Air accident investigation among regulatory agencies

The aim of this manuscript is to describe and compare regulatory aviation agencies according to their subordination and attributions to investigate air accidents. Possible consequences in identifying the contributory factors are also presented. Distinct procedures investigating air accidents among agencies lead to a lack of standardization of the statistics, making it difficult to analyze the data globally. Separately the information does not configure the entire scenario of what occurred, affecting the analysis and subsequent interventions. We recommend a joint and collaborative work between the different committees that operate in the investigation of air accidents.

A antinomia existente entre as Convenções de Varsóvia e Montreal e o Código de Defesa do Consumidor: a questão da limitação da responsabilidade do transportador aéreo

O presente trabalho objetiva analisar, sob o ponto de vista doutrinário e jurisprudencial, a discussão sobre a antinomia entre as Convenções de Varsóvia e Montreal, que estipulam um teto máximo de indenizatório às vítimas de acidentes aéreos, e o Código de Defesa do Consumidor que, ao promover a proteção do consumidor, estabelece a indenização integral pelos danos sofridos pelo fato do serviço. Inicialmente, analisa-se regulação internacional do transporte aéreo no tocante ao regime de responsabilidade, atentando-se para sua evolução e origem histórica. Em seguida, contextualiza-se a proteção do consumidor no ordenamento jurídico brasileiro, ressaltando o regime de responsabilidade pelo fato do serviço e o princípio da reparação integral dos danos. Por fim, passa-se para a análise da antinomia existente entre os diplomas, buscando-se a melhor solução diante da atual realidade da sociedade brasileira.

Aircraft accident in Brazil: Boeing vs. Legacy?

Air accidents represent a small proportion of the flights registered worldwide. Airplane collisions in the air are rare. In September of 2006, a Boeing 737-800 collided in midair with a Legacy Jet. It was the largest accident registered in the history of Brazilian aviation until that time. The present study explores aspects of press coverage of the accident. Data and information reported in the media about the accident from September 2006 to August 2007 were collected and discussed. Media coverage called attention to two unusual aspects: politicisation of the discussion, culminating in the opening of congressional inquiries, and equally the concomitance of police investigations interfering in the work of agencies responsible for the official accident investigation. Emphasis on assigning guilt and establishing penalties may close the windows of opportunity an accident had opened for discussions on the improvement of air safety. In Brazil, political imperatives and organizational pressures have interfered and the possibilities of organizational learning from the accident have been drastically curtailed.

The human equation in aircraft accidents; an analysis of 758 fatal accidents charged to "pilot error" which occurred in non-air carrier flying during the year 1948.

Mode of access: Internet.

Undershoot accidents in U. S. scheduled and irregular air carrier operations; transport type aircraft, 1946-1955.

Mode of access: Internet.

Cerebral air embolism caused by a bronchogenic cyst

An unusual case is presented of a tourist who developed fatal cerebral air embolism, pneumomediastinum and pneumopericardium while ascending from low altitude to Europe's highest railway station. Presumably the air embolism originated from rupture of the unsuspected bronchogenic cyst as a result of pressure changes during the ascent. Cerebral air embolism has been observed during surgery, in scuba diving accidents, submarine escapes and less frequently during exposure to very high altitude. People with known bronchogenic cysts should be informed about the risk of cerebral air embolism and surgical removal should be considered. Cerebral air embolism is a rare cause of coma and stroke in all activities with rapid air pressure changes, including alpine tourism, as our unfortunate tourist illustrates.

Aircraft accident report : Ozark Air Lines, Inc., Fairchild Hiller FH-227B, N4215, near the Lambert-St. Louis International Airport, St. Louis, Missouri, July 23, 1973 /

Mode of access: Internet.

Controlled flight into terrain, Korean Air flight 801, Boeing 747-300, HL7468, Nimitz Hill, Guam, August 6, 1997 /

"DCA97MA058"--Cover.

Safety study : risk factors associated with weather-related general aviation accidents /

The goal of this National Transportation Safety Board study was to better understand the risk factors associated with accidents that occur in weather conditions characterized by IMC or poor visibility ("weather-related accidents"). The study accomplished this goal using the case control methodology, which compared a group of accident flights to a matching group of nonaccident flights to identify patterns of variables that distinguished the two groups from each other. This methodology expands on previous Safety Board efforts that have typically concentrated on summaries of accident cases. For this study, Safety Board air safety investigators (ASI) collected data from 72 GA accidents that occurred between August 2003 and April 2004.

Aircraft accident report : New Jersey Air National Guard, Convair F106, 59-0044, Piper PA 24-250, N6876P, midair collision, near Saxis, Virginia, October 11, 1974 /

Mode of access: Internet.

Aviation safety : air taxis--the most accident-prone airlines--need better oversight : report to the Chairman, Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight, Committee on Public Works and Transportation, House of Representatives /

"B-246219"--P. 1.

An overview on how failure analysis contributes to flight safety in the Portuguese Air Force

Failure analysis has been, throughout the years, a fundamental tool used in the aerospace sector, supporting assessments performed by sustainment and design engineers mainly related to failure modes and material suitability. The predicted service life of aircrafts often exceeds 40 years, and the design assured life rarely accounts for all in service loads and in service environmental menaces that aging aircrafts must deal with throughout their service lives. From the most conservative safe-life conceptual design approaches to the most recent on-condition based design approaches, assessing the condition and predicting the failure modes of components and materials are essential for the development of adequate preventive and corrective maintenance actions as well as for the accomplishment and optimization of scheduled maintenance programs of aircrafts. Moreover, as the operational conditions of aircrafts may vary significantly from operator to operator (especially in military aircraft), it is necessary to access if the defined maintenance programs are adequate to guarantee the continuous reliability and safe usage of the aircrafts, preventing catastrophic failures which bear significant maintenance and repair costs, and that may lead to the loss of human lives. Thus being, failure analysis and material investigations performed as part of aircraft accidents and incidents investigations arise as powerful tools of the utmost importance for safety assurance and cost reduction within the aeronautical and aerospace sectors. The Portuguese Air Force (PRTAF) has operated different aircrafts throughout its long existence, and in some cases, has operated a particular type of aircraft for more than 30 years, gathering a great amount of expertise in: assessing failure modes of the aircrafts materials; conducting aircrafts accidents and incidents investigations (sometimes with the participation of the aircraft manufacturers and/or other operators); and in the development of design and repair solutions for in-service related problems. This paper addresses several studies to support the thesis that failure analysis plays a key role in flight safety improvement within the PRTAF. It presents a short summary of developed