AVIATION NEWS BRIEFS

*UNITED AIRLINES said this morning that a computer glitch that grounded flights nationwide last evening and left some passengers stranded overnight had been fixed. The carrier blamed the problem on "a network connectivity issue" and said it was in the process of resuming normal operations. But United also indicated passengers may experience some delays for the rest of the weekend. The outage started around 7:15pm lst evening and lasted for about 5 hours. As a result, long lines of passengers formed at Airports thru-out the country, including at San Francisco, Los Angeles, Honolulu, Denver and Chicago. Some passengers ended up spending the night at Airports or found hotel rooms in the cities where they were stranded. United said its flight departures, airport processing and reservation system, including its website, were affected by the outage.

*The US FAA has levied a $584,375 fine against UNITED AIRLINES after determining the carrier failed to perform required pre-employment drug tests and receive verified negative test results before transferring 13 individuals to safety-sensitive positions. The FAA also cited United for allegedly failing to use a scientifically valid method to ensure flight crews have an equal chance of being selected for random drug and alcohol testing. "The FAA warned United at least twice before that the company's random test selection methods did not give each eligible flight crew member an equal chance of being selected," the FAA said in a statement. United  has 30 days to respond to FAA's enforcement letter.

*AEROLINEAS ARGENTINAS has scheduled special Airbus A340 flights this weekend between Ushuaia and Buenos Aires in a move to assist delayed passengers Both cities had been hit hard by flight cancelations the past 2 weeks due to the ash from the Chilean Volcano.

*KLMhas rolled out a Boeing 777-200 (PH-BQP) featuring 4000 tiles in Dutch Delft Blue style, each created by individuals online through a global social media initiative. The carrier received 77,000 candidate tiles competing for a place on the twinjet.

*The British government says it has barred UPS from screening air cargo at some facilities in the UK because of security problems. The Department for Transport (DfT) has not revealed what the security issues are and did not identify any locations. A spokesman said the ban would remain until the carrier "has satisfied current security requirements". UPS said it was "working to address the problems" identified by the DfT and that some deliveries would be delayed. Last October a bomb was discovered on a US-bound UPS cargo plane at East Midlands Airport and a similar bomb on a FedEx plane in Dubai.

*An AIR FRANCE Captain is reportedly under investigation over an incident in March. Reports say the Captain was observed allowing a child to "load" date into the onboard computer of an Airbus A330 prior to departure for a flight to the US. The Captain has reportedly denied the incident and a minority Pilot's Union for Air France denounced the whistleblower who reported the incident. No other details were released.

*A passenger onboard a RYANAIR Boeing 737, opened an emergency door, which deployed the emergency chute, in Seville, Spain, this week, after being sranded inside the aircraft for more than 5 hours. According to media reports, had been delayed in departing Seville for Pisa, Italy, due to a technical fault. However, for reasons unknown, the passengers and crew were kept onboard, without air conditioning. After 5 hours, and with temperatures approaching 120F, a man opened the door. The Captain then ordered a mandatory evacuation of the aircraft. Reports say that one infant was treated by Emergency Services for symtoms related to the heat and dehydration. Passengers reported that they were without water for at least 2 hours, after all onboard water had been used. For its part, Ryanair apologized, but offered no reason why the passengers were onboard. Spanish officials reported that they will investigate the incident.

*The Dassault Falcon 7X fleet, grounded since May26 awaiting rectification of a technical fault, has been cleared to resume passenger operations by the European Aviation Safety Agency. The manufacturer said it expects the entire 112 strong fleet to be modified and airborne again by "early July". Dassault Aviation said that the first 7X with an EASA-approved modification to its pitch trim system has "returned to operational status". The manufacturer added: "This follows an intensive effort by Dassault to create a solution that addresses a pitch trim incident experienced by a Falcon 7X on May 25". During the May 25 incident, a Falcon 7X experienced a pitch trim malfunction during descent in Malaysia. The crew successfully recovered the aircraft to a stable flight profile and landed safely.

*The 1st picture of a CHINA EASTERN aircraft in the SKYTEAM Alliance livery has been released. The A340, pictured above, will be joined by an A330 that will soon be painted.

*The Russian Transport Prosecutor of the Volga-Don Region has released a Final Report into an incident involving a DONAVIA Boeing 737 at Rostov, Russia, on April 12, 2011. On that date, Flight 410, which was inbound from Dubai, UAE, landed on the runway 22 at Rostov at 1:30pm. The crew was unable to slow the aircraft on the runway and it overan the runway end, coming to a stop with all gear off paved surface and stuck in mud. No one onboard was injured. According to the Prosecutor Report, the flight crew engaged in talks not related to flying the aircraft while on approach to Rostov. The Report said the crew was not focused on the landing and made a number of other violations resulting in an increase of landing distance required. The 737 rolled beyond the end of the runway and damaged 5 runway lights. The aircraft received damage to both main gear struts and a scratch on the belly of the left hand engine's cowling. There was no comment from Donavia and the status of the flight crew was not reported. The Final Report is not available online.

*South Korea's Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board (ARAIB) has released its Final Report on an incident involving a KOREAN AIR LINES A330 near Seoul, South Korea, on November 30, 2009. On that date, Flight 955 was on service from Seoul to Istanbul, Turkey, and was climbing through 25000 feet, about 170 miles SW of Seoul, when the inner pane of the Captain's windshield began to crack and fine pieces of glass dropped down. The crew returned to Seoul for a safe landing. In their Final Report, the ARAIB concluded: "As the windshield has been used for a long period, the silicone pressure seal was torn due to wear, and as the result, an arcing occurred on the braid wire of the windshield heating system due to a double insulation failure, and eventually two structural plies have cracked due to a high overheating in the vicinity of the lower braid wire of the heating system". The full Report, including details of events as they unfolded and the investigation, can be found on the ARAIB website.

*Finland's Onnettomuustutkintakeskus (Accident Investigation Board of Finland AIBF) has released is Final Report into an incident involving a FINNAIR A330 near New York City, on May 8. 2009. On that date, Flight 6 was enroute from New York JFK to Helsinki, Finland, and was at 37000 feet, near Manchester, New Hampshire, when the aircraft encountered turbulence. The turbulene caused trolleys, which had just been unlocked for refreshment service, to lift off and fall back onto the aircraft floor and tip over. One of the service carts hit a Flight Attendant's hand, who was holding on a seat's armrest, and caused a hairline fracture. The F/A received first aid by other cabin crew members. Medlink was contacted and recommended continuation of flight. The aircraft continued to Helsinki and the F/A was transported to hospital for treatment. The Final Report by the AIBF details events as they unfolded and the response of the cabin crew to in the incident. No safety recommendations were made. The full Report, in Finnish, can be found on the AIBF website.

*LUFTHANSA Flight 420, an A340, had to make an emergency diversion to Goose Bay, NL, Canada, last evening, June 17. According to media reports, while enroute from Boston, Massachusetts, to Frankfurt, Germany, the crew declared an emergency, reporting a fire indication from an undisclosed location in the aircraft. The flight crew reported that they had activated an onboard fire extinguisher system. The Airbus landed safely in Goose Bay and at last report was undergoing inspection. (SK COMMENT: Use of the onboard fire extinguisher system would suggest a cargo bay fire indication).

*A TAROM ATR42 had to make an emergency return to Budapest, Hungary, yesterday, June 17. According to media reports, the crew reported a bird strike on their initial climb. The crew reported that the strike had caused one of the engines to catch fire. They declared an emergency, shut the engine down and made a safe landing back in Budapest. Emergency Services met the aircraft and reported only lingering smoke from the engine. Passengers were offloaded and the ATR was removed from service for a full damage assessment. A replacement aircraft was dispatched to continue the flight to Otopeni, Romania.

*KHORS AIR Flight 208, a MD83 on service for UM AIR, had to make an emergency diversion to Simferopol, Ukraine, yesterday, June 17, after the crew had to shut down an engine for unspecified reasons. The aircraft, which had been enroute from Tehran, Iran, to Kiev, Ukraine, landed safely. No further information was released.

*GAZPROMAVIA Flight 913, a Boeing 737, had to make an emergency landing in Nadym, Russia, on Thursday, June 16, due to an unruly passenger. While enroute from Moscow to Nadym, a male passenger began to display "erratic behaviour". He began to use foul language and then attacked the cabin crew, yelling "Allah Akbar" and claimed his mobile phone was a bomb. The man was subdued and the flight crew radioed ahead, requesting Emergency Services and police meet the flight. The 737 landed safely and the man was arrested and transported to hospital for evaluation. According to media reports, the passenger was diagnosed with post alcoholic hallucinosis and remains hospitalized. The police did search the aircraft, luggage and cargo, and found no trace of explosives.

*AIRTRAN Flight 358, a Boeing 717, encountered turbulence while on approach to Atlanta, Georgia, on Tuesday, June 14. The 717, inbound from Fort Meyers, Florida, landed safely. In a brief statement, the FAA said 1 person onboard was injured in the incident. The extent of the injuries and the type of turbulence was not disclosed.