Flight Safety Information October 30, 2018 - No. 220 In This Issue Incident: Logan SF34 near Aberdeen on Oct 29th 2018, cracked windshield Incident: Argentinas A343 at Buenos Aires on Oct 26th 2018, gear doors did not close Incident: Argentinas A332 near Buenos Aires on Oct 26th 2018, loss of cabin pressure Pilot misreading navigation system caused Iraq helicopter crash that killed 7, report says Lion Air crash: Jakarta Boeing 737 'had prior instrument error' How Safe Is Your Airline? The Boeing 737 is still one of the safest aircraft ever Indonesia Crash Calls Time on Safest Period in Modern Aviation Could air mobility pilots become fighter or bomber pilots? EasyJet outlines 'progress' on electric jet Sir Richard Branson just strapped a giant rocket to a 747 jet airplane with his space company Virgin Orbit DOCTORAL RESEARCH SURVEY GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY Incident: Logan SF34 near Aberdeen on Oct 29th 2018, cracked windshield A Loganair Saab 340B, registration G-LGNI performing flight LM-436 from Shetland Islands Sumburgh,SC to Glasgow,SC (UK) with 34 people on board, was enroute at FL200 over the North Sea about 70nm north of Aberdeen,SC (UK) when the first officer's windshield cracked prompting the crew to divert to Aberdeen, where the aircraft landed safely about 20 minutes later. A replacement Saab 340B registration G-LGNG reached Glasgow with a delay of about 80 minutes. http://avherald.com/h?article=4bf98001&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Argentinas A343 at Buenos Aires on Oct 26th 2018, gear doors did not close An Aerolineas Argentinas Airbus A340-300, registration LV-FPU performing flight AR-1132 from Buenos Aires Ezeiza,BA (Argentina) to Madrid,SP (Spain), was climbing out of Buenos Aires' runway 11 when the crew received indication that at least one of the landing gear doors had not closed. The crew stopped the climb at FL080, dumped fuel and returned to Buenos Aires for a safe landing about 100 minutes after departure. A replacement Airbus A340-300 registration LV-FPV reached Madrid as flight AR-1932 with a delay of 10.5 hours. http://avherald.com/h?article=4bf97e1f&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Argentinas A332 near Buenos Aires on Oct 26th 2018, loss of cabin pressure An Aerolineas Argentinas Airbus A330-200, registration LV-GKO performing flight AR-1300 from Buenos Aires Ezeiza,BA (Argentina) to New York JFK,NY (USA), was climbing through FL320 when the crew received indication that the cabin climbed at a high rate and initiated an emergency descent, the passenger oxygen masks were released. The aircraft levelled off at 6000 feet MSL about 7 minutes later, burned off fuel and landed safely back in Buenos Aires about one hour after leaving FL320. A replacement A330-200 registration LV-FVI reached New York with a delay of 6.5 hours. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Buenos Aires about 65 hours after landing back. http://avherald.com/h?article=4bf97cad&opt=0 Back to Top Pilot misreading navigation system caused Iraq helicopter crash that killed 7, report says 7 U.S. servicemembers killed in helicopter (HH-60G PAVE HAWK) crash in Iraq (CNN)The helicopter crash that killed seven US service members in Iraq this March occurred because the pilot misinterpreted the navigation display and the helicopter became tangled in a steel cable, a new report says. The finding was reported in an Air Combat Command Accident Investigation Board report released Monday. "The investigation concluded that the pilot misinterpreted aircraft navigation displays, which caused the formation to overfly the intended destination," the report reads. "As a result, the aircraft descended into an unplanned location." The helicopter then struck and became tangled in a steel cable strung between two towers, according to the report. Following the crash, Army Brig. Gen. Jonathan P. Braga, the director of operations for the combined task force leading the fight against ISIS in the region, said all personnel aboard the helicopter were killed. The crash, marking one of the deadliest days for US in Iraq in 2018, occurred while the pilot was moving the helicopter to a landing zone closer to ground operations. The servicemen included four flight crew members and three pararescuemen, according to the report. The Defense Department released the names of the seven airmen in March. They are: Captain Mark K. Weber, 29, of Colorado Springs, Colorado; Captain Andreas B. O'Keeffe, 37, of Center Moriches, New York; Captain Christopher T. Zanetis, 37, of Long Island City, New York; Master Sergeant Christopher J. Raguso, 39, of Commack, New York; Staff Sergeant Dashan J. Briggs, 30, of Port Jefferson Station, New York; Master Sergeant William R. Posch, 36, of Indialantic, Florida; and Staff Sergeant Carl Enis, 31, of Tallahassee, Florida. https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/29/politics/iraq-helicopter-crash-report-released/index.html Back to Top Lion Air crash: Jakarta Boeing 737 'had prior instrument error' Debris found from Lion Air crash in sea The Indonesian jet which crashed shortly after take-off had suffered instrument problems the day before, according to a technical log obtained by the BBC. A technical log from a flight from Bali to Jakarta on Sunday said an instrument was "unreliable" and the pilot had to hand over to the first officer. The Boeing 737 airliner crashed into the sea with 189 people on board. It went down after taking off from Jakarta. There is no sign of survivors. The BBC has so far been unable to reach Lion Air, the low-cost airline which owns the plane, for comment. Flight JT 610 was headed for the western city of Pangkal Pinang on Monday when it came down. Rescuers have recovered some bodies and personal items, including baby shoes. Families are being told to go to a hospital to identify the dead. The incident is reported to be the first major accident involving a Boeing 737 Max - an updated version of the 737. What was the instrument problem? A technical log obtained by the BBC from the plane's previous flight suggests that the airspeed reading on the captain's instrument was unreliable, and the altitude readings differed on the captain's and first officer's instruments. "Identified that CAPT [captain's] instrument was unreliable and handover control to FO [first officer]," the log reads. "Continue NNC of Airspeed Unreliable and ALT disagree." The crew decided to continue their flight and landed safely at Jakarta. Belongings - including a handbag - and debris are being recovered from the suspected crash site Earlier Lion Air Chief Executive Edward Sirait said the plane had had an unspecified "technical issue" when flying from Denpasar in Bali to Jakarta, but he added that this had been "resolved". "If the plane was broken, it would have been impossible to clear the plane to fly from Denpasar," he said. "When we received the flight crew's report, we immediately fixed the problem." The airline operates 11 Boeing 737 Max 8 planes but the others have not had a similar technical problem and there is no plan to ground the fleet, he added. What happened to the plane? Flight JT 610 took off from Jakarta at 06:20 on Monday (23:30 GMT on Sunday). It was due to arrive at Depati Amir airport in Pangkal Pinang an hour later but 13 minutes into the flight, authorities lost contact. The pilot had asked to return to Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta airport, officials say. The head of Indonesia's disaster agency, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, has tweeted images of debris and personal belongings that came from the aircraft and had been found floating in the sea. What do we know about those on board? Lion Air said in a statement that the pilot and co-pilot had had more than 11,000 flight hours between them. Three of the crew on board were trainee flight attendants and one was a technician. Relatives of the passengers arrive at the crisis centre at Jakarta airport Twenty employees from Indonesia's finance ministry were also on board, the BBC has learned. A ministry spokesperson said they had worked at the finance ministry offices in Pangkal Pinang but had been in Jakarta for the weekend. What do we know about this aircraft? The 737 Max series are the fastest-selling planes in Boeing's history and there are four models - the Max 7, Max 8, Max 9 and Max 10. The Boeing 737 Max 8 has been in commercial use since 2016. The aircraft involved in the crash was made in 2018. It is a single-aisle plane used for short-haul travel. In a statement, Boeing expressed sympathy for the victims and families and said it stood "ready to provide technical assistance to the accident investigation". Australia told government workers and contractors to stop using the airline until the findings of the investigation were out. How is Indonesia's air safety record? Indonesia, a vast archipelago, is heavily reliant on air travel but many of its airlines have a poor safety record. This Lion Air plane landed in the sea off Bali in 2013, but all passengers and crew survived Established in 1999, Lion Air operates domestic flights as well as international routes to South East Asia, Australia and the Middle East. It has had issues of safety and poor management in the past and was banned from flying into European airspace until 2016. In 2013, Lion Air flight 904 crashed into the sea on landing at Bali's International Airport. All 108 people on board survived. In 2004, flight 538 from Jakarta crashed and broke up on landing at Solo City, killing 25 people. In 2011 and 2012 a number of pilots were found in possession of methamphetamines, in one incident hours before a flight. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-46022390 Back to Top Back to Top How Safe Is Your Airline? The United States and the European Union evaluate the aviation safety standards of countries and their airlines. Here's where to find that information before you book. Rescuers search for victims of a Lion Air passenger jet that crashed in the waters of Ujung Karawang, West Java, Indonesia. CreditCreditAchmad Ibrahim/Associated Press Before Lion Air Flight 610 crashed near Jakarta this week, apparently killing all 189 passengers and crew onboard, the Indonesian airline had been banned from flying in European Union air space between 2007 and 2016. It and all Indonesian carriers had been banned from United States air space for nine years until 2016. Aviation authorities in both the United States and the European Union based their evaluations on national standards of safety for Indonesian carriers compared to international standards. And both bodies said the country had cleared those hurdles. Governing bodies in the United States and the European Union publish their evaluations of airlines, often by country, and provide resources for fliers when determining if their carrier is on a safety blacklist. Here's where to find those resources before you book. Does the carrier meet United States safety standards? The Federal Aviation Administration runs the International Aviation Safety Assessment Program, or I.A.S.A., which ensures that the country where a foreign carrier is based complies with safety standards established by the United Nations' International Civil Aviation Organization (I.C.A.O.). I.A.S.A. evaluates countries based on eight criteria, including their aviation laws, operating regulations, civil aviation system and safety oversight functions, personnel qualification and training, and how safety concerns are resolved. The results, which are updated regularly, are published by country based on a rating of 1, or "meets I.C.A.O. standards," or 2, does not meet those standards. Those countries failing the standards are Bangladesh, Curaçao, Ghana, Sint Maarten and Thailand. To check the status of a country, go to www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/iasa/media/IASAWS.xlsx, which lists the ratings by country. The F.A.A. does not rate airlines individually. Carriers from category 2 countries that operate in the United States or code-share with American carriers - which means the airlines match up their schedules, apply their own flight numbers and sell each other's flights - are limited to operations that existed at the time of the evaluation, but cannot expand operations in United States airspace. Thai Airways is a member of the Star Alliance, a code-share group that includes United Airlines, but does not fly in the United States. Those with category 2 rankings that seek to start service in the United States or establish code shares with American carriers are banned from doing so. What about European rules? The European Union's Air Safety List approves or bans airlines from flying in E.U. airspace. As at the F.A.A., criteria for the list follow safety standards established by the International Civil Aviation Organization, including personnel licensing procedures, aircraft operations, air navigation services, accident investigations and the aviation laws of a country. Lion Air was cleared from the European Union's blacklist in 20016, and all other Indonesian carriers previously on ithe list were cleared in June after it was determined that safety standards countrywide had been improved. Worried fliers can check the 2018 update of the list at ec.europa.eu/transport/modes/air/safety/air-ban_en, which includes airlines that are banned from E.U. skies; among them are 114 airlines from 15 countries, including Afghanistan, Eritrea and Nepal. According to the website, airlines on the list show "lack of safety oversight by the aviation authorities from these states." Another six individual airlines are banned based on safety concerns with those specific carriers, as opposed to the standards established by their home countries. They include Iran Aseman Airlines; Iraqi Airways in Iraq; Blue Wing Airlines in Suriname; Med-View Airlines in Nigeria; Avior Airlines in Venezuela; and Air Zimbabwe in Zimbabwe. While the cause of the Lion Air accident remains under investigation, statistics show that flying generally is a safe way to travel. The airline trade association International Air Transport Association, which represents 290 member airlines, or 82 percent of all air traffic, reported an accident rate of 1.08 per 1 million flights in 2017. "Worldwide, air travel is incredibly safe," said Gary Leff, who writes the aviation blog View from the Wing. "The things that go wrong are such outliers," he said, because things generally do not go wrong. Does anyone put all the information together? The commercial website Airlineratings.com publishes safety ratings for more than 435 carriers worldwide. The site uses a seven-star system for rating airlines based on whether they have passed an operational safety audit with the International Air Transport Association; if they are allowed to fly in the European Union; if they are free of fatalities in the past 10 years, and whether they have passed the I.C.A.O. country audit. After the crash, Lion Air currently holds a six-star rating from the group. Air France has the same level of clearance; the website notes a 2009 fatality. All three legacy carriers based in the United States - American, Delta and United - have seven-star ratings. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/29/travel/how-safe-is-your-airline.html Back to Top The Boeing 737 is still one of the safest aircraft ever Nervous flyers shouldn't be put off by the recent Indonesian plane crash. Credits: Video - Boeing Image - Getty The tragic crash of a brand new Boeing 737-800 off the coast of Jakarta this week has triggered a number of stories in the media that cast doubt on the safety of the Boeing 737. Headlines like "aircraft model at centre of Indonesia plane tragedy bound for our skies" could add unnecessary stress to travellers who are nervous about flying. But in reality, the odds of a 737 flight resulting in a death are higher than 3.1 million to one. Yes, the same type of aircraft involved in the incident does fly into and out of New Zealand, and has done for decades, but travellers shouldn't be alarmed. The newer 737-800's have been purchased by Qantas, Fiji Airways and Virgin Australia, as well as industry giants American Airlines, Qatar, Ryanair and United Airlines. Aviation expert Neil Hansford told the Sydney Morning Herald said there is no reason to be concerned about the overall safety of the aircraft "The 737 is the most produced aircraft in aviation history; there is more of them flying than any other aircraft in the world, they are incredibly well made," Mr Hansford said. Boeing 737 facts: * There are more than 2000 Boeing 737s in the air at any one time, every single day * A 737 takes off somewhere in the world every two seconds * More than 16.8 billion passengers have travelled on a 737 since 1967 * As of 2014, Boeing 737s had flown more than 184 million flights * Only 60 of those 184 million flights resulted in a fatality, which is just 0.000032 percent The aircraft that crashed in Indonesia had only been flying since early August. It's been reported that it experienced a technical issue on its previous flight which had been attended to by maintenance staff. There's no doubt the aircraft manufacturer Boeing and the airlines that fly 737s will be watching developments closely - but the statistics strongly suggest there's little cause for concern. The Boeing 737 is a great aircraft - 16.8 billion people can't be wrong. https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/travel/2018/10/the-boeing-737-is-still-one-of-the-safest-aircraft-ever.html Back to Top Indonesia Crash Calls Time on Safest Period in Modern Aviation Search and rescue team members look at debris recovered from the crash site on Oct. 29. Photographer: Rony Zakaria/Bloomberg The loss of a Boeing Co. 737 Max jet that plunged into the sea off Indonesia underscores the close of one of the safest periods for western-built airliners since the dawn of aviation. Monday's crash of a Lion Air plane carrying 189 people was the fourth deadly incident since April involving a 737. Before then neither Boeing nor Airbus SE had lost an aircraft since an EgyptAir A320 came down in the Mediterranean in May 2016, killing 66, a gap of close to two years. Last year was the safest on record, with no passenger fatalities involving jets and only five customers dying in crashes of planes with 14 seats or more, according to consultancy Ascend FlightGlobal. Early 2018 heralded a turn for the worse, when 170 people were killed over a 4 1/2-week period in three incidents involving turboprop models and a Russian-built Antonov An-148 jet. April's death on a Southwest Airlines 737 in which a passenger was partially sucked out of the plane after an engine exploded marked the first fatal incident involving a western jet since the Egyptair crash. It was followed by the loss of 112 people when a 39-year-old 737 came down down while departing Havana in May. There was also a single fatality as a 737 operated by Air Niugini landed in a lagoon in the Pacific island group of Micronesia on Sept. 28. Ascend FlightGlobal's Airline Safety & Losses review proclaimed after 2017 that "the age of zero accidents is here, more or less." Following the tragedy in Indonesia, the organization is modifying that prognosis. "Last year was far better than the long-term safety trend would suggest and this year is certainly worse," said Paul Hayes, Ascend's safety director. Because fatal crashes are now so rare, just one or two can have a major statistical impact, according to Hayes, who says he now evaluates data against nine-year moving averages that show the industry is "a world away" even from the 1990s, when some years produced half a dozen crashes involving household-name carriers from Europe and the U.S. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-10-29/indonesia-crash-calls-time-on-safest-period-in- modern-aviation Back to Top Could air mobility pilots become fighter or bomber pilots? Gen. Mike Holmes, the commander of Air Combat Command, is considering switching pilots from from air mobility aircraft to combat aircraft. (Staff Sgt. Keith James/U.S. Air Force) GRAPEVINE, Texas - As the U.S. Air Force grapples with an ongoing shortage of pilots, Gen. Mike Holmes, the commander of Air Combat Command, is considering a possible remedy: transitioning pilots from mobility aircraft to fighter or bomber aircraft. "If you're interested out there - and I know some are - if you want to send me a note and what you think about that, I'm considering that," Holmes said in response to an audience question at the Airlift Tanker Association's annual symposium outside Dallas, Texas. "I'm open to the idea, I just have to make the math work. " But the ACC commander is skeptical since the training time it would take to transition a pilot from flying mobility aircraft to fighters or bombers is about the same for newly trained pilots to learn how to fly them in the first place. "To go through [an] introduction to fighter fundamentals course, and then to go to a long course - either a long transition course or a course that initial students go through - it's about the same amount of training it takes to train a lieutenant," he said. "That lieutenant's going to give me 10 years of return on that investment. And the older people are that I bring over, the less return I'm going to get on that investment." Holmes said pilots at Vance Air Force Base in Oklahoma showed interest in adding to their service commitments if it meant they could fly combat aircraft. But, he added, he was unsure about that approach. "It's counter to the way we're going. You saw in the past week the Air Force has eliminated most of the active-duty service commitments for cross-training," he said. "We don't want you to say no to that training, to feel like it's trapping you." His remarks come as the Air Force is looking to increase the number of pilots it trains per year from about 1,300 in fiscal 2019 to 1,500 in fiscal 2022. The service is also working on a "flying-only" technical track for pilots that cuts non-flying duties. While Holmes seemed skeptical of the idea during his answer at A/TA, he did say he wanted motivated pilots, regardless of where they come from. "Ultimately, though, I'm of the mindset that I want people that are dying to be someplace and they're really eager and determined to do something," he said. https://www.defensenews.com/digital-show-dailies/airlift-tanker-annual/2018/10/27/could-air-mobility-pilots- become-fighter-or-bomber-pilots/ Back to Top EasyJet outlines 'progress' on electric jet "Progress has been made" by EasyJet's US partner Wright Electric toward developing an electric passenger airliner capable of flying up to 270nm (500km), the UK budget carrier has declared. Wright Electric has applied for a patent of a "novel motor design" to power an "EasyJet-sized" electric airliner, says the airline, without providing detail of the architecture being proposed. "[The] development suggests that the transition towards an all-electric commercial passenger jet capable of flying passengers across EasyJet's UK and European network is in sight," it adds. The aircraft will be designed by Darold Cummings, an engineer and consultant who has previously worked for Boeing and the US Department of Defense. Wright Electric is making preparations to perform a first flight of a nine-seat electric aircraft in 2019. Previously, the Los Angeles-based start-up completed flight tests with a two-seat electric aircraft, built in co- operation with Spain's Axter Aerospace, a specialist in hybrid-powered light aircraft. Noting that a range of 270nm is targeted for the electric airliner, EasyJet chief executive Johan Lundgren states that the airline's route between London and Amsterdam "could become the first electric flyway". Lundgren believes "it is important to our customers that we operate sustainably", and that "technological advancements in electric flying are truly exciting, and it is moving fast". He adds: "We can now foresee a future that is not exclusively dependent on jet fuel." EasyJet became a partner with Wright Electric in 2017. The US company's chief executive Jeffrey Engler said during an EasyJet-hosted innovation event last year that the electric airliner would fly by 2027. https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/easyjet-outlines-progress-on-electric-jet-453088/ Back to Top Sir Richard Branson just strapped a giant rocket to a 747 jet airplane with his space company Virgin Orbit Virgin Orbit's modified "Cosmic Girl" jet airplane will soar the "Launcher One" orbital rocket to a mid-flight launch. Virgin Orbit; Business Insider Sir Richard Branson's newest space company, Virgin Orbit, just debuted its full rocket-and-airplane launch system for the first time. The airplane is a commercial 747-400 jet called "Cosmic Girl," and the orbital-class rocket is named "LauncherOne." Virgin Orbit aims to use the retrofitted jet to tow LauncherOne as high above Earth as possible, release the rocket, and then blast a small-satellite payload into orbit around Earth. "Air launch frees missions from traffic jams at the existing launch sites; eliminates the need for costly, fixed ground infrastructure; and makes the system more resilient to unfavorable weather conditions," the company said in an emailed press release. Here's what the new system looks like. https://www.businessinsider.com/virgin-orbit-launcher-one-rocket-cosmic-girl-jet-2018-10 Back to Top DOCTORAL RESEARCH SURVEY My name is Robert Lee. I am a doctoral candidate at Northcentral University. I am conducting a study on employee safety climate in the FBO industry. The purpose of the study is to examine how manager turnover affects safety climate. To be eligible to participate you must be at least 18 years old and be currently employed as a line services professional. The survey should take 10 to 15 minutes to complete. All responses will be confidential and anonymous. Your name and company will not be requested nor linked to you. If you would like to participate, please click on the provided Survey Monkey web link, complete the online informed consent form, and proceed with the questionnaire. SURVEY: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/6WVY9ZN Your participation is greatly appreciated. Thank you. Robert Lee Doctoral Candidate - Organizational Leadership Northcentral University 352.284.6989 R.Lee2968@o365.ncu.edu Back to Top GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY I am a grad student at City University of London and am completing work on my Masters in Aviation Safety. In my thesis I am trying to determine what the competencies are for being an airline Captain. This is to complement the 9 competencies That ICAO identifies for training pilots. My ultimate goal is to identify the relevant competencies and determine if they are trainable from a flight education standpoint. The first step is to determine the state of Captain/Command training in the United States. The link provided for a survey via survey monkey that hopefully will help me establish a baseline of where we are at in the industry in the US. Thank you for your consideration. Regards, Captain Jeff Kilmer FDX 901-651-6070 https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/58SMR3B Curt Lewis