Cover Story
 Airlines should examine their SOPs to specifically define the objectives of each procedure and to determine whether it is realistic to assume that pilots can perform the procedure reliably under actual line conditions. Pilots must be aware that in deviating from any procedure, they might be giving up safety margin that is not apparent.
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Causal Factors
 Spatial disorientation was the primary cause of the Sept. 13, 2008, crash of a Boeing 737-500 at Perm, Russia, according to the final report by the Russian Air Accident Investigation Commission. Contributing factors were inadequate crew resource management (CRM), a lack of proficiency in basic aircraft handling and a lack of skills associated with the use of a "Western-type" attitude indicator for recovery from an upset.
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Cabin Safety
 The lessons learned reflected the importance of leaving as little to chance as possible in preparations to survive an aircraft accident. The investigation revealed that the success of this ditching mostly resulted from a series of fortuitous circumstances, including that the ditching occurred in good visibility conditions on calm water and was executed by a very experienced flight crew.
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Expanded Version of this article
Flight Ops
 With the advent of advanced, highly automated cockpits in current transport category jet aircraft, pilots no longer fly solely by reference to raw data from airplane instruments, and as a result, their basic instrument flying skills may have diminished.
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Helicopter Safety
 The fatigue fracture of an Aerospatiale AS 350D power turbine blade caused a loss of engine power that led to the May 24, 2008, fatal crash of an Island Express Helicopters air taxi flight on Santa Catalina Island off the coast of California, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board says.
[Download PDF 3 pages. 286K]
Traffic Control
 Efforts to computer-generate air traffic control environments inside flight simulation training devices have advanced significantly in step with an emerging consensus about the benefits, several specialists say. The airline industry has spent about six years considering systems and methods that would go far beyond current training of candidates for the multi-crew pilot license in a few countries.
[Download PDF 5 pages. 391K]
Human Factors
 Cognitive task design today enables innovative solutions to such problems. Crew resource management, one of the most familiar examples of cognitive task design, originated partly from the idea that flight attendants should function as extra eyes and ears for two-pilot flight decks.
[Download PDF 4 pages. 258K]
Executive's Message
That new face at Flight Safety Foundation is me, Kevin Hiatt, and I'd like to introduce myself. I joined the Foundation in early July. In my role as executive vice president, I have been charged by the Executive Committee of the FSF Board of Governors to oversee the daily operations of the staff, support President and CEO Bill Voss.
[Download PDF 1 page. 93K]
Editorial Page
Surprises in aviation are rarely pleasant, and that's what a couple of Continental Airline pilots got in late 2008 when they taxied for departure from Denver International Airport (DEN) with the tower reporting winds of 11 kt, 70 degrees off the nose.
[Download PDF 1 page. 69K]
Safety Calendar
A listing of aviation safety-related conferences, seminars and meetings.
[Download PDF 1 page. 74K]
In Brief
Maintenance personnel should receive more on-the-job training before they are permitted to perform critical work on aircraft, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board says.
[Download PDF 3 pages. 269K]
Leaders Log
I learned from professionals that you have to work at professionalism, and that takes discipline. The real professionals among us always have time to do things the right way at the right time every time.
[Download PDF 2 pages. 123K]
Data Link
The rate of unstable approach events declined 36 percent in 2009 from the previous year among aviation departments participating in Flight Safety Foundation’s corporate flight operational quality assurance program, according to a statistical summary report prepared by Austin Digital, which aggregates and analyzes the data.
[Download PDF 4 pages. 397K]
Info Scan
The investigation determined that the pilot flying was likely to have been relying on peripheral vision while steering because of the need to concentrate on the forward view; that the rolling takeoff reduced the time available to check position; and that the pilot was misled by “confusing aerodrome markings especially taxiway lead-in lines that directed aircraft onto the runway edge lights, resulting in the misalignment of the aircraft at the beginning of the takeoff roll.”
[Download PDF 4 pages. 163K]
On Record
The following information provides an awareness of problems in the hope that they can be avoided in the future. The information is based on final reports by official investigative authorities on aircraft accidents and incidents.
[Download PDF 8 pages. 284K]
Smoke Fire Fumes
Selected Smoke, Fire and Fumes Events in the United States, February–April 2010.
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