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Making Every Mission Possible The Official Publication of THE UNITED KINGDOM FLIGHT SAFETY COMMITTEE ISSN: 1355-1523 SPRING 2003 ON COMMERCIAL AVIATION SAFETY FOCUS is a quarterly subscription journal contents devoted to the promotion of best practises in aviation safety. It includes articles, either original or reprinted from other sources, related Editorial 2 to safety issues throughout all areas of air transport operations. Besides providing information on safety related matters, FOCUS Chairman’s Column 3 aims to promote debate and improve networking within the industry. It must be emphasised that FOCUS is not intended as a substitute for regulatory information or company Global Navigation Satellite System Landing System 4 publications and procedures. Technology/Product Development Editorial Office: The Boeing Company Ed Paintin The Graham Suite, Fairoaks Airport, Chobham, Woking, Surrey. GU24 8HX DVT – What is all the fuss about? 10 Tel: 01276-855193 Fax: 01276-855195 Barlow Lyde & Gilbert e-mail: [email protected] Web Site: www.ukfsc.co.uk Office Hours: 0900-1630 Monday-Friday UKFSC Members List 12 Advertisement Sales Office: Mike Barrett The Graham Suite, Fairoaks Airport, Chobham, Woking, Surrey. GU24 8HX Hazards of Erroneous Glideslope Indications 14 Tel: 01276-855193 Mobile: 07788-168207 The Boeing Company Printed by Woking Print & Publicity Ltd The Print Works, St.Johns Lye, St.Johns Woking, Surrey GU21 1RS Minimum Safe Turnaround - A Briefing Paper for 18 Tel: 01483-884884 Fax: 01483-884880 Schedule Planning Departments ISDN: 01483-598501 Email: [email protected] Produced by the ERA Air Safety Work Group Web: www.wokingprint.com FOCUS is produced solely for the purpose of improving flight safety and, unless copyright is Waging War Against Unsafe Operations 21 indicated, articles may be reproduced providing that the source of material is acknowledged. E.H.Paintin Opinions expressed by individual authors or in advertisements appearing in FOCUS are those Course Outline for Human Factors Training 23 of the author or advertiser and do not in Aviation Maintenance necessarily reflect the views and endorsements of this journal, the editor or the UK Flight Safety Committee. UKFSC Annual Seminar 24 While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, FOCUS accepts no responsibility for any errors or omissions in the information, or its Front Cover: B737-300 in the colours of Jet 2 the low cost operation of consequences. Specialist advice should Channel Express that started operations from Leeds Bradford to destinations always be sought in relation to any particular circumstances. in Europe on 12th February 2003. 1 Editorial Disruptive Passengers Three years ago the United Kingdom This change in the law is currently being changes to the laws in order to afford Flight Safety Committee set up a Working processed in Parliament as a Private aircrew greater protection. Group to look into the cause of the Members Bill, by Frank Roy MP for increasing number of disruptive Motherwell and Wishaw. The second It takes time to bring about change, passenger reports. Following this initial reading of this Private Members Bill was particularly when trying to change the law report it was decided that the Working made on the 7th February 2003. and sometimes it appears that nothing is Group should produce a universal Members of the Department for Transport being done. The result is that people feel guidance document that airlines could Working Group are hopeful that the Bill that their efforts are a waste of time. Let use as a model to improve the way they will become law later in the year. me assure you that this is not the case. were handling disruptive passengers. There are groups of dedicated and Recently it has been noted that there has motivated people trying to ensure that At about the same time the Department been a decline in the number of your tasks can be carried out in a safe for Transport (then the DTLR) formed a disruptive passenger reports being environment. Working Group to discuss this issue and submitted to the CAA for inclusion in the to look at what the government could do disruptive passenger database. Some The easiest way to ensure that nothing to try to: airlines show a small increase in the gets done or changed is to stop number of reports submitted but in submitting the disruptive passenger (a) prevent disruptive passenger general the number is down on the same reports, so please continue to submit behaviour and period last year. Common belief is that your reports. there is an increase in the number of (b) to ensure that adequate regulation disruptive passenger incidents but that existed to control and prosecute cabin crews are failing to submit reports. offenders where necessary. To some extent this is understandable as The Civil Aviation Authority was tasked to cabin crew are expected to submit these collect and categorise the disruptive reports following a long hard days work. passenger reports submitted by the Usually this is done in the crew room prior airlines. These were presented to the to departing for home. The most Department for Transport Working Group important thing on the mind of most so that any trends in the number of crews at this stage of the duty is getting reports could be monitored and the scale home and having a bath and some sleep. of the issue known. I would therefore like to appeal to cabin Resulting from the work done by the crew to please remember to submit the Department for Transport Working Group disruptive passenger reports at the end of a proposal was made to increase the each duty. By helping us they will be powers of the police attending to calls helping themselves. Without this from the aircraft captains for assistance information we will not be able to monitor with disruptive passengers. the situation properly or bring about UK FLIGHT SAFETY COMMITTEE OBJECTIVES ■ To pursue the highest standards of aviation safety. ■ To constitute a body of experienced aviation flight safety personnel available for consultation. ■ To facilitate the free exchange of aviation safety data. ■ To maintain an appropriate liaison with other bodies concerned with aviation safety. ■ To provide assistance to operators establishing and maintaining a flight safety organisation. 2 Chairman’s Column 100 Years of Aeronautical Risk Management by John Dunne, Airclaims to allow the media to drive the release of information during the accident investigation process. This hasn’t enhanced the accident investigation process and has probably had a negative effect in that it is diverting key members of the team away from their prime role in order to brief the press on the day’s findings. Following publication of the report into the This year the Aviation World’s diaries are recognise the CFIT risks more clearly in an Boeing 757 landing accident in Gibraltar, full of events to mark Man’s first historic operational environment? Industry is revisiting existing FOQA flight back in December 1903. In the span systems and determining how they may of just 100 years we have made huge and A Beechcraft 1900 accident in Charlotte is be better utilised in the measuring, significant strides by developing an still under investigation; however initial understanding and management of risk in effective, efficient, economic and safe air reports suggest that a combination of everyday operations. It is interesting to transportation system. The progress has miss-rigged pitch controls and a weight note that although large amounts of data been impressive but not always without its and balance issue led to the departure is processed and recorded on the aircraft cost. from controlled flight. Central to the it isn’t all made available to the crew, weight and balance issue is the use of especially in real time. We have made significant progress in standard weights for passengers. How such a short span of time which is due in does your company determine the aircraft Perhaps, taking this initiative a step further, part to the human spirit of adventure and weight? Has your company ever now (in this 100th Anniversary year) is an risk taking and in part to the continuing conducted a risk evaluation exercise to opportune moment for us to examine in development and application of viable risk determine calculated take-off weight detail what data is already available and assessment techniques. However, a against actual take-off weight? recorded in the FDR / QAR systems and review of aviation history will show us that determining what, if any, of that, data we do not always learn from lessons Then in early February the American could usefully be made available to the already painfully learnt. Known risk is not President announced, “The Columbia is crew in real time presentations that could the same as managed risk, neither does it lost.” The investigation process into this potentially enhance their situational always apply to lessons from the past, accident will no doubt be long, detailed awareness.