ASCE Critical Infrastructure

Aviation emergencies, disasters, and infrastructure alert – June 30, 2008

United States, Brazil expand air services

The United States and Brazil have signed an agreement to increase passenger flights to 154 per week by 2010, nearly double weekly scheduled cargo flights (from 24 to 42) within two years, increase the number of chartered cargo flights, and eliminate restrictions on the number of airlines that can provide U.S.-Brazil air service. The agreement also allows cargo companies to transfer cargo from their own planes to their trucks for delivery. The agreement will allow any number of airlines to participate. Currently, only four are permitted from each country. From the U.S. side, American Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines now provide service between the United States and Sao Paolo and Rio de Janeiro. Under the agreement, U.S. carriers may serve five new cities in Brazil - Fortaleza, Curitiba and three others to be selected by the United States. The agreement also allows, for the first time, U.S. and Brazilian carriers to provide certain types of service on a code-share basis with their partner airlines from third-countries. Traffic World

This US-Brazil agreement is less sweeping than the US-EU Open Skies Treaty that went into effect on March 30, 2008. It does, however, reflect the growing importance of US-Brazil economic interactions. Fortaleza has 3.4 million inhabitants and is in the extreme northeast of Brazil. Curitiba has 1.8 million inhabitants and is in the southern Brazilian state of Parana. Other large Brazilian cities that might become the three cities “to be named later” include Salvador, Brasilia, Belo Horizonte, Manaus, Porto Allegre, Recife, and Belem. Interest is driven by commerce, tourism, and offshore oil development.

Two more crashes in Sudan

An An-12 cargo plane belonging to Juba Cargo company crashed mid-flight in Sudan on Friday (6/27) killing seven crew members, including five foreigners, in the third fatal aviation accident to blight the African country in the past two months. A Sudanese Civil Aviation Authority spokesman said that the crashed an hour and 10 minutes after take off from Khartoum, bound for the southern Sudanese capital Juba, apparently owing to bad weather. There was one survivor. Agence France Press

An Ilyushin 76 cargo plane belonging to the private Sudanese company Abadiel crashed shortly after takeoff Monday from Khartoum's airport, killing all four Russian crew members aboard. The plane hit an electricity pole shortly after takeoff and then crashed into an empty field, bursting into flames. The cause of the crash was not immediately clear. The plane was headed for the south Sudanese capital of Juba. Its cargo was not immediately known. AP

Sudan has a poor aviation record and these crashes were the third and fourth fatal aviation accidents in Africa's biggest country since May. The Khartoum government said the Sudanese air fleet was growing old as it was unable to buy spare parts for its US-made aircraft due to economic sanctions imposed by Washington. However, Washington, which has placed Khartoum on a blacklist of countries supporting terrorism, says the sanctions do not prevent the delivery of spare parts for aircraft if they are requested. None of the four major 2008 crashes in Sudan involved US-manufactured airplanes.

CNN notes 9 medical helicopter crashes in US in 2008

Sea-Tac's new runway nears completion after years of controversy

After almost two decades of political wrangling, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is nearing the opening of its new, 8,500-foot runway. Over the years the cost swelled from $430 million to $1.2 billion, as the port authority was forced to transport 13 million cubic yards of fill from Canada, erect retaining walls up to 130 feet high and build two dedicated off-ramps to handle the constant flow of truck traffic on local highways. The News Tribune (Tacoma, Wash.)

Note on small plane crashes

This blog doesn’t report on small plane crashes (planes smaller than the 14 CFR Part 124 criteria) unless there is something unusual about the crash. This, however, doesn’t mean that small aircraft aren’t important to critical infrastructure.

Just how many small aircraft crashes are there? In the latest data set I could find, in June 2003 in the US there were 68 small aircraft crashes investigated by the FAA. Aviation Attorneys

Top 100 commercial crashes that happened in June

6/3/1962 – Air France B707 at Villeneuve-le-Roi, France, 130 killed (91^st worst crash)

6/6/1994 – China Northwest Tu-154 at Xi-an, China, 160 killed (52^nd worst)

6/7/1989 – Surinam Airways DC8 at Paramaribo, Surinam, 176 killed (40^th worst)

6/8/1982 – VASP B727 at Sierra de Pacatuba, Brazil, 137 killed (81^st worst)

6/23/1985 – Air India B747 into Atlantic Ocean west of Ireland, 329 killed (6^th worst)

6/28/1982 – Aeroflot YAK42 in Southern Belarus, USSR, 132 killed (86^th worst)

6/30/1956 – United DC7 / TWA Lockheed 1049, over Grand Canyon, 128 killed (95^th worst)

Aviation emergencies, disasters, and infrastructure alert – June 27, 2008

Military crash in Indonesia; plane was testing digital mapping camera

An Indonesian military Casa C-212 plane with 18 people on board, including three foreigners, crashed Thursday (6/26) in West Java in the Curug Nangka tourist resort at the foot of Mt Salak, Sukajadi village, Tamansari subdistrict, Bogor regency, an air force spokesman said on Friday. "We lost contact with the plane. We assume it crashed but we are still searching for it," said Chaerudin Ray. SAR teams had not at latest report reached the crash site. The plane was flying from the capital Jakarta to Bogor, in West Java, with 12 military personnel and six civilians on board, he said, including one Briton, one Singaporean, and one person thought to be Indian. The plane had set out to test a digital mapping camera, he said. Antara

Indonesian air carriers have been hit by several crashes and safety incidents in recent years, and the country's airlines are currently banned by the European Union; however, this was a military plane.

Kenya legislators blast aviation regulator

Angry Kenyan National Assembly parliamentarians demanded Wednesday (6/25) an explanation over the tragic 10 June plane crash that claimed the lives of two cabinet ministers. Questioning the safety of Kenyan airspace, the spotlight fell on the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) with members questioning its competence. The government was hard pressed to explain the cause of the accident. An attempt by the aviation minister to blame the crash on a possible human or mechanical error fell on deaf ears as the members, some professional pilots, accused the authority of incompetence, corruption and vested interest. The MPs wondered why the plane crash was detected by a private organization, Africa Medical Research Foundation (AMREF), which operates air ambulances. AMREF was the first to notify aviation authorities about the crash. Under normal circumstances, it is the aviation authority that should have detec ed the crash site, using modern navigation and aviation equipment. Afrique en Ligne

Airports 'vulnerable' to attack

A terrorism expert has warned that UK airports are still vulnerable, one year on from the attack on Glasgow Airport. Security consultant Chris Yates said many of the changes put in place at Glasgow had been copied at other airports around the world but said that although some "weak points" in airport security had been addressed, others remained. “We have a long way to go before airports here in the UK are secure enough to prevent the prospect of another terrorist attack…we don't know which direction the threats are coming from," he said. Mr Yates said that in his opinion, the UK was not taking the threat of "aviation terrorism seriously enough". BBC

ICAO unveils CO2 calculator for cargo shipments

In support of the UN’s Climate Neutral Initiative, the International Civil Aviation Organization has approved a Web-based tool for calculating the amount of carbon dioxide emissions from a given flight. Air Cargo World

The ICAO Carbon Calculator, an impartial and internationallyapproved  web-based tool to identify the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from a given flight for use in carbon-offsetting programmes, is available on the Organization’s website (www.icao.int).

ICAO previously had a calculator that let an individual passenger compute his or her carbon footprint for the trip. See ICAO Passenger Carbon Calculator.

Aviation emergencies, disasters, and infrastructure alert – June 24, 2008

2007 crash at unlicensed Indonesian commercial airport?

Indonesia's Jogjakarta airport was operating without a license because of safety issues when a Garuda plane crashed last year, killing 21 people, an Australian air safety firm said yesterday. Flight Safety Pty Ltd, which audited the airport after a request from an unnamed client, said authorities had failed to implement five conditions for a license, including extending the runway and safety area. Five Australians were killed when a Garuda Boeing 737 carrying 140 people skidded off the runway in Jogjakarta, Central Java in March 2007. An Indonesian safety official denied the airport was functioning without a license. Herald Sun

Today’s featured recertification drill

Tel-Aviv’s Ben-Gurion International Airportwill hold its ICAO-mandated recertification disaster drill Wednesday (6/25) to test readiness to handle the crash of a wide-bodied jet on the runway. Ben-Gurion chief Ze'ev Sarig said a large contingent of firefighters, ambulances, police and Israel Defense Force soldiers will be taking part in the exercise, with IDF soldiers pretending to be injured passengers and with mannequins simulating casualties. The last such drill took place in 2004. A plane purchased from El Al for exercises will be set ablaze and firefighters will have to extinguish it within two minutes. An exercise was held yesterday at Terminal 1 to test emergency procedures for countering a variety of scenarios involving terrorist attacks. Haaretzl

Homeland Security seeks comments on infrastructure security

The Department of Homeland Security has taken the unusual step of seeking public comment on proposed changes to the National Infrastructure Protection Plan. "We're hoping to get inputs from across the country and from everyone concerned with critical infrastructure protection," says an NIPP spokesman. Among the questions the NIPP will address: whether to stress deterrence and protection of infrastructure assets over resilience and recovery. Secrecy News

If you wish to read the current (2006) edition of the National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP), you can access it at http://www.dhs.gov/xprevprot/programs/editorial_0827.shtm. The deadline for comments is July 7, 2008.

Aviation emergencies, disasters, and infrastructure alert – June 23, 2008

Dubai building world's largest airport on desert sands

Dubai, home to many of the world's engineering and construction superlatives, is about to add another record to its list: a $10 billion, 54-square-mile (140 square kilometers) airport larger than London's Heathrow and Chicago's O'Hare combined. Some 20,000 workers under the direction of 600 engineers have already completed the first of six parallel runways, and the first commercial flight is scheduled for next year. Several developments are being built around the airport, which could eventually handle 120 million annual passengers and 12 million tons of cargo. MarketWatch

The Wikipedia entry, which may or may not be reliable, says that the new airport will have 30% more passenger capacity than Atlanta and three times the cargo capacity of Memphis, the two current world leaders. The six parallel runways will allow up to four simultaneous landings or takeoffs. The land area of the new airport (140 square kilometers) makes it the 4^th largest in the world after King Faud International (780 square kilometers), Montreal-Mirabel (392 square kilometers), and Riyadh International (225 square kilometers). Denver’s area is 120 square kilometers, and Dallas-Fort Worth’s is 73 square kilometers. The stated goal of the new Dubai World Central International Airport (JXB), which will formally be known as Al Maktoum International Airport, is to make it the major hub connecting Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia in order to create a long-term economic engine for the United Arab Emirates. Dubai International Airport is expected to remain active even after JXB becomes operational.

Continental to join Star Alliance, cooperate with United

On Thursday (6/19) Continental announced plans to cooperate with United Airlines, linking networks and services worldwide to deliver new benefits to customers. In addition, Continental intends to transition into the Star Alliance from the SkyTeam Alliance as a result of a review that was conducted following the Delta-Northwest merger announcement. The transition period will last at least a year, and many regulatory and other approvals are required before we can implement our plans. www.continental.com

This is part of the shifting pattern of US and global alliances being driven by the Delta-Northwest merger and by fuel costs.

China Airlines appoints president

The board of China Airlines approved Friday the appointment of Sun Huang-Hsiang as president. Sun currently serves as chairman of the mainland Chinese cargo venture Yangtze River Express Airlines. Taipei,Taiwan-based China Airlines owns 25 percent of the Shanghai, China-based company. Sun will succeed Ringo Chao, who currently serves as chairman and president of China Airlines. Traffic World Online

This is yet another indicator of the increasing economic and logistical integration of Taiwan with China.

Aviation emergencies, disasters, and infrastructure alert – June 19, 2008

Fuel puts airlines in red

USDOT report shows operating loss margin hit 5.2 percent in first quarter. Fuel had an enormous impact on the results, however, eating up 29.4 percent of the airlines' operating expenses in the first quarter compared to 13.8 percent in the same quarter five years ago. The airlines are also seeking restrictions on speculation in petroleum futures, saying that it threatens the viability of aviation critical infrastructure. Traffic World

FAA, DayJet start transitioning Florida to NextGen technology

DayJet has signed an agreement with the FAA to start implementing NextGen technologies throughout Florida, writes John Johnston in the Boca Raton News. Dr. Bruce Holmes, a former NASA chief strategist who now works for DayJet, said NextGen will replace ground-based radars with satellite technology for navigation. The transition will mean fewer large planes and more smaller jets, he said. DayJet has signed a memorandum of agreement with the FAA to begin a five-year, phased implementation of so-called “NextGen technologies” throughout Florida.  Holmes said the collaboration also includes the Florida Department of Transportation Aviation Office and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.Boca Raton News (Fla.)

Even if DayJet’s planes are small (“very light jets,” or VLJ’s), this development represents a huge step forward towards decentralized air traffic control. NextGen is the next generation of air traffic control that will be based in part on plane-mounted global positioning systems. Note, however, the five-year time frame. NextGen is supposed to be the answer to the ATC crisis in the US and globally today.

Lizards cause delays at New Delhi

More than 100 flights were delayed Wednesday (6/18) at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi, after monitor lizards were spotted on the runway and taxiway this morning. The first lizard was spotted by a pilot at the secondary runway 27 at around 9:30 am, following which the apron control and the air traffic control were alerted. Because of the lizards, the bird movement above the airport also increased which forced the airport authorities to keep the runway closed for nearly 20 minutes from 10:00 am. However operations were segregated all day with flights landing on runway 27 and taking off from 28. “The first monitor lizard was spotted on the runway. When our teams reached there we found that there were more in the vicinity. We found four more lizards from the taxiway and the approach area to the runway,” said Tandrali of the Wildlife SOS team. The team was stationed all day at IGI to rescue more monitor lizards from the area. The wildlife experts claim that the long grass and a nullah [same as a wadi, a vegetated stream in a ravine] close to the runway is an ideal habitat for the monitor lizard. “We will soon release them in the wild, perhaps in Asola Bhatti sanctuary or any other place depending on the instructions from the wildlife department,” Tandrali added. (Courtesy Arthur Rabjohn)

Blackwater CEO wants plane crash lawsuit dismissed

Erik Prince, the head of security company Blackwater, is defending its sister company, Presidential Airways’, request to have a federal lawsuit over a plane crash dismissed, saying that because the crash happened in Afghanistan, Islamic law should apply. Presidential Airways has been sued by the widows of three American soldiers killed in the crash. Three crew members also died. Joseph Schmitz, Prince's general counsel, said Presidential Airways has asked the federal judge to dismiss the case because the women's attorneys failed to meet the standards for a claim under applicable law. US courts have applied other countries' laws to resolve damages that occurred overseas, Schmitz said. When asked to justify having a case involving an American company working for the US government decided by Afghan law, Prince said: "Where did the crash occur? Afghanistan." In a motion filed in April, Blackwater attorneys said "the policy interest of Afghanistan must be considered as it is undisputed that is the place where the injuries occurred. Further, the alleged negligent conduct, from the planning and scheduling of the accident mission to the alleged operation errors, took place in Afghanistan." If the judge applied Afghanistan's Islamic Sharia law, the lawsuit would be dismissed, Schmitz said. Sharia law does not hold a company responsible for the actions of employees performed as part of their work. Lawyers for the women say the case was properly filed in Florida because that is where the defendants did business at the time of the crash. Presidential Airways was based in Melbourne, FL at the time. Presidential Airways earlier had argued the lawsuit should be dismissed under the legal doctrine that soldiers cannot sue the government. Presidential Airways was under contract with the US military to fly cargo and personnel around Afghanistan. A three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta refused to dismiss the lawsuit on that basis in October. The National Transportation Safety Board has blamed the crash on Presidential Airways, saying it failed to ensure that its crews followed company policy and Pentagon and Federal Aviation Administration safety regulations and for its "failure to require its flight crews to file and fly a defined route." Bradenton Herald

New Indianapolis airport nearing completion

Airport officials in Indianapolis gave reporters a glimpse on Monday of the city's new midfield terminal. The main terminal's Civic Plaza will feature a skylight 200 feet in diameter, plus in-floor heating and cooling. Each concourse will have 20 gates -- a gain of six over the current facility -- and parallel runways will shave eight to ten minutes of taxiing time off each flight. The Indianapolis Star 

The new IND terminal is dramatic in appearance and reminds this editor of Saarinen's TWA terminal at JFK.

Aviation emergencies, disasters, and infrastructure alert – June 11, 2008

Sudan plane burns after landing; many killed

A Sudan Airways A310 airliner arriving at Khartoum International Airport from Damascus, Syria, via Amman, Jordan, and Port Sudan, with 214 people on board, landed amid thunderstorms and was taxiing on the runway on Tuesday (6/10) when an engine exploded in flames. The plane burned but at least 103 passengers and 11 crewmembers escaped. There is some confusion about the death toll, with initial reports saying up to 100 killed. Other reports, however, say around 30 people have been confirmed dead and more than 50 others are still unaccounted for. TV footage showed the plane consumed by flames as emergency crews tried to battle the fire in the darkness. Belfast Telegraph and CNN

There has not yet been any suggestion of terrorist involvement.

Sudan has a poor aviation safety record. In May, a plane crash in a remote area of southern Sudan killed 24 people, including key members of the southern Sudanese government. In July 2003, a Sudan Airways B737 en route from Port Sudan to Khartoum crashed soon after takeoff, killing all 115 people on board. After that crash, Sudanese officials blamed sanctions for restricting vital aircraft parts. The U.S. State Department said there was no ban on equipment needed for aviation safety. In 1997, then President Clinton issued an executive order barring the export of goods and technology to Sudan because of the country’s “support for international terrorism, ongoing efforts to destabilize neighboring governments, and the prevalence of human rights violations.” World Review News (Note: The latest crash was an A310 built in Europe.)

Not just Part 139 airports do emergency drills

14 CFR Part 139 requires triennial recertification emergency drills at the 400+ airports with commercial service or that can handle scheduled or unscheduled flights using planes over a certain size. However, there are a great many general aviation airports, which are locally important and potentially important in disaster or catastrophe response, that also do safety drills.

Van Nuys Airport Practices Emergency Response in Full-Scale Simulated Aircraft Accident. The Van Nuys Airport will conduct a full-scale emergency exercise today (6/11) in an effort to test and evaluate the airport's emergency procedures.  Although VNY is not regulated under CFR, Part 139, VNY remains dedicated to emergency preparation and will periodically conduct a full-scale emergency exercise every three to four years. Participants will be Los Angeles Fire Department, Los Angeles Police Department, FAA, TSA, NTSB, and several Van Nuys Airport Divisions (Airfield Operations, Airport Police, Construction and Maintenance, Public Relations, LAWA Emergency Preparedness). LAWA Press Release

Van Nuys Airport (VNY) is fascinating. It is one of four airports belonging to Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), the authority that also owns and operates LAX, Ontario, and Palmdale airports. VNY is the world’s busiest general aviation airport with about 400,000 take-offs and landings annually. More than 100 businesses are located on the 730-acre airport in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley. The airport is landlocked and has extensive community-relations and community-service programs to maintain good relationships with its residential neighbors.

Aviation emergencies, disasters, and infrastructure alert – June 9, 2008

Airports continuing expansion planning, slow building

ENR reports this week that most major US airports are continuing with expansion planning but are deferring construction because of fuel price effects and Part 139 AIP funding uncertainties due to the FAA continuing resolution. The major airports are much less dependent on AIP funds than smaller categories of airports: the smaller the airport, the more it depends on AIP funds.

Big airlines rushing to go small

In the three decades since deregulation, the major US airlines have operated with a simple strategy that bigger was better, and that the way to win the industry dogfight was to fly more planes on more routes to attract the most passengers. Fuel costs, and perhaps other operational issues, have reversed this. American, United, and now Continental have announced plans to ground move than 200 aircraft, representing more than 10 percent of the major airlines’ fleet. Service is being reduced or eliminated on some routes, and employees are being laid off. The airlines are also raising ticket prices and imposing new surcharges and fees to help offset soaring fuel costs. Air fares over all are up 16 percent this year. NY Times June 6, 2008

Of the changes, those by Continental caused the most surprise. Continental has the youngest, most fuel-efficient fleet of all US carriers, and the airline is generally considered to be the best managed and healthiest of the “legacy” airlines.

Delays for new airport cause concern in Las Vegas

It could take the FAA up to 18 months to study anew the airspace around southern Nevada in preparation for a new airport. That means the airport in Ivanpah, about 25 miles from Las Vegas, may not open until 2019, instead of 2017, officials say. Meanwhile, Nevada's McCarran International Airport is expected to reach its capacity as early as 2011. Las Vegas Sun

WW2 bomb closes London City Airport

London City Airport was temporarily closed Tuesday to inbound and outbound aircraft. This is a safety precaution taken by the airport due to an unexploded WW2 bomb being found at a site in East London. Operations were back to normal by the end of the day. http://www.londoncityairport.com/

London City Airport (LCY) is a privately owned single-runway airport in the Docklands area of London. Using VSTOL (very short take-off and landing) aircraft, It is the fifth busiest international airport in the London metropolitan area after Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, and Luton. About 10 airlines serve about 30 international destinations non-stop. In 2006 2.6 million passengers used London City Airport. Airliners typically using LCY include ATR42, DHC Dash 8, BAe-146 Whisperjet, Embraer ERJ 135, Embraer E-Jets, Fokker 70, Fokker 50, and SAAB 2000, and an A318 did successful operational tests. www.wikipedia.com

Part 139 triennial recertification drills this week

Thursday was a very busy day at the Capitol Region International Airport near Lansing, Michigan. Airport public safety personnel worked with numerous area medical response teams, fire departments, law enforcement agencies and hospitals to test emergency response during a mock airport disaster drill. The exercise lasted most of the day but did not interfere with any scheduled flights. WLAJ

Aviation emergencies, disasters, and infrastructure alert – June 3, 2008

14 skydivers jump before their plane crash-lands

The pilot of a skydiving plane made a crash landing in Greensburg, Indiana, after his plane malfunctioned at 7,000 feet, forcing 14 skydivers to jump from the disabled aircraft. Officials say the pilot walked away from the crash Sunday morning and no one was injured. Decatur County Sheriff's Deputy Steve Snyder says the malfunction caused oil to spray on the plane's windshield. Skydive Greensburg owner Bob Dougherty says the pilot leveled off at 5,000 feet allowing the skydivers to jump before he returned to the Greensburg airport. Two of the skydivers were making their first jump. When the plane landed, its propellers hit the ground and the plane flipped over. Fox28

JFK, Tri-Cities recertification drills

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and its emergency partners executed the triennial emergency response drill at John F. Kennedy International Airport on May 31. The goals of this exercise were to test and evaluate the following emergency functions: Airport Emergency Plan; Mutual Aid Responders; Incident Command System including a Unified Command; Rapid Triage; True Time set up for delivery and water supply to PAPD ARFF vehicles by FDNY; Multi-Agency response and staging at Building 269; Airline Incident and Press Rooms at Building 14; Delivery and accuracy of passenger and cargo manifest for the affected flight; and NYC Medical Examiner Disaster Victims Identification Unit. The exercise was conducted in 5 distinct phases:
Phase #1 - PAPD ARFF Equipment response to simulators and extinguishes fires
Phase #2 - SAFT (Specialized Aircraft Fires Trainer) is ignited for PAPD interior fire suppression
Phase #3 - Burn pit is re-ignited for hose relay by FDNY
Phase #4 - Fires extinguished, scene is deemed safe. Victims are bused in and buses are to simulate aircraft fuselage. Victim rescue/triage begins.
Phase #5 - No further live victims are found. Incident is now declared a recovery operation/crime scene. New York City Medical Examiner begins their operation.
The following agencies were present: PANYNJ, PAPD, NYPD, FDNY, OCME, NTSB, FAA, DHS, TSA, USCBP, FBI, US Army National Guard, NY Civil Air Patrol, Air National Guard, and Floral Park FD whose Explorers were some of the volunteer victims. Nassau Fire Department Rant

Tri-Cities Airport in northeastern Tennessee will hold its triennial recertification exercise this Saturday. Key players will include surrounding emergency responders and the American Red Cross. Greeneville Sun

FAA advances NextGen planning

FAA has named Vicki Cox as senior vice president of NextGen and operations planning. Cox previously served as a vice president in FAA's Air Traffic Organization. Cox's position will incorporate the Joint Planning and Development Office (JPDO), which helps coordinate the efforts of several federal departments and agencies, including DOT/FAA, Defense, Commerce, Homeland Security and NASA. "Given the aviation community's increasing need for faster modernization of our air traffic control system, we must implement NextGen at a quicker pace," said Acting FAA Administrator Robert Sturgell. "FAA is putting an emphasis on near- and midterm implementation, while the JPDO continues its focus on long-term research and development, and cross-agency cooperation."

It’s not clear what this administrative change will achieve given the failure of the Administration and Congress to give NextGen and other FAA programs adequate funding. Perhaps this new leadership will develop the case that NextGen will work and will be implemented—someday. Let’s hope so as air traffic control is the most highly stressed portion of our aviation critical infrastructure.

Worst historical crashes for May 9 – 31

May 19, 1993 – SAM B727, Medellin, Columbia, 132 persons killed. (86^th worst of all time)

May 25, 1979 – American Airlines, DC10, Chicago, 273 persons killed. (10^th worst)

May 25, 2002 – China Airlines, B747, off Penghu, Taiwan, 225 persons killed. (23^rd worst)

May 26, 1991 - Lauda Air, B767, Ban Nong Rong, Thailand, 223 persons killed (24^th worst)