Flight Safety Information December 27, 2019 - No. 267 In This Issue Boeing 737 MAX crisis adviser Michael Luttig to retire Accident: Bek F100 at Almaty on Dec 27th 2019, lost height shortly after takeoff and impacted buildiing Accident: United B738 at Denver on Dec 22nd 2019, main gear collapse on landing FAA proposes rules for the remote identification of drones in the US What's inside an airplane's emergency medical kit? Virgin Atlantic Will Upgrade the Oldest Passenger on Every Flight for the Rest of 2019 India's fourth-largest airline is struggling with an unstable leadership and an overworked crew India's fourth-largest airline is struggling with an unstable leadership and an overworked crew Laura Taber Barbour Aviation Scholarship Fund Position:...Corporate Safety Investigator Call for Papers - ISASI 2020 Boeing 737 MAX crisis adviser Michael Luttig to retire (Reuters) - Boeing Co said on Thursday Michael Luttig, who was appointed senior adviser to the planemaker's board amid the 737 MAX crisis in May, will retire at the end of the year. The company had named Luttig, who has served as general counsel since joining the company in 2006, to the position of counsellor and senior adviser to former Chief Executive Officer Dennis Muilenburg and to Boeing's board. (https://reut.rs/3778A6U) Luttig, often listed among the highest paid general counsels of publicly traded companies, helped anchor Boeing's legal defence over the crashes of Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302. The 737 MAX has been grounded since March after two crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia killed 346 people within a span of five months. Luttig's announcement to retire follows Muilenburg's dismissal as chief executive officer this week, after repeatedly failing to contain the fallout from the crashes that halted output of its best-selling jetliner. Chairman David Calhoun, a former General Electric executive who has been on Boeing's board since 2009, replaced Muilenburg as the chief executive officer effective Jan. 13. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/boeing-senior-adviser-michael-luttig- 213907644.html Back to Top Accident: Bek F100 at Almaty on Dec 27th 2019, lost height shortly after takeoff and impacted building A Bek Air Fokker 100, registration UP-F1007 performing flight Z9-2100 from Almaty to Astana (Kazakhstan) with 93 passengers and 5 crew, departed Almaty's runway 05R at 07:21L (01:21Z) but lost height shortly after departure, impacted ground, broke through a concrete wall/fence and impacted a building. No fire broke out, the aircraft broke into several sections. 66 people were taken to hospital with partly extremely critical injuries, 15 people (including one of the initial survivors) were confirmed to have perished. Rescue and Recovery works are still in progress. Kazakhstan's President sent condolences to the families and relatives of those killed in the crash. Almaty Airport reported the Bek Air flight crashed outside the airport and published a list of 60 names of survivors, who were distributed amongst several hospitals in Almaty. 14 bodies have been recovered so far. The condition of 22 of the survivors is described as "extremely critical". There were 95 passengers and 5 crew on board of the aircraft. Kazakhstan's Civil Aviation Authority reported the Air Operator's Certificate of Bek Air was suspended on Dec 27th 2019 following the accident. The accident aircraft had entered service on Apr 8th 1996, it's airworthiness certificate was last renewed on May 22nd 2019. The aircraft carried 93 passengers and 5 crew. The captain was 58 years old, the first officer 54 years, both pilots held ATPLs. 15 people have died as result of the accident so far. An investigation commission has been formed. Kazakhstan's Ministry of Health reported a total of 66 people were taken to hospitals in Almaty, 50 of those were hospitalized, one of those died despite hospital care. A survivor reported the aircraft climbed a little bit began shaking then a collision occurred. Someone opened the emergency exit and the passenger got out. There were a lot of injuries (blood, broken arms and legs) and a number of fatalities around. Another passenger reported the aircraft had just rotated and was beginning to gain altitude when the aircraft rolled left then right, then an impact occurred. The overwing exit was opened, they crawled out of the aircraft via an icy wing, everyone on the wing slipped on the wing, the passenges helped each other to get off the wing. ADS-B Data transmitted by the aircraft's transponder suggest the aircraft became airborne, climbed only to between 50 and 100 feet AGL, veered right and impacted buildings abeam of the runway about 3000 meters/10,000 feet down the runway 05R. Photographic evidence puts the final position to the right of the runway center line and about 750 meters/2500 feet past the end of the runway (4400 meters/14,400 feet length). http://avherald.com/h?article=4d127dc6&opt=0 Back to Top Accident: United B738 at Denver on Dec 22nd 2019, main gear collapse on landing A United Boeing 737-800, registration N87513 performing flight UA-2429 from Newark,NJ (USA) to Denver,CO (USA), landed on Denver's runway 17R when sparks became visible from the left main gear. The crew requested emergency services to attend to the aircraft advising they believed they had blown a tyre, or maybe a gear. The aircraft became disabled on the runway resting on the left hand engine cowl, nose gear and right hand main gear. The left main gear, although appearing to have been down, didn't support the aircraft. Passengers reported as soon as the aircraft touched down sparks became visible from the left main gear. They later disembarked via the right hand front door and stairs. The airline reported the aircraft experienced a mechanical issue on landing, all passengers were bussed to the terminal. The FAA reported the gear collapsed on landing, there were no injuries, the aircraft sustained unknown damage. The aircraft was towed off the runway the following day with the left hand wing being supported by a flat bed semi truck. A possibly related occurrence happened earlier this year, see Accident: Ryanair B738 at Frankfurt on Jan 29th 2019, gear strut penetrates wing during retraction. http://avherald.com/h?article=4d0fa589&opt=0 http://avherald.com/h?article=4d0fa589&opt=0 Back to Top FAA proposes rules for the remote identification of drones in the US (KUTV) - A proposed rule by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was announced this week that would allow the government to track most unmanned aircraft systems such as drones. The Remote ID rule requires drones to implement a remote ID system, which will make it possible for third parties to track them. Tracking will enable law enforcement to identify unauthorized drones that may pose a security threat to the airspace of the United States while also enabling greater operational capabilities. The FAA expects all eligible drones in the U.S. to comply with the new rule within three years. FAA proposes rules for the remote identification of drones in the US (Photo: FAA) According to a press release, there are nearly 1.5 million drones and 155,000 remote pilots registered with the FAA. The federal agency said in a prepared statement: We encourage drone enthusiasts, and anyone interested in aviation safety, to read our Notice of Proposed Rulemaking now in the Federal Register. In the next few days, a 60- day comment period will open to receive your feedback which can help us develop a final rule that enhances safety and security in our nation's skies. These efforts are the foundation for more complex operations, such as beyond visual line of sight at low altitudes, as we move toward a traffic management ecosystem for drone flights separate from, but complementary to, our air traffic management system, the news release stated. The proposed Remote I.D. rule would apply to all drones that are required to register with the FAA (recreational drones weighing under 0.55 pounds are not required to register), as well as to people who operate a foreign civil drone in the U.S. Click here to read the entire proposed rule. https://kutv.com/news/local/faa-proposes-rules-for-the-remote-identification-of- drones-in-the-us Back to Top What's inside an airplane's emergency medical kit? It's a "no go" item: if you aircraft does not have it, you will not push back from the gate. It's the emergency medical kit, which along with the automatic emergency defibrillator (AED) is a mandatory item, and with good reason. If you have a medical emergency in- flight, there's a whole system of in-flight medical service available, including doctors on- call, on the ground. But the only tools in the air for those doctors are in the on-board emergency medical kit. Here's what's inside. Inflight medical kit Inflight medical kit. (Image courtesy of MedAire) According to MedAire, which makes standard and enhanced medical kits for airlines, the most common inflight medical events are: * Gastrointestinal/Nausea (31%) * Neurological, such as fainting or seizures (26%) * Respiratory (7%) * Cardiovascular (5%) * Dermatological (5%) Here's what's required by the Federal Aviation Administration in the medical kit. Medical Kit contents. Medical kit contents. (Image via the FAA) My first question: what is a sphygmomanometer, the first item on the list? It's a blood pressure monitor. As for the rest of the items, here's what's what: * Non-narcotic analgesic tablets: a general oral medication used mainly to relieve muscle aches and headaches * Oral antihistamine: medication used mainly to relieve symptoms associated with allergies and hay fever * Aspirin: a general oral medication used mainly to alleviate head and muscle aches and chest pain or heart attack * Atropine: medication used mainly to increase heart rate, that may be needed to assist a passenger with an unstable cardiac rhythm * Bronchodilator inhaler: a preparation of medication used to help restore normal breathing in asthmatics * Epinephrine 1:10,000: medication used mainly for cardiac resuscitation * Lidocaine: medication used mainly in cases of unresponsiveness to defibrillation and possibly for maintenance of normal heart rhythm after successful defibrillation * An IV administration set including tubing with (and, for placing the IV, alcohol sponges, tape, bandage scissors, and a tourniquet): equipment used for administering IV drugs (e.g., atropine, lidocaine, epinephrine) that may be needed to sustain heart function * A self-inflating manual resuscitation bag (AMBU bag) (with 3 masks: 1 pediatric, 1 small adult, and 1 large adult): equipment that may be needed for continuation of respiratory support * CPR mask (1 pediatric, 1 small adult, 1 large adult): equipment that may be needed to protect a person while administering CPR * Airlines will stock more than what is required. For example, you'll notice there's no anti-nausea medication required in the list, but nausea is the most common in- flight medical call. And there are no EpiPens to treat common emergency events such as peanut allergies. Accordingly, the airlines will supplement the kit, according to MedAire. They'll include: * Ondansetron, an anti-nausea medication * Epinephrine auto-injectors (EpiPen), for treatment of severe allergies * Antacid tablets * Promethazine, for anti-nausea and anxiety * Furosemide, to treat water retention related to congestive heart failure * Glucagon, to treat low blood sugar * Naloxone, a nasal spray to treat opioid overdoses. (The FAA recently announced it is working on a plan to require naloxone in the kits, but it's currently not mandatory.) * For example, Delta says it "has equipped all of its aircraft with an automated external defibrillator (AED), enhanced emergency medical kit, first aid kit, oxygen, medical accessory pouch, Universal Precaution Kit - used to protect against and dispose of bodily fluids - and a medical communication headset. The airline's emergency medical equipment on board exceeds the minimum requirements set by the Federal Aviation Administration." Airlines typically put the equipment in a locked compartment in an overhead bin behind the last row of seats or in first class. The Emergency Medical Kit. (Image courtesy of MedAire) So what happens on the next flight, when the kit has been opened and, say, nitroglycerine administered? When items in the kit are used up during a flight, the airline is required to take an inventory and restock prior to the next flight. To avoid delay, airlines will carry more than one medical kit, or stock more items than are necessary. Last but not least is the AED, the automatic external defibrillator. It's automatic because it guides the user with voice instructions and diagnoses the patient through sensors. An AED is required for aircraft with 30 passengers or more (generally, because it's based on the weight of the aircraft), requiring at least one flight attendant. It wasn't always that way. In 2001, the FAA conducted a yearlong data collection on death or near-death inflight medical events. The study revealed 188 total events resulting in 108 deaths. 119 of these were cardiac-related, resulting in 64 deaths. And in 40 of those events, an AED was "not available." However, in cases where an AED was available, four passengers survived. Based on the study, in 2001, the FAA mandated that all passenger aircraft have an enhanced emergency medical kit on board as well as an AED. Flight attendants are trained on CPR and on the use of AEDs. Let's all hope we never need to use one! https://thepointsguy.com/news/whats-inside-an-airplanes-emergency-medical-kit/ Back to Top Virgin Atlantic Will Upgrade the Oldest Passenger on Every Flight for the Rest of 2019 Virgin Atlantic is giving its oldest passengers a very special gift this holiday season - the gift of an upgrade - and it was all inspired by the kindness of strangers. In mid-December, a Virgin Atlantic crew member detailed on Facebook how she witnessed a passenger named Jack give up his first-class seat for an 88-year-old woman named Violet. "Jack and his family purchased seats in our upper-class cabin for a flight home from New York, but when he got on board, Jack went and found violet in economy and swapped seats with her," the crew member explained. "Violet is 88 years old, has been a nurse in both the UK and over in America. She travels to New York to see her daughter, but hasn't been able to for a while because of a knee replacement. Her dream has always been to sit at the front, and Jack made that come true." As for where Jack landed on the flight, the crew member explained, "He then sat on the row of seats directly next to the economy toilets and never made a peep or asked for anything the rest of the flight. No fuss, no attention, literally did it out of the kindness of his own heart, no one asked him too." The story quickly went viral with many praising Jack and his true act of kindness. And now, the airline wants to do the same for other elder statesmen like Violet. So, now through Jan. 1, the airline will be upgrading the oldest person on every flight. "This tale of Jack and Violet has warmed all our hearts this Christmas, and inspired us to spread the festive love," the airline tweeted on Christmas Eve. "On behalf of us and @RichardBranson, complimentary upgrades will be offered to the most 'seasoned' customer on board all our flights from today until 1st Jan 2020." But, maybe, just maybe, in 2020 passengers will continue the trend of showing love for those passengers with a little more life experience by giving up their seats - or at the very least buying them an in-flight drink of their choice. https://www.travelandleisure.com/airlines-airports/virgin-atlantic-upgrades-oldest- passenger-holiday-gift Back to Top India's fourth-largest airline is struggling with an unstable leadership and an overworked crew The year-end travel season has gone awry for India's fourth-largest domestic airline GoAir. The Wadia group-owned carrier has cancelled over 40 domestic flights this week. In a statement yesterday (Dec. 26), a GoAir spokesperson blamed the disruptions on inclement weather in north India, and protests over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), among other things. However, the problems may have been aggravated due to a clutch of internal issues, such as pilot shortage, delays in aircraft delivery from manufacturer Airbus, engine issues, and a leadership vacuum. "GoAir has placed an order for 144 Airbus A320neo aircraft and has experienced delivery delays in November and December," the airline admitted yesterday, adding that the flight schedule will be back on track by the weekend. In November, too, GoAir cancelled over 30 flights citing issues with its Pratt & Whitney (P&W) engines, which were later taken out of operation. "GoAir's going through the pain of aggressive expansion and growth. If uncorrected, these problems can be alarming in the near future," Mark Martin, founder and CEO, Martin Consulting, told Quartz. Unstable leadership GoAir has witnessed a flurry of exits at the top level lately. Chief executive officer Cornellis Vriewijk quit in February, nine months after taking charge. He was the third CEO to quit in the past four years. Vriewijk joined GoAir six months after Wolfgang Prock-Schauer left the airline on a bitter note and then checked into rival IndiGo as its chief operating officer in January 2018. The airline has not hired a replacement for Vriewijk yet. "GoAir, at present, completely lacks leadership. If you look at (rivals) Vistara or IndiGo they are more dynamic in nature. SpiceJet also has (chairman) Ajay Singh in charge of things, but proper leadership is missing in GoAir," said Ashish Nainan, an aviation analyst at CARE Ratings. At least 15 other senior officials have also left GoAir in the past 15 months, including its chief operating officer Jyri Strandman, who quit in October 2018. Chief commercial officer (CCO) Manish Ranega left the airline in August 2018, and in October, CFO Sanjay Gupta quit after seven months in the post over performance-related issues. Several vice presidents, departmental heads and general managers, have also resigned. From family grounds to personal issues, the executives have cited various reasons for their departures. Overworked crew GoAir is also battling the problem of staff shortage, which has left its current employees overworked. On Dec. 23, the sector regulator, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), cracked down on GoAir for pushing pilots and cabin crew to work in excess of their stipulated hours, a report in The Economic Times newspaper reported. "The inquiry is on and innumerable violations have been found of a serious nature. The airline has been asked to fix them," the newspaper quoted an official as saying. The airline acknowledged in a statement yesterday that it experienced extensive flight delays as its crew approached its flight duty time limits (FDTL) in the last two to three days. FDTL stipulates the maximum flying hours, number of landings and takeoffs allowed in a day, week or month. The airline needs to hire more pilots and crew as it looks to expand. Engine issues Glitches in P&W engines are also giving GoAir a hard time. On Dec. 23, a GoAir-operated Airbus A320neo aircraft that had taken off from Guwahati for Kolkata was forced to turn back because of engine snags. This was the second such incident in as many days. A GoAir A320neo aircraft flying from Mumbai to Chandigarh on Dec. 22 had to make an emergency landing because of engine vibrations. The incidents have stoked fresh safety concerns. DGCA had earlier asked GoAir, and IndiGo, to modify the glitch-prone P&W engines. Both airlines are expected to replace the engines. "GoAir will abide by and comply with the directives of DGCA and complete the modifications of Pratt & Whitney engines before January 31, 2020," GoAir said yesterday. Short-lived woes? Despite the issues, experts say the airline's worries will be short-lived. "GoAir's problems are not financial in nature, unlike what its rivals are experiencing," said Martin. He expects the situation to get better once new aircraft and pilots are inducted. "It (GoAir) is experiencing operational problems. An airline like Air India has a leadership, but it is still struggling," said Harsh Vardhan, chairman of the Delhi-based Starair Consulting. Vardhan, however, warned that if the airline does not fix these immediately, it could jeopardise its plans for an initial public offering (IPO). The airline is currently looking to hire advisors for its IPO, according to media reports. https://qz.com/india/1775374/goair-cancels-flights-on-delayed-airbus-aircraft-pilot- shortage/ Back to Top The Navy Wants Special Fabrics That Can Monitor A Pilot's Health The "biosensing garments" could help gather information about incidents where aviators suffer hypoxia-like symptoms and about their general wellbeing. A Navy pilot climbs into the cockpit of an F/A-18E Super HornetUSN The U.S. Navy is looking into buying specialized fabric to make biosensing suits for its pilots and aircrew, which would be able to collect physiological data, such as heart rates and deepness of breath. This comes as the service, as well as the U.S. Air Force and NASA, continue to conduct research into and search for solutions to the causes of hypoxia-like symptoms that have plagued pilots across various aircraft types in recent years. The new clothing could also collect more general data on the health and wellness of aviators to improve their performance, avoid injuries, and more. Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) released the request for information regarding "physiological monitoring fabrics" for "biosensing garments suitable for Naval aviation" on Dec. 23, 2019. Steve Trimble, Aviation Week's Defense editor and good friend of The War Zone, was among the first notice the contracting announcement, highlighting it in a Tweet on Dec. 26. NAVAIR says it wants fabrics that have good elasticity, being able to stretch significantly without breaking and return to their original shape quickly, while also having "excellent next-to-skin comfort." They also need to pass ASTM International industrial standards for resistance to heat, helping to ensure that they do not "melt or drip" during a fire. This is a particularly important safety requirement as the U.S. military has found in the past that some synthetic fabrics could melt and stick to skin, causing or exacerbating already serious burns that personnel might suffer during combat or accidents. Biosensing clothing isn't new, having been in use in the professional athletic world for years now. Typically these garments use fabrics with interwoven silver fibers or other materials that can sense physiological changes, such as increases and decreases in heat or pressure. They then convey that information to a small, wearable computer that can interpret this information as a faster or slower heart rate or deeper or shallower breathing. Wireless links then often display the desired information on an individual's smartphone or other devices via an app. Altogether, this kind of "smart clothing" operates similarly in many respects to other kinds of wearable health and fitness devices, such the Fitbit. NAVAIR's contracting notice does not say what its specific requirement is for the biosensing garments, but one immediate use for smart clothing could certainly be to help the Navy gather information to gain more insight into persistent and often unexplained reports of hypoxia-like symptoms among its aviators. The service actually went looking for suits with built-in physiological sensors to help combat hypoxia back in 2009, but it's not immediately clear how far those efforts progressed. Air Force pilots have suffered similar issues over the years, as well. The incidents have occurred with individuals flying a number of aircraft types and potential issues with onboard oxygen generation systems, or OBOGS, have typically been cited as a likely root cause. You can read more about these so-called "physiological events" and what the services have been doing to mitigate them in these past War Zone stories. One of the Navy's decisions was to, starting in July 2017, begin issuing $450 Garmin Fenix 3 wristwatches to all pilots flying F/A-18C/D Hornets, F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, and EA-18G Growlers. The service has seen some of the most consistent reports of hypoxia-like symptoms from aviators flying these types. Though the Navy primarily purchased the Fenix 3s because they can detect changes in ambient air pressure, as well as provide altitude and course heading information, the watches are also billed as fitness devices and can come equipped with a heart rate monitor and other features. Smart clothing for naval aviators would be able to gather data to provide a much more comprehensive picture of an aviator's health before, during, and after any physiological event. Combined with health and flight data from other sensors built into the aircraft, this could help the services get a better sense of what pilots are experiencing and why. Networked biosensing flight suits could also send data to ground stations in near-real- time, allowing for offboard monitoring, which means commanders might be able to warn their pilots about potential issues. Hypoxia-like symptoms can include disorientation and confusion, which can make it difficult for an individual to necessarily notice what is going on by themselves. Beyond the hypoxia issue specifically, issuing smart clothing to aviators could simply help build databases of valuable baseline physiological information. Flying fighter jets especially is taxing on the body in many ways that aren't necessarily well understood. In August 2018, NASA began a program that was primarily aimed at helping to resolve the reported hypoxia issues across the Navy and Air Force. However, the main immediate goal was simply to collect physiological data to help researchers better understand what was normal and abnormal for pilots flying high-performance combat jets. NASA NASA pilot Jim Less tries on a Cobham VigiLOX system connected to his normal oxygen mask. This system collects physiological data, as well as information about the ambient pressure and other environmental factors in the cockpit. "We found that there has been very little investigation surrounding the human in the cockpit," Clinton Cragg, a principal engineer at the NASA Engineering and Safety Center, explained to members of Congress in 2018. "We don't have the amount of oxygen in his mask, the amount of CO2 [carbon dioxcide] in his mask, the pressure you'd want to know about in the cockpit, nor the pilot's breathing rates. Those types of things are what could help us do a full physiological assessment of what's happening to the pilot." Databases of physiological information could also simply help maximize the performance of naval aviators inside and out of their aircraft. The data could allow Navy officials to gain insight into how certain demographic groups, as well as specific individuals, perform athletically in various situations under different circumstances. This, in turn, could help in determine optimal fitness requirements and setting other health-related benchmarks. The collected information could also expose significant trends, such as the occurrence of injuries or other illnesses, and then link them to certain activities or environmental factors. With the help of artificial intelligence-driven algorithms, it might be possible in the future to more quickly spot worrying increases in certain conditions among specific groups, more conclusive determine the root causes, and remedy them. The rest of the U.S. military has also been taking note of the potential benefits biosensing smart clothing in recent years for the same reasons. Just earlier this year, the U.S. Marine Corps issued their own request for information regarding physiological monitoring garments that would allow them to "tailor conditioning and operational training in order to minimize injuries and optimize strength building and overall operational performance." The U.S. Air Force and Army have also been exploring this kind of technology. All told, no matter how much biosensing flight suits do or don't ultimately help with determining the causes of reported hypoxia-like symptoms among Navy aviators, these garments could still become standard issue in the coming years. https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/31633/the-navy-wants-special-fabrics-that- can-monitor-a-pilots-health 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