Dreamliner hit by landing gear malfunction

Boeing Co. and All Nippon Airways are investigating a landing gear problem on the 787 Dreamliner, the first technical glitch reported since the new jetliner entered service less than two weeks ago, the airline said on Monday. Pilots on the first of two aircraft delivered so far to ANA were forced on Sunday to deploy the landing gear using a manual backup system, after an indicator lamp suggested the wheels were not properly down. They landed at Okayama on the second attempt following the incident, the airline said. "We are not yet sure what the problem was, but we are investigating," an airline spokesman said, adding that Boeing was also involved in the investigation. Kyodo news agency linked the problem to a hydraulic valve, but Boeing declined to confirm the cause.

A Boeing spokesman in Europe said: "We are aware of this matter and are on site in Japan with ANA offering whatever assistance they require." The 787 Dreamliner is a revolutionary lightweight aircraft built mainly of carbon composites designed to save fuel. It was delivered in September after three years of production delays and made an inaugural flight on October 26 from Tokyo to Hong Kong followed by regular services from November 1. ANA has said it will fly the aircraft domestically on a trial basis before putting it on long international routes. The 787's two engines power electrical systems that operate flight controls and landing gear. U.S. aviation regulators required that Boeing satisfy extra steps before certifying that system because it was a new design.

Because the high-profile Dreamliner incorporates so many design and manufacturing firsts, the airplane is under increased scrutiny from the aviation community. The plane is about three years behind its original development schedule because of snags in the extensive global supply chain. Boeing departed from traditional use of reliable aluminum construction, opting instead for reinforced carbon composites to improve fuel savings. Many in the traveling public know the Dreamliner as the world's first plastic jet "Teething" problems are relatively common for a new jetliner entering service, but the 787 is under a lot of scrutiny due to its difficult development history," said Richard Aboulafia, an aerospace analyst at Teal Group. "This glitch shouldn't have any impact on customer perceptions of the 787, as long as Boeing aggressively pursues its investigation and implements any needed fix," Aboulafia said.

The incident comes days after a Boeing 767 landed on its belly in Warsaw after the landing gear failed to deploy. The wheels-up landing was hailed as a miraculous escape for the 230 people on board, but aviation experts say such incidents are relatively rare. There have been 10 accidents involving stuck landing wheels since 2000, none of them fatal, according to a database run by the Flight Safety Foundation.The landing gear for the 787 Dreamliner is made by Messier-Dowty.

Indigo's lady Captian who can't land the plane

On January 11, when IndiGo Airlines’ flight 6E 333 had a bumpy touchdown at Goa International Airport, it was a close brush with disaster for over 100 passengers aboard the A 320. The woman pilot in command landed the plane on its fragile nose wheel — an erroneous manoeuvre that could have even led to the flying machine disintegrating and catching fire.

Alarmingly, an inquiry conducted later by the Director General of Civil Aviation ( DGCA) revealed that on 15 to 20 earlier occasions, Captain Parminder Kaur Gulati landed the aircraft at an angle indicating that the nose wheel may have touched the tarmac first. This is unheard of in aviation circles. Aircraft normally land on the main landing gear ( MLG), comprising the two sets of rear wheels. After these bigger — and sturdier — wheels touch the runway, the speed of the plane is reduced. This is followed by the already opened nose landing gear ( NLG) — the smaller front wheel just below the cockpit of the aircraft — coming in contact with the surface.

Flight 6E 333 took off from Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi and was bound for Goa. Abhas Gupta was Gulati’s copilot aboard the aircraft. Captain Gulati appeared to have been so oblivious to the abnormal and highly risky touchdown at the Goa International Airport that she just reported the incident as a “rough landing”. Not only did the steep descent leave the passengers’ hearts in their mouths, it went against the recommendations of aircraft manufacturer Airbus, too. This was not the end of the matter.

After the rough landing in Goa, Gulati and the engineer concerned merely carried out an inspection of the aircraft and reported that everything was normal. The airbus was, therefore, cleared to fly back to Delhi. The Indigo flight 6E 332 — with passengers on board — started its return journey to Delhi. But midway through, the plane’s electronic systems signalled a problem in the landing gear. The warning related to the nose undercarriage being internally damaged.

The electronic signal that flashed in the cockpit showed that the landing gear didn’t retract because it was stuck in the “ down position”. The Indigo aircraft had to then return to Goa to offload the passengers. Later, it took off from Goa without the passengers and landed at IGI Airport. The combined probe carried out by the DGCA, Airbus and IndiGo confirmed that the aircraft had landed on the NLG first, followed by the MLG. “This is a non- conventional landing,” the report accessed by MAIL TODAY said.

Gulati’s flying history came under the scanner of the investigators. An analysis of the digital flight data recorder ( DFDR) of the aircraft she previously flew pointed out that in her 15- 20 earlier landings the ‘ touchdown attitude’ was 3.8 degrees, which went against the recommended attitude of 5.8 degrees. Though within the safety zone, this increased the chances of the nose wheel touching first, the report stated.

The standard glide angle followed by an aircraft during descent is 3 degrees and the nose of the aircraft should be at 2.5 degrees at the horizon level. Just before touchdown, the latter is increased to 5 degrees. However, in the IndiGo flight’s case, the pilot gave a negative pitch attitude and reduced the angle to 3.8 degrees resulting in the aircraft landing on the NLG. The report disclosed that the auto pilot was disconnected at 311 feet above ground level. At 100 feet, the captain gave a pitch- up command to ensure that the MLG touched the runway first.

“At the last moment (around 10- 20 feet), the captain gave a nose- down input. This resulted in a negative pitch attitude during touchdown,” the document revealed. The regulator (DGCA) and the investigation board recommended that the pilot should be sent on correctional training. IndiGo CEO Aditya Ghosh admitted that the pilot had landed the aircraft on its nose wheel. He further claimed that all the recommendations made by IndiGo pertaining to the incident had been accepted by the DGCA.

“Indigo conducted an investigation and the inquiry board recommended that the captain should be sent on training to correct her landing technique. She was also advised to undertake a cockpit resource management refresher course as well as a route check. She has already undergone these procedures,” Ghosh said.

Significantly, the lady captain has earlier been counselled for a serious error in the go- around approach during a landing at the IGI Airport. Commenting on the incident, aviation expert Captain A. Ranganathan said: “The nose wheel can’t take the impact of landing. The pilot’s landing on the plane’s nose could have led to serious consequences. The episode shows there was a deficiency in training.” Former DGCA Kanu Gohain also felt that it was a very serious incident since the NLG is the weakest part of the aircraft and not designed to handle its landing weight. For the passengers, it was nothing less than a miraculous escape.

Hijack attempt on a Turkish plane bound to Turkey

A passenger onboard a Turkish Airlines flight from Norway to Turkey threatened Wednesday to blow up the plane if it did not return to Oslo, Norwegian media reported. The plane, which carried 59 passengers, landed without incident at Istanbul's Ataturk airport. Police stormed onto the plane and arrested the alleged hijacker, Norwegian broadcaster TV2 reported. Turkish Airlines confirmed the incident. A witness identified as Salim Tahar, who lives in Oslo, told media that a passenger in the rear of the cabin stood up, put on a mask and threatened to blow up the plane. The alleged terrorist claimed to be carrying a bomb and tried to enter the cockpit, the report said. 'The man spoke Turkish and demanded that the plane return to Oslo,' Tahar said. After the plane landed, the crew escorted passengers off the plane.

Mid air collision averted at Ben-Gurion Intl airport

A near collision between two El Al planes coming in to land at Ben-Gurion International Airport is being investigated by the Transportation Ministry. The two planes came dangerously close to each other last Friday morning, when at least 10 incoming flights were kept circling due to traffic overload, officials said. It was reported earlier this week that delays before landing included a risk of running out of fuel, with one El Al flight starting preparation for landing in Amman.

The situation on Friday was worse than first thought. Yitzhak Raz, the ministry's chief investigator of air accidents, said that close to 4 A.M., the air traffic controller in Ben-Gurion's northern sector lost control of the situation. Consequently, airplanes were in danger of colliding. In one case, an El Al plane's automatic warning device was activated, signaling a dangerous proximity to another El Al plane waiting to land. The captain was forced to divert the aircraft. A preliminary probe found that due to the numerous planes circling, transmission with the traffic controllers in the northern sector was filled with noises, which made it difficult for pilots and controller to hear each other so planes came dangerously close.

The Airport Authority commented: On July 9, 2010, airplanes were waiting [to land] in the northern center west of Israel's coastline. The delays were not related to the runway construction work going on.... During the incident the air traffic controller noticed two airplanes were too close to each other. He dealt with the situation and reported it as a non-severe incident, in line with regulations.

El Al commented: The pilots acted in line with regulations and their instructions.

Air France jet makes emergency landing after bomb thoax

An Air France passenger jet headed from Rio to Paris made an emergency landing in northeastern Brazil on Saturday night due to a bomb threat. All 405 passengers and 18 crew members were safely evacuated from Air France Flight 443, said Jorge Andrade, a spokesman for airport authority Infraero. Recife international airport was closed for about 30 minutes but reopened after officials isolated the jet, he added.Solange Argenta, an Infraero spokeswoman at the Recife airport, said authorities were examining the jet to determine if the threat was real.

"They're still inspecting the aircraft. It is possible that it could be cleared and resume its flight tonight," Argenta said.Argenta said the threat was phoned in to the Rio airport after the flight took off at 4:20 p.m. (3:20 p.m. EDT; 1920 GMT). The plane landed in Recife at 7:53 p.m. (6:53 p.m. EDT; 2253 GMT). Flight 443 was on the same route as an Air France jet that crashed last June off Brazil's northeastern coast, killing all 228 on board. While no definite cause has been determined in the crash, authorities have repeatedly ruled out foul play.

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/brazil-air-france-jet-lands-after-bomb-threat-36778?cp

Southwest jet and a Copter on collision path in Houston

A Southwest jet that just took off from the Houston airport had almost collided with a helicopter. The jet which just took off was at 100 feet AGL when the pilot spotted a helicopter on collision path. Both the pilot's had to take evasive action to avoid a crash. The Southwest jet's pilot eased back on the power and slowed down the rate of climb and the helicopter pilot had to bank very steeply to stay away from flight path of the jet. The jet and the helicopter missed each other by 100 feet vertical and 125 feet lateral distance. FAA has probed an investigation.

Crack discovered inside the Emirates plane

The DGCA has found cracks inside the Emirates flight that took a plunge on sunday loosing almost 18,500 feet.
The flight which was carrying 350 passengers and 14 crew was hit by a Clear Air Turbulence (CAT). The incident had almost lasted for 15 seconds, the investigators in this incident think that the gravitational force and the oscillation the B777 experienced during the CAT might be the key reason for the cracks developed.

Emirates Kochi flight had a close call

A major air disaster was on the cards on Sunday morning, thanks to the pilot. A B777 Emirates flight bound to Kochi from Dubai with 350 passengers and 14 crew on board was hit by an air pocket. Passengers and the crew on board suffered anxious moments, it is learnt that the plane hit an air pocket at 20,000 feet and it went into a free fall and lost 18,500 feet before the pilot could regain controls of the aircraft at 1500 feet AGL and landed the aircraft safely at Kochi Intl airport.
The DGCA has launched an inquiry into the incident and has also grounded the aircraft. All passengers where examined by doctors at the Kochi airport and it was reported that 23 passengers were injured.

Mid Air collision averted - KSFO

Looks like the National Transportation Safety Board have already started their investigation for the near mid air collision at San Fransisco.
It was reported that a United Airlines flight 889 was departing to Beijing, China. It was a Boeing 777 carrying 251 passengers, scheduled to depart 11h15m. As it got its departure clearance and got airborne, the pilot quickly spotted a light aircraft reported as Cessna 182 was on the jumbo's flight path.
According to United Airlines spokes person, the C182 pilot was cautioned about the jumbo on its flight path. But there was no action taken by the Cessna pilot to divert from the jumbos' flight path.
United Airlines flight 889 pilot had to maneuver to avoid a mid air collision. How ever the flight continued to China with out any Incident.