Video of Asiana crash shows plane cart-wheeling after impact

by Devesh Agarwal

A dramatic video recently released by the United States National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), of the crash of Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 HL7742 performing flight OZ-214 at San Francisco airport shows the plane cart-wheeling after it impacted the sea-wall of the runway.

Update December 13, 2013

Another video of the incident.

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NTSB investigating engine failure aboard Spirit Airlines Flight 165

By BA Staff

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating Tuesday’s engine failure on a Spirit Airlines Airbus A319, which was flying from Dallas to Atlanta.

The NTSB has an investigator on the scene at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport inspecting and documenting the engine, an International Aero Engines (IAE) V2500, which has now been removed from the airplane.

As a result of the initial inspection, it was determined that the engine failure was contained, meaning it did not penetrate the engine casing.

The engine will be shipped to a separate facility for a detailed examination and disassembly. IAE, the Federal Aviation Administration, and Spirit Airlines are parties to the investigation.

The NTSB has also secured the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder from Spirit Flight 165. The recorders are being brought back to Washington, DC for readout and analysis.

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Videos: All the NTSB media briefings on the crash of UPS Airbus A300-600F at Birmingham, Alabama, USA

The United States National Transportation Safety Board which is investigating the fatal crash of a UPS flight 5X-1354, an Airbus A300-600 aircraft registration N155UP at Birmingham, Alabama, USA, on August 14, 2013, held four briefings for the media. Below are the videos of the briefings all together for your continuous viewing.

UPS Airbus A300-600F freighter registration N162UP approaches Boston Logan Airport in rainy weather

For an in-depth report of the crash, we recommend Simon Hradecky's Aviation Herald.

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NTSB says no mechanical failures found in Southwest Airline's New York crash

The United States National Transportation Safety Board has developed the following factual information on the July 22, 2013 accident in which a Southwest Airlines flight 345, a B-737-700, landed hard at New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA), and the nose-wheel of the aircraft collapsed.

The captain has been with Southwest for almost 13 years and has been a captain for six of those years. The captain has over 12,000 total flight hours, over 7,000 of which are as pilot-in-command. In 737s, the captain has over 7,900 hours, with more than 2,600 as the pilot-in-command.

The first officer has been with Southwest for about 18 months. The pilot has about 5,200 total flight hours, with 4,000 of those as pilot-in-command. In 737s, the first officer has about 1,100 hours, none of which are as the pilot-in-command.

This was the first trip the flight crew had flown together and it was the second leg of the trip. The first officer had previous operational experience at LGA, including six flights in 2013. The captain reported having flown into LGA twice, including the accident flight, serving as the pilot monitoring for both flights.

The en route phase of the flight, which originated in Nashville, was characterized by the flight crew as routine. On approach into LGA, the first officer was the pilot flying and the captain was the pilot monitoring. SWA 345 was cleared for the ILS Runway 04 approach.

The weather in the New York area caused the accident flight to enter a holding pattern for about 15 minutes. The crew reported that they saw the airport from about 5-10 miles out and that the airplane was on speed, course and glideslope down to about 200-400 feet.

The crew reported that below 1,000 feet, the tailwind was about 11 knots. They also reported that the wind on the runway was a headwind of about 11 knots.

SWA 345 proceeded on the approach when at a point below 400 feet, there was an exchange of control of the airplane and the captain became the flying pilot and made the landing.

The jetliner touched down on the runway nose first followed by the collapse of the nose gear; the airplane was substantially damaged.

At this point in the investigation, no mechanical anomalies or malfunctions have been found. A preliminary examination of the nose gear indicated that it failed due to stress overload.

Investigators have collected five videos showing various aspects of the crash landing. The team will be analyzing these recordings in the coming months.

Parties to the investigation are the Federal Aviation Administration, Boeing Commercial Airplanes, Southwest Airlines, and the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association.

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Infographic: The Boeing 777 is Safe

by Bangalore Aviation Staff

After the crash of Asiana Flight 214 at San Francisco International airport this past Saturday, a media firestorm erupted around the Boeing 777 aircraft involved in the crash. Fears grew among much of the traveling public and non-aviation media that the 777 was in fact an unsafe aircraft to fly. This is simply not the case. Bangalore Aviation has prepared the following infographic to help allay some of the safety concerns that have arisen around the aircraft.

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BREAKING: Asiana Airlines 777 crash lands at San Francisco International Airport

[Last updated on 04:30 UTC]
by Vinay Bhaskara and Devesh Agarwal

Asiana 777-200ER Image Credit: Wikimedia

Earlier today, Asiana Airlines Flight 214 with service from Seoul Incheon Airport to San Francisco crash landed on arrival at San Francisco.

The flight was carrying 291 passengers and 16 crew members. Latest reports put the death toll at two.

Initial reports are that the aircraft had just touched down around 11:20 am local time, when the empennage was sheared off rear of the aft pressure bulkhead of the 777, and the tail, gear, and engine of the plane separated. The plane turned around nearly 180 degrees and came to a stop to the right of the runway facing eastwards. Photos show debris before runway 28L; implying that the aircraft hit the ground before making it over the runway. Passengers were evacuated before the aircraft caught fire. The National Transportation Safety Board [NTSB] has been dispatched to the scene to investigate.

Image of the crash from news outlet KTVU

The aircraft is a Boeing 777-200ER with registration HL7742. The aircraft, with line number MSN-29171 is powered by 2 Pratt&Whitney 4090 engines and is configured with either 296 or 300 seats on board and was delivered on March 7th, 2006. Asiana Airlines operates 9 Boeing 777-200ER aircraft in 6 different configurations.

291 passengers (19 business, 272 economy) and 16 crew members were on board, reports are that all  of the 307 passengers are accounted for. According to the San Francisco fire department, 2 people have been reported dead, with 230 injuries of some sort. However, in situations such as this crash, the numbers in terms of passengers According to Asiana Airlines, the passengers on board “were comprised of 77 Korean citizens, 141 Chinese citizens, 61 US citizens, 1 Japanese citizen.”

Asiana's official press release related to the incident can be found here. San Francisco International Airport has been updating the media constantly with intermittent press conferences as it can release information.

The incident is the first fatal incident involving passengers and a Boeing 777. The last (and only other) major crash of a Boeing 777 aircraft occurred on January 17, 2008, when British Airways Flight 38 crashed on arrival at London Heathrow after flying in from Beijing. However, on September 5th, 2001, a ground fire broke out on a British Airways 777-236 at Denver, and one re-fueling operative was killed.

Asiana flight 214 is the first airline crash on US soil since Colgan Airlines flight 3407 on February 12, 2009, which killed 49 passengers on a Bombardier Dash 8 aircraft. The last mainline crash in the United States occurred on November 12, 2001, when American Airlines Flight 587, an Airbus A300 crashed at New York's JFK International Airport, killing 265 (260 passengers, 5 on the ground)

The following picture from passenger David Eun shows passengers disembarking the aircraft, and the fuselage appears to be intact, though burning.

The following videos were taken by a passenger at San Francisco Airport

Videos credit to @360kid

The ATC feed can be heard here on the LiveATC site archive. Asiana 214 is given a landing clearance to runway 28L around 21m20s into the recording. The crash occurs around 22m02s. Shouting can be heard in the background of the tower controller's transmission at the time of the crash.

Image via Ben Sandilands showing emergency response

The airline put out a statement around 2130 UTC

The following information has been confirmed.

Asiana Airlines flight OZ214 (Aircraft Registration HL7742) departed Incheon International Airport on July 6, 2013 at 16:35 (Korea time) bound for San Francisco. Only July 6, 2013 at 11:28 (Local time) an accident occurred as OZ214 was making a landing on San Francisco International Airport's runway 28.

There were a total of 291 passengers (19 business class, 272 travel class) and 16 cabin crew aboard. The majority of the passengers were comprised of 77 Korean citizens, 141 Chinese citizens, 61 US citizens, 1 Japanese citizen, etc. for a total of 291 people.

Asiana Airlines is currently investigating the specific cause of the incident as well as any injuries that may have been sustained to passengers as a result. Asiana Airlines will continue to cooperate fully with the investigation of all associated government agencies and to facilitate this cooperation has established an emergency response center at its headquarters.

At this point no additional information has been confirmed. New developments will be announced as more information becomes available.

*For further information regarding OZ213/214, please contact 02-2669-4015 (for overseas calls : 82-2-2669-4015).

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United States NTSB identifies origin of Japan Airlines' Boeing 787 battery fire - Update 1

by Devesh Agarwal

Updated Feb 8, 2013, 0100 GMT, 0630 IST

At a news conference today, NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman identified the origin of the Jan. 7 battery fire that occurred on a Japan Airlines 787 parked at Boston Logan Airport, and said that a focus of the investigation will be on the design and certification requirements of the battery system.

Ms. Hersman's presentation and the video of her briefing the media is at the end of this story.

Hersman said

“U.S. airlines carry about two million people through the skies safely every day, which has been achieved in large part through design redundancy and layers of defense,” “Our task now is to see if enough – and appropriate – layers of defense and adequate checks were built into the design, certification and manufacturing of this battery.”

After an exhaustive examination of the JAL lithium-ion battery, which was comprised of eight individual cells, investigators determined that the majority of evidence from the flight data recorder and both thermal and mechanical damage pointed to an initiating event in a single cell. That cell showed multiple signs of short circuiting, leading to a thermal runaway condition, which then cascaded to other cells. Charred battery components indicated that the temperature inside the battery case exceeded 500 degrees Fahrenheit.

As investigators work to find the cause of the initiating short circuit, they ruled out both mechanical impact damage to the battery and external short circuiting. It was determined that signs of deformation and electrical arcing on the battery case occurred as a result of the battery malfunction and were not related to its cause.

Chairman Hersman said that potential causes of the initiating short circuit currently being evaluated include battery charging, the design and construction of the battery, and the possibility of defects introduced during the manufacturing process.

During the 787 certification process, Boeing studied possible failures that could occur within the battery. Those assessments included the likelihood of particular types of failures occurring, as well as the effects they could have on the battery. In tests to validate these assessments, Boeing found no evidence of cell-to-cell propagation or fire, both of which occurred in the JAL event.

The NTSB learned that as part of the risk assessment Boeing conducted during the certification process, it determined that the likelihood of a smoke emission event from a 787 battery would occur less than once in every 10 million flight hours. Noting that there have been two critical battery events on the 787 fleet with fewer than 100,000 flight hours, Hersman said that “the failure rate was higher than predicted as part of the certification process and the possibility that a short circuit in a single cell could propagate to adjacent cells and result in smoke and fire must be reconsidered.”

As the investigation continues, which will include testing on some of the batteries that had been replaced after being in service in the 787 fleet, the NTSB will continue to share its findings in real time with the FAA, Boeing, the Japan Transport Safety Board, and the French investigative agency, the Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses (BEA).

“The decision to return the fleet to flight will be made by the FAA, which underscores the importance of cooperation and coordination between our agencies,” Hersman said.

She also announced that the NTSB would release an interim report of factual findings within 30 days.

NTSB Presentation. Download it here.


Video of briefing


FAA’s Special Conditions for the B-787 battery system. Download it here.


Airframer Boeing issued this statement

Boeing welcomes the progress reported by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in the 787 investigation, including that the NTSB has identified the origin of the event as having been within the battery. The findings discussed today demonstrated a narrowing of the focus of the investigation to short circuiting observed in the battery, while providing the public with a better understanding of the nature of the investigation.

The company remains committed to working with the NTSB, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and our customers to maintain the high level of safety the traveling public expects and that the air transport system has delivered. We continue to provide support to the investigative groups as they work to further understand these events and as we work to prevent such incidents in the future. The safety of passengers and crew members who fly aboard Boeing airplanes is our highest priority.

The 787 was certified following a rigorous Boeing test program and an extensive certification program conducted by the FAA. We provided testing and analysis in support of the requirements of the FAA special conditions associated with the use of lithium ion batteries. We are working collaboratively to address questions about our testing and compliance with certification standards, and we will not hesitate to make changes that lead to improved testing processes and products.

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US NTSB investigation updates on Japan Airlines Boeing 787 fire at Boston

The National Transportation Safety Board released the fourth update on its on-going investigation into the January 7th fire aboard a Japan Airlines (JAL) Boeing 787, registration JA829J, at Logan International Airport in Boston, USA. The fire occurred after the airplane had landed and no passengers or crew were on-board.

The burnt APU battery unit

The agency has still not found anything untoward and is unable to determine a cause for the auxiliary power unit (APU) battery fire.

In Arizona, investigators have completed testing of the APU start power unit at Securaplane in Tucson and the APU controller at UTC Aerospace Systems in Phoenix. Both units operated normally with no significant findings.

On the left is a photo of the burned auxiliary power unit battery from the JAL Boeing 787. The dimensions of the battery are 19x13.2x10.2 inches and it weighs approximately 63 pounds when new.

JA829J was delivered to JAL on December 20, 2012. At the time of the battery fire, the aircraft had logged 169 flight hours with 22 cycles. The auxiliary power unit battery was manufactured by GS Yuasa in September 2012.

NTSB investigators have continued disassembling the internal components of the APU battery in its Materials Laboratory in Washington, and disassembly of the last of eight cells has begun. Examinations of the cell elements with a scanning-electron microscope and energy-dispersive spectroscopy are ongoing.

A cursory comparative exam has been conducted on the undamaged main battery. No obvious anomalies were found. More detailed examination will be conducted as the main battery undergoes a thorough tear down and test sequence series of non-destructive examinations.

NTSB Investigator Mike Bauer inside the Boeing 787 under investigation at Boston's Logan Airport

In addition to the activities at the NTSB lab, members of the investigative team continue working in Seattle, and Japan.

Two additional NTSB investigators were sent to Seattle to take part in FAA’s comprehensive review. One of the investigators will focus on testing efforts associated with Boeing's root cause corrective action efforts, which FAA is helping to lead. The other will take part in the FAA's ongoing review of the battery and battery system special conditions compliance documentation.


In Japan, the NTSB-led team completed component examination of the JAL APU battery monitoring unit at Kanto Aircraft Instrument Company, Ltd., in Fujisawa, Kanagawa, Japan. The team cleaned and examined both battery monitoring unit circuit boards, which were housed in the APU battery case. The circuit boards were damaged, which limited the information that could be obtained from tests, however the team found no significant discoveries.

Additional information on the NTSB’s investigation of the Japan Airlines B-787 battery fire in Boston can be found at the NTSB incident website.

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News Digest - Press Releases - 2nd half January 2013

Japan Airlines releases nine month traffic data ending December 2012

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MIAL awards contract for duty free at New T2 at CSIA

Duty free shops awarded to a consortium led by Aer Rianta International cpt.

Fashion, Luxury and Lifestyle awarded to Nuance Group India Pvt Ltd

Mumbai, January 24, 2013 – Mumbai International Airport Private Limited (MIAL), managed by GVK-led consortium today awarded the duty free retail contract for the upcoming new Terminal 2 (T2) at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA). The contract for the duty-free shops has been awarded to the consortium led by Aer Rianta International cpt., spread over an area of 50,850 sq ft. The Nuance Group (India) Pvt. Ltd. has been awarded the contract for Fashion, Luxury and Lifestyle Duty Free concession that includes luxury and premium fashion apparel and accessories, jewellery, watches, and luxury concepts spread over an area of approximately 12,690 sq ft.

The consortium led by Aer Rianta International cpt will run the core duty free operations (including categories such as tobacco, liquor, perfumes, confectionery) and Electronics (on arrivals), Nuance Group (India) Pvt Ltd will be responsible for designing and building the shopping environment, sourcing a wide range of international luxury brands and developing a strong promotional strategy for duty free shopping at T2 at CSIA.

Speaking on the occasion, GV Sanjay Reddy, Managing Director, MIAL said, “At a time when CSIA is undergoing a major transformation, we decided to associate with duty free partners that showed innovation in all areas of the business and a commitment to provide superior choice to passengers. Both the partners selected are experienced operators who currently operate duty free concessions at several world-class airports and are best placed to understand the T2 consumers. Their offer combined creativity along with dynamic and engaging concepts and a strong operational strategy to maximise opportunities for CSIA and passenger experience at T2”

Announcing the award of the contract, Rajeev Jain, CEO, MIAL said: “Duty free shopping is a significant component of passenger experience at any world-class airport. We would like to provide passengers at CSIA with a truly world-class shopping experience, across brands, product variety and price points. This is also in line with our stated endeavor to take CSIA to international standards”

Both the selected parties will operate the concession for their respective categories for the period until March 31, 2024. The key criteria that were considered while selecting these parties included amongst others, a promise to get the most comprehensive range of brands and products available, operators who understand Indian consumers via their existing Indian operations and someone with a great sense of place in their design and customer centric approach.

With a vision to provide passengers with unique and bespoke concepts, products and services to deliver a premium and memorable experience at T2 , the commercial space includes amongst others 6000 sq. m. of F&B and 465 advertising sites (both indoor and outdoor) along with duty free and luxury, specialty retail and other services.

The new integrated terminal 2 currently being built is the perfect expression of Mumbai’s achievements, its ambition and its imagination. This iconic terminal will serve 40 million passengers each year, creating an inspiring experience and a welcoming gateway to Mumbai and India. With its meticulous planning and state-of-the-art technology, the terminal offers passengers a seamless journey that is punctuated by a series of wonderful experiences. Moreover its overall design will give passengers a distinct ‘Sense of Place’ and a clear awareness that they are in Mumbai

About MIAL

Mumbai International Airport Pvt. Ltd. (MIAL) is a joint venture between the GVK led consortium. MIAL was awarded the mandate of modernizing, upgrading and expanding Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) in May 2006. CSIA catered to 30.75 million passengers and 657469 tonnes of cargo between April 2011 – March 2012. MIAL’s vision is to transform CSIA into one of the world’s best airports that consistently delights customers and to be the pride of Mumbai

About GVK

GVK is a leading Indian conglomerate with presence across energy, resources, airports, transportation, hospitality and life sciences sectors. GVK set up India’s first independent power plant and has around 6000 MW projects under generation and development. It is the first company in India to develop six-lane road project under PPP model and has around 3000 lane km expressway projects under operations and development. As one of India’s largest private sector airport operators, GVK handles 44 mppa through India’s first brownfield airport under PPP model - Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai and Bengaluru International Airport, Bangalore and will develop two airports in Indonesia. Having already invested over USD 3.3 billion, GVK has projects worth over another USD 6.6 billion in the pipeline, in India. It has acquired Australian Coal Mines in Queensland with 8 bt reserves for USD 1.26 billion and envisages an investment of USD 10 billion to for setting up mines, 500 km rail project and 60 mtpa port project which will form one of the world’s largest integrated coal mining operations.

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NTSB CHAIRMAN SAYS ‘WE HAVE NOT RULED ANYTHING OUT’ IN INVESTIGATION OF BOEING 787 BATTERY FIRE IN BOSTON

January 24, 2013

WASHINGTON – In a press conference today, National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman released preliminary findings from the NTSB’s ongoing investigation into the Jan. 7, 2013, Boeing 787 battery fire in Boston. “We have not ruled anything out as a potential factor in the battery fire; there are still many questions to be answered,” Hersman said.

Noting that there was a B-787 battery incident in Japan on Jan. 16, 2013, which is being investigated by the Japan Transport Safety Board, Hersman said, “One of these events alone is serious; two of them in close proximity, especially in an airplane model with only about 100,000 flight hours, underscores the importance of getting to the root cause of these incidents.”

The investigation revealed that the battery in the B-787 fire in Boston showed signs of short circuiting, and had indications of thermal runaway, a situation in which a significant temperature increase can initiate a destructive chain reaction.

Chairman Hersman also expressed concerns about the adequacy of the systems to prevent such a fire from occurring. “The investigation will include an evaluation of how a fault that resulted in a battery fire could have defeated the safeguards in place to guard against that,” said Hersman. “As we learn more in this investigation, we will make recommendations for needed improvements to prevent a recurrence.”

Investigators developed the following timeline of the events on Jan. 7, which was released at today’s briefing:

10:06 am EST – Aircraft arrived at gate in Boston from Narita, Japan
10:32 am – Cleaning and maintenance crew noticed smoke in cabin
10:35 am – Mechanic noted flames coming from APU battery in aft electronics bay
10:37 am – Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting notified
10:40 am – Fire and rescue personnel arrive on scene
12:19 pm – Fire and rescue personnel report event was “controlled”

The batteries were manufactured by GS Yuasa for the Thales electrical installation and are unique to the Boeing 787. The same battery model is used for the main airplane battery and for the battery that is used to start the auxiliary power unit, which is the one that caught fire in Boston.

Radiographic examinations of the incident battery and an exemplar battery were conducted at an independent test facility. The digital radiographs, or computed tomography (CT) scans, generated from these examinations allowed NTSB investigators to document the internal condition of the battery prior to disassembling it.

Ongoing lab work includes an examination of the battery elements with a scanning-electron microscope and energy-dispersive spectroscopy to analyze the elemental constituents of the electrodes to identify contaminants or defects.
NTSB INVESTIGATIVE TEAMS

In addition to the activities at the NTSB lab in Washington, members of the investigative team have been conducting work in Arizona, Seattle and Japan. Their activities are detailed below.

ARIZONA
- The acceptance test procedure of the APU battery charging unit was conducted at Securaplane in Tucson, Ariz., on Jan. 21.
- The battery charging unit passed all significant tests and no anomalies were detected.
- Members of the airworthiness group examined the APU start power unit at Securaplane in Tucson. The same team traveled to Phoenix to conduct an examination of the APU controller at UTC Aerospace Systems.

SEATTLE
- NTSB investigators are working with Boeing teams as part of root cause analysis activities related to the design and manufacturing of the electrical battery system.
- The two JAL B-787 general purpose module units, which record airplane maintenance data are being downloaded at Boeing to obtain information that was recorded after the airplane’s electrical power was interrupted.

JAPAN
- The NTSB-led team conducted component examination of the JAL B-787 APU battery monitoring unit at Kanto Aircraft Instrument Company, Ltd., in Fujisawa, Kanagawa, Japan.
- The team cleaned and examined both battery monitoring unit circuit boards, which were housed in the APU battery case. The circuit boards were damaged, which limited the information that could be obtained from tests.

Additional information on the Japan Airlines B-787 battery fire incident in Boston, including materials from the presentation at today’s briefing, can be found at http://go.usa.gov/4K4J.

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Boeing Statement on U.S. National Transportation Safety Board 787 Investigation Update

SEATTLE, Jan. 24, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Boeing (NYSE: BA) welcomes the progress being made in the 787 investigation discussed today by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in Washington, D.C. The regulatory and investigative agencies in the U.S. and Japan have dedicated substantial resources to these investigations, and we appreciate their effort and leadership.

Boeing continues to assist the NTSB and the other government agencies in the U.S. and Japan responsible for investigating two recent 787 incidents. The company has formed teams consisting of hundreds of engineering and technical experts who are working around the clock with the sole focus of resolving the issue and returning the 787 fleet to flight status. We are working this issue tirelessly in cooperation with our customers and the appropriate regulatory and investigative authorities. The safety of passengers and crew members who fly aboard Boeing airplanes is our highest priority.

In order to ensure the integrity of the process and in adherence to international protocols that govern safety investigations, we are not permitted to comment directly on the ongoing investigations. Boeing is eager to see both investigative groups continue their work and determine the cause of these events, and we support their thorough resolution.

Boeing deeply regrets the impact that recent events have had on the operating schedules of our customers and their passengers.

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CATHAY PACIFIC INTRODUCES NEW PREMIUM ECONOMY CABIN AND BOOSTS FREQUENCIES ON MUMBAI-HONG KONG ROUTE

Cathay Pacific Airways today announced that passengers can enjoy a new level of luxury when travelling between Mumbai and Hong Kong with the introduction of its new Premium Economy Class cabin on the route. Along with the product enhancement, Cathay Pacific will also increase the number of flights between Mumbai and Hong Kong, operating 10 weekly non-stop flights between the two cities from 2 April 2013.

The airlines’ new Premium Economy Class was designed with the entire customer experience in mind. It features a quieter, more spacious cabin than the traditional Economy Class with between 26 and 34 seats per aircraft. The seat pitch is 38 inches – six inches more than Economy Class – and the seat itself is wider and has a bigger recline. It has a large meal table, cocktail table, footrest, a 10.6-inch personal television, an in-seat power outlet, a multi-port connector for personal devices and extra personal stowage space.

The new schedule will see the additional non-stop flights from Mumbai arrive in Hong Kong at 0705 in the morning, giving passengers greater choice and convenience when connecting to the airlines’ extensive global network to destinations in China, South East Asia, Australia, Japan and Korea.

Cathay Pacific General Manager - South Asia, Middle East and Africa, Charlie Stewart-Cox said: “Cathay Pacific’s Mumbai service is now better than ever. Travellers from India will soon be able to take advantage of improved arrival times in Hong Kong to enjoy smooth and seamless connections to their destination of choice on Cathay Pacific’s network. Our Premium Economy class will also bring a new level of comfort to passengers travelling between the two cities.”

Cathay Pacific has recently introduced new award winning in-flight products in Delhi and Chennai and has also extended its presence in India with a new four-times-weekly service between Hong Kong and Hyderabad. Together with sister airline Dragonair, the group now operates 46 weekly flights from six cities in India.

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QATAR AIRWAYS VOTED BEST LONG-HAUL AIRLINE AT PRESTIGIOUS LONDON AWARDS

Five-Star Carrier Voted By UK Travellers at 18th Annual Business Travel Awards Ceremony

Continues Airline’s Winning Streak for Superior Quality and Service

New Delhi – Qatar Airways has been voted Best Long-Haul Airline at the 18th annual Business Travel Awards ceremony held at the Grosvenor House hotel in London this week.
Organised by Buying Business Travel magazine, UK travellers awarded the Five-Star carrier for its commitment to quality and superior in-flight service.

Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker said he was delighted that the airline’s award winning streak has continued into the New Year.

“This is a great start to 2013 and we thank our loyal UK travellers for giving us this vote of confidence.

“We are very proud to receive this honour, testament to the world-class service and personalised treatment that we provide all of our customers.

“2013 will be another big year for Qatar Airways as we continue to expand our worldwide network, welcome more aircraft into our ever-expanding fleet, and of course look forward to the opening of the new Hamad International Airport on April 1,” Al Baker said.

Qatar Airways Vice President Commercial Europe, Paul Johannes, collected the award on behalf of the airline.

Johannes said: “We are very pleased with the level of support we have received from our UK customers, which further highlights the appreciation of our attention to detail and passenger comfort. We look forward to continuing to serve our existing UK-based travellers and welcoming new customers onboard.

Editor of Buying Business Travel, Paul Revel, said: “The judges felt that Qatar Airways is right up there with the best. A very impressive submission, underlining the youth and dynamism of this carrier. A great product, rapidly expanding network and plenty of innovation.”

The past twelve months have seen Qatar Airways honoured with a host of several awards from around the world, including being named Airline of the Year for the second consecutive year by the prestigious Skytrax organisation.

The award follows other recent accolades from Business Traveller’s sister publications around the world; Best Business Class in the World by Business Traveller Middle East and Best Airline in the Middle East and Africa by Business Traveller Asia Pacific.

One of the world’s fastest growing airlines, Qatar Airways has seen rapid growth in just 16 years of operations, currently flying a modern fleet of 118 aircraft to 124 key business and leisure destinations across Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and The Americas with the aggressive expansion continuing well into 2013.

Over the next few weeks and months, Qatar Airways will launch services to a diverse portfolio of new routes, including Phnom Penh, Cambodia (February 20); Chengdu, China (March 19); Chicago, USA (April 10); and Salalah, Oman (May 22) with many more new start-ups planned.

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Air India stands by its Boeing 787 Dreamliners as Japan grounds almost 50% of the global fleet

by Devesh Agarwal

National carrier Air India has stood by the six Boeing 787 Dreamliners in its fleet, even as safety concerns grounded the 787 fleet at the first two operators of the aircraft, both from Japan, All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Japan Airlines (JAL). Between the two of them, ANA and JAL operate almost 50% of the global 787 fleet, 24 of the 50 delivered till date. 

Early yesterday, an ANA Boeing 787-8 performing a domestic flight NH 692 from Ube to Tokyo Haneda was forced to make an emergency diversion to Takamatsu when there were indications of battery problems and a burning smell developed on board.

This incident is only the latest in a series of problems to affect the new generation airliner. Many of the problems that plague the Dreamliner seem to be electrical in nature and are affecting airline operators across the world. A United Airlines Boeing 787-8 was diverted near New Orleans on December 4, 2012. On December 8, a Qatar Airways 787 reported a generator failure. On January 7, a Japan Airlines 787 suffered an APU battery fire at Boston. On January 11, another ANA Dreamliner suffered a cracked wind-shield while on a domestic flight.

Air India's debut flight to Bangalore was marred by snags in the air conditioning system.

Japan Airlines the first operator of the 787 with GEnx engines, the same as Air India issued a statement

"In view of the incident encountered by another airline involving the 787-8 aircraft today, Japan Airlines has decided to cancel the operations of its 787-8 aircraft scheduled for flights today and tomorrow, January 17, 2013, to ensure complete safety." "Operations of JAL’s 787-8 aircraft from January 18, 2013 will be decided after further assessment of the situation with the investigations."

The United States National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has already launched an investigation in to the Boston incident, and now the Japan Transport Safety Board (JTSB) has launched an investigation in to flight NH692.

The spate of incidents surrounding Boeing's newest aircraft has prompted the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to conduct a review in to the design, manufacturing, and quality control and assurance processes at Boeing.

A spokesperson for Air India re-affirmed the airline's faith in the aircraft and confirmed the airline was in touch with the airframer, Boeing, and in close contact with India's aviation regulator the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The airline will follow the guidelines prescribed by the regulator.

The DGCA has decided to take a wait and watch approach to the situation. It awaits reports and findings from the United States agencies, NTSB and FAA.

In news reports, Mr. Mihir Mishra, the DGCA, points out that globally no regulator has grounded the aircraft. The decision to ground 787s, has been taken by individual airlines.

While we respect the views of Mr. Mishra, and also have faith in Boeing and its products, we do point out, airlines are in the business of making a profit, and no airline will take the decision to ground their latest state of the art aircraft lightly.

It costs them tremendously. Whether it is loss of income by cancelled flights, costs incurred to accommodate the thousands of passengers whose travel is disrupted, costs incurred to inspect their fleet, and the incalculable losses should their passengers start doubting their Dreamliners and shun the aircraft.

Share your thoughts via a comment.

A special hat tip to Simon Hradecky at Aviation Herald for the incident reports.

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NTSB traces Air India Boeing 787 GEnx engine failure to fan mid-shaft fracture

The United States National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released an interim report on the progress of its investigation in to the failure of a General Electric GEnx engine on-board a Boeing 787 Dreamliner destined for Air India on July 28th last. The have traced the failure to a fracture on the forward end of the Fan Mid-Shaft.

Bangalore Aviation has exclusive obtained this exemplar image showing approximate location of the failure.

The National Transportation Safety Board continues its investigation of the July 28, 2012 contained engine failure that occurred on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner during a pre-delivery taxi test in Charleston, South Carolina. A contained engine failure is a specific engine design feature in which components might separate inside the engine but either remain within the engine’s cases or exit the engine through the tail pipe. This design feature generally does not pose immediate safety risks.

Last week, the NTSB sent an investigator to the scene to gather information on the incident and subsequently launched a full investigation into the cause of the failure, led by NTSB Investigator-in-Charge, Mr. David Helson.

On August 1, 2012, a team of experts from the NTSB, FAA, Boeing and GE Aviation specializing in engine systems and metallurgy traveled to a GE facility in Cincinnati, OH to disassemble and examine the failed GEnx engine. GE is the manufacturer of the GEnx engine. The parties to the investigation have been extremely cooperative in assisting NTSB personnel in its review and assessment.

As a result of the investigative work to date, the NTSB has determined that a fan mid-shaft on the failed GEnx engine fractured at the forward end of the shaft, rear of the threads where the retaining nut is installed. The fan mid-shaft is undergoing several detailed examinations including dimensional and metallurgical inspections.

GEnx engine cut-away drawing not part of NTSB release.

The GEnx engine is a newly designed aircraft engine. It is a “dual shaft” engine, meaning that one shaft connects the compressor spool at one end to the high pressure turbine spool at the other end. A longer “fan shaft” connects the fan and booster in the front of the engine to the low pressure turbine in the back.

The cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder, which is a combined unit on the 787 Dreamliner, was transported to the agency's Recorders Laboratory in Washington, DC for processing and readout. Both recordings captured the event and analysis is ongoing.

Moving forward, investigators will continue the detailed examination of the engine and metallurgical analysis of its components. The investigators have also begun reviewing the engine manufacturing and assembly records.

This investigation is ongoing. The information released today is factual in nature and does not include any analysis. Additional factual information may be released as it is developed.

Engine experts in India say that the main component carrying shafts inside an engine are an important part of the engine, but it is too early to say whether this fracture was caused due to materials flaw, a fault in manufacturing, or a design flaw. Depending on the reason for failure, it has the potential to become serious. However, the NTSB has not issued any recommendations yet. Boeing is due to deliver a GEnx powered 787 to Ethiopian Airlines early next week.

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Boeing 787 Dreamliner destined for Air India suffers serious engine mishap. NTSB to investigate

The second Boeing 787 Dreamliner to be built at the airframer's Charleston, South Carolina facility suffered a serious engine mishap during pre-flight testing on the afternoon of Saturday. This aircraft is due to be delivered to national carrier Air India as VT-ANJ.

A Boeing spokesperson told Bangalore Aviation

"A 787 experienced an engine issue July 28 while undergoing preflight runway testing in North Charleston. As the NTSB investigates, Boeing and GE are working closely with the agency and are committed to resolving the issue appropriately.

While the investigation is in its early stages, we are unaware of any operational issue that would present concerns about the continued safe operation of in-service 787s powered by GE engines. However, should the investigation determine a need to act, Boeing has the processes in place to take action and will do so appropriately."

Boeing 787 Dreamliner due to become N1015L, at India Aviation show, Hyderabad, March 2012.

As per The Post and Courier newspaper report

Debris from a brand new Boeing 787 Dreamliner's engine fell onto the runway and into the grass at Charleston International Airport Saturday afternoon, sparking a fire, shutting down the airport and diverting flights for more than an hour.

The incident occurred around 16:00 local (01:30 IST). The Charleston airport spokesperson said "the airport closed around 4:30 p.m. and reopened at 5:41 p.m."

The gravity of the incident is serious enough to merit an investigation by the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

The aircraft is powered by the General Electric Co. GEnx engine. Japan Airlines is currently the only operator of GEnx powered 787s with four aircraft in its fleet. The only other operator of the 787, launch customer, All Nippon Airways (ANA), uses the Rolls Royce Trent 1000 engines.

Engine manufacturer GE released this statement to Bangalore Aviation

"During a ground test run in North Charleston on July 28, a GEnx-1B engine on a non-revenue generating Boeing 787 aircraft experienced an issue. No one was injured.

About 100 GEnx engines are in service, and they have accumulated more than 125,000 flight hours.

GE continually monitors and analyzes the performance of the GEnx fleet in service, and we are not aware of operational issues that would hazard the continued safe flight of aircraft powered by these engines."

Boeing operates Dreamliner assembly lines in two locations, both in the US. Charleston in South Carolina and Everett in Washington. The Charleston facility rolled out its first 787 Dreamliner, also destined for Air India as VT-ANI, earlier this year, in April.

This incident comes within the week after ANA partially grounded some of its 787s after corrosion was found in its Trent 1000 engine gearbox components.

The GEnx engine is also used to power the newest version of the venerable Jumbo Jet, the 747-8.

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UAE GCAA releases preliminary information in UPS Boeing 747-400F N571UP crash at Dubai

The General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has released preliminary information on the crash of UPS Airlines Boeing 747-400F freighter registration N571UP at Dubai on September 3, 2010. In parallel UPS has released a statement identifying the two crew who perished in this crash.

GCAA Announces the Preliminary Report on the ACCIDENT INVOLVING UPS6 Boeing 747 – 400 on 3rd September, 2010

Category : GCAA, Date : Sep, 05 2010

The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), announced today the preliminary report on the fatal accident of Boeing 747 - 400 Cargo airplane on 3rd September 2010.

The UPS6 B744 had departed from Dubai International Airport at 14:53 UTC (6:53pm local time) headed to Koln-Bonn (Cologne) - Germany. At 15:15 UTC (7:15pm local time) information was received from Bahrain that the aircraft was returning to Dubai Airport with a smoke in the cockpit, unable to maintain altitude and requested the airport for landing.

The UAE ATC Centre issued a clearance when aircraft was approximately 40 kilometer from touchdown. The aircraft was high on the approach and was at 8500ft at 24 kilometer from touchdown. It passed the overhead the airfield very high and made a right turn. Position reports were passed the tower as well as advising that all runways were available for the aircraft to land on. The aircraft tracked south west and rapidly lost altitude. At approximately 15:42 UTC (7:42pm local time), radar contact was lost. The B744 crashed in in an unpopulated area between the Emirates Road and Al Ain Highway after 50 minutes from departure and after returning back from Bahrain FIR (Flight Information Region).

The GCAA responded by launching an immediate investigation team who are currently on site collecting evidence, analyzing the initial onsite evidence, coordinating with all of the emergency services to secure the accident site, liaising with the aircraft manufacturer technical specialists and international accident investigation bodies who have invited to assist the GCAA onsite in the UAE under the provisions of ICAO Annex 13.

The investigation team recovered the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) approximately 6 hours after the accident; the onsite GCAA investigation team is continuing the recovery effort to locate the Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR), while investigating the aircraft structure, systems, engines and flight controls as part of the forensic evidence collecting and data capturing activities associated with major air accident investigation.

A team from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will arrive to UAE today to assist the GCAA team in the crash investigation.

Coordination activities with the regional (ANS) is also continuing in the retrieval of important communications and flight planning material crucial to the successful conclusion of this investigation.

The UPS statement identifies the two dead crew members and provides technical details on the airframe.

Atlanta, September 04, 2010

A UPS cargo plane has been involved in an accident in Dubai.

Updated 4:15 PM EDT (20:15 UTC)

At the request of the families, UPS can now confirm that two of our crewmembers, Captain Doug Lampe of Louisville, Kentucky, and First Officer Matthew Bell of Sanford, Florida, lost their lives in the crash of Flight 6 yesterday, Sept. 3, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

The two pilots were flying a 747-400 en route to Cologne, Germany, when it crashed near Dubai International Airport shortly after takeoff.

"This is a terrible tragedy, and all of us at UPS extend our deepest sympathies to the families and friends of both of these crewmembers," said UPS CEO Scott Davis. "Our thoughts and prayers will continue to be with them during this difficult time."
The UPS Family Assistance Team is working with the victims' families to help them in their time of need.

Captain Lampe, 48, has been with UPS since 1995. First Officer Bell, 38, has been with UPS since 2006. Both crewmembers flew out of UPS's Anchorage, Alaska domicile, or pilot base.

The aircraft, tail number N571UP, was just three years old, entering UPS service off the Boeing production line in September 2007. The airframe had flown 9977 hours, completing 1764 takeoffs and landings. It was up to date on all maintenance, having just completed a major inspection in June 2010.

UPS owns 12 747-400s, eight of which are new, and four of which have been purchased from other carriers and adapted for UPS use. The aircraft, which has a payload capacity of nearly 258,600 pounds, is used on long-range international routes, such as the regular Dubai-Cologne routing.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is dispatching an aviation investigation team to assist the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) of the United Arab Emirates in the crash investigation. The GCAA will take the lead on the investigation and release all information on the progress of the investigation.

NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman has designated senior air safety investigator Bill English as the U.S. accredited representative. His team will include NTSB specialists in the areas of human performance, fire, operations and systems. The team will also include technical advisors from the FAA, Boeing, UPS, GE and the Independent Pilots Association.

A UPS team has arrived in Dubai at this time and will cooperate with authorities in the investigation.

"We established an internal command center within minutes of learning of this tragedy. It will be staffed around the clock with experts from every part of our operation," said UPS Airlines President Bob Lekites. "Safe, secure operations are our top priorities for our employees, our customers, and our public stakeholders."

Blue skies forever Captain Lampe and First Officer Bell, 38. RIP.

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NTSB issues urgent safety recommendation for General Electric CF6-45/50 engines

The United States National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has issued two urgent safety recommendations affecting General Electric CF6-45/50 engines.

This engine is found mostly on cargo aircraft like Airbus A300s (now retired by Air India), Boeing 747s, DC-10s, MD-11s, and U.S. Air Force KC-10 tankers. However, there is a case involving a passenger Boeing 747-300 of Saudi Arabian Airlines.

The NTSB bulletin details the failure and four incidents

All recommendations apply to the low pressure turbine (LPT) stage 3 (S3) rotor disk in the General Electric (GE) CF6-45/50 series turbofan engines that can fail unexpectedly when excited by high-pressure (HP) rotor unbalance.

An uncontained engine event occurs when an engine failure results in fragments of rotating engine parts penetrating and exiting through the engine case. Uncontained turbine engine disk failures within an aircraft engine present a direct hazard to an airplane and its passengers because high-energy disk fragments can penetrate the cabin or fuel tanks, damage flight control surfaces, or sever flammable fluid or hydraulic lines. Engine cases are not designed to contain failed turbine disks. Instead, the risk of uncontained disk failure is mitigated by designating disks as safety-critical parts, defined as the parts of an engine whose failure is likely to present a direct hazard to the aircraft.

In its safety recommendations to the FAA, the NTSB cited four foreign accidents, which the NTSB is either investigating or participating in an investigation led by another nation, in which the aircraft experienced an uncontained engine failure of its GE CF6-45/50 series engine.

The date, location, and circumstances of these four events (none had injuries or fatalities) are as follows:

• On July 4, 2008, a Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) Boeing 747-300 experienced an engine failure during initial climb after takeoff from Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This investigation has been delegated to the NTSB.

• On March 26, 2009, an Arrow Cargo McDonnell Douglas DC-10F, about 30 minutes after takeoff from Manaus, Brazil, experienced loss of oil pressure in one engine. The pilots shut down the engine and diverted to Medellin, Columbia. This investigation has been delegated to the NTSB.

• On December 17, 2009, a Jett8 Cargo Boeing 747-200F airplane was passing through 7,000 feet above ground level (agl) when the flight crewmembers heard a muffled explosion and immediately applied left rudder. With one engine losing oil pressure, the airplane returned to land at Changi, Singapore. The NTSB is participating in the investigation that is being led by the Air Accident Investigation Bureau of Singapore.

• On April 10, 2010, an ACT Cargo Airbus A300B4 experienced an engine failure while accelerating for takeoff at Manama, Bahrain. The crew declared an emergency, rejected the takeoff, activated the fire suppression system, and evacuated the airplane. The NTSB is participating in the investigation that is being led by the Bahrain Ministry of Transportation - Civil Aviation.

The full safety bulletin is available here. The NTSB safety recommendation letter to the Federal Aviation Administration with all four safety recommendations in PDF format can be found here.

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World's largest Boeing 777 operator confident in Rolls Royce Trent 800 engine

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On March 12th, I had written about the "urgent" safety recommendations by the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) regarding the Rolls Royce Trent 800 RB211 engines which are used by many Boeing 777 operators. It is estimated that there are currently about 220 Boeing 777s powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 800 engines in operation with 11 airlines around the world.

The list includes Air New Zealand, British Airways, American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Delta Airlines, El Al, Emirates, Kenya Airways, Malaysia Airlines, Singapore Airlines, and Thai Airways.

Image courtesy Singapore Airlines

I was concerned about the impact on my favourite, Singapore Airlines (SIA), who with 77 aircraft, happens to be the world largest operator of Boeing 777s. The 777 makes up more than 75 per cent of Singapore Airlines' fleet (77 777s out of a fleet of 101 aircraft), and this will only grow as more join their fleet, and the 14 venerable Megatop Boeing 747-400s are retired from service by next year.

SIA has 58 Boeing 777s, that are powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 800 engines. These are the 31 Boeing 777-200 (Trent 884), 15 777-200ER (Extended Range), and 12 777-300 (both Trent 892) models. 19 are 777-300ER (also called 77W) powered by General Electric GE90-115B engines, and which are used primarily in long haul flights.

I wrote to Stephen Forshaw the spokesperson for Singapore Airlines with my concerns. He has assured me and all passengers of Singapore Airlines of the airline's confidence in the Rolls Royce Trent 800 engines powering their fleet, and the short-term fix addressed by the NTSB, with training and procedures mandated the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) minimise the risk while engine manufacturer Rolls Royce rolls out the re-designed Fuel Oil Heat Exchanger (FOHE) as a longer term and more permanent solution.

He also clarified in depth about the routes that Singapore Airlines flies which are more tropical in nature when compared to the extended polar routes flown by some other airlines.

I posed to him that even Singapore Airlines flights flies polar routes. and "with the -40 Deg and colder temperatures experienced at high altitude the route really does not have an impact on the potential for icing. i.e. whether it is a polar or tropical route."?

Stephen Forshaw explains

You are correct that temperatures can reach -40 or lower at cruise altitude, whether in the tropics or the polar region. That is not really the concern. As you would be aware, jet fuel has a very low freezing point - the variety used for commercial aircraft is Jet A1 and has a freezing point of -47 degrees Celsius. Sometimes, the temperature outside the aircraft will reach below that point, but the fuel tank ambient temperature is always higher than the outside temperature, and this prevents fuel from freezing.

Where icing potentially occurs is where the fuel has prolonged exposure to temperatures outside the aircraft at the more extreme end. [In] the BA [British Airways] case, outside temperatures for much of the polar journey reportedly reached as low as -70 degrees. The concern is the prolonged exposure to excessively low temperatures.

What is meant by my comment on the tropical nature of our operations is that, while the aircraft is on the ground, the ambient temperature very quickly warms up to a point well above zero degrees and will quickly melt any ice particles that may form. The difficulty in the BA case was that the ground temperature in Beijing was still well below zero for the entire time the aircraft was in transit. With a small number of exceptions, our RR [Rolls Royce] powered 777s tend not to operate to points where they are likely to face prolonged exposure to extreme cold conditions, both in cruise and on ground.

It would seem, from the available reports, that there were a set of circumstances that contributed to this accident; not merely that the temperature was low. Low temperatures are nothing new for jet fuel systems; it is the prolonged exposure and lack of understanding at that time of the remedial actions that we know are now necessary that are learning points. These points have all been incorporated into our procedures and pilot training, and our pilots are well aware of the issues.

In response to my query "has any SQ B777 flight experienced an in-flight un-commanded engine roll back ?" He said

We have not experienced any similar incident, and this is possibly because, as I said, our RR-powered 777s tend not to be operating in the prolonged extreme cold conditions that the BA flight experienced. Those of our aircraft operations with prolonged exposure to polar routes are only using the B777-300ER (GE-powered) and A340-500 (RR powered but with a different fuel flow system).

To clarify, the A340-500 series used on the non-stop Singapore Los Angeles and Singapore New York service are powered by the Rolls Royce Trent 553 engines. Having flown these flights right from their inaugural, I can attest to their reliability.


In response to my queries "on the "mood" of the airline about the Boeing 777 powered by the Rolls Royce Trent 800 RB211 engines, the fix that is being planned, and whether the recent developments will have any impact on SQs decisions on the engines for future B777 purchases ?" Stephen replied

The 777 will remain an integral part of our fleet operations for many years to come. It is an exceptionally good aircraft with a high level of reliability and customer appeal. We don't see that changing as a result of this finding, because (a) the fix developed has already been rolled out through training and procedures, and (b) RR is engaged on a longer-term redesign. I want to be clear on your question about 18 months as a time to fly with these "risks"- if there were no other mitigation measures, that would be a concern, but the procedures jointly developed and approved by the FAA and EASA provide a solution in the meantime to minimise the risk while the longer-term R&D work is done by RR.

Stephen Forshaw also confirmed that the recent developments will have no impact on the plans of Singapore Airlines to phase-out of the Boeing 744-400s by early next year.

This issue will not affect our plans to retire the B744s from service - that is a wholly different question and contingent on deliveries of newer, more fuel-efficient aircraft such as the A380 and B777-300ER.

It is clear that while the short-term training and procedural fix recommended by the NTSB, FAA and EASA is acceptable for now, it is surely not acceptable for the long term. By then Rolls Royce will have implemented the re-designed FOHE.

Would I fly aboard a Rolls Royce Trent 800 powered Boeing 777 of Singapore Airlines -- ABSOLUTELY!!!!!!!

On a side note, with the phase-out of the B744s, Singapore Airlines' long association with US engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney will come to an end, as their entire fleet from the mighty Airbus A380 to the Boeing 777s to the Airbus A330 will be powered by Rolls Royce and General Electric engines. At one point about 10 years ago, Singapore Airlines was PWs largest customer in Asia. Singapore Airlines Cargo though, will continue using the PW4056 powered B744s.

and finally .... Stephen Forshaw is leaving Singapore Airlines for other career prospects. I wish him all success. His successor Nicholas Ionides who takes over as Vice President Public Affairs, with effect from 4 May 2009 is well known in the blogosphere. Mr Ionides, 37, is currently the Singapore-based Managing Editor (Asia) at Reed Business Information, publishers of Flight International and Airline Business Magazines and the Air Transport Intelligence and Flightglobal news websites

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NTSB issues urgent safety recommendation on Rolls Royce RB211 Trent 800 Boeing 777s

Following two engine thrust rollback events on Boeing 777 aircraft powered by Rolls-Royce engines, the United States National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued an urgent safety recommendation today calling for the redesign of a Rolls- Royce engine component.

The Safety Board also recommended that, after the redesign is completed, the new system be installed on all affected Boeing 777 airplanes at the next maintenance check or within six months.

These recommendations are being issued in response to the findings in two investigations, one accident and one incident, involving engine thrust rollbacks on Boeing 777-200ER airplanes powered by the Rolls-Royce RB211 Trent 800 Series engines.

In both cases a build-up of ice (from water normally present in all jet fuel) on the fuel/oil heat exchanger (FOHE) restricted the flow of fuel to the engine, resulting in an un-commanded engine rollback.

The first event, which is still being investigated by the UK's Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB), occurred on January 17, 2008, when a British Airways Boeing 777 experienced a dual engine rollback on final approach and crashed short of the runway at London's Heathrow International Airport. One passenger was seriously injured, eight passengers and four of the flight crew sustained minor injuries; the airplane was substantially damaged.

The second event occurred on November 26, 2008, when a Delta Air Lines Boeing 777 experienced a single engine rollback during cruise flight over Montana while en route from Shanghai to Atlanta. Normal operations resumed after the flight crew followed Boeing's published procedure to recover engine performance; the airplane landed safely in Atlanta.

Testing in support of the UK accident investigation led Boeing to develop procedures to help prevent ice accumulation, and to recover thrust in cases of ice blockage. As more information from the Delta rollback event was developed, Boeing modified the procedures, which became the basis of an airworthiness directive issued by the Federal Aviation Administration.

While the procedures may reduce the risk of a rollback in one or both engines due to FOHE ice blockage, they add complexity to flight crew operations, and the level of risk reduction is not well established. And because the recovery procedure requires a descent, the aircraft may be exposed to other risks such as rising terrain or hazardous weather, or the inability to achieve maximum thrust during a critical phase of flight, such as during a missed approach.

Because of these hazards, the Safety Board has determined that the only acceptable solution to this safety vulnerability is a redesigned FOHE that would eliminate the potential of ice build-up. On February 23, 2009, Rolls-Royce indicated that a redesign of the FOHE was underway, and that they anticipated the redesign to be tested, certified and ready for installation within 12 months.

NTSB Acting Chairman Mark V. Rosenker said

"With two of these rollback events occurring within a year, we believe that there is a high probability of something similar happening again," "We are encouraged to see that Rolls-Royce is already working on a redesign, and we are confident that with the FAA and EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency) overseeing the process, this flight safety issue - even one as complex as this - will be successfully and expeditiously resolved."

The NTSB has made the following two recommendations to both the Federal Aviation Administration and the European Aviation Safety Agency:

• Require that Rolls-Royce redesign the RB211 Trent 800 series engine fuel/oil heat exchanger (FOHE) such that ice accumulation on the face of the FOHE will not restrict fuel flow to the extent that the ability to achieve commanded thrust is reduced.
• Once the fuel/oil heat exchanger (FOHE) is redesigned and approved by certification authorities, require that operators of Boeing 777-200 airplanes powered by Rolls Royce RB211 Trent 800 series engines install the redesigned FOHE at the next scheduled maintenance opportunity or within 6 months after the revised FOHE design has been certificated, whichever comes first.

Download copies of the safety recommendation letter :

• to the Federal Aviation Administration
• European Aviation Safety Agency

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