Case Report of the Alaska-Airline Disaster

This case report discusses about the Alaska-airline crash that has occurred on Jan, 31, 2000 at California. The causes, contributing factors, potential hazards and safe- guards that were ignored in accordance with air crash were discussed. This incident teaches a great lesson to the world to prevent future air- accidents and the inadequacies in policies to prevent loss of life and property.   Ã‚  Ã‚   The most miserable disaster of Alaska-Airline took place on 31 st January, 2000 at approximately 1621 Pacific- Standard time. The flight 261 that involves MD (McDonnell Douglas) - 83, N963AS was crashed at approximately 2.7 miles in the Pacific Ocean specifically at the north side of Anacapa- island of California. All the people in the flight that includes two pilots, three crew-members of cabin as well as 83 passengers were killed with destruction of the flight by impact forces (Carmody, 2002). There were dozen causes that have contributed to this disaster and have taught a great lesson about flight maintenance.    The main cause is that the in-flight failure of the acme- nut threads that is present on the jack-screw assembly (trim system) of the horizontal-stabilizer of flight has occurred. This has lead to the loss of pitch control of the flight. NTSB (2003) has stated that the jack-screw assembly is the most integral as well as crucial part of the trim- system of horizontal-stabilizer that acts as a critical airplane system and the destruction of this jack-screw assembly has caused the flight disaster. Moreover, the thread failure has occurred due to the insufficient lubrication that has lead to the excessive wear of the Alaska Airlines (Cockpit database, 2000). Basically, there was a fault in the fundamental MD- 83 flight design as it has no fail-safe design to counteract the thread loss of the total acme-nut that has lead to the catastrophic effects. In this disaster, improper adherence to the maintenance process as well as inspection of the jack-screw parts has exacerbated the design fault and has resulted in crash (Carmody, 2002). Another factor that has contributed was the extended interval for lubrication process. The Federal aviation-administration (FAA) has approved the extended lubrication interval that has contributed to the missing or improper lubrication. This has resulted in the complete wear of the threads of acme-nut. Further, increased interval for end- play check with approval from FAA for extension has allowed to the excessive wear that has progressed to failure without detecting the flaw. The horizontal-stabilizer has stopped working to the commands of the pilot and they were unable to rule out the cause. The acme- nut threads have worn inside the horizontal stabilizer and were sheared off completely. Then, the acme-screw and nut has jammed that has prevented the movement of horizontal-stabilizer. Later, the jam was overcome that has allowed the acme-screw to pull acme-nut causing the airplane to pitch downward (NTSB, 2003). It had lead to the (low- cycled fatigue) fracture of the torque tube again lowering the pitch from which regaining is impossible.   The use of auto-pilot at the time of horizontal stabilizer jam was inappropriate. Moreover, lack of checklist to land at these circumstances is an additional drawback. The pilots were not provided with clear guidelines to avoid experimenting with improper troubleshooting measures (Woltjer, 2007). The slats and flaps should have extended by the captain when the flight was controlled by the configuration after initial drive. The acme-nut threads were found to have worn extensively due to ineffective lubrication on the acme parts that have lead to the disaster. The recovered acme showed dried degraded grease that suggests that, it was not greased recently. The post-accident interviews of SPO-mechanic indicated that they had no knowledge to lubricate acme (NTSB, 2003). The safety board concluded that inadequate lubrication and lack of standard measures have lead to the accident. Fig: 1 shows acme-nut with plugged grease Increased pressure in the flight maintenance area in correcting, maintaining and delivering the flight in given time has contributed to this disaster. In this disaster, they have falsified the records that the flight has passed through the inspection process due to the increased pressure on them to make a scheduled return (Carmody, 2002). The measurements have showed that the jack-screw was in the brink to wear out and requires to be replaced by a newer jack-screw: but as it may delay the departure time, they have altered the record to be airworthy (ATEC, 2005).  The maintenance persons don’t have assertiveness to speak about the importance of lubrication and replacing the wear to the company.   The maintenance personnel have not helped the pilots when they were at horizontal-stabilizer problems. The safety issues in this accident include improper lubrication with inspection of the jack-screw, extended end-play check-intervals, over-haul procedures of jack-screw and design with certification of horizontal-stabilizer, maintenance program and FAA’s inadequacies has lead to disaster. Standards should be issued to pilots with the instructions to handle mal-functioning situations. NTSB (2002) ordered MD flights to replace dried greases with fresh grease. The size of the access-panel was increased to lubricate the jack-screw properly (FAA, 2002). The lubrication procedure for jack-screw was established as an inspection item to be signed by an inspector. The existing intervals were reviewed to identify the fault in the flight components. NTSB (2002) has conducted an evaluation and has issued a report with recommendations for maintenance. Improving fail- safe mechanism in MD design, promoting end-play check interval, issuing newer certification regulations and policies for horizontal stabilizers ensures safe air-travel. ATEC. (2005)  Incorporating Air Transport Association Codes into Maintenance Curriculum, ATEC Journal, 26 (2). Available from Aviation Technician Education Council [Accessed 28/02/17] Carmody, C.J. (2002)  Aircraft Accident Incident Report. Loss of Control and Impact with Pacific Ocean Alaska Airlines Flight 261 McDonnell Douglas MD-83, N963AS About 2.7 Miles North of Anacapa Island, California January 31, 2000, National Transportation Safety Board, Washington, DC:   National Transportation Safety Board. [Accessed 28/02/17] Cockpit database. (2000) Cockpit voice recorder database. Available from https://www.tailstrike.com/310100.htm [Accessed 28/02/17] FAA. (2002) Accident Board Recommendations, U.S.  Department  of  Transportation. Available from https://lessonslearned.faa.gov/ll_main.cfm?TabID=1&LLID=23&LLTypeID=4 [Accessed 28/02/17] NTSB. (2003) Loss of control and impact with Pacific Ocean, Alaska Airlines Flight 261, McDonnell Douglas MD-83, N963AS, about 2.7 miles north of Anacapa Island, California, January 31, 2000 (Aircraft Accident Report No. NTSB/AAR-02/01), National Transportation Safety Board. Washington, DC: National Transportation Safety Board [Accessed 28/02/17] Woltjer, R., & Hollnagel, E. (2007) The Alaska Airlines Flight 261 accident, A systemic analysis of functional resonance. Proceedings of the 2007 (14th) International Symposium on Aviation Psychology (ISAP), pp. 763-768. Available from https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:210824/fulltext01.pdf [Accessed 28/02/17]

Duration estimation a new approach in Critical chain scheduling Essay

Duration estimation a new approach in Critical chain scheduling - Essay Example estimation of activities through estimating the level of uncertainty buried in each activity duration and after that taking out of safety periods related to this uncertainty. The validity or soundness of this proposed method, according to the authors, is measured by carrying out a computer simulation on a number of the test problems. Simulation analysis proves that the suggested technique yields schedules that are more dependable than the schedules established by first CCPM technique of duration estimation. Some of the crucial key terms discussed in this article include critical chain, theory of constraint, duration estimation and project scheduling. Critical chain, according to Rezaie, Manouchehrabadi & Shirkouhi (481) is the longest series of events through the project network following the resource contentions. Critical chain, in other words, is a group of tasks through which the project general duration is decided. The authors also discuss how time/duration estimation is a crucia l matter of the critical chain. The authors discuss how Goldratt dedicated a substantial part of this research trying to explain the cause why safety periods cannot safeguard the projects intended dates against the doubt embedded in projects. Rezaie, Manouchehrabadi & Shirkouhi (482) give numerical facts, which were not broadly discussed in Goldratt’s original work. They argue that Goldratt did not exactly specify any numerical distribution function, but assumed a right distorted distribution for every activity duration whereby there was a significant distance between 50% quantile and 90% quantile. They further talked about the propensity among individuals involved in time estimation to overrate the required time so that adequate safety period is put into the measures. The third section of the article, Investigating of Time Estimation Methods, analyzes the method proposed by the authors. The authors go deep into the explanation giving both quantitative and qualitative facts.

Thin Layer Chromatography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Thin Layer Chromatography - Essay Example But butan-1-ol isn’t a suitable dissolvent for amino acids except it is hydrous. Based on the structure of the amino acids in this practical, group B have greater side sequence compared to group A. Furthermore, the movement level of amino acids remainder on the dissoluble on the side sequence in the solvent. The segregation of amino acids rely on the way they are used and the section properties like the impact to aid with one dissolvent or another or variable the pH of the dissolvent. The division by electrical charges would progress to preferable outcome. The basics of paper chromatography are comparable to thin layer chromatography, however, the support substance are not the same. Furthermore, the advantages of the thin layer chromatography over paper chromatography are; Alpha-mannosidosis is an autosomal recessive lysosomal store disease caused by erroneous of lysosomal ÃŽ ±-mannosidase enzyme which is analysed by urine oligosaccharide diagnosis and blood ÃŽ ±-mannosidse test. Maple syrup urine disease is an autosomal recessive aminoacidopathy, it is an outcome of the default of branched-sequence amino acids. This disease is known by a Medical examination via urinary amino acid amount. g) A student spots an unknown sample on a TLC plate. After developing in hexane/ethyl acetate 50:50, he/she saw a single spot with an R f of 0.55. Does this indicate that the unknown material is a pure compound? What can be done to verify the purity of the sample? The way that you see one spot on a TLC plate does not so much imply that the result spotted holds one and only part. This is on the grounds that two mixes can have the same worth of Rf in a specific eluting framework. You must run the specimen in an alternate eluting dissolvable and check whether it again gives stand out spot. This is a great sign that the specimen is immaculate. Be that as it may, you

The Impact of Location on the History of the Middle East Region Essay

The Impact of Location on the History of the Middle East Region - Essay Example How the middle Eat contributed into the development of civilization is not questionable. According to Goldschmidt Jr., â€Å"many Westerners do not know what they have learned from Islamic culture† (Goldschmidt, 2009). From the clothes that people wear, to the games that people play, to the food that people eat and substances that people drink, the Middle East had given her own share in developing the world’s lifestyle and culture. Take into consideration the root words of cotton, chess, coffee, kebab and pita. (Goldschmidt, 2009). Looking into the Middle East’s physical setting plays a very big impact on this region’s cultural and historical nature. By definition, Middle East as running from the Nile Valley to the Muslim lands of Central Asia (roughly, the valley of the Amu Darya, or Oxus, River), from southeast Europe to the Arabian Sea (Goldschmidt, 2009). Yet, this region had stretched and shrunk complexly throughout the history over dynasty affairs and world wars. This location makes it more natural for the region to be hot and dry which led into a distinction between nomads, who were not able to live up through the challenge of the climate and farmers who were able to turn the climate challenge into productive agriculture. The Middle East is the natural crossroads of the Afro-Eurasian landmass and it is also the "land of the seven seas" (Goldschmidt, 2009). This makes the region readily accessible for all traders making the growth of their civilization even more rapid than the others. But the relative growth of civilization in the Middle East different from those that has become a world power in history like China, United States and Britain, who saw themselves as primarily isolated but were able to develop and grow as a civilized nation as well. But as regards to its natural resources, Middle East’s location, unlike the European Countries and the United States, is not gifted of grassy plains and yet, this location magnified the region’s importance because of the huge petroleum deposits present here. Most importantly, the location of Middle East, as it is, â€Å"has contributed to the diversity of its inhabitants†

International Arbitration in Arab States Dissertation

International Arbitration in Arab States - Dissertation Example The primary data consist of statutes and cases providing direct evidence of the arbitration law and practices. Secondary data consist of textbooks, journal articles, and other publications relevant to international commercial arbitration, and arbitration in the Arab Middle East. Research results indicate that Islamic law has significant influence on attitudes, laws and practices relative to arbitration and international arbitration in the Arab Middle East. However, while Egypt and Jordan have made significant progress in modernizing their arbitration laws to accommodate increased international trade, Saudi Arabia, the most conservative Islamic state in the region is struggling to make these accommodations. Although a new law is currently underway in Saudi Arabia, its future is uncertain given the long history of ambivalence toward international commercial arbitration informed by unsatisfactory experiences highlighted by the ARAMCO decision in 1958. Despite Egypt’s progress it has also recently taken a step backward with the Ministry of Justices Decree of 2008. This Decree mandates that all arbitral awards are reviewed in secrecy by the Ministry of Justice.... 90; Elsaman, 2011, p. 8). Globalization has also increased the extent to which all states interact with one another in international commerce and international trade. As a result, states recognizing the inadequacy of domestic courts to deal with international commercial disputes have increasingly turned to international commercial arbitration as a more feasible method of resolving domestic disputes. However, according to Gemmell (2006), due to Islamic traditions and influences, the Islamic Middle East which is largely the Arab Middle East has not fully embraced a modern system of international commercial arbitration (p. 169). Of particular concern is the fact that although arbitration is consistent with Islamic tradition, enforcing international commercial arbitral awards in the Arab Middle East can be problematic. A number of national courts in the Arab Middle East, particularly Islamic courts have been averse to enforcing international commercial arbitral awards on the grounds that the award is inconsistent with public policies or more particularly, Islamic law and traditions (Elsaman, 2011, p. 8). This is arguably a loophole facilitated by international commercial arbitration itself. The New York Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards, 1958 (hereinafter the New York Convention) permits member states to refuse enforcement of an award if it is found to be contrary to public policy (New York Convention, Article V(2)(b)). Complicating matters, the New York Convention does not define the phrase public policy. International commercial arbitration in the Arab Middle East is largely influenced by Islamic law and traditions more broadly known as Sharia compliant laws and traditions (Kutty, 2006, p. 566). Sharia in this regard

Human Resource Management Individual assignment Essay

Human Resource Management Individual assignment - Essay Example Organizations refer to entities that comprises of several people, has collective goals and has both internal and external environments. The principle of separation in business management explains that organizations are legal entities capable of representing themselves in courts and make systematic decisions that strive to safeguard the accomplishment of the specific goals. The internal environment in organizations entails the relationships among the various people and the existence of support resources that ensure the accomplishment of the goals. The external environments constitute a fundamental relationship with organizations since they join the organizations to the society. The external environment may often constitute competition and markets. The relationships that an organization develops with the external environment, therefore, influence the success or failures of the organization (Cropper & Merkowitz, 1998). Organizations require effective management to accomplish their respective goals. Various theorists have fronted ideas and theories of management to help managers provide effective management for their organizations key among such theories are the contingency theory and the systems theory. The contingency theory explains that every organization and situation in the organizations require tailored management techniques owing to their uniqueness. The management technique should address the issues in the organizations and situations thereby enhancing the efficiency of operations.

Market Risks Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Market Risks - Essay Example For example, investors lose billions of dollars of their money when Pakistan stock market crashed in 2005. (KSE.com.pk/2005) This list of risk in not exhaustive, but there are also thousands of other risks when investing in an emerging market. Another major risk is differences in culture and religion of the host country and the company. In 2006/7, there was an issue of blasphemous cartoons being published in Norwegian newspapers. This angered the Muslims all over the world. Telenor, one company which is from Norway and operating in Muslim countries like Bangladesh and Pakistan suffered as a result. Many people stopped using their service and many governments threatened or fined the company. To make the matters worse people also protested and damaged their branches. As a result, the company suffered huge losses and at one time it looked like that whole of their investment is going to go wasted. (Grameen Phone, 2005) Similarly, disparity of income in many countries has made matter worse for these businesses. For example, Subway initially entered as luxury brand in Pakistan. But because people in Pakistan are generally poor, they were not able to afford this expensive food and hence the business suffered huge losses until they bring their prices down which implied reduction in profits for SubWay.