EDITORIAL
Andy Boquet
A few decades past, Capt. Don Ogden, retired from American Airlines, came to our upstart airline, and wrote SWA's flight ops manual. Capt. "O," as he was soon called, examined our proposed high‑tempo, short‑haul operation, and modified many American and other carriers' procedures to fit our needs. Then Capt. "O" put in a note that "Any aviator who readily submits himself/herself to the dictates of the opposing laws of aerodynamics and gravity must also, of necessity, possess the personal qualities of self confidence and humility in equal measure [and]...the encompassing quality of integrity." Read the entire page in the Ops Manual (02.FS.04): it's good stuff.
Most of us never knew the late Capt. "O," but his impact can be felt from the moment "Start number one" is called...perhaps more accurately, Don Ogden's presence can be felt the moment a new‑hire enters a SWA classroom. Each of us was hired because Capt. "O" sought aviators who possessed self‑confidence and humility and integrity. And if you'll examine those remaining folks who "...carried the mail" for the first ten years at SWA, through uncertain times and a thousand deadly rumors, you'll find the folks with who were there for SWA during the rough times: the pilots and flight attendants who made 10 minute turns work; who were JA'd over and over; who only had 15 or so planes to fly in SWA's first 10 years (compared to 140 +/‑ in the second decade); who only got to fly intra‑Texas against the giants at intercontinental Braniff and Continental and others; who got minimum pay and were given piles of questionable stock that seemed destined for wallpapering only.
Times have changed...starting around 1979 the SWA pay scales increased nicely and few recipients now use SWA stock for wallpaper...wouldn't the rest of us, hired in SWA's second decade, just love to purchase an old home wallpapered with SWA stock! Well, life is about options and timing...and more than a few SWAers were in elementary school when Capt. Bob Pratt, et al, were "hauling the mail" for SWA.
All too often we hear comments, negative ones, about the north Phoenix 40...or the senior Mamas in Dallas. While folks at the top are always cannon fodder for those at the bottom, they are the ones who got us here; and they are still some of the finest pilots and some of the finest flight attendants we have...even though they might not look like the Steve Canyons/Amelia Earharts and little Ms./Mr. Dallas's that we hire nowadays.
Sadly, we lost Don Ogden. But we still have folks like Capt. Bob and Senior Mama Sandra Bogan who know our roots. Before we become a mega‑carrier, or get bought (horrors!) or buy another carrier (horrors!) and lose our identity, our soul, we should spend some time with the men and women who flew when there was no promise of a tomorrow; who stayed with SWA and flew on a wing and a prayer.
Captain Doyle Vaughan, PHX, is our next aviator to fly off into the age 60 sunset (?)...before Doyle takes his piles of well‑earned stock and his gruff disposition back to Jackson Hole, we should stop and say thanks. Perhaps then we'll get a chance to learn about our airline, and the dedication and the hard work that allowed SWA to grow and to prosper and to provide bi‑jets for the rest of us to fly. Perhaps such a historical perspective of the pains and the people who built our airline will allow us to slow down, pause, realize that each of us is but a small piece of a 22 year old, multi‑billion dollar effort; and that our actions, with our passengers and with our planes, will assure all of us some stock to sell...or to wallpaper within the coming years...the choice is ours.
TRIVIAL PURSUIT
1. Flying past DEN enroute MCI‑LAS you experience an urgent need to talk with Dispatch. On what ARINC frequency can they be reached?
2. If the "fuel quantity" circuit breaker pops, the gauges will freeze at whatever fuel quantity exists. True/False
3. Pushing the fuel quantity test button will assure that power is available and that the proper fuel quantity is indicated. True/False
4. You have full mains and 1500# in the center tank. When do you turn on the center tank pumps?
5. V1 is not the speed at which to decide to abort. True/False
ONE DARK AND STORMY NIGHT
Andy Boquet
Approaching Colorado Springs, enroute LAS to MCI, both DC FAIL lights illuminated. Having just been through Charlie Marcell's inimitable PT I knew just what to do: "Checklist please," I commanded to my trusty FO, who already had said checklist out and selected to the proper page.
"IRS DC power is inoperative. If all other IRS lights are extinguished, operate normally," quoteth he.
All other IRS lights were extinguished, so it seemed we should press on normally. MCI was forecasted VFR for our evening arrival...all seemed OK.
But all was not OK. Seems we also had zero volts on the battery, two inoperative clocks, the captain's attitude indicator flag, and the captain's heading flag (both systems were in fact dead...defunct..inop). All other systems seemed normal...no other flags showing or lights illuminated.
Switch the ATTITUDE switch to "Both ON 2," the COMPASS to "BOTH ON 2," and my side was fixed...sort of.
Next step, thanks to simulator time with Charlie, was to check the circuit breakers. None seemed out from our seats, so I stood up, searched the copilots side, and then my side. Nothing...no easy fix. Armed with that information, which I later reverified by standing up again, searching, then kneeling and searching, we proceeded to trouble‑shoot the problem.
Pouring through the manual we found that the captain's attitude and compass systems come off the 115V AC standby bus, as does the #1 IRS...perhaps that bus had failed? But the aux vertical gyro had no flag and operated normally.
Perhaps #1 IRS was dead, since the captain's attitude and heading info was inop; but the ground speed information was good. Had that system indicated straight dashes (‑‑‑) then I would have believed the IRS had failed, even though there were no other IRS lights. But it did not.
More trouble shooting, guessing, ideas, leading us to the feeling that we needed help. Let's call dispatch!
How do you call dispatch over Colorado Springs? Amazingly, Uncle Miltie & company were way ahead of us on this one. Page 05.10.04 of the FOM, lists ARINC frequencies specifically for our route of flight: a few calls later on 129.45 and SFO ARINIC patched us through. Dispatch quickly called maintenance. Good problem, they agreed, try to cycle the "STBY Power" switch came the suggestion.
Here's where we get paid to use our discretion. We had already checked to ensure that the standby power switch was firmly seated, having had strange problems in past years when the switch had stuck open following the power check during preflight. "Do you think we should cycle the standby power switch," I inquired? "No," the FO replied, "I don't think so."
"Nor do I," I agreed, figuring that the failures we were dealing with didn't make sense already and that we shouldn't induce any others...given the operating systems and the weather, our arrival into MCI would be uneventful...unless we managed to aggravate the situation.
Though fruitless, our ability to communicate with dispatch and maintenance was comforting; dispatch quickly reverified the weather, fuel, MEL, and agreed that we should continue and that contract maintenance would be waiting at MCI.
Without moving any other switches we again checked for circuit breakers while brainstorming the problem all the way to MCI; agreeing that perhaps we might not even have reversers on landing (gut instinct). We lit the APU at 1000 feet. Non surprisingly, the reversers would not deploy as the handles would not come up; nor would the APU power the busses prior to shutdown. External power please...darkness...oh well...
Comes aboard our jet a lovely young maintenance lady, who smilingly tells of a similar problem months earlier where she spent two days switching parts and such, all to no avail.
"Then," she said with a mischievous grin, "I reached behind the captain's seat, on the lowermost left hand side where no one can see anything, and found a breaker popped." Saying so, she did so, and pushed in a hidden breaker entitled "switched hot battery bus" and magically, hallelujah, everything was fixed! Shame, embarrassment, humiliation...
Seems P‑18‑5 has three rather important circuit breakers surrounded by a metal guard, which conveniently prevents viewing from a lateral perspective: the "switched hot battery bus," the "hot battery bus," and the "aux power unit start." What mindless engineer stuck those switches‑‑‑behind the captain's seat just above the floor at the bottom recesses of the cabin‑‑‑will remain a mystery, but he should be shot.
Resetting the breaker resulted in no other problems and we launched into the sunset feeling sillier, but wiser. No, it wasn't dark, nor stormy, nor night...so much for hyperboles; but it was challenging and it was frustrating.
DEADLY STRESS
by Len Morgan
(excerpts from "FLYING," Dec. 1992)
Airline pilots die younger than the general population, according to a study recently published in "Flight Safety Digest." Research was accomplished by two insurance specialists who became interested after examining pilot pension funds.
"There is a tendency among pilots to die younger than the general population," the researchers concluded. For unexplained reasons the pilot death rates rose sharply in the years immediately following retirement, then dipped to well below general population averages.
The number of non‑American pilots who died between the ages of 55 and 59 was 36.5%, double the average rate for nonpilots in their countries (the study compared male pilots in the U.S. who retire at age 60, with male pilots in the U.K., Argentina, Columbia, Switzerland, Greece, Ireland and Spain where the average retirement age is 56).
Among U.S. pilots between 60 and 62, the death rate was 21.5% as compared to 14.7% for the nonpilot population; between 63 and 65 it was 23.8% while the nonpilot rate was 15.1%. Nearly 70% of American airline pilots died in the nine years following normal retirement as compared to 45% of the nonflying male population. After age 69 the pilot mortality rate dropped to below that of the general population, for unexplained reasons.
These findings will surprise few professionals. The surprise is that such a study was so long in coming. Airline piloting is nearly three‑quarters of a century old. Its effects should have been probed long ago. In any event, a long held‑suspicion has been confirmed: Professional airmen do indeed die younger. Someone should get busy learning why.
Until further research proves me wrong, I say the main reason is stress. Tension, pressure, anxiety, frustration and fatigue, when endured throughout a career lasting 30 to 40 years, impress some pilots to the extent that health and longevity are adversely affected.
In the beginning sudden death was the prime flying concern. The first attempts to maintain schedules resulted in an appalling number of bad accidents. Seeing friends perish at a steady rate certainly provoked anxiety, but whether the pioneers who survived to retire died prematurely thereafter is not known. The subjects of the recent study came into the picture in the mid‑1940s, by which time airline flying was a much less risky pursuit. By 1950, an airline pilot could buy insurance at normal rates.
The improvement in airline safety since then leads today's pilot to joke that the hairiest part of the job is driving to the airport. The fears about mechanical problems and weather that kept pilots awake in 1930 have been replaced by worries that have little to do with safety.
During the 25 years following World War II, airline pilots were envied and respected professionals who enjoyed a generally cordial relationship with federal regulators. The atmosphere was amiable and relaxed, considering the high‑pressure nature of the work. The thrust was to get the job done with minimum fuss and bother. The transition from pistons to turbines went smoothly, and most pilots quickly adjusted to the increased demands and fatigue involved in operating the new types.
When General "Pete" Quesada took charge of the FAA in 1959, the atmosphere changed. No admirer of airline pilots, he vowed to bring them "up to military standards" through intensive training and stricter enforcement. His shotgun approach riled not only pilots but many of his own inspectors, resulting in less bottom‑line upheaval than he sought.
But he railroaded through the age‑60 rule and dismissed the traditional industry/government rapport as nonsense. The relationship gradually deteriorated until the federal attitude was often adversarial, even punitive. A minor question once resolved with a phone call soon required endless interviews and written reports. FAA regulations swelled with ambiguous rules even their authors could not explain. Worse yet, they were subject to local interpretation; an incident ignored in one FAA region could draw a violation in another. Today, when the letter of the law seems to matter more than the spirit, "staying legal" is a prime cockpit concern.
Deregulation gutted the profession, throwing thousands of pilots out of work in mid‑career. Others suffered drastic pay cuts and/or discovered their pension funds had been looted. Shocked by what has happened so far, the majority of airline pilots today lose sleep wondering what is coming next.
Airline pilot‑bashing is another spin‑off of deregulation. That the underworked, overpaid prima donnas have at last received their comeuppance is a popular sentiment airline leaders did nothing to refute. Nor did they raise a finger when their crews were frisked for weapons, tested for drugs, and told that sobriety checks would follow; all of which they could have forestalled. Such is the low regard of the industry for the people who did the most to build it.
To the traditional concerns about maintaining proficiency and health, today's pilot adds mental baggage unknown 25 years ago: dread of a brush with the feds, intercompany strife, management antagonism, lack of job stability and the sour awareness that his passengers have been led to suspect he may be a closet boozer.
All of which compounds the stress already inherent in professional flying. Enduring stress over decades requires stamina that, I think, is an expendable asset allowed in varying quantities. When a pilot's supply has been depleted, he takes medical leave or expires soon after retirement.
But how to explain the pilot who confounds the statistics, flies to age 60 with apparent nonchalance and enjoys a decade or more of retirement? Obviously, he inherited good genes to begin with, but there's more to it. I believe he is a mature individual who always kept the picture in perspective and never allowed the ridiculous to override his love of flying. How else to
explain it?
Deep Thoughts #1 - On being Southwest Airlines in our industry - "Life is like a dogsled team - if you ain't the lead dog, the scenery never changes." Lewis Grizzard
TRIVIAL PURSUIT ANSWERS
1. 130.20 per FOM 05.10.04
2. True. If the fuel quantity CB pops the fuel will freeze at that indication. Once upon a time, unknown to the crew, a DC‑9's popped enroute. After landing the quantity still showed lots of fuel on the gauge for the next leg so they did not refuel; subsequently they had to make an emergency landing when all the fuel pump low pressure lights illuminated. Question: why don't we have an independent fuel low level warning system? Answer: I don't know...probably the same engineer who designed the P‑18‑5 panel!
3. True. Checking the fuel quantity system is a preflight item on every leg.
4. Turn on the center tank pumps during preflight; per limitations requiring center tank fuel greater than 1000# be transferred first with full mains. With only 1500# you can expect fuel pressure warning lights on takeoff...don't abort.
5. True: V1 is the max speed to begin abort procedures...make the decision beforehand.
FROM THE TRAINING CENTER
MINIMUM EQUIPMENT LIST (MEL)
by Charlie Marcell
SWA Training Center
You have an inoperative system on your aircraft. Is it safe and legal to fly the aircraft with the inoperative system? Where would you find the answer? The MEL of course! Now comes the hard part-interpreting the written text. To understand the jargon, a systems knowledge is usually required. The following examples demonstrates the need for that knowledge.
You are flying a Boeing 737-300 and the "A" Autopilot is inoperative and deferred per MEL 22-1. You notice there is a computer flag in the Captain's ADI and an airspeed cursor flag in the Captain's airspeed indicator. The problem turns out to be the "A" Flight Control Computer (FCC) is inoperative. Searching through the MEL you notice that the Flight Control Computer is not listed. This means the aircraft may not be dispatched. The Flight Control Computer has numerous inputs to systems such as the Autopilot, Flight Director, airspeed cursor for Flight Director Go-around guidance.
The rudder pedal steering is inoperative on your Boeing 737-300 aircraft. You search the MEL and see that the rudder pedal steering may be inoperative per MEL 32-6. The pilot in the left seat has to make all takeoffs and landings by using the tiller wheel. You obtain the tracking number from Dispatch. Holding short of the runway for takeoff, you notice the "anti-skid inop" light is illuminated on. You and the F/O compute the anti-skid inop data and release the parking brake to taxi in to position and hold. As the parking brakes are released the anti-skid inop light extinguishes. Landing at the destination airport you notice a lot of brake chatter.
The problem is the nose air ground safety switch failed. The nose air ground safety switch on the -300/-500 aircraft sends a signal to the rudder pedal steering ground shift electric actuator. The nose switch also provides inputs to other systems; i.e. the anti-skid touchdown protection for the O/B brakes, the wing anti-ice system.
When deferring an item, take the time to analyze what the problem is. Use your F/O, Dispatcher, and Maintenance people for their knowledge.
EPT STUFF
by Jim Federer
SWA Training Center
I never cease to be amazed at the things people hear in my E.P.T. classes. While I have some control over what I say, I have no control over what people hear. From time to time I have had people come up to me and say something like, "I heard you spend half a day talking about...," and it will be some wild subjects. Folks, I have never spent half a day talking about any single subject! While I am always happy to hear that people are talking about something I covered in class, I would appreciate it if the story is accurate.
Speaking of accurate stories, I am always looking for new ones. If you are involved in an incident that you think offers lessons everyone can learn from, please let me know. No names will be used if it is your wish. As most of you know, I try hard to make the class interesting and relevant. While some of your suggestions on what I can do with the course are anatomically impossible, I still solicit your suggestions.
AEROMEDICAL NEWS
FROM THE FLIGHT SURGEON:
A PRESSURE SITUATION
by Joe Battersby, D.O.
One of my guys who commutes from Vegas called last week. His family doc checked his blood pressure and found it to be a bit high. Needless to say, Tom was worried about his flying career. (Did I mention that he's an airline pilot?) I could tell from his voice that the topic under discussion guaranteed him a 90 percent elevation of his normal BP. He was understandably more concerned about his airman medical certificate than staying alive or having a stroke.
Where does Tom stand with the FAA? Simple. When Tom's doctor found his blood pressure high, he did (or should have done) the following:
1. Gathered a personal and family history
2. A clinical exam including three serial blood pressure readings
3. An EKG (Stress EKG), only if the doc thinks it's advisable
4. Blood chemistries to include glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, potassium and creatinine.
The above is a "start up." Tom's doc will select medicine and check to make sure it's working OK and doesn't present any problem side effects. The doc may even go so far as to try to diminish Tom's enjoyment of life by having him knock off some of the beer and pretzels (salt), and some of the lard off his rear.
Fine! Tom's doc has determined that Tom is OK to fly and can be reasonably expected to stay that way for at least two years. That's what he states in his report. Tom will bring these reports to me, and I'll check them over for him. If they're OK, I'll send copies of them along with his medical form and issue the FAA medical certificate. That's that.
Recently I gave a little talk to some of the Sheriff's Posse pilots. One of the guys knew more about a regulation than I did. (Really. He quoted an exact reference.) This kind of thing keeps me humble, so I should note that technically, only the FAA can issue the First Class. But as a practical matter, they usually let senior AMEs with whom they have experience do so.
Are any and all high blood pressure medications OK for Tom's doc to use? Almost all, except for some relatively wild stuff like quanethedrine, quanadrel, reserpine, methyldopa, clonidine, and quanabenz. Tom isn't going to need this stuff, and neither are you likely to. If there's a question, pick up the phone and call your friendly corner AME.
In my last column, I tried to be cute and used the catch-phrase, "So Do You." What the Feds are asking of you only reflects good medical care for anyone with high blood pressure. When you're sitting in the left seat you are the airplane and the airplane is you.
Getting your checkups, keeping an eye on your blood pressure, is the same as checking tires, mag drop, etc. Way I look at it, how are these things separate? They can be separate, I suppose, if some guy thinks Denial is a river in Africa!
Pop Health Quiz #1: Although the brain is only 2% of the total body weight, it consumes 25% of the body's oxygen. What does this mean?
(A) If you feel short of breath, stop thinking.
(B) People without brains need 25% less oxygen.
(C) We should spend 75% of our time doing something other than thinking.
(D) The body considers thinking an important activity.
MODERATE EXERCISE - Immune System Booster
by Larry Kline
Fitness freaks and enthusiasts have long credited their workout routines for all sorts of life-enhancing powers. Now research seems to verify and quantify these claims. Studies confirm that not only does moderate exercise boost immunity, it even seems to reverse the decline in the immune function that comes with aging.
This striking finding came out of a study by Dr. David Nieman and published in "Longevity" magazine. The study revealed that a group of very fit women with average age of 73 had immune systems that functioned at a level similar to those of women half their age, and 55 percent higher than their sedentary counterparts. Further, most of these women did not start exercising regularly until they were in their sixties.
Such findings carry potentially life-altering possibilities. Will regular workouts strengthen resistance to everything from the common cold to HIV? Could exercise inhibit cancer or diminish infectious diseases, especially those linked with the decline of immune functions as we age?
For those of us who want the immunity-boosting rewards, but don't care to participate in this year's Ironman Triathelon or an Ultra (sorry Ed and Doug), there's even more good news: intense exercise like fast running diminishes immunity, while moderate exercise enhances it. The researchers found that marathoners who had trained more than 60 miles weekly reported nearly twice as many colds as those who trained less than 20 miles weekly.
According to Nieman, "We feel now that the key is intensity. The problem isn't time spent training - it's how hard you push. The threshold seems to be 60 percent of your maximum oxygen capacity. You enhance the immune system if you stay around or just below that; it becomes negatively affected if you're pushing closer to 75 or 80 percent."
Deep Thoughts #2 - on exercise: "My grandmother started walking five miles a day when she was sixty. She's ninety-five now, and we don't know where the hell she is." Ellen Degeneria
HEALTH BULLETINS
by Larry Kline
ASPIRIN FIGHTS CANCER - It is well known that a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and high-fiber grains can help prevent colon cancer. Recent research indicates that regular use of aspirin improves the effects of a high-fiber diet. The study found that men who regularly ate a healthy diet and took aspirin 16 or more times a month were 2.4 times less likely to die of colon cancer than those who ate very little natural fiber and took no aspirin.
SAVING VISION WITH VITAMINS - Macular degeneration is an age-related eye disease that causes eyesight to deteriorate in 5 percent of the population over the age of 45. According to recent research published in "Men's Health", over one-third of patients with macular degeneration showed improvement after taking vitamin and mineral supplements. Taking anti-oxidant vitamins (C,E, and beta-carotene) and the mineral zinc may prevent or reduce the eye disease.
REDUCE STROKE RISK - stroke is the third leading cause of death in the U.S. And it is not just an elderly affliction - last year more than 15,000 men under 45 had strokes.
A stroke occurs when a blood vessel bringing oxygen to the brain bursts or becomes clogged, thus stopping blood flow to that part of the brain which subsequently dies. That can result in partial paralysis with slurred speech, blurred vision and loss of brain power.
According to "Men's Health" risk of stroke can be lowered by accomplishing the following:
1. Cut stroke risk 40% by lowering your blood pressure. Any blood pressure above normal (140/90) should be a red flag warning of stroke risk.
2. Cut stroke risk 40% by eating bananas and carrots. The bananas provide potassium which prevents plaque buildup on artery walls. The beta-carotene in carrots attacks damaging oxygen molecules in the blood that help plaque attach to artery walls.
3. Cut stroke risk 25% by taking aspirin regularly. Benefits include thinning blood, etc.
4. Cut stroke risk 33% by stopping smoking. Enough said!
5. Cut stroke risk 40% by regular exercise. A British study over 10 years indicates that people who exercise regularly showed about one-half the stroke rate of their sedentary peers.
6. Cut stroke risk 65% by having your neck checked. Your doctor may detect restricted blood flow in your neck by using a stethoscope to listen to the blood flow in the carotid arteries. Blockage of these main vessel to the brain contributes to about 75% of all stroke deaths.
INDUSTRY NEWS BRIEFS
by L. Kline
HALON PHASEOUT SPARKS TASK FORCE - responding to the planned phaseout of halon production in June, 1994, a symposium was held early this year to develop a workable solution to the problem of halon fire retardant replacement and recycling. Halon production is being discontinued because it is designated as an ozone-depleting substance. Once halon is phased-out, onboard engine nacelle and dry bay extinguishing systems using Halon will have to be equipped with an acceptable substitute or replenished from stockpiled supplies of recycled halon. The symposium was attended by the FAA, Air Transport Association (ATA), ICAO, EPA, NASA, halon manufacturers, and commercial aircraft manufacturers.
UPCOMING COMPLIANCE CALENDAR :
September 16-airspace classifications (TCAs, ARSAs, etc) will be denoted with single letters.
[insert graphic 2 here]
December 30-Mode C transponders must be in operation within a 30 nm radius of all TCAs
December 31-TCAS and Windshear warning systems must be installed on all part 121 aircraft.
LEGAL DECISION - A captain for USAir Express recently had his ATP revoked for allowing a first officer with high blood alcohol to operate as SIC. The captain argued that he should not have his certificate revoked as the FAA exonerated him from a violation of FAR 91.17(b), which prohibits carriage of intoxicated persons (the FO did not appear to be intoxicated). But the NTSB sustained a violation of FAR 91.13(a) - as PIC he was guilty of operating an aircraft in a careless and reckless manner by allowing the impaired FO to fly. The captain further argued that he was at most, negligent, while the FO's actions were intentional. The NTSB and appeal court rejected these arguments and revoked both pilots' certificates.
The court stated, "The pilot in command of the aircraft is directly responsible for, and the final authority as to the operation of that aircraft...In our view, the cockpit is no place to indulge uncertainties over a crew member's full capacity to perform all required duties. An ATP certificate holder, serving as captain of a commercial flight, who does not reflexively recoil from the possibility of entrusting the safety of his passengers and aircraft to a crew member whose judgment and skill may be diminished by alcohol use, neither appreciates the seriousness of operating while impaired nor understands the public safety obligations of his command." (Johnson v. NTSB)
CREW AND MAINTENANCE CITED FOR L1011 ACCIDENT - the crew and maintenance were cited as causes of a TWA L1011 accident at JFK last July. There were no fatalities as a result of the rejected takeoff and ensuing crash of the aircraft, which was destroyed.
The first officer was making the takeoff. When the aircraft rotated and was approximately 15 feet above the runway, the stick-shaker activate. The FO felt that the aircraft did not feel right and surrendered aircraft control to the captain. The captain rejected the takeoff, resulting in a hard landing, fire, and evacuation.
The NTSB faulted TWA maintenance for releasing the aircraft which had nine previous write-ups concerning false stall warning activation. The crew was criticized for improper transfer of control of the aircraft at such a critical phase of flight.
A few lessons can be learned from this accident. First, if an aircraft has a maintenance history of a repetitive discrepancy, good CRM might dictate that crewmembers discuss this and the ramifications of the discrepancy to the flight. Had the crew of the TWA flight discussed the repeated stall-warning log entries, they may have been less inclined to abort the flight at such a critical phase. Secondly, the NTSB was critical of the manner in which the control of the aircraft was transferred, essentially "You've got it!" the during rotation sequence. The crew was facing a situation that demanded a split-second decision that had to be right. That is a tough situation for anyone to encounter, and tougher still to encounter successfully.
BAN RECOMMENDED ON CABIN ELECTRONIC DEVICES - IATA's technical committee has recommended that passenger electronic devices should not be energized during takeoff and landing. This precautionary measure, pending further research into possible interference with aircraft navigational equipment, is a result of several incidents of unexplained navigational and communication interference. One manufacturer, McDonnell-Douglas has recommended that portable CD players be banned during critical phases of flight.
Deep Thoughts #3 - DIDYA KNOW - every 14 days there is a mid-air collision worldwide! - NASA
FROM THE SAFETY COMMITTEE
RADAR TIPS
by Captain Bob Ahders
Chairman - Pilot Training Group
Most radar manuals advise aircrews to avoid all areas of precipitation displayed as red or magenta. This has prompted the attitude in some pilots to "miss just the red stuff". That's good advice in and of itself, but what really constitutes the "RED STUFF"?
Once a cell has begun to paint any red, that whole cell becomes red. So don't try to fly through the part that is painting green or yellow if it is connected to the cell that is painting red. Tornadoes have a history of originating in the green precipitation areas of a contouring cell.
[insert radar graphic 1 here]
Also, the RDR-4A on the 200's still run off the old conventional gyros. So remember to put the tilt up to 7 degrees for takeoff, not 4 degrees like on the 300 and 500's.
BOOMERS
by Mark Monse - Dispatcher
Dispatch Liaison to Safety Committee
Gee, wasn't it just winter a few weeks ago? Spring is here, and with it come the inevitable thunderstorms, including those squall lines that can often extend for 200+ miles. As we all switch our seasonal mental gears, please consider the following items from this dispatcher's perspective.
In the event of widespread en route thunderstorms, ATC will usually implement their Severe Weather Avoidance Plan (SWAP), which will re-route traffic onto abnormal routes. Although Dispatch can anticipate the general likelihood of SWAP re-routes being implemented and fuel accordingly, we cannot know absolutely at the time of release issuance (1 hour prior to push) if your flight will be issued a re-route, or exactly how extensive it will be. There is presently no direct computer interface between dispatch computers and ATC computers that will allow this information to be communicated. If you receive a re-route from ATC prior to leaving the gate, during taxi, or after becoming airborne, the flight crew must evaluate the new routing for fuel requirements. If such a re-route results in a significant change in required fuel, coordination with your flight's dispatcher is required to ensure that sufficient fuel is aboard. If not, desired arrival fuel into the destination terminal area could be compromised, and a landing short could result.
[Publisher's comment: FAR 121.663 emphasizes the "duality of responsibility"; that of the PIC and the dispatcher to mutually agree on the safe dispatching of the flight. "The implied intent of the regulation is to minimize judgmental errors by imposing dual responsibility for determining, at the time of dispatch, that the flight as planned can be conducted safely." - quote from 12/90 letter from FAA Legal Council to ATA Eastern Regional Director. Once airborne, the crew's requirement to notify dispatch with reroute information has been intentionally left up to the Captain's discretion by the company; (see FOM 02.10.13), and will vary from pilot to pilot. The bottom line simply verbalizes common sense - that if a crew receives significant rerouting and therefore greater fuel demands, it is incumbent upon these crews to constantly evaluate the flight's needs, and communicate any revised needs to the flight's dispatcher.]
Once a line of thunderstorms gets into the destination terminal area, other considerations arise. For example, assume a line of TRW's is running from LIT to VCT, moving from 2830. All traffic to and from HOU (and IAH) via their north and west fixes is being re-routed around the end of that line at VCT. At some point, the line will encroach upon HOU/IAH so that departures will be suspended as ATC attempts to get a few last arrivals in before approaches must also be suspended. Any subsequent arrivals that continue to VCT to come up the east side of the line will now be cut off from HOU/IAH. Should the line build further southwest of VCT, retreats to CRP, SAT, and AUS may not be viable options, leaving less desirable diversion airports such as BPT and BTR should fuel be insufficient for reaching MSY. Off-line diversions to BPT and BTR would be further complicated by the fact that they'd still be on the east side of the line, which may require waiting for the line to pass these locations before re-launching for HOU/IAH. In the above scenario, a better course of action might have been to hold at altitude in the IDU/ELA/CLL areas and approach HOU/IAH from the west, once the weather moved, rather than accept ATC vectors through a hole at VCT that would soon lead to nowhere.
The point here is that timely pilot-dispatcher communications are essential for maximizing safety to our passengers, crews and aircraft, and minimizing costly disruptions to the daily operation. Your dispatcher has on-screen access to numerous weather radars, and can provide good tactical information to you by phone or radio well in advance of your encountering the weather. Concise pireps are always valuable, and we encourage their submission, as many (especially the other guy/gal :20 behind you) will benefit.
Deep Thoughts #4 - on technical matters - "Concerns for man and his fate must always form the chief interest of all technical endeavors. Never forget this in the midst of your diagrams and equations." Albert Einstein
"To See Or Not To See"
Stan Humphrey
Vice-chairman - Air Safety Committee/
Chairman - ATC Committee
[insert Stan's article here]
FROM THE SAFETY CHAIRMAN
Captain Howard Dulmage
Chairman - Air Safety Committee
SAFETY LIAISONS: Our Liaison Program is in place. Simply described, there is a representative from each department we interact with who "liaisons" with a member of the Air Safety Committee. If you become aware of a safety issue that involves one of these employee groups, please let your Liaison representative know and they can follow up on it for you. These Liaisons are:
Air Safety Member Other Dept Liaison
Joey Legreco Jeff Murrin,HOU Mgr Ramp Ops, Ground Operations
John Otiker Sheri Hassler, Houston
F/A, In Flight
Keith Griffith Mark Monse, Dispatcher,
Dispatch
Steve Lackey Ben Harpe,Director Tech-
nical Service,Maintenance
Howard Dulmage Hugh Knighton, Asst Chief
Pilot HOU, Flt Operations
This program is designed to help generate solutions that have both respective departments' perspectives attached to them. It is our hope that we can develop a team approach to safety issues that affect line operations. Our thanks to Paul Sterbenz and the other Vice Presidents for their support with this new program. As with anything any SWAPA committee does, this program will work best with your feedback from the line. If you have anything you want looked into, please use the SWAPA form and send in to the office. Also, Captain Larry Kline deserves an "attaboy" as this program was his brain-child.
TCAS 6.04: The latest version of TCAS software will soon be installed into the U. S. 121 fleet. This software was designed to get rid of some of the nuisance RA's like the "Dallas Bump" (rapidly climbing and descending traffic on the SIDs and STARs at DFW). The good news is it will probably help in these type of situations. The bad news is it will reduce reaction time substantially. If you get an RA and you don't have the traffic in sight already, taking the time to go to the TCAS scope and then back out to acquire traffic visually could kill you. Technically, we are all supposed to respond to RA's. Reality on the line is that most crews take a few seconds to look prior to pulling or pushing. We have asked other airline safety reps what their pilots do and we find most everybody tends to look prior to reacting. With this new software, you do not have the luxury of looking. The place this will come into play most in our system is going to be on the ILS 8 BUR between Silex and the OM.
There is already a version 7.0 software in design and testing. TCAS is an evolving animal. Its strengths statistically according to Sherry Chappell, Mgr ASRS NASA, outweigh its weaknesses; but make no mistake TCAS has holes in it that can hurt you. TCAS when used as a situational awareness enhancer and "target designator" can help you. TCAS when ignored until an TA/RA goes off can get you in a situation where you make a bad decision for the right reason. One suggested TCAS technique that crews consider is having the pilot flying monitor his/her TCAS IVSI as part of his/her regular instrument scan. If a potential intruder is noted, ask the pilot not flying to start looking for the traffic. Pilot flying should continue to monitor instruments especially if a level off or turn is in progress. This is not to preclude the PF from looking outside, but rather it is intended to get both pilots looking early on with one's primary duties to make sure the airplane is flown per your clearance. Crews should keep their IVSI in TCAS mode and manage the scale and the above-normal-below switch to gain the most usable and pertinent information for their flight's speed and flight path. For example, descending into a busy terminal area use a reduced scale such as 3, 5 or 10 and have the above-normal-below switch in below.
The NASA database has several examples of crews visually acquiring an intruder and misjudging its altitude and going against a TCAS RA and causing a near-midair . The database also has many situations where the crew overreacts to the RA and pulls or pushes too hard or does not level off when the RA goes soft. These situations have caused some secondary conflicts with other traffic. Remember, TCAS is designed to help you miss the traffic without causing you to change altitude more than necessary. Also, keep in mind that a TCAS reversal can occur. If the intruder changes its flight path in opposite direction to its TCAS alert, TCAS is supposed to sense this (allowing for logic delay) and respond accordingly. The database has several examples of near-midairs caused by this type of situation. A few other things to remember, if you are responding to an RA use the correct phraseology with the controller. SW XXX is climbing/descending for a TCAS RA. If you have a TCAS event, terms like that was close, traffic passed only a 100 feet to the right, etc., mean nothing to the controller. You must say we had a near-midair collision. (Near Midair Collision is defined as passing within 500 feet or less). Filing the appropriate reports (NMAC Form, NASA ASRS, TCAS Report and SW Irregularity) while not fun will help all concerned try to fix reoccurring problem areas in the system. The Feds will not and cannot come after you for following a TCAS RA as long as you tell ATC what you are doing and you don't overreact with a climb or descent substantially more than the TCAS RA instructs. There are many problems still to solve with TCAS and some feel it should not be in the fleet until all the problems are ironed out. While this might have been a better approach from the start, TCAS is in the fleet and we are required to use it. It is in our best interest to learn and exploit its strengths and learn and avoid its weaknesses. One last comment, use of the autopilot in busy terminal areas is generally considered a good way to reduce crew workload and maximize eyeballs-outside time. If you want to hand fly the airplane, consider saving it for the less busy terminals.
SAFETY MEETINGS: Stan Humphrey and I recently attended two meetings, the ALPA Safety Chairman's and ATPAC (Air Traffic Procedures Advisory Committee). The ALPA meeting was a good chance to meeting with representatives from almost all the other airlines and find out what everybody else was doing. The discussion focused on many topics which we were working on here at SWA. We were asked to give a presentation on why ALPA should allow non-ALPA participation. The old philosophy being: "no dues--no news." We made our pitch which essentially said we would like to work with you on issues of mutual concern, we need to agree to disagree sometimes, safety should come above politics and unionism, and finally we have worked on several issues jointly and the process has been positive. We were asked to leave the room for about 45 minutes. After discussion by the ALPA reps, a vote was taken. We were invited back in and informed that ALPA welcomes participation of non-ALPA members on safety issues. In other words, they want to work more closely with Allied Pilots Association (American) and SWAPA on safety. ALPA has a $2.8 million annual safety budget and an air safety staff. Our being allowed to tap those resources will help our committee do a more thorough and informed job for our members. In return, ALPA realizes that feedback and cooperation from APA and SWAPA is in its best interest when it comes to many safety issues. We want to stress we made it clear that we will not always agree with ALPA's position and that we only have resources to work on issues of mutual concern.
ATPAC is a committee of user and providers of ATC services formed after the TWA 514 Accident near Dulles in the 70's. By charter, the FAA is required to respond to all of ATPAC's recommendations or inquires. The committee consists of representatives from ALPA, APA, NATCA (controller union), ATCA (controller association), NAATS (Flight Service Stations), NASA ASRS, NBAA (business aircraft), Experimental Aircraft Association, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (general aviation's strongest lobby group), Helicopter Association International, National Association of State Aviation Officials, Air Transport Association (airline lobby), USAF, USN, Army, and FAA Senior management. This group meets quarterly and goes over current problems with the ATC system, related FARs or FAA Manuals, etc. In short, most anything handled by ATC is open for action. The strength of this committee is, by charter and Congressional order, that it has incredible influence over the ATC system. While things happen slowly, the long term ramifications can be great. We found the four days informative and hope to become part of the committee. It is a direct pipeline to FAA management and a great place to give and get feedback by both users, providers, and management of the ATC system.
LAND HOLD SHORT: One of the issues discussed at both the above mentioned meetings is the FAA's new formalized Land Hold Short Program. While this practice has been occurring for years, it has now been formalized and implemented at many airports that did not previously use it. It is a capacity enhancement technique and is driven by the desire to stuff more planes in less airspace, runways, and airports. We are studying the issue and would appreciate any reports where this causes any Southwest crews a safety problem. The Jeppesen Charts will start having available distances for all formal Land Hold Short runways on the airport page (either 10-9 or 11-1). If given a Land Hold Short clearance refer to this page for available runway. If you do not feel comfortable complying with the clearance due to runway distance available, then it is your responsibility to tell the controller "unable". We have several airports where this comes into play, but a good example is AUS Runway 31L. You will be cleared to Land Hold Short of Runway 35/17. If you land long or for some reason don't get the airplane stopped by the Land Hold Short Runway, you will be violated; but a violation may be the least of your worries at that moment.
LDA 28R SFO: We just had a blurb about this in the May Reporting Point, but we would like to stress that this approach has some safety deficiencies. If you are flying the approach in good weather or single stream, it is flyable as published. If you are required to do it with weather near minimums, with simultaneous traffic (including possible wake turbulence problems which by the way do not conform with the FAA's ATC Handbook 7110.65G), or at night, it can become too workload intensive and reduce safety margins substantially. One aspect that makes it workload intensive is it is a Non-Presicion Approach with a 3,300 foot lateral transition after breakout. This S-turn can be a little tricky especially for the 747 driver from China Air who might runover your little orange airplane on the ILS 28L. Your acceptance and use of this approach should consider these other factors. Also, please remember the missed approach procedure is only good to the missed approach point. Potential terrain and other traffic conflicts (go-around traffic from 28L and departure traffic from 1L/R) make a missed approach potentially more dangerous. SFO with its traffic volume, crossing runway operations, unusual meteorological conditions, and surrounding topography (water and hills) is already a somewhat marginal airport. It is one of the few places "formation flying" is required to land. Now we will be asked to shoot an approach, possibly join up on adjacent IFR traffic (less than 500 feet away) and land. Most times this will work, but, hopefully, all of you can see the chance for something going wrong. This approach will place more responsibility for traffic and wake turbulence separation in the pilot's lap. By the way, LAX is about to go to a four localizer quadruple stream approach system. We will keep you posted on that. All of this is driven by capacity enhancement. TERPS has not been revised for over a decade and does not have criteria for point in space approaches (LDAs like SFO or STL). Until the FAA gets some of these issues resolved, we the pilots will have to be the watch dogs of what we will or won't do. So what else is new?
GO TEAM: Our thanks to Ty Gregory and Keith Griffith for their hard work finalizing the Action Plan and some housekeeping details for the SWAPA Accident Investigation Team. This is one SWAPA group we hope sits idle forever.
Other Thanks: Thanks goes out to Stan Humphrey, Joey Legrego, Bob Ahders, Steve Lackey, Mark Monse, Russ Gallagher, Jeff Murrin, Larry Kline, Andy Boquet, Paul Sterbenz and Hugh Knighton for their hard work on several projects this last quarter. While many members of the Air Safety Committee contribute to the committee's work output, these gentleman have been particularly helpful. Also, Elinor, Carol, and Holly as always, do most of the support work for the committees. Finally, Gary Kerans has jumped right in and has really been a strong proponent of Air Safety for SWAPA. Thank you all!
CRM Has Many Uses
A couple of "misunderstandings" between some of our pilots of late bring a few thoughts to mind. First, hopefully we all create an atmosphere that we are approachable and hopefully anyone who has a problem will come to us first. Second, the chain of discussion works best in this order 1) address the individual, 2) go to SWAPA Professional Standards, Safety, or even your domicile rep, 3) Flight Operations Management. This is not intended to preclude some one who feels they should go to a Chief Pilot. The Chief Pilots are adamant about an open door policy and we support that. Third, remember that the rumor mill is not always the full story or facts. There usually is at least two sides to every story. Before you judge another, do you have all the facts? Fourth, a wise high school teacher once said: "there are three of us in each of us--the person we think we are, the person others think we are, the person we really are." The closer those three are together the less conflict in life one is apt to experience. Fifth, if we don't take care of ourselves, nobody else will either. We all wear the same uniform and if you can't find respect for the individual at least respect the uniform enough to treat that person as you would like to be treated. Finally, folks grow and change. Just because someone screwed up last year does not necessarily mean he or she will do it again. As Carly Simon sings "take another picture." And if your the guy or gal who did screw up last year, be humble enough to learn from it and try and avoid a repeat. Give folks a chance to take another picture.
Life is good here at Southwest Airlines. We are continually reminded of it when we talk to folks from other airlines, ride on jumpseats, read the newspapers, etc. Let's count our blessings, let's not get complacent or cocky and get knocked off our pedestal. Let's keep doing what has made this airline one of the most fun and safest places to work in America. Let's all be grateful that Herb dresses for Texas Monthly as Elvis and not Willie Nelson (no offense Willie--your music is great).
