[simpits-chat] Fwd: Fw: Flight Safety Information (18JAN03-027) (fwd)

[Gene Buckle]

>Flight Safety Information (18JAN03-027)
>_________________________________
>
>*Chartered Jet Makes 2 Emergency Landings
>*Plane skids off runway at Quito airport
>*Crash of U.S. Air Flight May Be Linked to Section of Tail
>*40,000 feet over Atlantic and you've got mail
>*Government Approves Airline Alliance
>*Northwest to Put Airbus A330 in Service
>*"Naked-Air" boasts all-nude Miami-Cancun flight
>*Today in History
>**********************************************
>
>Chartered Jet Makes 2 Emergency Landings
>
>FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) - A United Airlines chartered jet flying Marines
to
>Kuwait was forced to make two emergency landings during a refueling
stop,
>first after blowing tires taking off and then when the landing gear
failed
>to retract, officials said Friday.
>
>The pilot of the Boeing 747-400, carrying about 250 Marines from
Riverside,
>Calif., returned safely to the U.S. military's Rhein-Main air base on
>Thursday when two landing gear tires blew on takeoff, base spokesman
Staff
>Sgt. Matthew Summers said.
>
>The aircraft departed again Friday morning after the tires were
repaired,
>only to have the nose landing gear fail to properly retract. The pilot
again
>returned safely to base.
>
>Transports carrying U.S. military personnel deploying to the Persian
Gulf as
>part of a build up for a possible war on Iraq are on heightened alert
for
>terrorist attacks or sabotage.
>
>But United Airlines spokesman Werner Claasen said this was nothing more
than
>two technical problems. ``That's what you face when you run a fleet of
500
>aircraft,'' Claasen said.
>*****************
>
>Plane skids off runway at Quito airport
>
>QUITO, Ecuador (Reuters) - A Fokker F-28 airplane from Ecuador's state
>airline TAME with 79 people aboard skidded off the runway at Quito's
airport
>Friday after bursting a tire but no serious injuries were reported,
>officials said.
>
>TAME flight 120 was leaving Quito's airport at 9:41 a.m. local time
bound
>for the northern city of Tulcan when the tire burst, prompting the pilot
to
>abort take-off, airline spokeswoman Toa Quirola told Reuters.
>
>Passengers jumped from the plane which was slumped nose-down off the
strip,
>witnesses said. Fireman hosed down the craft, which TAME said carried 72
>passengers and seven crew. The flight's final destination was Cali,
>Colombia.
>
>Two people suffered light injuries but no one was seriously hurt, a Red
>Cross official said. The airport was shut down temporarily.
>
>The accident alarmed local residents who live in the bustling
neighborhood
>surrounding Quito's airport.
>
>"We were scared, it felt like an earthquake," said housemaid Rigoberta
>Fernandez. "We want the airport to move somewhere else."
>
>A Cuban airplane crashed on take-off in Quito in 1998, killing 81
people,
>including several people on the ground.
>
>TAME, which runs all domestic flights, suffered an accident last January
>when its Tulcan-bound flight crashed into a mountain in nearby Colombia,
>killing all 92 people on board. The airline has repeatedly vowed to
renew
>its aging fleet.
>******************
>
>Crash of U.S. Air Flight May Be Linked to Section of Tail
>
>SAN FRANCISCO -- Investigators looking into last week's crash of a U.S.
>Airways commuter flight in Charlotte, N.C., suspect a tail part that may
>have been improperly installed years before helped jam the plane's
flight
>controls, government and industry officials told Friday's Wall Street
>Journal.
>
>The National Transportation Safety Board is trying to determine whether
a
>sensor designed to record movements in the turboprop aircraft's tail was
>misaligned when it was installed on the plane as a retrofit item years
>earlier, these officials said. Investigators also suspect that routine
>maintenance work performed days before the crash to adjust the tension
of a
>control cable played a role in the crash that killed all 21 people
aboard.
>
>While it is likely to be months before the safety board formally
identifies
>the probable cause of the accident, the early findings suggest that
there
>wasn't a systemic design problem with the Raytheon Co. twin-engine Beech
>1900D model, or with the maintenance operations of Air Midwest, which
was
>operating the flight for U.S. Airways . Air Midwest is a unit of Mesa
Air
>Group Inc., based in Phoenix.
>
>Preliminary data gathered by investigators point to some type of
malfunction
>in the plane's elevator, the part of the tail that helps the plane climb
and
>descend. Officials familiar with the probe said both of the aircraft's
>engines appeared to be operating normally, the takeoff roll was routine,
and
>the nose of the plane lifted off without incident. But within a few
seconds,
>the nose tipped up sharply, putting the plane into a fatal stall.
>*****************
>
>40,000 feet over Atlantic and you've got mail
>
>For once, passengers on this morning's Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt,
>
>Germany, to Washington will be encouraged to use their portable
electronic
>devices.
>
>Those who board without a laptop can even get a loaner from the airline,
>just for the trip. They will help Lufthansa test a new system that gives
>passengers high-speed Internet access throughout the flight, even as
they
>cruise 40,000 feet over the North Atlantic.
>
>Built with gear from San Jose's Cisco Systems, the system uses
satellites to
>link passengers to their e-mail, company networks or favorite Web sites.
>They can work or simply kill time on the long flight.
>
>"Today's business traveler wants to remain connected to their offices
and
>their customers whilst they are on the move," said Andreas Dohmen, vice
>president and general manager of Cisco's operations in Germany. "With
>Lufthansa, we are working on solutions making mobile Internet access as
>simple as mobile telephony."
>
>Today's trial run marks the first test in a commercial aircraft of the
>system, created by a division of aerospace giant Boeing. Lufthansa will
test
>the passenger Internet hookups for the next three months and, if all
works
>as expected, expand the service to its entire intercontinental fleet
during
>the next two years. British Airways will begin its own tests in
February,
>said Sean Griffin, a spokesman for Connexion by Boeing.
>
>Although the service will be free to Lufthansa passengers during the
test,
>British Airways will charge about $30, Griffin said. Eventually,
Connexion
>plans to charge customers to use the hookups, although the rates have
not
>been determined. They will be based in part on how people respond to the
>service during the trials.
>
>"We're looking at both demos this quarter to give us a lot of
information
>about how passengers really will behave -- how much they use the
service,
>how long they use it," Griffin said.
>
>For this morning's experiment, Lufthansa outfitted a Boeing 747-400 with
>equipment to handle both wireless Internet traffic and more traditional
>plug- in service. Passengers whose laptops have a wireless modem can
simply
>start their computers to tap into one of five Cisco access points in the
>plane. Those who need to plug in their laptops to reach the Internet can
do
>so at all 416 seats.
>
>Cisco switching and routing gear will feed all of the Internet
connections
>to a satellite antenna. The system's software will detect when the plane
is
>moving beyond the range of one satellite and will switch to another
without
>interrupting service, Griffin said.
>
>Connexion by Boeing, which already offers a version of this service on
>private executive planes, also has agreements with Japan Airlines and
>Scandinavian Airlines Systems to install the system on their planes.
>*****************
>
>Government Approves Airline Alliance
>
>WASHINGTON (AP) - The government on Friday approved an alliance between
>Delta, Northwest and Continental airlines that will allow them to sell
seats
>on each others' flights if they agree to rules aimed at keeping air
travel
>competitive.
>
>Low-fare airlines lobbied against the deal, calling it a virtual merger
>among the third-, fourth- and fifth-largest U.S. carriers. Eight state
>attorneys general also opposed the agreement because they said it could
>stifle competition, raise prices and hurt service.
>
>The agreement, called a code-sharing alliance, allows the airlines to
offer
>more destinations without flying more planes and offer reciprocal perks
such
>as frequent flier miles.
>
>The proposed rules also limit the number of flights the airlines may
share
>and forbid the airlines from agreeing on fares, capacity or changes in
>routes. They also require the airlines to give up leases on some airport
>gates which are used less than six times a day.
>
>Regulators, struggling with the decision, delayed the ruling four times
>since the carriers applied for their approval on Aug. 23. It was
approved
>conditionally on Friday by the transportation and justice departments.
>
>Major airlines, which have lost billions of dollars since the Sept. 11
>terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, are looking for ways to
better
>compete with the low-fare airlines.
>
>A code-sharing deal approved in October allowed bankrupt airlines United
>Airlines and US Airways to share passengers on 192 daily flights.
>
>On the Net:
>
>Department of Transportation: http://www.dot.gov
>*****************
>
>Northwest to Put Airbus A330 in Service
>
>CHICAGO (Reuters) - Northwest Airlines Corp.expects to put its first
Airbus
>A330 wide-body jet into service by the fall of 2003 under a plan to
>eventually phase out older planes on transatlantic routes, a spokesman
said
>on Friday.
>
>The airline also released details of a plan allowing executives and
>non-officer managers to swap likely worthless options for a better
payday if
>they stay with the company for a few years and said Northwest received
>initial approval to use stock in a regional unit in part to fund
employee
>pensions.
>
>Northwest, the No. 4 U.S. airline, expects delivery of its first
A330-300 in
>the summer and will put it into service on Atlantic routes after U.S.
>testing and crew training, said airline spokesman Bill Mellon.
>
>The twin-engine A330 is quieter, larger and more fuel efficient than the
>three-engined DC-10-30s which Northwest currently uses on transatlantic
>routes.
>
>The Airbus seats 298 passengers in two classes and requires two air
crew,
>while the DC-10 seats 273 passengers and has three crew in a similar
setup.
>
>The carrier has not yet announced a retirement schedule for its 22
>DC-10-30s, but has firm orders for 24 A330s and options to buy another
36.
>It plans to take six A330s this year. Northwest uses DC-10s domestically
>only between Hawaii and the continental U.S.
>
>Airbus SAS is 80-percent owned by European aerospace group EADS
>(Paris:EAD.PA - News) and 20 percent owned by British aerospace and
defense
>industries group BAE Systems Plc (London:BA.L - News).
>
>OPTIONS EXCHANGE
>
>Northwest has not quantified the financial impact of the options
program,
>which had a Jan. 14 deadline. Northwest's 40 officers and various
>non-officer managers had to surrender all existing options if they chose
to
>participate.
>
>Options covering about 7.6 million shares of common stock were eligible
and
>Northwest canceled options on 6.8 million shares from 285 employees,
>according to federal regulatory filings. Northwest expects to grant
options
>to buy nearly 2.88 million shares, and to grant 354,831 phantom stock
units.
>
>Participating officers receive one new option for every two surrendered
with
>an exercise price set on the grant date, while non-officer managers
receive
>one phantom stock unit for every three options given up.
>
>The options vest at 25 percent per year over four years and expire 10
years
>after the grant date. Since Northwest shares fell more than 50 percent
in
>2002 alone, the new strike price is likely to jump in value if the stock
>rebounds at some point over the next 10 years.
>
>Northwest shares were down 20 cents, or 2.4 percent, at $8.26 in Friday
>afternoon trading on the Nasdaq.
>
>Phantom stock units also vest in equal increments over four years, but
are
>paid in cash based on the stock price on each anniversary of the grant
date,
>assuring some payment as long as the stock has value.
>*****************
>
>"Naked-Air" boasts all-nude Miami-Cancun flight
>
>HOUSTON, Jan 17 (Reuters) - On Naked-Air, seatbelts aren't the only
things
>coming off once the pilot switches off the sign.
>
>Passengers aboard a May 3 chartered flight from Miami to Cancun, Mexico,
>dubbed "Naked-Air," will be free to drop their pants, shed their bras
and
>underwear and move about the cabin au naturel.
>
>Castaways Travel, a Houston-area travel agency that specializes in
>"clothing-optional trips," is offering what it bills as the world's
first
>all-nude flight for $499, round-trip.
>
>"Once the aircraft reaches cruising altitude, you will be free to enjoy
the
>flight clothes-free," the agency's web site says.
>
>But those thinking about engaging in monkey business on the trip are
warned:
>"Inapproriate behavior is not condoned for this nude flight."
>
>Seats aboard the chartered Boeing 727-200 jet are reserved for the first
170
>passengers, and the destination is an all-inclusive "Nude Week" vacation
at
>the El Dorado Resort & Spa in Cancun.
>
>Castaways bills Nude Week as the first event of its kind to be held
Mexico.
>Guests at the resort on the Caribbean coast will only have to cover up
when
>they are in the hotel's restaurants and reception areas. The bars are
fair
>game for the naked and the nude.
>
>Among the activities planned for Nude Week are "Caesar's Rampage/Toga
night,
>a special "castaway" night ala Tom Hanks' movie, Karaoke night, PJ
night,
>body painting plus lots more fun themes and games," the web site
promises.
>
>Given the incredibly strict airport security that is now the rule in the
>U.S., passengers aboard "Naked-Air" should have it a bit easier -- none
are
>likely to be carrying too much in their luggage.
>******************
>
>Today in History:
>
>Date of Accident: 18 January 1988
>Airline: China Southwest Airlines
>Aircraft: Ilyushin IL-18D
>Location: Chungking, China
>Registration: B-222
>Flight Number: 4146
>Fatalities: 109:108
>MSN: 187009901
>Accident Description: The aircraft crashed on approach after a fire
started
>in the no.4 engine.
>