Flight Safety Information December 2, 2019 - No. 247 In This Issue Off-duty pilot hitching a ride saved Lion Air 737 Max 8 one day before its deadly crash Accident: Camair Co MA60 at Bamenda on Dec 1st 2019, aircraft being shot at Incident: Omni B762 near Las Vegas on Nov 29th 2019, smoke in cockpit Accident: Laudamotion A320 at Vienna, enroute and Dublin on Nov 25th 2019, communication problems and fumes Incident: Helvetic E290 at Zurich on Nov 24th 2019, could not retract gear. Incident: Antonov A124 at Ostend on Nov 26th 2019, rejected takeoff due to engine problem. Nine dead in South Dakota plane crash Three dead in plane crash near San Antonio airport. Crews recover bodies from plane crash site west of Cooper Landing Young pilot fights for life after plane crash on remote Queensland farm Small plane crashes onto NSW beach in front of shocked onlookers Plane Slides Off Icy Taxiway as Intense Winter Storm Continues to Muck Up Thanksgiving Travel Delta airplane drops evacuation slide onto Milton neighborhood Laser pointed at passenger jet flying toward Logan Airport New federal rules for emotional support animals on planes are coming. Here's why veterans with service dogs support restrictions - and some disability advocates don't. Florida Woman Faked Medical Condition To Get Better Airplane Seat And Forced Plane To Be Diverted IATA Safety and Flight Ops Conference - Baku, Azerbaijan 31 March - 2 April, 2020 USC Aviation Safety & Security Program BlazeTech Aircraft Fire Hazards, Protection and Investigation Course - May 26- 28, 2020 in Woburn MA, USA Off-duty pilot hitching a ride saved Lion Air 737 Max 8 one day before its deadly crash As the Lion Air crew fought to control their diving 737 Max 8, they got help from an unexpected source: an off-duty pilot who happened to be riding in the cockpit. That extra pilot, seated in the cockpit jump seat, correctly diagnosed the problem and told the crew how to disable a malfunctioning flight-control system and save the plane, according to two people familiar with Indonesia's investigation. The next day, on Oct. 29, under command of a different crew facing what investigators said was an identical malfunction, the jetliner crashed into the Java Sea killing all 189 aboard. The previously undisclosed detail on the earlier Lion Air flight represents a new clue in the mystery of how some 737 Max pilots faced with the malfunction have been able to avert disaster while the others lost control of their planes and crashed. The presence of a third pilot in the cockpit wasn't contained in Indonesia's National Transportation Safety Committee's Nov. 28 report on the crash and hasn't previously been reported. The so-called deadhead pilot on the earlier flight from Bali to Jakarta told the crew to cut power to the motor driving the nose down, according to the people familiar, part of a checklist that all pilots are required to memorize. "All the data and information that we have on the flight and the aircraft have been submitted to the Indonesian safety committee. We can't provide additional comment at this stage due the ongoing investigation on the accident," Lion Air spokesman Danang Prihantoro said by phone. The Indonesia safety committee report said the plane had had multiple failures on previous flights and hadn't been properly repaired. Representatives for Boeing and the Indonesian safety committee declined to comment on the earlier flight. The safety system, designed to keep planes from climbing too steeply and stalling, has come under scrutiny by investigators of the crash as well as a subsequent one less than five months later in Ethiopia. A malfunctioning sensor is believed to have tricked the Lion Air plane's computers into thinking it needed to automatically bring the nose down to avoid a stall. after similarities to the Oct. 29 Lion Air crash emerged in the investigation of the March 10 crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302. In the wake of the two accidents, . The Transportation Department's inspector general is conducting a review of how the plane was certified to fly and a grand jury under the U.S. Justice Department is also seeking records in a possible criminal probe of the plane's certification. The last week said it planned to mandate changes in the system to make it less likely to activate when there is no emergency. The agency and Boeing said they are also going to require additional training and references to it in flight manuals. "We will fully cooperate in the review in the Department of Transportation's audit," Boeing spokesman Charles Bickers said in an email. The company has declined to comment on the criminal probe. After the Lion Air crash, two U.S. pilots' unions said the potential risks of the system, known as the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System hadn't been sufficiently spelled out in their manuals or training. None of the documentation for the Max aircraft included an explanation, the union leaders said. "We don't like that we weren't notified,'' Jon Weaks, president of the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, said in November. "It makes us question, 'Is that everything, guys?' I would hope there are no more surprises out there.'' The Allied Pilots Association union at Group Inc. also said details about the system weren't included in the documentation about the plane. There have been no reports of maintenance issues with the Ethiopian Airlines plane before its crash. If the same issue is also found to have helped bring down Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, one of the most vexing questions crash investigators and aviation safety consultants are asking is why the pilots on that flight didn't perform the checklist that disables the system. "After this horrific Lion Air accident, you'd think that everyone flying this airplane would know that's how you turn this off," said Steve Wallace, the former director of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration's accident investigation branch. The combination of factors required to bring down a plane in these circumstances suggests other issues may also have occurred in the Ethiopia crash, said Jeffrey Guzzetti, who also directed accident investigations at FAA and is now a consultant. "It's simply implausible that this MCAS deficiency by itself can down a modern jetliner with a trained crew," Guzzetti said. MCAS is driven by a single sensor near the nose that measures the so-called angle of attack, or whether air is flowing parallel to the length of the fuselage or at an angle. On the Lion Air flights, the angle-of-attack sensor had failed and was sending erroneous readings indicating the plane's nose was pointed dangerously upward. Bloomberg's Mary Schlangenstein contributed. https://stockdailydish.com/off-duty-pilot-hitching-a-ride-saved-lion-air-737-max-8-one- day-before-its-deadly-crash/ Back to Top Accident: Camair Co MA60 at Bamenda on Dec 1st 2019, aircraft being shot at A Camair Co Xian MA-60, registration TJ-QDB performing flight QC-292 from Douala to Bamenda (Cameroon), was on approach to Bamenda, when shots were heard and two projectiles entered the cabin. The aircraft was able to continue for a safe landing. No injuries occurred, the aircraft fuselage and pressure vessel was penetrated at the left hand side by two projectiles at about the height of passenger windows. The airline confirmed its MA-60 TJ-QDB was shot at with firearms while on approach for landing at Bamenda. No loss of life was recorded, the aircraft was able to land safetly despite the damage to its fuselage. An armed conflict between Cameroon's army and rebels attempting to separate the region into a state Ambazonia has been in progress since 2017. http://avherald.com/h?article=4d004ab1&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Omni B762 near Las Vegas on Nov 29th 2019, smoke in cockpit An Omni Air International Boeing 767-200, registration N234AX performing flight OY- 112 from Las Vegas,NV to Honolulu,HI (USA) with 127 people on board, was climbing through FL360 out of Las Vegas when the crew donned their oxygen masks, reported smoke in the cockpit and decided to return to Las Vegas. The aircraft landed safely on Las Vegas' runway 26L about 45 minutes after departure. A replacement Boeing 767-200 registration N207AX reached Honolulu with a delay of about 8.5 hours. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Las Vegas about 27 hours after landing back. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/OAE112/history/20191129/1728Z/KLAS/PHNL http://avherald.com/h?article=4cff9811&opt=0 Back to Top Accident: Laudamotion A320 at Vienna, enroute and Dublin on Nov 25th 2019, communication problems and fumes A Laudamotion Airbus A320-200, registration OE-LOX performing flight OE-1342 from Vienna (Austria) to Dublin (Ireland) with 179 people on board, was climing out of Vienna when upon contacting Vienna Radar the crew was unable to establish two way communications, it became clear ground stations could hear the aircraft, but the aircraft could not hear the ground stations on any of their three onboard radios. After trying several frequencies a frequency was found in which two way communication was possible, ATC throughout Europe subsequently arranged specific frequencies for the remainder of the flight to Dublin. The aircraft initially maintained FL300, but near Erfurt (Germany) descended to FL240 on ATC instruction for the remainder of the cruise flight in response to the frequency problem. At about the same time during climb flight attendants noticed a strange odour in the cabin, similiar to menthol or disinfection fluids, for some brief moments, the smell dissipated again. Later into the flight a female passenger fainted and became unconscious for a brief period of time. A doctor on board was called and treated the woman, who became conscious again and was provided with water and cooling compresses. Medical services were requested for the arrival in Dublin, emergency services thus took their standby positions for the arrival in Dublin. During the descent towards Dublin, while descending towards Dublin an intense odour of dirty/old socks was detected by cabin crew, the first officer confirmed smelling that odour, too. Cabin crew reported being dizzy and suffering from headaches, the flight crew remained unaffected so far, maintained routine communication, performed the intercept to final approach and landed on Dublin's runway 10 about 2.5 hours after departure. Two cabin crew went to see doctors in a Dublin hospital. The aircraft was unable to perform the return flight and remained on the ground for about 54 hours before returning to Vienna. The aircraft returned to service about 15 hours after landing in Vienna and about 72 hours after landing in Dublin. The airline told Austrianwings about technical problems on the flight without further clarification despite three attempts by Austrianwings to get more detail. The spokeswoman reported a replacement Ryanair Boeing 737-800 transported the passengers booked onto the return flight to Vienna. On Nov 28th 2019 The Aviation Herald obtained information about the sequence of events on board of the flight, the source commented: "Due to the rapid fleet expansion Laudamotion apparently did the one or other bad purchases". OE-LOX (MSN 3272, former RP-C3244) had been stored in Indonesia and had joined Laudamotion on Nov 20th 2019 arriving in Vienna on Nov 20th 2019 at about 05:00Z (via intermediate stops in India and United Arab Emirates) and was on the first revenue flight for Laudamotion, when the occurrences took place. On Nov 29th 2019 Austrocontrol, acting as Civil Aviation Authority of Austria, reported that the airline was put under heightened monitoring due to an unusual high number of occurrences in recent months. An investigation had already been opened in September 2019. The Austrian Ministry of Transport reported administrative proceedings are underway which may result in a high penalty. http://avherald.com/h?article=4cfdfe36&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Helvetic E290 at Zurich on Nov 24th 2019, could not retract gear A Helvetic Embraer ERJ-190-E2, registration HB-AZA performing flight LX-2254 from Zurich (Switzerland) to Budapest (Hungary), was climbing out of Zurich's runway 28 when the crew stopped the climb at about 7000 feet advising, they were unable to retract their landing gear, the system was somehow blocked, they were not sure the gear was still locked for the return landing. Emergency services deployed for the return to runway 14. The aircraft landed safely on runway 14, emergency services did not need to intervene. The occurrence aircraft, that had joined Helvetic end of October 2019, returned to service about 46 hours after landing back. http://avherald.com/h?article=4cfeec2a&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Antonov A124 at Ostend on Nov 26th 2019, rejected takeoff due to engine problem An Antonov Design Bureau Antonov AN-124-100, registration UR-82072 performing flight ADB-5250 from Ostend (Belgium) to Mazar-i-Sharif (Afghanistan), was accelerating for takeoff from Ostend's runway 26 at about 19:05L (18:05Z) when the crew rejected takeoff at high speed (about 110 knots over ground) due to a poblem with the #2 engine (D-18T, inboard left hand). The aircraft slowed safely and returned to the apron. On Nov 29th 2019 Antonov Design Bureau told The Aviation Herald: "Because of the surge of the second engine of the AN124-100-150, the decision to the take off was aborted. The aircraft was inspected by Antonov technical specialists and no damage was found. The engine has been sent to the manufacturer for further investigation, and in order to ensure that our obligations to the customer are fulfilled, another aircraft was sent to Ostend." Metars: EBOS 261950Z 17011KT 9999 FEW015 11/09 Q0996 NOSIG= EBOS 261920Z 17011KT 9999 FEW020 11/09 Q0996 NOSIG= EBOS 261850Z 18011KT 9999 FEW018 SCT025 BKN040 11/09 Q0996 NOSIG= EBOS 261820Z 17013KT 9999 FEW018 11/09 Q0996 NOSIG= EBOS 261750Z 17012KT 9999 FEW018 SCT038 11/09 Q0996 NOSIG= EBOS 261720Z 17011KT 9999 FEW018 SCT048 11/09 Q0997 NOSIG= EBOS 261650Z 17011KT 9999 FEW018 BKN048 11/09 Q0997 NOSIG= EBOS 261620Z 18011KT 9999 FEW018 SCT045 11/09 Q0997 NOSIG= EBOS 261550Z 18013KT 9999 FEW014 SCT020 11/09 Q0997 NOSIG= EBOS 261520Z 18011KT 9999 FEW014 SCT040 11/10 Q0997 NOSIG= http://avherald.com/h?article=4cfcb737&opt=0 Back to Top Nine dead in South Dakota plane crash A plane crash in South Dakota on Saturday claimed the lives of at least nine people, including the pilot and two children. The remaining three passengers on the Idaho- bound flight have been transported to medical facilities in Sioux Falls, according to CBS affiliate KELO-TV. Among the dead are Kirk and Jim Hansen, executives with the wellness company Kyäni, oil company Conrad & Bischoff and KJ's Super Stores, according to a Facebook statement from Kyäni Vision Group. The statement said several other family members were aboard the plane and did not survive the crash. The family was returning from a weekend hunting trip. Kirk's son, Stockton, also perished in the crash. The victims' ages ranged from seven to 81 years old. The three survivors were all men, the youngest of which is 17. The plane, a Pilatus PC-12 single-engine turboprop passenger aircraft, went down about a mile southwest of the Chamberlain airport. It had taken off a little before noon and was headed to Idaho Falls Regional Airport. As many as 12 people are believed to have been on board. The area where the crash occurred is currently under a winter storm warning, according to the National Weather Service, with heavy snow and wind gusts as high as 45 mph. It's unclear why the plane was allowed to take off in these conditions. The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that investigators are on the way to the accident site. The National Transportation Safety Board will conduct the investigation. CBS News' Kris Van Cleave reports the NTSB plans to send a team of three to the scene but, given the current conditions, they are not sure when investigators will reach the crash site. NTSB investigators arrived in Sioux Falls on Sunday, but will not attempt to reach the scene of the crash until Monday at the earliest due to poor weather conditions. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/south-dakota-plane-crash-9-dead-in-pilatus-pc-12- single-engine-aircraft-crash-near-chamberlain-airport-2019-12-01/ Back to Top Three dead in plane crash near San Antonio airport Three people were killed on Sunday night when a pilot flying a small plane with "engine trouble" crashed while attempting to make an emergency landing in San Antonio, reports said. The Piper PA-24 Cherokee was trying to land at San Antonio International Airport when it crashed into the street about a mile away from the airport, authorities said during a press conference Sunday night, according to KSAT-TV. All three aboard were killed. Although the small aircraft landed in a residential area, there were no injuries reported on the ground. "As tragic as it is, it could've been much worse," Fire Chief Charles Hood said at the press conference. The pilot had activated an alert to indicate that he was attempting to make an emergency landing because of engine trouble, Hood said. The aircraft was flying from Sugar Land, southwest of Houston, to a location 30 miles north of San Antonio. https://nypost.com/2019/12/02/three-dead-in-plane-crash-near-san-antonio-airport/ Back to Top Crews recover bodies from plane crash site west of Cooper Landing Search and rescue crews recovered three bodies Sunday afternoon from the site where a plane crashed into "steep, mountainous terrain" on the Kenai Peninsula Friday night, according to officials. The Alaska Mountain Rescue Group, troopers and an NTSB investigator left early Sunday to reach the site by ground. Ken Marsh, a spokesman for the troopers, said the group reached the crash site just before 2 p.m. and recovery efforts were complete around 3 p.m. The bodies will be transported to the State Medical Examiner Office for identification, according to an online alert issued by troopers. The Security Aviation plane crashed under unknown circumstances about 15 miles west of Quartz Creek Airport on Friday, an FAA spokesman said. The twin-engine Piper PA-31 left Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport on Friday around 6:30 p.m., according to the National Transportation Safety Board. The plane was headed to the Seward Airport, where two Medevac employees planned to pick up a patient from Providence Seward Medical Center before returning to Anchorage, according to a statement from Security Aviation, which operated the plane. The plane was reported overdue at 7:15 p.m. An aircraft dispatched by the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center flew over the crash Friday night but troopers wrote in the online alert that weather and terrain prevented crews from landing. A Department of Public Safety helicopter flew over the scene Saturday afternoon with an NTSB investigator onboard but troopers said the helicopter was also unable to land. Investigators believe the plane burned after crashing into steep, mountainous terrain at about 1,500 feet elevation. https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/aviation/2019/12/01/rescue-crews-reach-plane- crash-site-west-of-cooper-landing/ Back to Top Young pilot fights for life after plane crash on remote Queensland farm A young pilot is fighting for his life after his plane crashed on a remote Queensland farm on Monday morning. The 25-year-old man was flying an ultralight plane at a property near Isisford, a small town about 100 kilometres south of Longreach. The man suffered critical head injuries as well as face and leg damage when the plane went down before 9am, a Royal Flying Doctor Service spokesman said. He was airlifted to the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, landing before 2pm. https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/young-pilot-fights-for-life- after-plane-crash-on-remote-queensland-farm-20191202-p53g3s.html Back to Top Small plane crashes onto NSW beach in front of shocked onlookers Beachgoers were forced to run for their lives as a small plane came crashing onto the sand of a New South Wales beach late yesterday. Paul Tridgell was flying with a single passenger when his small plane started to malfunction. "The engine started running very roughly, backfiring. Wouldn't give me any power to climb, I was at about 1000 feet," Mr Tridgell told Today. He was forced to perform a crash landing on Racecourse Beach, Ulladulla, at about 6:20pm. Officers attached to the South Coast police district attended the scene, with inquiries commenced to determine the circumstances of the crash. Both occupants escaped without injury. https://www.9news.com.au/national/ulladulla-news-small-plane-crash-nsw- beach/b46db849-53d5-424e-8d29-ce5fd0612207 Back to Top Plane Slides Off Icy Taxiway as Intense Winter Storm Continues to Muck Up Thanksgiving Travel A Delta Air Lines jet slid off a taxiway in Buffalo on Sunday as a winter storm continued to batter much of the United States closing interstates and delaying or canceling hundreds of flights. More than 91,000 customers were without electricity in Michigan and Wisconsin as of 2:45 p.m. Sunday, according to poweroutage.us. Another 9,600 Pennsylvania customers had no power. Several vehicles were involved in a crash Sunday morning on northbound Interstate 81 about 38 miles north of Scranton, Pennsylvania, according to the state Transportation Department. Crashes were also reported on Interstate 80 southwest of Williamsport. An overturned tractor-trailer closed westbound lanes of I-80 in Knowlton Township, New Jersey. PennDOT announced that speeds would be limited to 45 mph on several interstates on Monday because of the weather. Ice on the road closed Interstate 86 in both directions between Exit 59 and Exit 56 in Chemung, New York, and at Exit 46 in Corning, the Department of Transportation reported. At least 10 vehicles were involved in a crash on southbound I-81 near Chenango, the DOT reported. More than a dozen crashes were reported on Interstate 90 from Niagra Falls to Syracuse. A Delta Air Lines aircraft slid off a taxiway after landing at Buffalo Niagara International Airport about 8:30 a.m. Sunday, WKBW reported. No injuries were reported, but the plane's wheel was stuck for a time. "For lack of a better word, the plane fishtailed," Joseph E. Guarino, airfield superintendent, told the Buffalo News. Guarino said the plane's 72 passengers were evacuated down the airplane's stairs and taken by bus to the terminal. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo placed National Guard personnel on standby and activated the state's Emergency Operations Center. "This storm has the potential to cause significant problems as many New Yorkers return from the Thanksgiving holiday today and commute to work tomorrow," Cuomo said in a statement. "Snow, black ice, rain and wind are a bad combination - but this isn't our first rodeo and we pre-deployed significant state assets and personnel to prepare for the storm and maintain the roads." In Kingston, Ontario, which is north of Syracuse, a crash involving about 30 vehicles durijng whiteout conditions closed down westbound lanes of Highway 401, CTV News reported. There were reports of serious injuries. In Massachusetts, several districts announced schools would be closed Monday because of what the National Weather Service called a "long duration, messy event." The State Police reduced the speed limit on Interstate 90 to 40 mph from the New York border to Westborough. Roadways remained closed for much of the day across the Midwest, including parts of Interstate 80 in Nebraska and Wyoming and Interstate 76 in Colorado. A 100-mile section of I-80 in Nebraska and Wyoming closed Saturday morning because of high winds and blowing snow. It was reopened about 11:30 a.m. Sunday. Interstate 90 in South Dakota was reopened, but the Transportation Department still advised people to no travel. Most highways in Minnesota were covered with snow, the state's Department of Transportation reported Sunday morning. A portion of Interstate 35 near Esko, Minnesota, was closed. The National Weather Service office in Duluth said numerous vehicles were stuck in snow drifts. More than 19 inches of snow had fallen in Duluth as of 6 a.m., the NWS said. The Minnesota State Patrol said that from 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, it tallied 187 crashes, with 21 injuries and no deaths, the Star Tribune reported. Three semitrailer trucks jackknifed and more than 300 vehicles spun out or ran off the road. More than 900 flights were delayed and 560 flights were canceled about 1:15 p.m. Sunday, according to flightaware.com. On Saturday, more than 7,300 flights were canceled or delayed. Winter Storm Ezekiel was affecting more than 30 states on Sunday. Weather is being looked at as a possible cause in the crash of a small-engine plane on Saturday in South Dakota. Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Lynn Lunsford said the crash happened as major winter weather barreled through the region. Nine people were killed when the Pilatus PC-12 carrying 12 people crashed about 12:30 p.m., shortly after taking off from Chamberlain, about 140 miles west of Sioux Falls, according to The Associated Press. Peter Knudson of the National Transportation Safety Board said weather would be among several factors reviewed by NTSB investigators, but no cause had yet been determined. The Rapid City, South Dakota, airport closed Saturday afternoon after visibility dropped so low that crews were unable to plow and use equipment. One person was killed in a rollover accident near Cavour, South Dakota, or just northwest of Sioux Falls, early Friday. The pickup truck lost control on an ice covered road and went into a ditch and rolled. Both people in the truck had to be removed from the truck by authorities, but neither were wearing seat belts, according to KELO. A crash on Interstate 15 near Willard, Utah, killed one person Wednesday morning when the car slid off the road, the Deseret News reported. Authorities in Arizona found the bodies of two young children, and a third child was missing, after a vehicle was swept away while attempting to cross a runoff-swollen creek in Tonto National Forest on Friday, AP reported. In addition, AP reported, two boys, ages 5 and 8, died Saturday near Patton, Missouri, when the vehicle they were riding in was swept off flooded roads. A 48-year-old man died in a separate incident near Sedgewickville, Missouri, according to AP. In Minnesota, two lanes of I-94 near Moorhead was closed Saturday afternoon after a multivehicle accident involving at least one semitrailer. Farther east, the city of Duluth, Minnesota, issued a "no travel advisory" beginning Saturday afternoon, according to AP. The National Weather Service reported blizzard conditions at the head of Lake Superior with snow falling at a rate of 1 inch per hour and winds gusting above 50 mph. NWS said huge waves were crashing onshore causing lake shore flooding. Western Impacts Tusayan, Arizona, declared a state of emergency because of heavy snow and lack of electricity Friday. Tusayan is located near the Grand Canyon National Park where over a foot of snow has been measured. A shelter was setup in the Grand Canyon National Park to assist the more than 1,000 people who had not had heat or power since early Friday. Roads were reported to be impassable and there are fuel shortages. Parts of Interstate 40 and Interstate 17 were closed south of Flagstaff, Arizona, in both directions early Friday due to heavy snow in the higher elevations, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation. Several other roads were closed Friday morning in northern Arizona due to snow. The interstates were reopened midday Friday. The Flagstaff area reported 8 to 12 inches of snowfall as of early Friday, with 15 inches measured at the Grand Canyon (South Rim). In California, a portion of Interstate 5 from Grapevine to Castaic through Tejon Pass closed Thursday morning as heavy snow swept through the higher elevations. Snow gates were opened on I-5 near Santa Clarita to force northbound cars back southbound and down in elevation. Southbound lanes fully reopened Thursday afternoon. The unusually intense winter storm downed trees, knocked out power and closed highways in parts of California Wednesday. Motorists on Interstate 5 in Northern California reported being stuck on the road for hours and some spent the night in their cars, The Associated Press reported. Christina Williams of Portland, Oregon, told the AP that it took her and her 13-year-son 17 hours to reach Redding, California, a journey that would normally take 10 hours. Williams told the AP she and other stranded drivers used weather-related hashtags to connect on the social media platform Twitter and share information on road conditions. Williams described "spin-outs everywhere" and abandoned trucks. "There were spin-outs everywhere, there were trucks that were abandoned and every time we stopped and started moving again, there were people who couldn't start moving again," she said. "Every time we stopped I was like, is this it? Are we going to be here overnight?" About 100 miles of Interstate 5 between Yreka and Redding near the Oregon border was closed Tuesday night and into early Wednesday morning due to multiple vehicle spinouts, according to the California Department of Transportation. The southbound lanes reopened Wednesday morning. The northbound lanes reopened heading from Redding, California, all the way to the Oregon border Wednesday evening. Authorities were working to remove "the extremely large number of vehicles" off the road. The southbound portion of the interstate was also shut down from Ashland, Oregon, due to the conditions in Northern California, but has reopened. The westbound lanes of Interstate 80 between Truckee and Nyack were also closed Wednesday morning due to multiple spinouts, the California Highway Patrol said. The roadway later reopened to passenger vehicles only. The Placer County Sheriff's Office posted video of whiteout conditions in North Lake Tahoe. Several other state highways in Northern California were closed or down to one lane overnight and into Wednesday morning due to snow, ice or trees blocking the roadway, Caltrans said. Highway 20 in Nevada County was closed near the intersection of I-80 due to whiteout conditions and excessive snow, and Highway 49 was closed between Downieville and Sattley in Sierra County. More than 76,000 homes and businesses were without power in California Wednesday morning, according to PowerOutage.us. Many of the outages were caused by high winds. The storm met the criteria for a bomb cyclone as it moved toward the coasts of Northern California and southern Oregon on Tuesday, meaning its pressure dropped rapidly. The Weather Channel has named the system Winter Storm Ezekiel. The storm's impacts started Tuesday and continued overnight, with snow, rain and heavy winds. https://weather.com/safety/winter/news/2019-12-01-winter-storm-impacts-9-killed-in- plane-crash-highways-closed Back to Top Delta airplane drops evacuation slide onto Milton neighborhood A Sunday afternoon chat outside a neighbor's home took a terrifying turn on Sunday for Milton resident Stephanie Leguia when a Delta airplane dropped a massive evacuation slide onto her neighbor's yard, feet from where they were standing. "If it had hit us, we would have been dead - it's that heavy," she said. "And if we didn't die - I hate to think of the alternative." Leguia was standing her neighbor's Adams Street yard when the 6-foot silver evacuation slide fell from the sky with such force it took down four tree branches as is slammed to the ground. No one was injured. Leguia said her and her neighbor's backs were turned when what looked like a "giant silver tarp" landed. Upon inspection they found a "Boeing" label on it and called police, who eventually figured out the tarp was actually an un-inflated emergency evacuation slide. A Delta spokeswoman confirmed the inflatable slide fell from the wing of a Delta flight traveling from Paris to Logan International Airport. The flight landed at 12:01 p.m. without incident. Delta and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the incident, the spokeswoman said. Milton sits in the flight path of more than 70,000 planes making their approach into Logan International Airport and the town has a storied history of standing up aviation officials and Massport, which runs Boston's airport. In 2010, the body of 16-year-old stowaway fell from a plane into a Milton neighborhood, shocking the community. Leguia said the planes fly so low over her home they wake her up at night and leave a dusting of ash and soot in their wake that has left a film on her home. A committee of residents fed up with the noise and pollution of planes flying overhead just last week brought their complaints to the town's select board. "Incidents like this one are extremely rare and we are thankful that no one was injured. Delta, in conjunction with the FAA, will be doing a full investigation into what happened," Jennifer Mehigan of Massport said in a statement. The Federal Aviation Administration does not appear to keep records on the instances of the parts falling from airplanes - an occurrence so common the industry even has an acronym for it: PDA or parts department from aircraft. An October paper from the International Civil Aviation Organization suggested the phenomenon is on the rise - especially in the United States and Europe - and concluded global measures to stop it were "insufficient." The FAA did not immediately return a request for comment Sunday night. https://www.bostonherald.com/2019/12/01/delta-airplane-drops-massive-evacuation- slide-onto-milton-neighborhood/ Back to Top Laser pointed at passenger jet flying toward Logan Airport Law enforcement officials are trying to determine who pointed a laser at a passenger jet heading toward Logan International Airport on Thanksgiving eve. The Boston Herald reports the incident happened Wednesday when a Southwest Airlines pilot reported a green laser shining on the side of the Boeing 737 headed into Logan. The aircraft was 16 miles northwest of the airport at an altitude of 16,000 feet, according to the Federal Aviation Administration . It's the 40th time this year someone has trained a laser at an airplane in Massachusetts, tying last year's number. The numbers are down from the 80 or more laser strikes in Massachusetts in 2017, 2016 and 2015. Aviation officials warn pointing a laser at a plane is both a safety risk and a violation of federal law. https://www.chicagotribune.com/sns-bc-ma--airplane-laser-20191201-story.html Back to Top New federal rules for emotional support animals on planes are coming. Here's why veterans with service dogs support restrictions - and some disability advocates don't. It's holiday travel time, so here's a handy checklist before you head to the airport: Got your earphones? A scarf in case it gets cold on the plane? Slip-on shoes for the TSA line? Doctor's note for your emotional support snake? Scratch that last one. In spite of what you may have heard about a wide range of emotional support animals showing up at airports, you won't find a warm welcome for your snake on board that flight. Current Department of Transportation rules allow airlines to ban snakes, as well as rodents (sorry, emotional support squirrel), spiders and a few other creatures. But that emotional support cat rubbing his hair all over your black sweater? Or that dog in the next seat who's begging for your pretzels? They've got a ticket to ride. At least for now. Transportation industry watchers and a slew of interested parties - including disability rights advocates, airlines and service dog providers - are awaiting updated rules from the DOT that will further refine policy around emotional support animals on airplanes. Federal policy changes are expected soon, perhaps before the end of the year. And though no one yet knows exactly what shape the new rules will take, chances are good that it's about to get a little harder to bring your ESA on board. Keeping a menagerie of strange animals, not to mention pets masquerading as service animals, off flights seems like a good idea, right? But emotional support animals, in spite of the bad rap they've gotten lately, represent an issue that is more complex than it seems. For some people, like Rory Diamond, CEO of K9s for Warriors, which provides service dogs to veterans with PTSD and other injuries, stricter DOT rules can't come soon enough. "Hopefully, it will be an improvement over the current rule," he says, "which is wide open and not able to contain the number of untrained animals that are showing up on airplanes." In Diamond's view, emotional support animals, which are not required to undergo specific training, don't belong on flights. "We think only service dogs should be allowed on planes," he says. "The issue with emotional support animals is that it's just ripe for abuse." That abuse has grabbed plenty of headlines. In recent years, online businesses have emerged selling vests and harnesses for service animals as well as notes from therapists confirming the need for an ESA. Airlines typically require a doctor's note for an ESA to be allowed to board. In some cases, notes purchased online require that an online questionnaire be filled out to assess need, but the ability to easily buy credentials has led some pet owners to falsely claim ESA status for their animals. The incentives for cheating go beyond the convenience of being able to bring your animal into off-limits locations; pet travel fees on airlines are typically in the hundreds of dollars. "These are people who just don't want to pay to get their dogs on the plane," says Diamond, "and it's causing a lot of trouble for people with legitimate service dogs." In fact, he says, the No. 1 problem veterans traveling with his organization's service dogs report is difficult encounters with ESAs or poorly trained service animals. Jason Haag, CEO of service dog provider Leashes of Valor, is himself a veteran who suffers from PTSD and traumatic brain injury and has traveled with his service dog, Axel, for years. He's in support of a rule change for ESAs too. "Honestly," he says, "to put any untrained animal in a tube going 500 miles an hour with no exit doesn't sound like a great idea to me." Untrained animals, Haag points out, may cause havoc on a flight by barking, moving around too much or being aggressive with humans or other animals. "Unfortunately, when you have too many animals in an enclosed area and they have not been trained, bad things can happen," he said. Airline employees try to maintain space between animals, but because service dogs should ideally be seated in the bulkhead row, ideal distance can be hard to achieve. Haag and Diamond both support the idea of a national service dog registry, and Diamond has been working for two years to create an optional credential that, much like a parking permit for people who are disabled, could be promoted as a quick, visible assurance that a dog is a service animal. "It would be like TSA Precheck for dogs," he says, "and make it easier for everyone and much easier to fly." Public perception around "fake" service animals has also increased the scrutiny people like Haag receive when they show up with a dog in tow. In 2015, Haag, a retired Marine captain, was flying home to Virginia from California after accepting an award for Axel, who was honored at the American Humane Association Hero Dog Awards. But when an American Airlines employee decided to question whether Axel was a legitimate service dog, Haag was kept from boarding his flight. "I was furious," he says, "but yet incredibly prepared for what happened. So I know firsthand what it's like with crazy regulations and people not understanding all of them." To Charles Petrof, a senior attorney with Chicago disabled rights advocacy organization Access Living, Haag's story suggests the threats to access for disabled people that can be posed by bringing more scrutiny to ESAs. "For many people," he says, "getting on an airplane is an extreme stress event, and yet they may need to do that in order to travel. The more hurdles you add to it, the more you are pushing them away from getting transportation." Petrof points out that, in spite of airline reports that show the numbers of animals on planes is steadily rising, serious issues with ESAs still appear to be relatively few. "We don't believe there are that many documented cases of problems," he says. "Instead, it's really a few high-profile cases that get everyone talking." Remember Dexter the Peacock? He sparked plenty of internet outrage in 2018 after his owner tried to take him on board a United Airlines flight from Newark, New Jersey. (United said no, and promptly tightened its ESA policy.) But Petrof says we don't need new government intervention against oddities like Dexter. "That peacock has done large volumes of damage," he says, "and that's not the problem we have to solve." Disabled rights advocates have long held that barriers to access must be kept low in order to promote inclusiveness for people who are already facing considerable obstacles, which is why public access policy severely limits even the questions a person seeking accommodations can be asked. Requiring a higher standard of proof for ESAs, Petrof says, could become a barrier to travel, especially for disabled people with limited means. "If you need proof beyond a basic doctor's note," he says, "depending on what kind of health care you can afford, you may not get to see your psychiatrist more than once per year. And wait times for mental health treatment can be long. You may not be able to satisfy these requirements in time to take a flight. So what it results in is, if you're poor and disabled, you're kicked off the plane." Not that Petrof is in favor of people scamming the ESA policies to get their pets a free ride: "We're not trying to protect the people who are abusing the law," he says, but he doesn't believe an ESA crackdown is worth potential difficulties for the disabled community. "Folks who need an emotional support animal in order to use the transportation service are faced with having restrictions placed on their ability to travel, just because some people try to play fast and loose with the law." Instead, Petrof believes the ESA issue is one for the airlines to solve, on a case-by-case basis. "Once we start changing rules," he says, "it seems like access for disabled people ends up getting limited. The airlines need to address the dog or animal that is causing a problem. They have a lot to figure out: passengers with allergies, seating, keeping dogs separated. It's complicated. But honestly, if a dog is sitting quietly at someone's feet and not bothering anyone, why do we need to know why that dog is there?" https://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/sc-fam-emotional-support-animal-rule- change-tt-1217-20191129-3mvtptbufzbatn27y37tzuusna-story.html Back to Top Florida Woman Faked Medical Condition To Get Better Airplane Seat And Forced Plane To Be Diverted, Police Say A Florida woman who faked a medical condition in order to get a better seat on an airplane during the busy Thanksgiving weekend ended up causing the plane to be diverted, police say. The unnamed woman is now in custody after police say she told staff on an American Airlines flight from Pensacola to Miami that she was having trouble breathing. As NBC News reported, the woman actually wanted to sit more comfortably during the flight and was making up the medical issue. The pilot had to turn around and return to Pensacola, where the plane landed. The situation only got sticker from there, the report noted. After the flight was diverted, the woman refused to leave the plane, leading officials to evacuate all other passengers. The pilot was eventually able to convince the woman to leave the plane, and she was arrested. As American Airlines noted in a statement on the incident, it all took place in under two hours - which was nearly 20 minutes longer than the length of the original flight. "American Eagle 3508 returned to Pensacola due to a passenger who requested medical assistance," American Airlines said in a statement to NBC News on Friday. "The flight took off at 5:43 a.m. and landed back at Pensacola at 6:26 a.m. and taxied to the gate. All [passengers] deplaned normally at the gate through the main boarding door and onto the jet bridge. The passenger was subsequently removed by law enforcement and medical personnel, and the flight took off again at 7:41 a.m." As the Tampa Bay Times reported, police took the woman into custody under the state's Baker Act, which allows a person to be held involuntarily if they pose a threat to themselves or others. The report did not note whether the woman had been released or remained in custody. It was not clear yet if the woman would face charges for claiming she suffered a medical issue, Pensacola Police Department public information officer Mike Wood said. She may still be charged, the report noted. The woman could also face some large fines if found guilty of the charges. Last year, a man's unruly behavior on a Delta Airlines flight caused it to be diverted for singing loudly and screaming, as well as making a veiled threat against a flight attendant. After being hit with federal assault charges, the man was fined close to $10,000 for the cost of diverting the flight. https://www.inquisitr.com/5772106/florida-woman-faked-medical-condition-flight- diverted/ USC Aviation Safety & Security Program On-Site and Custom Courses To meet the diverse needs of all elements of the aviation community, the USC Aviation Safety & Security Program offers our courses to be conducted at your facility. Whether you are a small, medium or large organization; a private company, government agency, or the military...we can work with you to bring the right training to your facility. Choose from any of our courses. All of our courses can be customized to fit the specific needs of your organization. Don't see the exact course or subject you want? We have created courses, seminars, and presentations for companies - such as Safety Performance Indicators for Korean Air and Safety Auditing for Quanta Services. To bring USC Aviation Safety & Security Education to your organization, please contact us at hinaba@usc.edu or +1 (310) 342-1352. Earn Credit for FlightSafety Master Technician- Management Program Students taking the following USC courses will earn elective credits towards FlightSafety International's Master Technician-Management Program * Human Factors in Aviation Maintenance * Human Factors in Aviation Safety * Gas Turbine Accident Investigation * Helicopter Accident Investigation * Safety Management for Aviation Maintenance * Safety Management for Ground Operations Safety * Accident/Incident Response Preparedness Earn Points Toward NBAA Certified Aviation Manager Program Students taking the following USC courses will earn two points toward completing the application for the National Business Aviation Certified Aviation Manager Exam. * Aviation Safety Management Systems * Accident/Incident Response Preparedness * Human Factors in Aviation Safety * Aircraft Accident Investigation * SeMS Aviation Security Management Systems For further details, please visit our website or use the contact information below. Email: aviation@usc.edu Telephone: +1 (310) 342-1345 Back to Top Aircraft Fire Hazards, Protection and Investigation Course presented by N. Albert Moussa, PhD, PE May 26 to 28, 2020 BlazeTech Corporation 29 B Montvale Ave, Woburn MA 01801 USA. Dear Colleague, While commercial air transport is very safe, the advent of new technologies poses fire safety challenges that will be treated in this course. This offering draws upon Dr. Moussa's work in this area since 1971 as well as related courses that BlazeTech has been teaching since 1998. Lectures will include an update on Li and Li-ion battery fires, flammability of carbon fiber and glass fiber composites, emerging aviation fluids, engine fires, fuel tank fire/explosion, fire extinguishment methods, protection methods, aircraft accident investigation, and fire/explosion pattern recognition. Recent requirements and accidents are continuously added to the course. For each type of fire, this course will provide a cohesive integrated presentation of fundamentals, small- and large-scale testing, computer modeling, standards and specifications, and real accident investigation - as outlined in the course brochure. This integrated approach will enable you to address safety issues related to current and new systems and circumstances, and to investigate one of a kind fire and explosion accidents. The course will benefit professionals who are responsible for commercial aircraft, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles including design, equipment selection, test, operation, maintenance, safety management system, hazard/risk assessment, and accident investigation. View Brochure for course content and registration form (also embedded below). View Testmonials of previous attendees and their Companies. View some of the technical references discussed in this course. We also offer this course at the client site as well as customized courses on fire and explosion in other areas. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us. Albert Moussa, Ph.D., P.E. BlazeTech Corporation 29B Montvale Ave. Woburn, MA 01801-7021 781-759-0700 x200 781-759-0703 fax www.blazetech.com firecourse@blazetech.com LinkedIn Curt Lewis