The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), which represents the pilots at FedEx Express, announced today that contract negotiations have begun between the union and FedEx management.
The ALPA FedEx MEC said in a statement to the press that the pilots "are prepared for a focused bargaining on a limited number of significant issues."
Unlike the prolonged bargaining which produced contracts ratified in 1999 and 2006, ALPA expects a much more timely process.
“Our leadership team believes that our last contract negotiation took far too long to conclude. We fully expect that with the cooperation of FedEx Express management and the resolve of our pilot group, we will reach a deal that will be beneficial to us and the company. The bargaining of contracts over years instead of months is a broken model which is beneficial to neither side,” said Captain Scott Stratton, chairman of the ALPA unit at FedEx.
This will be the FedEx pilots' third collectively bargained contract.
Today the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that it has proposed a $1.55 million civil penalty against Federal Express (FedEx). The FAA alleges that FedEx failed to revise its Continuous Airworthiness Maintenance Program in accordance with FAA regulations.
Specifically, the FAA alleges that FedEx "failed to ensure that the air carrier used approved standards, inspections, and time limitations for 14 cargo Unit Load Devices (ULDs) used on the company’s airplanes beginning in early 2008."
In its announcement of the proposed fine, the FAA explained:
During a routine surveillance from March 14-20, 2008, FAA inspectors determined that Federal Express had failed to incorporate Technical Standard Orders (TSOs) into its Continued Airworthiness Maintenance Program for 14 cargo ULDs. The TSOs contain specific maintenance instructions for the ULD smoke detector, power distribution feed, and batteries. Federal Express could not ensure that it used approved maintenance standards for the 14 newly installed ULDs because the company failed to make the necessary revisions to its program for overhauling and inspecting the devices.
On March 20, 2008, Federal Express was notified of the problem by the FAA but did not make the necessary revisions to its Continuous Airworthiness Maintenance Program until April 17, 2008.
The FAA says that the civil penalty addresses 124 flights from March 20 to April 17, 2008.
FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt said, “When it comes to maintenance, it’s unacceptable for any air carrier not to meet the FAA’s standards.”
The pilot of a Cessna 208 Caravan escaped injury yesterday when he made a forced landing in a field outside Rome, NY, following an engine failure. The aircraft, operating as Wiggins Airways flight WIG 8409 on behalf of FedEx, was on a scheduled air cargo flight between Syracuse Hancock International Airport and Plattsburgh International Airport (New York) when it lost power. According to preliminary data posted on the Web site of the FAA, the pilot, who was the sole occupant of the aircraft, was uninjured; the airplane was not damaged.
A news report about the incident on Syracuse.com quoted an Oneida County official who said the aircraft lost power at about 7:45 a.m. December 3, 2009, at an altitude of about 7,500 feet. The aircraft was about 15 miles away from the airport at the former Griffiss Air Force Base. The pilot radioed a MAYDAY to air traffic control and attempted to divert to Griffiss (KRME), but the aircraft "rapidly lost altitude and air speed."
The pilot was identified by the company and the news media as Captain Peter May, who has more than 8,000 flight hours in this aircraft type. He has flown for Wiggins Airways since 1994.
From Syracuse.com:
Upon dropping out of the clouds at about 1,000 feet, May decided to either crash land in Lake Delta just north of Rome or a less populated area west of the lake. May chose to land in the hayfield of the Von Matt farm.
"He had the good wisdom to drop the flaps,which gave him lift," said Vernon May, commissioner of aviation in Oneida County. "He did everything right."
The Utica Observer-Dispatch quoted Wiggins Senior Vice President Andy Day, who said, “We’re very lucky to have Peter. When things like this happen, you hope to have people like Captain May at the controls. He did a very good job and did exactly what we train to do in the circumstance.”
The article about the incident on the Observer-Dispatch Web site includes a photo of the aircraft in the field where it landed.
According to Syracuse.com, "The aircraft will be partially disassembled and trucked to Griffiss, where the FAA will attempt to determine the cause of the engine failure."
A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 (registration N925WN) and a FedEx DC-10 (registration N318FE) were involved in a taxiway collision at Salt Lake City International Airport yesterday afternoon, November 29, 2009. The Southwest plane was pushing back from a gate in preparation for departure to Albuquerque when its wingtip was struck by that of the FedEx aircraft, which was taxiing. Passengers were evacuated from the Southwest aircraft. There were no injuries.
According to preliminary reports posted to the FAA Web site this morning, both aircraft sustained what the agency described as "minor" damage. Photos taken at the scene show the Southwest aircraft's right wing missing its winglet. (See this article and video clip from KOB.com in Albuquerque, and the one below, from KSL.com in Salt Lake City.)
Air cargo carrier FedEx has announced plans to reduce its fleet by 14 aircraft. FedEx currently operates 670 aircraft. According to a document filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the freight carrier indicated that 10 A310-200s and four MD10-10s would be permanently removed from service by May 31, 2009.
Yesterday's SEC filing stated, "This decision reflects management's ongoing efforts to optimize the company's express network in light of continued excess aircraft capacity due to weak economic conditions and the expected delivery of newer, more fuel-efficient aircraft in fiscal year 2010."
The company has plans to replace the aircraft with newer, more fuel-efficient aircraft in the coming fiscal year.
An MD-11 aircraft operated by FedEx has crashed and burned at Tokyo's Narita International Airport. The aircraft was completely destroyed. According to Japan Today, the two crew members on board, who were said to be U.S. citizens, were fatally injured.
[Update Note: FedEx has confirmed in a press statement that there were no survivors. See below.]
The accident happened on March 23, 2009 at about 06:50 AM local time as FedEx Flight 80 was arriving at Narita from Guangzhou, China. Japanese television aired video footage of the landing, which showed the plane touching down on Runway 34L, then bouncing, and ultimately rolling to the left, striking its wing, and bursting into flames. The video was posted to YouTube, and is included at the bottom of this post. (Audio accompanying the video is in Japanese.)
A local observatory said winds of up to about 72 kilometers per hour were blowing near the airport at the time of the accident.
The observatory said it had notified airline companies and related entities of the possibility of the occurrence of wind shear—a condition in which wind speed and direction suddenly change—after the weather became rough on Sunday evening.
Updates about this accident will be posted here on Aircrew Buzz as further information becomes available.
UPDATE: A short time ago, FedEx issued the following statement:
A FedEx Express MD-11 was involved in an incident today en route from Guangzhou to Narita, with two crew members on board. The incident occurred upon landing. We are sad to report that there were no survivors.
Our deepest sympathies go out to the family and friends of these crew members. This loss pains all of us at FedEx. Right now our focus is on doing everything we can to assist those involved at this difficult time.
We are thankful for the quick response of emergency teams on the ground and will continue to work closely with the applicable authorities as we seek to determine the cause for this tragic incident.
Condolences to the families, flying partners and friends of the crew members who lost their lives in this accident.
UPDATE Apr. 17, 2010: The Japan Transport Safety Board has released an interim report on this accident. The report does not specify a probable cause, but does include information from the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder, and photos. Click here to download the English version (31-page 'pdf' file).
The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has issued a preliminary report on the January 27, 2009 accident involving an ATR-42 aircraft at Lubbock, Texas. The accident happened as the aircraft, owned by FedEx and operated by Empire Airlines, was arriving at Lubbock's Preston Smith International Airport (LBB) from Fort Worth-Alliance Airport. The aircraft was destroyed, and the two pilots on board were injured.
The cargo aircraft (registration N902FX), operating as Empire Airlines flight 8284, landed short of the runway threshold while executing an Instrument Landing System (ILS) approach to runway 17R at LBB. Night instrument meteorological conditions prevailed.
A preliminary review of air traffic control communications revealed that the captain contacted the Lubbock Air Traffic Control Tower (ATCT) at 0422, and reported that they were descending from an altitude of 10,000 feet down to 8,000 feet mean sea level (msl). A controller acknowledged the transmission and then provided the airport's current weather information and a runway breaking-action advisory. In addition, he provided vectors for the ILS 17R approach.
At 0430, the controller instructed the airplane to descend and maintain an altitude of 5,000 feet msl. At 0432, the controller informed the flight crew that the wind had shifted 180 degrees from the north to the south between 5,000 and 6,000 feet msl. The captain responded and added that he also noted a drop in the outside air temperature of 8 degrees and concurred with the controller's observation regarding the wind shift. The controller cleared the airplane for the ILS approach at 0433 and instructed the flight crew to contact Lubbock Control Tower. The captain acknowledged.
At 0434, the captain contacted the control tower and a controller cleared the airplane to land on runway 17R. The captain acknowledged the landing clearance and there were no further communications. Approximately three minutes later an airport maintenance employee contacted the tower and asked "what is that fire there at the end of the runway?" A controller responded, "it's an airplane." The controller had witnessed the accident and had activated the alarm for the airport rescue and fire fighting equipment to respond.
An on-scene examination of the wreckage revealed that the airplane landed short of the runway threshold and collided with the approach lighting system before it skidded off the right side of the runway into the grass. The airplane came to rest on a westerly heading perpendicular to the runway. A post-impact fire consumed a large portion of the fuselage and the right wing.
At 0415, the special weather report at LBB included wind from 350 degrees at 10 knots, visibility 2 miles, light freezing drizzle, mist, ceiling 500 feet overcast, temperature 46 degrees Fahrenheit, dew point 48 degrees Fahrenheit, and a barometric pressure setting of 30.02 inches of Mercury. [NTSB ID: CEN09MA142]
Earlier media reports said that the crew members had 'walked away' from the crash scene. Today's NTSB report noted, however, that both pilots were indeed injured. The captain's injuries were said to be serious, and the first officer sustained minor injuries. I wish them both a speedy and complete recovery.
A reader sent me a link to an animation of a runway incursion that had been posted to YouTube. When I went to YouTube to view the video, I also saw a listing for another animation of the same event. Both animations include audio of communications between ATC and the aircraft that were on the ground, but neither indicated when this incident took place.
A little homework on my part revealed that the animations were of a runway incursion that took place in 1999 at T.F. Green Airport (PVD), Providence, Rhode Island. Here is a brief overview of that runway incursion from the NTSB website, followed by the two YouTube videos.
On December 6, 1999, at about 8:35 p.m., United Airlines flight 1448, a Boeing 757, was involved in a runway incursion on runway 5 Right at Theodore Francis Green State Airport, near Providence, Rhode Island. At the time of the incident, it was dark and the reported visibility was one-quarter mile.
After United 1448 landed on runway 5 Right, the tower controller instructed the flight crew to proceed to the terminal using taxiways November and Tango, and report crossing runway 16.
During their taxi in the fog, the flight crew became disoriented and turned onto taxiway Bravo by mistake. They then provided incorrect position reports to the tower controller. The airplane ended up at the intersection of Runway 16 and Runway 23 left. Note that Runways 23 Left and 5 Right are opposite ends of the same runway.
Shortly afterward, a Federal Express aircraft taking off from runway 5 Right passed very close to United 1448. The subsequent conversation between the tower controller and United 1448 shows continued uncertainty about the aircraft's position. For example, there will be several references to Runway 23 right while the airplane is actually on 23 left.
Keeping in mind that the two videos below are 'unofficial' simulations of the event, they are still worth watching.
Thanks to YouTube user B737ngdriver for the above video. The video was posted to YouTube in May of this year. If it does not display or play properly above, click here to view it on YouTube.
The next video is a bit longer, and although the depiction of the aircraft types and livery are inaccurate, it illustrates the event from a different (simulated) vantage point than the video above.
Some pilots flying for FedEx soon may be calling Paris or Hong Kong home, according to a recent article in the Memphis Commercial Appeal. The article says that FedEx is preparing to open pilot domiciles in both Paris and Hong Kong, and that the company is currently in discussions with its pilots' union about necessary contract amendments, including cost-of-living stipends and which planes the carrier will be flying in each market.
The article goes on to offer these details:
For pilots, particularly young pilots, an overseas base can offer chances to move up the pay scale with promotions not available in larger bases. For instance, a first officer in Memphis who lacks seniority to fly in the captain's seat could be senior in a smaller domicile.
Promotion from first officer to captain normally carries a 35 percent raise. A 15-year first officer moving to the most senior captain's seat would make an added $60,000 to $70,000 a year.
Traditionally, FedEx has agreed to pay moving costs to and from a domicile for pilots who stay three years.
Setting up foreign bases could save it millions in commuting costs. For instance, for June, FedEx has 31 flights to Europe to get 64 pilots in place. FedEx can expect to spend $330,000 on their tickets -- an annual rate of $3.9 million.
Figures are based on round-trip, first-class tickets that average $5,200, according to the company's flight operations Web site.
When domiciles are established, pilots who choose to commute from the United States, or from anywhere else, will have to pay their own fares.
FedEx currently has bases in Memphis, Los Angeles, Subic Bay and Anchorage. Memphis is the largest.
A report from Memphis newspaper, The Commercial Appeal, republished on Airport Business, tells of a series of errors that caused three planes to land too close together in rapid succession last Tuesday. The separation rules that air-traffic controllers are charged with maintaining apparently were compromised.
According to the news article, this is what happened:
The string of events started shortly after noon when FedEx flight 881 approached for a landing on the center runway.
While still in the air, the pilot reported an auto throttle problem to the tower, which required the plane to slow faster than usual.
When that happened, the plane coming in behind it, a regional jet operated by Pinnacle Airlines, broke the 5 miles of separation the FAA mandates between heavy and small jets.
The FedEx pilot aborted the landing and flew around to try again. As it approached the runway for the second time, the separation between it and another FedEx plane at an adjacent runway was compromised.
"The diagonal separation between those planes should have been 1.5 miles. But because flight 881 again reduced its speed, the separation was reduced to 1.38 miles," [FAA spokeswoman Kathleen] Bergen said.
As both FedEx planes were preparing to land, another regional jet operated by Pinnacle was approaching for landing.
Its 5-mile separation was reduced to 4.86 miles.
"In all three of the operational errors, we had more than 95 percent of the required separation. But our job is not to have loss of any," said Peter Suflaw, head of the air-traffic control union at the tower.
If you have been reading this blog for awhile, you know that I have posted several articles about missile defense for commercial planes -- or rather plans for such systems. One of those systems, Northrop Grumman's Guardian, is now in the operational testing phase.
The FedEx flight marked the start of operational testing and evaluation of the laser system designed to defend against shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles during takeoffs and landings.
Adapted from military technology, Guardian is designed to detect a missile launch and then direct a laser to the seeker system on the head of the missile and disrupt its guidance signals. The laser is not visible and is eye-safe, the company said.
"For the first time, we will be able to collect valuable logistics data while operating Guardian on aircraft in routine commercial service," said Robert L. DelBoca, vice president and general manager of Northrop Grumman's Defensive Systems Division.
"This milestone marks an important event for Northrop Grumman and the aviation industry. For the first time, we will be able to collect valuable logistics data while operating Guardian on aircraft in routine commercial service," said Robert L. DelBoca, vice president and general manager of Northrop Grumman's Defensive Systems Division. "We stand ready to protect America's flying public with the proven technology that we supply to our warfighters worldwide in operational theater."
The test of the Guardian system is a part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security initiative to protect commercial aircraft from shoulder-fired missiles. The Reutersarticle notes that "no passenger plane has ever been downed by a shoulder-fired missile outside of a combat zone. But terrorists linked with al-Qaida are believed to have fired two SA-7 missiles that narrowly missed an Israeli passenger jet after it took off from Mombasa, Kenya, in November 2002."
The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), which represents the pilots at FedEx Express, announced today that contract negotiations have begun between the union and FedEx management.
