Flight Safety Information April 20, 2018 - No. 080 In This Issue Incident: Delta MD88 at Providence on Apr 17th 2018, rejected takeoff due to engine failure Incident: Batik Malaysia B739 at Kathmandu on Apr 19th 2018, rejected takeoff due to takeoff configuration Incident: Nelson DH8C at New Plymouth on Apr 18th 2018, haze in cabin EVAS - Cockpit Smoke Protection Bell 429 Fatal Accident (Indonesia) 'Flight Deck LIBIK - Lithium-Ion Battery Incident Kit FAA Will Issue AD for CFM Engines Southwest challenged engine maker over speed of safety checks Southwest gives $5,000 checks to passengers on Flight 1380 Final report: Let L-410 stalled after descending below runway level on finals to Lukla, Nepal Allegiant Air CEO: We are very proud of our safety record NTSB: Pilot had marijuana, alcohol in system during crash This airline is replacing older planes with modern jets for smoother Charlotte flights Why Airlines Need More Women Pilots Hobby drone pilots in the EU and Switzerland will soon need a license Why China Might Be Opening Up Its Skies To The Private Aviation Industry Traumatic Stress Claims Expected from Southwest Airlines Engine Failure Southwest 1380 The End of Two Eras...By Roger Rapoport POSITION AVAILABLE: FOQA SPECIALIST Safety Operating Systems "Human Factors in Flight Safety" training, Lisbon, Portugal June 2018 RESEARCH SURVEY - I RESEARCH SURVEY - II GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY - 1 GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY - 2 Incident: Delta MD88 at Providence on Apr 17th 2018, rejected takeoff due to engine failure A Delta Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-88, registration N974DL performing flight DL-2225 from Providence,RI to Atlanta,GA (USA), was accelerating for takeoff from Providence's runway 23 when the crew rejected takeoff at high speed due to the failure of the right hand engine (JT8D). The aircraft slowed safely and stopped. An airport operations vehicle advised there had been streaks of flame from the right hand engine, there appeared to be debris on the runway. A replacement MD-88 registration N977DL reached Atlanta with a delay of 5:15 hours. The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground for about 48 hours, then returned to service. http://avherald.com/h?article=4b789787&opt=256 Back to Top Incident: Batik Malaysia B739 at Kathmandu on Apr 19th 2018, rejected takeoff due to takeoff config warning results in overrun A Batik Air Malaysia (former Malindo Air) Boeing 737-900 still in Malindo colours, registration 9M-LNJ performing flight OD-181 from Kathmandu (Nepal) to Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), had backtracked runway 20, was cleared for takeoff and commenced takeoff, when the crew rejected takeoff at high speed (about 165 knots over ground). The aircraft came to a stop about 75 meters/250 feet past the end of runway 20 with all gear on soft ground. There were no injuries, the damage to the aircraft is being assessed but believed to be minor. Metars: VNKT 191820Z 16003KT 6000 -TSRA FEW015 FEW025CB SCT030 BKN100 17/15 Q1014 NOSIG CB TO S SE AND NE= VNKT 191750Z 19004KT 6000 -TSRA FEW015 FEW025CB SCT030 BKN100 17/15 Q1014 NOSIG CB TO S SE AND NE= VNKT 191720Z 00000KT 7000 FEW015 SCT100 18/15 Q1013 NOSIG= VNKT 191650Z 00000KT 7000 FEW015 SCT100 19/13 Q1014 NOSIG= VNKT 191620Z 15004KT 7000 FEW015 SCT100 18/14 Q1014 NOSIG= VNKT 191550Z 00000KT 7000 FEW015 SCT030 18/16 Q1013 NOSIG= VNKT 191520Z 12004KT 7000 FEW015 FEW025CB SCT030 BKN100 19/14 Q1013 NOSIG CB TO NW AND N= VNKT 191450Z 19011KT 6000 -TSRA FEW015 FEW025CB SCT030 BKN100 18/13 Q1013 NOSIG CB TO SW W NW AND NE= VNKT 191420Z 24005KT 6000 TSRA FEW015 FEW025CB SCT030 BKN100 20/17 Q1013 NOSIG CB TO SW W NW AND NE= VNKT 191350Z 23006KT 6000 TSRA FEW015 FEW025CB SCT030 BKN100 21/17 Q1012 NOSIG CB TO SW W NW AND NE= VNKT 191320Z 23008KT 6000 TS FEW020 FEW025CB SCT030 BKN100 22/16 Q1012 NOSIG CB TO SW W NW AND N= The aircraft seen on the ground, recovery in progress (Photo: Bikash karki): http://avherald.com/h?article=4b789227&opt=256 Back to Top Incident: Nelson DH8C at New Plymouth on Apr 18th 2018, haze in cabin An Air Nelson de Havilland Dash 8-300 on behalf of ANZ Air New Zealand, registration ZK-NEA performing flight NZ-8058 from New Plyouth to Auckland (New Zealand), was climbing out of New Plymouth when haze formed in the cabin prompting the crew to return to New Plymouth for a safe landing. The airline confirmed there was haze in the cabin prompting the return. No accomodation was available in New Plymouth, the passengers were offered to be bussed to Palmerston North for accomodation overnight and to be taken to Auckland the following day. A bus transport to Auckland was not possible due to company policies prohibiting bus transfer if the bus would arrive after midnight. Passengers organised their bus to Auckland themselves and arrived in Auckland at 4:30am with a delay of 7:15 hours. The occurrence aircraft returned to service about 17 hours after landing back. http://avherald.com/h?article=4b7885ef&opt=256 Back to Top Back to Top Bell 429 Fatal Accident (Indonesia) Date: 20-APR-2018 Time: 10:30 p.m. Type: Bell 429 Owner/operator: IMIP Registration: PK-WSX C/n / msn: 57186 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 8 Other fatalities: 1 Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: Morowali, Kendari, Sulawesi - Indonesia Phase: En route Nature: Private Departure airport: Destination airport: Kendari Airport Narrative: The helicopter crashed under unknown circumstances. There were no fatalities. The helicopter crashed as it tried to return to the helipad. One person on the ground died as he was struck by the propeller of the helicopter. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=209596 Back to Top Back to Top FAA Will Issue AD for CFM Engines In the wake of the uncontained engine failure that killed a passenger on Southwest Airlines Flight 1380 earlier this week, the FAA has announced that it will issue an AD requiring inspections of certain CFM56-7B engines. This statement comes after NTSB chairman Robert Sumwalt said during a media briefing that a preliminary inspection of the engine on the Southwest Boeing 737-700 revealed that a fan blade had broken off at the hub and around the midpoint of the blade. Sumwalt also said that it appeared from a visual inspection that metal fatigue was the cause of the blade separation. The FAA says that the coming AD will require ultrasonic, rather than just visual, inspection of engine fan blades after a to-be-defined number of takeoffs and landings. For any blades that fail the inspection, replacement will be required. The agency has said the AD will be issued within the next two weeks and inspections are expected to take about two hours each. According to engine manufacturer CFM International, there are more than 8,000 of its CFM56-7B engines in operation on Boeing 737s. Including Southwest, several airlines that operate 737s with similar CFM engines have issued statements saying that they have already begun inspecting the engines. https://www.avweb.com/eletter/archives/101/4023-full.html?ET=avweb:e4023:272360a:&st=email#230695 Back to Top Southwest challenged engine maker over speed of safety checks • Southwest, others disputed FAA's inspection estimates • Southwest: Airlines needed 18 months for inspections • Carriers not required to track engine fan blades • FAA to finalize inspection order within two weeks By Tim Hepher and David Shepardson April 19 (Reuters) - Southwest Airlines Co clashed with engine-maker CFM over the timing and cost of proposed inspections after a 2016 engine accident, months before the explosion this week of a similar engine on a Southwest jet that led to the death of a passenger, public documents showed. The proposed inspections would have cost $170 per engine for two hours of labor, for a total bill to U.S. carriers of $37,400, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said in its August 2017 proposal, citing the engine manufacturer. The documents reveal that airlines including Southwest thought the FAA had "vastly understated" the number of engines that would need to be inspected - and therefore the cost. The documents are part of the public record on the FAA's initial proposal for inspections and the response from airlines made in October, within the designated comment period. The FAA and CFM International made the inspection recommendations after a Southwest flight in August 2016 made a safe emergency landing in Florida after a fan blade separated from the same type of engine. Debris ripped a foot-long hole above the left wing. Investigators found signs of metal fatigue. On Tuesday, a broken fan blade touched off an engine explosion on Southwest Airlines flight 1380, shattering a window of the Boeing 737 jet and killing a passenger. It was the first death in U.S. airline service since 2009. FAA is not bound by any specified time periods in deciding whether to order inspections and must assess the urgency of each situation. Southwest and other airlines in their responses in October objected to a call by CFM to complete all inspections within 12 months. The FAA proposed up to 18 months, backed by Southwest and most carriers. Southwest also told the FAA that only certain fan blades should be inspected, not all 24 in each engine. "SWA does NOT support the CFM comment on reducing compliance time to 12 months," Southwest wrote in an October submission. CFM is a joint venture of General Electric Co and France's Safran. Southwest said in its submission that the FAA's proposal would force the carrier to inspect some 732 engines in one of two categories under review - much higher than the FAA's total estimate of 220 engines across the whole U.S. fleet. "The affected engine count for the fleet in costs of compliance ... appears to be vastly understated," it said. Southwest spokeswoman Brandy King said on Thursday that the comments "were to add further clarification on items included in the proposed AD (airworthiness directive)." She said the company had satisfied CFM's recommendations, but she did not immediately answer questions about how many engines had been inspected and whether the failed engine had been inspected. Late on Thursday, Southwest Airlines Chairman and CEO Gary Kelly explained the airline's maintenance procedures in a 59-second video posted to Twitter. He said the airline hires GE to do heavy overhaul or maintenance work on all of its engines. "So GE provides the guidelines for maintenance inspections and repairs over the life of the engines," he said. The airline on Tuesday evening said it would conduct accelerated ultrasonic inspections of the fan blades on CFM56 engines within the next 30 days. "In addition to our accelerated inspections we are meeting with GE and Boeing on a daily basis regarding the progress of the inspections and we will continue to work with them throughout the rest of the investigation," Kelly said in the video. OBJECTIONS FROM OTHER AIRLINES The FAA said on Wednesday it would finalize the airworthiness directive it had proposed in August within two weeks. It will require inspections of some CFM56-7B engines. FAA officials acknowledged that the total number of engines affected could be higher than first estimated. The FAA, which has issued more than 100 airworthiness directives just since the beginning of this year, has said that the time it takes to finalize directives depends on the complexity of the issue and the agency's risk assessment based on the likelihood of occurrence and the severity of the outcome. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said on Thursday that investigators would be on the scene into the weekend but declined any new comment on the investigation. Investigators said one of the fan blades on Tuesday's Southwest flight broke and fatigue cracks were found. Other airlines also said in written comments in October that their costs in time and money would be higher than regulators initially expected, in part because the airlines did not closely track the fan blades used in their engines. "Fan blades have been removed, repaired, reworked, and then relocated," American Airlines said in comments to the FAA. The airline asked for 20 months to complete all checks. "Although the number of fan blades requiring the inspection remains the same, the number of engines involved with this inspection has significantly increased," it said. American Airlines said in a statement that after the FAA notice was published, it "voluntarily began inspections of CFM56-7B fan blades." It has 304 Boeing 737 airplanes with those engines. United Continental Holdings made a similar argument: "The maintenance burden and cost for operators to inspect all effective fan blades is much more significant than proposed." United Chief Operating Officer Greg Hart said on Tuesday that the airline had 698 of the engines in its fleet, according to a transcript of an earnings call. United CEO Oscar Munoz said inspections had begun recently and would occur throughout the course of the year. A former NTSB chairman, Mark Rosenker, said in an interview that the board would look at why the FAA had not already mandated the inspections it proposed in August 2017. "There did not seem to be an urgency" at the FAA to finalize the inspections, he said. The FAA declined comment. Safety checks in Europe have also been contentious. European regulators last month ordered checks within just nine months of April 2, following the 2016 incident at Southwest. Investigators warn that it is too early to say whether the two problems are linked. The statements by some airlines that they are not required to track the history of each individual fan blade within an engine are significant because that makes it harder for investigators to be certain whether the engine that exploded on Tuesday was one of those already targeted for inspection. The blades, which sweep air backwards to help provide thrust, can be changed and repaired independently of the rest of the engine, meaning airlines that do not voluntarily keep tabs have to examine more engines than planned, adding time and cost. (Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington and Tim Hepher in Paris Additional reporting by Jamie Freed Editing by Peter Henderson, Leslie Adler and Himani Sarkar) Back to Top Southwest gives $5,000 checks to passengers on Flight 1380 The engine on a Southwest Airlines plane is inspected as it sits on the runway at the Philadelphia International Airport after it made an emergency landing in Philadelphia, Tuesday, April 17, 2018. (CNN)Some passengers aboard Southwest Airlines Flight 1380 received a $5,000 check after a deadly engine failure that led to an emergency landing in Philadelphia. The jet's engine failed Tuesday about 20 minutes into its flight from New York City to Dallas. Debris from the engine blew out a window, causing passenger Jennifer Riordan to almost get sucked out of the plane. Passengers dragged her back into the cabin, but she died at a Philadelphia hospital after the plane made an emergency landing. Check and travel voucher In a letter to passengers, the airline expressed "sincere apologies" for the fatal incident and included the check, said Kamau Siwatu, who was aboard the flight. He was one of at least three passengers who said they received the letter. "We value you as our customer and hope you will allow us another opportunity to restore your confidence in Southwest as the airline you can count on for your travel needs," Siwatu's letter said. "In this spirit, we are sending you a check in the amount of $5,000 to cover any of your immediate financial needs." In addition to the money, passengers will also receive a $1,000 travel voucher, the letter said. CNN has reached out to Southwest Airlines for comment, but has not heard back. Search for answers The plane's engine had undergone a visual inspection two days before, the airline said. The National Transportation Safety Board is finishing up its initial examination into the deadly engine failure -- but many questions remain unanswered. It's unclear why the left engine of the flight malfunctioned when the plane was over 32,000 feet. Southwest emergency landing puts focus on engine safety "I know people would want answers right away. We would do a very methodical investigation," NTSB chairman Robert Sumwalt. Sumwalt said. "Right now, we just want to document everything that we can." In the search for answers, federal officials have interviewed pilots, examined the damaged engine and collected video footage from passengers who lived through those 22 minutes of chaos. They've also recovered the airplane's cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder, and are still tracking down debris from the engine. The NTSB will look into how an interior crack on a fan blade led to the engine failure. Sumwalt said the crack was not detectable from the outside. One of the cracks was consistent with metal fatigue, he said. https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/20/us/southwest-flight-1380-passengers-check/index.html Back to Top Final report: Let L-410 stalled after descending below runway level on finals to Lukla, Nepal Status: Final Date: Saturday 27 May 2017 Time: 14:04 Type: Let L-410UVP-E20 Operator: Summit Air Registration: 9N-AKY C/n / msn: 2917 First flight: 2014 Total airframe hrs: 2550 Cycles: 5467 Engines: 2 General Electric H80-200 Crew: Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 3 Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0 Total: Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 3 Airplane damage: Destroyed Airplane fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: Lukla-Tenzing-Hillary Airport (LUA) ( Nepal) Crash site elevation: 2682 m (8799 feet) amsl Phase: Approach (APR) Nature: Cargo Departure airport: Kathmandu-Tribhuvan Airport (KTM/VNKT), Nepal Destination airport: Lukla-Tenzing-Hillary Airport (LUA/VNLK), Nepal Flightnumber: 409 Narrative: A Let L-410UVP-E20 operated by Summit Air (formerly known as Goma Air) was destroyed in an accident when it attempted to land on runway 06 at Lukla-Tenzing-Hillary Airport in Nepal. The aircraft operated on a cargo charter flight with 1680 kg cargo on board. It took off from Kathmandu at 07:44 UTC at flight 409, bound for Lukla. It was the 5th flight of the aircraft to Lukla and with the same set of crew. Lukla weather was cloudy, but visibility and ceiling was reported to be fine after an hour of heavy rain. On first contact flight 409 reported abeam Rumjatar descending out of 11300 ft at 08:10 UTC. Lukla Tower provided the latest weather at the airport, as well as enroute weather relayed by 9N-AGU, an AS350 helicopter that had departed Lukla for Kathmandu. Almost 4 minutes after the first contact, Tower informed flight 409 about the deteriorating weather. The right base leg was covered by lifting fog though there was no rain and the final approach area was still visible. Weather deteriorated further and Tower regularly updated the flight crew. About 30 seconds after flight 409 reported entering valley, Lukla Tower again informed about the latest status of the further deteriorating weather. Flight 409 then informed that they would come up to Bhatkeko Daada and then decide. The pilot also informed they could see some bright spots. While continuing approach, both cockpit crew sighted the runway at 9100 ft. That was 64 seconds before the impact. While continuing approach the aircraft deviated to the right by almost 15 degrees and erroneously descended too low to 8500 ft whereas threshold height is 8900 ft (on Kathmandu QNH, whereas per AIP it is 9200 ft). The flight crew attempted to climb and reach the threshold in a landing configuration. The aircraft pitched up to over 25°, the airspeed dropped and the aircraft stalled. Subsequently its left wing first hit a small tree and then impacted the sloping terrain 130 feet short of the runway. The captain and copilot both sustained fatal injuries. Probable Cause: Probable Cause: The Commission concludes that the probable cause of this accident was aircraft stall as a result of excessive drag created by sudden increase in angle of attack of the aircraft supplemented by low speed (below Vref) in an attempt to initiate immediate climb on a landing configuration (full flap and landing gear down) warranted by the critical situation of the final phase of flight. The contributing factors for the accident are: a. Critical terrain and rapidly deteriorating weather condition. b. Pilot's loss of situational awareness c. Improper pilot response to stall warning including failure to advance power lever to maximum at appropriate time. d. Voilation of SOP by the ATS and Pilot as well. Accident investigation: Investigating agency: AAIC Nepal Status: Investigation completed Duration: 11 months Accident number: Final report https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20170527-0 Back to Top Allegiant Air CEO: We are very proud of our safety record Maury Gallagher Published 7:26 p.m. ET April 19, 2018 Air travelers shouldn't be concerned by one-sided and irresponsible story: Opposing view At Allegiant, we are very proud of our strong safety record. Safety is at the core of our operation - every team member, every flight, every day. A recent story called into question the safety of our airline and the effectiveness of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) oversight. Sadly, this one-sided and irresponsible piece has caused some concerns for the traveling public. Some facts: Since 2001, we have flown nearly 90 million passengers on more than 700,000 flights. Our most recent FAA audit found no systemic issues, and the few minor issues found were addressed immediately by our team of professionals. Since then, the FAA's continuous evaluations have not identified any significant issues with our current operation. In 2015, we were unhappy with the number of reliability issues we experienced, which inconvenienced our customers. These are issues that happen with every airline. In response, we are modernizing our fleet and have invested in technology, training and personnel to build for the future. We have a safety culture today that is ingrained in every Allegiant team member. My family and I fly on Allegiant. Pilots, flight attendants and other team members fly on our planes every day, without hesitation. They do so because they know that every Allegiant team member values safety above all else. Nothing less is acceptable. The most current release from the Department of Transportation shows that Allegiant is a leader in reliability, with the second-lowest rate of cancellations among all U.S. carriers. Further, per Flightstats.com, every month from October to March, Allegiant ranked first or second for the lowest rate of cancellation among major U.S. airlines. Our work is never done when it comes to your safety. We are proud of our record and thankful for the words of support received from our family of passengers for whom we have made travel possible. Maury Gallagher is chairman and CEO of Allegiant. https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2018/04/19/allegiant-air-proud-safety-record-editorials-debates/34001143/ Back to Top NTSB: Pilot had marijuana, alcohol in system during crash A federal report says a pilot who died when his small plane struck a zip line strung across an Ohio river had alcohol and marijuana in his system. The Hamilton-Middletown Journal-News reports the National Transportation Safety Board released its findings this week. The federal report says it's unclear whether 36-year Jesse Loy, of Punta Gorda, Florida, was impaired when his plane struck the zip line across the Little Miami River in Warren County in October 2016. The crash also killed 43-year-old Eric Hackney, also of Punta Gorda. The NTSB says the crash was caused by Loy's "decision to fly at low altitude." The report says the plane had no mechanical problems. Loy and Hackney had flown to Ohio to meet friends who lived in Warren County. http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/ntsb-pilot-marijuana-alcohol-system-crash-54600537 *********************** Date: 16-OCT-2016 Time: 17:45 Type: Van's RV-4 Owner/operator: Private Registration: N2626C C/n / msn: 1775 Fatalities: Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: Warren County, Turtlecreek Township, OH - United States of America Phase: Unknown Nature: Private https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=190704 Back to Top NTSB Releases Details of Daytona Beach Accident Piper wing failure points to metal fatigue. ERAU training aircraft Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's flight school's fleet of Piper Arrow training aircraft will remain grounded for the foreseeable future. An Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University spokesman confirmed the flight school's fleet of Piper Arrow training aircraft will remain grounded for the foreseeable future following the recent morning crash of a PA28R being flown by an ERAU student on an FAA flight test. The left wing of the aircraft separated from the airplane shortly after the pilot completed a touch and go landing on runway 25 Left at Daytona Beach International airport (DAB). A preliminary report released by the NTSB this week said the left wing main spar of the 2007 Arrow "revealed that more than 80 percent of the lower spar cap and portions of the forward and aft spar web doublers exhibited fracture features consistent with metal fatigue." Radar data indicated the Piper had climbed to approximately 900 feet heading southwest before radar contact was lost. A number of eye witnesses within a half mile of the aircraft all reported the aircraft operating normally until the left wing separated from the fuselage and landed in a field a few hundred feet from where the main fuselage came to rest. Both the pilot and the designated pilot examiner aboard the aircraft perished in the accident. DAB weather, reported as light winds, good visibility and high cloud layer, does not appear to have been a factor in the accident. The fractured left wing main spar portion, along with the box assembly and attached inboard end of the right-wing spar were forwarded to the NTSB Materials Laboratory for detailed examination. https://www.flyingmag.com/ntsb-releases-details-daytona-beach-accident Back to Top This airline is replacing older planes with modern jets for smoother Charlotte flights First Officer Ben Nesler (a pilot) performs a pre-flight check on a Dash-8, used for a US Airways Express flight at Charlotte Douglas International Airport. The Dash-8 fleetis being retired this summer by Piedmont Airlines Piedmont Airlines, a subsidiary of American Airlines, is retiring the last of its Dash 8 turboprop planes this summer and switching to a fleet of all Embraer 145 jets. As part of the switch, the company said Thursday that it's closing a crew base in Roanoke, Va., and opening a new crew base in Charlotte. The airline, which operates American Eagle regional flights, already employs about 1,500 ground handling, maintenance and administrative workers at Charlotte Douglas International Airport. The new additions to Charlotte will start at fewer than 100 pilots and flight attendants, but that could grow if American Airlines contracts to do more flying with Piedmont Airlines. The airline flies to short- and medium-range destinations from Charlotte, such as Wilmington, Savannah and Memphis. An American Eagles Embraer 145 regional jet. Piedmont Airlines "Piedmont has been serving the Charlotte market for decades with Dash 8 turboprop aircraft. As we transition to the Embraer jet in Charlotte and retire the Dash, it makes sense to have our crew members based in the hub," said Steve Keefer, vice president of light operations, in a statement. The Dash 8 is an older airplane whose engines include propeller blades. Seating between 37 and 48 passengers, the planes have a top speed of up to 330 mph and a maximum range just over 860 miles. The Embraer 145 seats 50, with a maximum range of more than 1,500 miles and a cruising speed of more than 500 mph. Piedmont Airlines has been adding two Embraer 145s a month for the past few years. The company now operates 42 of the Embraer jets, and the final Dash 8 will be retired July 4. Regional airlines make up an important part of the major airlines' network, especially at Charlotte Douglas, American Airlines' second-busiest hub. Before the 2013 merger of US Airways and American Airlines, the company operated flights under the US Airways Express brand. Piedmont Airlines operates about 300 flights a day for American Airlines. http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/biz-columns-blogs/development/article209328879.html Back to Top Why Airlines Need More Women Pilots The heroism of a Southwest captain shows up an unjustified gender imbalance. Photographer: Keith Holloway/National Transportation Safety Board via Getty Images Tammie Jo Shults is commercial aviation's latest hero. So why aren't there more pilots like her? The Southwest Airlines Co. captain, praised for her cool handling of a depressurization and emergency landing in Philadelphia Tuesday after the Boeing Co. 737's engine blew apart mid-flight, is still an anomaly in the airline industry. While women make up roughly half of cabin crew, among pilots that ratio slides to just 5.2 percent, according to the International Society of Women Airline Pilots. There's a larger share of women in the Saudi workforce or Indian boardrooms than in the cockpits of U.S. commercial planes. Jobs for the Boys Women make up more than 7 percent of pilots at just a handful of airlines Source: International Society of Women Air Pilots, Gadfly calculations What's most remarkable about that statistic is how persistent it's been. Amelia Earhart, Bessie Coleman, Pancho Barnes and Jean Batten first took to the skies almost a century ago. Chief executive officers Carolyn McCall and Jayne Hrdlicka rose to the top of Easyjet Plc and Qantas Airways Ltd.'s Jetstar carrier in, respectively, 2010 and 2012 -- but women still make up just 5.8 percent of Easyjet's pilots and 5 percent at Qantas. The reasons typically cited for this disparity don't come close to excusing it. Pilots certainly spend long hours away from home -- but that doesn't create the same gender imbalance among cabin crew. Training as a pilot and maintaining a commercial pilot's license can be expensive and time-consuming, typically requiring 1,500 hours of flight time at the outset and one take-off and landing every month after that -- but long-hours cultures don't hold women back to nearly such an extent in other careers, such as finance and politics. Seniority among pilots also tends to correspond to hours spent in the air, so the hierarchy is likely to be dominated by older male employees long after change starts at the bottom. Still, if senior men skew hiring and promotions toward people who resemble them, that's an issue of workplace discrimination and should be addressed as such. This Flight Tonight Women still make up just 7 percent of certified pilots in the U.S., and 13 percent of student pilots Source: U.S. Federal Aviation Administration In an industry where Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. ditched a skirts-only rule for women flight attendants just last month and Singapore Airlines Ltd. is still touting the Mad Men-esque charms of the "Singapore Girl," it's probably not all that surprising antediluvian attitudes persist. As recently as 2010, Women in Aviation International's Australian president, Tammy Augostin, recalls an instructor commenting that "If women were meant to fly airplanes, the skies would be pink." She said: "Younger people are certainly very supportive, but there is still that older mindset there." Now is as good an opportunity as there's been in years for change. With air travel booming and 637,000 more pilots needed over the next two decades, airlines already have a massive recruitment task ahead. Adding quotas and funding to encourage more women to join flight schools -- as Qantas is doing with a commitment to double intake over the coming decade -- should be seen as part and parcel of that process. Airlines also need to do far more to improve their family policies, which typically reflect the priorities of the male-dominated unions who negotiate them and which in some countries lack even basic provision for paid parental leave. This isn't just about altruism and fairness. The skill of flying a modern commercial plane is in large part a matter of good decision-making under stress. Multiple studies over the years have shown women have faster reaction times than men and tend to take fewer risks, qualities that we would all like to see in our pilots. There are sound self-interested reasons for carriers to redress the imbalance in the cockpit. https://www.bloomberg.com/gadfly/articles/2018-04-20/southwest-scare-shows-why-airlines-need-more-women-pilots Back to Top Hobby drone pilots in the EU and Switzerland will soon need a license Right now anybody in the European Union and Switzerland can simply buy a drone and start flying it right away as long as they are in compliance with the law. However, this may soon change as the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is currently drafting a law that will require aspiring hobbyist and commercial drone pilots to acquire a license before they are allowed to fly their unmanned aerial aircraft. Since Switzerland typically follows the EU aviation laws, it is expected that the new rule will apply there as well according to the Bundesamt für Zivilluftfahrt (BAZL), the Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation. The new rules may become in effect in 2019. ONLINE EXAM FOR BOTH HOBBYIST AND PROFESSIONAL PILOTS Even though specific plans are not available yet, aspiring drone pilots will most likely be required to take Internet-based courses. After successful completion of the course, the pilot will receive their drone license. The Neuer Zürcher Zeitung reported that according to BAZL communications chief Urs Holderegger drone pilots should be familiar with the applicable safety regulations. "Where and how high you are allowed to fly your drone or what influence temperature and wind can have." Hobby pilots are supposed to learn the necessary basic knowledge. It was not the goal, said Holderegger, to increase the hurdles for acquiring a drone. "But people should know what to look for when using these devices." Drones are becoming increasingly popular in the commercial and industrial sectors. The unmanned aerial devices are being used for measuring, inspecting, mapping and surveying as well as search and rescue and transportation. For the pilots who want to fly professionally, the exam questions will be more difficult and in line with what is expected of regular pilots as they must have precise knowledge of the applicable aviation rules and regulations. The new law may become in effect in 2019. FOR THE SWISS DRONE PILOTS Although there is no Federally recognized diploma in Switzerland, it is already possible to acquire a drone certification on a voluntary basis. For example, the Swiss Association of Civilian Drones (SVZD), offers drone licenses at various levels for both amateur and professional drone pilots. It serves as proof that the drone pilot has learned the drone handling training required for each level and successfully completed an exam. For amateur pilots, the online exam includes questions about the Swiss law for the operation of drones. Professional drone pilots will need in addition to the online test, successfully complete a flight demonstration in front of an expert. According to SVZD President Ueli Sager, several private and public institutions rely on the SVZD license as a quality guideline for the pilots employed by them. So far, around 250 pilots have purchased an SVZD license. The training is provided primarily by SVZD accredited flight schools and flight instructors, to whom the association provides standardized course materials. Some of the accredited drone schools are the Touring Club Switzerland, the Aviation School St. Gallen-Altenrhein and the company Remote Vision. Furthermore, there are other providers as well, who offer their own programs. The best known is probably the Siders-based Drone School "Fly & Film Drone Academy", which offers courses in various cities in western and German-speaking Switzerland and issues its own certificate to its graduates. The company also offers a BAZL-approved certificate for the operation of agricultural spray drones. According to CEO Frédéric Hemmeler, "Fly & Film" has totaled more than 220 graduates since the introduction of licensing in August 2016. Currently, it is unclear if the existing Swiss drone certificates will be recognized by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). According to Urs Holderegger of the BAZL, this can only be determined when the EASA will present more concrete information. "That would be desirable." https://dronedj.com/2018/04/19/hobby-drone-pilots-in-the-eu-and-switzerland-will-soon-need-license/ Back to Top Why China Might Be Opening Up Its Skies To The Private Aviation Industry Ralph Jennings , CONTRIBUTOR • the Chinese government is starting to see the link between private aviation and the country's prized economic growth • Estimates of the number of private jets in China range from a few hundred to around 2,000. A Citation Latitude aircraft goes on display April 17, 2018 in Shanghai. (photo by Ralph Jennings) Cars crawl along downtown streets in much of China every weekday, generating angry honks and late arrivals. To ease that of gridlock of some 20 years, Chinese urban metro systems keep expanding, and the capital Beijing restricts the numbers of cars on city roads during peak commute hours. China's skies have always kept relatively clear of private jets. Commercial airliners fly so often that the country's major airports face chronic flight delays. But now private jets-the likes of small Cessna and Gulfstream planes-have a chance to do a lot more flying. That's because the Civil Aviation Administration of China is breaking down regulations that once made it hard to develop a private jet industry, in turn helping to stimulate economic growth by letting business people travel quickly to remote places. Just last year officials changed more than 30 rules last year in favor of private fliers and related services, says Jeffrey Lowe, managing director of aircraft services firm Asian Sky Group in Hong Kong. Breakdown of old rules Just a few years ago it would take more than a week to get approval for a private jet flight, says Li Xianyong, CEO of Shanghai Easewing Aviation Consultants. It takes 24 hours now. Applications for certificates to do aircraft maintenance and repairs in mainland China would often hit snags before 2016, as well. "We're at entry level. It doesn't even count as the beginner's stage," Li says. "Over the past 10 years there's been some opening up, but it's still not convenient." But the Chinese government is starting to see the link between private aviation and the country's prized economic growth , people in the industry believe. For that reason, in 2017 the aviation administration relaxed or clarified a series of minor rules on flight paths, repair work and unmanned aircraft. The director general of the administration's eastern region impressed those changes on industry people at a conference in Shanghai this week. The government's moves so far amount to "tinkering at the edges," says David Dixon, president of the business aircraft seller and Jetcraft Asia. Chinese aviation officials are also opening up bit by bit access to low-altitude airspace, per this U.S. government report. In 2010 they issued a document calling for "liberalization" of airspace under 4,000 meters with a goal of opening skies below 3,000 meters by 2020, the report says. Those measures favor smaller private aircraft that can't fly too high. They technically allow the aviation authority to open more air routes as well to a broad category of flights known as general aviation. Jet operators ready to fill the sky Estimates of the number of private jets in China range from a few hundred to around 2,000. Asian Sky Group says the registered "fleet" of private jets in mainland China rose to 339 last year from 299 in 2015. Passengers include wealthy individuals as well as corporate staff people who need fast access to clients or properties that are tough to reach by commercial airlines. Aircraft vendors are already getting more orders in China. French aircraft maker Dassault's China sales for Falcon-model aircraft, for example, have jumped to 50% of its Asia Pacific total after climbing since 2013, Aviation Week magazine says. Its American peer Gulfstream Aerospace's China fleet has grown 50% over he past five years to 120, according to a company publicist. Gulfstream Aerospace business jets are on display on the first day of the Asian Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition April 17, 2018 in Shanghai. (Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images) Operators still hope for faster approval of flight plans by private jet and for more well-located airports that can smoothly handle them. Today 310 airports accept private aircraft, and China has set a goal for 500 by 2020. Aviators now use less convenient landing spots for lack of access to the major airports. "The need has been there for a while. I think there are a lot of regulations that need to be in place," says Juliane von Heimendahl, chief marketing officer with the private jet operator Luxaviation. "People thought it would go faster. It's been really slow. Things are going for the better, but I don't think we're where we want to be." https://www.forbes.com/sites/ralphjennings/2018/04/19/first-private-cars-caused-congestion-in-china-are-private-planes-next/#7386b8e47bd2 Back to Top Traumatic Stress Claims Expected from Southwest Airlines Engine Failure By Christopher Yasiejko Being on an airplane more than six miles in the air when an engine blows up and sends shrapnel through a window is an experience so scary that aviation lawyers say it's not just the family of the woman killed on a Southwest Airlines Co. flight this week who could have a case. "All of the passengers here, and the crew, will likely have claims," said Robert Clifford, founder of Chicago-based Clifford Law Offices, who's been involved in every domestic commercial aviation disaster since the 1970s. "Even if these people were not physically injured," he said, "many, many of them will experience symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder." The people who were sending "videos to their families, saying, 'These are my last words to you,' which is something that did occur in this incident, that kind of person will live with that for the rest of their life," he said. The plane was carrying 149 people, including 5 crew. Days after a jet engine exploded about 32,500 feet over Pennsylvania 20 minutes into a flight, federal and corporate inspectors are examining what happened. The National Transportation Safety Board said it will take at least a year to pinpoint what caused the engine failure that led to the first fatality on a U.S.-registered airline in more than nine years. Immediate Needs In the meantime, several experts with knowledge of commercial airline disasters said that Southwest will likely lead the charge to work with passengers and their families. In cases of serious injury or death, an airline will usually advance funds to help passengers with immediate needs. George Hamlin, a transportation consultant based in Fairfax, Va., who has worked with airlines and commercial aviation suppliers, said that although he's not sure "non-physical injury" would be covered under that scenario, Southwest's reputation suggests the company will go to some lengths to appease people who were on the flight. Still, that may not preclude litigation down the road, though the precedent for liability based on emotional trauma or non-serious injuries is ambiguous. Clifford is particularly attuned to what forced Flight 1380 to abort its route to Dallas and land instead in Philadelphia. He was lead counsel for survivors of a DC-10 that crashed in Sioux City, Iowa, in July 1989. One hundred twelve people died and 184 survived. Sponsored by Insurance Technologies Corp. (ITC) "Uncontained engine failures, in which parts of the engine burst through the protective casing called a cowling, have a special history for me in my work," he said. Engine Components Technical experts from Boeing Co., which makes the 737 jetliner involved in the incident, and engine maker CFM International, a venture of General Electric Co. and France's Safran SA, are gathering clues about what caused the accident. Southwest workers, Clifford said, cannot sue their employer. They would, however, have standing to sue General Electric or the manufacturer of any faulty component of the engine. GE, Boeing and Southwest will probably pool funding for settlements and sort out reimbursements later, according to Clifford. Every commercial plane in the sky is insured for anywhere from $1.85 billion to $2.1 billion. Each company involved has its own insurance coverage, he said. "All of those insurance interests have already gotten together," Clifford said, "and somebody's on point for dealing with these cases." A spokesman for Boeing declined to comment. Representatives of Southwest and General Electric didn't immediately respond to requests for comment sent outside regular business hours. Early Shock At Wisner Law Firm in Geneva, Illinois, clients who are parties in litigation related to an American Airlines Group Inc. engine that exploded on a Chicago runway in 2016 have been calling to ask how Tuesday's incident might affect their case, according to Alexandra Wisner, a partner at the firm. The clients are saying, "'That's exactly what we were afraid would happen, that this would happen in-flight, and that's why we were all so fearful of our lives,"' she said. People are typically still in shock during the first few days after such an event, Wisner said. Sometimes, they're not aware that they could have a claim. "They think, 'Well, I didn't have some kind of big injury,"' she said, so they don't realize that any remedy is available. Under domestic law, Wisner said, "there is an argument that there is a contemporaneous injury here, a physical one. It can range from things like the inhalation of smoke, to having turbulence - being jerked around in the plane. Depending on how exactly the evacuation went, if people were being knocked into each other - it really depends on the facts of the case." Wisner has represented passengers in a number of incidents that have included in-flight turbulence or an emergency evacuation. Southwest, she said, might already be reaching out to passengers, asking if they're all right and whether they needed any sort of treatment. On international flights, the Montreal Convention governs liability, so any passengers who were on one leg of an international trip would be covered by those standards. But with international tickets, "fright alone" hasn't traditionally been a recoverable claim, according to one experienced aviation lawyer who asked not to be identified because of potential involvement in future litigation. If you have an airline that dropped 30,000 feet and all the engines went off, you couldn't recover for the fright unless you were physically injured, he said. There are examples of what not to do, according to Wisner. In the days after the American Airlines incident on the Chicago tarmac, she said American offered her clients frequent-flier points and vouchers. "They were actually insulted by it," she said, "because they felt that's not going to compensate them for the horror that they went through on that day." https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2018/04/19/486819.htm Back to Top Southwest 1380 The End of Two Eras By Roger Rapoport Flight Safety Information Associate Editor In June 2009 when I began working on a book about the worst commercial aviation disaster in French history, a story that would also inspire a feature film, it never occurred to me that America was at the beginning of a record breaking period in aviation history. During that nine year period not a single commercial airline passenger was lost on an American air carrier. Considering that there have been over 100 non-American commercial airline accidents around the world that same nine year period, including three this year, the tragic death of a passenger on a New York to Dallas flight following an uncontained engine failure underscores two things, how far commercial aviation has come in recent years on the safety front and how far it still has to go. At Pilot Error screenings around the country, guest pilot speakers from top airlines, major business aviation fleets and the military frequently told me in private that it was only a matter of time before the next fatal American aviation accident happened. Their best guess was that it would be an unprecedented event like the one that occurred April 17. Interestingly, none of them suggested that this event could center around one of the most reliable features of aviation, the jet engine. As it turns out this accident also ended one of the most enviable records in American aviation history. After 47 years of operation Southwest Airlines, the operator of flight 1380 from New York to Dallas, had its first passenger fatality. Ironically American commercial aviation's impressive nine year fatality free streak has ended with an accident on a carrier with a safety record that would make any airline proud. The problem centers around the uncontained failure of one of the airline's CFM56-7B engines. This engine, is now, of course subject to a new FAA airworthiness directive aimed at making sure this kind of event never happens again. What is not in doubt is the outstanding performance of the flight crew, a credit to their training and experience at Southwest. Their good work was, of course, made possible in part by the behind the scenes team that is critical to the success of every flight. Passengers who wonder exactly what pilots are doing up there in our current automation age, now have a solid answer. Acting in the moment, this crew responded to the emergency in a manner that is a credit to their profession. Watching two impressive air safety records fall in seconds is certainly not something anyone would have expected. Both American aviation and Southwest Airlines now have an opportunity to use this tragic learning experience to contribute to safer flying. Making that happen is not just a matter of accident analysis. It also depends on rethinking some of the assumptions surrounding the industry. Preventing accidents is so much more than simply breaking down what went wrong on one engine. In the long run the industry needs to assume that surprises such as the one that happened to Southwest are endemic. Knowing how to deal with those surprises is the key to safer flying. As we all know, past success can not prevent future failures. The primacy of first class pilot training and addition of safety systems such as angle of attack indicators are two key areas of concern. What also matters is the fact that even the safest of airlines with a great training department remains vulnerable to unique and unexpected events. Because that will always be true, industry can never assume that it has all the answers. While the learning curve today may not be as steep as it once was, plenty of opportunities remain to make flying safer. Roger Rapoport is the coauthor of Angle of Attack (Lexographic Press) with Shem Malmquist and the producer of the feature film Pilot Error. He can be reached at rogerdrapoport@me.com Copyright 2018 Roger Rapoport Back to Top POSITION AVAILABLE: FOQA SPECIALIST Processes day-to-day Flight Operational Quality Assurance (FOQA) data using the Ground Data Replay Analysis System (GDRAS) and performs routine data analysis. Creates weekly and monthly deliverables in addition to working with Gatekeepers and other members of Safety and FOQA Management Team (FMT). 50%: Supports the FOQA Program Manager with daily administration of the FOQA efforts to ensure analysis of flight data for improved flight safety including validation of FOQA events, identification of events for Gatekeeper contacts and identification of events for Maintenance reporting 20%: Performs data analysis, root cause analysis and determines corrective actions of digital flight data to determine adverse events, trends in flight and maintenance operations. Coordinates and validates aircraft specific event definitions. Maintains and identifies new FOQA events, and manages documentation supporting these functions. 20%: Prepares flight operations trending analysis charts and reports. Compiles and presents FOQA data summaries to enhance training, maintenance, flight operations. Performs specialized studies and fulfills special data requests. Assists in the creation of safety and FOQA department publications. Prepares reports, presentations, and statistical data required to identify trends for safety enhancement. 10%: Oversees data collection process of aircraft fleet in conjunction with Maintenance MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: Education Level: Bachelor's Degree Course of Study/Major: Aviation, flight technology, engineering, statistics or related area or a combination of education and experience. Related Work Experience: 0-2 years Required • Basic computer programming and statistical methods experience. • Strong work ethic, ability to work in a fast-paced environment and a positive attitude toward teamwork. • Previous experience maintaining and enhancing corporate safety standards and safe operation practices. • Extensive working knowledge of Microsoft Office Programs, including spreadsheet and database applications. • Travel up to 10% of the time, including overnight stays. Preferred • FAA Commercial Pilot License or higher • Prior experience with Austin Digital or equivalent GDRAS platforms • Knowledge of aircraft flight data recorders • Previous work experience, preferably in 14 CFR Part 121 or 135 air carrier operations; quality control, maintenance, operations, safety or a combination of these areas. **TO APPLY: please visit our career page at: https://www.netjets.com, requisition #1890** "Human Factors in Flight Safety" training, Lisbon, Portugal June 2018: Registrations now open Registrations are now open for the EAAP-recognised "Human Factors in Flight Safety" training course to be held in Lisbon from 25-29 June 2018. NetJets will kindly host the course at their European HQ in Lisbon. Full details are provided in the course Information and Registration Brochure, available from the EAAP (European Association for Aviation Psychology) website: https://www.eaap.net/read/4212/initial-human-factors-in-flight-safety.html The experienced team of Brent Hayward and Dr Alan Hobbs will conduct this training course on behalf of EAAP. This year's course will also feature several special guest speakers. The first of these courses was conducted by at Ispra, Italy in 1999, and since then the course has been continually updated and held regularly in locations including Luxembourg, Stockholm, Madrid, Lisbon, Interlaken, Dublin, Dubai and Barcelona, with a total of more than 450 participants attending to date. As detailed in the Information and Registration Brochure, there is a significant "Early Bird" discount for those who register by 22 May 2018. EAAP members are offered further reduced registration fees. Please note that completion of this training course is recognised by EAAP as contributing towards requirements for those wishing to become an EAAP-certified Aviation Psychologist or Human Factors Specialist. Course participant numbers are limited, so those wishing to attend are encouraged to register and make hotel bookings as soon as possible. Those with any questions about the course, please email Brent Hayward: bhayward@dedale.net Back to Top RESEARCH SURVEY - I Dear Participants, I would like to have some help with a questionnaire I created (only 8 questions) aiming to find it if Aviation Industry understands Safety as an organizational or corporate value. I would be grateful if you could disseminate the surveymonkey link SURVEY LINK: Is Safety an Organisational Value? Survey (https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/65MM65D) The Survey ends on April the 22nd and I will create and report with the findings and my opinion at May the 15th.I could send you also the report when is ready. Thank you in advance for your assistance Kind Regards Dimitrios Soukeras,MBA(ER) Lieutenant Colonel HAA(Ret.)-Helicopter Pilot SJSU Faculty Member Office:+302661054690 Mobile:+306947006664 Email: d.soukeras@yahoo.com P.O. BOX 391, 49100 CORFU , GREECE Back to Top RESEARCH SURVEY - II Dear Participants, You are being asked to participate in a research study of your experience on retaining your manual flying skills during flight. This survey study is expected to take approximately 5 minutes of your time. In order to participate, you must be at least 18 years old and currently employed as an airline transport pilot in the United States. Participation in this study is voluntary, and you may choose to opt out of the study at any time. If you choose to opt out, your data will be destroyed. We appreciate your consideration and time to complete our study. Please click on or copy and paste the URL below: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/R8NCDGC For more information, please contact: Gajapriya Tamilselvan: gtamilselvan2014@my.fit.edu Or Dr. Scott Winter: winte25e@erau.edu We appreciate your interest and participation! Back to Top GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY - 1 Dear Participant: Graduate students at Lewis University have invited you to participate in a research project entitled: Evaluating, Attitudes, and Opinions on the Cyber Threat Vulnerabilities of Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast. The purpose of this survey is to collect survey data from the aviation communities on beliefs of current ADS-B security and its present issues. This study has been approved by Lewis University's Institutional Review Board (IRB). The survey is anonymous. Participation in this research is completely voluntary and you may refuse to participate without consequence. The survey will take approximately ten minutes to complete. If you would like to know the results of this research, contact faculty advisor Dr. Erik Baker at bakerer@lewisu.edu. Thank you for your consideration. Your help is greatly appreciated. Survey link: https://goo.gl/forms/MP1833a6acHXBLGn2 Back to Top GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY - 2 Dear Participant: Hello my name is DEREK HAYNES and I am an MSc student at City University of London and a Captain on the B787. However would you kindly please spare me a few minutes of your valuable time to complete my Air Transport Management MSc Jet Airline Pilot Survey - preferably by 30th April 2018, (it is anonymous). It takes <10 mins. Thanks a million, Derek. The survey can be completed here: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/TWKHCFK Curt Lewis