraft was installed in 1978 and was constantly causing errors and failed to pick up targets propperly. / TheGuardian
05.JUN.2009 Mexican Civil Aviation Regulation Authority (DGAC) suspends the operating certificate of 25 aircraft of domestic airline Aviacsa (6A, CHP) after maitnenance irregularities were found during recent inspections. The airline has now 60 days to rectify the problems, the DGAC said. The majority of aircraft consisted of older Boeing 737-200 types. / SecretariaComunicacionesYTransportes
24.MAY.2009 United Arab Emirates Transport Authority (GCAA) granted permission to a number of UAE freight companies to operate Antonov aircraft again after the planes were withdrawn from flying for safety reasons in early January after a series of mishaps. At least four operators have now fully complied with new regulations including all documents in english language and enhanced pilot training certificates, according to local news reports. / TheNational
21.MAY.2009 ICAO´s aviation safety oversight programme USOAP has found shortcomings in the Australian Aviation Safety System Especially, a lack of propper expertise to carry out efficient training of specialists was cited as a major point of concern. The Australian Civil Aviation Authority (CASA) promised to correct all relevant aspects of the USOAP findings until the end of the year. / Flightglobal
05.MAY.2009 European Aviation Safety Authority EASA issued a safety bulletin warning operator of 737 aircraft of possible  low radio altimeter readings. The warning is a response from the recently published interim accident report of the crash of a Turkish Airlines 737-800 near Amsterdam Schiphol Airport on February 25th. / Flightglobal
28.APR.2009 A recent study by the Federal Aviation Administration revealed a 20 percent increase in birdstrike occurences. The nationwide study was covering a timespan from 2000 until 2008. A total of 7.134 birdstrike events have been recorded. All reports are voluntary.  / DallasNews
17.APR.2009 German Scientist Dietrich Henschler says that engine oil substances in cabin air are "far more toxic than previously believed". Vapour from heated engine oil can reach the passenger cabin via the engine bleed air system. It contained poisonous tricresyl phosphate (so called aerotoxides) which can have damaging effect on human brain and may harm the neurological system. / Flightglobal
16.APR.2009 The international airline association IATA has signed an agreement with the russian Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC) in a move to improve safety and implement common standards within the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).  / Bernama
08.APR.2009 The latest update of the European Commission Blacklist incorporates a total ban on all air carriers registered in the african state of Benin. Further add-ons to the list are One-Two-Go Airlines from Thailand and ukrainian cargo operator Motor-Sich Company. Although the EU Commission reckognized progress in achieving a safer aviation operating environment, Angola, and Indonesia are still on the list. / Flightglobal +  European Commission-BlackList(download) Flightglobal 
16.APR.2009 The international airline association IATA has signed an agreement with the russian Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC) in a move to improve safety and implement common standards within the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). / Bernama 08.APR.2009 The latest update of the European Commission Blacklist incorporates a total ban on all air carriers registered in the african state of Benin. Further add-ons to the list are One-Two-Go Airlines from Thailand and ukrainian cargo operator Motor-Sich Company. Although the EU Commission reckognized progress in achieving a safer aviation operating environment, Angola, and Indonesia are still on the list. / Flightglobal + European Commission-BlackList(download) 20.MAR.2009 A new study finds that criminal prosecution of pilots or air controllers after an accident has negative effects on the overall safety. The doctoral study by two Cypriots concludes, that errors among air controllers became more likely because of increased working pressure. Furthermore, the study showed that prosecution failed to have the intended effect of deterring individuals from making mistakes. / Flightglobal 12.MAR.2009 The US National Transportation Safety Boards (NTSB) issued an urgent warning to all Boeing 777 operators using RollsRoyce engines. The NTSB recommends a redesign of the engine to prevent a similar incident. Two engine rollback events occured within a year leaving the pilots without sufficient engine thrust for a considerable time. One of these incidents ended in a crash landing at London´s Heathrow airport in January 2008. / BBC 04.MAR.2009 Australian National Airline QANTAS was forced to ground its entire fleet of three newly delivered Airbus A380s after a fuel leak was discovered in one aircraft. The grounding became inevitable when fuel indication problems on the two remaining aircraft were detected the following day. After inspection, the A380s were back in to operation on March 3rd. / SydneyMorningHerald 
02.MAR.2009 The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) said it does meet about 75 percent of the FAA requirements to achieve Status 1 of the International Aviation Safety Asessment (IASA) programme. This would enable it nigerian acciers to fly dierectly to the United States. IASA inspectors control each country´s aviation oversight bodies and the effectiveness of its authorities in terms of operational safety. In past years Nigeria suffers from one of the worst safety records in the world. / TheTideNews 01.MAR.2009 A more than two dozen high ranking air traffic controllers in indonesia have left their jobs and look for new employment in other countries amid feard they could became to target of criminal prosecution by government fear of being prosecuted for safety violation. The immediate move came after a Garuda pilot was recently prosecuted a federal court for causing an fatal accident in 2007. According to indonesian sources the countrie´s air traffic system would be negatively affected by the absence of such high numbers of ATC personnel. / TheJakartaGlobe 
13.FEB.2009 Australian Ministry of Transport introduced a new legislation to strenghen the country´s aviation safety oversight. Two new amendment bills creates a new board of safety experts for having better abilities to check airlines and foreign airplanes. 2ndly the investigating body ATSB (Australian Transport Safety Bureau) will get a more independence and pwer to implement new aviation safety directives. / Ministry Media Release 09.FEB.2009 American Airlines was forced to check the rear tail cone emergency slides on all of its 281 McDonnellDouglas MD-80s after a mechanic noted that the airline wasn´t using the manufacturer-recommended service tool to repack the slides after inspections. / DallasNews 02.FEB.2009 Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) downgrades the international airport of Port Harcourt. The move came after recent inspection revealed that only two fire tenders were available, one of them unserviceable the other leaking water depicting that none of them was usable in the event of an emergency. Until the problem is resolved, only smaller aircraft are allowed to land at Port Harcourt. / Allafrica 28.JAN.2009 Russian Federal Air Transport Agency permanently revoked the airlines operating certificate (AOC) of far east airline Dalavia when a recent safety inspection found no substantial improvements were made since state officials last visit in October. Due to tight financial situation, Dalavia was unable to pay salaries since the end of November 08. Also Omskavia, Sibaviatrans and Samara Airlines´ AOC were revoked in mid January, and in late December 08 respectively. / ASN 27.JAN.2009 Dominican Civil Aviation Institute (IDAC) imposed a one-year flying ban on all operations of Dominican regional airline Caribair. Acccording to authority officials, the airline failed to respond properly to concerns over unauthorized commercial flights conducted in private planes. / Forbes/AP 14.JAN.2009 Representatives of the African Civil Aviation Agency (ACCA) expressed serious concerns about air safety in Namibia. It was added the west african country is lacking trained staff, recurrence training for ATC personnel, financial resources and adequate technical equipment to make flying in Namibia safer than it actually is. / TheTimes 12.JAN.2009 The Government of the United Arab Emirates prohibit all Antonov An-12 operations from and to their country´s airports due to safety concerns after a number of incidents occured in recent weeks. It is understood to be a temporarily measure. / AME Info 08.JAN.2009 British Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) issues report about unsafe runway surface conditions during resurfacing in 2006 at Bristol Airport. According to the AAIB, the ungrooved runway condition contributed to a number of landing mishaps from 29 December 2006 til Jan 03 2007. / AAIB-Report