USA: Seaplanes Collide Midair Over Alaska, At Least 5 Passenger Killed

Two seaplanes carrying cruise ship tourists have collided midair over southeastern Alaska, killing at least five and injuring 10, while one person is missing.

The accident occurred on Monday afternoon over waters about 40 kilometres northeast of Ketchikan town, said Petty Officer Jon-Paul Rios, a coastguard spokesperson.

The seaplanes collided under unknown circumstances, Allen Kenitzer, a spokesman of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said .Weather conditions in the area on Monday included high overcast skies.

Seaplanes have pontoons mounted under the fuselage so they can land on water.

Local emergency responders worked with state and federal agencies and good Samaritan vessels to help rescue victims.

The passengers were from the cruise ship Royal Princess and were on sightseeing flights.

The ship left Canada's Vancouver city on May 11 and was scheduled to arrive in the city of Anchorage in Alaska on Saturday.

Our thoughts and prayers are with those who lost their lives and the families of those impacted by today's accident. Princess Cruises is extending its full support to traveling companions of the guests involved, Princess Cruises said in a statement.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the accident.

The Washington DC-based investigative team from the National Transportation Safety Board is expected to arrive in Ketchikan on Tuesday afternoon, agency spokesman Peter Knudson said.

He said board member Jennifer Homendy is also travelling with the so-called "Go Team", which investigates major accidents.

The crash site, which the FAA said was at Coon Cove near George Inlet, lies in the vicinity of a popular tourist lodge that runs excursions to the nearby Misty Fjords National Monument, about 480km south of Juneau, Alaska's capital.

One of the aircraft involved was a de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver with five people on board and the other was a de Havilland Otter DHC-3 carrying 11 people, FAA spokesperson Allen Kenitzer said in an email message, citing information from local authorities.

The Ketchikan-based operator of the larger plane, Taquan Air, said its pilot and nine passengers were rescued and they were receiving medical attention, but one passenger's fate remained unknown.

That group was returning from a sightseeing tour of Misty Fjords when the crash occurred, Taquan said in a statement.

A spokesperson for Taquan Air, the operator of the Otter, said the company had suspended operations while federal authorities investigate the deadly crash.

It is not the first time a major plane crash has occurred near Ketchikan, a popular tourist destination.

In June 2015, a pilot and eight passengers had died when a de Havilland DHC-3 Otter, operated by Promech Air Inc, crashed into mountainous terrain about 39km from Ketchikan.

The NTSB later determined that pilot error and lack of a formal safety programme were behind the crash.


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USA: Boeing 737 With 136 People Enters Florida River, No Critical Injuries

A Boeing 737 commercial charter jet with 136 people on board slid into the St Johns River near Jacksonville in Florida after landing on Friday, the Naval Air Station Jacksonville says.

There were no reports of fatalities but local television station WOKV-TV said that at least two people suffered minor injuries and that the plane was attempting to land during a heavy thunderstorm.

The office of the sheriff said 21 adults were transported to local hospitals and all were listed in good condition, no critical injuries. Over 80 Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department officers attended.

The flight arriving from Naval Station Guantanamo Bay in Cuba went into the river at the end of the runway at about 9.40 pm local time (11.40am AEST), the air station said.

Captain Michael Connor, the commanding officer of NAS Jacksonville, said during a news conference that passengers were a mix of civilian and military personnel. Some were staying in the area, while others were set to fly on to other parts of the country.

While the crash certainly wasn't ideal, Connor acknowledged that it could have been much worse.

I think it is a miracle, Connor said. We could be talking about a different story this evening.

Officials did not immediately say what caused the plane to leave the runway. Boeing said in a tweet Friday night that it was investigating: "We are aware of an incident in Jacksonville, Fla., and are gathering information."

It wasn't known how long it would take to remove the plane from the river, but Connor said the landing gear appeared to be resting on the river bed, making it unlikely for the aircraft to float away.

He said crews began working to contain any jet fuel leaks almost immediately after securing the passengers' safety.

Liz Torres told the Florida Times-Union that she heard what sounded like a gunshot Friday night from her home in Orange Park, about 8 kilometres south of NAS Jacksonville.

She then drove down to a Target parking lot where police and firefighters were staging to find out more.

I've never seen anything like this, she said.

The mayor of Jacksonville, Lenny Curry, said on Twitter that everyone on board the flight was alive and accounted for.

Curry said in a separate tweet that US President Donald Trump had called him to offer help.

The plane was not submerged. Every person is alive and accounted for, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said on Twitter.

The sheriff's tweet was accompanied by two photographs showing the plane bearing the logo of Miami Air International resting in shallow water and fully intact with minimal damage.

The plane appeared to be missing its nose.

Navy security and emergency response personnel were on the scene and monitoring the situation, the Navy said. Family members who were expecting the arrival of passengers were instructed to stand by.

Miami Air International is a charter airline operating a fleet of Boeing 737-800 aircraft.

The Federal Aviation Administration was referring media inquiries to NAS Jacksonville.

Connor said National Transportation Safety Board investigators were already on their way.


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USA: American Airlines Will Cancel 115 Flights Daily, Because Of Grounded Fleet Of Boeing 737 MAX Planes

American Airlines announced on Sunday it would scrap some 115 flights per day in the coming months because its fleet of Boeing 737 MAX planes is being grounded until August 19.

America’s leading airline had previously only planned to keep the planes out of commission until June 5, with Boeing facing intense scrutiny after 157 people died in an Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX crash on March 10, the second deadly crash involving the aircraft in five months.

The global fleet of 737 MAX planes has been barred from flying since mid-March.

These 115 flights represent approximately 1.5 per cent of American’s total flying each day this summer, American Airlines chairman and CEO Doug Parker said in a statement.

But he stressed his confidence in the aircraft overall. Based upon our ongoing work with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Boeing, we are highly confident that the MAX will be recertified prior to this time August 19 he said.

By extending our cancellations through the summer, we can plan more reliably for the peak travel season and provide confidence to our customers and team members when it comes to their travel plans.

Once the MAX is recertified, we anticipate bringing our MAX aircraft back on line as spares to supplement our operation as needed during the summer.

American Airlines had lowered one of its first quarter indicators in light of the Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes being grounded, along with the partial US government shutdown and technical challenges.

Earlier this week, competitor Southwest Airlines said it would operate its 34 aircraft of the same model starting August 5.


Tourism Observer

USA: $5,000 Cheques For Southwest Airlines Passengers

Southwest Airlines sent $5,000 cheques to passengers aboard a flight that made an emergency landing this week after an engine failed, killing a passenger.

The airline confirmed, for passengers it had sent the cheques along with $1,000 travel vouchers. We can confirm the communication and gesture are authentic and heartfelt, the company said in a brief statement on Friday.

Aircraft with CFM56 jet engine on Southwest flight 1380 blew apart over Pennsylvania on Tuesday, 20 minutes after the Dallas-bound flight left New York’s LaGuardia Airport with 149 people on board.

The engine debris shattered a window on the Boeing 737 plane, killing one passenger – first death in a US airline accident since 2009.

The plane made an emergency landing in Philadelphia.

The Federal Aviation Administration(FAA) said, its working to quickly finalise an airworthiness directive within two weeks that had been proposed in August 2017 after a similar engine failure in a Southwest plane in 2016, which it said would apply to 220 engines

National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators on the scene were expected to wrap up their work in Philadelphia on Saturday, the agency said on Friday.

Southwest said after the incident that it was accelerating its existing engine inspection programme out of an abundance of caution and expected to complete it over the next 30 days.

Plane saw Serious damages as a cause of engine failed and an emergency landing forced.

The company has declined to answer questions about the status of those inspections and whether the engine that failed had previously been inspected or whether the inspections have turned up any evidence of defects or metal fatigue.


Tourism Observer

AUSTRALIA: Australian Qantas A380 In Turbulence

Australia’s Qantas Airways Ltd. said on Thursday one of its Airbus SE A380 jets had experienced a rare jolt from wake turbulence after flying 20 nautical miles behind another one of its super-jumbos this week.

Wake turbulence is a disturbance in the atmosphere that forms behind an aircraft as it passes through the air, and air traffic control requires more spacing behind larger jets like the A380 in an attempt to avoid the phenomenon.

Wake turbulence incidents are uncommon and typically involve a larger jet and a smaller aircraft rather than two super-jumbos.

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which handled air traffic control during the Qantas incident, does not specify a minimum distance of separation between two A380s during flight due to wake turbulence risks.

It specifies that Boeing 747s require 4.5 nautical miles of separation and smaller jets up to 8 nautical miles.

No passengers were injured and there was no aircraft damage from the incident which involved an A380 flying from Los Angeles to Melbourne behind another Qantas A380 flying from Los Angeles to Sydney, a Qantas spokesman said.

The trailing airplane, the Qantas 94 encountered some wake turbulence from the Qantas 12, and that caused a jolt to the airplane for a short period of time, Qantas Chief Technical Pilot Alex Passerini told a Sydney radio station.

The airplane climbed maybe 100 feet or so and descended back to its cruising altitude, and the captain took action to avoid the further exposure to the wake vortex.

Australian television presenter Eddie McGuire, who was on board the flight, said the incident had lasted about 10 seconds.

It did have that feel of, you know when you go over the top of a rollercoaster and you just get a little bit of a feeling, and the plane did bank to port, to the left-hand side, a little bit, he said on Channel 9.

But it steadied up after about 10 seconds, and I have to say that what the most reassuring part of the situation was that the Qantas pilot came on immediately and said we’d gone in to the back of the turbulence of the Sydney plane.

Qantas said it has notified the Australian Transport Safety Bureau of the incident.

An Airbus spokesman said Qantas had reported the incident to the manufacturer. The situation was handled fully in accordance with procedures and the aircraft performed as designed, he said.

In January 2017, wake turbulence behind an Emirates A380 sent a business jet into an uncontrolled descent, with the smaller airplane losing nearly 9,000 feet of altitude before the crew was able to gain control, according to an interim report by German investigators.


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GERMANY: Lufthansa Orders 9 Airbus A320neo Planes

Lufthansa has firmed-up a previous option for six further Airbus A320neo.

The latest agreement brings Lufthansa Group’s total order for the A320neo to 122 - 77 A320neo and 45 A321neo.

In addition, the airline has signed an order for three more A320ceo, bringing the group’s A320ceo orders to 273.

With a total of 395 A320 Family aircraft on order, the Lufthansa Group is also Airbus’ biggest A320 operator with nearly 400 A320 Family aircraft in service.

Lufthansa was the launch operator of the A320neo.

We are delighted to see this additional order from our biggest A320 operator Lufthansa Group, said Eric Schulz, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer.

Benefitting from the Airbus commonality and the A320 Family’s efficiency and environmental credentials such as reduced noise, lower fuel-burn and emissions, we are pleased the airline has decided to come back for more.

The Airbus A320neo family is a development of the A320 family of narrow-body airliners, launched on 1 December 2010 by Airbus.

They are essentially a re-engine; neo stands for new engine option, with a choice of CFM International LEAP-1A or Pratt & Whitney PW1000G engines. The original family is now called A320ceo, for current engine option.

The first flight of the A320neo took place on 25 September 2014. It was introduced by Lufthansa on 25 January 2016. Airbus has 6,031 firm orders as of March 2018.

The new aircraft cabin offers a more modern look and feel, a new air purifier with filters and a catalytic converter removing unpleasant smells from the air before it is pumped into the cabin and light-emitting diodes for ambience lighting and passenger service unit.

It offers better and larger luggage storage. The flight crew controls the cabin through touchscreen displays.

The new Space-Flex optional cabin configuration increases space-efficiency by a new rear galley configuration and a Smart-Lav modular lavatory design allowing an in-flight change of two lavatories into one accessible toilet.

This allows up to 9 more passengers for the A320neo, and up to 20 more passengers for the A321neo without putting more sardines in the can with the larger Cabin-Flex modified exits.

Lufthansa is the launch operator of this standard variant. The first A320neo rolled out of the Airbus factory in Toulouse on 1 July 2014.

It first flew on 25 September 2014. A joint type certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency and the Federal Aviation Administration was received on 24 November 2015.

Nearly 28 years after the first A320, on 25 January 2016, the A320neo entered service with Lufthansa, the type's launch customer.

Six months later at Farnborough Airshow, John Leahy reported that the eight in-service aircraft had achieved 99.7% dispatch reliability.

After a year in service, Lufthansa confirmed the 20% efficiency gain per passenger with up to 180 seats, along with reduced noise and CO₂ emissions.

By the end of February 2017, 28,105 scheduled flights had been performed by 71 A320neo aircraft with 134 cancellations for a 99.5% completion rate.

Spirit faces Pratt & Whitney PW1000G issues on four of its five A320neos and don't fly them above 30,000 ft because the bleed air system froze shut on occasion due to cold temperatures, the same problem facing IndiGo.

By March 2017, 88 A320neos had been delivered to 20 airlines, 49 with the PW1000G and 39 with the CFM International LEAP-1A.

The fleet had accumulated more than 57,600 flight hours and 37,500 cycles (1.5h average); over 142 routes the average stage length is 900 nm and like the A320ceo the neo flies an average of 8.4 block hours and up to 10 cycles a day with Lufthansa operating 45 min. sectors from Frankfurt to Hamburg or Munich to China Southern Airlines flying close to 6 hr sectors.

Operators confirm the 15% per seat fuel-burn savings even counterbalanced by the added weight on short sectors, which can rise to 16–17% on longer routes and to 20% or more for Lufthansa with 180 passengers up from 168 with two more seat rows; and Airbus plans to deliver about 200 A320neos.


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KENYA: Jomo Kenyatta International Airport Eagerly Awaits Audit Pertaining New York Flights

Kenya will know its fate on direct flights to the US next month as officials from America’s security agency will conduct an audit whose outcome will be key in determining whether the country will get the Last Point of Departure (LDP) status.

The officials from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will conduct the audit at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport between May 21 and 25.

The audit will find out whether Kenya has addressed the issues raised by TSA last year in regard to security. Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) was tasked to undertake some corrective measures.

We expect the inspectors from America on May 21, 2018 to asses us. We are ready to receive them since we are ready to commence direct flights to John F Kennedy International Airport in New York on October 28, 2018.

KAA Managing Director Jonny Andersen told the committee on Equal Opportunity chaired by nominated MP Maina Kamanda on Tuesday.

He said they have dealt with all the issues that had been raised and are optimistic that they will pass the test.

We are now ready for the audit as we have addressed all the areas that required correction, he said.

Some of the issues that the management has addressed include provision of a proper perimeter fence and consistence at the security screening yard.

At the screening yard, KAA has removed National Youth Service personnel and the security checks are now done by the regular police and the General Service Unit officers.

The LPD status will allow not only Kenya Airways but any other airline that has been approved by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to fly directly to the US from Nairobi.

The national carrier received exemption authority from the DOT last year, allowing it to commence flights to the US provided it secures clearance from the FAA and other applicable State agencies.

JKIA was in February last year given Category One status after several audit processes by the US air agency- Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that had seen Kenya fail to meet a number of reviews, delaying earlier commencement date of August 2016.

After getting LDP clearance, the last remaining thing will be the granting of Kenya Airways or any other airline an Air Operator Certificate by FAA after inspecting the carrier’s equipment and facilities, which is expected to be done this month.

The Kenya Airways announced that the airline will start flying directly to the US from Kenya in October, marking a milestone for the national carrier.

The move, industry experts have said, would cut flight time between the two cities by more than seven hours.

The trans-Atlantic flight is scheduled to depart JKIA at 10.30pm every day, a journey that will last 15 hours. This is a reduction from the current flight time of over 22 hours, including lengthy layovers.

Travellers to JFK will arrive at 6.30am, while the return flight from JKF will depart at 1.30pm and arrive in Nairobi at 10.30am the next day.

Each trip will have a maximum of 234 passengers, 204 in economy and the rest in business class of the national carrier’s Dreamliner aircraft.


Tourism Observer

USA: Southwest Airlines Engine Explodes Mid-air, One Passenger Dead

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700 with 149 people aboard performed an emergency landing at Philadelphia International Airport on April 17 after an engine exploded and broke apart in mid-air causing one fatality.

Southwest flight 1380 took off from New York’s LaGuardia Airport at around 10:27 a.m. and was diverted to Philadelphia just under an hour later.

This took place after crew members reported damage to an engine, the fuselage and at least one window, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Robert Sumwalt, said at the Philadelphia airport that a preliminary investigation found an engine fan blade missing.

This having apparently broken off, and that there was metal fatigue at the point where it normally attached.

The Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700 was powered by CFM56-7B engines.

In the statement regarding the accident, CFM reported that CFM team of technical representatives has been sent to assist the NTSB in its investigation.

Sumwalt said that the investigation could take 12 to 15 months to complete.

The CFM56-7B engine powering this aircraft has compiled an outstanding safety and reliability record since entering revenues service in 1997 while powering more than 6,700 aircraft worldwide.

The engine has accumulated more than 350 million flight hours as one of the most reliable and popular jet engine in airline history.

Notably, the death of 43-year-old Jennifer Riordan on Flight 1380 was the first in a U.S. commercial aviation accident since 2009, according to National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) statistics.

The passengers of the flight said the woman was pulled out of the plane up to her waist, her blood splattering other windows.

This is a very sad day, and on behalf of the entire Southwest family I want to extend deepest sympathies for the family and loved ones of the deceased customer, Southwest Chief Executive Officer Gary Kelly said speaking in an auditorium called Freedom Hall at Southwest’s headquarters in Dallas.

They are our immediate priority and concern. We will do all we can to support them during this very difficult time and in the difficult days ahead.


Tourism Observer

KENYA: Kenya Airways Preparing For Flights To New York

Officials from the US security department met Kenya’s aviation regulator last month to confirm that all the safety measures are in place ahead of the scheduled direct flights to New York later in the year.

Transportation Security Administration (TSA) had a session with the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) with the view to ensuring that the measures that were put in place to facilitate direct flights between the two countries are still intact.

KCAA Director General Gilbert Kibe said the officials were impressed with the progress and they have given Kenya a clean bill of health.

Officials from TSA were here to check our compliance in regard to Category 1 status and they were impressed with the measures that have been put in place, said Mr Kibe.

This comes at a time when Kenya Airports Authority is waiting for response on some items that the TSA wanted corrected before the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport is given the Last Point of Departure (LPD) status.

The first audit was done last year in December but Kenya did not pass the test as there were some measures that needed to be put in place to meet the compliance level.

The KAA said early this year that they had carried out corrective measures as requested by TSA, and that they were waiting for their decision.

Some of the things that the audit focused on include documentation of the processes at the airport, security perimeter at the facility and access control measures enacted by the authority.

The LPD status will allow Kenya Airways and any other airline that has been approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to fly directly to the US from Nairobi.

The national carrier received exemption authority from the DOT last year, allowing it to commence flights to the United States provided it secures clearance from the FAA and other applicable State agencies.

JKIA was in February last year given Category One status after several audit processes by FAA that had seen Kenya fail to meet a number of reviews, delaying the earlier commencement date of August 2016.

The key item on audit was the security measures that Kenya had implemented to guarantee direct flights between the two countries.

After getting LDP clearance, the last remaining thing will be the granting of Kenya Airways or any other airline an Air Operator Certificate by FAA after inspecting the carrier’s equipment and facilities, which is expected to be this month.



Tourism Observer

FedEx Plane Catches Fire at Hollywood International Airport

A FedEx plane caught fire Friday afternoon at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

Broward Sheriff's Office Department of Fire Rescue spokesman Mike Jachles said firefighters were called to the airport shortly before 6 p.m. after smoke was seen coming from the plane.

According to Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen, the landing gear on the DC-10 aircraft collapsed, causing a fire as the plane was rolling on Runway 10 Left.

"I think the pilot did a pretty good job of keeping it close to the runway, but of course you can see the ball of fire and with all that fuel, that was a pretty big explosion," said Stephen Lloyd, former safety director for the FAA.

Bergen said the plane had just arrived from Memphis, Tennessee.

She said both pilots escaped from the plane.

A ground stop was in effect at the airport until Fire Rescue cleared the scene.

The plane had 40,000 pounds of fuel on it when it was coming in to land. The north runway was damaged, but the extent of the damage was not known.

The airport was re-opened at 7 p.m. Friday, but only the south runway is operating. Authorities said the north runway will remain closed as Broward County Aviation Department workers assess the damage to the runway. A timetable on when it may reopen was not given.

A dozen or so flights were diverted to area airports. The airport is operating, but passengers there can expect some delays.

A National Transportation Safety Board team is investigating the cause of the incident.

USA: American Airlines Flight 383 At O’Hare International Airport On Fire

Flames and heavy black smoke poured from the side of an American Airlines jet that aborted takeoff and caught fire on the runway at Chicago’s O’Hare international airport on Friday, forcing 170 crew and passengers to evacuate and resulting in eight injuries.

Pilots on American Airlines flight 383 bound for Miami reported an engine-related mechanical issue, according to airline spokeswoman Leslie Scott. She said seven passengers and a flight attendant with minor injuries were taken to a hospital.

Passenger Sarah Ahmed said the plane had been speeding down the runway when she heard an explosion and saw flames and black smoke. She said everyone on the right side of the aircraft jumped from their seats and moved to the left side.

“People are yelling, ‘Open the door! Open the door!’ Everyone’s screaming and jumping on top of each other to open the door,” Ahmed said. “Within that time, I think it was seven seconds, there was now smoke in the plane and the fire is right up against the windows, and it’s melting the windows.”

Footage from the scene showed the Boeing 767, which appeared to be damaged on its rear and along its right side, sitting on the runway with flames underneath and shooting from one side along with plumes of smoke. The right wing was drooping toward the ground.

Passengers came down emergency slides, hurrying across grass next to the runway as emergency vehicles surrounded the plane.

Buses were sent to pick up the passengers and bring them back to the terminal, the airline said. The passengers were to be placed on another flight to Miami on Friday evening.

The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that the plane made an emergency stop around 2.35pm after a problem during takeoff. An earlier FAA statement said the plane had blown a tire.

The National Transportation Safety Board was conducting an investigation into the incident, with investigators expected to arrive on the scene on Friday evening, spokesman Keith Holloway said.

The aircraft was built in 2003 and is among American’s youngest planes of that model. According to data from FlightGlobal, an aviation news and industry data company, at the start of 2016 the plane had flown more than 47,000 hours and made more than 7,500 cycles. Each takeoff and landing is one cycle.

American Airlines is flying 767 aircraft that have more than 100,000 hours and 18,000 cycles.

Video and images of the incident were posted on social media, including footage that appears to show panic inside the cabin.

In similar scenes a FedEx plane caught fire on Friday evening while landing at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, authorities said.

The plane was arriving from Memphis shortly before 6pm when the fire broke out, Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue spokesman Mike Jachles.

The pilots told authorities they believe the left landing gear collapsed on the runway. Both pilots escaped without injury.

The fire, which was contained to the left wing and fuel tank, was put out within minutes of the landing, Jachles said. An inspection determined that the cargo appeared to be undamaged.

Air traffic controllers in Fort Lauderdale issued a ground stop after the flight, and no flights were allowed to leave for a time. The airport’s south runway reopened about 7pm, but the north runway remained closed for investigation.

FedEx issued a statement that the company was cooperating with authorities.
The National Transportation Safety Board is opening an investigation into a FedEx plane that caught fire after its landing gear collapsed.

Christopher O’Neill, a spokesman for the board, said a team of five investigators are being sent to Fort Lauderdale.

Federal Aviation Administration Pronounces Indonesia Aviation Safety Rating

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that Indonesia complies with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) safety standards and has been granted a Category 1 rating.

The FAA first assessed Indonesia’s civil aviation authority in September 1997 and found it in compliance with ICAO standards and then lowered the rating from Category 1 to Category 2 in April 2007. While under a Category 2 rating, the country either lacked laws or regulations necessary to oversee air carriers in accordance with minimum international standards, or its civil aviation authority – a body equivalent to the FAA for aviation safety matters – was deficient in one or more areas, such as technical expertise, trained personnel, record-keeping, or inspection procedures.

The Category 1 status announced is based on a March 2016 FAA assessment of the safety oversight provided by Indonesia’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation. A Category 1 rating means the country’s civil aviation authority complies with ICAO standards. With the International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) Category 1 rating, Indonesian air carriers that are able to secure the requisite FAA and DOT authority, can establish service to the United States and carry the code of U.S. carriers.

As part of the FAA’s IASA program, the agency assesses the civil aviation authorities of all countries with air carriers that have applied to fly to the United States, currently conduct operations to the United States, or participate in code sharing arrangements with U.S. partner airlines, and makes that information available to the public. The assessments determine whether or not foreign civil aviation authorities are meeting ICAO safety standards, not FAA regulations.

In order to maintain a Category 1 rating, a country must adhere to the safety standards of ICAO, the United Nations’ technical agency for aviation that establishes international standards and recommended practices for aircraft operations and maintenance.

What Is The Airline Liable For In The Event Of A Crash Landing?

Question:
My husband was on a flight from Ft. Lauderdale to Los Angeles when the plane crashed on a routine stopover in Dallas. It was determined that the cause of the crash was attributed to pilot error combined with extreme weather conditions known as microburst and wind shear. He didn’t survive. What recourse do I have and what is the airline liable for?

Answer:
In the United States, two federal agencies regulate air travel and also investigate every commercial and general aviation accident, which may include an airplane crash landing. The first one of these agencies is called the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the second is the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The NTSB is in charge in investigation the accident and recommending safety standards to prevent future accidents. The FAA sets legal standards for pilot conduct, flight operations, and aircraft manufacturers. In enforces FAA regulations through civil and even criminal penalties.

The circumstances of aviation accidents vary from personal injury and/or death to legal theories of product negligence and/or product liability. The airline and its insurance company may be held responsible for the errors of its pilots in operating the aircraft. Damages arising from a wrongful death fall into four categories. They include economic loss, non-economic loss, survival damages and punitive damages.

When a passenger on a domestic commercial flight is killed in a crash, it is possible for his or her next of kin to bring a “survival” action to recover monetary damages for the pain and suffering and mental anguish he or she experienced after the accident, but before the decedent died. Aviation litigation is extremely complex and a professional attorney who specializes in this field can best handle bringing a wrongful death suit.

USA: Fatal Plane Crash In Akron, Ohio

At least two people are dead after a plane crashed into a home in Akron, Ohio, USA, today at 2:54 pm. The two known fatalities were people inside the 10-passenger plane. Names have not yet been released.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Hawker H25 business jet was on approach to Akron Fulton International Airport when it crashed.

The Akron Fire Department said more than two people have died, but this is all that could be concretely confirmed so far. Ohio State Highway Patrol was not able to confirm if other people were onboard the plane at the time of the crash.

After the plane crashed into the home located at 3042 Mogadore Road near Skelton Road, it then smashed into an embankment. Debris from the crash caused a second home to catch fire. Nobody was home and no one was injured on the ground.

The plane struck power lines before it crashed, which caused a power outage to 1,500 customers in Tallmadge. As of the time of the filing of this article, power was restored to all but 135 homes.

USA: American Airlines Says It Flew Wrong Plane To Hawaii

Federal safety officials are looking into a flight that American Airlines operated to Hawaii using a plane that lacked all the emergency equipment required for long over-water trips.

Federal Aviation Administration rules require such planes to carry extra oxygen for medical emergencies and an extra canister of fire extinguisher. That's because the planes fly far from airports where they could make an emergency landing. An American Airlines flight from Los Angeles was on its way to Honolulu on Aug. 31 when an employee on the ground realized that the airline had sent the wrong plane, spokesman Casey Norton said Monday.

He said the airline completed the flight but canceled the return trip, which would have used the same jet, and flew the plane flew back to Los Angeles without passengers. Norton said American notified the FAA of the mistake and changed its software to make it easier for workers to match the correct plane with the route.

An FAA spokesman said the agency was investigating. The mistake occurred about two weeks after American switched from Boeing 757s to Airbus A321s on the Hawaii route. Some of its A321s are certified for over-ocean flights but some are not. Norton said both types of A321 have the same engines and the same number of life rafts and flotation devices.