Vol. II, Issue 23.

The pilot's son says his dad and the co-pilot may not have realized the aircraft was not prepared to fly before an accident in February 2005 that killed both of them.

CLEARWATER - A careful pilot, Ralph Carl Herrlin typically made a point of checking his airplane's fuel and water before taking off in his Beech 35-C33.

Even if he had watched the plane get fueled, "he would check it himself," his son, Richard Herrlin, 54, said this week.

But Herrlin may not have made that check before taking off on Feb. 15, 2005, the day his plane crashed into a Clearwater neighborhood. The crash killed Ralph Herrlin, 78, of Clearwater and Jim Edward Smith, 63, of Palm Harbor.

Witnesses told investigators that they heard the engine "cutting in and out" before the crash, according to the NTSB, which recently released a report on the incident.

Smith, also a private pilot and a certified aircraft mechanic, was in the left front seat, which indicates he was acting as the pilot in command of the plane. The report did not specify who was controlling the plane when it crashed.

The fuel truck operator at the city-owned airport told investigators he hadn't fueled the airplane on the day of the accident.

The NTSB report said there were no fuel stains or fuel residue on the house at impact and only a slight smell of fuel. No fuel was found when the fuel injection manifold valve and associated fuel lines were disassembled.

MIAMI -- The families of the 20 people killed in the crash of Chalk's Ocean Airways flight 101 could split $51 million in a tentative settlement of a wrongful death lawsuit.

"We love this company and we are trying to avoid the inevitable disaster that will ensue if these issues are not addressed," Washatka wrote on Jan. 13, 2005 -- less than a year before the crash.

"Michele was becoming scared and talked about maintenance concerns all the time," the NTSB quoted Mark Marks as saying. "They were having close calls that were becoming more frequent."

Chalk's, which has flown between Florida and the Bahamas since 1919, has lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in recent years, according to figures from the federal Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Owner Jim Confalone bought the airline after it was forced into involuntary bankruptcy in 1999 under previous management when creditors sued the carrier.

The settlement still needs to be finalized for the families to receive the $51 million.

MK Airlines, a British-based company which flies aircraft registered in Ghana, has said it believes the crew received adequate rest and that it provided them with training.

Investigators had earlier concluded the heavily laden aircraft simply didn't have enough speed or power to make it off the runway.

The board's sole formal recommendation is that international aviation authorities require cargo aircraft to be equipped with a device that would sound an alert when there is not enough power to take off safely.

"This investigation has shown that the problem we are addressing today is a pervasive problem," said Tadros. "Our recommendation has the potential to make air travel safer, not only here in Canada, but around the world."

Tadros said the board found evidence of 12 similar accidents worldwide that cost 300 lives.

The MK Airlines plane, carrying lobsters and tractor parts, failed to lift off and dragged its tail along the runway before breaking up and erupting into flames in a wooded area near Halifax International Airport.

The board's analysis states that factors involved in the incorrect take-off data included, "flight crew fatigue, non-adherence to procedure, inadequate training on the Boeing laptop tool, and personal stresses."

A news release from MK Airlines says the report's findings cannot be regarded as conclusive because there was no cockpit voice recording of the pilots and first officers final words.

The report, "would always contain a significant element of conjecture," said the release from the firm.

Dave Wilson, a spokesman for the company, insisted the training on the takeoff software was sufficient.

"When we took the (software) we actually asked the manufacturer for guidance and we unilaterally developed a self-study training program, which included a 46-page guide for flight crews," he said.

As for the crew's fatigue, referred to repeatedly in the report, Wilson said the firm was "operating within legal (rest) time limits, using an approved flight scheme that is deemed acceptable by our industry."

The report noted that at the time of the accident, the crew had been on duty for 24 hours, the maximum allowed under MK's own operating manual.

This letter to the editor of the Toronto Star was published today.

Dear Editor:

RE: Economics trumps safety Jazz staff; Mechanics cite pressure to cut

corners 'I'm nervous flying on my own airline'

I feel compelled to respond to what is now a train of articles on aviation safety in Canada in order to bring some balance and objectivity to the reporting that has been offered to-date by the Toronto Star. I hope you have the courage to print this prominently and take accountability for the misleading pot-shots being taken at a innovative organization in a country that is a leader in civil aviation safety. Having worked for Air Canada Jazz in the past, partly during the period that was referred to by some of its current maintenance staff, I can speak with first-hand knowledge. Several of the examples being sited in the article are not only extremely dated (obviously had a difficult time finding anything truthful that was recent and relevant), they are not factual. Having been the director responsible for maintenance quality and engineering at the time, I was there and heavily involved in the follow-up to the leading edge incident. They also characterize the results of a Transport Canada audit completely erroneously.

The fact is that the audit results reflected only minor deficiencies that were mostly administrative in nature. I also find it telling that the maintenance staff quoted in the article actually admit that they knowingly released aircraft they considered to be unsafe or out-of-limits. Any true maintenance professional (all of the ones I had the privilege to work with) would never do such a thing, regardless of alleged pressure by supervisors!

The Atlantic Region Transport Canada staff I worked with are among the best in the country.

It is terribly ironic that obviously disgruntled employees would inaccurately and unfairly trash their own organization when most other air carriers stood by and waited while a company like Jazz played a leadership role in safety. Even other aviation jurisdictions across the world recognize that Canada's approach to aviation safety ranks among the best, along with countries like Australia and the UK.

David T. Deveau, P.Eng., MBA

Lucasville, Nova Scotia

Now pioneering training is being developed for surgeons in Scotland to improve their thinking and teamwork skills, based on accident prevention strategies which pilots have recognized for more than two decades.

Rhona Flin, professor of applied psychology at Aberdeen University, is heading the non-technical skills for surgeons project (Notss), which is being carried out in conjunction with the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) and NHS Education Scotland (NES).

The research also revealed that one-fifth of consultant surgeons did not think that they performed less effectively when they were stressed or tired, and only 40% said they would let other team members know when their workload was becoming too much.

A new handbook offering guidance on non-technical skills for surgeons is due to be published shortly. A similar booklet, developed by the same team for use by anesthetists, is now being used in other countries around the world, including Australia and Canada.

BOSTON, MA — Basal cell carcinoma is the most common skin cancer and the least dangerous—but it’s far from a trivial matter, reports the Harvard Women’s Health Watch. The good news is that basal cell carcinoma rarely spreads (metastasizes), and it can easily be treated and cured when discovered early.

Basal cell skin cancers almost always occur in areas exposed to the sun: 80% show up on the head and neck. The face is particularly vulnerable. The most common form—nodular—usually shows up as a shiny bump and may bleed easily. It often ulcerates and crusts over. Superficial basal cell carcinoma forms a red, scaly, sometimes itchy spot and may have flecks of dark pigment. It’s often mistaken for a patch of dermatitis. Morpheaform, a rarer and more aggressive type, has a waxy white or yellow scarlike appearance and poorly defined borders.

Basal cell carcinoma grows slowly and occurs mostly in people over age 55. Sun exposure is the biggest risk factor. Treatment options include freezing, surgical removal, radiation, and topical creams. Each has a cure rate of 90% or more for first-time cancers. 

The article also discusses the trends in tanning, which has not always been in fashion. Before the 20th century, for example, tan skin suggested outdoor labor and a lower social status, says Harvard Women’s Health Watch. The switch to tanning as socially desirable and fashionable came in the 1920s, after French designer Coco Chanel returned from a Riviera holiday sporting a bronzed look.