Flight Safety Information July 10, 2017 - No. 137 In This Issue Incident: Southwest B737 near Las Vegas on Jul 7th 2017, unreliable airspeed and altitude Accident: Thomson B752 near London on Jul 8th 2017, smoke injures 3 cabin crew Incident: Swift Air B733 near Miami on Jul 7th 2017, cargo smoke indication EVAS - Cockpit Smoke Protection Airbus A300-605R Engine Fire Warning during Climb Out FAA Opens Short Window For ATC Hiring Super Puma Offshore Ban To Be Lifted American Airlines employee prevents a plane disaster (Video) 40 turtles meandering across JFK Airport runway delay flights Alaskan volcano's erupts again, prompts aircraft warning NASA's Supersonic Jet Program Zooms Past Major Milestone Comac Wins China's Approval for Mass Production of Regional Jet Boeing Selected for $294 Million Deal With Algeria's Tassili Airlines Norwegian Air's flights to the US set to offer free wi-fi Incident: Southwest B737 near Las Vegas on Jul 7th 2017, unreliable airspeed and altitude A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700, registration N929WN performing flight WN-3641 from Las Vegas,NV to Cleveland,OH (USA), was enroute at FL290 about 100nm east of Las Vegas when the crew decided to return to Las Vegas, the aircraft descended to 12,000 feet. On the way back the aircraft performed several full circles while the crew talked to dispatch and maintenance. The aircraft landed safely back on Las Vegas' runway 07L about 65 minutes after departure. A listener on frequency reported the crew reported they had no reliable airspeed and altitude indications. The crew talked to dispatch and maintenance to troubleshoot the problem. A replacement Boeing 737-700 registration N420WN reached Cleveland with a delay of 5 hours. The occurrence aircraft returned to service about 12 hours after landing. http://flightaware.com/live/flight/SWA3641/history/20170707/2220Z/KLAS/KCLE http://avherald.com/h?article=4ab66c30&opt=0 Back to Top Accident: Thomson B752 near London on Jul 8th 2017, smoke injures 3 cabin crew A Thomson Boeing 757-200, registration G-OOBC performing flight BY-2616 from Manchester,EN (UK) to Girona,SP (Spain) with 201 passengers and 8 crew, was enroute at FL390 about 10nm southwest of London Gatwick,EN (UK) when the crew reported smoke in the cabin and decided to divert to Gatwick for a safe landing on runway 26L about 22 minutes later. Passengers reported smoke emanated from a galley, supposedly an oven caught fire. Three cabin crew suffered from smoke inhalation. The airport reported the crew reported smoke in the cabin, three cabin crew needed to be treated for smoke inhalation at the airport. The airline reported the aircraft diverted to London Gatwick as precaution, the aircraft was met by emergency services in line with standard operating procedures to investigate the cause of the smoke. Another crew arrived to replace three cabin crew, who were checked by medics as a precaution. The aircraft was examined and was found safe to continue the flight. The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground for 5:20 hours, then continued the flight and reached Girona with a delay of 6 hours. http://avherald.com/h?article=4ab5bc7d&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Swift Air B733 near Miami on Jul 7th 2017, cargo smoke indication A Swift Air Boeing 737-300, registration N531AU performing flight WQ-933 from Montego Bay (Jamaica) to Cleveland,OH (USA) with 155 people on board, was enroute at FL340 about 130nm southsoutheast of Miami,FL (USA) when the crew received a cargo hold smoke indication and decided to divert to Miami. The crew advised they requested emergency services to check for any smoke or fire, which would determine whether they would evacute the aircraft. The aircraft landed safely about 35 minutes later. Emergency services found no trace of fire, heat or smoke and followed the aircraft to the apron. http://flightaware.com/live/flight/SWQ933/history/20170707/1805Z/MKJS/KCLE http://avherald.com/h?article=4ab5081a&opt=0 Back to Top Back to Top Airbus A300-605R Engine Fire Warning during Climb Out Date: 09-JUL-2017 Time: ca 04:45 UTC Type: Airbus A300B4-605R Owner/operator: Iran Air Registration: EP-IBA C/n / msn: 723 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Minor Location: Tehran-Imam Khomeini International Airport (IKA/OIIE) - Iran Phase: Initial climb Nature: International Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Tehran-Imam Khomeini International Airport (IKA/OIIE) Destination airport: Amsterdam-Schiphol International Airport (AMS/EHAM) Narrative: Iran Air flight IR725 returned to land at Tehran-Imam Khomeini International Airport in Iran after an engine fire indication during initial climb. The aircraft, an Airbus A300B4-605R, took off from runway 29R about 04:40 UTC. During initial climb the flight crew received a fire warning for the aircraft's no.2 engine (GE CF6-80C2A5). A decision was made to turn back immediately. After a tight downwind leg the aircraft turned left for a short final approach to runway 29L. The aircraft aligned with the runway at 4,5 km from the trehold and proceeded for an overweight landing at 04:54 UTC. After landing five tires deflated as a result of overheated brakes. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=196592 Back to Top FAA Opens Short Window For ATC Hiring * Agency offers an excellent career for the right person. The control tower at Pueblo Airport in Colorado. NATCA photos It happens even less frequently than leap year, but yesterday the FAA announced the opening of a hiring window to begin recruiting 1,400 new air traffic controllers for tower, Tracon and enroute center positions all around the United States. The window officially opens today, July 7, and will remain open only until next Friday, July 14. The vacancy - officially called Air Traffic Control Specialist (Trainee) - is expected to be highly competitive. Trainees receive a salary and a per diem to cover living expenses during initial training. Once fully qualified, salaries vary depending upon the working location, but can easily exceed $100,000 annually. But there are a few requirements applicants must meet before they fill out the initial paperwork. Applicants must be U.S. citizens under 31 years of age (controllers still face a mandatory retirement at age 56). Applicants must pass medical, security and pre-employment tests and speak English clearly enough to be understood on the radio. Trainees must have at least three years of responsible work prior to applying and be willing to relocate anywhere the agency requires. Applicants will be separated into two candidate pools. The first will include graduates of an institution participating in the Collegiate Training Initiative program who provide an appropriate recommendation, as well as eligible veterans. The agency apparently learned from its past hiring mistakes and said Pool 1 applicants will not be required to take a biographical assessment. Pool 2 includes the general public. Applicants can begin the screening process at USAJOBS.gov. The agency has also created an ATC career background page for applicants. http://www.flyingmag.com/faa-opens-short-window-for-atc-hiring Back to Top Super Puma Offshore Ban To Be Lifted The U.K. and Norway say they'll soon lift a 17-month ban on the use of two models of Airbus Super Puma helicopters to service offshore oil operations. The H225LP and AS332L2 helicopters were taken off that kind of duty after a crash in April of 2016 in which the rotor blades separated from a Super Puma heading to a rig off Norway. The crash killed 13 workers and crew on the helicopter. Even though the government bans will be lifted, there might not be much work for the helicopters. Norway's biggest oil company, Statoil, says it won't use them anymore, and a survey of rig workers suggests most workers are opposed to the ban's being lifted and more than half say they'll never get on a Super Puma again. CHC, the world's largest helicopter company, has stopped using them. The helicopters were actually cleared for flight by the European Aviation Safety Agency last October but the U.K. and Norway instituted their own ban on offshore flights. The ban is to be lifted after Airbus introduced new maintenance and inspection protocols for the big helicopters. "The safety of those who travel on offshore helicopter flights is a key priority for both the U.K. and Norwegian aviation authorities," said John McColl, head of the U.K.'s Civil Aviation Agency. "We would not have made this decision unless we were convinced that the changes to the helicopters and their maintenance restore the required airworthiness standards." https://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/Super-Puma-Offshore-Ban-To-Be-Lifted-229260-1.html Back to Top American Airlines employee prevents a plane disaster (Video) An American Airlines employee is being hailed as a hero for stopping a runaway fuel truck from hitting airplanes and other airport property. Longtime airline employee Darren Carbone was guiding a plane away from its gate at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport on Tuesday when he noticed an unmanned fuel truck rolling backward toward an airport gate. American Airlines employee Darren Carbone is being heralded as a hero after he stopped a runaway fuel truck on the tarmac of the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport. (FOX4 NEWS) He jumped into the truck and stepped on its brakes to prevent a crash and possibly a huge explosion. "I immediately dropped my wand that I was walking the wing with and ran after the truck and stepped on the brake before it could hit the terminal or plane or anybody," he told the Daily News. The truck rolled backward on the ramp, without a driver, until Carbone leapt into the vehicle, surveillance video shows. It was within 50 yards of colliding with other planes, vehicles, and airport personnel, Carbone said. American Airlines uniform allegedly causing health problems "A fuel truck is basically a bomb. It's got a tank in the back with thousands of gallons of gasoline, very volatile," aviation consultant Denny Kelly told Fox 4. American Airlines lauded the employee's effort. Surveillance footage captures the moment Carbone jumped into the fueltruck to avoid its collision with a tug. (FOX4 NEWS) "We applaud our team member's quick thinking and action to prevent any injury to personnel as well as damage to the aircraft or other property at our largest hub," the airline said in a statement. Kelly said Carbone made the right move, as the truck built up speed and rolled toward the gate. "If he hadn't stopped it, it could very easily have run into an airplane full of people," Kelly said. "The guy's a hero as far as I'm concerned. That could've been a disaster." Airline considering making travelers stand to lower ticket prices American Airlines said an investigation is underway. The fuel vendor is trying to determine how the truck ended up in motion. Carbone, who described the incident as "scary," said he's thankful no one was injured. An airline consultant said the fuel truck could have caused a huge explosion that would have been disastrous. (FOX4 NEWS) "Immediately, I instinctively ran after the truck to try to stop it, and I did," he said. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/american-airlines-employee-stops-fuel-truck-crash- article-1.3311439 Back to Top 40 turtles meandering across JFK Airport runway delay flights QUEENS -- Dozens of turtles took their sweet time crossing the runway at JFK Airport Friday afternoon, briefly delaying flights, reports say. The 40 or so diamondback terrapins meandered out of Jamaica Bay and onto the airport's runway at about 4:45 p.m., NBC4 New York reported. Port Authority spokeswoman Cheryl Albiez told the New York Daily News some planes were "briefly stuck in queue" as the turtles made their annual migration to nest. http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2017/07/40_turtles_on_jfk_airport_runway_reportedly_delay.html Back to Top Alaskan volcano's erupts again, prompts aircraft warning This photo of Bogoslof Island was taken on June 11 from an Alaska Airlines jet en route to Adak. Photo courtesy of Cyrus Read/U.S. The Bogoslof volcano erupted again Saturday. Photo courtesy of Cyrus Read/U.S. Geological Survey/Alaska Volcano Observatory July 9 (UPI) -- An Alaskan volcano has erupted again, prompting an aviation warning by the Alaska Volcano Observatory. On Saturday, the Bogoslof volcano spewed an ash cloud 30,000 above the ground over the Aleutians Islands, the observatory said in a notice. The first eruption began at 10:15 a.m. local time and lasted about nine minutes. It was followed by a shorter pulse five minutes later. On Sunday, the observatory lowered the warning level from "red" -- the highest -- to "orange" because no further ash emissions occurred and seismic activity remains low. "Additional ash-producing eruptions could occur at any time, however, with no detectable precursors," the observatory said. The observatory is a cooperative program of the U.S. Geological Survey, the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute and the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys. The current series of eruptions began in December, according to the observatory. Because the volcano is under the flight path of planes flying from Asia to North America, its ash cloud could affect passing aircraft. "Ash and aircraft do not mix, as volcanic ash is abrasive, melts at jet engine temperatures, and can cause engine failure," the United States Geological Survey said in a release in March. In May, the volcano's eruption prompted a similar temporary aviation alert but it subsequently downgraded to "orange" from "red" and the warning, like this weekend, was lifted. In 2010, Eyjafjallajokull volcano's eruption in Iceland caused the cancellation of flights around Europe for six days. https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2017/07/09/Alaskan-volcanos-erupts-again-prompts-aircraft- warning/2821499616307/ Back to Top ICAO to Assist AIB on Flight Safety Laboratory (Nigeria) A combined team of officials from the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and Singapore have arrived Nigeria to assist the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) to evaluate its Flight Safety Laboratory aimed at preventing air crashes and help in accident investigation. This was disclosed in Lagos by the Commissioner of AIB Akin Olateru, who said the team was led by Mr. Caj Frostel from ICAO, adding that one of team's objectives was to ensure that the facility meets international standards. Speaking with journalists at the bureau's headquarters at the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA) weekend, Olateru said he was happy about the team's visit and explained that it was projects like the safety laboratory that made it imperative that the organisation needed more funding and hence the quest for five per cent of passenger service charge (PSC), which has been approved by the Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, from the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN). He noted that the laboratory was cost intensive like other projects aimed at pre-empting and preventing accidents and frowned on the criticism that trailed the approval of 5 per cent of the PSC to the agency by the ministry from a section of the industry, adding that several AIB projects were stalled because of paucity of funds. He said that the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) in accordance with the Civil Aviation Act 2006, gets 58 per cent, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) earns 23 per cent, Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) gets seven per cent while the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) earns nine per cent of the total sum. https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2017/07/09/icao-to-assist-aib-on-flight-safety-laboratory/ Back to Top NASA's Supersonic Jet Program Zooms Past Major Milestone * Quiet Supersonic Transport (QueSST) aircraft design passed a preliminary design review and is moving on to its next phase. * NASA's Quiet Supersonic Transport (QueSST) aircraft design is moving on to its next phase after passing a preliminary design review. NASA / Lockheed Martin NASA has been developing new designs for supersonic aircraft, with a specific focus on reducing the strength of the sonic booms - the sound created by a shock wave from an aircraft that moves faster than the speed of sound. The shape and overall design of a supersonic plane are particularly important for minimizing the loudness of the boom during flight. "The idea is to design the airplane so that the shockwaves that are produced in supersonic flight are arranged in such a way that you don't have a boom, you have just a kind of general, gradual pressure rise, which produces a quiet sound," Peter Coen, commercial supersonic technology project manager, said in a video from NASA's Langley Research Center. QueSST is the preliminary design stage of NASA's Low Boom Flight Demonstration (LBFD) experimental airplane, also known as an X-plane. So far, a scale model of QueSST has been tested in an 8-by-6-foot supersonic wind tunnel at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. The next phase will be to test the technologies in flight, Coen said in the video. "So to do that, we're building an X-plane design and the eventual Low Boom Flight Demonstration aircraft that represents the boom of a larger airplane," Coen added. "The idea is to prove the technology; show how robust it is in a variety of atmospheric conditions, but ultimately to prove that the sound that is created is acceptable to people on the ground." Last week, QueSST was reviewed by NASA engineers, as well as experts from the Lockheed Martin Corp. - the lead contractor NASA partnered with in February 2016 to create the initial design of the supersonic aircraft. The teams concluded that "the QueSST design is capable of fulfilling the LBFD aircraft's mission objectives, which are to fly at supersonic speeds - 1.4 times the speed of sound - but create a soft 'thump' instead of the disruptive sonic boom associated with supersonic flight today," according to a statement from NASA. Completing the initial review of the design's operational effectiveness is a major milestone in NASA's initiative to make supersonic passenger jet travel over land possible. This also means that NASA can begin the process to collecting proposals and awarding a contract to build a piloted LBFD X-plane, and then possibly start flight testing as early as 2021, according to the statement. "Managing a project like this is all about moving from one milestone to the next," David Richwine, manager for the preliminary design effort under NASA's Commercial Supersonic Technology Project, said in the statement. "Our strong partnership with Lockheed Martin helped get us to this point. We're now one step closer to building an actual X-plane." For the next phase of testing, pilots will fly the LBFD X-plane over communities to collect data, including details about the atmosphere so that engineers can better understand the effect the atmosphere has on the sonic boom. Most important, researchers will conduct ground measurements and surveys of the population to better understand the level of disturbance caused by the supersonic, albeit quieter, aircraft. Those measurements are necessary for regulators to allow supersonic flight over land in the U.S. and elsewhere in the world, according to the video. "It should sound like a thump, so it could be that people don't even notice the sonic boom ... and that's really the data that we are talking about for regulatory change," Richwine said in the video. NASA will work with Lockheed Martin to wrap up the preliminary design and aerodynamics of the QueSST experimental aircraft over the next few months. Acquiring the LBFD X-plane contract will be "fully open and competitive," agency officials said in the statement. https://www.nbcnews.com/mach/science/nasa-s-supersonic-jet-program-zooms-past-major- milestone-ncna779626 Back to Top Comac Wins China's Approval for Mass Production of Regional Jet * Aviation regulator CAAC issues certificate for ARJ21 * The 90-seater plane is part of China's aerospace ambitions Chinese aircraft builder Comac won approval from the nation's aviation regulator to start mass production of its homemade ARJ21 regional jet, paving the way for deliveries to customers. The Civil Aviation Administration of China issued production certificates Sunday for the 90-seater Advanced Regional Jet, state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China Ltd., or Comac, said in a statement, adding it aims to deliver five planes by the end of this year. The ARJ21, which took more than a decade to design, build and bring to market, has been flying since June last year. With a maximum range of about 3,700 kilometers (2,300 miles), it aims to compete with models made by Bombardier Inc. and Embraer SA. The government-owned plane maker successfully completed the maiden test flight of the C919, a single-aisle passenger jet designed to seat as many as 174 passengers. China's aircraft development is part of an ambitious "Made in China 2025" program under President Xi Jinping, who has identified aerospace among industries that could vault the nation into the league of Germany and Japan in technological and manufacturing prowess. The small jet, powered by General Electric Co.'s engines, has raked in 413 orders from 19 clients. China Aircraft Leasing Group Holdings Ltd., a Hong Kong-listed company, agreed last year to purchase 60 ARJ21s in a deal worth about $2.3 billion at list prices. Comac still needs to get relevant certificates from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and European authorities to be able to sell and operate the plane overseas. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-07-09/comac-wins-china-s-approval-for-mass- production-of-regional-jet Back to Top Boeing Selected for $294 Million Deal With Algeria's Tassili Airlines ALGIERS - Algeria's Tassili Airlines (TA) signed a draft deal on Sunday worth $294 million with U.S. planemaker Boeing for three 737-800 aircraft, Algeria's state news agency APS reported. The three 155-seat aircraft would be delivered during the second half of 2018, APS said, citing officials. Tassili Airlines, which is owned by state energy firm Sonatrach, currently has a fleet of 12 planes. The draft deal was signed by the head of Tassili Airlines, Belkacem Harchaoui, and Boeing's vice- president for Africa and Latin America, Van Rex Gallard. "The deal was won by Boeing after a national and international tender," APS quoted Harchaoui as saying. https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2017/07/09/business/09reuters-algeria-boeing.html Back to Top Norwegian Air's flights to the US set to offer free wi-fi - but dispute over future of airline internet access is hotting up * Norwegian will be the first low-cost airline to offer free wi-fi to all passengers on its transatlantic flights * About eight other airlines offer free wi-fi but few are transatlantic and none low-cost Norwegian Air has announced it will become the first low-cost airline to offer free wi-fi to all passengers on its transatlantic flights within a year even as a dispute over the future of airline internet access hots up. The company is the biggest low-cost European airline across the Atlantic, offering $99 (£77) single flights from London to New York. Now it plans to equip its fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliner and 737 Max aircraft with wi-fi. A spokesman for Norwegian said: 'We were the first to launch free wi-fi in Europe and the first to have it fleetwide for short-haul.' Logging on: Norwegian's flights to US set to offer free wi-fi The airline flies from Gatwick, Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh across the Atlantic and to Europe. The exact terms of the service are not yet known but Skype and Netflix are unlikely to be accessible. About eight other airlines offer free wi-fi on flights, though few are transatlantic and none are low- cost. British Airways has begun equipping almost 120 of its aircraft with wi-fi access, however passengers will be charged to use it. Connection: Internet will be available over the Atlantic Meanwhile, UK-based satellite firm Inmarsat is facing legal action from rivals over its plans to beam wi-fi signals to planes across Europe. A few days ago the company launched a satellite capable of providing the service and it aims to switch on its European Aviation Network by the end of the year. But ViaSat, Eutelsat, and Panasonic have filed a complaint with the European Court of Justice. They are seeking an injunction amid claims that the European Commission should have prevented national regulators from granting Inmarsat permission to use the radio spectrum for in-flight wi-fi. Inmarsat's chief executive, Rupert Pearce, claims the project has full permission. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/news/article-4677714/Norwegian-s-flights-set-offer-free-wi- fi.html Curt Lewis