SNAPSHOTS

A FIREWORKS DISPLAY CAPTURED THIS WEEKEND OVER THE TAGUS RIVER IN LISBON, PORTUGAL.

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ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

FILM/HALLE BERRY EYES "SURROGATE": Halle Berry is in talks to star in thriller "The Surrogate" for 20th Century Fox. Director Paul Verhoeven is onboard to develop the project, which revolves around a couple who hire a surrogate to carry their child and find out mid-term that the surrogate is insane. The project would mark Berry's return to the bigscreen after having a baby last year. She hasn't starred in a film since 2007's "Perfect Stranger" opposite Bruce Willis. "The Surrogate" would also reteam Berry with producer Ralph Winter, who produced Fox's "X-Men" trilogy, in which the actress starred. Rod and Bruce Taylor ("The Brave One") penned the screenplay, which is based on a novel by Kathryn Mackel.

WORLD NEWS/ MILLVINA DEAN DIES AT 97

Millvina Dean, the last remaining survivor of the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, died in a care home in England this morning aged 97. According to media reports, Miss Dean died in her sleep in a private nursing home near Ashurst in the southern English county of Hampshire. Elizabeth Gladys Dean, known to friends as Millvina, was only 9 weeks old when the liner hit an iceberg in the Atlantic Ocean on the night of April 14, 1912 and sank, killing 1500 people. She survived after being bundled up in a sack and carried to safety. Her mother Georgette Eva and brother Bertram also made it, but her father, Bertram Frank, was among those who died. Dean's family had boarded the Titanic at Southampton, heading for a new life in Kansas where her father hoped to open a tobacconist shop. Born on February 12, 1912, Dean was the youngest passenger on board. At the time, RMS Titanic was the most luxurious, most technically advanced and largest passenger liner in the world. She was dubbed "unsinkable", but it took just 2 hours and 40 minutes for her to disappear into the icy waters of the Atlantic after striking an iceberg at 11:40pm on April 14. Dean was taken back to Southampton with her family after the disaster and did not find out that she had been on board until she was 8 years old and her mother was planning to remarry. According to enthusiasts' website Encyclopedia Titanica (ET), Dean worked for the government as a cartographer during World War II and then for an engineering company. International Titanic Society President Charles Haas, from Randolph, New Jersey, met Miss Dean on numerous occasions and described her as an "effervescent person with a wonderful sense of humour". "It is truly the end of an era," he said. "She was a truly remarkable woman. She had a marvellous approach to life. It is almost as if God gave her the gift and she really took advantage of it."

Miss Dean told reporters that it was not until the wreckage of the liner was found in 1985 that she suddenly became a celebrity, taking part in documentaries and giving media interviews. Dean was invited to complete her family's ill-fated journey to the United States in 1997 aboard the QE2, and accepted, although she turned down an offer to attend the premiere of the movie "Titanic" because it would be too upsetting. She moved into a private nursing home in Hampshire after breaking her hip 3 years ago, and after struggling to pay the bills was forced to sell off some of her memorabilia. At auction in October 2008 she raised £31,150 selling off rare prints of the liner signed by the artists as well as compensation letters sent to her mother by the Titanic Relief Fund. Dean was also forced to sell a 100-year-old suitcase filled with clothes donated to her family by the people of New York when they arrived after being rescued. In the wake of the auction, friends including members of the British Titanic Society and the Belfast Titanic Society, the liner was built in Belfast in Northern Ireland, set up a campaign to secure her future. Among the donors to the Millvina Fund were actors Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio, who starred in the 1997 "Titanic" film. The pair and the film's director, James Cameron, reportedly donated $30,000 in total.

AVIATION/ BOMB FOUND ON KISH AIR MD82

A homemade bomb was found on an Iranian airliner while it was inflight last evening. KISH AIR Flight 7030 was on Scheduled Domestic MD82 Service from Ahwaz to Tehran, Iran, with 131 passengers and crew onboard, when the incident took place. According to media reports, abou 15 minutes after departure from Ahwaz, plain-clothes security guards, who travel on every Iranian flight, found it in a restroom. The crew declared an emergency and returned to Ahwaz, where the MD82 landed without incident. Upon arrival back at Ahwaz, the passengers and crew were evacuated via the slides. The bomb was then defused at the Airport. After a security check of passengers and cargo, the aircraft was allowed to depart, and arrived in Tehran without incident. The incident comes at a time of rising tension in the run up to Iran's presidential elections on June 12. The MD82 was also flying from a border province, an area that borders Iraq, and has also had problems with restive minorities.

AVIATION NEWS BRIEFS

TAIC REPORTS ON EAGLE AIR FL2300: The New Zealand Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) has issued their final report into an incident involving an EAGLE AIR Beech 1900D at Blenheim, New Zealand, on June 18, 2007. On that date, Flight 2300 was on Scheduled Domestic Service from Timaru to Wellington, New Zealand, with 15 passengers and 2 crew members onboard. The Beech was on approach to Wellington, when the landing gear failed to lower. The crew aborted the approach and circled the Airport while attempting to lower the gear. Unable to lower the gear, the crew diverted to Blenheim's Woodbourne Aerodrome. The crew performed a belly landing at Blenheim, with no injury to those onboard. The Beech did suffer substantial damage. The TAIC final report concluded that a fatigue crack in the actuator developed over time, estimated to be about 11,900 cycles, and reached a critical size during the flight to Wellington. The crack allowed hydraulic fluid to vent overboard. Due to the landing gear system design, the crew were unable to lower the landing gear by any means. The actuator from the accident aircraft, and other actuators on some of Eagle Air's fleet of aircraft, failed well before their intended design life due to multiple possible factors. The full report, including a description of what went took place onboard Flight 2300, as well as why the actuators could have failed, can be found on the TAIC website.

FLAP PROBLEM FOR LUFTHANSA A340: LUFTHANSA Flight 459 was on Scheduled International A340 Service from San Francisco, California, to Munich, Germany, when it had problems landing at Munich, on Friday, May 29. Flight 459, with 277 passengers and crew onboard, declared an emergency while on approach to Munich, reporting that they could not fully extend the flaps. The crew aborted the approach, and requested Emergency Services be on standby for landing. The aircraft landed a higher speed than normal, but was able to stop on the runway without incident. The A340 has already been repaired and returned to service.

SNAPSHOTS

THE SUN SETTING AT MOUNT SUSITNA, NEAR ANCHORAGE, ALASKA, EARLIER THIS WEEK.

LUXE MEN/ CANDID SHOTS (#51)

5 SHOTS OF AMATEUR MEN FROM ALL OVER THE GLOBE.

MUSIC HISTORY/ 30 YEARS AGO

BILLBOARD TOP 10 SINGLES FOR WEEK ENDING MAY 30,1979:
1. REUNITED--PEACHES & HERB
2. HOT STUFF--DONNA SUMMER
3. IN THE NAVY--VILLAGE PEOPLE
4. LOVE YOU INSIDE OUT--BEE GEES
5. GOODNIGHT TONIGHT--WINGS
6. WE ARE FAMILY--SISTER SLEDGE
7. SHAKE YOUR BODY--JACKSONS
8. JUST WHEN I NEEDED YOU MOST--RANDY VANWARMER
9. STUMBLIN IN--SUZI QUATRO & CHRIS NORMAN
10. LOVE IS THE ANSWER--ENGLAND DAN & JOHN FORD COLEY

TOP DEBUT ON HOT 100: #55--BAD GIRLS--DONNA SUMMER

TV/ UPSET AT "BRITAIN'S GOT TALENT"

She Dreamed A Dream, and in the end that's all it remained. Dance troupe Diversity beat favorite Susan Boyle into 2nd place in a surprise victory in the "Britain's Got Talent" final tonight. The Essex street dancers appeared shocked at their success, and were speechless when questioned by hosts Ant and Dec. Diversity take home a £100,000 prize and will perform in front of the Queen at the Royal Variety Performance. Simon Cowell had earlier labelled them "sheer and utter perfection". Boyle, who was the odd's on favorite to win, clapped happily and told Ant and Dec "The best people won. They are very entertaining lads - lads, I wish you all the best". She went on to say, "I think the best people won, I really do." And asked about her own plans she said, "I hope to get an album out, I'll just play it by ear. What a journey, unbelievable, and very humbling. Thank you for everything". Cowell called Boyle "a wonderful lady". In 3rd place was saxophonist Julian Smith, who also seemed shocked at his high placing. Julian, who called himself a "nearly man", said, "At least I got to be chief bridesmaid this time". According to ITV, over 1 million votes were cast from the UK.

ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

TV/LENO ENDS "TONIGHT SHOW" REIGN: Jay Leno ended his 17-year reign as the host of "The Tonight Show" last night, with a monologue that left the audience laughing. Leno took time to thank those who made his show successful, Monica Lewinsky, Michael Jackson, and Bill Clinton, and to reflect on how much time has passed since he first took over the stage from his mentor Johnny Carson in 1992. "When we started this show," Leno told a cheering crowd in the standing-room-only studio in Burbank, "my hair was black and the president was white. When we started the show, Jon and Kate were both 8." Before his successor, the younger, taller and visibly more nervous Conan O'Brien, took a seat on the couch next to him, Leno noted that the same security guard who has checked him in for the last 17 years offered the same greeting as he drove a blue Corvette onto the studio lot yesterday: "And you are?" As for souvenirs, Leno said, "NBC has been nothing but great. President and CEO of NBC Universal Jeff Zucker said for $40, I can purchase the robe that's hanging in my dressing room." After the show, which marked the 3,775th "Tonight Show with Jay Leno," the host said, "I'm going to be going to a secluded spot where no one can find me, NBC prime time." Leno's new hour-long comedy show will premiere on NBC at the 10pm timeslot on a date to be announced in September.

THEATRE/4 LONDON SHOWS SHUTTER: The curtain comes down for the final time this weekend on 4 West End musicals. Those productions include the transfer of the Broadway musical "Spring Awakening," pictured at left, from the Lyric Hammersmith to the Novello; the revivals of 2 Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals, "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" at the Adelphi, and "Sunset Boulevard"at the Comedy; and the sixties compilation musical "Shout!" at the Arts. All are shuttering tonight, except for "Shout," which ends tomorrow. Each is closing significantly earlier than originally planned.

SPORTS/ NO BELMONT FOR RACHEL ALEXANDRA

Preakness winner Rachel Alexandra will not run in the Belmont Stakes, opening the way for jockey Calvin Borel to return to Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird in his quest for a personal Triple Crown. Jess Jackson, Rachel Alexandra's co-owner, said yesterday the spectacular filly "deserves a well-earned vacation." Rachel Alexandra, the 1st filly to win the Preakness in 85 years, had been set to work out Monday at Churchill Downs in Louisville, and no announcement was expected until after that. But Jackson explained she simply needed a rest after running, and winning, 4 graded stakes races since March 14, including a dominating victory in the Kentucky Oaks. Borel was the jockey aboard for both Mine That Bird in the Derby and Rachel Alexandra in the Preakness and Oaks. He was set to ride her again in the Belmont, but Mine That Bird's trainer Chip Woolley had said he was prepared to wait, even into next week, if there was a chance Borel could become available again. "We hate she's not going to be in there for horse racing, but at the same time it's maybe better for me," Woolley said. "It was a very strange year where you had 2 great horses and the same guy riding both of them." Borel was already planning to be aboard Mine That Bird on Monday at the Louisville track for the colt's final workout before shipping to New York for the Belmont. "We're gonna get the job done," Borel said during a news conference at Churchill Downs. He said Mine That Bird "worked really good the other morning. I was very happy with his work. I worked him real easy and he was bouncin'. He was a happy camper. That's all you want." There was no immediate indication from Jackson on when or where Rachel Alexandra might race next, but he has said he would consider running her in the Mother Goose Stakes for fillies on June 27 at Belmont Park. The filly had become a popular favorite since her stretch of big wins, even posing yesterday morning for an upcoming photo spread in Vogue magazine. Among the possible challengers to Mine That Bird in the 3rd leg of the Triple Crown is Summer Bird, who shares the same sire, Birdstone, who foiled Smarty Jones' Triple Crown attempt by winning the 2004 Belmont. Also expected to run are Chocolate Candy, Dunkirk, Flying Private, Brave Victory, Charitable Man, Luv Gov, Miner's Escape, Mr. Hot Stuff and Nowhere To Hide.

AVIATION/ NTSB UPDATES ON SWA FL519

The NTSB has released a brief preliminary report into an incident involving a SOUTHWEST AIRLINES Boeing 737 at Houston, Texas, on May 9, 2009. On that date, Flight 519 was on Scheduled Domestic Service from New Orleans, Louisiana, to Houston, with 48 passengers and 5 crew members onboard. The 737 landed on Houston Hobby Airport's runway 22. Upon touchdown, 1 of the aircrafts tires burst. As the aircraft slowed down, the tower reported seeing smoke from the right landing gear and a small fire. The 737 stopped on the runway just past the intersection with runway 12R/30L. Media reports from the scene show the outer right hand main gear tire ablaze. The aircraft was ordered evacuated via the slides, and Emergency Services responded to the scene. Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire. The damage to the 737 was limited to the tire, mechanics found no damage to the landing gear. The NTSB states that 3 of the 4 main landing gear tires blew out on landing causing a fire in the right main landing gear. Several items were inoperative in accordance with the minimum equipment list (MEL) including the anti skid system. The 48 passengers, including a lap child, and 5 crew members, evacuated via slides. 2 adults received minor injuries in the evacuation. The NTSB stated that the cockpit voice recorder and digital flight data recorder were secured for further investigation. The aircraft was released back to Southwest. The investigation continues.

AVIATION/ ANSV REPORTS ON RYANAIR FL9672

The Italian National Agency for Aviation Safety (ANSV), has issued its final report into a serious incident involving a RYANAIR Boeing 737 on September 7, 2005, at Rome, Italy. On that date, Flight 9672 was on Scheduled International Service from Dusseldorf, Germany, to Rome Ciampino, Italy, with 166 passengers and crew onboard. The crew completely lost situational awareness and abandoned their approach to Rome's Ciampino Airport. They then decided to divert to Rome's Fiumicino Airport due to adverse weather. The crew missed multiple ATC instructions and descended below assigned altitudes. This caused conflict with other traffic, which forced ATC to order Flight 9672 to descend a further 1000 feet. However, the 737 descended more than 1000 feet, and ended up about 455 feet above ground at a speed of 200KIAS. Once again, the crew had to abort the approach. The crew stated that they were unable to approach Fiumicino as well, and were diverted to Pescara, Italy, where the 737 landed without incident. At the time of landing, the 737 had just with just 3350lbs of fuel remaining. The ANSV concluded in their final report, that the cause of the serious incident was the incorrect operation and conduct of flight by the flight crew in adverse weather at the unplanned and unbriefed diversion to Rome's Fiumicino Airport. The lengthy report, along with a detailed timeframe of events, is available on the ANSV website. It should be noted that the ANSV was informed of the incident through the Irish AAIU (Aviation Accident Investigation Unit) on January 13, 2006, and rated the incident as serious. The investigation was mainly conducted using the radar recordings. Cockpit voice recorders and flight data recorders were not available anymore, several months after the incident. The information of interest had already been overwritten when the recorders were removed from the aircraft on September 9. The Captain of the flight had in fact not tripped the circuit breaker for the recorders as required by company rules. The Captain has also flown the 737 aircraft back to Rome Ciampino after the incident, without notifying anyone of what had happened on the previous flight.

AVIATION/ JTSB REPORTS ON JAL FL1002

The JTSB has released its final report on a serious incident involving a JAL Boeing 767 at Tokyo, Japan, on June 15, 2005. On that date, JAL Flight 1002 was on Scheduled Domestic Service from Sapporo to Tokyo, with 210 passengers and 12 crew members onboard. The 767 touched down normally with the main gear at Tokyo, however unrotated very fast causing both nose gear tires to burst. The crew managed to stop the 767 on the runway. Of those onboard, 17 passengers received minor injuries incident. The aircraft suffered minor damage and was repaired and returned to service. The Probable Cause of the incident is reported as Pilot Error, with several contributory factors. The JTSB report states that the 767 performed the ILS runway 34L approach in rainy weather with visibility of 7000 meters, winds from 030 degrees between 11 and 17 knots. ATC warned of a possible windshear. The aircraft touched down with the main gear at about 1.4G at a calibrated speed of 139 knots. The 767 lifted slightly without the main gear leaving the ground again reaching a vertical acceleration of 1.6G. While the ground spoilers deployed, a large forward control input was registered, the pitch angle however continued to increase to 5 degrees nose up, before the pitch angle began to decrease 2 seconds after the main gear had touched down. A large backward control pressure followed, however the pitch angle reduced to 0.7 degrees nose down within a second. Both nose wheel tires burst and separated from the wheels upon the initial recorded impact of the nose gear, that the JTSB estimated to have forced a weight of more than 50 tons onto each tire. The JTSB concluded, that the nose gear strut took a huge load causing the nose wheel tires to burst and separate before the full aircraft weight came back onto the main gear. It is assumed, that the nose gear impact was caused by the large control inputs.

AVIATION NEWS BRIEFS

SWA ANNOUNCES PET TICKETS & MORE: SOUTHWEST AIRLINES said yesterday it plans to start selling Airline tickets for family pets, one of several new initiatives that are designed to generate new revenues for the discount carrier. As of June 1, Southwest passengers will be able to purchase the right to bring small pets onboard flights for $75, each way, for travel that begins June 17. Southwest said it will allow a maximum of 5 pets on to any given flight. The cats and dogs must be small enough to travel comfortably in a leak-proof carry-on case that will fit under an Airline seat. Southwest also plans to outfit its airport terminals with areas where animals can relieve themselves. But it warned passengers on its Web site that these areas will likely be outside the security areas and that it won't hold flights for passengers who opt to take their pets on a bathrom break. Southwest is the only major carrier that doesn't charge passengers to check 2 pieces of luggage, a policy that has potentially cost it hundreds of millions of dollars in fee revenue. However, the low-cost carrier is raising fees for some other services. Southwest said it starts to charge a $25, each way, service charge for children aged 5 through 11 who aren't traveling with an adult. Southwest, the dominant carrier at Midway Airport, also plans to raise its fee for a 3rd piece of checked luggage or for bags weighing more than 50 pounds. Passengers will be charged $50, up from the current $25 fee. All of the new fees are effective as of June 1 for travel on or after June 17.

NIGERIA RESTRICTS KADUNA AIRPORT: The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has downgraded the Kaduna Airport and restricted aircraft movement to the Airport. The Director-General of the NCAA said that the action was taken due to inadequate fire cover at the Kaduna Airport, stressing that the Agency had no option than to downgrade the airport’s status of fire service from category 7 to category 3. Critical aircraft that are allowed to operate to the airport shall not exceed the size of HS-125-300 category aircraft. The Airport is currently served by 2 Airlines, ARIK AIR and CHANCHANGI AIRLINES.

CP 737 SUFFERS BIRD STRIKE: CONOCOPHILLIPS AVIATION ALASKA Flight 271 was on Non-Scheduled Domestic Boeing 737 Service from Fairbanks to Deadhorse, Alaska, when it suffered a bird strike shortly after takeoff, on Thursday, May 28. Flight 271, with 135 passengers and crew onboard, declared an emergency after hitting a flock of birds about 2 miles from the Fairbanks Airport. The 737 landed back at Fairbanks without incident. According to media reports, the 737 struck a flock of about 50 ducks, causing the outer pane of part of the cockpit windshield to crack, along with damage to an engine cowling. The aircraft has been removed from service for a further inspection, followed by repairs.

HYDRAULICS FAIL ON POLET SAAB: POLET Flight 741 was on Scheduled International Saab 2000 Service from Voronezh, Russia, to Yerevan, Armenia, when it suffered mechanical problems, on Thursday, May 28. Flight 741, with 24 passengers and 5 crew members onboard, declared an emergency shortly after departure from Voronezh, due to a hydraulics failure. The Saab landed back at Voronezh without incident, about 70 minutes after its initial departure. The aircraft is currently undergoing inspection and repair.

ENGINE FAILS ON SAUDI MD90: SAUDI ARABIAN AIRLINES Flight 660 was on Scheduled International MD90 Service from Damascus, Syria, to Madinah, Saudi Arabia, when it suffered engine failure, on Thursday, May 28. The crew declared an emergency when 1 of its engines failed while on approach to Madinah. The aircraft entered a holding pattern for 90 minutes to burn off fuel, before making a safe landing at Madinah. The aircraft was removed from service for inspection and repairs.

SNAPSHOTS

AN AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHER CAPTURED A LIGHTNING STORM OVER TERRA BELLA, CALIFORNIA, EARLY THIS MORNING.

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MEDIA/ METRO PROFILES JAKE NODAR

Jake Nodar, one of the stars of Discovery Channel's "Out of the Wild: The Alaska Experiment," takes the cover for this weeks issue of Metro Weekly. Nodar, 30, is the owner of High Performance Training for horses, a facility in Frederick, Maryland. Though he loves the horses, Nodar is also a photographer. While planning a trip to Mongolia to photograph horses, Nodar stumbled into something that would change his life in ways he could not have possibly predicted. While surfing the web for information on Mongolia, he came upon information on the upcoming TV show about an Alaska expedition. 3 weeks later, he was in Alaska, participating in the show. The premise is simple: A group of strangers are abandoned in the Alaskan interior with the clothes they're wearing and the packs on their backs. Now find civilization. The show wraps up on June 9. A full interview, along with pictures, can be found in this weeks issue. Metro Weekly is a Washington DC publication.

ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

TV/SUSAN BOYLE IN SAFE HOUSE: "Britain's Got Talent" star Susan Boyle has been moved to a "safe house" as she prepares for tomorrow nights final. Judge, Piers Morgan, confirmed that she had become so "distraught" at negative media headlines this week that she almost quit the ITV show. He said the singer from West Lothian was now relaxing with one of her closest friends from Scotland. The 48-year-old church volunteer from Blackburn became an international sensation after her performances attracted millions of hits on video sharing websites. But she is reported to be feeling the pressure, apparently losing her temper with tabloid reporters in the lobby of a hotel in North London. Morgan said he did not believe she would quit the show. "She had a rocky moment a couple of days ago when she woke up and saw some very negative headlines and suddenly felt the pressure of world attention," he said. "You have to remember this is someone who has gone from complete anonymity to global stardom in the space of 6 weeks. It's understandable. People should give her a bit of slack. She's 24 hours from the biggest day of her life and she's starting to feel the heat." Morgan said Ms Boyle had been reduced to tears several times during the week.

THEATRE/JUDE LAW BACK ON UK STAGE: Jude Law returns to the London stage tonight in the title role of "Hamlet," the final production in the Donmar Warehouse's year-long residency at Wyndham's Theatre. Directed by Michael Grandage, the sold-out production will officially open June 3 and play through Augist 22. The production was originally due to be directed by Kenneth Branagh, but Branagh had to step aside because of his commitments to the forthcoming feature film "Thor." Law last appeared on the London stage in the Young Vic's productions of "Dr. Faustus" and "Tis Pity She's a Whore." The entire run is sold out.

AVIATION/ TAM AIRLINERS FORCED TO DIVERT

TAM LINHAS AEREAS and Brazilian Government Officials are investigating a potentially serious incident involving 3 TAM aircraft this past Wednesday, May 27. On that date, TAM Flight 3135 was on Scheduled Domestic A320 Service from Vitoria to Sao Paulo, with 100 passengers and crew onboard. At 8:50pm, while on approach to Sao Paulo, when communication with ATC broke down due to an unauthorized transmitter, most likely a pirate radio, on the frequency. The crew decided to divert to Campinas, Brazil, 50 miles from Sao Paulo, where the A320 landed without incident. 2 additional TAM A320's, also on approach to Sao Paulo Congonhas Airport, diverted over the next 10 minutes due to the radio interference. TAM Flight 3764 from Londrina, Brazil, with 83 passengers and crew onboard, and TAM Flight 3955 from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with 92 passengers and crew onboard. Both of those aircraft also landed without incident. Infraero, the Brazil Airport Authority, confirmed, that there were communication problems caused by sources outside their control. The problems could only partially be controlled by changing the frequency for Congonhas control tower, thus the diversion of the aircraft.

AVIATION/ ATSB REPORTS ON QANTAS FL566

The Australian Transportation Safety Board (ATSB) has released its final report involving a QANTAS Boeing 747 on February 25, 2008. On that date, Qantas Flight 566 was on Scheduled Domestic Service from Perth to Sydney, Australia, with 374 passengers and crew onboard. The 747 was flying at 37000 feet, about 15o miles W/SW of Sydney, when the flight crew detected a smell that slowly increased in intensity. The crew could not determine the cause of the smell, so they placed their oxygen masks on their face. The crew then executed the flight deck smoke/fumes evacuation and landing preparation checklists and confirmed that all aircraft systems were working correctly. Cabin crew reported no smoke or smell in the cabin. The crew then declared PAN PAN PAN, but indicated to ATC that they expected a normal approach and landing. Sydney Airport deployed Emergency Services for the landing. 5 minutes later, the crew initiated the descent to Sydney, and the Captain announced the possibility of an emergency evacuation to the passengers. The aircraft touched down without incident, about 30 minutes after the onset of the smell An external inspection of the 747 by Emergency Services revealed nothing, thus the aircraft was allowed to go to the gate to deplane passengers. The ATSB final report states that maintenance did not find anything and could not reproduce the odor, thus Qantas decided to conduct an assessment flight. While the aircraft taxied out for that flight, a faint smell became noticeable on the flight deck. With the help of a particle counter it was established, that the fume came from the lower left corner of the captain's windshield. Subsequent examination revealed loose windshield heat element terminal connections causing electrical arcing resulting in fumes. The left windshield and the heat element were replaced and a 2nd assessment flight carried out without incident. The aircraft was then returned to service. Due to similiar incidents, Qantas as well as Boeing had developed engineering instructions in 2006 calling for recurring inspection of the connectors of the heat elements. The airframe had 751 hours to fly until the next recurring inspection was required by the Boeing engineering instruction. Boeing had also released a redesign of the windshield with a different electrical connection, that removed the requirement for the recurring inspection. About 17 flight hours prior to the incident, the 747 underwent maintenance during which the crash pad at the left hand windshield had been removed and refitted. The ATSB concluded, that the loose terminal connections to the left windshield heat element increased the electrical resistance and resulted in electrical arcing and fumes on the flight deck. The potential of the recent maintenance work in the vicinity of the left windshield/crash pad/to have contributed to the insecurity of the left windshield terminal connections could not be determined. The redesign of the windshield by the manufacturer to improve the security of the windshield heater wiring connection should address the risk of electrical arcing in that component.

AVIATION NEWS BRIEFS

NTSB UPDATING WEBSITE: The NTSB has announced that it will begin placing all investigation public dockets to the NTSB public website beginning June 1, 2009, in accordance with the NTSB Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Improvement Plan. The agency says his effort "serves to further bring the Safety Board into compliance with a number of legislative and executive mandates aimed at improving the U.S. government's use of electronic media to foster a more open and transparent government." This means that they'll be using the web to provide information quickly and comply with the law. In a statement, the agency said: "The Board's reputation for comprehensive and thorough investigations can only be further enhanced by providing such easy access access to the materials related to the accidents we investigate." To access the NTSB's public dockets, visit the FOIA Electronic Reading Room on the NTSB website and select the list of dockets that are organized by transportation mode.

DELTA REFINES LUGGAGE CHARGE: DELTA AIRLINES is refining its $50 international 2nd bag charge announced last month to only include flights between the United States and Europe. Delta said it plans to charge $50, or the local currency equivalent, for economy passengers checking a 2nd piece of luggage. The fee applies to travel booked from May 23 and commencing on or after July 1. When the carrier became the 1st domestic legacy carrier to announce the fee, it had applied to all international travel. It is not known what prompted the change, but analysts believe it was done to remain competitive.

PAX ILLNESS FORCES DELTA DIVERSION: DELTA AIRLINES Flight 680 was on Scheduled International Service from Quito, Ecuador, to Atlanta, Georgia, when it had to divert while enroute, early this morning. Flight 680 declared an emergency due to 3 passengers falling ill. The aircraft was diverted to Orlando, Florida, where it landed without incident. According to media reports, 3 passengers had falled ill with possible food poisoning, from food eaten prior to departure from Ecuador. 2 of the 3 passengers were taken to a local hospital for treatment, while the 3rd was treated on the scene. The aircraft will be allowed to depart for Atlanta later this morning, once all the passengers have been processed thru customs. It is expected that a full investigation will be launched into the incident.

NOSE GEAR TROUBLE FOR AIR INUIT DASH: AIR INUIT Flight 800 was on Scheduled Domestic Dash 8-100 Service from Montreal to La Grande, Canada, when it had problems with landing at La Grande, on Wednesday, May 27. Flight 800 had to abort its approach to La Grande after the crew reported problems with its nose gear. The aircraft entered a holding pattern while the crew began to troubleshoot the problem. Shortly thereafter the crew declared an emergency and performed a low fly over the Tower to confirm the landing gear was down. The Tower confirmed that the gear was down. Emergency Services were deployed and met the aircraft which landed without incident. The Dash was removed from service for a full inspection.

ENGINE FORCES GERMANIA 737 RETURN: GERMANIA Flight 2156 was on Scheduled International Boeing 737 Service from Stuttgart, Germany, to Trabzon, Turkey, when it suffered engine problems, on Wednesday, May 27. Flight 2156, with 137 passengers and crew onboard, declared an emergency shortly after departure from Stuttgart, due to unspecified problems with the fuel systems once it reached its cruise altitude. The 737 landed back at Stuttgart without incident. Germania said in a statement that the fuel system to the left hand engine had malfunctioned. The Airline also said that the engine will undergo inspection, testing, and possible repairs, in attempt to determine what caused the incident.

NOSE GEAR TROUBLE FOR DENIM DASH: DENIM AIR Flight 8411 was on Scheduled Domestic Dash 8-300 Service from Pamplona to Barcelona, Spain, on behalf of AIR NOSTRUM, and on behalf of IBERIA, when it had trouble with its nose gear, on Wednesday, May 27. Flight 8411 was on approach to Barcelona when the crew notified ATC of a unspecified problem with its nose gear. The aircraft circled Barcelona while the crew troubleshooted the problem. Emergency Services were deployed for the aircraft, which landed about 60 minutes later without incident. The Dash was removed from service for a full inspection and possible repairs.

SAA 737 SUFFERS DEPRESSURIZATION: SOUTH AFRICAN AIRWAYS Flight 575 was on Scheduled Domestic Boeing 737 Service from Johannesburg to Durban, South Africa, when it suffered depressurization, on Wednesday, May 27. Flight 575 was climbing thru 9000 feet after taking off from Johannesburg, when the crew reported hearing a loud bang, followed by an air rushing noise as the aircraft depressurized. The crew declared an emergency and landed back at Johannesburg without incident or injury. Post flight inspection revealed that 1 of the door seals had failed. The door has since been repaired, and that aircraft returned to service.

DELTA MD90 FOUND DAMAGED: DELTA AIRLINES Flight 2090 was on Scheduled Domestic MD90 Service from Atlanta, Georgia, to Chicago Midway, when it was damaged, on Tuesday, May 26. Flight 2090 had diverted to Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky Airport, for unknown reasons. The MD90 later departed Cincinnati and arrived at Midway about 4 hours late. According to media reports, the FAA reported that a post flight inspection revealed a piece of the MD90 had fallen on the runway upon landing at Midway. The FAA did not reveal what had fallen off the aircraft, or its current status.

ENGINE FAILS ON SINGAPORE A380: SINAGPORE AIRLINES Flight 318 was on Scheduled International A380 Service from Singapore to London Heathrow, when it suffered engine failure while enroute, on Monday, May 25. Flight 318 arrived at Heathrow with 3 of its 4 engines running. According to media reports, 1 engine failed as the aircraft neared the UK, but did not affect flight performance. No emergency was declared. The aircraft was removed from service for repairs, and returned to service within 24 hours.

SNAPSHOTS

A BAR-HEADED GOOSE IS CAPTURED WALKING WITH 1 OF HER DAY OLD CHICKS, YESTERDAY, AT THE ZOO OF SERVION NEAR LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND.