Flight Safety Information SEPTEMBER 11, 2019 - No. 183 In This Issue European aviation safety agency sets strict demands for Boeing 737 Max 8 return to flight Incident: Wisconsin CRJ2 at Washington on Sep 6th 2019, gear problem Incident: Gojet CRJ7 near Denver on Sep 9th 2019, loss of cabin pressure Incident: Piedmont E145 near Raleigh/Durham on Sep 8th 2019, smoke in the cockpit Convair CV-440F - Accident/Fire (Ohio) Boeing 737-8CT (WL) - Bird Ingestion (Canada) Four more IndiGo planes with P&W-engines face glitches New Mexico pilots report close calls with drones Drone protests threaten UK's Heathrow Airport with more flight chaos After Norwegian Trent 1000 fallout - new safety recommendations Federal Aviation Administration Considers Calling For Airbus A220 Engine Checks NTSB Issues Final Report on 2018 Daytona Beach Accident Orgs Urge Caution on Commercial Space Ops Integration UK P&I Club announces aviation standard human element safety training initiative with CAE 13,000 passengers stranded after French airline goes bankrupt Austrian Airlines Wants Drones To Fly Close To Aircraft VIRGIN GALACTIC'S PLAN: SEND TOURISTS TO SPACE EVERY 32 HOURS Aviation Cybersecurity Survey The Northeast Aviation Leadership Workshop TSI - Aviation Safety Risk Management Using BowTie - Course TSI - Instructor Qualification & Excellence Course European aviation safety agency sets strict demands for Boeing 737 Max 8 return to flight A Boeing 737 Max 9 jetliner sits on the production floor at the company's manufacturing facility in Renton, Wash., on Feb. 13, 2017. (David Ryder / Bloomberg) Europe's aviation safety agency, which is conducting its own independent review of Boeing's grounded 737 Max 8, is not satisfied with a key detail of Boeing's fix to the jet. It wants Boeing to do more to improve the integrity of the sensors that failed on the two fatal crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia, killing 346 people. And it's demanding that Boeing demonstrate in flight tests the stability of the Max 8 during extreme maneuvers, not only with Boeing's newly updated flight-control system but also with that system switched off. These were among the disclosures in a presentation Tuesday to the European Parliament by Patrick Ky, executive director of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, or EASA. Ky listed what appear to be more stringent EASA requirements than those of its U.S. counterpart, the Federal Aviation Administration. Boeing has publicly said it hopes for FAA clearance for the Max 8 in October so that it can return to passenger service in the United States this year. Typically, overseas regulators follow the FAA's lead. But after the Max 8 crashes revealed shortcomings in the FAA's certification process, that's no longer certain. One of Ky's slides cited a letter EASA sent to the FAA on April 1, less than three weeks after the Max 8 was grounded, that laid out four conditions for it to allow the jet to return to service. The first condition stipulated is, "Design changes proposed by Boeing are EASA approved (no delegation to FAA)." The second is that EASA complete an "additional and broader independent review" of the aircraft, beyond the specific design changes to the flight-control system that went haywire on the crash flights. If the FAA moves ahead and clears the Max 8 to fly while EASA holds off until later, it would create an unprecedented divergence in worldwide regulation that would gravely complicate the schedules of many airlines flying internationally. FAA approval would apply only to U.S. airlines flying domestically. European airlines flying the Max 8, such as Norwegian Air, require clearance from EASA. And it will put Boeing in a very awkward position if the FAA says the Max 8 is safe to fly while others hold back approval. Both Max 8 crashes were initiated by faulty sensors that measure the plane's angle of attack, the angle between the oncoming air flow and the wing. That fault then activated a new flight-control system - a piece of software known as the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, MCAS - that on each of the crash flights repeatedly pushed the nose of the jet down. Although Boeing has updated MCAS so that it now takes input from both angle of attack sensors on the Max 8 instead of only one, and won't operate if they disagree, Ky indicated that vEASA finds this insufficient. One of his slides states that while Boeing's proposal has improved the angle of attack system, there is "still no appropriate response to angle of attack integrity issues." On Thursday, EASA elaborated a little via email: "We can confirm that EASA is not yet satisfied with the proposed solution by Boeing on the improved architecture and logics for the AOA system," the agency wrote. "We are following a methodical approach to assess the overall safety of the flight control and associated functions of the aircraft, as well as the pilot interaction with the systems, to take account of the human factors involved." And EASA wants stringent flight tests that prove the Max 8's safety with or without MCAS. Boeing engineers designed the original MCAS to smooth out the feel of the yoke in the pilot's hands during certain extreme high-speed turn and stall maneuvers. Before the Max 8 is cleared to fly passengers again, both EASA and the FAA will require flight tests of the new updated software. In addition, Ky said, EASA will require Boeing to demonstrate the stability of the jet in flight tests that include high-speed turn and stall maneuvers with MCAS switched off. The latter requirement should go some way to satisfying one gnawing public concern about the Max 8. On the Internet, many Boeing critics have expressed concern that the jet is "inherently unstable" with engines that are too big, and that a software "band-aid" isn't good enough to fix that. The EASA requirement to fly safely without MCAS should demonstrate otherwise. On Wednesday, the FAA declined to clarify if the EASA requirements are stricter or in line with its own. "We aren't going to comment on specific details about ongoing discussions," the FAA said in a statement. "The FAA has a transparent and collaborative relationship with other civil aviation authorities as we continue our review of changes to software on the Boeing 737 Max ... Each government will make its own decision to return the aircraft to service based on a thorough safety assessment." A safety official within the FAA, who asked for anonymity because he spoke without agency approval, said that the U.S. regulator has worked through the Max 8 approval process, looking for system flaws "with a fine-tooth comb, like they never have before." "People know it's perhaps something they should have caught the first time around," he said. "They want to make sure it doesn't happen again." Still, the official wasn't aware of any lingering concern at the FAA with the angle of attack sensor system. He said that the software and system changes Boeing has proposed have been all but agreed upon within the FAA, and that only the level of pilot training that will be required remains undecided. While U.S. pilots have said they are satisfied that some computer-based training is sufficient, overseas regulators may require full flight-simulator training. The FAA official said that both EASA and India's aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, have so far balked at agreeing to computer-based training alone. Ky's presentation confirms that, for EASA, the amount of pilot training required before the Max flies passengers is still "a work in progress." Ky said that EASA communicated to Boeing and the FAA in July a list of significant technical issues, which included system failures insufficiently monitored; forces needed to move the manual trim wheel too high; and a risk of crew confusion in some failure cases, especially an angle of attack single failure at takeoff. A slide presenting the "latest status" of the process indicates that the pilot training and angle of attack system remain in play. In a statement Wednesday, Boeing declined to comment on discussions with regulators. "We continue to work with the FAA and global regulators on addressing their concerns in order to safely return the Max to service," the company said in a statement. On Tuesday, Alexandre de Juniac - head of the International Air Transport Association, the global trade group representing the world's airlines - told Reuters in Chicago that "with the 737 Max we are a bit worried ... because we don't see the normal unanimity among international regulators that should be the case." "We see a discrepancy that's detrimental to the industry," de Juniac added, urging regulators to make any changes to the single certification process "collectively," according to Reuters. Ky's parliamentary presentation the same day, also briefly cited by Reuters, made that discrepancy plain. https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2019/sep/10/european-aviation-safety-agency-sets-strict-demand/ Back to Top Incident: Wisconsin CRJ2 at Washington on Sep 6th 2019, gear problem An Air Wisconsin Canadair CRJ-200 on behalf of United, registration N420AW performing flight UA-4801 from Richmond,VA to Washington Dulles,DC (USA) with 48 people on board, was on final approach to Dulles' runway 01C when the crew went around reporting a gear issue, they had no green nose gear indication. The crew subsequently declared emergency while working the checklists, performed an alternate gear extension and positioned for a safe landing on runway 01L about 18 minutes after the go around. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/AWI4801/history/20190906/1943Z/KRIC/KIAD http://avherald.com/h?article=4ccab1f4&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Gojet CRJ7 near Denver on Sep 9th 2019, loss of cabin pressure A Gojet Canadair CRJ-700 on behalf of United, registration N175GJ performing flight UA-4496 from Oklahoma City,OK to Denver,CO (USA), was enroute at FL320 about 300nm southeast of Denver when the crew initiated an emergency descent to 10,000 feet due to the loss of cabin pressure, the passenger oxygen masks were released. The aircraft continued to Denver for a safe landing about one hour after leaving FL320. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/UAL4496/history/20190910/0142Z/KOKC/KDEN http://avherald.com/h?article=4ccaab9a&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Piedmont E145 near Raleigh/Durham on Sep 8th 2019, smoke in the cockpit A Piedmont Embraer ERJ-145 on behalf of American Airlines, registration N906AE performing AA-4721 from Charlotte,NC to Greenville,NC (USA) with 21 people on board, was enroute at FL230 about 35nm southwest of Raleigh/Durham,NC (USA) when the crew donned their oxygen masks, declared emergency and decided to divert to Raleigh/Durham reporting smoke in the cockpit. The aircraft landed safely on Raleigh's runway 23L about 15 minutes later. One person on board requested medical assistance, was checked at the airport by paramedics but did not need to be taken to a hospital. The occurrence aircraft returned to service after about 13.5 hours on the ground. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/AAL4721/history/20190909/0250Z/KCLT/KPGV http://avherald.com/h?article=4ccaa960&opt=0 Back to Top Back to Top Convair CV-440F - Accident/Fire (Ohio) Date: Wednesday 11 September 2019 Time: 02:38 Type: Convair CV-440F Operator: private Registration: N24DR C/n / msn: 393 First flight: 1957 Engines: 2 Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Crew: Fatalities: / Occupants: Passengers: Fatalities: / Occupants: Total: Fatalities: / Occupants: Aircraft damage: Damaged beyond repair Location: E of Toledo-Express Airport, OH (TOL) ( United States of America) Phase: Approach (APR) Nature: Cargo Departure airport: Millington-Memphis Airport, TN (NQA/KNQA), United States of America Destination airport: Toledo-Express Airport, OH (TOL/KTOL), United States of America Narrative: A Convair CV-440 cargo plane crashed and caught fire near Toledo-Express Airport, Ohio, USA. https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20190911-0 Back to Top Boeing 737-8CT (WL) - Bird Ingestion (Canada) Date: 10-SEP-2019 Time: c. 08:18 LT Type: Boeing 737-8CT (WL) Owner/operator: Swoop Registration: C-GXRW C/n / msn: 39082 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: Minor Location: Abbotsford Airport, BC (YXX/CYXX) - Canada Phase: Initial climb Nature: Domestic Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Abbotsford Airport, BC (YXX/CYXX) Destination airport: Edmonton International Airport, AB (YEG/CYEG) Narrative: Swoop flight WO312, a Boeing 737-800, returned to land after bird (reportedly one or more geese) was ingested in engine no.2 on takeoff. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/228876 Back to Top Four more IndiGo planes with P&W-engines face glitches • IndiGo, said two of the reported cases were routine maintenance issues and the planes are back into operations • In the other case, the aircraft is currently undergoing 'C check' at an MRO facility in Hyderabad, the airline said MUMBAI : Glitches with Pratt & Whitney engines began to dog IndiGo again with four more A320s and A321s reporting one issue or other between Sunday and Tuesday, according to a source. Besides, the airline is reportedly deploying a few planes powered by P&W engines for daily operations despite those planes earlier reporting heavy engine vibration, the source added. However, a senior DGCA official rebutted the allegations saying "some engines, which reported vibrations were within the limits prescribed by the US and European aviation safety regulators and they have been released for operations after boroscopic inspection." Nevertheless, the regulator is keeping a close watch on them, the official added. According to the source, on Tuesday an IndiGo flight bound to Doha being operated by an A321 Neo plane (VT-IUC) was recalled to the bay from take-off holding point due to a technical issue in Delhi, while a full emergency was declared for a Chennai-Delhi flight on its arrival Monday due to a technical glitch. In another incident Monday, a Hyderabad-bound IndiGo flight operated by an A320 plane was forced to abort take-off after the pilot reported a technical snag in Bengaluru, the source added. Before this, on September 8, the airline's Hyderabad- Gorakhpur flight was diverted to Varanasi due to an engine stall, which was accompanied by high engine vibrations, the source said. IndiGo, said two of the reported cases were routine maintenance issues and the planes are back into operations. In the other case, the aircraft is currently undergoing 'C check' at an MRO facility in Hyderabad, the airline said. "There were two instances, wherein one was in Mumbai which resulted in an air turn back. The other one was in Guwahati which resulted in an aborted take-off at low speed. Both these aircraft are withdrawn from services and are awaiting engine replacement," the airline said in a statement. A senior DGCA official, in response to quires on the incidents from PTI said all these occurrences have been attended to and wherever needed the pre-emptive actions such as engine replacements have been undertaken. "Some of the engines, which reported vibrations were within the limits prescribed by the FAA and the EASA and after the boroscopic inspection they were released. Some of events referred also took place in aircraft with CEO (current engine option) engines, Boeing 737s, Bombardier Q400s, and ATRs," the official said. "We are keeping a close watch on these issues. We reiterate our commitment to complete safety," the official said. https://www.livemint.com/companies/news/four-more-indigo-planes-with-p-w-engines-face-glitches-1568132041457.html Back to Top New Mexico pilots report close calls with drones ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) - There are strict rules for flying drones but not everyone is following those rules, and that's leading to more close calls in the sky. On Special Assignment, KRQE News 13's Gabrielle Burkhart shows viewers some of the dangers aircraft pilots are facing. Sergeant Will Taylor of the Albuquerque Police Air Support Unit has been a pilot for 28 years. When he gets into the pilot seat of the APD's helicopter Air One, he's on the lookout for trouble. "We're information gatherers, so obviously we see the big picture that you can't necessarily see from the ground," Sergeant Taylor explained. He advises ground crews when a suspect is on the run to help keep everyone safe in dangerous situations. Police also have an eye in the sky during Albuquerque's largest event. APD's helicopter, Air One. "We help the traffic officers with the flow of traffic, watch parking lots for criminal activity," Sergeant Taylor explained his role during the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. But nothing could have prepared the veteran pilot for what happened during Balloon Fiesta two years ago. "It was at night, it was dark," he recalled. "All of a sudden my tactical flight officer called out, 'Drone!' and the next thing I know the lights zipped right past us literally almost right under our rotor disc, so it was very, very near miss." SERGEANT TAYLOR He said his helicopter was flying at 600 feet, 200 feet above a drone's approved air space. Plus, the drone operator in this case didn't have permission to fly at the special event. "It could have been catastrophic," said Sergeant Taylor. He's not the only pilot who's recently had a close call with a drone. Nearly two dozen close calls have been reported to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), in New Mexico in three years. Pilots reported near misses with drones that are usually flying much higher than what's allowed, or where they're not supposed to. In one report, UNM police sent officers to look for a drone operator who was flying near the hospital's helipad, which poses obvious safety concerns. Unauthorized drones have also grounded fire fighting crews trying to battle the Bonita and Cajete fires in 2017. Researchers at the University of Dayton in Ohio designed a test to mimic a midair collision of a drone and a commercial aircraft at flight speeds, showing how much more damage a drone can do than a bird strike. Image from University of Dayton Research Institute drone impact testing When asked if a drone collision could be worse than a bird strike, Sergeant Taylor responded, "Oh absolutely, and I mean you figure a drone can be several pounds." Drone operators endangering the public face hefty fines and even jail time. "We can take civil penalties in the tens of thousands of dollars per occurrence," explained Joe Morra, Director of Safety and Integration for the FAA UAS integration office. But tracking down the drone operators has always been the challenge. New remote identification technology might help with that. APD started using a new tool which helps track drones in a pilot's airspace and identifies their serial number and operator of the drone. "It will tell us how many drones are up, how far they are, where they are, what the speed is of the drone, what the altitude of the drone is," Sergeant Taylor said. With an evolving industry, more commercial aircraft may start to use this technology. "The hope is the rules that we promulgate will foster that type of innovation that can improve safety, not only for drones but for manned pilots too," Morra said. For now, the FAA says anyone flying a drone should educate themselves. Keeping the drone within line of sight and below 400 feet are basic requirements from the FAA. Users can also log on to an app to check flight restrictions around their location. "The bottom line is we want to do everything we can through education, outreach, discussions with law enforcement, rules, to prevent those collisions from happening in the first place," Morra explained. For the tracking technology to work effectively, a drone has to be registered with the FAA, similar to registering your car. However, drone operators are on the honor system when it comes to registration. https://www.krqe.com/news/investigations/new-mexico-pilots-report-close-calls-with-drones/ Back to Top Drone protests threaten UK's Heathrow Airport with more flight chaos Airplanes could be grounded at London Heathrow Airport by protesters using drones. (CNN) - After problems caused by a two-day British Airways strike, London Heathrow is set to be plunged into further chaos this week, with climate crisis protesters planning to disrupt Europe's busiest airport on Friday. Activists from Heathrow Pause, an extension of the Extinction Rebellion movement that brought central London to a standstill earlier in 2019, plan to fly drones within Heathrow's five kilometer exclusion zone, starting at 3 a.m. -- three hours before scheduled flights begin. They say they'll fly at "regular intervals throughout the day," in a bid to ensure that no aircraft will be able to take off or land all day. Activists will give an hour's warning before each flight, and no drone will encroach on flight paths. On average, 1,200 flights pass through Heathrow every day. If the protest takes place, it's likely to cause major problems for an airport that will only just be recovering from the effects of the recent airline strike. Potentially adding to the chaos, several airlines operating in and out of Heathrow have told CNN that the airport has yet to brief them on the situation, despite claims to the contrary. For passengers, it could mean more misery -- and they're unlikely to be eligible for any compensation if their flights are delayed or canceled, according to UK consumer group Which?. Heathrow has vowed to keep the airfield open, using drone detection and "dynamic risk assessment programs." But UK law enacted in March 2019 states that any drone flying within five kilometers of an airport risks endangering aircraft. The exclusion zone was increased from one kilometer by the UK's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) after the Gatwick Airport sightings grounded 1,000 flights, affecting 140,000 people in December 2018. Keeping airports safe from drones "In order to ensure that our operation remains open and safe, we are working closely with a number of stakeholders including the police, NATS [air traffic control] and the CAA to ensure that the UK's hub airport does not close," said a spokesperson for Heathrow. "We have in place dynamic risk assessment programs which are carried out by airfield and security experts and at no time will safety be compromised." Heathrow's week from hell Gatwick grounded flights for three days in December 2018 after drone sightings The Heathrow Pause action comes at the end of a difficult week for the airport, with up to 280,000 passengers already thought to have been affected by the British Airways strikes on Monday and Tuesday. Flight prices were driven up by up to 2,100% by the industrial action. British Airways expects knock-on effects to continue tomorrow, but for the schedule to be functioning as normal by Friday. What's more, although Heathrow says that it had last week "updated our airport community," with news of the potential disruption, one airline said that the first it had heard of the Heathrow Pause protest was when CNN contacted it Tuesday. A spokesperson for SWISS, which has six daily flights to Heathrow from Zurich and five from Geneva, said that the only information from the airport about forthcoming incidents was about the next British Airways strike, planned for September 27. Singapore Airlines also said it had received no official notice from Heathrow. The flag-carrier said it expected to operate as normal on Friday. CNN contacted 25 leading airlines at Heathrow to ask when the airport had alerted them to the potential disruption, and whether they had informed any passengers who might be affected. The others declined to comment. If flights are delayed or canceled, passengers are unlikely to receive compensation, said Which? Travel's acting editor Naomi Leach. "If [Heathrow Pause] goes ahead, the airport will be forced to ground flights -- and passengers are unlikely to be eligible for compensation as it would be deemed a circumstance beyond the control of airlines. "However, airlines would have a duty to provide care to passengers. This means they should be rerouted for free, even if this means using a different airline or airport, as well as getting reasonable expenses, including food, refreshments, and accommodation." A spokesperson for Heathrow said: "We agree with the need to act on climate change but driving change requires constructive engagement and action. Committing criminal offenses and disrupting passenger journeys is counterproductive and irresponsible." Operating a drone within the exclusion zone could result in a jail sentence of up to five years. Five drone "pilots," who have been publicly identified, say that at the end of each flight they will call police and wait to be arrested. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, of London's Metropolitan Police, said his force would do "everything in its power to prevent and stop any such criminal activity," and urged protestors to "think twice," reiterating the threat of imprisonment. "As recent drone incidents at airports have shown, drone use in restricted airspace has the capability to cause great disruption to the public at the airport being targeted and connecting airports internationally, and the Met takes its role in preventing that from happening very seriously," he said. "We will be deploying an effective policing plan around Heathrow to police and detect any illegal activity." Travelers due to fly Friday should contact their airline and arrive at Heathrow in plenty of time, said Leach. "It is probably also a good idea for travelers to make sure they are covered by travel insurance in case things do go wrong," she added. https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/heathrow-drone-protest-closure/index.html Back to Top After Norwegian Trent 1000 fallout - new safety recommendations Italian authorities have issued three recommendations to increase Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engine safety, following a serious incident in August 2019. At the time, left engine on Norwegian Air Shuttle Boeing 787-8 broke down shortly after take-off, pouring 4 kg of debris on Italian city streets. Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 problems by Italian authorities The Norwegian Dreamliner that suffered in-flight shut down, was equipped with two Rolls-Royce 1000 G/01A engines. The Italian Civil Aviation Safety Investigation Authority (ANSV) has found that two intermediate-pressure turbines (IPT) on the broken engine were fractured and the fractures are "attributable" to the same corrosion fatigue problems detected in ten previous cases of in-flight shut down in the Trent 1000 fleet. While unusual corrosion in IPT blades has already been addressed by the manufacturer and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), at the time of the incident the particular engine on Norwegian Dreamliner was 200 flight cycles short of the hard life limit currently mandate by EASA. Ultimately, the Italian investigation has suggested that current EASA and Rolls-Royce's efforts to solve IPT blade fatigue problem fall short and additional measures are needed. On September 4, 2019, ANSV made public its three recommendations regarding engine safety for EASA to address. EASA is asked to define different safety measures than the ones currently in place. For example, stringent time limits for the Trent 1000 pre-mod 72-H818 IPT blades could be one of the solutions, ANSV writes. The Italian authority suggests EASA to "re-evaluate the whole validity of the service management adopted by the manufacturer". The final recommendation is to come back and evaluate relevant de-pairing pre-mod 72-H818 engines provisions, in order to minimize the risk of two faulty engines installed on the same aircraft. In early 2016, the launch customer of the Boeing 787, All Nippon Airways (ANA), detected unusual corrosion in IPT blades, resulting in early wear and cracking on Trent 1000 engines. This forced Rolls Royce to start a long campaign of inspections and replacement of defective parts. Norwegian Boeing 787-8 engine parts poured down on Italian streets On August 10, 2019, Norwegian Boeing 787-8 (reg. LN-LND), operating flight DY-7115 from Rome Fiumicino International Airport (FCO) to Los Angeles (LAX), suffered left engine failure shortly after takeoff, forcing the aircraft to turn back and perform an emergency landing at FCO. While the Dreamliner landed safely and none of the 298 passengers on board was injured, the incident did cause damage for residents of Fiumicino, a city located nearby the airport. According to ANSV, 4 kilograms of debris, mainly turbine blades, poured down on the streets of Fiumicino, wrecking houses, roofs and cars. One person, who was reportedly injured by falling debris, later recalled: "Hundreds of those pieces fell, boiling. One of them hit me on the right side. I got slightly burned," as reported in AdnKronos. Italian investigators do not mention any people injured during the incident. Updated on August 13, 2019. To include comment from the victim. Engine fragments of a Norwegian Boeing 787 fell from the sky shortly after takeoff from Fiumicino airport in Rome, Italy, damaging houses, roofs, and cars. One person was injured in the incident. "We are aware of the event and are working with our customer to provide support and technical assistance," Rolls-Royce spokesperson told AeroTime at the time. "We are committed to working closely with the airline, aircraft manufacturer and the relevant authorities to support their investigation". https://www.aerotime.aero/zivile.zalagenaite/23904-after-norwegian-trent-1000-fallout-new-safety-recommendations Back to Top Federal Aviation Administration Considers Calling For Airbus A220 Engine Checks The Federal Aviation Administration is considering calling for Airbus A220 checks in light of an issue that led to at least two inflight shutdowns. This will means extra checks and the possible replacement of several Pratt & Whitney geared turbofan oil system components that caused two inflight incidents. An Air Baltic A220 An Air Baltic A220 was the first aircraft affected by the engine issue caused by an oil leak. Photo: Markus Eigenheer on Wikimedia What is the problem with Airbus A220 engines? The draft notice, published on September 10th, proposes inspections of the PW1500Gs and PW1900G, ATW reports. The gap between the oil supply of the engine and the fuel oil cooler is to be inspected repetitively. Moreover, operators are to swap the fuel oil cooler and the supply tube for new components to comply with Pratt & Whitney's service guidance. The issue was revealed earlier this year when P&W addressed it with its service bulletins. When contacted by Flight Global, the company did not disclose more details than those provided in the service bulletins. P&W only mentioned that it recommends "inspection and replacement of hardware on PW1500G and PW1900G engines to prevent possible oil leakage between an oil supply tube and the fuel oil cooler." The initial checks will take place within 300 cycles starting from the effective date of the mandate, with the next inspections to follow-up at every 850 cycles. The PW1500G is the engine of the A220 series, whereas the PW1900G is mainly used on the Embraer E-Jet range. The time limit for comments on the FAA proposed directive is October 25th, 2019. When was the problem reported? There were at least two separate incidents linked to low oil pressure on two A220 aircraft. An AirBaltic A220-300 returned to Riga International Airport on August 5th, 2018, shortly after takeoff. The decision to return was made when the crew received a low oil-pressure warning for engine no.2. The second incident took place on October 13th, 2018, involving a Swiss International Air Lines A220-100 en route to Zurich from Paris. In this case, the flight continued to its destination. Another in-flight engine shutdown took place in July 2019, on a Swiss A220 flying from Geneva to London. However, a subsequent investigation determined the shutdown was not related to the oil issue. The flight was diverted to Paris. Previous life limitation issues This news follows on from issues discovered earlier in the year with the PW1500G, which led to an NPRM being published by the FAA. This NPRM reduces the life limitations of the engine, following the discovery of excessive corrosion in the engine during a routine overhaul. The PW1500G is used on all A220 aircraft, of which 81 have so far been delivered (as of the end of August 2019). The largest fleets are with Lufthansa Group (for Swiss) with 29, Delta Air Lines with 21 and airBaltic with 19. More than 500 A220s are currently on order. https://simpleflying.com/faa-a220-engine-checks/ Back to Top NTSB Issues Final Report on 2018 Daytona Beach Accident Fatigue cracking caused Piper Arrow wing to separate in flight. ERAU immediately grounded the rest of its Piper Arrow fleet following the April 2018 accident.Gary Rossier There's a reason pilots don't train for some inflight failures. Sometimes those failures are so rare that the likelihood of a pilot encountering them is not deemed worthy of more than a mention during ground school. Then there are those failures for which no solution exists, as was experienced by a designated pilot examiner and a commercial student in April 2018 near Daytona Beach International Airport when the left wing of the Piper Arrow they were flying separated from the airplane. Following a touch-and-go landing, the Piper was climbing on a westerly heading at about 80 knots when, with less than 1,000 feet of altitude between the airplane and the ground, the structural failure occurred. The DPE and the student were both killed in the accident. Early in the first page of the final accident report released by the NTSB last week - ERA18FA120 - the cause of the accident became clear. "Metallurgical examination of the accident airplane's left-wing main spar lower cap found that it exhibited fracture features consistent with fatigue through more than 90% of the cross-section, reducing its residual strength capabilities almost completely." In all, three major fatigue cracks were eventually found in the broken wing. The report added that, "A small fatigue crack was also identified in the accident airplane's right-wing main spar lower cap; however, that crack had not progressed to the point of failure." The 10-year old aircraft was used only for flight training at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and had accumulated approximately 7,600 hours of flight time. "A review of the operator's airframe discrepancy log for the life of the airplane and flight crew safety reporting system for the 24 months preceding the accident found some reported flap extension overspeed, gear extension overspeed, and hard landing events. In each case, the events resulted in airframe examinations during which no defects were noted by maintenance personnel. Interviews with flight instructors did not yield any safety of flight issues or critical airframe or loading exceedances caused by pilot operation that would be expected to precipitate cracking." Piper published a service bulletin in 1987 for a wing spar inspection on the PA-28 series that would not have taken effect on this airplane until it had accumulated almost another 23,000 flight hours. The NTSB said, "Maneuver loads experienced by the accident airplane were likely similar to the maneuver loads for basic instruction published in AC 23-13A, which are slightly higher than for personal use." The Board also said, "Gust loads in the accident airplane flight training environment could also be higher than in the personal use environment (in the personal use environment airplanes are typically operated at higher altitudes, and gust loads are generally more severe and frequent at lower altitudes for any given airspeed). However, the gust loads for basic instruction are presented as identical to personal use in AC 23-13A. Loads associated with taxi movements for the accident airplane were likely similar to those of other operations other than agricultural application as shown in AC 23-13A." The Board believed however that "landing impact loads for the accident airplane were likely higher and more frequent than other types of operations. Sink rates for basic instruction use as published in AC 23-13A are higher than that of other uses including the pipeline survey use and normal use analyzed for SB 886, and higher sink rates correspond to higher landing impact loads." Following the accident, the Board examined 16 airplanes from 4 flight schools (including ERAU) using eddy-current inspection of the outboard attachment holes where the cracks appeared in the accident airplane. Times in service ranged from 2,777.5 to 10,301.5 hours, and estimated landing cycles ranged from 8,841 to 39,000 cycles. "Among the inspected airplanes, a crack was found in one wing of ERAU airplane N104ER, which had a time in service of 7,660.7 hours and 33,288 landing cycles. No additional cracks were detected in the remaining airplanes, including four airplanes with higher estimated landing cycles. However, due to the limited sample size and the expected variability in fatigue crack initiation times, the absence of detected cracks in airplanes with more cycles and/or hours than N106ER and 104ER does not eliminate the risk of fatigue cracking due to loads associated with a more severe training environment." "The NTSB concludes that, due to flight training maneuvers, significant operation at low altitudes, and frequent landing cycles, the accident airplane (and its sister airplane in the operator's fleet) likely experienced landing, gust, and maneuver loads that were more severe than expected for training aircraft when SB 886 was developed. Therefore, the low-altitude flight training and frequent landing environment likely resulted in the accident airplane accumulating damaging stress cycles at a faster rate than a personal use airplane." An important finding by the NTSB was that neither pilots, instructors or maintenance personnel would have likely been able to visually detect any of the cracks from inside or outside of the airplane. "Evidence of the presence of a crack would only have been visible after cracking had begun in the doubler and grown past the bolt head to a significant length. The only reliable method to detect the fatigue cracking in the wing main spar, as installed, would have been a nondestructive inspection procedure, such as a high frequency eddy current bolt hole inspection." The NTSB said the FAA issued a notice of proposed rulemaking eight months after the accident proposing such an inspection for all Piper PA-28 series airplanes, except the PA-28- 201T and PA-28-236 model airplanes; all Piper PA-28R model airplanes; and all Piper PA-32- 260 and PA-32-300 model airplanes. In the NTSB's February 15, 2019, comments to the FAA, "we expressed our support of the proposed AD's inspection requirements but urged the FAA to reexamine the proposed AD's applicability to certain airplanes based on airplane usage. As of the date of this report, the FAA has not published an AD for inspection of the accident airplane type and other similar types, especially those operated in the flight training environment." The NTSB found the probable cause of this accident to be "extensive fatigue cracking in the left-wing main spar lower cap and doublers, which resulted in the in-flight separation of the left wing. The fatigue cracks initiated and grew to a critical size due to flight and ground loads associated with flight-training involving flight-training maneuvers, significant operation at low altitudes and frequent landing cycles. Previously established inspection criteria were insufficient to detect the fatigue crack before it grew to a critical size." In other words, the accident was deemed unsurvivable. https://www.flyingmag.com/ntsb-issues-report-daytona-beach-piper/ Back to Top Orgs Urge Caution on Commercial Space Ops Integration With commercial space operations anticipated to double by 2023, general aviation, airline, air traffic, airports, and pilots organizations are collectively cautioning the FAA to ensure airspace efficiency and safety is taken into account when licenses are granted. Eight organizations wrote Stephen Dickson, who was sworn in as FAA administrator earlier last month, urging the FAA to take into account all airspace users as it develops a final rule on commercial space licensing. "It is vital to integrate commercial space users into the National Airspace System (NAS), rather than segregating these operations and penalizing aviation users," the letter said, also stating, "It is crucial that the FAA preserve the aviation industry's $1.6 trillion annual U.S. economic activity, which accounts for 5.1 percent of the U.S. GDP." On the safety front, the groups asked that the FAA ensure requirements address risks to other aviation users and ensure they are commensurate with expectations of the flying public. "Ensuring safety is vital for a growing commercial space industry and is the path for true integration into the NAS," the letter said. "The commercial space industry should leverage the experiences from the aviation industry to attain record levels of safety through collaboration and information sharing." The groups advise the adoption of programs modeled after the Aviation Safety Information Analysis and Sharing Program (ASIAS). In advance of the rulemaking, the FAA may formalize time-based launch procedures, create ATC surveillance and tracking capabilities, provide uniform hazard mitigation policies, and ensure two-way communications, the groups added. They also believe commercial space licensees should pay into the NAS system. "This would be consistent with commercial airlines and general aviation that have long supported the government's air traffic management system and airport improvements through various taxes and fees on the transportation of people and cargo, as well as fuel excise taxes." Signing the letter were representatives from the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Air Line Pilots Association, Airlines for America, Airports Council International-North America, American Association of Airport Executives, National Air Traffic Controllers Association, Cargo Airline Association, and Regional Airline Association. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2019-09-09/orgs-urge-caution-commercial-space-ops-integration Back to Top UK P&I Club announces aviation standard human element safety training initiative with CAE UK P&I Club, a leading provider of P&I insurance and other services to the international shipping community, has announced today at London International Shipping Week (LISW) that it has worked with CAE, the global leader in civil aviation training, on a human element safety training initiative based on aviation standards. The initiative will make available CAE's comprehensive Maritime Crew Resource Management (MCRM) learning materials and 'Train the Trainer' support to all UK P&I Club Members. CAE's MCRM trains vessel teams to identify and use all available resources in everyday situations and for occasions that require deep collaborative problem solving in complex and rapidly changing environments on board ship and between ship and shore. Key CAE MCRM learning includes optimal decision making, situational awareness, communications and teamworking based on aviation standards. CAE's MCRM has a long history in maritime human element training having developed the industry's first Bridge Resource Management (BRM) course and subsequently CAE's MCRM, training for the whole vessel team. The recently completed major update of CAE's MCRM learning materials and comprehensive Train the Trainer preparation also reflects its human element expertise and training standards in aviation pilot training. "As the global leader in aviation training, our mission is to enhance safety, efficiency and readiness,'' said Nick Wilcox, CAE Business Leader Maritime Training. "The UK P&I Club promotes best practice and innovation in the maritime industry, and CAE is delighted to be partnering with an organisation that shares similar values.'' Stuart Edmonston, Director of Loss Prevention at UK P&I Club, said: "We are excited to have the opportunity to work with CAE to enhance the UK Club's leading loss prevention initiatives supporting Member safety. The human element regularly features in maritime incidents handled at the Club and we're pleased to introduce our Members to aviation's approach to safety, problem solving and communication, reflected in CAE's MCRM learning programme." Source: UK P&I Club https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/uk-pi-club-announces-aviation-standard-human-element-safety-training-initiative-with-cae/ Back to Top 13,000 passengers stranded after French airline goes bankrupt Passengers wait in front of the French airline Aigle Azur reception desk, without any employees, at Orly airport in Paris last week Paris (CNN Business)Thirteen thousand air passengers are currently stranded overseas after French airline Aigle Azur filed for bankruptcy last week. The vast majority - 11,000 people - are stuck in Algeria, according to Jean-Baptiste Djebbari, France's secretary of state for transport. The airline, which carried around 1.9 million passengers last year, filed for bankruptcy last week and on Friday night canceled all of its flights. Djebbari confirmed that the airline's failure has not only affected its 1,150 employees, including 500 crew members, but thousands of travelers too. In an interview with French TV channel RMC on Monday, he said: "There are 13,000 passengers who bought their tickets and will need to be repatriated. Among them, 11,000 are in Algeria, six in Mali, then in Lebanon, in Moscow and in Senegal." Efforts to rescue those stranded passengers could take weeks, according to Djebbari. "On Friday night, I had a meeting with all French airlines and I asked them to play their part in the repatriation. I especially would like to thank Air France for chartering additional flights to Algeria," he said. "We think that over the course of three weeks we will have dealt with most of the passenger flow," the minister added. Aigle Azur specialized in flying between France and Algeria, before pursuing an unsuccessful expansion "to the whole Maghreb," according to Djebbari. The airline has received 14 takeover bids, the French Directorate General of Civil Aviation confirmed to CNN on Tuesday. Among the bidders are Air France (AFLYY) and EasyJet (ESYJY), according to French news agency AFP, while the The Dubreuil Group, which owns Air Caraibes, told CNN that it has submitted a partial takeover offer. Interested parties could be attracted by Aigle Azur's landing slots at Orly, Paris' second largest airport. The bids, which could stave off a collapse that would put its 1,150 employees out of work, will be considered at a meeting on Friday. HNA Group, the Chinese conglomerate which owns Hainan Airlines, is the largest shareholder in Aigle Azur with a 49% stake. American airline entrepreneur David Neeleman, whose companies include JetBlue and TAP Air Portugal, owns 32% and French businessman Gerard Houa holds 19%. https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/10/business/aigle-azur-stranded-scli-intl/index.html Back to Top Austrian Airlines Wants Drones To Fly Close To Aircraft The existence of drone aircraft has posed an entirely new raft of problems for airlines all over the world, but now a major carrier wants to take advantage of this technology. Austrian Airlines has been testing a new approach to drone aircraft which will see the small vessels carry out technical inspections of its aircraft fleet. Austrian Airlines plans to use drones to assist with maintenance. Structural damage As part of this new initiative, aircraft will be checked for structural damage or paintwork issues via autonomous drones, developed by a French start-up company by the name of Donecle. This innovative approach to aircraft maintenance will help reduce the workload for technicians employed by the Austrian national carrier. But there are other benefits as well. By using drone aircraft, Austrian Airlines claims that the duration of checks will be reduced significantly. This process currently takes between four and 10 hours, but the carrier believes that this can be shaved down to just two hours by using drones, enabling quicker availability of the company's aircraft during daily flight operation. Drone aircraft will begin work on Austrian Airlines' Airbus fleet Michael Kaye, Vice President Austrian Airlines Technical Operations, suggested that drone technology will offer major advantages over current arrangements. In a press release, he asserted, "Our aspiration at Austrian Technik is to stay up-to-date when it comes to new developments. Innovative systems such as these drones perfectly support us to further enhance our stability in flight operations and avoid flight cancellations." Testing ongoing Testing of the fully autonomous drones will continue until the end of 2019, with aircraft technicians continuing to supervise the process. Laser technology is involved in the drone's inspection, while the drone is also able to fly autonomously in order to inspect all areas of Austrian Airlines aircraft. Advanced camera technology mounted on the drone aircraft enables them to take photographs every second, providing a huge amount of evidence for a certified aircraft technician, who will then make a final decision on each plane. Technicians will also be provided with extensive training in operating drone aircraft, with the drones working very much in tandem with experienced personnel. Austrian Airlines believes drone maintenance will improve efficiency. Austrian Airlines has implemented the drone inspections on its Airbus fleet currently, which is an important decision as its Airbus fleet will expand to 46 aircraft, from its current 36, over the next couple of years. But there are already plans in place to expand this autonomous inspection of aircraft to other models in the foreseeable future. Indeed, later this month the 17 Embraer planes deployed by Austrian Airlines will also start being given the once over by drones. The notion of using drone aircraft in this fashion was actually derived from a competition held by the parent company of Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa Group. The drone provider "Donecle" presented its innovation at a start-up challenge, and impressed the airline enough for it to implement its suggestion. Austrian Airlines relies on innovative drone technology for aircraft inspections Near misses Generally speaking, drone aircraft have been more of a problem for the aircraft industry than an opportunity prior to this new initiative. For example, a Virgin Atlantic aircraft came within 10 feet of hitting a drone on approach back in October last year. And this is just one of several drone near misses, as airlines come to terms with dealing with the autonomous aircraft. https://simpleflying.com/austrian-airlines-maintenance-drones/ Back to Top VIRGIN GALACTIC'S PLAN: SEND TOURISTS TO SPACE EVERY 32 HOURS Virgin Galactic, the space tourism enterprise owned by entrepreneur and investor Richard Branson, has plans to seriously ramp up its operations. By 2023, the company expects to launch a shuttle of passengers into space, on average, every 32 hours - which is more than one ride to space every other day. The plan is to start offering tickets to customers in 2020, according to Business Insider. For $250,000 apiece, passengers will be brought to an altitude of 100 km on Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo, where they can experience weightlessness for a few minutes as they look down on Earth - which sounds a lot like the long-deferred dream of space tourism, at least for the mega-rich. Ramping Up Virgin hopes to launch 16 flights over the course of 2020, according to paperwork that the company filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission last week. Then it plans to ramp up operations over the next four years - the company expects to build a fleet of five SpaceShipTwo vehicles to scale its space tourism business. Assuming every flight is fully booked, that means a total of 3,242 people will fly into space on a Virgin Galactic shuttle between 2020 and 2023. But you'll have to be rich to afford one. According to the filings, Virgin is targeting customers with at least $10 million in the bank - a population that the company argues will continue to grow over the next four years. https://futurism.com/the-byte/virgin-galactic-tourists-space Back to Top Aviation Cybersecurity Survey Like many industries, the aviation industry is going through a technology transformation that stretches from satellites to aircraft to airports and supply chain and more. But with this transformation and increased digitisation and connectivity and across the aviation industry, the resilience and security of such systems becomes critically important. Adversaries have always seen the aviation sector as a key target; as it increasingly digitizes, understanding what this means for managing cybersecurity risk is of key importance. As a result, there is a great deal of work focusing on aviation cybersecurity globally, from the proposed ICAO Aviation Cybersecurity Strategy to regional and industry initiatives. But with such a complex and varied sector, it can be challenging to really hear and understand the different perspectives and concerns on the topic of aviation cyber security; ultimately, the more we understand the nature of the aviation cybersecurity challenge, the better we can develop strategies at all levels to protect ourselves and move forwards. To help understand the different perspectives on aviation cybersecurity, to help the entire sector understand the nature of the challenge; the first ever survey on aviation cyber security is being conducted by myself and the Atlantic Council Cyber Statecraft Initiative**, with funding by Thales. It is fully anonymous, focusses on learning about different viewpoints and will help us understand the 'now' of aviation cybersecurity; (it does not ask any questions on breaches, etc...!). The aviation industry and the roles and organisations that support it are diverse. For the purposes of this survey, we are defining Aviation Cybersecurity as being cybersecurity that relates to aircraft operations. This includes everything that involves safely and securely getting aircraft and passengers from A-to-B, along with the supply chain of products and services that enables this. We would love everybody in the aviation industry that has an operational role, cybersecurity role, support it with products and services or cybersecurity research to contribute to the survey. With the topic being a broad one, we are keen to get not just the perspectives of those working at the cross-over of aviation and cybersecurity but also anyone contributing to the aviation sector. The survey should take less than 15 minutes and the results of the survey will be free and published openly in mid-November 2019. If you would like, you are also able to request a copy of the final report and details of the launch. If you have any questions you can get in touch via cyber@atlanticcouncil.org The link to the survey is below. Please contribute, support and distribute the survey to your own colleagues, organisations and relevant contacts, the more that contribute to the survey, the better results and understanding we will get. Website; http://aviationcyber.atlanticcouncil.org/the-global-survey-on-aviation-cybersecurity/ Direct Link; https://www.research.net/r/Aviationcybersecurity If you have any questions, then please either get in touch with myself, or the contact details contained on the survey. Pete Cooper *Pete Cooper, MSc, FRAeS is a cyber strategy adviser across multiple sectors but with a focus on aviation. He has advised IATA and ICAO on cybersecurity strategy as well as nation states, and multi-national organisations. He is the author of 'Finding Lift, Minimising drag' which explored the cybersecurity challenges of the aviation sector and is the lead for the Aviation Village at DEF CON where he works to build bridges between the research community and the aviation sector in partnership with US DHS and the USAF. He is also the founder and Director of the Cyber 9/12 UK Strategy Challenge, which finds and develops the next generation of cyber security leaders. Before entering the commercial sector, Pete was a fast jet pilot and instructor in the Royal Air Force and then moved into cyber security where he held the role of strategic cyber operations adviser. He holds a post Grad from Cranfield University and is CEO of Pavisade. **The Atlantic Council Cyber Statecraft Initiative focus is to: 1) examine the nexus of geopolitics and national security with cyberspace; 2) continue to build out the new field of cyber safety in the Internet of Things; and 3) help build the next generation of cybersecurity and cyberspace policy professionals. Throughout all of its work, the Initiative focuses relentlessly on providing practical, innovative, and relevant solutions to the challenges in cyberspace. The Initiative brings together a diverse network of respected experts, bridging the gap between the technical and policy communities. Back to Top The Northeast Aviation Leadership Workshop Leading an aviation team or department presents challenges that many other leaders do not face. Your clients and customers rely on you not only for good service, but also for their safety. There is often little or no room for error which demands effective leadership at all levels. The Daedalus Group is pleased to partner with the Westchester Aircraft Maintenance Association to bring the 3-day Northeast Aviation Leadership Workshop to New York. This is an intensive exploration of proven techniques for better leadership in aviation. Designed specifically for aviation professionals, it is an opportunity for supervisors and managers in the aviation business to learn the skills and techniques that will make them more effective in this demanding environment. The workshop will present Planning to Excel™ and Leadership for Aviation Professionals™. These programs are certified by the National Business Aviation Association to satisfy all Professional Development Program (PDP) Leadership Objectives (L1 - L5). Whether you hold the Certified Aviation Manager credential and require PDP credits, are working toward certification, or just want to learn how to be an effective leader in the aviation business, this workshop will provide the skills to make you a more effective leader. The first day of the workshop, October 8, 2019 will explore Planning to Excel™ (PDP Objectives L1 and L2). This program takes a deep dive into planning and goal setting using a unique model to make the planning process logical, understandable, and easy to implement. Participants will: • Learn a proven method of planning and goal setting for their department or team. • Complete draft vision and mission statements for their department or team. • Define challenging goals and objectives. • Develop an implementation and follow-up plan. • Learn techniques to keep their plan relevant and front-of-mind. "Outstanding course. Perfect course to take to help develop effective goals. Facilitator's enthusiasm and professional knowledge made the course. Corporate Captain "Materials were good and discussion was pertinent to my situation. Opened up ideas of what to think about." Part 141 Pilot School General Manager Leadership for Aviation Professionals™ (PDP objectives L3 - L5) will be presented on October 9 - 10, 2019. This program examines leadership techniques and how to apply them to participant's unique situations in the aviation business. Participants will: • Use the MyHardWired™ Leadership Styles Assessment to learn their strengths and blindsides. • Develop a Personal Leadership Philosophy. • Understand and apply appropriate leadership theories. • Learn effective communication strategies. • Analyze team building techniques and challenges. • Understand leadership accountability. • Apply methods to achieve a motivational environment. • Explore methods of enhancing personal knowledge. • Analyze methods to lead and manage change. "Gives you the tools to become a better leader." Corporate flight department staff "Gives various perspectives of effective management tools and techniques" Corporate Pilot "Excellent assessment tools, good discussions and great experiences shared" Corporate Pilot You can register for only Planning to Excel™, or only Leadership for Aviation Professionals™. Register for both workshops and save $100 off the individual tuition. Register before September 15, 2019 and save 10%. Use code EARLY when registering. Your registration includes continental breakfast and lunch each day, a complete workbook, and the MyHardWired™ Leadership Styles Assessment (Leadership for Aviation Professionals™ only). Go to https://dleadershipgroup.com/nealw Curt Lewis