The International Civil Aviation Organization has concluded that ambiguous or confusing ATC phraseology “is a frequent contributor to aircraft accidents and incidents.” In the recently released results of a phraseology study that it conducted, ICAO maintains that “a miscommunication could potentially lead to a dangerous situation without any of the involved stakeholders being aware,” especially in regions where English is not the native language.
AINsafety
August 20, 2012 - 4:20pm
The FAA has made a last-minute decision to cancel Notice JO 7110.584, which included new instructions for procedures such as “Climb via,” “Descend via” and some speed adjustments. The changes, which had been due to take effect on August 15, stem from concerns by the U.S. agency about the adequacy of pilot and controller briefing material.The FAA will notify the industry when it has established a revised date.
August 20, 2012 - 4:15pm
The Helicopter Association International (HAI) and the FAA’s Safety Team will host a free, two-day helicopter safety seminar from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. August 24-25 in Des Plaines, Ill. The August 24 seminar is for professional and commercial helicopter pilots and covers rotorcraft accident trends, human factors, wire-strike avoidance, HAI safety initiatives and more. The August 25 session is geared toward GA helicopter pilots. Registration is required.
August 20, 2012 - 4:10pm
A Moscow court prohibited a planned job action last week by Russian air traffic controllers represented by the Labor Union ofRussian Radio Location andNavigation Workers. Russian prosecutors describe as illegal a section of the controller’s charter that specifically addresses their ability tohold rallies, demonstrations, pickets andother collective gatherings as away oflobbying their interests. The court agreed and also demanded the union bring its charter into alignment with Russian law, which bans public servants from such activity.
August 20, 2012 - 4:05pm
The FAA has updated JO 7210.822, a guiding document for ATC facilities in determining back-up procedures when a control tower or Tracon is staffed with only a single air traffic controller. The August 15 ruling prohibits automated aircraft handoffs from one facility to another when only one person is on duty. Center, approach and tower controllers will be kept busy with communications checks every 15 minutes during the entire midnight shift.
August 20, 2012 - 4:00pm
Spanish and Irish authorities have asked Ryanair flight operations to explain why three of the airline’s Boeing 737s requested and received landing priority in July after running low on fuel approaching Valencia Airport in eastern Spain. The Ireland-based low-cost carrier says that thunderstorms forced all three aircraft to divert from Madrid and that each of them ran short of fuel after holding for more than an hour. Although no one was injured, Ryanair officials reported the incidents to Spanish and Irish aviation regulators, prompting the investigation.
August 13, 2012 - 4:40pm
The Italian aviation safety agency, ANSV, issued four recommendations on August 2 to the EASA and Transport Canada about the Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127 turboprop engine that powers the ATR 72 regional airliner. The recommendations came after a series of engine failures that all occurred during the initial climb.
August 13, 2012 - 4:35pm
The Indonesian National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC) on August 1 released the preliminary details of what it knows about the flight of the Sukhoi Superjet that crashed near Jakarta on May 9, 2012, during a flight demonstration. The jet struck a cliff on Mount Salak at 6,100 feet, killing all 45 people on board.
August 13, 2012 - 4:30pm
In a July 19 address to the African Ministerial Conference on Aviation, ICAO Council president Roberto Kobeh Gonzalez attempted to calm some of the world’s concerns about aviation safety in the region.
August 13, 2012 - 4:25pm
NBAA’s Operations Service group published a document for members on July 24 designed to help flight crews and bizjet operators better understand the requirements to bring an EFB–such as the iPad–into the cockpit as a replacement for paper charts. iPads in the cockpit operate on apps such as Jeppesen’s Mobile FD.
