Flight Safety Information December 23, 2019 - No. 263 In This Issue Boeing's 737 Max troubles threaten booming Seattle-area economy Incident: United B764 over France on Dec 20th 2019, loss com invokes supersonic boom Incident: Austrian A320 near Munich on Dec 18th 2019, smell of smoke in cockpit Incident: British Airways A319 at London on Dec 20th 2019, fumes on the flight deck Incident: Azur B752 near Baku on Dec 21st 2019, generator failures United Airlines Flight 2429 had mechanical trouble leading to rough landing at Denver International FAA Warns Customers Away From Aircraft Ride Share Apps Atlas 767 crash probe considers whether pilot nudged crucial switch Qantas is retiring another 747 and you can join its last flight Boeing's new Starliner spacecraft lands in the desert after shaky first flight to space Laura Taber Barbour Aviation Scholarship Fund Position:...Corporate Safety Investigator Call for Papers - ISASI 2020 Boeing's 737 Max troubles threaten booming Seattle-area economy Ever since Boeing announced it would temporarily halt production of the grounded 737 Max aircraft, there has been a strong sense of deja vu among residents of Renton, a small city in Washington state where the planes are made. The city, just south of Seattle, has spent decades as an echo chamber for the company's ups and downs. But this time, thanks to population growth and a more diversified workforce that has sought to get away from being a "one-company town", the community and its local economy appears prepared to weather this latest Boeing storm. The suspension of production of the 737 Max, previously Boeing's bestselling plane, was announced last Monday following two crashes that killed 346 people in October 2018 and March this year. The planes had been grounded worldwide, but when it became clear the Federal Aviation Administration was not going to sign off on the aircraft's return to service before 2020, the company opted to temporarily stop making them. Renton's mayor-elect, Armondo Pavone, said that while it will affect Boeing employees and may affect smaller local restaurants, retail businesses and companies that supply parts for Boeing planes, this is not a "sky-is-falling moment". "As a longtime Boeing community resident, you get used to a little bit of the ebb and flow of a large company like Boeing," said Pavone, who also owns a neighborhood steakhouse in the downtown area. "Because of that I think I'm very comfortable saying that as long as this doesn't go on for years and years, that it will have some impact. But it's going to be something that the community gets through." Boeing has been a fixture in Washington state since it was founded in Seattle by Bill Boeing more than a century ago. When it landed in Renton in 1941, it catapulted the area "from a fourth-class city to a second-class city basically overnight," according to the Renton History Museum's city history database. Since then, each time the company has gone through a major change, Renton has been the first to feel the effects. During the second world war, when planes were in high demand, the city flourished and its workforce dramatically expanded. But in the 1970s, when the Vietnam war was ending and the need for planes declined, Boeing cut its workforce by two-thirds and Renton fell into a severe recession. In more recent times, the city again felt the effects when the company moved its corporate headquarters to Chicago in 2001. And then there were the times when the company moved departments from their branch in Everett, Washington, to Renton, and then back again, explained Pavone. He said whether or not the recent production suspension will have a more profound effect in Renton will probably come down to how long it lasts. Pavone said if Boeing and the FAA are able to wrap this up quickly, "there's kind of enough margin and flexibility in the market to kind of absorb this where it's not going to have any real, long-term, lasting negative impacts." But experts predict the production cut will have an impact on economic growth and employment across the US. In August, Wilbur Ross, the commerce secretary, told CNBC that the 737 Max's troubles had caused nearly a half-a-percent decrease in the country's gross domestic product during a recent quarter. The production suspension could bring it down once again. Boeing said on Monday it does not plan to lay off or furlough any of its thousands of employees at the Renton factory, but may temporarily reassign some of them to other teams in the area. The grounded 737 Max 8. The grounded 737 Max 8. Photograph: Gary He/EPA "As we have throughout the 737 Max grounding, we will keep our customers, employees, and supply chain top of mind as we continue to assess appropriate actions," the company said. Its next update is expected to come in January. Over the past few decades, Renton's workforce has diversified dramatically. In 2019, there were about 15,000 people in Renton working for Boeing, which accounted for 25% of the city's total working population, according to Cliff Long, Renton's economic development director. However, this percentage was a noticeable decrease from previous decades, he explained. The city is now home to key healthcare companies, including Kaiser Permanente and Providence, and has a large manufacturing sector separate from the aviation industry, producing such products as Kenworth Trucks. Renton is also one of the few remaining affordable communities around Lake Washington, a large waterway next to Seattle. People looking for a less pricey home have taken up residence, according to Heather Maddox, a real estate broker. Maddox, who grew up in Renton, said that Boeing is a huge staple and she does not want to see it go. But it has nowhere near the influence on the community it once had, she said. "I don't feel that it's going to be so impactful that it's going to be something that we need to have high concern about as relators or as home owners for the value of our houses and livelihood of our city," she said. "I feel like we've been through this with Boeing before and our city continues to thrive." But that doesn't mean smaller restaurants and businesses will not feel the effects. There are dozens of businesses surrounding the Boeing facility in a shopping area known as The Landing. Many of their customers are Boeing employees. About half of the lunch customers at Torero's, a family-owned business at The Landing, are Boeing employees, according to Veronica Medina, the restaurant's manager. She said she expects that they may see a decrease in sales and will probably need to adjust payroll. "In the past I've never had to lay anybody off, so I'm hoping we can figure things out," she said. Kristen Fisher, manager at The Hop Garden, mere blocks from Boeing, said the restaurant has been extremely quiet. She said they are working to try to diversify through outside catering and trivia events, so the business won't be quite as reliant on Boeing. As a longtime Renton resident whose mom and stepdad worked for Boeing, she said she has "nothing but good feelings" for the company and hopes the aircraft production starts up again. But she also said she recognized the magnitude of these crashes. "It's an awful tragedy, and I hope they do the right thing," said Fisher. "I would like it to be safe and them cranking out airplanes." https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/boeings-737-max-troubles-threaten-093042051.html Back to Top Incident: United B764 over France on Dec 20th 2019, loss com invokes supersonic boom A United Boeing 767-400, registration N78060 performing flight UA-121 from Barcelona,SP (Spain) to Newark,NJ (USA), was enroute at FL300 over France when the crew did not contact/respond to French Air Traffic Control for considerable time after crossing from Spanish into French Airspace. French Rafale fighter aircraft were dispatched at about 10:40Z to intercept the aircraft causing sonic booms enroute to the rendevouz. When the fighter aircraft showed up at the side of the Boeing, the crew established contact with the fighter aircraft and then with ATC at about 11:14Z. The fighter aircraft returned to their base, the Boeing continued to Newark for a landing without further incident about 8 hours later. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/UAL121/history/20191220/1010Z/LEBL/KEWR http://avherald.com/h?article=4d0f19f9&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Austrian A320 near Munich on Dec 18th 2019, smell of smoke in cockpit An Austrian Airlines Airbus A320-200, registration OE-LXC performing flight OS-157 from Vienna (Austria) to Dusseldorf (Germany), was enroute at FL380 about 80nm eastnortheast of Munich (Germany) when the crew decided to divert to Munich reporting the smell of smoke in the cockpit. The aircraft landed safely on Munich's runway 08L about 25 minutes later. The aircraft returned to service about 14 hours after landing. http://avherald.com/h?article=4d0e6604&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: British Airways A319 at London on Dec 20th 2019, fumes on the flight deck A British Airways Airbus A319-100, registration G-EUPY performing flight BA-902 from London Heathrow,EN (UK) to Frankfurt/Main (Germany), was climbing out of Heathrow's runway 09R when the crew declared PAN PAN reporting fumes in the cockpit, stopped the climb at 7000 feet and decided to return to Heathrow. The aircraft landed safely on Heathrow's runway 09L about 25 minutes after departure. The airline reported a "suspected minor technical issue" prompted the return to Heathrow as a precaution. A passenger reported a few minutes after departure a short announcement was made that the senior flight attendant should contact the flight deck via intercom. The flight attendants subsequently closed the curtains dividing galley and cabin. About 15 minutes into the flight the captain made another announcement that they had fumes in the cockpit and were returning to Heathrow. The passenger reported: "He was visibly breathing through oxygen mask every few seconds during PA." About 10 minutes later they landed, the aircraft vacated the runway and stopped. The captain advised ground crew was inspecting the aircraft. The aircraft subsequently taxied to the apron. The captain announced local police needed to check the cockpit as per local procedures before the passengers could disembark. The captain subsequently came out of the cockpit and made an announcement in the cabin before the passengers explaining that shortly after takeoff they started smelling fumes in the cockpit, they worked the related checklists to isolate this from the cabin, the smell grew stronger in the cockpit so that they had to don their oxygen masks. They obviously couldn't continue to Frankfurt with this aircraft and returned to Heathrow. Maintenance would now check the aircraft. The captain ended the announcement with the assurance that the fumes hadn't spread to the cabin. The passenger confirmed that indeed he hadn't smelled anything unusual (except for the kersosene smell during engine start). A few minutes later they disembarked, received food vouchers and were redirected onto the replacement flight. A replacement A319-100 registration G-EUPE reached Frankfurt with a delay of 4 hours. On Dec 21st 2019 The Aviation Herald received information both pilots detected the smell of solvent/chemical/rubber nature while climbing through 1500 feet. Cabin crew reported they could not smell anything in the cabin including forward galley. Despite completing the relevant checklists the smell intensified prompting the crew to don their oxygen masks, declare PAN and return to Heathrow. http://avherald.com/h?article=4d0daec1&opt=0 Back to Top Back to Top Incident: Azur B752 near Baku on Dec 21st 2019, generator failures An Azur Boeing 757-200, registration VP-BLV performing flight ZF-7728 from Goa (India) to Moscow Vnukovo (Russia), was enroute at FL360 over the Caspian Sea about 200nm north of Baku (Azerbaijan) when the crew decided to turn around and divert to Baku due to multiple generators being inoperative. The aircraft landed safely in Baku about 35 minutes later. The airline reported the aircraft diverted due to technical problems. Passengers reported the captain announced several generators had failed. A replacement Boeing 767-300 registration VQ-BUO positioned to Baku, resumed the flight and reached Vnukovo with a delay of 11.5 hours. http://avherald.com/h?article=4d0e5e4b&opt=0 Back to Top United Airlines Flight 2429 had mechanical trouble leading to rough landing at Denver International Airport DIA runway could be closed for several hours A United Airlines flight from Newark to Denver International Airport skidded to a difficult landing due to mechanical trouble Sunday evening, forcing closure of a runway. "There were no reported injuries," Williams said. "We had no operational impact to the airport. We have five other runways we can use." Mechanical trouble led to the rough landing of the United Flight 2429. Some passengers reported sparks on the runway, and fire trucks raced to the scene. Williams said around 8:45 p.m. that the runway likely will be closed for several hours but that this has not affected other flights into the airport. https://www.denverpost.com/2019/12/22/united-airlines-flight-2429-denver-international-airport/ Back to Top FAA Warns Customers Away From Aircraft Ride Share Apps The FAA is warning potential customers of aviation ride sharing apps likened to "Uber for airplanes," that their trip might not meet the normal standards for fly-for-hire journeys. "If you pay for a charter flight you are entitled to a higher level of safety than is required from a free flight from a friend," the agency said in an unusually pointed public statement. "Among other things, pilots who transport paying passengers must have the required qualifications and training, are subject to random drug and alcohol testing, and the aircraft used must be maintained to the high standards that the FAA's charter regulations require." At the same time it sent a letter to San Francisco-based BlackBird saying that its pilots must meet the terms of Part 119 operations. Throughout its website promotion material and its legal fine print, BlackBird insists that it is not an air carrier by matching passengers with available seats or aircraft. The FAA isn't buying it, however, particularly when it comes to its stable of pilots. "We have little trouble concluding that the pilots listed on BlackBird's pilot database selected by the user are transporting persons or property, from place to place, for compensation. Despite BlackBird's assertion that the pilots are not transporting persons or property, it is clear that they are being hired for that very purpose." BlackBird did not immediately respond to an email request for comment and its website remains active. https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/faa-warns-customers-away-from-aircraft-ride-share-app/ Back to Top Atlas 767 crash probe considers whether pilot nudged crucial switch Investigators have carried out a series of observations to examine whether pilots of an Atlas Air Boeing 767-300 freighter could have accidentally activated a go-around switch while operating other flight controls. The 767 entered go-around mode while descending for approach to Houston on 23 February, apparently triggering an in-flight upset during which the aircraft was pushed into a steep dive. While the US National Transportation Safety Board has not conclusively established the reason for the go-around activation, it has examined various human factors scenarios using a 767 simulator in Miami. Along with the NTSB, representatives from Boeing and Atlas Air took part in the simulations which replicated the aircraft's approach path to Houston. Part of the study monitored various hand and arm positions of the captain and the first officer as they operated controls - including the captain's reaching behind the throttles to grasp the flap lever on the right, and the first officer's similarly reaching to activate the speedbrake on the left. Simulation of Atlas 767 scenario Captain reaching for the flaps (left) and the first officer for the speedbrake (right) The tests considered not only accidental interference from the pilots' arms but also the possibility that a go-around switch - located on the rear of the thrust levers - could have been brushed by a wristwatch, or bumped during turbulence. No specific evidence has emerged of such a scenario, but the inquiry notes that air traffic control had instructed the aircraft to expedite a descent to 3,000ft about 2min before the go-around mode activation, and that the speedbrake was subsequently extended. Atlas Air's crew operating manual recommends that the flying pilot should keep their hand on the speedbrake while in use, to prevent its being left extended when no longer required. The inquiry says the speedbrake was recorded as retracting a few seconds after the go-around mode activation, and just before the crew reacted with initial exclamations over the aircraft's unexpected behaviour. Atlas Air has not received any safety reports, prior to the accident or since, describing inadvertent activation of go-around mode on the 767. The carrier's crew operating manual does not have specific procedures for inadvertent selection of a go-around switch. Investigators obtained provisional information on other inadvertent go-around selection incidents through a request to NASA's aviation safety occurrence database. While the extent of such events is not clear, the request returned data on 11 incidents involving various aircraft types. The inquiry is still analysing the findings from the simulator human factors study. Simulation exercises were also carried out to assess the forces needed to override the autopilot and stop trim activation during an inadvertent go-around, check autopilot and autothrottle indications, and document stall-recovery techniques. https://www.flightglobal.com/news/atlas-767-crash-probe-considers-whether-pilot-nudged-crucial-switch/135904.article Back to Top Qantas is retiring another 747 and you can join its last flight Earlier this year, Qantas announced that it'd be pulling its 747 from service to North America. And while that's true, with routes being replaced by the 787-9 Dreamliner and the A380, fans of the 747 can take one last flight on Qantas' aircraft 'Sydney' (VH-OEF) as it heads into retirement. On February 9, the Queen of the Skies will make her final journey from Sydney (SYD) to Los Angeles (LAX) before its final farewell. This 7,500-mile flight has plenty of award availability in economy, premium economy and business so there's no reason to miss out. The points required are as follows: Economy: 41,900 points plus AU$232 ($160) Premium Economy: 81,300 points plus AU$349 ($241) Business: 108,400 points plus AU$329 ($227) This is a historic goodbye to an incredible plane - but it's certainly not the first of its kind. Airlines across the world have been throwing goodbye parties for this aircraft for the last few years, from El Al's plane drawn in the sky to nostalgia-filled seats for sale, the aviation world is going to miss its queen. So what can you expect on this bittersweet flight? Read all about TPG Senior Reporter JT Genter's experience covering the retirement flight of Qantas' "Lord Howe Island" (VH-OJU) earlier this year. Carissa Rawson is a Points and Miles Reporter at TPG, helping readers get to where they need to go, faster (and cheaper). You can find her in your nearest Priority Pass lounge, sipping free coffee and obsessively researching travel. https://thepointsguy.com/news/qantas-747-retiring-join-last-flight/ Back to Top Boeing's new Starliner spacecraft lands in the desert after shaky first flight to space (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani) Boeing's new passenger spacecraft, the CST-100 Starliner, landed safely in the New Mexico desert this morning, bringing a swift end to a very rough debut flight to space. The space capsule, which didn't have any people on board, was meant to spend up to a week in orbit and dock with the International Space Station. But a software problem during launch prevented the Starliner from reaching the station, and Boeing was forced to bring the spacecraft home after just two days. Despite the troubles during the trip up, Starliner's landing was otherwise flawless. The capsule took itself out of orbit at around 7:23AM ET on Sunday and plunged through Earth's atmosphere to reach the surface below. After surviving temperatures of 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit, the vehicle then deployed three main parachutes to lower itself down gently to the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. As it touched down at the site, just before 8AM ET, the Starliner also inflated air bags to cushion its landing. DESPITE THE TROUBLES DURING THE TRIP UP, STARLINER'S LANDING WAS OTHERWISE FLAWLESS Demonstrating this landing capability was a big deal for the Starliner's short, but critical, trip, as it shows that the spacecraft can come back from space safely. That's key for the future, when Starliner does have people on board. Boeing developed Starliner as part of NASA's Commercial Crew program, which aims to use privately made vehicles to transport NASA astronauts to and from the International Space Station. This first mission of the Starliner was meant to run the vehicle through all of its duties in space before astronauts climb inside for rides to the space station. The Starliner just after touch down at White Sands (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani) But due to the glitch during launch, Starliner didn't get to demonstrate another crucial aspect of its mission: docking with the International Space Station. The capsule is designed to automatically approach the space station and attach to a docking port all on its own. That capability still hasn't been performed, though, and it's unclear if Boeing will have to fly another Starliner test mission without crew to show that it can dock with the ISS. Apparently, it's not absolutely necessary to do a docking before people fly. "Both Boeing and SpaceX proposed a mission to do an uncrewed test flight that demonstrated a docking, so I would not say that's a requirement," Steve Stich, the deputy manager of NASA's Commercial Crew program, said during a press conference after the launch. "It's something that is nice to have. But I wouldn't say it's a requirement for crewed flight." "BOEING, UNTIL WE LOOK AT ALL THAT DATA, IS NOT IN A POSITION TO PROPOSE GOING TO DO A CREWED FLIGHT TEST." Both NASA and Boeing downplayed the requirement to perform a docking in space, claiming it was more of an objective rather than something that the space agency absolutely needed from the company. However, Boeing officials aren't saying that they're ready to put people on board the Starliner yet. "Just to be frank, Boeing, until we look at all that data, is not in a position to propose going to do a crewed flight test," Jim Chilton, senior vice president of Boeing's space and launch division, said during a press conference after landing. "And if everything had gone swimmingly, I don't think I'd be here proposing it until I saw the data." NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine said reviewing the data could take weeks and months before a final decision is made about how to move forward. Still it's a very good sign that Boeing was able to bring the Starliner back after a mishap, since that might be a matter of life or death in the future. And Boeing argued that it had completed up to 60 percent of its testing objectives for the flight, even without docking. NASA and Boeing argued that good data from the capsule could push that percentage up to 85 or 90 percent. Ultimately, an improperly timed clock is to blame for the capsule's unexpected performance. Just after launching to space, the Starliner was supposed to perform a much-needed engine burn to put it en route to rendezvous with the space station. But the capsule's internal clock thought it was a different time than it actually was, preventing the vehicle from performing that ignition. Supposedly, the Starliner "grabbed" the wrong time from the Atlas V rocket it had flown on to space, putting the clock off by 11 hours. As a result, the capsule didn't make it to the orbit it needed to reach and meeting up with the space station was no longer an option for this flight. BOEING DECIDED THE BEST COURSE OF ACTION WAS TO BRING THE STARLINER HOME EARLY Boeing decided the best course of action was to bring the Starliner home early and run through all the motions of landing. There was some concern about landing, too, since a previous test of Starliner's parachutes didn't go exactly as planned, either. In November, Boeing tested a critical system on the capsule, which entailed landing the vehicle in the White Sands desert afterward. Only two of the three main parachutes deployed during the test, as one of the chutes hadn't been attached properly. The capsule still landed safely, but there was concern a similar failure might happen again today. Boeing ensured the public it had fixed that problem, and all three parachutes performed as expected this morning. Once the vehicle touched down at White Sands, a full team of personnel drove out to greet the capsule. Boeing has various color-coded teams that are responsible for checking out the vehicle when it gets back, to make sure there's no concern of contamination from some of the propellant and to extract future crews from the Starliner. No humans were on board this flight, but there was a smart mannequin named Rosie in one of the seats, equipped with sensors to gather data about the flight. Rosie didn't get extracted, though, as the dummy was too heavy to take out. Now that this Starliner is back, the capsule could be refurbished and reused for future missions. Boeing says that each Starliner can be reused up to 10 times if needed. The company claims it's easier to reuse the vehicle since it's designed to land on the ground and not in the ocean, where the salt water can be particularly damaging to spacecraft. In fact, the Starliner is the first US-made passenger capsule that is designed to go to orbit and then land on land, according to Boeing. https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/22/21033757/boeing-cst-100-starliner-landing-success-oft-rough-flight Back to Top Back to Top Position: Corporate Safety Investigator (Contract position reporting directly to Delta Air Lines) Responsibilities: The Corporate Safety Investigator will be responsible for conducting in-depth investigations into employee injuries, ground safety events and reports of general safety issues. These investigations will include but are not limited to: traveling to the incident scene, liaising with Government officials, conducting human factors focused interviews, analyzing data, developing recommendations, reporting findings to senior leaders, and writing detailed technical reports. The Investigator will support the Corporate Safety team on a variety of airline operations safety programs and projects. This position will be included on an on-call rotation, maintaining the ability to monitor operational incidents 24/7 during the rotation, identifying critical and major injury incidents, and reporting incidents to the appropriate leaders. Approximately 30% travel is required, sometimes at short notice. The position will report to the Manager of Corporate Safety Investigations and Compliance. Qualifications: The Corporate Safety Investigator must have investigative and technical writing experience. The Investigator should have a working knowledge of airline operations. Must be flexible, with the ability to think critically in a fast-paced environment. The Investigator must be able to communicate effectively communicate both verbally and orally with all levels of employees, from front line employees to senior executives. The Corporate Safety Investigator must be proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and internet applications. Preferred qualifications include experience in OSHA investigations and completion of OSHA 30. To apply for the position, please email a cover letter and resume to David Hammack (Manager of Corporate Safety Investigations and Compliance, Delta Air Lines, Inc.) at David.hammack@delta.com. Back to Top Call for Papers - ISASI 2020 Montreal Sheraton, Montreal PQ September 1 - 3, 2020 With "20/20 Vision for the Future" as our theme, the ISASI 2020 Committee is inviting interested individuals to submit abstracts for papers that address the future of aircraft accident investigation. Presentation topics that support the theme may include, but are not limited to: • Recent accident/incident investigations of interest. • Novel investigation techniques for aircraft, helicopter, and drone accidents. • Data investigation methods, techniques and future developments. • Airport investigation methods and techniques • Future investigator selection criteria and training needs. • Future of aircraft data capture and retrieval and protection of safety information. • Future developments in underwater wreckage recovery. • Future evolution of Family Assistance. We are also interested in papers that address the challenges surrounding the recent 737 Max accidents. While it is not our intent to discuss the accidents themselves, we are hoping to generate thought and discussion on the impact the accidents have had on to the industry as a whole and how it has affected the travelling public. Presentations must be in English and should be 25 minutes long. There will be an additional 5 minutes for questions at the end of each presentation. Abstracts should include the author's current CV [1 page only please] and be sent to isasi2020papers@shaw.ca Important dates: March 20th, 2020 - Last date for receipt of abstracts. May 8th, 2020 - Presenters informed of acceptance and provided with additional instructions. May 22nd, 2020 - Draft program for the 2019 Seminar Technical Program will be published. July 10th, 2020 - Last date for receipt of completed paper and PowerPoint presentation. Any papers not received by this date will be removed from the program and replaced by another speaker. If you have questions related to the paper topics or any other inquiries about the program, please contact the ISASI 2020 Program Chair at avsafe@shaw.ca Curt Lewis