Flight Safety Information September 7, 2018 - No. 183 In This Issue Incident: Aeroflot B738 near Novosibirsk on Sep 6th 2018, cracked windshield Incident: TAROM B737 over Germany on Sep 6th 2018, loss of communication prompts intercept Incident: Delta B752 at Atlanta on Sep 5th 2018, uncontained engine failure Cessna 340 Fatal Accident (Michigan) Private jet makes emergency landing in North Platte after man threatens to kill passengers Charter Jet Almost Hit Four Planes While Landing in Philadelphia Microburst factor in Aeroméxico Embraer ERJ-190 takeoff accident at Durango, Mexico Mexican airline fires 3 pilots involved in Durango crash LIBIK Fire Suppression Kits for the Cabin and Flight Deck. 'NALL REPORT' NOTES SAFETY GAINS Many Major Airports Are Near Sea Level. A Disaster in Japan Shows What Can Go Wrong Airplane Modems Not Vulnerable to 'Backdoor' Cyber Attacks British Airways app and website hack exposes full card details of 380,000 customers First lawsuits in Cuban plane crash that killed 112 have been filed - in a U.S. court TSA faces tough questions about airline safety, security Arista Aviation wins second FAA Diamond Award Aviation technicians to be in high demand; average wage $23 an hour The surprising country with more female pilots than any other Hole That Caused Leak in Russian Spacecraft Possibly Traced to Assembly or Testing: Report September/October 2018 Issue of FAA Safety Briefing Magazine RESEARCH STUDY 2018 International Aviation Safety and Education Summit "Bring Your Plane to Work Day" Fly-In & Career Day Automated Vehicles & Meteorology Summit...23-24 October 2018 Become a BowTie Expert (Until September 1st take advantage of the early bird fee) NTSB Basic Aircraft Accident Investigation Course (AS101) How do you track safety? Incident: Aeroflot B738 near Novosibirsk on Sep 6th 2018, cracked windshield An Aeroflot Boeing 737-800, registration VP-BML performing flight SU-1451 from Kemerovo to Moscow Sheremetyevo (Russia) with 154 passengers on board, was enroute at FL300 about 90nm northwest of Novosibirsk (Russia) when the crew reported a cracked windshield and descended the aircraft to FL100 reporting it was the inner layer of the windshield, that had cracked. The aircraft diverted to Novosibirsk, entered a hold at FL070 to burn off fuel and landed safely in Novosibirsk about 90 minutes after leaving FL300. A replacement Boeing 737-800 registration VP-BKF reached Moscow with a delay with 9:40 hours. The occurrence aircraft returned to service about 12 hours after landing. http://avherald.com/h?article=4bd56334&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: TAROM B737 over Germany on Sep 6th 2018, loss of communication prompts intercept A TAROM Boeing 737-700, registration YR-BGG performing flight RO-371 from Bucharest Otopeni (Romania) to Brussels (Belgium), was enroute at FL400 over Germany when the communication with ATC was lost following a hand off. Two Eurofighters were dispatched to intercept the aircraft near Frankfurt/Main (Germany), the Eurofighters broke the sound barrier at about 09:04 (07:04Z) causing two bangs on the ground. Shortly after the Eurofighters reached the Boeing the Boeing crew finally reported on the emergency frequency that they hadn't monitored prior to the arrival of the fighter aircraft, was told the correct frequency and established regular contact with ATC explaining they had selected a wrong frequency. The Eurofighters returned to their base at Neuburg in Bavaria, the Boeing continued to their destination for a safe landing about 30 minutes later. http://avherald.com/h?article=4bd560ae&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Delta B752 at Atlanta on Sep 5th 2018, uncontained engine failure A Delta Airlines Boeing 757-200, registration N668DN performing flight DL-1418 from Atlanta,GA to Orlando,FL (USA) with 127 people on board, was climbing out of Atlanta's runway 08R when the crew stopped the climb at FL180 due to the failure of the right hand engine (PW2037). The crew shut the engine down and returned to Atlanta for a safe landing on runway 09R. The aircraft taxied to the apron following inspection of the engine by emergency services. The NTSB reported they are investigating a reported uncontained engine failure on flight DL-1418. The crew shut the engine down and the aircraft returned to Atlanta for a safe landing. There were no injuries. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL1418/history/20180906/0240Z/KATL/KMCO http://avherald.com/h?article=4bd540ea&opt=0 **************** NTSB investigating report of engine failure on a Delta jet Safety investigators said Thursday that they are looking into a reported engine breakdown on a Delta Air Lines jet shortly after takeoff. The National Transportation Safety Board tweeted that it was investigating a reported "uncontained" engine failure on Wednesday night's Delta Flight 1418 from Atlanta to Orlando, Florida. The NTSB said the crew of the 27-year-old Boeing 757-200 jet with 121 passengers and six Delta employees on board shut down the engine and returned safely to Atlanta. The NTSB said there were no injuries. An uncontained failure occurs when rotating engine parts break off, creating shrapnel that can damage other areas of the plane. A broken fan blade caused an uncontained engine failure on a Southwest Airlines plane that killed a passenger earlier this year. An NTSB spokesman declined to comment about the Delta incident beyond the tweet. Anthony Black, a spokesman for Atlanta-based Delta, issued a statement saying the plane "experienced a maintenance issue." He said Delta was cooperating with the NTSB and will replace the engine when the investigation is over. Jenny Dervin, a spokeswoman for engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney said the company was participating in the investigation. She declined to comment further. According to data captured by tracking service FlightAware.com, the Delta jet took off shortly after 11 p.m. and climbed to about 18,000 feet in eight minutes before slowing down, leveling off, and then beginning a measured descent back to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The plane was in the air for about 28 minutes. Modern airliners are designed - and pilots are trained - to fly safely with one engine. The greatest danger posed by engine failure is that broken pieces can be spit out at high speed, damaging controls, fuel tanks or the fuselage. That is what happened on Southwest Flight 1380 as it cruised 32,000 feet over Pennsylvania on April 17. A woman was fatally injured when she was pushed partly out of a window broken by flying debris. The pilots were able to land in Philadelphia without serious injuries to other passengers. The Southwest engine was made by a different company, a joint venture of General Electric and France's Safran SA. The NTSB plans a hearing on the Southwest case Nov. 14. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/ntsb-investigating-report-engine-failure-170337248.html Back to Top Cessna 340 Fatal Accident (Michigan) Date: 06-SEP-2018 Time: 23:46 LT Type: Cessna 340A Owner/operator: Flex Air Services Inc Registration: C-GLKX C/n / msn: 340A1221 Fatalities: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: Kimball Township, MI - United States of America Phase: Approach Nature: Private Departure airport: St. Thomas Municipal (YQS/CYQS) Destination airport: St. Clair County International Airport, MI (PHN/KPHN) Narrative: Following a loss of engine power, the aircraft impacted open fields near Yager Road, east of Wadhams Road, while on the way to St. Clair County International Airport. The Canadian registered aircraft sustained substantial damage and the sole pilot was fatally injured. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=215156 Back to Top Private jet makes emergency landing in North Platte after man threatens to kill passengers A private jet on a cross-country flight made an emergency landing in North Platte on Monday after a passenger became combative, throwing things at passengers and threatening their lives. The 23-year-old man, who is from Las Vegas, has been charged in U.S. District Court in Nebraska with interfering with flight crew members and attendants. The 12-person jet was en route from Las Vegas to New York, but problems began about 45 minutes after departure. According to the federal arrest affidavit, the man yelled and cursed at others on the plane, threatening to "kill them and their children" by chopping off their heads. He threw whatever he could reach at passengers, pounded on the windows and banged his head on the walls. One of the pilots tried to calm him, with no success, and realizing that the situation was out of control, declared an emergency. Because the doors to the jet's cockpit weren't fortified, the pilot told the men on the flight to do whatever it took to restrain the man. A flight attendant armed herself with an oxygen bottle, and the pilot went back to the cockpit, where he barricaded himself and the flight crew inside. The jet landed at Lee Bird Field in North Platte, where three North Platte police officers and three Lincoln County sheriff's officers were waiting. When authorities boarded the jet, the man was yelling something incomprehensible as he stood among four seated passengers near the cockpit. The man didn't acknowledge the officers, who used a Taser to subdue him. The man was taken to Great Plains Hospital to be checked out before being taken to Lincoln County Jail. Authorities found 45 grams of marijuana and $13,250 in the man's luggage. According to the affidavit, the jet was operated by Jet Edge Company, which provides luxury jet transportation. Jet Edge is owned by Geh Air Transportation LLC in care of the Clinton Group of New York, the affidavit indicated. https://www.omaha.com/news/crime/private-jet-makes-emergency-landing-in-north-platte-after- man/article_b0803684-91db-5896-ad9e-29b67d764b6f.html Back to Top Charter Jet Almost Hit Four Planes While Landing in Philadelphia By Ryan Beene and Alan Levin * August incident is among at least four recent similar cases * NTSB announces probe of flight that missed planes by 200 feet A charter jet missed four taxiing airplanes by as little as 200 feet after it mistakenly lined up with a taxiway instead of the nearby runway, the National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday. The Aug. 10 incident at Philadelphia International Airport is one of at least four similar cases since July 7, 2017, when an Air Canada plane missed four others on the ground in San Francisco by only a few feet. Collisions between airliners on the ground have been among the most deadly kinds of aviation accidents. A Gulfstream IV charter jet operated by Pegasus Elite Aviation was cleared to land on runway 35, but instead pilots aimed for a parallel stretch of pavement just to the left, the NTSB said in a preliminary report. The pilot aborted the landing and started climbing about 1/10 of a mile before the runway. It flew just 200 feet (61 meters) above an Embraer SA regional jet and then passed above the three other planes, NTSB said. There were no injuries or damage to the planes, the NTSB said. Lights identifying the end of the runway where the Pegasus jet should have landed were out of service, as were lights marking the approach path, the NTSB said. The NTSB's preliminary report does not provide a probable cause for the incident. The Gulfstream IV, made by a division of General Dynamics Corp., is one of the larger long-range corporate jets on the market. In a 2017 incident, an Air Canada plane tried to land on a taxiway at San Francisco International Airport. The plane came within 59 feet (18 meters) of the ground and the first plane it passed over has a tail that is 56 feet high, according to NTSB and aircraft manufacturer data. NTSB is holding a meeting on Sept. 25 to conclude the cause of the San Francisco incident. The agency is also investigating an incident on Dec. 29 in which a Horizon Air flight landed on a taxiway in Pullman, Washington. No one was injured. Horizon is owned by Alaska Air Group Inc. A Delta Air Lines Inc. plane also lined up with a taxiway instead of the runway in Atlanta on Nov. 29, according to the NTSB. It came within 60 feet (18 meters) of the ground before climbing. The NTSB has warned about the risk of collisions on the ground for decades. The highest death toll ever recorded in an airline accident occurred on the ground when two Boeing Co. 747s collided on a runway in 1977 in Tenerife, Canary Islands, killing 574 people. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-09-06/charter-nearly-hit-four-taxiing-jets-at-philadelphia- airport Back to Top Microburst factor in Aeroméxico Embraer ERJ-190 takeoff accident at Durango, Mexico Investigators issued a preliminary report on the Aeroméxico Embraer ERJ-190 takeoff accident at Durango, Mexico, stating a microburst (windshear) event was a factor. On July 31, 2018, Aeroméxico Flight AM2431 operated by an Aeroméxico Connect Embraer ERJ-190 impacted airport terrain shortly after commencing takeoff from runway 03 at Guadalupe Victoria International Airport (MMDO), Durango, and a post-impact fire ensued. All 105 occupants survived. The investigators issued a preliminary report on September 5, stating the flight encountered a microburst (windshear) phenomenon with descending and rapidly changing wind. In more detail the flight data recorder shows that the aircraft commenced the takeoff roll on runway 03 at 15:22 hours local time. During the takeoff roll there were notable variations in airspeed and wind direction. At 15:22:42 hours, the aircraft was accelerating through an airspeed of 146 knots. Wind at that time was 47 degrees (from the right-hand side) at 33 knots. Eight seconds later the aircraft had rotated and was climbing through 8 feet radio altitude at an airspeed of 145 knots. By that time the wind had shifted to a crosswind: 103 degrees at 11 knots. The aircraft reached a highest altitude of about 30 feet. At 15:22:56 hours, the aircraft had descended to 19 feet and was caught in a 22-knot tailwind of 30 degrees. The aircraft then hit the ground to the left of the runway. The investigation is ongoing. The final results will be published in November 2018. https://news.aviation-safety.net/2018/09/06/microburst-factor-in-aeromexico-embraer-erj-190-takeoff- accident-at-durango-mexico/ Back to Top Mexican airline fires 3 pilots involved in Durango crash Mexican airline Aeromexico says it has fired three pilots involved in an accident that saw a jet crash belly- down into a field in July. Investigators said earlier that a trainee pilot was improperly seated in the co-pilot's seat when the plane took off. They said the plane's commanding officer took over controls from the trainee just before the crash. The airline said in a letter to employees published Thursday that the pilots' actions were "in direct violation of our company's policies, manuals and procedures." Investigators blamed a sudden downdraft known as a microburst for bringing the jet, and said there was no evidence of pilot error. All 103 people aboard survived, some with injuries, in the July 31 crash. https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/mexican-airline-fires-pilots-involved-durango-crash- 57654324 Back to Top Back to Top 'NALL REPORT' NOTES SAFETY GAINS General aviation's energetic efforts to reduce fatal aircraft accidents continued to produce encouraging results in 2015, and the overall accident rate per 100,000 flight hours also declined even as total flight hours increased, according to the Twenty-seventh Joseph T. Nall Report, released by the AOPA Air Safety Institute. The fatal accident rate fell below one fatal event per 100,000 hours in a year during which there were 1,173 total accidents, of which 221 were fatal, with 375 total fatalities, the report noted. The fatal accident rate declined to 0.84 per 100,000 hours for the year in which the FAA estimated flight time of about 23.98 million flight hours-a 3.6-percent increase over 2014. The decline in fatal accidents reversed a slight uptick in 2014 to 1.19 per 100,000 hours. Getting back in the air is easier than ever "So we're flying more and having fewer fatalities," wrote Air Safety Institute Executive Director Richard McSpadden in his Publisher's View column in the new Nall Report. Noting that the increased flight hours likely were the reason total accidents increase by 10 from 2014 to 2015, the report was highlighted by data that appeared to confirm that the general aviation industry's extensive outreach on safety was making its mark. "While the number of total accidents increased from 2014 to 2015, the number of fatal accidents saw a 4- percent decrease, down from 229 in 2014 to 221 in 2015," it said. "This decrease in GA fatal accidents can be attributed to numerous industry initiatives designed to reduce those accidents by one percent every year from 2008 to 2018. Meanwhile, the safety community is working to reduce accidents throughout all of GA." The Nall Report analyzes data from the most recent year for which at least 80 percent of accidents have had the probable cause determined. The data for 2015 include qualifying accidents for which the National Transportation Safety Board had determined more than 94 percent of probable causes. The remaining accidents were categorized based on preliminary information. The rate of accidents and fatal accidents, not totals of the accident types, is used in data analysis because total flight activity nationwide can vary substantially from year to year. Flight activity is estimated based on the FAA's annual General Aviation and Part 135 Activity Survey, which tabulates aircraft activity by category and class, and purpose of flight, as well as other characteristics. Pilot-related accidents The 2015 data on accident causes confirmed that the industry's emphasis on training is correctly focused, revealing that pilot-related accident causes stubbornly remain the major causes of non-commercial fixed- wing aircraft accidents-at the root of roughly 74 percent of total accidents and fatal accidents. However, the total of 714 pilot-related accidents reached its lowest level in 10 years, after spiking in 2014. Mechanical-related accidents accounted for about 16 percent of pilot-related accidents, and 8 percent of fatal accidents. Other and unknown causes accounted for 10 percent of accidents and 17 percent of fatal accidents. "While these numbers follow a long trend of data and appear consistent year to year, progress is being made to reduce the types of pilot- and mechanical related accidents," the report notes, adding that over the prior 10 years, "we can see a general downward trend from 2012 onward." Still, McSpadden wrote, a fatality is one too many, and he urged all general aviation stakeholders to guard against complacency and work to find new ways to improve "knowledge, training, proficiency, equipment, and culture." The Air Safety Institute also released the 2016-2017 GA Accident Scorecard, a brief statistical summary that supplements the Nall Report's detailed examination of 2015 data. It noted that for the third consecutive year, the overall GA fatal accident rate declined. "Initial data from 2017 indicates that 2017 will reveal a fourth straight year as well," it said. The Air Safety Institute, funded by donations to the AOPA Foundation, provides free educational resources and supports initiatives that improve general aviation safety and grow the pilot population including award- winning online courses, in-person seminars, flight instructor renewal courses, and accident analysis-all created with the goal of helping all pilots fly more safely. The Nall Report honors the memory of Joe Nall, an NTSB member who died as a passenger in an airplane accident in Caracas, Venezuela, in 1989. https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2018/september/06/27th-nall-report-notes-more-safety- gains Back to Top Many Major Airports Are Near Sea Level. A Disaster in Japan Shows What Can Go Wrong. Kansai airport, which serves Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe, was inundated this past week when a typhoon hit Japan.CreditCreditKentaro Ikushima/Mainichi Newspaper, via Associated Press As a powerful typhoon tore through Japan this week, travelers at Kansai International Airport looked out on a terrifying void: Where there should have seen the runway, they saw only the sea. They also saw what could be a perilous future for low-lying airports around the world, increasingly vulnerable to the rising sea levels and more extreme storms brought about by climate change. A quarter of the world's 100 busiest airports are less than 10 meters, or 32 feet, above sea level, according to an analysis from Airports Council International and OpenFlights. Twelve of those airports - including hubs in Shanghai, Rome, San Francisco and New York - are less than 5 meters above sea level. "We were trapped," said Takayuki Kobata, a web entrepreneur who had hoped to board a Honolulu-bound plane from Kansai, a vast airport on an artificial island near Osaka. "We just had to wait for the storm to blow over." He spent close to 36 hours trying to find a way off the flooded island, a task further complicated by a ship that ripped from its moorings and crashed into the bridge from the airport to Osaka, severely damaging the roadway. Passengers stranded at Kansai on Wednesday. CreditJiji Press/Agence France-Presse - Getty Images The threat from rising waters comes as a reckoning for an industry that ranks among the major contributors to climate change. Air travel accounts for about 3 percent of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, but is one of the fastest-growing emissions sources. Given current trends, emissions from international air travel will triple by 2050, the International Civil Aviation Organization has predicted. As the aviation industry grapples with its carbon footprint, it has also started to feel the effects of global warming. Extreme heat can ground planes because hotter, lighter air makes achieving lift difficult. A changing climate can also increase turbulence. Low-lying areas along the water have long been seen as ideal sites for building new runways and terminals, because there are fewer obstacles for the planes during takeoff and landing, and less potential for noise complaints. But coasts also provide few natural protections against flooding or high winds. All told, extreme weather and rising sea levels today pose one of the most urgent threats to many of the world's busiest airports, which often weren't designed with global warming in mind. Hurricane Sandy in 2012 inundated all three airports that serve New York City, crippling travel for days. Typhoon Goni closed runways at Hongqiao International Airport outside Shanghai in 2015, forcing passengers and crew members to teeter on improvised bridges of tables and chairs as they tried to reach dry ground. The worst floods in nearly a century in Kerala, India, killed more than 400 people last month, and the deluge caused Cochin Airport, a regional hub, to close for two weeks. "We know that there are going to be impacts. And we expect those impacts to become serious," said Michael Rossell, deputy director-general at Airports Council International, a group representing airports from across the world. "Recognizing the problem is the first step, and recognizing the severity is the second. The third is: What can we do about it?" Many airports have started to bolster their defenses. St. Paul Downtown Airport in Minnesota, which has been frequently flooded by the Mississippi, now has a portable flood wall that can be erected if the river starts to overflow. With the help of a $28 million federal grant, La Guardia Airport in New York is adding a flood wall, rainwater pumps and a new drainage system for the airfield, as well as upgrading its emergency electrical substations and generators. Kansai airport, which serves the bustling cities of Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe and handled almost 28 million travelers last year, faces an additional predicament. A feat of modern engineering, Kansai sits on an island three miles offshore that was built over the course of a decade from two mountains' worth of gravel and sand. The airport, which opened in 1994, was built in Osaka Bay partly to minimize noise problems but also to avoid the violent protests over land rights that are the legacy of older airports in Japan, like Narita, which serves Tokyo. Signs of trouble came early. Engineers had expected the island to sink, on average, less than a foot a year over 50 years after the start of construction as the seabed settled under the airport's weight. But the island sank more than 30 feet in its first seven years and has continued to descend, now losing 43 feet in elevation at the last measurement. At that rate, at least one of the airport's two runways will slip under the waves completely by 2058, according to dire predictions made in a 2015 paper by Gholamreza Mesri, a civil engineering professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and J.R. Funk, a geotechnical engineer. And with sea levels rising because of climate change, Professor Mesri added, the airport could be underwater even sooner. "You won't have an airport, you'll have a lake," he said. The doomsday forecast from the American researchers has enraged some in the Japanese engineering community. "It's irresponsible," said Prof. Yoichi Watabe of the engineering faculty at Hokkaido University, who has researched Kansai airport's woes. He conceded, though, that the prediction was not entirely implausible. Even so, Professor Watabe said, the study assumed that Japan, a nation with a sterling reputation for advanced engineering, "will just watch it sink with our thumbs in our mouths." "We will not," he said. To stay above the waves, Kansai airport is pumping water from the seabed beneath the island to speed up the settlement process. The main terminal rests on giant stilts that can be jacked up to keep the foundation level. The airport also uses giant pumps to drain its airfield after heavy rain, and has added to a series of sea walls on the island's perimeter. Engineers had boasted that the walls were tall enough to withstand storms as strong as a major 1961 typhoon that caused the sea to surge nine feet. But Typhoon Jebi, which killed 11 as it tore through west Japan this week, generated a storm surge that reached almost 11 feet, a record for Osaka Bay. Waves crashed over the airport's sea walls and swamped its pumps, officials said. To make things worse, an oil tanker unmoored by the powerful typhoon's 130 mile-per-hour winds struck and damaged the only bridge to the mainland. With nowhere to go, 8,000 people huddled in darkened terminals overnight as waves lapped at the buildings' walls, before emergency ferries and buses found a way to navigate the mangled bridge and shuttled passengers to safety. What on Earth Is Going On? Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get our latest stories and insights about climate change - along with answers to your questions and tips on how to help. It remains unclear when the battered airport will fully reopen. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Thursday that Kansai would reopen on Friday to domestic flights, using the shorter of its two runways, which escaped the worst of the damage. At a televised news conference Thursday, Yoshiyuki Yamaya, the president of the airport's operator, was contrite. "We geared up for a typhoon, but the typhoon was far stronger than we had expected," he said. "We were too optimistic." https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/07/climate/airport-global-warming-kansai.html Back to Top Airplane Modems Not Vulnerable to 'Backdoor' Cyber Attacks An airplane server management unit (left) serves as the system controller, providing core functionalities to the airplane modem (right) and high-power transceiver, as well as passengers and flight crews. (IOActive) Cybersecurity consultant Ruben Santamarta used a "backdoor" vulnerability to demonstrate his ability to hack into a commercial airplane's satellite internet modem. The vulnerabilities did not put safety-critical avionics systems at risk and have since been resolved by vendors. A member of security firm IOActive, Santamarta presented his findings at the recent Blackhat security conference in Las Vegas. IOActive published a 70-page report detailing the findings of Santamarta and Josep Pi Rodriguez-also a security consultant for the company-that demonstrate their ability to establish a presence on an in-flight commercial aircraft. "The main entry point that was exposed to the internet was the airplane modem data unit (MDU)," Santamarta told Avionics. "The satellite modem or router was the entry point, but the problem is, once you compromise that device, it is possible to jump to other devices. A compromised satellite modem gives you access to other devices connected to the same network segment." Santamarta said he first started looking into the scenario more intensely in November 2017 during a Norwegian Airlines flight from Madrid to Copenhagen. The aircraft featured free internet access to passengers, provided by internet connectivity equipment supplied by Kontron, Tecom and Row44, a subsidiary of Global Eagle Entertainment. The equipment is also featured on hundreds of aircraft operated by Air China, AirFrance and Icelandair, among others. On the Norwegian flight, Santamarta used a free open-source computer network-monitoring tool called Wireshark to access internet traffic that originated at the airplane's in-flight Wi-Fi access point. He noticed that the internet protocol (IP) addresses assigned to passenger mobile devices using the in-flight Wi-Fi appeared to be routable. According to Santamarta, a routable IP uses an internet communications protocol that contains an IP device and network address, which allows its network communication packets to be forwarded from one network to another. Most modern internet connected devices use protocols that only contain the device's IP address. When the flight landed, a network scan showed that a web interface unit could be accessed without authentication, which is shown in the image below. That gave Santamarta access to the airplane's modem where a variety of attacks can be performed. "Once you have control over the modem it is possible to perform additional attacks against passenger devices," said Santamarta, noting that he could use the access to the modem to connect passenger mobile devices with malicious websites or software updates. Santamarta also shows in the report how he gained access to an actual in-flight airplane internet satellite modem manufactured by Hughes. He previously highlighted theoretical attacks on Hughes satellite communications terminals in 2014, especially noting vulnerable backdoors. Companies embed backdoors in their products usually as part of a "design pattern," according to Santamarta. By reading the HX200-the product model of the airplane modem that was breached-Santamarta was able to discover software that is capable of installing new firmware on the modem itself. A Google search gave him the ability to download the "fallback updater software" used by the modem. The following images from the IOActive report show a step by step process of how Santamarta was able to "reverse engineer" the binary associated with the firmware used to provide software updates for the modem. 1. Discovering software that is a good candidate for hosting "backdoor" access. Santamarta's description of how he discovered where "backdoor" access to the airplane's modem could be hosted. Software developers use "backdoors" to give un-authenticated access to a device. 2. Discover the login prompt for the updating mechanism. 3. Access the password prompt from the modem's update file server. 4. Establish a "shell" presence on the airplane's modem. Additionally, the connection to the satellite terminal would give a hacker the possibility to attack satellite infrastructure. The terminals are controlled remotely by Network Operations Centers operated by providers of satellite communications networks. Access to the NOC allows control and the ability to remotely configure terminal to attack the satellite infrastructure. "That's a theoretical possibility. We haven't tried that but we have performed that attack in other scenarios and so we know it is possible," said Santamarta. The report capturing Santamarta's research also includes numerical analysis of radio-frequency (RF) hazards attributed to vulnerable satellite communications devices. The devices could theoretically be exploited to target aircraft with a cyber-physical attack where a hacker could take control of the steering mechanism for an airplane antenna. "We verified this was possible in other systems such as those used in the maritime industry, but we discovered that in the aviation sector it wasn't possible," said Santamarta. A unique aspect of Santamarta's research was that it was largely aided by information acquired from publicly available documentation of airplane satellite internet connectivity equipment configurations, such as press releases, YouTube videos, news articles and patents. The main aircraft equipment that Santamarta focused on included the modem data unit, antenna control unit, server management unit, satellite antenna assembly and high power transceiver featured in an ARINC 791 airplane satellite internet equipage design package. By accessing the modem, he could jump to the other above mentioned devices and compromise their functionality as well. Rodriguez, a colleague of Santamarta at IOActive, presented research related to Santamarta's modem hacking threat vector demonstration at the 2018 Defcon conference in Las Vegas recently. Rodriguez's research shows the vulnerability of the Wing operating system (WingOS), which is an operating system widely used for aircraft wireless access points and wireless controllers. Millions of such devices use WingOS, including those supplied by Motorola, Zebra and ExtremeNetworks. When an attacker exploits devices using the WingOS security flaw, they can then jump to other devices of the internal network that are not normally reachable from the internet. Since the attacker now has code execution at the WingOS device, now the attacker can pivot and try to attack these other assets inside the internal network, Rodriguez said. "ExtremeNetworks fixed the risk in OS, the vendors have fixed or upgraded the OS it should be fixed. There are possible considerations to mitigate vulnerabilities found in WingOS for the aircraft, we've been talking with some vendors for the aircraft industry to make sure their configurations were not vulnerable," said Rodriguez. Santamarta also concluded his report noting that IOActive reported issues discovered to EASA, EU and U.S. certification authorities as well as the affected vendors. The company also worked with Aviation Information Sharing Analysis Center (ISAC) which provided feedback and information about how airlines are using the equipment he focused on. "We can confirm that the affected airlines are no longer exposing their fleets to the Internet," the report concludes. https://www.aviationtoday.com/2018/08/24/backdoor-hacking-airplane-modems-no-longer-risk/ Back to Top British Airways app and website hack exposes full card details of 380,000 customers A 'sophisticated' attack on British Airways' mobile app and website has exposed the names, email addresses and full credit card details of 380,000 customers. Of particular concern is the fact that the attackers captured the three-digit CCV security codes on the backs of cards, something that should not normally be possible ... BA said that the hack gathered data on transactions made through its app and website between August 21 and September 5, reports the BBC. "It was name, email address, credit card information - that would be credit card number, expiration date and the three digit [CVV] code on the back of the credit card," said BA boss Alex Cruz. BA insists it did not store the CVV numbers. This is prohibited under international standards set out by the PCI Security Standards Council. Since BA said the attackers also managed to obtain CVV numbers, security researchers have speculated that the card details were intercepted, rather than harvested from a BA database. The airline says only transactions made between the above dates were affected, and that all customers whose details were exposed have now been contacted. BA has advised affected customers to contact their banks to have cards cancelled, and has promised to compensate them for any loss. BA said that 'a third party' alerted it to the breach, suggesting that it may have been detected by security researchers. If so, it's likely we'll learn more shortly. Both police and the British privacy watchdog, the Information Commissioner's Office, are investigating. If BA is found to have been negligent, Europe's GDPR privacy laws would allow the airline to be fined up to 4% of its total global annual revenue, which would be a maximum of £489M ($634M). Reuters reports a spokesperson for the prime minister, Theresa May, saying that the government is aware of the attack. https://9to5mac.com/2018/09/07/ba-app-website-hack/ Back to Top First lawsuits in Cuban plane crash that killed 112 have been filed - in a U.S. court The first lawsuits in a fiery Cuban air crash that killed 112 people have been filed in circuit court in Chicago on behalf of the families of three passengers who lost their lives. Juana Cutiño Alfaro, whose two adult children died in the May 18 crash, and Elba Buitrago Cabrera, whose 50-year-old brother died, claim that Global Air (Aerolineas Damojh), a Mexican company that leased a 39- year-old Boeing 737-200 to Cuba's national airline, was negligent in training its pilots, causing the wrongful deaths of their relatives. The Mexican crew all perished in the crash of flight 972 and only one passenger, 19-year-old Mailén Díaz Almaguer, survived. The lawsuits allege that pilots Jorge Luis Nuñez Santos and Miguel Arreola Ramírez lost control of the plane, which was en route from Havana to Holguín, and "the aircraft stalled, flipped upside down, and crashed coming to rest near train tracks and a farm in the vicinity" of Havana's José Martí International Airport. The plaintiffs are seeking "all damages available under the law" and court costs. Cutiño is the administrator of the estates of her children Carlos Miguel de la Cruz Cutiño and Grettel Isel de la Cruz Cutiño. Buitrago is administrator for the estate of her brother Jorge Luis Buitrago Cabrera. Cutiño is a Cuban citizen while Buitrago lives in the United States. Her brother also was a U.S. resident. In a statement issued in July, Global Air said that information obtained from the black boxes recovered from the flight showed that the crew took off from José Martí International at too steep an angle of ascent, causing aerodynamic problems that led to the crash. However, the Cuban commission investigating the accident with the help of Mexican and U.S. aviation authorities, the National Transportation Safety Board, Boeing, and Pratt & Whitney, which manufactured the plane's engine, still hasn't finished its work or issued any official findings on the crash. "A process of this magnitude requires an analysis of multiple factors and still hasn't been concluded," the commission said in July after Global blamed the pilots for the crash. Any declaration about the possible causes for the crash "is premature," the commission said. "As the operator of the accident aircraft, Global Air was legally responsible for assuring that its pilots were properly trained on the accident aircraft for the crew's own safety and for the safety of Global Air's passengers," the lawsuits state. Instead, the suits allege that Global and its agents in the United States trained the pilots "in a negligent and reckless manner." The plane had been in Cuba for less than a month when Cubana de Aviación, Cuba's national airline, put it into service on the Havana-Holguín route. Global was in charge of the plane's maintenance as well as for providing the crew. There had been speculation that poor maintenance may have caused the crash, but at the same time Global blamed the pilots, it defended its maintenance record and said two disgruntled former employees had been spreading defamatory rumors. The lawsuits note that Global has since removed its statement about the pilots from its website and Facebook and Twitter accounts. But Austin Bartlett, the lawyer for Cutiño and Buitrago, said: "Global Air has already publicly admitted that its pilots were a cause of the crash." The suits, which were filed in Cook County Circuit Court in Chicago in late August, also name Boeing, the manufacturer of the aircraft, and AAR Corp., which is believed to have owned the aircraft before it was sold to the Mexican company, as respondents-in-discovery. Even though the crash took place in Cuba and involved a Mexican company and a Cuban airline, the lawsuits were filed in Chicago because Boeing's world headquarters is located there and AAR is based in Wood Dale, IL. The two companies were named as respondents-in-discovery because they are "believed to have information essential to the determination of who should properly be named as additional defendants in the lawsuit," said Bartlett. Sometimes they end up becoming defendants themselves; sometimes they don't, he said. https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/cuba/article217856645.html Back to Top TSA faces tough questions about airline safety, security People wait near the luggage area at Sea-Tac International Airport Friday, Aug. 10, 2018, in SeaTac, Wash. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) WASHINGTON (Nexstar) - On the heels of one of the busiest travel weekends of the year, the top official at the Transportation Security Administration faces tough questions about airline safety. "The threat today is no less concerning than it was immediately following 9/11," said TSA Administrator David Pekoske. Pekoske warns senators dangers are constantly evolving. One concern is 3D guns. "There's a great concern about the danger that these weapons pose," said Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL). Made from plastic off blueprints found on the internet, 3D guns can be challenging for TSA screeners to detect. "Our officers at the checkpoints are skilled at identifying 3D weapons," Pekoske said. e can see them on the existing X-ray technology that we have." But Pekoske says new screening systems are needed to improve detection. It's part of a plan to upgrade TSA technology in key areas. Some senators are frustrated at the pace of improvement. "TSA has had difficulty testing and deploying these technologies in a timely manner," said Sen. John Thune (R-SD). There's also concern about a controversial passenger surveillance program known as Quiet Skies. "Under the program, air marshals monitor American passengers who aren't suspected of any crime," said Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA). Some worry its a waste of money and infringes on privacy rights. But Pekoske insists Quiet Skies is key to transportation security and has identified potential terrorists. https://www.wate.com/news/politics/tsa-faces-tough-questions-about-airline-safety-security/1420512324 Back to Top Arista Aviation wins second FAA Diamond Award ENTERPRISE, Ala. (WDHN) - An Enterprise-based aviation maintenance station won its second Federal Aviation Administration Diamond Award Wednesday. Arista Aviation received the award for its work in 2017, having previously received it in 2015. According to the award's description, the FAA grants companies with the Diamond Award by assessing the group's dedication to improving maintenance safety and technician knowledge through training programs over 12 months. "The Diamond Award is the FAA's highest corporate award, and the program includes both individual and corporate recognition," the press release stated. Arista Aviation was founded in 2012 and provides maintenance services to rotary aircraft, which includes all light and medium Bell Helicopters and the Sikorsky UH-60 Blackhawk. The company specializes in custom repairs and upgrades for customers, regardless of the size of their needs. Arista Aviation's website states that the company has expanded and now provides these services on the global scale. Arista prides itself on its trademark: "Making Flight Affordable." For more information on the company, visit www.aristaas.com. https://www.dothanfirst.com/news/local-news/arista-aviation-wins-second-faa-diamond- award/1423977788 Back to Top Aviation technicians to be in high demand; average wage $23 an hour Over the next two decades, 754,000 aircraft technician positions are expected to be open according to Boeing. In the next five years, nearly 30 percent of aviation maintenance technicians in the United States are eligible to retire. Jason Reed, an AMT instructor at Spartan College of Aviation & Technology, says an aviation maintenance technician is and will be a highly sought-after position by airline companies. The FAA curriculum at Spartan College gives students a hands on experience, preparing them for an aviation career outside the classroom. "We cover the whole broad spectrum of how the whole aircraft operates, how to maintain it legally and properly," says Reed of the class. The program is short, but the tuition is high for some. Spartan's course is $41,000. "It's 18 months, and then you can go out into the field and start making great pay," Reed says. The average pay is about $23 an hour, and those with a lot of experience can make over $30 an hour. That's a lot compared to the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. Diane Sellers will be graduating in five months from Spartan College and can't wait to get her career off the ground. Like many students, college wasn't for Sellers. "After high school, I went to a traditional college and that didn't work out and then I tried community college and that didn't work, and then my mom saw an ad on TV and I took a tour and knew this is where I want to be," says Sellers. The class before her had an 85 percent placement rate. Sellers says unlike some of her family members, she's not worried about landing a job after college. If you have any interest at all in becoming an aviation maintenance technician, all you need is a high school diploma or a GED. To learn more information about Spartans College of Aviation & Technology, you can join their Aviation Day in Colorado on Sept. 28. The event is for employers, military, K-12 students, and the general public learn more about aviation careers. Click here for more about Spartan College of Aviation & Technology https://www.newschannel5.com/news/national/shortage-of-aviation-maintenance-technicians-average-wage- 23-an-hour Back to Top The surprising country with more female pilots than any other Around 13 per cent of Indian pilots are female, compared to less than five per cent in the UK In 2012 India was declared the worst of the G20 nations in which to be a woman, with misogyny and gender inequality deeply entrenched in a conservative society. The sub-continent is, however, streets ahead in terms of the number of female pilots employed by its airlines, boasting a higher percentage of women in the cockpit than anywhere in the world. Globally, just over five per cent of pilots are female, according to the Air Line Pilots Association International, whereas in India the figure is closer 13, more than twice as high as the proportion in a number of western countries, including the UK (the Civil Aviation Authority puts the number at 4.77 per cent) and US (the FAA says 4.36 per cent). "It was difficult," said Shweta Singh, a senior trainer at Jet Airways, of her road to becoming a pilot 20 years ago. "It was a male-dominated area and not easy to break into." Today, she told Reuters, it is much easier, with the country home to a booming aviation sector full of airlines taking part in recruitment drives. More and more Indian women want to become pilots, with a life in the sky as appealing as the benefits it offers, including union-mandated equal pay, a safe workplace and day-care services. In a bid to encourage more female flight crew, airlines have also tackled the issue of safety on their commute, with employees offered pick-up and drop-off services, accompanied by an armed guard. "It is the safest job," said Singh. "Women are more protected here than in any other place." Airlines in the UK such as easyJet and British Airways have invested heavily in trying to attract - and hire - more female pilots, attempting to rid the role of the gender stereotypes inherited from the Second World War. "I've been asked where the captain is," easyJet pilot Marnie Munns recently told Telegraph Travel. "You're looking at her, I say." Marnie Munns has been flying commercial jets since 2000 The 41-year-old, who is helping to lead a charge by the budget airline to encourage more girls and women to become pilots, added: "Outside the cockpit is when you feel it more. Passengers do make comments. It's normally extremely positive, but you do get the occasional 'well done for landing, it was actually really smooth', delivered with surprise." Munns believes the perception of pilot being a male occupation was preventing more women from entering the profession. "Society has conditioned us into thinking that only men will be interested, but it's nothing to do with gender," she said. In India, however, the fastest growing aviation market in the world (domestic capacity grew 22 per cent in the first half of this year), the country's airlines are succeeding in addressing its demand for pilots by hiring more women. SpiceJet, a low-cost domestic airline, says 12 per cent of its pilots are women, but a target has been set to increase the ratio to 33 per cent in three years. At the Bombay Flying Club, which has courses for commercial pilots, the number of women in the classroom has grown to about 25 percent from less than 10 percent five years ago, according to the institute's principal and chief instructor, C. Kumar. "The society is changing and there is more acceptance about working in the aviation sector," Kumar told Reuters. Because pilot pay is based on seniority and flying hours under union agreements, it is one of the rare professions in India where there is no gender pay gap. The starting salary, including flying allowance, for pilots there is $25,000 to $47,000 a year depending on the airline and type of aircraft. That is similar to the starting salary for corporate lawyers or architects. About 13 percent of the pilots at IndiGo, among the fastest growing airlines in the world, are women, up from 10 percent five years ago, the company said. The company provides day care and says it offers pregnant women office duties and an allowance equivalent to what they would have earned flying, helping them "constructively stay engaged with the profession." Earlier this year, the publication of the gender pay gap in the UK highlighted the gulf in equality at British airlines, with all above the country average median pay difference of 9.7 per cent. Ryanair's figure was 72 per cent, easyJet's 45.5 per cent and BA's 10 per cent. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/news/india-female-pilots/ Back to Top Hole That Caused Leak in Russian Spacecraft Possibly Traced to Assembly or Testing: Report The Russian Soyuz spacecraft responsible for last week's leak aboard the International Space Station (ISS) may have received its wounds here on Earth, on the grounds of its manufacturer, according to a new report from Russian news agency TASS. ISS controllers noticed a slight pressure drop on the night of Aug. 29 and alerted crewmembers about it the next day. The astronauts traced the issue to a 2-millimeter (0.08 inches) hole in the upper "orbital module" of the crew-carrying Soyuz, which arrived at the station in June. Space station astronauts patched a small hole in the upper orbital module of the Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft (left) on Aug. 30, 2018. Russian space officials have said that hole was likely caused by a drill here on Earth; investigators are currently trying to figure out exactly what happened. The cause of the hole remains under investigation, however. Early speculation centered on a possible micrometeoroid strike, but now human error is strongly suspected. Indeed, the hole's circular shape suggests a drilling mishap, as do nearby marks on the module wall. The incident may have occurred during the final assembly or testing of the Soyuz, according to the new report, published today (Sept. 6) by the Russian news agency TASS. Both of these activities take place at facilities run by the Soyuz's builder, Russian aerospace company Energia, in the city of Korolyov, near Moscow. "One of the possibilities is the spacecraft might have been damaged in the final assembly hangar. Or it could happen at the control and testing station, which carried out the final workmanship tests before the spacecraft was sent to Baikonur," an unnamed source in the aerospace industry told TASS, which stressed that it has not confirmed such suspicions. Soyuz spacecraft - which have been astronauts' only ride to and from the ISS since NASA's space shuttle program retired in 2011 - launch from Baikonur Cosmodrome, in Kazakhstan. The Soyuz passed pressure-chamber tests before going to Energia's final-assembly hangar, the source told TASS. And the assembly and testing facilities are tightly controlled spaces, he added. (TASS referred to the source as a "he.") "Only those with proper security clearance are allowed to enter," the source said. "Also, at the entrance to the hangar and the control and measurement station there are security guards checking all those who come and go." Energia is conducting an investigation into the Soyuz incident. And Dmitry Rogozin, the head of Russia's federal space agency, Roscosmos, has vowed to find the person or persons responsible. The orbital module is a spherical portion of the Soyuz that allows more gear to go up with the spacecraft. Unlike the lower crew capsule, the orbital module does not survive re-entry into Earth's atmosphere. https://www.space.com/41738-soyuz-spacecraft-air-leak-hole-origin-report.html Back to Top Back to Top RESEARCH STUDY Dear Participants, You are being asked to participate in a research study of your opinions of criminalization in aviation accidents. This study is expected to take approximately 10 minutes of your time. In order to participate, you must be at least 18 years old and a certified pilot. 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 immediately destroyed. We appreciate your consideration and time to complete our study. Please click on or copy and paste the URL below: https://goo.gl/forms/NiIYySfv0ObrPzYJ2 For more information, please contact: Dr. Scott R. Winter winte25e@erau.edu We appreciate your interest and participation! Back to Top Back to Top Back to Top Automated Vehicles & Meteorology Summit 23-24 October 2018 Washington, DC The American Meteorological Society (AMS) is organizing the Automated Vehicles and Meteorology Summit on 23-24 October 2018 in Washington, DC. The summit is focused on both surface and aerial transportation, and will bring together stakeholders from across industry, government and academia to discuss the challenges of poor weather affecting in situ and remote sensing capabilities needed to enable fully automated vehicles on the ground and in the air, and to explore development opportunities for reducing risk, accelerating adoption, and supporting operations. https://www.ametsoc.org/index.cfm/ams/meetings-events/ams-meetings/automated-vehicles-meteorology- summit/?utm_source=Subscribers&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Newsletter&_zs=R0nfc1&_zl=4XJ65 Back to Top Back to Top NTSB Basic Aircraft Accident Investigation Course (AS101) This two-week course being held at the National Transportation Safety Board Training Center in Ashburn Virginia on September 17-28, 2018 provides participants with a comprehensive overview of the procedures and methods used and the skills required to investigate an aircraft accident. Examples from recent investigations will be used to demonstrate particular aspects of the investigative process. Instructors include: NTSB Investigators, Aircraft Manufacturer Investigators, and Industry professionals. Attendees will have the opportunity to practice their investigative skills through several hands-on wreckage examinations. Upon completion of this course the participant will be able to: * Discuss the entire NTSB investigative process, from when the NTSB receives the initial notification that an accident has occurred through the issuance of the final report and determination of the accident's probable cause * Define the five major aspects of site management at an accident scene * Identify how safety recommendations - the primary accomplishments of an accident investigation - are developed and issued * Identify what questions to ask accident witnesses to elicit the most accurate information * Distinguish the difference between structural failures that may have caused the accident and structural damage that occurred as a result of the accident * Confidently interact with the media at the accident site and during the on-going investigation For further information and to register for the course, please visit: https://www.ntsb.gov/Training_Center/Pages/2018/AS101.aspx Back to Top How do you track safety? Take the Safety Performance Survey: flightsafety.org/safetysurvey Why are we conducting a survey? Flight Safety Foundation is developing a Global Safety Information Project (GSIP) Safety Performance Monitoring Handbook to provide guidance and best practices for safety performance monitoring. Your survey responses will be instrumental in our data-driven development process. Who should take the survey? We encourage responses from employees of ANSPs, airline/aircraft operators, airports, manufacturers, maintenance organizations, training organizations, and regulators. Simply visit flightsafety.org/safetysurvey to participate. What is GSIP? GSIP is a worldwide initiative that guides the aviation community's response to challenges that may emerge from safety data collection and processing systems. Learn more about GSIP at flightsafety.org/gsip. Curt Lewis