21.9.2009 von Thilo Nordmeyer.

Die Sitcom «30 Rock» und die Dramaserie «Mad Men» haben bei der Verleihung der Fernsehauszeichnungen Emmys erneut die Top-Preise gewonnen.

Der Blick hinter die Kulissen einer chaotischen Fernsehshow aus der Feder von Tina Fey wurde in der Nacht zum Montag in Los Angeles bereits zum dritten Mal in Folge als beste TV-Komödie geehrt.

Die «Mad Men» der Werbeagentur im New York der frühen 60er Jahre nahmen wie auch im vergangenen Jahr den US-Fernsehpreis für das beste Drama mit nach Hause. Das deutsche Supermodel Heidi Klum ging dagegen leer aus: Sie musste in der Kategorie bester Moderator einer Reality- Show («Project Runway») den Gewinn an Jeff Probst von «Survivor» abtreten.

«Danke, dass ihr uns immer noch Sendezeit gebt, auch wenn wir so viel teurer sind als eine Talkshow», scherzte Fey in ihrer Dankesrede. Sie selbst verlor ihre Chance auf einen Emmy als beste Comedy-Schauspielerin überraschenderweise an Toni Collette, die für ihre Rolle als Hausfrau mit multipler Persönlichkeit in «United States of Tara» geehrt wurde.

Stattdessen konnte sich Fey über eine Statue für ihre beißende Parodie der früheren republikanischen Vize-Präsidentschaftskandidatin Sarah Palin in «Saturday Night Live» freuen. Ihr Kollege Alec Baldwin nahm für seine Hauptrolle als Vizepräsident Jack Donaghy («30 Rock») einen Preis als bester Comedy-Schauspieler entgegen.

Glenn Close gewann ihren zweiten Emmy für die Verkörperung der unberechenbaren Staranwältin Patricia Hewes in der Krimiserie «Damages - Im Netz der Macht». Hollywood-Star Jessica Lange bekam eine Trophäe für ihre Rolle als «Big Edie», die exzentrische Verwandte der früheren First Lady Jackie Kennedy, in dem von Kritikern hochgelobten Fernsehfilm «Grey Gardens» überreicht.

Die Emmys wurden zum 61. Mal von der Amerikanischen Fernsehakademie verliehen.

Geschrieben in Internet, Medien-News Deutschland | Drucken | Keine Kommentare »

9.9.2009 von Thilo Nordmeyer.

Geschrieben in Medien-News Deutschland | Drucken | Keine Kommentare »

14.8.2009 von Thilo Nordmeyer.

The BEA have released their preliminary reports in both English (3MB - without attachments) and French (13MB) reporting, that the airplane had taken off from Rio de Janeiro at 232.8 tons near its maximum takeoff weight (233 tons) at 22:29Z. The airplane was subsequently cleared to FL350. At 01:35Z the crew contacted Brazil’s Atlantic air traffic control control on the HF frequency reporting, they had just overflown waypoint INTOL, giving estimates for waypoints SALPU at 01:48Z and ORARO at 02:00Z. The crew also transmitted their SELCAL code and a test was performed.

The controller subsequently asked them to maintain FL350 and provide an estimate for TASIL, repeating the request for three times without reply.

The airplane’s ACARS was programmed to transmit its own position about every 10 minutes. The last position transmitted at 02:10Z was 02 degrees 58.8 minutes North and 30 degrees 35.4 minutes West (N02.98 W30.59).

Analysis of the weather infrared images produced by the Meteosat 9 satellite every 15 minutes, with an image taken about 7 minutes before and another 7 minutes taken after the last position report at 02:10Z, does not allow conclusions, that the weather was exceptional, but shows the existance of a cluster of powerful cumulonimbi along the planned flight path starting at 00:30Z. The cluster is the result of 4 smaller clusters combining, its east-west extension was some 400km (216nm). By around 02:00Z those cumulonimbi had reached their maturity, it is therefore highly probable that some produced notable turbulence at FL350. It is also possible, that there was significant electrical activity at that flight level. The existance of supercooled water however is not very probable.

Dakar Air Traffic Control requested information about flight AF-447 from Brazil’s Atlantic Control by phone on 01:48Z as he had no flight plan, and later coordinated the airplane with Cape Verde Control. He told Cape Verde at 02:48Z, that he had not made contact with AF-447. At 04:21Z Dakar asked Brazil’s Atlantic control by phone to confirm, that the airplane had passed TASIL. Brazil confirmed that the airplane was estimated TASIL at 02:20Z at FL350, but no contact was made. Dakar computed an estimate of 03:45Z for entering the airspace of Cape Verde, but Cape Verde reported at 04:39, that no contact had been made. At 05:09Z Brazil’s Atlantic Control had rechecked the estimates and called Dakar about news from flight AF-447 asking, whether the airplane was already under Cape Verde Control, to which Dakar replied “Yes, no worry.”

At 04:11Z Dakar Control had asked flight AF-459 to contact AF-447. By 04:18Z AF-459 asked Air France Dispatch to contact AF-447. At 4:24Z Air France sent an ACARS message to AF-447.

At 05:50Z after several unsuccessful attempts to establish contact with AF-447 Air France contacted the Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking center, but no emergency beacon had been registered.

At 06:13Z Brest Center contacted by Air France and coordinating first attempts to locate the airplane said, that according to an indirect source that had not been validated flight AF-447 had been in contact with Moroccan ATC.

At 06:35Z Madrid Center told Brest, that flight AF-447 was in touch with Casablanca and would enter Lisbon control zone within 15 minutes.

At 06:44Z Air France Dispatch established, that Casablanca was not in touch with AF-447, but AF-459.

After verifying with a number of control centers Brest raised alert at 08:15Z.

Following 25 ACARS Messages were received from the airplane:

2:10:10 -    .1/WRN/WN0906010210 221002006    AUTO FLT AP OFF
2:10:16 -    .1/WRN/WN0906010210 226201006    AUTO FLT REAC W/S DET FAULT
2:10:23 -    .1/WRN/WN0906010210 279100506    F/CTL ALTN LAW
2:10:29 -    .1/WRN/WN0906010210 228300206    FLAG ON CAPT PFD SPD LIMIT
2:10:34    #0210/+2.98-30.59
2:10:41 -    .1/WRN/WN0906010210 228301206    FLAG ON F/O PFD SPD LIMIT
2:10:47 -    .1/WRN/WN0906010210 223002506    AUTO FLT A/THR OFF
2:10:54 -    .1/WRN/WN0906010210 344300506    NAV TCAS FAULT
2:11:00 -    .1/WRN/WN0906010210 228300106    FLAG ON CAPT PFD FD
2:11:15 -    .1/WRN/WN0906010210 228301106    FLAG ON F/O PFD FD
2:11:21 -    .1/WRN/WN0906010210 272302006    F/CTL RUD TRV LIM FAULT
2:11:27 -    .1/WRN/WN0906010210 279045506    MAINTENANCE STATUS EFCS 2
2:11:42 -    .1/WRN/WN0906010210 279045006    MAINTENANCE STATUS EFCS 1
2:11:49 -    .1/FLR/FR0906010210 34111506    EFCS2 1,EFCS1,AFS,,,,,PROBE-PITOT 1X2 / 2X3 / 1X3 (9DA),HARD
2:11:55 -    .1/FLR/FR0906010210 27933406    EFCS1 X2,EFCS2X,,,,,,FCPC2 (2CE2) /WRG:ADIRU1 BUS ADR1-2 TO FCPC2,HARD
2:12:10 -    .1/WRN/WN0906010211 341200106    FLAG ON CAPT PFD FPV
2:12:16 -    .1/WRN/WN0906010211 341201106    FLAG ON F/O PFD FPV
2:12:51 -    .1/WRN/WN0906010212 341040006    NAV ADR DISAGREE
2:13:8 -    .1/FLR/FR0906010211 34220006    ISIS 1,,,,,,,ISIS(22FN-10FC) SPEED OR MACH FUNCTION,HARD
2:13:14 -    .1/FLR/FR0906010211 34123406    IR2 1,EFCS1X,IR1,IR3,,,,ADIRU2 (1FP2),HARD
2:13:45 -    .1/WRN/WN0906010213 279002506    F/CTL PRIM 1 FAULT
2:13:51 -    .1/WRN/WN0906010213 279004006    F/CTL SEC 1 FAULT
2:14:14 -    .1/WRN/WN0906010214 341036006    MAINTENANCE STATUS ADR 2
2:14:20 -    .1/FLR/FR0906010213 22833406    AFS 1,,,,,,,FMGEC1(1CA1),INTERMITTENT
2:14:26 -    .1/WRN/WN0906010214 213100206    ADVISORY CABIN VERTICAL SPEED

The position report was timestamped at 02:10:34Z between two maintenance messages.

The message protocol required, that the airplane’s ACARS system requested communication, got assigned a channel, transmitted the data, awaited acknowledgement (after the data were transmitted from the satellite to the ground station) and closed down the communication for each message. The messages therefore arrived with a spacing of at least 5-6 seconds.

No satellite phone communications were registered from the aircraft.

The fault message “PROBE PITOT 1+2 / 2+3 / 1+3 (9DA)” means, that a speed decrease of more than 30 knots was detected within one second. The three air data units were considered valid at that time.

The fault message “FCPC2(2CE2)/WRG:ADIRU1 BUS ADR1-2 TO FCPC2″ indicates, that the information provided by ADR1 via bus 2 is no longer considered valid by the primary flight controls computer 2, the code indicating, that the other primary flight control computers had not detected that fault according to the ATA code 27 (otherwise ATA code 34 would follow). This message has not yet been explained.

The fault message “ISIS (22FN-10FC) SPEED OR MACH FUNCTION” indicates, that there had been an internal failure of the calibrated air speed or mach computation, or calibrated air speed or mach were outside certain limits.

The fault message “ADIRU2 (1FP2)” has not yet been explained.

The fault message “FMGEC1 (1CA1) (2 h 13)” has not yet been explained.

The warning messages indicate, that various monitoring processes have been triggered, at least one of them related to air speed measurement inconsistency.

The cockpit effect messages mean:

- AUTO FLT AP OFF: The autopilot disconnected without crew intervention
- AUTO FLT REAC W/S DET FAULT: windshear detection is unavailable
- F/CTL ALTN LAW: FBW switched into alternate law (protections lost)
- FLAG ON CAPT PFD SPD LIM and FLAG ON F/O PFD SPD LIM: characteristic speeds (green dot, VLS, …) lost due to loss of calculating function
- AUTO FLT A/THR OFF: Autothrottle disconnected other than by crew intervention or throttle levers were moved into the idle notch
- NAV TCAS FAULT: TCAS is inoperative, the message has not yet been explained
- FLAG ON CAPT PFD FD and FLAG ON F/O PFD FD: flight director bars have been removed from primary flight displays
- F/CTL RUD TRV LIM FAULT: The rudder limiter value computation is unavailable, the rudder remains limited to the present values until slat extension
- MAINTENANCE STATUS EFCS2 and MAINTENANCE STATUS EFCS1: not brought to the crew attention
- FLAG ON CAPT PFD FPV and FLAG ON F/O PFD FPV: flight path vector displays removed from the primary flight displays, red flags shown instead
- NAV ADR DISAGREE: Computers have rejected one ADR and then detected a disagreement between the remaining ADRs on one of the monitored paramenters.
- F/CTL PRIM 1 FAULT: Primary Flight Controls Computer 1 has stopped functioning either as result of a command or failure
- F/CTL SEC 1 FAULT: Secondary Flight Controls Computer 1 has stopped functioning either as result of a command or failure.
- MAINTENANCE STATUS ADR2: not brought to crew attention
- ADVISORY CABIN VERTICAL SPEED: cabin pressure changes at a rate of 1800 feet/minute or greater for 5 seconds.

Visual inspection of the recovered debris showed, that the tail fin broke during a forward motion with a slight twist to the left. The galley recovered and identified as G2 was basically intact, but baskets and racks were compressed in the lower part of both galley carts. A toilet door showed evidence of great compression force. The floor of the crew rest module was bent upwards under the effect of a strong upward pressure from below, the connecting brackets between floor and wall were bent backwards.

The BEA concludes the analysis: “Observations of the tail fin and on the parts from the passenger (galley, toilet door, crew rest module) showed that the airplane had likely struck the surface of the water in a straight line, with a high rate vertical acceleration.”

The bodies of about 30 victims recovered were all clothed and relatively well preserved. At this time of the investigation the BEA still did not have access to the autopsy results, the report states (English version, end of page 37).

Geschrieben in Medien-News Deutschland | Drucken | Keine Kommentare »