Flight Safety Information December 5, 2017 - No. 241 In This Issue Incident: Thai A333 at Islamabad on Dec 4th 2017, overran runway on landing Singapore A359 at Mumbai on Dec 4th 2017, go around on final approach portrayed as approach to wrong airport Incident: Southwest B737 near Los Angeles on Dec 3rd 2017, burning odour in cabin EVAS - Cockpit Smoke Protection A320...returned to land after suffering a bird strike Canadair Challenger 601 Nosegear Collapse on Landing Air NZ flight to Japan returned to Auckland after engine issues NTSB hearing set on American 767 'substantially damaged' by 2016 engine fire 'Disruptive' Woman Suspected of Sneaking Bottle of Liquor Onto Flight Before Causing 800-mile Diversion Voluntary Identification for Drone Pilots 40% of U.S. Business Aircraft Fleet Won't Meet ADS-B Out Deadline EVA 777-300ER wing damaged by pole strike Boeing focused on 777-8 tweaks to meet Qantas requirement Pipistrel Building Electric Aircraft In China Bombardier to make thrust reverser for Airbus family of aircraft Airbus's Bregier sees 2017 aircraft deliveries topping 700 Japan Airlines invests $10 mln in supersonic jet company Boom NASA expects commercial crew providers to achieve safety requirements Incident: Thai A333 at Islamabad on Dec 4th 2017, overran runway on landing A Thai Airways Airbus A330-300, registration HS-TES performing flight TG-349 from Bangkok (Thailand) to Islamabad (Pakistan), landed on Islamabad's runway 30 at 22:20L (17:20Z) but overran the end of the runway and came to a stop on the paved surface of the runway end safety area a few meters past the runway end (and about 280 meters from the displaced threshold runway 12). There were no injuries and no damage. Pakistan's CAA reported the aircraft needed to be pushed back about 20 minutes after landing. The aircraft reached the gate about 40 minutes after landing and was able to depart for the return flight TG-350 with a delay of about 50 minutes about 2 hours after landing. Metars: OPRN 041900Z 00000KT 5000 HZ NSC 10/04 Q1017.0/30.03= OPRN 041800Z 00000KT 5000 HZ NSC 11/05 Q1016.7/30.02= OPRN 041700Z 00000KT 5000 HZ NSC 11/05 Q1016.4/30.01= OPRN 041600Z 00000KT 5000 HZ NSC 13/05 Q1016.1/30.01= OPRN 041530Z 00000KT 6000 HZ NSC 13/07 Q1016.0/30.00= OPRN 041500Z 31004KT 6000 HZ NSC 13/07 Q1015.5/29.99= OPRN 041400Z 31004KT 6000 HZ NSC 15/07 Q1015.1/29.97= http://avherald.com/h?article=4b1e9702&opt=0 Back to Top Singapore A359 at Mumbai on Dec 4th 2017, go around on final approach portrayed as approach to wrong airport A Singapore Airlines Airbus A350-900, registration 9V-SMH performing flight SQ-422 from Singapore (Singapore) to Mumbai (India), was cleared for the approach to Mumbai International Airport's runway 09 and was descending through about 1000 feet MSL when the crew initiated a go around, positioned for another approach to runway 09 of the International Airport and landed safely on that runway about 18 minutes later. The airline reported: "Singapore Airlines SQ422, an Airbus A350, operating from Singapore to Mumbai on 04 December, was scheduled to land on Runway 09 at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport at 1035hrs (local time). Due to poor visibility conditions, the crew discontinued the approach to Runway 09 at approximately 1000 feet, in accordance with standard operating procedures. Air Traffic Control Mumbai then vectored the flight for a subsequent approach onto Runway 09 and the flight landed uneventfully at 1048hrs (local time). At no time did the pilots of SQ 422 mistake Juhu airport as Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport." India's Media as well as several European aviation media reported that the aircraft was on final approach to Juhu Airport's runway 08 instead of International Airport's runway 09. As can be seen from the flight trajectory below, during the climb in the go around the aircraft went north of the approach track for International Airport's runway 09 seemingly giving support to the idea of the aircraft aiming for Juhu Airport. The aircraft departed for the return flight SQ-421 with a delay of 35 minutes. Metars: VABB 040600Z 10007KT 2500 FU FEW020 BKN100 31/17 Q1010 NOSIG= VABB 040530Z 09008KT 2500 FU FEW020 BKN100 30/17 Q1010 NOSIG= VABB 040500Z 12005KT 2500 FU FEW020 BKN100 30/17 Q1011 NOSIG= VABB 040430Z 10007KT 2500 FU FEW020 BKN100 30/18 Q1011 NOSIG= VABB 040400Z 08006KT 2200 FU FEW020 BKN100 29/17 Q1011 NOSIG= VABB 040330Z 08007KT 2200 FU FEW020 BKN100 28/17 Q1011 TEMPO 1500 FU= VABB 040300Z 09006KT 2200 FU BKN100 28/17 Q1011 NOSIG= VABB 040230Z 09005KT 2500 FU SCT100 27/17 Q1010 NOSIG= VABB 040200Z 08006KT 2500 FU SCT100 27/17 Q1009 NOSIG= Map (Graphics: AVH/Google Earth): http://avherald.com/h?article=4b1e5d70&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Southwest B737 near Los Angeles on Dec 3rd 2017, burning odour in cabin A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700, registration N284WN performing flight WN-4046 from Sacramento,CA to Santa Ana,CA (USA) with 103 passengers, was enroute at FL370 about 140nm north of Los Angeles,CA (USA) when the crew decided to divert to Los Angeles due to a burning odour in the cabin. The aircraft landed safely on Los Angeles' runway 24L about 25 minutes later. A replacement Boeing 737-700 registration N7743B reached Santa Ana with a delay of 90 minutes. The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground for 15 hours then returned to service. The airline reported the aircraft diverted to Los Angeles due to a burning odour in the cabin. 8 passengers were rerouted through Los Angeles, the others continued to Santa Ana on a replacement aircraft. http://flightaware.com/live/flight/SWA4046/history/20171204/0200Z/KSMF/KSNA http://avherald.com/h?article=4b1e9c86&opt=0 Back to Top Back to Top A320 returned to land after suffering a bird strike Date: 04-DEC-2017 Time: ca 14:17 UTC Type: Airbus A320-212 Owner/operator: Delta Air Lines Registration: N360NW C/n / msn: 0903 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Unknown Location: Sacramento International Airport, CA (SMF/KSMF) - United States of America Phase: Initial climb Nature: Domestic Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Sacramento International Airport, CA (SMF/KSMF) Destination airport: Salt Lake City International Airport, UT (SLC/KSLC) Narrative: Delta Air Lines flight DL1384 returned to land at Sacramento International Airport, California, after suffering a bird strike on departure. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=202507 Back to Top Canadair Challenger 601 Nosegear Collapse on Landing Date: 04-DEC-2017 Time: 10:38 LT Type: Canadair CL-600-2A12 Challenger 601 Owner/operator: Private Registration: N45WL C/n / msn: 3004 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 8 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Unknown Location: Caracas-Simón Bolívar International Airport (CCS/SVMI) - Venezuela Phase: Landing Nature: Departure airport: Fort Lauderdale International Airport, FL (FLL/KFLL) Destination airport: Caracas-Simón Bolívar International Airport (CCS/SVMI) Narrative: A Canadair Challenger 601 corporate jet was involved in a landing incident at Caracas-Simón Bolívar International Airport in Venezuela. The aircraft landed on runway 10/28 and came to rest with the nose resting on the runway. It is unclear if the nose landing gear was properly deployed prior to landing (and separated during touchdown), or if it had folded back during touchdown/landing roll out. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=202509 Back to Top Air NZ flight to Japan returned to Auckland after engine issues The Air New Zealand flight to Japan was forced to turn back to Auckland after experiencing engine troubles (file photo). Engine issues have forced an Air New Zealand flight to Japan to return to Auckland International Airport on Tuesday morning. An Air NZ spokeswoman said the pilot elected to shut down one of the plane's engines as a precaution during flight NZ99 to Narita, Tokyo. "The aircraft carrying 268 [passengers] and 14 crew landed shortly before 11am without further incident." The pilot requested emergency services be on standby for the landing, "in line with normal operating procedures", the spokeswoman said. However, she said it was not an emergency landing. Fire and Emergency NZ sent five crews to back up the airport's own fire service, but were not needed. "The aircraft landed safely, and all passengers have disembarked," Fire and Emergency spokeswoman Megan Ruru said after midday. St John Ambulance spokeswoman Jennifer Porter said crews had been requested at the airport, but had also been stood down. Porter said she had no other information available. https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/travel-troubles/99546606/air-nz-flight-to-japan-returned-to- auckland-after-engine-issues Back to Top NTSB hearing set on American 767 'substantially damaged' by 2016 engine fire 767 catches fire after 'uncontained engine failure' The American Airlines Boeing 767-300 that experienced an uncontained engine failure during a takeoff roll Oct. 28, 2016 at Chicago O'Hare International Airport was "substantially damaged," according to the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). "The aircraft will not be flying again," an American spokesperson told ATW. The incident marked the first-ever failure of a second-stage high-pressure (HP) turbine stage on a GE Aviation CF6-80C2 engine. NTSB has a set a Jan. 23, 2018 hearing to determine the probable cause of the incident, which caused a fire. The Dallas/Fort Worth-based carrier's 767-300 was operating as American flight 383 bound for Miami. According to NTSB, the aircraft's right CF6-80C2 engine failed about 6,550 ft. from the O'Hare runway 28R threshold. The pilots aborted takeoff and the aircraft came to a full stop, but a fuel leak led to a fire breaking out. During the ensuing emergency evacuation, one passenger suffered "serious injuries," according a media advisory issued by NTSB Dec. 4. "The airplane was substantially damaged as a result of the fire," NTSB stated. American has been participating in the NTSB investigation. "We are confident that once the investigation is complete, any safety recommendations issued by the NTSB will enhance aviation safety worldwide," the American spokesperson said. There were 161 passengers and nine crew aboard the 767. http://atwonline.com/safety/ntsb-hearing-set-american-767-substantially-damaged-2016-engine- fire Back to Top 'Disruptive' Woman Suspected of Sneaking Bottle of Liquor Onto Flight Before Causing 800-mile Diversion Let it be known to all the travelers out there: your airline is (probably) not BYOB. Having a small drink on board is perfectly fine for adults flying on most airlines, but there are a few passengers out there who take it too far. A woman flying from Alicante, Spain to Liverpool, England learned this the hard way on her easyJet flight. According to the Daily Mail, a woman who is described as "small and blonde" had to be escorted off easyJet flight EZY7124, which was diverted by 800 miles to Bordeaux, France, after the flight crew claimed she was being disruptive and was suspected of bringing her own bottle of alcohol on the flight. Flight crews do not allow passengers to bring their own booze, since they are charged with monitoring alcohol consumption while in the air. Catherine Skelhorn from Page Moss, Merseyside, saw the incident occur and said she was about to fall asleep when the crew made the announcement about the emergency landing, according to the Daily Mail. "There was a lot of commotion near the front as the crew were speaking to a [woman], when we landed the police came on the plane, they tried to speak to her but took her off and put her in a police car. They found an empty bottle under her seat," Skelhorn told the Daily Mail. Some passengers assumed someone had gotten sick and other rumors were being passed around about what was happening with the woman, who was sitting at the front of the plane. Drunk or disruptive passengers can not only be a danger to themselves in-flight, but they can also be risky for others on board. A spokesperson for easyJet confirmed the incident in a statement, saying: "The safety and welfare of our passengers and crew is easyJet's highest priority. EasyJet's crew are trained to assess and evaluate all incidents... We take [these incidents] very seriously do not tolerate abusive or threatening behaviour onboard and always push for prosecution. Police met the aircraft on landing and the passenger was escorted from the aircraft. The aircraft has since continued to Liverpool and we would like to apologise to all passengers for any inconvenience caused by the delay." For those out there who would like a cocktail on their next trip, it would be best to simply ask a flight attendant. http://www.travelandleisure.com/airlines-airports/woman-smuggling-booze-kicked-off-flight Back to Top Voluntary Identification for Drone Pilots Late last week, DJI updated the AeroScope drone tracking and identification system to offer pilots an optional self-identification feature, or as DJI calls it, an "electronic license plate." For users that choose to broadcast their information to authorities, the identification information would also be sent with the serial number of the drone and the telemetry data. This will help authorities understand the nature of the drone activity. In the press release below, DJI says, "AeroScope addresses the needs of authorities who know that most drone flights are harmless, but who are concerned and must be vigilant about tracking risky or illegal drone activity near airport runways, prisons and other sensitive locations. AeroScope also provides authorities with a tool to respond to complaints about individual drone usage and to investigate further." PRESS RELEASE 2017-12-01-DJI Introduces Voluntary Flight Identification Options For Drone Pilots AeroScope System Protects Privacy With "License Plate," Allows Self-Identification DJI is introducing new features to the DJI AeroScope remote identification system that functions as an "electronic license plate" for drones. The new features allow drone pilots to voluntarily identify their flight operations to authorities while still protecting their privacy. AeroScope is a system that remotely identifies and tracks airborne drones, allowing law enforcement and aviation safety officials to respond to safety and security concerns about drones. DJI drones locally broadcast their location, speed, heading and serial numbers to AeroScope receivers used by authorities at sensitive locations or in response to complaints. However, they do not broadcast personally identifiable information. Recent updates to the DJI GO 4 app and DJI drone firmware, made available first for the DJI Mavic Pro last week, will allow pilots to choose whether or not to broadcast additional information about their flight operations, if they believe it will be helpful to ease any concerns about their flights. Professional pilots and pilots who fly near sensitive locations may choose to do this routinely. Once updated, the DJI GO 4 app will display a "remote identification" menu in the main controller settings. This menu gives pilots the option to broadcast their "UUID," a unique user identification code tied to each pilot's DJI GO account, and "Identification & Flight Information," if a pilot chooses to enter information into them. The default setting for both options is to not broadcast them, and these settings can be changed at any time. AeroScope addresses the needs of authorities who know that most drone flights are harmless, but who are concerned and must be vigilant about tracking risky or illegal drone activity near airport runways, prisons and other sensitive locations. AeroScope also provides authorities with a tool to respond to complaints about individual drone usage and to investigate further. DJI developed AeroScope to balance the legitimate needs of authorities against the privacy rights of drone pilots. AeroScope uses the existing communications link between a drone and its remote controller to broadcast identification information up to 5 km such as a registration or serial number, as well as basic telemetry, including location, altitude, speed and direction. Police, security agencies, aviation authorities and other authorized parties can use an AeroScope receiver to monitor, analyze and act on that information. Because AeroScope relies on drones directly broadcasting their information to local receivers, not on transmitting data to an internet-based service, it ensures most drone flights will not be automatically recorded in government databases, protecting the privacy interests of people and businesses that use drones. This approach also avoids substantial costs and complexities that would be involved in creating such databases and connecting drones to network systems. DJI is working to expand the broadcast protocol for other drone manufacturers. Governments around the world have expressed interest in requiring mandatory tracking and identification of drones. DJI has led the drone industry in arguing against proposals to require all drone flights to be tracked and recorded in government databases, many of which would require drones to be modified with special equipment that would add weight to drones, drain battery life and impose costs on drone pilots. http://www.divephotoguide.com/underwater-photography-scuba-ocean-news/voluntary- identification-for-drone-pilots/ Back to Top 40% of U.S. Business Aircraft Fleet Won't Meet ADS-B Out Deadline Forty percent of the U.S. business airplane fleet will not meet the Jan. 1, 2020 deadline for ADS-B Out, Duncan Aviation president Aaron Hilkeman said last week at the Corporate Jet Investor Miami conference. To achieve 100 percent compliance within the next 25 months, the current ADS- B installation rate of 1,758 per month for U.S.-based piston and turbine airplanes and helicopters would have to nearly double to 3,390 per month, which Hilkeman said is impossible. "Looking to install ADS-B next year is too late," he warned, noting that ADS-B work is competing for shop capacity with other avionics retrofits, including heavy demand for datacom installations. To date, 5,225, or 37 percent, of the 14,001 U.S.-based business jets are equipped with ADS-B Out. At the current equipage rate of 212 per month, that means 3,476 jets-nearly a quarter of the U.S. fleet-will effectively be grounded in early 2020 due to non-compliance. This picture is worse for business turboprops-only 21 percent, or 2,513, of the 12,188 in the U.S. now have ADS-B; at the current equipage rate of 101 per month for turboprops, more than half of this fleet-7,150-will fail to meet the deadline, according to data presented by Hilkeman. Aeronautical Systems managing director Joseph Zulueta said today's rate of return on investment for ADS-B retrofits is about 50 percent, upon resale. "This will trend down to zero as we approach 2020. After January 1, 2010, pre-owned aircraft without ADS-B are unlikely to sell, and having it will bring no extra value otherwise." https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2017-12-04/40-us-business-aircraft- fleet-wont-meet-ads-b-out-deadline Back to Top EVA 777-300ER wing damaged by pole strike An EVA Air Boeing 777-300ER sustained damage to its right wing after hitting a lamp pole at Toronto's Pearson International airport. The Taiwanese carrier says the incident happened on 2 December, when the aircraft was leaving the airport's de-icing area. The jet, registered B-16718, was operating flight BR35 to Taipei with 238 passengers and two infants onboard. No one was injured in the incident, although the flight had to be cancelled. "The aircraft is being repaired and inspected. Investigative authorities are looking into the incident," says EVA. Flight Fleets Analyzer shows that the aircraft was built in 2014 and is owned by the Star Alliance carrier. It operates a total of 34 777-300ERs. www.flightglobal.com Back to Top Boeing focused on 777-8 tweaks to meet Qantas requirement Boeing is focusing on tweaks it may be able to make to the 777-8 to meet Qantas's requirement for an aircraft that can fly nonstop from Australia's east coast to Europe. Boeing's vice-president and general manager of the 777X programme Eric Lindblad says the 777-8 is the right platform for the Australian carrier, but admits that the manufacturer will have to tweak it to meet the expectation of carrying a full passenger load on nonstop services from Sydney to London and New York. "Today we have more work to do to make that the right airplane to do that given the Qantas requirements. We also believe that it's pretty dang close," he tells reporters in a conference call. Boeing's 777X chief project engineer Michael Teal adds that it is looking at ways to achieve additional range from the -8, which is nominally set at 8,700m based on a 352-tonne maximum take-off weight. "If you look at the exact airplane that we have on paper today - which is not a firm configuration - it falls short of all of their desires, but exceeds many of their desires," he says. One option is to increase the MTOW of the aircraft, which would allow it to carry more fuel in the enlarged wing. Teal says however that this would mean some trade-off in the aircraft's available payload. "We've got to work with them to find what that range balance is," he adds. Qantas threw down the gauntlet to Airbus and Boeing in August asking them for an aircraft that would be able to operate nonstop from Australia's east coast to Europe and the US west coast with a full passenger load. Airbus is expected to pitch its A350-90ULR to meet the mission requirements, but is also likely to require some modifications to meet Qantas's needs. The carrier is looking to launch the extended long-haul flights in 2022-23. More recently, chief executive Alan Joyce has said that the airline could place an order for that aircraft in 2019. While refusing to talk about timelines on a potential order, Teal was confident that it could accommodate Qantas's delivery schedule. "Given the conversations we have had with Qantas, I think our schedule that we have in place today would support the offer we have with Qantas," he says. www.flightglobal.com Back to Top Pipistrel Building Electric Aircraft In China Panthera: Pipistrel Aircraft Slovenia's Pipistrel Aircraft has created a Chinese company to produce the Alpha Electro and Panthera electric-powered light aircraft. Based in Jurong, in Jiangsu province, the new company will have the rights to sell the two models in China and 10 countries in Southeast Asia. Pipistrel founder Ivo Boscarol owns 51% of Pipistrel Asia-Pacific General Aviation Technology, while the remaining 49% is held by existing Chinese distributor Danny Wu Hao. The Chinese company is the fourth member of the Pipistrel Group, formed in 1989 by Boscarol. In addition to a manufacturing plant and the Pipistrel Vertical Solutions research-and-development subsidiary in Ajdovscina in Slovenia-which remain 100% Slovenia-owned-the company also has a facility just across the border in Gorizia, Italy, where it plans to produce the Panthera. Of the aircraft to be produced in China, the Alpha Electro is a battery-powered two-seat trainer, while the Panthera is an all-composite four-seater offered with conventional piston, battery-electric and-in the version to be produced in Jurong-a 200-kW hybrid-electric power train. Pipistrel is a pioneer in electric-powered light aircraft, beginning in 2007 with the Taurus Electro motor glider, and in 2016 ground-tested a 200-kW hybrid power train installed in a Panthera fuselage under the European Union-funded Hypstair research program. The company is also developing an electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft for ride-hailing giant Uber's Elevate urban air mobility initiative. Uber plans to begin testing with experimental aircraft in 2020, in Dallas, Dubai and Los Angeles. Founding of the new company includes investment from the Chinese partner in Project Jurong, to establish an aviation and tourism center next to Jurong Lake national park. Over the next two years, managed by Pipistrel Asia-Pacific, a new airport, aircraft factory, aviation university and tourist complex will be built in the 320-acre Project Jurong center. www.aviationweek.com Back to Top Bombardier to make thrust reverser for Airbus family of aircraft Unions still concerned at US threat to Belfast job from possible import duties A team of Bombardier engineers in Northern Ireland will begin work shortly on the research and development phase of the engine nacelle programme Bombardier's Northern Ireland operation has won a significant project from Airbus to develop and manufacture a new thrust reverser for one of its single-aisle jetliners. Bombardier is set to become a key supplier on a new engine nacelle programme for the Airbus A320neo family of aircraft which is powered by the Pratt & Whitney's Pure Power PW1100G next generation engine. The project will not create any immediate jobs or boost current staffing requirements at Bombardier's Belfast operations because the thrust reverser is not scheduled for delivery for several years. However, a team of Bombardier engineers in Northern Ireland will begin work shortly on the research and development phase of the programme. Bombardier, whose C Series family of aircraft also feature Pratt & Whitney's PW1500 G engines, is an established supplier to Airbus, but its decision to award the thrust reverser project to Bombardier's Northern Ireland operations helps underline the importance of a ground-breaking trade deal signed between Bombardier and Airbus just over two months ago. The trade deal brought Bombardier and Airbus together as partners on the C Series aircraft programme, but Michael Ryan, president of Bombardier's aerostructures and engineering services and in charge of its Northern Ireland operations, said at the time that the deal also represented an "opportunity" for Belfast to build on is existing supplier relationship with Airbus. In Belfast on Monday, Stephen Addis, vice-president, customer services and programmes, Bombardier Aerostructures, highlighted how this was unfolding. "This work package reinforces our long-term strategy to grow our capabilities in the nacelles market, and to focus on delivering innovative, higher-value products and services in an extremely competitive global environment." Import duties Meanwhile trade unions are continuing to highlight the threat to Bombardier workers in the North from the US department of commerce and its plans to impose import duties of 300 per cent on each C Series aircraft sold in the US. More than 1,000 people are employed specifically on the C Series programme in the North. Workers and union leaders from Bombardier's five production sites in Northern Ireland will gather at Belfast City Hall to ask councillors to back their campaign to safeguard local jobs. The US department of commerce is expected to publish its final decision on the proposed tariffs on December 19th. https://www.irishtimes.com/business/manufacturing/bombardier-to-make-thrust-reverser-for- airbus-family-of-aircraft-1.3315003 Back to Top Airbus's Bregier sees 2017 aircraft deliveries topping 700 PARIS (Reuters) - Airbus (AIR.PA) planemaking chief Fabrice Bregier said the company still expects to deliver more than 700 aircraft to customers in 2017, a production record, despite delays in deliveries of engines from suppliers, according to an interview in Monday's Les Echos newspaper. The logo of Airbus is pictured at the company's headquarters in Colomiers near Toulouse, France, October 19, 2017. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau Bregier said slightly fewer than 600 aircraft had been delivered by the end of November. "That will require a repeat of the effort made in December 2016, but we're prepared for that," he said. "The technical problems on the new A320 engines are now solved. So we're hopeful production will ramp up as expected in 2018." Asked about rumors of the departure of Airbus CEO Tom Enders, who has faced pressure over the conduct of an internal investigation into inaccuracies in filings with U.S. regulators over arms technology sales, Bregier said: "Let's leave the board to take decisions." https://www.reuters.com/article/us-airbus-deliveries/airbuss-bregier-sees-2017-aircraft-deliveries- topping-700-idUSKBN1DX0U4 Back to Top Japan Airlines invests $10 mln in supersonic jet company Boom Dec 5 (Reuters) - Denver-based startup Boom Supersonic said on Tuesday Japan's No.2 carrier Japan Airlines Co Ltd has invested $10 million in the company, which is building a supersonic passenger aircraft it claims will be faster, quieter and more affordable to fly than Concorde. Boom is developing a 55-seat plane that it says will be able to more than halve the flight time from New York to London to just three hours and fifteen minutes. The firm has said its jetliner, expected to enter service by the mid 2020s, will fly at speeds of Mach 2.2, 10 percent faster than Concorde, which popularized supersonic jet travel in the 1970s. As part of the deal Japan Airlines, which has the option to purchase up to 20 Boom aircraft, will provide its knowledge and experience as an airline to hone the aircraft design and help define the passenger experience for supersonic travel, the companies said on Tuesday. Boom's aircraft is expected to produce a sonic boom that would be at least 30 times quieter than Concorde's, which was dogged by high operating costs and fuel consumption and low capacity utilization. Boom estimates that fares for its aircraft would be 75 percent lower than Concorde's and comparable to current business class tickets, due to its better fuel efficiency. Boom, whose suppliers include General Electric Co, Honeywell International Inc and Netherlands- based TenCate Advanced Composites, has reportedly received 76 pre-orders from airlines, excluding the option of up to 20 aircraft from Japan Airlines. Boom is backed by venture capital firms such as 8VC, RRE, Lightbank, Y Combinator and Caffeinated Capital, as well as angel investors including Sam Altman, Paul Graham and Greg McAdoo. As of March 2017, Boom had raised about $41 million in funding. https://www.reuters.com/article/boom-japan-airlines/japan-airlines-invests-10-mln-in-supersonic- jet-company-boom-idUSL3N1O44PK Back to Top NASA expects commercial crew providers to achieve safety requirements Technical problems could delay the beginning of regular flights by SpaceX's Crew Dragon (left) and Boeing's CST-100 Starliner until at least late 2018. Credit: SpaceX artist's concept and Boeing A NASA manager says Boeing and SpaceX should be able to achieve, or come close to, safety requirements established by NASA for their commercial crew spacecraft. Credit: SpaceX artist's concept and Boeing WASHINGTON - As the two companies developing commercial crew vehicles prepare for test flights in the next 12 months, a NASA official said the agency expects those companies to be able to meet, or come close to, stringent safety requirements for those spacecraft. At a Nov. 29 meeting of the NASA Advisory Council's human exploration and operations committee, Lisa Colloredo, deputy program manager for NASA's commercial crew program, said Boeing and SpaceX were making good progress towards achieving a "loss of crew", or LOC, requirement established by NASA at the beginning of the program. The LOC requirement states that the odds of an accident killing or causing serious injury to a crewmember be no more than 1 in 270 flights for a 210-day mission at the International Space Station. That covers all aspects of the mission, including launch and reentry. "We have a very difficult LOC requirement to meet, and we knew that when we going in," Colloredo said. The 1-in-270 LOC requirement for commercial crew is more stringent than the 1-in-90 value at the end of the shuttle program. "I would say that we've made a lot of progress, and the providers have both done a lot of redesign work to improve their LOC numbers." Those changes, she said, include "more robustness" to the thermal protection systems on the spacecraft and additional parachute testing. "It's served its purpose of getting the right look at the top drivers for LOC," she said, including making design changes to improve those values. Colloredo said she expected that both companies would meet the 1-in-270 LOC requirement, or come close enough that NASA would be willing to accept the vehicles as safe enough for its astronauts. "It's pretty likely in the end that SpaceX and Boeing will come in with their evidence that they meet the requirement or close to it," she said. Ultimately, she said, it will require NASA due diligence to either confirm they meet the requirement or be willing to accept a variance from the requirement in a specific area. Another NASA committee has also monitored the ability of Boeing and SpaceX to meet the LOC requirement. At the October meeting of the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP), committee members discussed the progress both companies were making on addressing key risk issues for their systems. "The ASAP believes that NASA is judiciously continuing to address the risk drivers with the providers for the most serious scenarios through continued analysis, modeling, testing, and design development. It remains challenging," the panel noted in the minutes from that meeting. "Nevertheless, the focus on worst case scenarios has driven positive design decisions for both providers, as well as other aspects such as increases in systems testing for some of the systems that carry notable risks." The biggest challenge, ASAP reported, was meeting micrometeoroid and orbital debris protection requirements. NASA was working to improve the modeling of the risks posed to those spacecraft from micrometeoroids and orbital debris through experiments mounted on the station as well as on Dragon cargo spacecraft. At the NASA Advisory Council committee meeting, Colloredo said the LOC requirement was the biggest programmatic issue facing the overall program, but not the only one. She said NASA was assessing if it had included all the costs of various government-provided services for commercial crew missions. It was also working to ensure that search and rescue training for Air Force personnel supporting commercial crew launches would be ready in time for the first missions. Both companies are working to schedules that call for both uncrewed and crewed test flights in 2018, although later in the year than previously planned. SpaceX is planning an uncrewed test of its Crew Dragon in April, previously scheduled for February. The crewed test flight is now planned for August, instead of June. Between the two flights will be an in-flight abort test. Boeing's uncrewed test flight of its CST-100 Starliner is now scheduled for August, two months later than previously planned. The crewed test flight has shifted from August to November, although the company said earlier this fall that the crewed test flight might slip into early 2019. "We're making a lot of progress with the providers," Colloredo said. "We're getting prepared for flight and we acknowledge that we have a lot of work ahead of us." http://spacenews.com/nasa-expects-commercial-crew-providers-to-achieve-safety-requirements/ Curt Lewis