The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) reported that plans to initiate an audit of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) efforts to reduce runway incursions.

The number of reported serious runway incursions increased substantially from fiscal year 2010 to fiscal year 2012, from 6 to 18. Additionally, the total number of all runway incursions increased 21 percent between fiscal years 2011 and 2012, from 954 to 1,150.
Since the OIG’s last review of this program in July 2010, FAA has reorganized its Runway Safety Office and changed the way that the Agency reports and evaluates runway incursions.
The OIG’s objectives are to evaluate FAA’s (1) progress in implementing initiatives to prevent runway incursions, and (2) effectiveness in reporting and evaluating runway incursions.

More information:

• OIG press release
• Review of FAA’s Call to Action Plan for Runway Safety (July, 2o10)
• FAA runway incursion statistics

Filed under: Oversight by admin
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In December 2010 the Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the U.S. Department of Transportation started a follow-up review of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) oversight of repair stations. The review was conducted at the request of Representative Jerry F. Costello, Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Aviation.

Currently, FAA is responsible for overseeing nearly 4,800 repair stations used worldwide by U.S air carriers. The OIG found that while FAA developed a risk assessment process to aid repair station inspectors in identifying areas of greatest concern, its oversight continues to emphasize completing mandatory inspections instead of targeting resources where they are needed based on risk. Less than half of its inspection elements are evaluated based on risk, and foreign repair stations are not inspected using a risk-based system. In addition, FAA’s oversight of foreign and domestic repair stations lacks effective, standardized processes for identifying deficiencies and verifying that they have been addressed. As a result, the OIG reports it found numerous systemic discrepancies at the repair stations visited during the review.
FAA concurred with all nine of the OIG’s recommendations to enhance the Agency’s oversight of repair stations, citing its plans to implement a new oversight system—the Safety Assurance System (SAS)—in fiscal year 2015, and proposing actions to address our concerns in the interim. However, we are requesting additional information or alternative actions for three recommendations to ensure adequate oversight until SAS is complete.

More information:

• OIG audit AV-2013-073

Filed under: Oversight, Studies by admin
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The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has proposed a $4 million civil penalty against United Parcel Service (UPS) for allegedly maintaining four cargo aircraft improperly and then operating them when they were not in compliance with Federal Aviation Regulations.

The FAA alleges that UPS failed to follow FAA-approved procedures for making structural repairs to two DC-8 aircraft and two MD-11 aircraft. UPS operated the four planes on more than 400 flights between October 2008 and June 2009.

These violations stem from UPS’s failure to fully comply with the terms of a consent agreement in which the carrier agreed to inspect all aircraft in its fleet and compare actual repairs with maintenance records. This would have ensured the four aircraft were in compliance with the regulations.

UPS has 30 days from the receipt of the FAA’s civil penalty letter to respond to the agency.

Filed under: Oversight, Safety violations by admin
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The  Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) announced the temporary suspension of the licence of  Dana Air over alleged safety concerns as of March 16, 2o13. The suspension was lifted on March 18.

Dana Air’s AOC had been suspended in June 2012 following the fatal accident of an MD-83 that killed 163 people. After three months the AOC was restored and Dana Air resumed operations in January 2013.

According to an NCAA spokesman quoted by local media,  the new suspension was in respect of one of the airline’s flights that had some safety issues on Saturday March 16 in the capital city of Abuja. He did not give details.

After meeting with Dana Air officials the NCAA decided to lift the ban on March 18. However, the particular aircraft which suffered problems on March 16 is to remain grounded until the problems have been rectified.

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The Brazilian aviation regulator Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil (ANAC) decided on March 14, 2013 to suspend the Air Operator Certificate of Fretax Táxi Aéreo  following a fatal accident.

On March 12, 2013 an Embraer EMB-820C Carajá passenger plane of Fretax crashed near Monte Dourado Airport, Brazil, killing the pilot and all nine passengers. The EMB-820C  Carajá is a turboprop conversion of  a license built Piper PA-31 Navajo with two Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-27 engines. It was apparently flown on an IFR flight plan from Belém with just one pilot on board. According to regulations the airplane had to be flown IFR by a two-man crew.

Fretax Táxi Aéreo is an airline established in 2002, operating a mixed fleet of Cessna 208 Caravan,  EMB-820C, and Beechcraft 58 Baron aircraft used for passenger and cargo flights.

More information:

• ASN Accident Description EMB-820C PT-VAQ
• ANAC press release (in Portuguese)

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B787 JA829JA at Boston Airport during the battery fire incident (photo: NTSB)

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported that it approved Boeing’s certification plan for the redesigned 787 battery system.

While the NTSB investigation into the 787 battery fire at Boston, the manufacturer began improving the 787 battery system. The battery system improvements include a redesign of the internal battery components to minimize initiation of a short circuit within the battery, better insulation of the cells and the addition of a new containment and venting system. The FAA has reviewed Boeing’s proposed modifications and the company’s plan to demonstrate that the system will meet FAA requirements. This certification plan is the first step in the process to evaluate the 787′s return to flight and requires Boeing to conduct extensive testing and analysis to demonstrate compliance with the applicable safety regulations and special conditions.

The FAA will approve the redesign only if the company successfully completes all required tests and analysis to demonstrate the new design complies with FAA requirements. The FAA’s January 16, 2013 airworthiness directive, which required operators to temporarily cease 787 operations, is still in effect, and the FAA is continuing its comprehensive review of the 787 design, production and manufacturing process.

As the Boston fire incident is still under investigation, the NTSB announced that the NTSB will be holding both a forum and a hearing in April 2013 to provide additional information to advance the investigation.

More information:

• FAA Press release
• NTSB public docket on Boston battery fire

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The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General found that the FAA does not have specific procedures to actively ensure an equivalent level of safety between U.S. mainline air carriers and their code share partners. 

This conclusion was draw following an audit on FAA’s oversight of code share programs, initiated in August 2010. The audit was carried out because the number of code share agreements—in which a mainline air carrier contracts with a smaller regional carrier to provide flights to its hub airports—has grown rapidly in recent years, raising questions about both the oversight and consumer awareness of these agreements.

The Inspector General found that the Office of the Secretary’s (OST) and FAA are not required to review most domestic code share agreements. While OST is required to assess the potential economic impacts of certain agreements, the number of agreements that fall under the criteria for review is limited. It was also found that some confusion still exists for consumers about which airline is operating their flight because carriers, travel agencies, and advertisers all disclose this information differently. Finally, as a safety regulator, FAA is not required to review any domestic code share agreements and does not voluntarily do so. FAA also does not have specific procedures to actively ensure an equivalent level of safety between mainline air carriers and their code share partners. Instead, the Agency relies on its oversight of individual carriers to ensure the safe operation of passenger flights.

Five recommendations were made to enhance OST and FAA monitoring of domestic code share relationships and to increase code share transparency for consumers. Two of these pertained to safety:
- Publish best practices guidance for safety-sharing practices among Part 121 air carriers and their code-share partners.
The FAA replied that it saw value in many of the safety best practices adopted by certain airlines, such as the Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP) and Flight Operations Quality Assurance (FOQA). The FAA does not consider publishing best practices guidance for safety-sharing between codeshare partners to be the most effective way to further improve safety. Each air carrier must address the safety risks it identifies in its own operation, which may not be the same as those identified in another air carrier’s operation. Instead, the FAA intends to require each Part 121 air
carrier to implement a safety management system (SMS).

- Review code-share agreement performance metrics, such as financial incentives for on-time performance, to ensure they do not have unanticipated or adverse impacts on safety.
The FAA replied that it conducts risk-based surveillance based on diverse and extensive information sources to evaluate an air carrier’s ability to balance resources and operational requirements. The FAA considers its surveillance of business process risks to be sufficiently comprehensive to address the aspects
that would be touched by the recommended action.

More information:

• OIG audit

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An Antonov 24 aircraft that came to rest in the snow at Saransk, Russia

The Russian Federal Air Transport Agency, Rosaviatsiya, has decided to suspend the air operator certificate of Mordovia Airlines from February 12, 2013 over safety issues.

In a statement, Rosaviatsiya reported that this decision was made because of a deterioration in safety and the failure of the airline’s management to take effective measures to address safety shortcomings.

In 2012 an Antonov 2 of Mordovia Airlines was involved in an accident associated with serious violations in piloting technique. On January 8, 2013 an Antonov 24 skidded off the runway at Saransk Airport.

In the course of Federal Air Transport Agency inspections of the airline significant shortcomings were noted in the organization of flight and operational activities. Airline management was given sufficient time period to correct the violations.  Issues identified in February 2013 during an unscheduled inspection included violations of established norms of working time and rest time of flight crews.

This situation resulted in the suspensions of the airline’s AOC.

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File photo of a Red Wings Tupolev 204.

The Russian Federal Air Transport Agency, Rosaviatsiya, has decided to suspend the air operator certificate of Red Wings Airlines from February 4, 2013 over safety issues.

In a statement, Rosaviatsiya reported that this decision was not associated with the causes of the Tu-204 of Red Wings that suffered a fatal accident on December 29, 2012.

In the period from 10 to 16 January 2013 Rosaviatsiya held an unscheduled inspection of the operational and maintenance activities of the airline. This resulted in numerous significant violations in the organization of flight operations, aircraft maintenance, pilot training and other shortcomings. All of a systemic nature.

In 2012, the Federal Air Transport Agency had also conducted two scheduled inspections, which resulted in shortcomings. No measures were taken to address those issues.

Rosaviatsia also notes that at present Red Wings lacks the financial resources to provide ongoing operations while maintaining a high level of safety.

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File photo of a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner (photo: Andrew W. Sieber)

In light of a series of recent events, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reports that will conduct a comprehensive review of the Boeing 787 critical systems, including the design, manufacture and assembly. The purpose of the review is to validate the work conducted during the certification process.

A team of FAA and Boeing engineers and inspectors will conduct this joint review, with an emphasis on the aircraft’s electrical power and distribution system. The review will also examine how the electrical and mechanical systems interact with each other.

The review will be structured to provide a broader view of design, manufacturing and assembly and will not focus exclusively on individual events, the FAA said.

United Airlines is currently the only U.S. airline operating the 787, with six airplanes in service. The worldwide in-service fleet includes 50 aircraft.

More information:

• FAA press release
• Recent Boeing 787 incidents

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