Quote of the Week: ‘‘it’s obvious Scituate is going to be affected and I was amazed they didn’t even let me speak,’’ comment about a Boston's "Logan (Airport) Citizen's Advisory" meeting (read below) with the FAA from Laura Harbottle, who is a town planner of a community from Scituate. Scituate is a community that is going to get hit with increased flights from Logan Airport but does not belong to the advisory committee
Aviation Conspiracy Newsletter #412.........................................................................January 21, 2007 Past newsletters can be accessed at: http://pages.prodigy.net/rockaway/ACNewsmenu.htm The PASSUR airport flight tracking system at many major U.S. airports http://www.passur.com/sites.htm (you must have Java installed to view it). If you want to get the newsletter sent to you every week, sign up to AviationWatch. Bill Mulcahy rockaway@prodigy.net
Comair Crash: Sanitized Transcript Released After 6 Months!!!
As
Bill
Sees It: (Editorial)
Amusing Video Of Botched Plane Landing: I thought you might like to see
this video of a fairly large passenger plane making a very sloppy landing. It
just shows that with all the effort to convince the public how safe aviation is,
the fact remains that planes are still operated by humans who can be drunk, careless or
just "plane" stupid. "Sanitized"
Kentucky
Comair Crash Tape Transcript Released!!! Finally, after six
months the public is getting an hint of what really happened when Comair Flt.
5191 crash in Kentucky last August 27. I say hint because I consider these NTSB transcripts of plane crashes as part of a government coverup and
part an
effort to hide what really happened from the public. Only
aviation is allowed to get away with avoiding public scrutiny in this manner.
Every night on the news we see detailed coverage of murders with even video evidence
revealed; but when it comes to a plane crash the veil of secrecy is
quickly pulled over the public's eyes. Then six months later the government
releases not the actual cockpit tape but a written "transcript," which
we are supposed to believe describes what actually occurred. The photo on the
left is one of only a couple of close-ups I've seen of the crash site itself.
The secrecy involved even in barring photographs of crash sites clearly shows how the government hides information from the public even at
the earliest stages of investigation. Why does the aviation
industry get to enjoy this kind of special protection? The Saddam
hanging was a good example of how governments go to great lengths to sanitize
their actions and control public opinion. The actual Saddam hanging, which was recorded by a cellphone
camera, was totally different from the government's carefully edited video. When
it comes to controlling the media coverage of aviation crashes, the U.S.
government acts the same as the Iraqis!!!
NTSB Finally Releases
Information On Kentucky Comair Crash: WASHINGTON (AP) -- Seconds before a
commuter plane 
crashed after going down the wrong runway, the co-pilot noted it was "weird" that the at Lexington, Ky., strip had no lights, according to a transcript released Wednesday. The runway wasn't long enough for a passenger jet when Comair Flight 5191 took off in the pre-dawn darkness on Aug. 27. Co-pilot James Polehinke said it was "weird with no lights," just seconds before the sound of the impact was heard, according to the National Transportation Safety Board transcript. The captain, Jeffrey Clay, then responded, "Yeah." The crash of killed 49 of 50 people on board. Polehinke, the lone survivor, lost a leg and suffered brain damage from the crash. He has told family members he remembers nothing about that morning. According to federal investigators, Clay taxied the plane onto the wrong runway before Polehinke took over the controls for takeoff from Lexington's Blue Grass Airport. Polehinke said, "I'll take us to Atlanta," and Clay responds, `sure." According to the transcript, the last understandable word came from Clay just a second before the crash, when he said, "whoa." It was the first time the public was given access to the transcripts of what the Comair pilots told each other in the cockpit during the ill-fated flight. Editor's Note: I guess we should be grateful we even got that. http://www.11alive.com/news/article_news.aspx?storyid=90627&provider=top USA Today: Runway Errors Fairly Common: The pilots of Comair Flight 5191, who tried to take off from the wrong runway in Lexington, Ky., early Sunday, were repeating a common error, according to government databases and aviation experts. Pilots report that in some cases it is easy to mistake one runway for another, especially at night or in poor weather. Aviation incident databases include hundreds of cases of pilots attempting to land or take off on the wrong runways. http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-08-27-ky-crash-investigation_x.htm FAA Says Comair Pilots May Have Violated "Sterile Cockpit" Rule: WASHINGTON — The crash of a commuter jet that took off from the wrong runway in Lexington, Ky., last summer has thrown a spotlight on the FAA’s “sterile cockpit” rule — a commonly violated and difficult-to-enforce prohibition against extraneous conversation between the pilots. The pilots of the Comair flight in Lexington were heard talking about their dogs, their kids and job opportunities just before the plane went down in flames after struggling to get airborne from a runway that was too short. Editor's Note: I wonder how much of that was in the edited transcript. http://www.napavalleyregister.com/articles/2007/01/19/business/local/doc45b0d2faac7d0092701477.txt
Iowa:
Air Traffic Controller Union Reports A Near Collision Of Two Planes: AP -
The union representing air traffic controllers says a near-miss of two passenger
jets over Iowa was due to improper staffing and a lack of fully trained
personnel. The Federal Aviation Administration blames a mistake by a controller
at the agency's Chicago Center radar facility in Aurora, Ill., and the agency
says that staffing is adequate. The incident in question involves two jets that
were less than two miles apart Tuesday and heading toward each when onboard
collision alarms went off. FAA officials say a controller also realized the
situation and ordered one of the planes to turn. One of the planes was a United
Express flight headed to O'Hare. The other was a Northwest Airlines flight en
route to Denver. The FAA is investigating. http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/5265221.html
WAYNE, N.J.: ANOTHER Small Plane Crash In
Residential Area!!! A deadly plane crash rocked a New Jersey neighborhood Monday
night. The path of destruction -- and the death toll -- could have been so much
worse. Watch
CBS 2's exclusive amateur video of the moments immediately after
the single engine plane slammed into the driveway of a house in Wayne. Stunned
neighbors came rushing out of their homes, and couldn't believe their eyes. A
pilot just four miles away from his final destination came crashing down into
his densely populated neighborhood. It was a foggy Monday night, but it's still
unclear if weather played a role. Investigators are back on the scene Tuesday
morning to try and figure went wrong. Somehow the plane did not hit any homes or
people on the ground. At this point the name of the pilot has still not been
released.
http://wcbstv.com/topstories/local_story_016061358.html
(Another)
Bowling Ball Sized Chunk Of Ice Crashes Through Home's Roof!!! Authorities
still aren't certain where it came from, but a large chunk of ice smashed
through the roof of a home in Pennsylvania. The chunk of ice crashed into the
house Wednesday night, causing extensive damage to a bedroom ceiling. The
house is located a few miles from Philadelphia International Airport, and
investigators said they believe the chunk of ice may have come from an airplane
flying overhead. No one was injured in the incident. http://www.nbc4.tv/news/10786277/detail.html
North Carolina: More Than 60
Planes A Night To Assault Piedmont Triad Airport Communities:!!! A
guidebook designed to protect residents from noise generated by the new FedEx
hub at Piedmont Triad International Airport is on its way to the Federal
Aviation Administration for final approval. The airport authority unanimously
approved the 200-page document Tuesday after a two-year process that cost $1.3
million and involved airport businesses, community members and local government
officials. Called "Part 150" after an FAA regulation, the document
will serve as a guide as the airport begins monitoring noise levels from the
hub, set to open in 2009. More than 60 planes a night are expected to land
and take off from the East Coast sorting hub by 2014. Editor's Note: Whenever
the FAA puts a "more than" in their estimate watch out. It will
quickly be "more than" double or triple the number. http://www.news-record.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070117/NEWSREC0103/301170006
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Important Aviation News Stories This Week
Board to Logan: Quiet your jets - Recommended flight path changes may benefit South Shore
By JULIE JETTE
The Patriot Ledger http://www.patriotledger.com/articles/2007/01/18/news/news01.txt
CAMBRIDGE - A committee advising MassPort last night approved changes in
Logan Airport flight paths that proponents say will help quiet the sky above the
South Shore.
In a sometimes tense meeting, the Logan Citizens Advisory Committee, comprised
of representatives from 29 communities affected by the airport, approved a
variety of changes to current landing and departure procedures. The changes
still require approval from the Federal Aviation Administration.
‘‘This is an important step for the communities,’’ said Flavio Leo,
manager of aviation planning for MassPort, the state agency that operates Logan
Airport.
The common theme of the alternatives is that they try to concentrate flights
that are approaching or departing Logan farther east over Massachusetts Bay so
that they cross the South Shore at higher altitudes. A consultant to the project
said that planes would fly, on average, 3,000 to 4,000 feet higher when they
cross the South and North shores than they do now.
The study was ordered after a judge allowed MassPort to construct a sixth
runway. The new runway, which opened in November, had been blocked by activists
for 30 years.
‘‘It feels good to think something is going to come out of it,’’ said
Gail Latrell, a spokeswoman for the FAA.
The flight path changes approved last night represent the study’s first phase,
which considered only alternatives that would not require the FAA to do a full
environmental review. The second phase, which could involve changes to runway
use in an attempt to distribute noise more evenly, is likely to be more
controversial and will require environmental reviews.
For now, the FAA will review the effect of the changes approved by the
citizens’ committee to determine whether, taken as a whole, they make further
environmental review necessary. Because the agency has been closely involved, it
is not expected that they will.
Steven Kelley, manager of airspace redesign for the FAA, said it could take
up to 18 months to put all the flight path changes in place, but that some could
be implemented as early as fall.
While one of the goals of phase one was to avoid shifting more noise to any
community, some communities detected increased noise in some locations.
Stephen Lathrop, who represents Hull on the committee, pointed to data showing
that while Hull will hear about the same number of flights, it will see an
increase in noisier flights under one of the new flight path scenarios. A more
precise flight path would mean that some flights will fly closer to Hull,
although others will be farther away.
Locations in Scituate, Duxbury and Marshfield also might experience a slight
uptick in noise from flights, although other spots might see a reduction.
Marshfield and Duxbury have not had representatives on the advisory committee
recently, despite efforts to involve those towns. Last night, the Scituate Board
of Selectmen sent town planner Laura Harbottle to the meeting. The committee was
following strict parliamentary procedure and Harbottle, as a nonmember, was not
allowed to speak.
After the meeting, she said ‘‘it’s obvious Scituate is going to be
affected and I was amazed they didn’t even let me speak,’’ Harbottle said.
Logan Airport noise plan
Then:
- Massport wins approval in 2002 for a new Logan runway, but a court orders a
study on reducing aircraft noise
Now:
-An advisory committee approves a noise plan requiring planes to fly higher over
the South Shore
Next:
- FAA must decide whether to approve the plan and determine if further
environmental review is required
Julie Jette may be reached at jjette@ledger.com
.