Seconds to Disaster: US Edition (9 page)

BOOK: Seconds to Disaster: US Edition
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FOREWORD

Since my early childhood, I love to fly. I already flew a
lot with my parents since I was only three years old. I saw the change from
propeller driven aircraft to the jet age, the introduction of the Boeing 747
Jumbo Jet, the supersonic Concorde and the newly fly-by-wire technology of
modern Airbus family aircraft and all of that “hooked” me.

At the age of sixteen, I
started to fly myself. Small aircraft first, then I got my license to operate
engine powered aircraft. Eventually, I learned to fly a jet and got myself the
training to operate a Boeing 737. But I had no desire to become an airline
pilot. I flew for fun and not to make a living. For my job as a journalist, I
have to fly a lot to the remotest of places and I still enjoy it every time,
especially during the moment of acceleration on the runway until the aircraft
wheels gently leave the ground and we are up in the air.

If you would like to maintain
this enthusiastic and positive picture of aviation for yourself, you better put
this book down right now.

But if you want to inform
yourself about what is currently wrong in the aviation field and why, you
should carefully continue reading.

I personally never encountered
any fear of flying, not as a passenger or as a pilot, especially when I was
operating an aircraft that I was familiar with and where I could depend on the
engineers to properly perform their job in keeping it 100 percent airworthy.
This is because my thinking and my actions are subject to a fundamental
principle since my first flight lesson:
the precautionary principle
.

In aviation, it is especially
vital to look ahead. “Never fly your aircraft anywhere where you haven’t already
travelled in your mind.” This is one of the basic principles commonly repeated
by flight instructors and it is still valid, despite the advanced technological
achievements in aviation that we encountered during the now more than 100 years
in which humans have learned to master the skies. What made flying safe in the
past 100 years was sticking to the precautionary principle and to “live” it.

Accidents and incidents have
to be avoided. But if they do happen, they have to be thoroughly analyzed and
the findings have to be shared, so they may not repeat themselves. This also implies
“sharing your experience” in a non-punitive environment, meaning you may freely
admit a mistake or an error that you made, so others can learn from it.

The principle of flying hasn’t
changed since the famous Wright brothers took off in Kitty Hawk in 1903. What
has
changed is that today we are facing innovations at a very fast pace. Modern
aircraft with advanced systems, new materials, range and comfort aboard on the
one hand, and national and international regulations and standards on the
other. The latter is intended to ensure that flying is subject to the highest
and safest standards that one could think of. A very good intention, but
unfortunately it has long been compromised by cost and profit-driven decisions
by airline management, and political lobbying by vested interests within the
transportation sector.

For millions of travelers the
most important issue whenever they board an aircraft is safety. Of course,
there will never be a level that will insure 100 percent safety. Therefore, we
will probably never see a time of zero incidents or accidents. But many
disasters could have been prevented—if only the causes had been properly
analyzed by the relevant supervising agencies, and if aviation managers
responsible had been willing to learn from the mistakes that led to a disaster.

Air travel is safe — so they
say. But incidents and accidents occur even in a supposed “safe environment”,
and these are always a concern for the experts who analyze such events in order
to prevent future tragedies.

However, it seems that the
rules today when it comes to improving air safety have more to do with economic
considerations on behalf of airline management and their overseeing government
authorities. This contradictory liaison has often played a sinister role in
recent air disasters, examples of which you will find in this book.

Another vital problem is this:
passengers don't have the same powerful lobbies as the aviation industry. Their
safety should be protected by parliamentarians. But few politicians  have a
true understanding of this very specialized field, or are qualified enough to
know exactly what needs to  done to improve safety for the traveling public.

Sadly, it is a mistake to
believe that in aviation the highest standards still apply. Safety costs money
and at times of low-cost traveling the airlines are left with narrowing
margins, which can mean less money to invest in maintaining a safe operation.
Often, the daily burden of ensuring a safe flight is shouldered more and more
by the weakest part in the safety chain: the pilots.

The “human factor” is
currently the main factor when aviation accidents occur. But this is not
limited to mistakes made by pilots. It also applies to maintenance, airline
management, aircraft and component manufacturers and national and international
supervising authorities, who are responsible for the “safety net” that should
surround each and every flight. But if the net is torn, it is just a matter of
time before the hole become big enough for an Airbus A380 with 800 passengers,
or its counterpart—a newly Boeing 747-800—falls through the net, and with
massively fatal consequences.

You will learn in the chapters
such as the ones about the ill-fated flight of Air France 447 about
deficiencies well known and identified long before the fatal accident. You will
also learn about design deficiencies in the system layout of the most advanced
and highly computerized aircraft of the world—and the problems of the so called
“man-machine interface” which makes it difficult for the human being in charge
to operate this complex system, especially when the automation fails. Shortcuts
in the requirements for training are also believed to have played a key role in
the AF447 disaster.

You will read about airlines
you should consider twice about flying with, for the cheap fares they offer may
well risk the lives of you and your loved ones if you happen to be their
passengers. On the subject of your loved ones: you will learn about the lethal
effect of the nice little baby-belt your flight attendant will hand you for
your toddler on board, if your child is under the age of two years. This device
is not intended to protect your kid in the case of a disaster striking, but
will most likely severely injure or even kill it.

Or have you ever wondered why
you felt so dizzy and had a headache after you noticed a strange smell aboard
your aircraft? Did it ever cross your mind that you were just poisoned with a
nerve agent? Read about one of the best kept secrets of the industry for
decades.

This book offers some
frightening examples of highly dangerous airline practices that affect the
travelling public, and also sounds a warning bell. The European Aviation Safety
Agency (EASA) is responsible for setting European standards that apply to all
EU member states, their airlines, training facilities, their manufactures of
aircraft and their components. It gets its power from the public. Yet recent
activities of this agency, such as their reaction to toxic cabin air, child
safety or pilot fatigue, demonstrate that the authority rather tends to follow
the economically driven considerations of those whom the agency is supposed to
regulate: the European airlines and the powerful international aviation
industry.

The ambition of these airlines
and its industry is to survive in an incredibly fast growing market that is
driven by globalization rather than the desire to maintain the highest level of
safety that protects both passengers and air crews.

The USA is facing a similar
problem—all decisions for safety improvements have to go through a crucial cost
– benefit analysis first. In a TV interview I once conducted with the US
democratic Congressman Peter deFazio, a well-known critical member of the
Transportation Committee of Congress, he didn’t mince words: “If it is cheaper
to kill people, then we kill people!” It seems Europe and the EASA is also
diverting down this unethical, immoral and highly dangerous path.

Hopefully the EASA and the
FAA—the key major players when it comes to regulation and safety in
aviation—will get back on track before it’s too late and more disasters have
struck. A proverb among safety experts is: “If you want to know the costs of
safety, try an accident.” Of course, this should never be an option.

I’m convinced that this book
and its publication will well remind them of this duty.

Berlin, May 15th 2012
Tim van Beveren
pilot, aviation editor &
safety analyst.’

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Glenn Meade is a journalist and specialist in the field
of commercial flight simulation. He is the author of nine books, many of them
international bestsellers, published in 26 languages, and have earned him critical
acclaim. Meade worked in aviation for twenty years.

Ray Ronan is an Airbus A320 Captain and Journalist. He
has contributed to aviation safety forums and has instructed during crew
training. The authors are aided by contributions from many serving and former
professional pilots and aviation experts in the US and Europe.

OTHER BOOKS BY THE AUTHORS

Glenn Meade

Snow Wolf

Brandenburg

The Sands of Sakkara

Resurrection Day

Web of Deceit

The Devil’s Disciple

The Second Messiah

The Romanov Conspiracy

Ray Ronan

Lethal Harvest

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

To all of those contributors and those who do not wish to
be or cannot be named, thank you for your time, your efforts towards this book
and towards helping improve safety in our skies.

Tim Van Beveren | Freelance aviation safety editor for TV
and print media.

Gerry Byrne | Aviation Investigative Journalist. Flight
427 Anatomy of an Air Disaster.

Dr. Michael Dreikorn | The IPL Group

Professor Ed Galea and the Fire Engineering Safety Group
team | University of Greenwich.

John Greaves | Aviation Attorney and former Airline
Captain Baum Hedlund Law

Captain John Hoyte | Chairman Aerotoxic Association.

Teamsters | Airline Division, United States.

SNPL| Syndicat National des Pilotes de
Ligne (National Union of Airline Pilots; France)

Thank you all for your support and trust. We hope this
book helps us generate debate and turn back the tide from ‘profit, and then
passengers’, to, ‘passengers, and then profit.’

USEFUL HYPERLINKS

David Learmount
: FlightGlobal.

Which Airlines are
banned
from European airspace.

Here is the FAA list of
downgraded
countries. You will need Excel to read this.

To find out more about Toxic cabin, or what to do if you
believe you may have been exposed:
Aerotoxic.org

Aviation Safety Network
"Providing
everyone with a (professional) interest in aviation with up-to-date, complete
and reliable authoritative information on airliner accidents and safety
issues".

Up to date listings of incidents and accidents, not
comprehensive.
The Aviation Herald

For child safety onboard aircraft. 
Kids Fly Safe

CHILD SAFETY TIPS

Fly with an airline that clearly allows an approved car
seat. Jan Brown — “Parents should only purchase a car seat that has an FAA or
airplane approved sticker.”

Information about an airline’s
safety standard for children can be hard to find, and even crew awareness of
their own company’s rules may be lax, so print them up and take them with you.

Remember that when flying to
Europe from the US, if the company is European they will insist you use the
loopbelt. With American companies or aircraft simply registered in the US, then
the
FAA rules
apply.

You will have to purchase a
ticket for all children over 2 years anyway so think about a child restraint
system certified for use on aircraft such as the ‘CARES’ system. A belt and
buckle device for kids 22-44 pounds, or 10-20 kg, one that is easy to use and
creates a safe airplane seat for your child without the hassle of carrying a
car seat.
[67]

Do not imagine that the
airline’s safety card will give you all the information you need to know
regarding your child’s safety, and simply because it shows an adult bracing
with a child in its grip means this is safe. Jan Brown — “When I was still a
working flight attendant, one of my flying partners and I read the manual with
two differing interpretations....and have had to instruct a parent that the
loopbelt was not allowed. The only positive aspect of the loopbelt remains
the fact that they won't missile through the cabin but that seems to be more
for passenger protection than for the toddler/infant. There are some
airplane safety cards that do not demonstrate an infant at all when showing the
emergency brace position while those that do show the parent holding the child
with one arm and bracing against the forward seatback with the other arm....now
both are in a dangerous position as the parent is in a position to be hit with
the overhead contents (as occurred on our Sioux City crash) and if an adult
cannot hold a child with TWO arms, it is ludicrous to show a one arm-hold
( I brought a 757 and an Airbus safety card to an FAA meeting 2 years ago and
nothing has changed!)  This indicates that children under two are not
given the slightest thought and also leaves flight attendants unable to
provide safety for ALL of their passengers...only those over two years of
age.  Yet flight attendants may be fined by the FAA if they do not
instruct passengers to be seated/belted when the seat belt sign is illuminated.”

For further information,
Jet with
Kids
is a great resource for parents intending to fly.

BOOK: Seconds to Disaster: US Edition
11.29Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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