Airline Travel Issues and Hurricanes

When hurricanes or tropical storms threaten the Gulf or Atlantic coastal areas of the US, passengers across the country may be affected. Dr. Todd Curtis of AirSafe.com reviews some of the steps that passengers should take if hurricane or tropical storm approaches.

Airline Travel Issues and Hurricanes


You can also use the links below for the podcast:
Audio: MP3 Video: WMV | iPod/MP4 | YouTube | Google Video

For additional information, including links to storm-related information for passengers, visit http://storms.airsafe.org

For Other AirSafe.com podcasts, visit http://podcast.airsafe.org

AirSafe.com's First Open Lines Conference Call 29 August 2008

Join AirSafe.com on Friday 29 August 2008 for the site's first open lines conference call. Talk with AirSafe.com founder Dr. Todd Curtis, and other AirSafe.com visitors about whatever is on your mind. If you have questions about the recent crashes of Spanair and Itek Air, complaints about airline service, or comments on any other issue of interest, please join us at 11 am PDT (1800 UTC) for the one hour conference call.

To use the AirSafe.com conference call line, please do the following:

* Dial-In to the Conference Number 712-432-3000
* Enter your Conference Bridge Number: 323888

Please keep in mind that portions of conference calls may be used in future AirSafe.com podcasts. Please review AirSafe.com's privacy policy for more information on how your information may be used.

Crash of Itek Air 737-200 on 24 August 2008

The aircraft was on a scheduled international flight from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, to Tehran, Iran. About 10 minutes after takeoff, the crew turned back to the departure airport and also reported some kind of technical problem, crashing short of the runway. There were about 83 passengers and seven crew on the aircraft, including 17 members of Kyrgyzstan's national basketball youth team. Seven team members reportedly survived. At least 65 of those on board, including five of the seven crew members, were killed.

Banned from the European Union
Itek Air had been banned from operating in the EU according to a list published on 24 July 2008.

About the 737
This was the 65th fatal event involving the 737, and the 47th involving the 737-200 series. The first 737-200 series aircraft began commercial operations in 1968, and the last 737-200 was delivered in 1988. The first fatal event for the 737 was a 737-200 crash in 1972. This latest crash was the 19th fatal 737 event since 2000, with 11 of the 19 involving a 737-200. The last fatal 737-200 event in North America or the European Union was a crash in Colorado Springs, CO in 1991.

For additional information on this crash, including links to related audio and video podcasts and updates on the investigation, visit
http://itek.airsafe.org

Initial Review of the Accident



You can also use the links below for the podcast:
Audio: MP3 Video: WMV | iPod/MP4 | YouTube | Google Video

The transcript of this podcast is available at
http://www.airsafe.com/podcasts/show63.htm

For Other AirSafe.com podcasts, visit
http://podcast.airsafe.org

Crash of Spanair MD82 on 20 August 2008

The aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff on a scheduled domestic flight from Madrid to Las Palmas in the Canary Islands. Early reports indicated that the left engine experienced a major malfunction during the takeoff. The aircraft was able to get airborne, but the crew set the aircraft down in a area to the right of the departure runway. The aircraft broke up and there was a severe post-crash fire.

There were 162 passengers and 10 crew members on board, and 153 of the 172 occupants were killed. Among the passengers were 20 children and two infants. Both infants reportedly survived. Many of the 19 survivors suffered burns, some of them serious.

This was also a code share flight with Lufthansa, and that airline reported that seven of their passengers had transferred to the Spanair flight from a previous Lufthansa flight. , and that airline reported that seven of their passengers were checked in for the flight.

About Spanair
This was the first fatal event for Spanair, the second largest of the five airlines in the SAS Group. The airline began operations in 1988. At the end of June 2008, there were 65 aircraft in the Spanair fleet, averaging 13 years old. The fatal event aircraft was built in 1993.

About the MD80
This was the 15th fatal event involving the MD80 series aircraft. Four fatal events have been in Europe, and four in the US. The aircraft began commercial operations in 1980, with the first fatal event in 1981. This latest crash was the eighth fatal MD80 event since 2000.

For additional information on this crash, including links to related audio and video podcasts and updates on the investigation, visit
http://spanair.airsafe.org

Initial Review of the Accident


You can also use the links below for the podcast:
Audio: MP3 Video: WMV | iPod/MP4 | YouTube | Google Video

The transcript of this podcast is available at
http://www.airsafe.com/podcasts/show62.htm

For Other AirSafe.com podcasts, visit
http://podcast.airsafe.org

Secrets of AirSafe.com: Dealing with Legal and Social Realities

In this sixth episode of the special series Secrets of AirSafe.com, Dr. Todd Curtis discusses how the laws of the U.S., particularly those dealing with free speech and copyright protection, have allowed AirSafe.com and other sites to flourish, and also how the availability of a variety of free services have allowed all who are online to be much more creative when it comes to producing and consuming online content.

You can hear the podcast at
http://www.airsafe.com/podcasts/show61_secrets6.mp3

The download mentioned in the podcasts, which includes more than 150 free online resources from the book Parenting and the Internet, is available at
http://www.airsafe.com/downloads/pati-resources.pdf

The transcript of this podcast is available at
http://www.airsafe.com/podcasts/show61.htm

Information about the special series is available at
http://secrets.airsafe.org

Dr. Todd Curtis on the Discovery Channel

This show features a segment from the the Discovery Channel series "Survive This!" That segment featured the 21 September 2005 landing gear event involving a jetBlue A320 near Los Angeles. During the clip, Dr. Todd Curtis explains some of the factors that led to a dramatic, but safe end of the flight. The series "Survive This!" ran for one year during the 2007 season.

Excerpt from "Survive This"


For audio and video versions of this podcasts, use the links below:
Audio: MP3
Video: YouTube | Google Video

The transcript of this podcast is available at
http://www.airsafe.com/podcasts/show60.htm

For information about other significant Qantas safety events, visit
http://www.airsafe.com/events/airlines/jetblue.htm

For Other AirSafe.com podcasts, visit
http://podcast.airsafe.org

Interview with Amanda Ripley, Author of "The Unthinkable"

This episode of the podcast features an interview with Time Magazine senior writer Amanda Ripley, author of the book "The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes And Why."

Amanda has traveled the world, writing about and studying a number of disasters, including the attacks of 9/11, and the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. She currently covers both risk and homeland security issues for Time Magazine.

She has written for a number of other publications, including Congressional Quarterly, New York Times Magazine, Time Out, and Washington Monthly.

You can hear the podcast at
http://www.airsafe.com/podcasts/show59-ripley.mp3

Related information is available at
http://www.airsafe.com/podcasts/show59.htm

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Social Networking and AirSafe.com

Become a fan on AirSafe.com's Facebook page at
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Airsafecom/18541639875

Check out Dr. Todd Curtis at LinkedIn at
http://www.linkedin.com/in/airsafe

Do you Twitter? Follow AirSafe.com at
http://twitter.com/airsafe

Post a Comment to AirSafe.com Podcasts at
http://airsafe.blogspot.com

Post a Comment about an AirSafe.com video at
http://www.youtube.com/airsafe

Qantas Investigation Update and New Secrets of AirSafe.com Episode

Update to Qantas 747 Rapid Decompression Event on 25 July 2008
Dr. Todd Curtis reviews information from provided by Australian investigators that points to a aircraft systems failure as a possible cause of the explosive decompression event. Also in the podcast, fear of flying expert Capt. Tom Bunn discusses the media's response to this incident.

To hear this podcast, please visit
http://www.airsafe.com/podcasts/show58-qantas2.mp3

For the previous podcast and links to related information, visit
http://www.airsafe.com/podcasts/show56.htm

For Other AirSafe.com podcasts, visit
http://podcast.airsafe.org

Secrets of AirSafe.com: Key Technology Trends and How They Are Used
In this fifth episode of the special series Secrets of AirSafe.com, AirSafe.com creator Dr. Todd Curtis discusses key online technological innovations, including search engines, blogs, and subscription services, that have influenced how AirSafe.com changed over time to accommodate the needs of the audience.

You can hear the podcast at
http://www.airsafe.com/podcasts/show57_secrets5.mp3

The transcript of this podcast is available at
http://www.airsafe.com/podcasts/show57.htm

Information about the special series is available at
http://secrets.airsafe.org

In-Flight Emergency Involving a Qantas 747-400 Near Manila on 25 July 2008

On 25 July 2008, A Qantas airlines 747-400, with 346 passengers and 19 crew members on board, had an explosive decompression event over the South China Sea about 200 miles from Manila. The crew descended about 20,000 feet and successfully diverted to Manila. None of the passengers or crew were injured. A portion of the fuselage just forward of the wing root was found missing after the aircraft landed.

For information about other significant Qantas safety events, visit
http://www.airsafe.com/events/airlines/qantas.htm

For audio and video podcasts about this event, visit
http://www.airsafe.com/podcasts/show56.htm

You can also use the links below:
Audio: MP3
Video: WMV | iPod/MP4 | YouTube | Google Video

The transcript of this podcast is available at
http://www.airsafe.com/podcasts/show56.htm

For Other AirSafe.com podcasts, visit
http://podcast.airsafe.org

Secrets of AirSafe.com: A How-to Guide on Becoming an Internationally Recognized Expert

In this fourth episode of the special series Secrets of AirSafe.com, AirSafe.com creator Dr. Todd Curtis talks about how he has been able to get interviewed by major national and international news media organizations, and he describes how he used his experiences, credentials, and published works to attract the attention of producers and editors at newspapers, magazines, and television.

Information about the special series is available at
http://secrets.airsafe.org

You can hear the podcast at
http://www.airsafe.com/podcasts/show55_secrets4.mp3

The transcript of this podcast is available at
http://www.airsafe.com/podcasts/show55.htm

Secrets of AirSafe.com: How Visitors Use the Site

In this third episode of the special series Secrets of AirSafe.com, site creator Dr. Todd Curtis shares his observations of how visitors use the site, and how these traffic pattern continues to influence the content of the site.

Information about the special series is available at
http://secrets.airsafe.org

You can hear the podcast at
http://www.airsafe.com/podcasts/show54_secrets3.mp3

The transcript of this podcast is available at
http://www.airsafe.com/podcasts/show54.htm

Secrets of AirSafe.com: Online Resources and Content Guidelines

In this second episode of the special series Secrets of AirSafe.com, site creator Dr. Todd Curtis discussed some of the key Internet resources that have made it possible to build and maintain an audience, and how those resources have changed over the years. In addition, he'll also talk about the criteria and guidelines that determine what kind of information shows up in the site.

Information about the special series is available at
http://secrets.airsafe.org

You can hear the podcast at
http://www.airsafe.com/podcasts/show53_secrets2.mp3

The transcript of this podcast, plus links to related resources in the series is available at
http://www.airsafe.com/podcasts/show53.htm

Special AirSafe.com Podcast Series

Special Podcast Series Begins 30 June 2008
In the Secrets of AirSafe.com, a special series from the Conversation at AirSafe.com podcast, site creator Dr. Todd Curtis will share many of the key insights and practices that have allowed AirSafe.com to thrive since its launch in July 1996. Each podcast explores a different aspect of the site, and offers listeners a rare opportunity to get an inside look at how to successfully identify, expand, and serve an online audience.

Information about the special series is available at
http://secrets.airsafe.org

You can hear the podcast at
http://www.airsafe.com/podcasts/show52_secrets1.mp3

The transcript of the first podcast in the series is available at
http://www.airsafe.com/podcasts/show52.htm

Other Recent Podcasts
Last week, AirSafe.com released a podcast showing the rescue of the passengers of a Chilean airliner that crashed earlier in June. The passengers survived for four days in the snow on a forested mountainside before being rescued. The pilot and nine passengers survived the crash, but the pilot died two days before rescue. You can find out more about this event at http://www.airsafe.com/podcasts/show51a.htm
, or you can hear or see the podcast through the links below:
Audio: MP3

 | Video: iPod/M4V | WMV | Google Video | YouTube

New from the AirSafe.com Crash Video Collection
The USAF released an accident report and video from the first ever crash of a B-2 bomber. The $1.4 billion aircraft crashed in Guam on 23 February 2008 due to water contamination in the aircraft's flight control system. Both pilots successfully ejected.
More crash details, plus a video.

Crash of Patagonia Airlines Cessna Caravan in Chile on 7 June 2008

The aircraft had been on a schedule domestic passenger flight and crashed on the slope of a mountain while en route from Puerto Montt to La Junta. This show features an Al-Jazeera broadcast of the recovery of the surviving passengers four days after the crash. The only death was to the pilot, who died two days after the crash.

Audio Podcast
http://www.airsafe.com/podcasts/show51a_patagonia.mp3

Video Podcasts
iPod/M4V | WMV | Google Video | YouTube

The Roots of Fear of Flying with Capt. Tom Bunn of SOAR

New Fear of Flying Podcast
This show features two pioneers in the treatment of fear of flying, Captain Tom Bunn and Lisa Hauptner of the SOAR fear of flying organization. These two experts, who are both trained therapists, reveal a number of surprising facts about fear of flying, including the roots of fear of flying and the fact that the fear is often only indirectly related to flying.

Information about this episode is available at http://www.airsafe.com/podcasts/show51.htm, and the podcast itself is available at http://www.airsafe.com/podcasts/show51_fear2.mp3

TACA Has First Fatal Jet Airliner Event

A TACA Airbus A320-200 crashed in Tegucigalpa, Honduras on 30 May 2008, killing the captain, two passengers, and two people outside of the aircraft. The aircraft was on a scheduled international flight from San Salvador to Tegucigalpa. The aircraft touched down on the runway on its second landing attempt, but after landing it departed the runway, went beyond the airport perimeter, and struck several vehicles on a nearby road.

There were 124 passengers and five crew members on board the aircraft. In addition to the three onboard fatalities, about 65 other passengers were injured.

The fuselage was broken in several locations with one of the engines was separated from the wings. Although there was a fuel spill and a post crash fire, most of the aircraft was not damaged by that fire.

At the time of the accident, the runway was wet from the passage of tropical storm Alma earlier in the day.

This was the first fatal jet airliner event involving TACA. Prior to this fatal event, the airline had two significant events involving its jet fleet.

On 24 May 1988, a TACA 737 flying to New Orleans lost power to both engines due to water ingestion from a storm. The crew was able to glide safely to a landing on a levee next to a waterway.

On 6 April 1993, a TACA 767 overran the runway during a landing in Guatemala City, and crashed into a nearby neighborhood. Although three people in the neighborhood were injured, no one was on the ground or in the plane was killed.

The crash in Tegucigalpa was the eighth fatal event involving the A320, with the first occurring in 1988 and the previous one, involving the Brazilian airline TAM, in July 2007.

The civil aviation authorities of Honduras are leading the investigation, with support from TACA, Airbus, the engine manufacturer, the NTSB, FAA, and civil aviation authorities from France and El Salvador.

Because of the crash, and because of ongoing concerns about the main airport in Tegucigalpa, that airport was immediately closed to all aircraft, and even after the airport is reopened, large jet airliners will not be allowed at the airport.

Commercial jets are now operating through the city of San Pedro Sula, and later this year the Honduran government plans to allow larger jets to land in Soto Cano Air Base (formerly known as the Pamerola Air Base).


Updates or findings from the investigation will be posted on AirSafe.com as they become available.

If you would like more details about this podcast and about the fear of flying, please use the links below:

Podcast from the Day of the Accident (MP3)
http://www.airsafe.com/podcasts/show50_taca.mp3

Podcast Transcript
http://www.airsafe.com/podcasts/show50.htm

Fatal and Significant TACA Events
http://www.airsafe.com/events/airlines/taca.htm

Fatal Airbus A320 Events
http://www.airsafe.com/events/models/a320.htm

Fear of Flying - A Basic Overview

This podcast about the fear of flying and how people are affected by this type of anxiety was first published on 23 May 2008. The transcript of the podcast, as well as a link to the MP3 audio file for the podcast, is available at http://www.airsafe.com/podcasts/show49.htm.

Fear of flying is a complex psychological issue, one that has been made more complex by the security concerns of the last few years. There are many books, videos, and other resources that deal with the fear of flying, so deciding what may work for you may be a difficult process.

The podcast provides a basic definition of what fear of flying is, and points out that a fear of flying may be caused by a number of factors that have no direct connection with an aircraft flight.

The podcast also provides list of symptoms or behaviors that may indicate if a person may be affected by a fear of flying.

If you would like more details about this podcast and about the fear of flying, please use the links below:

Podcast Audio (MP3)
http://www.airsafe.com/podcasts/show49_fear.mp3

Podcast Transcript
http://www.airsafe.com/podcasts/show49.htm

Fear of Flying Overview
http://fear.airsafe.org

Signs that You May Have Fear of Flying
http://www.airsafe.com/issues/fear/signs.htm

Selected Fear of Flying Resources
http://www.airsafe.com/issues/fear/soar.htm

Investigation Update #4 for the British Airways 777 Crash of 17 January 2008

This is the fourth update from AirSafe.com on the ongoing investigation into the accident at London's Heathrow Airport involving a British Airways 777. This update is based on information released by the AAIB the week of 11 May 2008.

This article is based on the AirSafe.com podcast published on 20 May 2008. The podcast, available at http:/podcast.airsafe.org, presents the highlights of the most recent update from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch concerning the status of the investigation. There is a brief review of the details of the accident, followed by a discussion of the new information provided by the AAIB report, and an analysis of the progress of the investigation.

The accident aircraft was a scheduled international flight from Beijing, China to London, England, and the flight was routine until about two miles from touchdown. The engines would not respond to commands to increase thrust, and as a result the aircraft touched down about 1000 feet short of the runway. There was a significant fuel leak, but no post-crash fire. All 136 passengers and 16 crew members were able to successfully evacuate the aircraft, and the most serious injury was a broken leg suffered by one passenger.

The three previous AAIB updates in January and February 2008 provided detailed information about the flight, including the state of the fuel and fuel systems, and the condition of the engines and their associated control systems. You'll find details about the previous updates, as well as links to previous podcasts describing the accident sequence, at http://777.airsafe.org.

For the last several months, the AAIB has focused on the fuel and fuel systems of the aircraft. Extensive examination of the aircraft and detailed analysis of information from the flight data recorder and other onboard recording systems have revealed no evidence of an aircraft or engine control system malfunction.

The fuel was extensively tested, and showed no evidence of contamination or excessive water content. Although the aircraft had experienced very cold temperatures, the fuel temperature remained well above freezing. Detailed examination of the fuel system revealed a loose connection in one of the fuel lines as well as the presence of small pieces of debris, but these conditions led to no unusual deterioration or physical blockages.

The ongoing investigation has also found no evidence that a wake vortex encounter, bird strike, engine icing, or electromagnetic interference played a role in the accident. The focus of the investigation continues to be the fuel system and the engines, with the goal of understanding why neither engine responded to demands for increased power even though all of the engine control functions operated normally.

Under the direction of the AAIB, the engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce and the aircraft manufacturer Boeing are conducting further tests on the engines and fuel system with the goal of replicating the fuel system performance seen in the accident flight. Additional work is being conducted to gain a more complete understanding of the dynamics of the fuel as it flows from the tank to the engine.

No individual parameter associated with the accident flight was outside of previous operating experience. However, the AAIB is using a data analysis team to review data from a large sample of flights on similar aircraft to see if there was a combination of parameters that was outside of previous experience.

Unlike the last AAIB interim report issued in February 2008, this report did not contain any recommended operational changes for the 777.

I'd like to take a moment to share my opinion about the progress of this investigation. This crash investigation has not yet come up with an explanation for what happened. This is in spite of having a largely intact aircraft, a large volume of data from the accident aircraft and comparison data from similar flights, and the combined resources the engine manufacturer, the aircraft manufacturer, and the British government. This probably means that if the AAIB does come up with an explanation for why the accident happened, the explanation will include a combination of circumstances that had not been previously anticipated by aircraft designers or aircraft operators.

The suggestions made in previous AirSafe.com podcasts about how to evaluate what's being published about this investigation are still valid .

If you're interested in following the investigation online or in the news media, keep in mind that prior to the completion of the investigation by the AAIB, anyone outside of the investigation, including aviation safety experts and the largest news media organizations, will have access only to a fraction of the relevant information.

The AAIB will likely provide several more updates prior to publishing a final report, and these updates represent the most authoritative sources of information about the ongoing investigation.

Podcast Audio and Video
Audio: MP3 | Video: iPod/MP4 | WMV | Google Video | YouTube

Podcast Transcript
http://www.airsafe.com/podcasts/show48.htm

Additional Accident Details and Related Podcasts
http://777.airsafe.org

Join the New and Improved AirSafe.com Mailing List

Periodically, the email newsletter version of the AirSafe.com News updates the focus of mailing list to enhance the level of information and service. The new and improved mailing list will feature more more frequent deliveries of articles and other resources from throughout the site. The new version of the list has been active only for a few days, so even if you have already signed up in the past, do so again today if you want the enhanced version of the service.

With a new subscription, you will receive a number of reports that you can reprint for free in your newsletter, blog, or other publication.

To subscribe to the enhanced and expanded AirSafe.com mailing list, please
visit http://subscribe.airsafe.org

If that link does not work, you can also visit
http://www.airsafe.com/services/subscribe.htm

AirSafe.com Offers Free Online Class

Answering questions about aviation risk and aviation safety can be
difficult, especially if you lack time, resources, and organizational
support. The biggest problem is usually a lack of a clear
understanding of the question or the issue that you are trying to
address.

The course "How to Ask an Aviation Safety Question" from
Dr. Todd Curtis of AirSafe.com can take most of the mystery out of the
process of transforming a risk or safety issue that isn't clearly defined
into one that makes sense to you. Based on his years of experience
analyzing aviation safety data at Boeing and MIT, this is the same
process he used to develop much of the content in the award winning
web site AirSafe.com.

Anyone who asks or analyzes questions about risk, safety, reliability,
or policy will probably find this online course both useful and
informative. By the end of this course, you will have in your hands a
tested and systematic process that you can apply to many of the common
safety and risk issues that come your way.

While the online version of this course is normally offered for over
$300, AirSafe.com is offering this course for free for a limited time
to the subscribers on the Flight Safety Information newsletter.
Register today at http://classes.airsafe.org.

If that link does not work, you can also visit http://www.airsafe.com/classes/question.htm.