Facts And Statistics On The Flight Crew, Aircraft...
Many more details on the crash of Air France Concorde
Flight 4590 emerged last week as the lead organization in the investigation, France's Air
Accident Investigation Bureau (BEA), released cockpit voice and flight data recorder
information, along with details on the flight crew's experience. The pilot had accumulated
more than 13,000 hours of flying time in several types of both Boeing and Airbus jetliners
in over 30 years of flying. He was qualified to fly the Concorde in August 1999 and his
total time in the aircraft was 317 hours. Within the three months prior to the accident,
he had accumulated 95 hours. The co-pilot had amassed more than 10,000 hours total time,
was qualified for the Concorde in January of 1989 and had 2,698 hours as a line pilot on
the Concorde, the most time in type of all the members of the flight deck crew. He had
also been a simulator flight instructor for the jet since March of 1999. The third member
of the flight deck crew, acting as flight engineer, had 12,532 total flight hours, 937 of
which were added as flight engineer on the Concorde. The newly released cockpit voice
recorder (CVR) transcripts begin by reflecting a well-organized and thorough crew
establishing agreement on total weights and appropriate V-speeds as they prepared for
flight. As the flight progresses, the CVR and flight data recorder (FDR), which measured
104 parameters, detail the crew responding to the emergencies their panels presented to
them. Unfortunately, those panels could not tell the flight crew exactly what they needed
to know -- even if they did, the panels could not tell them how to survive.
The aircraft itself, Concorde serial number 3, had undergone a standard maintenance
check of type A01 that began on July 17, 2000, and finished several days later. Following
the check, the aircraft performed four flights from the 21st to the 24th.
On July 24, several maintenance issues were corrected including a "brake
overload" indicator light and the replacement of a wheel. With all anomalies
corrected, the aircraft was given a clean bill of health and returned to service.
...Undercarriage...
The Concorde flight manual
mandates that the aircraft allows for 3,370 meters (11,056 feet) of available runway for
takeoff and at 185 tons, it will consume 1,150 meters (3,773 feet) of runway in 39 seconds
after brake release and before attaining V1. The wheels should leave the ground at 2,600
meters (8,530 feet) nearly 48 seconds after brake release. The aircraft is equipped with a
visual warning system that alerts pilots of low tire pressure, but that system is not
active at speeds of less than 10 knots or speeds above 135 knots. The landing gear is
outfitted with water deflectors, which are made of fiberglass and designed to inhibit
water from splashing into the jet engine intakes. Each deflector weighs about 4 kg (8.8
pounds) and is situated in front of the forward set of main tires on both the left and
right main gear. The deflectors were the subject of an optional Service Bulletin in early
1995, which recommended the insertion of two cables along the leading edge of the
deflector assembly. The purpose of the cables is to retain any pieces of the deflectors
should they break (possibly by a burst tire). Air France did not adopt this service
bulletin, although British Airways did implement the change on their Concordes. In light
of the theory that a burst tire led to the loss of the aircraft, French authorities have
recorded the particulars of each tire. The number of cycles flown by the tires ranged from
zero to 45. The tires for the accident flight were carrying a load very close to the
maximum allowed for takeoff.
...Structural And Aerodynamic Complications...
The inquiry determined the weight of the accident
aircraft to be near 185,000 kg (185 metric tons). The French report makes a point that,
for a Concorde to operate at that weight, the limitations of the tires begin to gnaw away
at safety margins on takeoff roll with respect to the associated V-speeds. As weight
increases, the V-speeds must increase, which effectively puts the tires under greater
stress for a longer period of time. The maximum structural weight for takeoff for the
Concorde is limited at 186.7 metric tons largely because the V1 speed will be near 150
knots, the Vr speed is held at 199 knots (for the sake of the tires) and the V2 speed will
be 220 knots. This is all fine and nice, but the report indicates that 220 knots is very
close to Vzrc (speed for zero rate of climb) -- especially for the accident aircraft,
which was operating on three engines. For the accident aircraft, at 185 metric tons, Vzrc
is listed at 205 knots with gear extended and one engine failed (Vzrc goes up to
more than 300 knots with two engines out). The report emphasizes that Vzrc is a very
important notion for the Concorde because it explains the relationship of available
thrust, thrust necessary for stabilized flight and speed. It seems that the accident
aircraft may have been stuck in a situation where it could not accelerate or climb. The
aircraft managed a speed of 200 knots at an altitude of 200 feet for about one minute
before the number-one engine showed a decrease in thrust. Though minimum controllable
airspeeds are listed as 132 knots with three engines and 157 knots with only two engines,
presumably the aircraft will also carry a significant rate of descent at those speeds.
...And The Results
Prior to taking the runway, the
pilot broadcast his emergency procedures to the tower. He announced that between zero and
100 knots he will abort the takeoff run for any alarm. Between 100 knots and V1, he
indicated he would stop for, among other things, a fire warning. Past V1, the pilot
announced that he would continue on the outbound course. Flight 4590 was cleared for
departure from DeGaulle's 4,215-meter (13,828-foot) runway 26R at 14:42:17. At 14:42:31,
the captain announced the start of takeoff roll; 22 seconds later, the co-pilot announced
a speed of 100 knots and nine seconds later he called V1. Up to this time the aircraft was
performing well. However, several seconds later, the forward right tire on the left main
gear burst -- presumably because it rolled over a 17-inch strip of metal lying on the
runway. The destruction of the tire sent large pieces of rubber flying with great force,
and a low frequency noise is present on the CVR tape. At 14:43:13, the controller notified
the aircraft "you have flames ... you have flames behind you." The FDR indicates
a slight loss of thrust from engine number 1. Over a span of four seconds, the flight
engineer announces a problem with engine number two, a fire warning is heard in the
cockpit and the flight engineer announces that he is cutting engine number two. The pilot
calls for engine fire procedures and the alarm stops. The co-pilot repeatedly tells the
pilot to watch his airspeed and the pilot calls for gear up. Moments later
another fire warning goes off in the cockpit. The crew becomes aware that the gear will
not come up and again the co-pilot draws attention to the airspeed indicator. Soon, the
ground proximity warning goes off, the co-pilot again warns of airspeed and the crew
informs the tower they will try for the nearby Le Bourget airport. Moments later the FDR
indicates a drop in power from the number one engine and then the Concorde makes its final
plunge. If nothing else, all the key players in this event reacted exactly as could have
been expected. The pilot followed his plan for an engine fire warning that came to his
attention after V1 and the aircraft performed almost exactly as it should have under the
given conditions. Unfortunately, the crew was not aware of the exact nature of the given
conditions.
NOTE: AVweb's NewsWire coverage includes the complete text of the Concorde
CVR transcripts in both English and French, plus findings
from the flight data recorder, in Adobe's Portable Document Format, free readers for
which are available at www.adobe.com.
Proposals Would Have Affected Cessna and Raytheon Twins
As Emily Litella use to say on Saturday Night Live ... "Never mind."
That's what the FAA is probably thinking after the agency decided to withdraw two NPRMs
(Notice of Proposed Rulemaking) that would have forced changes to the aircraft flight
manuals on certain Cessna and Raytheon twins. The first NPRM (Docket No. 99-CE-53-AD), on
the Cessna models 425 and 441, was released last October and the proposed
Airworthiness Directive (AD) would have required owner/operators to revise the Airplane
Flight Manual (AFM) to include requirements for activation of the airframe pneumatic
deicing boots. The proposed AD was the result of reports of in-flight incidents and an
accident (on airplanes other than the referenced Cessna twins) that occurred in icing
conditions where the airframe pneumatic deicing boots were not activated. Cessna of course
took exception to the claim that their flight manuals did not adequately address the use
of deicing boots and provided information to the FAA to prove that the design of the
models 425 and 441, including the language currently in the AFM, is adequate to address
the conditions identified in the proposed AD.
In the second case, the FAA is withdrawing NPRM No. 99-CE-46-AD that also proposed
changes to the AFM, this time for Raytheon 90, 99, 100, 200, 300, 1900, and 2000 series
airplanes. And just like the Cessna NPRM, this one proposed changes to the AFM on
requirements for activation of the airframe pneumatic deicing boots. Raytheon also
submitted data to the FAA which convinced the feds that no changes were required to the
AFM. This FAA mind change is significant insofar as many people felt the FAA had no
business using the AD process to amend aircraft flight manuals in the first place, and the
agency was roundly blasted for doing so by the industry. However, there are a dozen or so
other NPRMs that added icing language to the AFMs of other aircraft, and it remains to be
seen if the FAA will also cancel those NPRMs.
With Our Fine-Feathered Friends...
It would appear that the loss of an engine on a KLM 747 that AVweb
reported last week was caused by indigestion brought on by the ingestion of a large bird
as the flight departed Los Angeles International airport. At first the NTSB was saying
they didn't think it was a bird strike after the initial inspection of the engine. But a
closer look at the General Electric engine found bird remains in the aft part of the
engine. Perhaps the episode has sensitized the FAA to the fact that a large flock of
vacationing geese can bring down a jet carrying nearly 450 people, and with the trend
towards twin-engine airliners, the odds of aircraft incapacitation don't exactly improve.
The statistics are simple enough: Unwelcome meetings of birds and aircraft have resulted
in an average of ten deaths per year for the last ten years (birds not included) and
resulted in damages costing $3 billion for the same period. There were more than 4,500
reported bird strikes last year, which could mean that the real number is significantly
higher.
Enter: the Feds. If the FAA gets their way, the next generation of jet engines will
have to be able to gobble up an eight-pound bird with nary a hiccup -- current standards
only require consumption of four pounds of fowl before failure. What that means is that
the engine must be able to ingest a bird of that size and still be able to be shut down
safely. Whether or not this is progress may be debatable. The larger birds like Canada
geese can tip the scales at around 20 pounds and the number of these birds seems to have
quadrupled over the past fifteen years. Still, for all the fuss, know that the engines
slung under the wing of today's larger twin-engine jets like the Boeing 777 can chew
through most eight-pound birds without any problem and larger geese and even vultures can
be passed relatively easily as well.
...And Ground-Bound Grazers
Two weeks ago, AVweb reported on the vastly expanded deer
population and the ill effects it can have on general aviation aircraft -- this week we've
got a follow-up. It seems that while we were writing that item up, a 30-seat United
Express aircraft was making itself busy on the winning side of a high-speed encounter with
a deer at Arcata-Eureka airport, Calif. As it landed in the early hours of last Sunday
night, the aircraft struck and killed the deer to which it lost one prop and the
associated engine. Estimated damage costs for the plane are close to $100,000. It seems
that where the population of deer is high and airport traffic consistent, the deer seem to
become accustomed to the aircraft and no longer perceive them as something to be feared.
Perhaps deer would learn to fear the aircraft after an unpleasant encounter --
unfortunately most of them don't survive the education.
GAMA Aims To Make Part 23 Cockpits More User Friendly
The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) recently released
"Recommended Practices and Guidelines for Part 23 Cockpit/Flight Deck Design"
(publication 10), which is designed to assist Part 23 manufacturers in making a better
cockpit. The content of the publication focuses on maximizing the effective interaction
between aircraft and their human manipulators and includes a collection of optimal cockpit
design layouts as derived from several years of human-factors research. GAMA worked with
industry representatives, independent experts and researchers from the FAA to produce the
package. The table of contents includes such topics as functional integration and color
selection, even display flicker and update rates and resolution. (We hope it also explains
why the strobe light and boost pump switches always seem be hidden somewhere behind the
yoke.) To download your very own free copy visit GAMA's Web site.
New Primary Trainer For Air Force And Navy Grounded
The Air Force has grounded its fleet of about one
dozen Raytheon T-6A Texan II single-engine, turboprop, tandem trainers while the results
of an investigation are pending after one of the aircraft was lost near Randolph Air Force
base, Texas., last week. The two crewmembers ejected with minor injuries. So far, the
military has not released many details on the circumstances leading up to the crash and
the aircraft itself was destroyed, but we do know that the Air Force and Navy have
together ordered more than 700 of the aircraft to replace the aging Cessna T-37 (Air
Force) and Beech T-34C (Navy) trainers. The Navy is not slated to take delivery of their
trainers for several years.
Parachutist Only Has Eight Lives Now
That's because skydiver Andy Judy used one of them up on Saturday when he attempted a
jump from a Cessna 182 at the Pittsburgh Skydiving Center in Dunbar, Pa. Judy was one of
four skydivers attempting a group jump when he got caught under the Cessna. Judy was
trapped 10,500 feet above the ground until the 182 touched down and he was freed.
"When we got to him, he looked at us and said, 'My gosh, am I lucky,'" said Don
Bick, co-owner of the Pittsburgh Skydiving Center in Dunbar. After Judy got stuck, he
realized his parachute was not damaged, so he tried unsuccessfully to free himself by
unfastening his boots. Officials at Connellsville Airport in Dunbar sent another plane
into the air to try to help, but that pilot "determined there was nothing to
do," Bick said. The pilot of the Cessna finally decided to land in a grass field
beside the airport's paved runway, hoping the ground would be soft. Luckily Judy suffered
only minor cuts and bruises. Since Judy didn't use his parachute to land, we don't think
he can log this as a jump.
Weekend PA-32 Crashes Take Toll In Eastern U.S.
Two separate crashes of Piper PA-32-series aircraft claimed seven and injured
one over the weekend. In Ohio, a Cherokee Six 300 crashed shortly after apparently taking
off from the Wayne County Airport (BJJ) in Wooster -- reports differ on the specific
airport. Four died and one was injured when the plane went down in the early morning on
its way to the Cleveland Air Show. Early morning weather at BJJ was reported as 1/4-mile
visibility with a broken cloud layer at 100 feet AGL and an overcast layer at 600 feet.
Killed were the pilot, Bryant Collins Jr., of Chesapeake, Va., plus Daryl Keegle, and his
son Jonathan; and Andrew Geiser. Andrew Geiser's father, Rolland Geiser, was injured.
Meanwhile, early details are sketchy but on Sunday afternoon, a Piper Saratoga crashed
near South Kingston, R.I., while en route to Philadelphia, Pa., from Chatham, Mass. All
three aboard -- one man and two women -- died after an apparent in-flight airframe
failure. Weather conditions at the time were not available at AVweb's deadline.
Canadian International Air Show Online
The Canadian International Air Show (CIAS) is making
an attempt to live up to its name in a whole new way this year as it teams up with
torontostartv.com to broadcast the event through a real-time live video stream on the
Internet. The CIAS roster this year includes the Canadian Snowbirds jet team, as well as
solo performances from Patty Wagstaff and Delmar Benjamin in his Gee Bee. There are also
several military aircraft flight displays from both the U.S. and Canada scheduled to take
part in the air show, plus Avalon Airshows pairing of the MiG 17 and F-86. If you haven't
had a peak already, this is your last chance. The show ends today. So, plug in and punch
it up to enjoy this marvelous outdoor event without having to buy all those overpriced
concession-stand goodies -- or having to go outside. You can view the show online at http://www.cias.org or http://www.torontostartv.com.
DOT Makes It Official: June 2000 A Lousy Month For
Airlines
The Department of Transportation released figures last week confirming that
June was one of the most difficult times to find an on-time arrival flight in recent
history. Air carriers teamed up with ATC and mother nature (and whoever else you
want to blame) to make sure patrons ran late on one out of every three flights in the
middle of the year. Now, be aware that the unwillingness of pilots to work overtime for
United, the nation's largest carrier, probably has something to do with that. The report
indicates that if you flew with United in the month of June you were just as likely to get
to your destination on time as you were to arrive late -- well, almost as likely, anyway. But before you write off
the report as a fluke, sit tight (clearly you should be well practiced at that by now), it
gets better. Our favorite part of this story is that the report itself was delayed by
several weeks. So, the report on lateness was late. There's a sick kind of poetry to that
you just can't ignore. The icing on the cake? Denver International, the five-year-old
airport of the future, ranked number one for late arrivals and number three for late
departures. Of course United Airlines flies about 70 percent of DIA's departures and
arrivals, which means its recent labor problems have caused DIA to also suffer.
Building A Better Fort
As long as no one in this country seems to be able to get
anywhere, Dallas/Fort Worth International (DFW) airport is finally going ahead with its
$2.5-billion program to accommodate the 100 million passengers expected to be sleeping
there -- er, flowing through its terminals -- by 2025. Dubbed the Capital Development
Program, the project aims to add an international terminal building, a "people
mover" intra-airport transport system, an eighth runway and a lot more. The project
is the largest expansion in the airport's history and is banking on the airport's ability
to take advantage of a predicted surge in international travel that is expected to double
that segment of the market over the next ten years. Integral to the program is the
addition of a high-volume, high-efficiency customs facility that hopes to process more
than 3,000 weary continent-hoppers per hour.
A Different Way To Tango
Team Tango, which has made a name for itself by
promoting its kit-built aircraft through an ambitious builder's center program that claims
to provide builders with an airworthy aircraft in about a month, is adding a new angle --
ordering one for assembling at home. Although the first builder to use the assist program
did not finish in 30 days, the company says that the experience they've gained through
running the building program, combined with low parts counts in both their
200-mph-composite Tango (2-place) and Foxtrot (4-place), have made the quick-build
scenario viable for homebuilders. Those willing to take on the challenge will still be
able to take advantage of factory support in the form of pre-fab-type packages for
electrical goodies and firewall-forward installations. The company has a Web site for more info.
All Nippon Airways Makes Its Own Competition
All Nippon Airways (ANA) has applied to the Japanese Ministry of Transport for
permission to introduce a new international carrier, which, if approved, will fly under
the name of Air Japan Co., Ltd. The proposal stipulates that Air Japan (or AJ as we like
to call it), will be a member of the ANA Group and begin service January 1, 2001, with
flights between Osaka and Seoul. ANA will handle maintenance and sales for AJ as well as
lease them their first jet, a Boeing 767-300ER. AJ is the child of reorganization at ANA
designed to increase profitability by allowing each airline to focus on different markets.
The plan involves shifting short- and medium-haul routes away from ANA and allowing AJ to
grow with routes in Asia's resort destinations market. One interesting twist that takes
advantage of some peculiar particulars is ANA's intention to hire pilots between the ages
of 60 and 62. The rhyme to this reason is that ANA has a mandatory retirement age of 60
for all its employees while a Japanese commercial pilot's license is good through age 63.
Also, if you're sitting on a hot resume at the moment, AJ is said to be considering hiring
foreign nationals, too.
Correction On AirVenture 2000 Speedvision Broadcast
Seems we made a boo-boo in our mention last week for the broadcast of a one-hour
special about AirVenture 2000 on the Speedvision cable network. The correct date and times
for the broadcast are Wednesday, Sept. 20 at 8 p.m. ET, 7 p.m. CT and 9 p.m. PT. AVweb
apologizes for the confusion.
United Airlines mechanics are seeking federal mediation to resolve contract
talks...
Air Canada announced it would retain Canadian Regional Airliners as a feeder
airline as it continues to own nearly all commercial modes of air transportation in the
country...
Meigs Field in Chicago, Ill., is having an open house on September 16 from 10
a.m to 4 p.m CT; more info at http://www.friendsofmeigs.org...
A Lockheed F-16 lost power and went down off the New Jersey coast (without loss
of life) last week, bringing the fighter's total to three crashes for the month of
August...
Mechanics and related employees of American Trans Air voted against union
representation by the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association...
A 17-year-old Eagle Scout died when the wing of his homebuilt BG-12BD glider
failed on final approach at the Tehachapi, Calif., airport...
A German Tornado crashed and both crewmembers died during a NATO training
exercises near Goose Bay, Newfoundland.
..From our "organizational chart" file:
An airliner was suffering through a severe thunderstorm. As the passengers were being
bounced around by the turbulence a young woman turned to a priest sitting next to her and
with a nervous laugh asked, "Father, you're a man of God, can't you do something
about this storm?"
To which he replied, "Lady, I'm in sales, not management."
Contributions to Short Final are welcomed at sf@avweb.com.
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News Wire