This week in airline safety and security - 5 February 2016

First fatal airliner event of 2016
The February 2nd in-flight explosion on a Daallo Airlines A321 over Somalia led to the death of one passenger and was the first fatal airliner event of 2016. At present, the investigation into the explosion is ongoing, and the authorities in Somalia have not ruled out the possibility that the explosion was caused by a bomb.

Because of the nature of the event, and the ongoing challengers faced by the government of Somalia, there may not be a full and open investigation of the event. For a fuller description of the problems that the Somali government may have with the investigation, please read this recent article from AirSafe.com's Todd Curtis

A recent crash with many similarities to the Daallo event involved a MetroJet A321 last October.

This week's A321 event was the 13th time at least one airline passenger was killed on an A320 series aircraft.

Accident report from fatal AirAsia crash from December 2014 now available
The Indonesian government recently release their final report into the 28 December 2014 crash of an AirAsia A320 that killed all 155 passengers and seven crew members. The authorities concluded that a combination of system malfunctions and crew actions led to the crash.
Crash description and a link to the accident report

Laser encounter near Heathrow leads to arrest
Earlier this week, police near London's Heathrow airport arrested a man who allegedly pointed a laser at an aircraft. Laser encounters are a serious threat not only in the United Kingdom, but also in the United States, with over 20,000 laser encounters reported in the US between 2004 and 2014.

For a detailed look at the patterns of laser encounters in the US, as well as two Todd Curtis interviews with the BBC on laser threats to aircraft, please visit lasers.airsafe.com

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FAA creates new and harsher rules concerning lasers

On 1 June 2011 the FAA announced that it will now use a rule originally used against someone on board the aircraft who interfered with a flight crew, and apply it to people on the ground who deliberately point lasers at aircraft. With this change, someone who points a laser at an aircraft can be fined up to $11,000.

While this threat to aircraft has not resulted in a major accident, flashing a laser at an aircraft could compromise aviation safety by distracting or incapacitating pilots during critical phases of flight. The FAA published a 2003 study that the effects of laser exposure may be serious for some pilots. Two years later, in 2005, the FAA published an Advisory Circular (AC-70-2) that provided guidance to air crews for reporting laser incidents.

Since 2005, the number of reported incidents has grown from 300 in 2005 to over 2,800 in 2010. Many of these events last year were reported near major airports, with almost 100 near Chicago's O'Hare airport, and nearly 200 around the four biggest airports in the Los Angeles area.

Even with this FAA change in interpreting regulations, pointing a laser at an aircraft will still be a civil rather than a criminal offense, and the FAA will still only have the power to impose fines and won't be able to put perpetrators in prison. It remains to be seen if this change will reduce the risks faced by flight crews and passengers.

BBC Interview with Dr. Todd Curtis of AirSafe.com
The program The World Today from the BBC interviewed Dr. Curtis about some the issues associated with pointing lasers at pilots (5:02).

Resources
Report laser incidents to the FAA