Flight Safety Information January 9, 2020 - No. 007 In This Issue Crash: UIA B738 at Tehran on Jan 8th 2020, lost height after departure, aircraft on fire Incident: France A320 at Tel Aviv on Jan 7th 2020, engine failure Accident: Spirit A319 near Tampa on Jan 6th 2020, passengers not feeling well due to fumes ATR 42-600 - Runway Excursion (Japan) Airline passenger jailed following 'inappropriate' mid-flight rant Global Pilots on Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS-752 Blackout Bug: Boeing 737 cockpit screens go blank if pilots land on specific runways WA airport shut after aircraft slides into runway end safety zone Stowaway's body found in plane's landing gear at Paris airport US airlines rush to secure 737 Max simulators Boeing, NTSB likely won't investigate Tehran plane crash that killed 176 Flight Recorders Found in Ukrainian Crash, but Who Will Analyze Them? Ops group commander in charge of pilot training at Columbus AFB fired Neuroscience study uncovers unique brainwave patterns in pilots Analyst: Boeing's compensation to airlines for 737 Max delays may double NASA Preps Core Stage of Massive Space Launch System Megarocket for Big Test Aircraft and Helicopter Accident Investigation from SCSI DTI Training Canada Najeeb E. Halaby Graduate Student Fellowship RESEARCH SURVEY Laura Taber Barbour Aviation Scholarship Fund Crash: UIA B738 at Tehran on Jan 8th 2020, lost height after departure, aircraft on fire A UIA Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737-800, registration UR-PSR performing flight PS-752 from Tehran Imam Khomeini (Iran) to Kiev (Ukraine) with 167 passengers and 9 crew, was climbing through 8000 feet out of Tehran's runway 29R about 12nm northwest of the airport at about 06:18L (02:48Z), when the aircraft's transponder signals ceased. The aircraft was found in an open field near Parand, a surbub of Tehran, at position N35.5529 E51.1121 about 10nm east of the last transponder position (N35.52 E50.91). All occupants perished in the crash. Iran's Civil Aviation Authority CAO reported the aircraft was handed off by ATC at about 06:18L near Tehran when it fell to the ground. Initial reports indicate all occupants have been killed in the impact. Iran's Accident Investigation Board has dispatched investigators on site. Most occupants were Irani citizens, a number of occupants were citizens of other nations. Iran's Emergency Services reported no survivors were found by rescue and recovery units dispatched to the crash site. Ukraine's Embassy to the Iran tweeted that UIA confirmed their aircraft crashed near Tehran Airport after takeoff. According to first information all occupants have been killed. A task force and a hotline for relatives has been set up. The Embassy subsequently added a statement on their website stating: "According to preliminary information from the Iranian side, the plane crashed due to an engine failure due to technical reasons. The version of the terrorist attack or rocket attack is currently excluded." All 9 crew were Ukrainian citizens. At around 08:20Z on Jan 8th 2020 the embassy entirely withdrew their message on their website and replaced it with a travel warning for Iran. On their Twitter feed the Embassy reported according to passenger manifest the aircraft carried 82 Iranians, 63 Canadians, 11 Ukrainians (including 9 crew), 10 Swedish citizens, 4 Afghanistan citizens, 3 Germans and 3 British citizens (176 occupants). The embassy later reinstated their earlier, withdrawn message however without the sentence regarding the engine failure, now stating instead: "Information on the causes of the plane crash is clarified by the accident investigation commission. Any statements regarding the causes of the accident before the commission decision are not official." Iran's Accident Investigation Board reported all their investigators are out to investigate the crash. The crew did not transmit any emergency call and did not indicate any problems. The aircraft crashed about 5 minutes after departure. In the evening the AIB reported the black boxes have not yet been located. In the late evening the chairman of Iran's CAO reported the black boxes have been located. Iran will not send the black boxes to the USA (NTSB or Boeing) for read out and will not permit the participation of US authorities in the investigation. Investigators from the Ukraine are welcomed however. It is not yet clear where the black boxes will be sent to for read out and analysis. In a reaction the U.S. Department of State pledged to provide full support for the investigation to the Ukrainian Authorities. Iran's states news agency IRNA reports 147 occupants were Irani citizens, 32 occupants were citizens of other countries (editorial note: this is 3 people more than the official passenger and crew count released by CAO). On Jan 9th 2020 Iran's AIB released a brief first report in Persian stating the aircraft began taxi for departure at 06:05L, commenced takeoff at 06:12L and in contact with Imam Khomeini Tower was cleared to climb to FL260. At 06:18L the aircraft climbed through 8000 feet, when the aircraft disappeared from radar, no radio message was received from the aircraft afterwards. Until that point the aircraft had been heading westwards, subsequently it made a right turn as if turning back to the airport due to a technical problem, but impacted ground on that way. A huge explosion occurred as result of impact with the ground. Initial contact with the ground was in a park area, several more collisions with the ground occurred as the aircraft broke up and spread along its trajectory. The ELT activated, however, its antenna separated from the device. All occupants, 167 passengers and 9 crew, perished in the crash, 146 of the passengers used Iranian passports for check in (a number of them holding multiple citizenships), 10 passengers used Afghan, 5 used Canadian, 4 used Swedish and two used Ukrainian passports (all 9 crew also used Ukrainian passports). Witnesses on the ground as well as flight crews at altitude observing the aircraft reported the aircraft was on fire. Both cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder were found with impact and fire damage, the memory units are available however also show physical damage on main parts. The AIB sent initial notifications of the accident to Ukraine as country of registration and operation of the aircraft, to the USA as manufacturer, Sweden and Canada as applicants whose nationals were involved in the accident. The AIB requested the Ukraine to participate in the investigation. In accordance with the Chicago Convention the Iranian AIB invites all states, that are recognized as participants into the accident investigation by this document, to accredit representatives. A team of Ukrainian experts are already being dispatched to Iran. During the night from Jan 8th to Jan 9th 2020 somebody on Twitter released a photo of a Tor 9K331 warhead presumably found at the crash site (and temporarily even the reader comments below flooded over referencing that photo). The location as well as the authenticity of the photo were not verifyable. The Aviation Herald therefore sent an inquiry to Iran's AIB with the photo, the supposed location at the crash site and relevant links in support and contradicting the authenticity of that photo and asked, whether the accident investigation had found such a part (expressing the hope that these issues wouldn't add too much to the stresses of the AIB). Iran's AIB Chairman Hassan Rezaeifar responded stating: "We save evidence and wreckage of the aircraft and never found this part. All wreckage parts were transferred to the special hanger in order to investigate with cooperation of NTSB, Ukraine NBAI and other interest parties which has been invited officially." Mr. Rezaeifar continued: "Due to special political condition of my country, we instituted a special group more than technical accident investigation groups to assess the condition of Laser attack or dangerous good- electromagnetic (radioactive threat) and unlawful action. The initial conclusion of this group confirmed that there was not found any evidence of mentioned actions on the accident site. Also we will trace all other evidences of the accident by gathering all information of the accident." The chairman indicated the AIB plans to release a preliminary first report in English during Jan 9th 2020. Local residents videotaped an aircraft, presumably the UIA Boeing 737-800, while climbing out of Tehran, losing height and impacting ground. The voice on the video says he was in Ferdowsi Quarter of Shahriah (approx. position N35.5973 E51.0239 about 4nm southsouthwest of Shahriah), the aircraft was on fire (which obviously prompted the person to start filming), following some expressions of fear and asking for divine support for the people the voice states he now needed to call the fire department. The approximate position of the filmer is about 5nm northwest of the crash site. There are photos circulating on the Internet, mainly via Iranian Student News Agency ISNA, who appear to show aircraft parts with Shrapnell holes similiar to MH-17, see Crash: Malaysia B772 near Donetsk on Jul 17th 2014, aircraft was shot down from separatist controlled ground. An original photos produced by Ebrahim Noroozi/Associated Press at high resultion (3500x2333 pixel) reveals however, that the "punctures" are the result of stones on the part of the fuselage and their shadows. As an exception we make the original large photo availabe via a click at the usual image (width 750 pixel) in the photo section. The point of first ground impact is at position N35.5625 E51.1033, the field of debris expands south of that location - which suggests, the aircraft had turned around and was moving in the direction of the airport again. Severe tensions developed between the USA and Iran following a drone strike on Jan 3rd 2020 against an Irani military leader in Baghdad (Iraq) on the order by the president of the USA, the Iran began counter strikes firing missiles against US military bases in the evening of Jan 7th 2020. Crash: UIA B738 near Tehran on Jan 8th 2020, lost height after takeoff http://avherald.com/h?article=4d1aea51&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: France A320 at Tel Aviv on Jan 7th 2020, engine failure An Air France Airbus A320-200, registration F-GKXJ performing flight AF-1121 from Tel Aviv (Israel) to Paris Charles de Gaulle (France), was climbing through about FL115 out of Tel Aviv's runway 26 when one of the engines (CFM56) failed. The crew stopped the climb at FL120 and returned to Tel Aviv for a safe landing on runway 12 about 25 minutes after departure. The airline reported the aircraft returned to Tel Aviv due to the failure of one of the engines. http://avherald.com/h?article=4d1b48de&opt=0 Back to Top Accident: Spirit A319 near Tampa on Jan 6th 2020, passengers not feeling well due to fumes A Spirit Airlines Airbus A319-100, registration N534NK performing flight NK-1030 from Cancun (Mexico) to Baltimore,MD (USA) with 150 people on board, was enroute at FL370 about 150nm southwest of Tampa,FL (USA) when the crew donned their oxygen masks and decided to divert to Tampa due to fumes on board. The aircraft landed safely on runway 01L about 28 minutes later, at least one of the pilots still on oxygen. The aircraft vacated the runway, the crew requested to taxi to an international gate and advised through oxygen mask "not feeling well, passengers, due to fumes". The aircraft taxied to the international terminal with emergency services following the aircraft. Emergency services advised they had two medical units available to treat passengers feeling unwell, the captain advised he was just informed two flight attendants were vomitting, one of them getting a tightness in the chest. The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground in Tampa for 16 hours, then positioned to Orlando,FL (USA), remained on the ground in Orlando for another 8 hours and resumed service. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/NKS1030/history/20200106/1955Z/MMUN/KBWI http://avherald.com/h?article=4d1b4dd7&opt=0 Back to Top Back to Top ATR 42-600 - Runway Excursion (Japan) Date: 08-JAN-2020 Time: 10:01 LT Type: ATR 42-600 Owner/operator: Japan Air Commuter Registration: JA07JC C/n / msn: 1408 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 21 Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: Minor Location: Amami Airport (ASJ/RJKA) - Japan Phase: Landing Nature: Domestic Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Kikai Airport (KKX/RJKI) Destination airport: Amami O Shima Airport (ASJ/RJKA) Narrative: An ATR42-600 of Japan Air Commuter, operating JAC/3X3830 from Kikai to Amami, suffered runway excursion while landing at runway 03 of Amami. The aircraft veered off the runway for 15 meters, and the nose landing gear was stuck in the mud, causing the ATR disabled. Three crew members and 18 passengers disembarked from the plane by door steps without injuries. The sole runway has been closed for the rest of the day (and may also be on the next day). At the time of the incident, strong cross wind blew on the airport. JTSB launched an investigation as a serious incident. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/232008 Back to Top Airline passenger jailed following 'inappropriate' mid-flight rant: 'She is thoroughly ashamed' A woman has been sentenced to six months in prison after going on an allegedly intoxicated rant in the middle of her flight. Demi Burton was on an Etihad Airways flight from Abu Dhabi to Manchester, England, in May when the incident occurred, the Telegraph reported. The 20-year-old, who is from the U.K., reportedly went on an "aggressive," sexually-explicit rant after being told she would no longer be served alcohol. "You may as well just land the plane now then!" Burton said after being denied alcohol, according to court documents. After that confrontation, she allegedly began to harass both passengers and flight attendants for nearly four hours. From there, Burton then proceeded to ask at least two men if they wanted to join the "mile-high club," an "increasingly impropriate" request she reportedly reiterated despite their attempts to ignore her. "Both tried to end the conversation with her but she carried on," Claire Brocklebank, the prosecutor in Burton's case, said. "One said he felt quite shocked by her comments and people around her started to ask her to be quiet as others could hear." Ultimately, several staff members tried to calm Burton down, but she reportedly became violent and headbutted a flight attendant. Court documents state that it took as many as six people to restrain the 20-year-old, after which an anesthesiologist was brought in to help sedate her. The anesthesiologist told the court that the struggle was "worse than anything he'd seen," adding that he was bitten during the confrontation. Martin Callery, Burton's defense lawyer, said her client was drinking due to her fear of flying and anxiety about seeing her family, who she described as "very controlling" and "very abusive." "[Burton] is thoroughly ashamed of herself and because she is remorseful," Callery said. "She is utterly embarrassed at the way she behaved. It is completely out of character as far as she is concerned." However, Circuit Judge John Edwards was stern in his sentencing, saying that Burton had to be "dealt with in a way that might deter others." "Your behavior was unpleasant, violent and persistent over a lengthy period," the judge said. "So that a doctor, an anesthetist by profession remarks in all his dealings in A&E had not witnessed such aggressive behavior before." https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/airline-passenger-jailed-following-inappropriate- 150557810.html Back to Top Global Pilots on Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS-752 MONTREAL--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations (IFALPA) is closely monitoring the developments related to this morning's tragedy of Ukraine International Airlines flight PS-752, a Boeing 737-800 that crashed in a field a few minutes after take-off from Tehran International airport. Our thoughts are with the families and friends of the reported 176 passengers and crew members who were onboard the aircraft. Whilst the emergency and recovery efforts are taking place, IFALPA stresses the need to avoid speculation and theories as to what happened to the aircraft. The Federation has reached out to the Ukrainian Air Line Pilots' Association and will offer its expertise to the relevant Aviation Authorities in order to help gather facts and any other safety and security information which may be pertinent to this event. Note to Editors: The International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations represents more than 100,000 pilots in nearly 100 countries around the globe. The mission of IFALPA is to promote the highest level of aviation safety worldwide and to be the global advocate of the piloting profession; providing representation, services and support to both our members https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200108005723/en/Global-Pilots-Ukraine- International-Airlines-Flight-PS-752 Back to Top Blackout Bug: Boeing 737 cockpit screens go blank if pilots land on specific runways Odd thing haunts Next Generation airliner family (not the infamous Max) A Boeing 737-800 (file photo) Boeing's 737 Next Generation airliners have been struck by a peculiar software flaw that blanks the airliners' cockpit screens if pilots dare attempt a westwards landing at specific airports. Amid the various well-reported woes facing America's largest airframe maker, yet another one has emerged from the US Federal Aviation Administration; a bug that causes all pilots' display screens in the 737-NG airliner family to simply go blank. That bug kicks in when airliner crews try to program the autopilot to follow what the FAA described as "a selected instrument approach to a specific runway". Seven runways, of which five are in the US, and two in South America - in Colombia and Guyana respectively - trigger the bug. Instrument approach procedures guide pilots to safe landings in all weather conditions regardless of visibility. "All six display units (DUs) blanked with a selected instrument approach to a runway with a 270-degree true heading, and all six DUs stayed blank until a different runway was selected," noted the FAA's airworthiness directive, summarising three incidents that occurred on scheduled 737 flights to Barrow, Alaska, in 2019. The controls in the 737 cockpit The DUs are the five main screens in front of the pilots plus the sixth in the lower middle position of the instrument panel. When they go offline, pilots rely on analogue backups Although full technical details were not given in the airworthiness directive, the FAA said that the seven runways had "latitude and longitude values" that "triggered the blanking behaviour", suggesting some kind of memory interaction between onboard computers causing the screens to stop displaying any information until a different runway was selected in the flight plan. The bug affects 737-600, -700, -700C, -800, -900 and -900ER model aircraft, which are running Common Display System Block Point 15 (CDS BP 15) software for their display electronic units (DEUs) together with flight management computer (FMC) software version U12 or later. FMCs hold the flight plan, thus navigating the aeroplane from waypoint to waypoint. DUs are the main screens displaying aircraft information to the pilots and are powered by two DEUs, each of which serves three of the DUs. The system arrangement is described in more detail on this website under the heading "NG Flight Instruments." In the airworthiness directive the FAA said it had "confirmed that the faulty version of DEU software has already been removed from all airplanes conducting scheduled airline service into the affected airports" in the US. Runways where Boeing 737 Next Generation aircraft are not supposed to land. Source: US FAA Commercial jet airliners are far from immune to software bugs. Infamously, Boeing's 787 Dreamliner needed power cycling every 248 days to prevent the aircraft's electronics from powering down in flight, while Airbus' A350 was struck by a similar bug requiring a power cycle every 149 hours to prevent avionics systems from partially or even totally failing to work. Human error with electronics can also cause problems for commercial aviation: a typo in GPS co-ordinates left an Air Asia Airbus A330's navigational system thinking it was 11,000km away from its true position, while the captain of another airline's A330 found out the hard way that hot coffee and electronic hardware really do not mix. Boeing has not responded to The Reg's request for comment. https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/01/08/boeing_737_ng_cockpit_screen_blank_bug/ Back to Top WA airport shut after aircraft slides into runway end safety zone A QantasLink flight from Perth to the Pilbara region has skidded into a runway safety zone after the area was lashed with heavy rain from Cyclone Blake. Flight QF2650 landed at Newman Airport at 7.15am in poor weather, skidding past the normal runway zone and into an "end safety area" at low speed. All 80 passengers and crew onboard the Fokker 100 aircraft exited the plane normally via the stairs and no injuries were reported. The plane left the runway, becoming bogged in heavy mud. (9News) Newman Airport is a popular destination for mine workers travelling to Western Australia's iron ore mines. A QantasLink spokesperson told 9News that the incident was being investigated. "The aircraft has come to a complete stop in what's called the runway end safety area," the spokesperson said. "Flights in and out of Newman have been cancelled for the rest of the day, while the aircraft is removed. The plane was travelling from Perth to Newman Airport in WA's Pilbara region. (9News) "We have commenced an internal investigation to determine how this occurred and have reported the incident to the ATSB. "We apologise to impacted customers and are working to re-accommodate them as quickly as possible." Ex-Tropical Cyclone Blake has caused heavy rain and high winds at Newman Airport in recent days. https://www.9news.com.au/national/cyclone-blake-aircraft-slides-into-runway-end- safety-zone/c8c5e82c-abf8-4767-a45c-a2a31d9ef09a Back to Top Stowaway's body found in plane's landing gear at Paris airport Air France expressed its "deepest sympathy and compassion at this human tragedy." Image: A Boeing 777 jetliner, belonging to Air France Sept. 10, 2019. The body of a stowaway has been found in the landing gear of an aircraft that landed in Paris after a flight from the Ivory Coast in West Africa, carrier Air France said on Wednesday. France's national airline said an investigation was underway. "Air France confirms that the lifeless body of a stowaway was found in the landing gear compartment of the aircraft operating flight AF703 from Abidjan to Paris-Charles de Gaulle on 7 January 2020," Air France said in a statement. The airline also expressed its "deepest sympathy and compassion at this human tragedy." Air France declined to comment on French media reports that the stowaway was a child. A source in the office of the local prosecutor leading the investigation said she was not aware of the stowaway's age or identity. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/stowaway-s-body-found-plane-s-landing-gear- paris-airport-n1112276 Back to Top US airlines rush to secure 737 Max simulators Bottleneck expected after Boeing says pilots need more training before jet returns to skies Southwest Airlines says it has three 737 Max simulators waiting for FAA certification, with another three more set for delivery at the end of this year. US airlines are struggling to secure flight simulators for the 737 Max after Boeing said extra training will be needed for pilots before the aircraft returns to service. There are only 34 simulators worldwide for the jet, creating a potential bottleneck as airlines vie to schedule training time for thousands of pilots and causing further delays to its return, even after aviation regulators lift the grounding. Boeing said for months that pilots would only need to train on a computer in order to qualify to fly the Max, which has been grounded since March following two fatal crashes, only to reverse course earlier this week. Among the three major US airlines with Max aircraft in their fleet, Southwest Airlines said the company had three simulators that it ordered in 2018 with "minimal" work remaining until the US Federal Aviation Administration certified them for use. It has three more set to be delivered at the end of this year. Although they were not previously required, "we ordered the simulators so the pilots would have the option" of training on the Max model, a Southwest spokeswoman said. $6m-$8m - the cost of a Boeing 737 Max simulator United Airlines said it already had one working simulator, with three more set for delivery by March. American Airlines said it "continues to work with the FAA and Boeing throughout the recertification process", but a company spokesman offered no details on simulator training for its pilots. Part of Boeing's original sales pitch to airlines was that the Max would not require simulator training. It was a factor in Boeing's decision to update the 737 rather than design a wholly new aircraft, which led to the use of heavier engines and then a flight- control system to counteract their effect. That system was later implicated in the crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia which killed 346 people. The FAA and other regulators are yet to approve Boeing's proposed changes to that flight-control system and to pilot training, which will be required before the Max is certified as safe and the grounding is lifted. A Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737-800 - a different model to the Max - crashed in Iran on Wednesday killing all 176 people onboard and adding to the problems faced by Boeing which has been criticised for its response to the earlier Max crashes. Boeing wants to rebuild confidence in the Max among customers and flyers and that likely influenced the company's decision to recommend simulator training, said John Cox, an American crash investigator and retired airline pilot. A person familiar with the matter said Boeing decided to recommend simulator training after pilots participating in the recertification process failed to follow proper cockpit procedures and checklists. Simulators cost between $6m and $8m each, and then another $400 to $500 an hour to operate because of labour and maintenance costs. CAE, a Canadian company that supplies 80 per cent of the world market for flight simulators, has been anticipating a rise in customer demand for Max simulators since November, said Hélène Gagnon, the company's vice-president for public affairs. Sales and deliveries of Max simulators are doing well, chief executive Marc Parent said during a November 13 earnings call. There had been five orders and nine deliveries in the first half of the company's fiscal year - almost 10 per cent of the 48 orders in the product's history. Chief financial officer Sonya Branco said a similar number of orders and deliveries were expected in the second half of the fiscal year. https://www.ft.com/content/4d24440c-3239-11ea-a329-0bcf87a328f2 Back to Top Boeing, NTSB likely won't investigate Tehran plane crash that killed 176, sources say Heightened tension between the U.S. and Iran and increased sanctions will make it difficult for the plane manufacturer to investigate the Ukrainian airline crash in Iran. Boeing 737 plane crashes in Iran; all 176 on board killed Boeing Co. and U.S. government investigators likely won't be able to investigate the Ukrainian plane crash that killed 176 people, senior U.S. investigative sources said Wednesday. While international agreements allow Boeing and the National Transportation Safety Board, or NTSB, to take part in investigations of overseas crashes involving Boeing aircraft, the sources said hostilities with Iran and U.S. sanctions against it are expected to block U.S. teams from assisting Iranian investigators. The Ukrainian International Airlines crash came as President Donald Trump announced further sanctions against Iran in response to the retaliation by Tehran on Tuesday evening for the U.S. killing of Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, head of Iran's powerful Quds Force. The NTSB said Wednesday that it is monitoring the crash and "is following its standard procedures for international aviation accident investigations, including long-standing restrictions under the country embargoes." The safety board said it is working with the State Department and other government agencies to determine the "best course of action." Handover of the so-called black box recorders would be standard protocol in any crash, and Iran could send the boxes to a third country, like France, to read out the cockpit voice and flight data. Image: Plane crash site in IranRescue workers search the scene of a Ukranian plane that crashed after takeoff in Tehran on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020.Ebrahim Noroozi / AP Boeing called the crash "tragic" and offered its condolences to the victims and their families. "We are in contact with our airline customer and stand by them in this difficult time. We are ready to assist in any way needed," it said in a statement Wednesday. The plane was part of a newer Boeing 737-800 series, which is not among the 737 Max planes that have been grounded since March following two crashes overseas in which 346 people died. Investigators for the NTSB and Boeing were on the ground following those Max crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia to look for clues and to assist local investigators. Investigators in Wednesday's crash would be looking for any signs that a mechanical problem, a missile or a bomb brought down the Ukrainian plane. U.S. aviation sources questioned why Iran had allowed commercial air traffic to depart Tehran shortly after the country launched missiles against U.S. targets in Iraq. It remains unclear how the plane went down, but video from the crash site on the outskirts of the capital showed what appeared to be pieces of an aircraft fuselage, an engine and other debris. Iranian state TV said mechanical issues were suspected, but Ukrainian officials said it was too early to determine the cause. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko said 82 of the people on board were Iranian, 63 were Canadian and 11 were Ukrainian, including the nine crew members. Ten were from Sweden, four were from Afghanistan, three were from Germany and three were from the United Kingdom. There were no survivors. Meanwhile, some of the families of the victims of the Max crash in Ethiopia released a statement reacting to the new crash. "What a sad day. What sad news. When shall we wake up from this nightmare?" the families said through a lawyer. "The news is heartbreaking after almost 10 months of feeling the loss of our families. Some of us don't even know how to feel about this news." Paul Njoroge of Canada, who lost his entire family in the crash of the Boeing jet in Ethiopia on March 10, said news of the Ukrainian crash "brought a chill in my entire body." "I know and feel the pain of losing loved ones in such a tragic manner. My sincere condolences goes to the families who lost loved ones in the crash of PS752," Njoroge said. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/boeing-ntsb-likely-won-t-investigate-tehran- plane-crash-killed-n1112416 Back to Top Flight Recorders Found in Ukrainian Crash, but Who Will Analyze Them? Authorities in Iran are investigating why a Ukrainian passenger jet crashed minutes after takeoff from Tehran's airport early Wednesday, killing all 176 people on board. The Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) flight was bound for Kyiv with 167 passengers and nine crew members. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko said the dead included 82 Iranians and 63 Canadians along with Ukrainians, Swedes, Afghans, Germans and Britons. The flag over the Canadian Parliament in Ottawa was lowered to half-staff Wednesday. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the entire country was "shocked and saddened" at one of its worst losses of life in a single day in years. Trudeau said 138 of the passengers had planned to take an onward flight from Kyiv to Toronto, many of them Iranian students hoping to return to school after a winter break with their families in Iran. He promised to work for a thorough investigation of the crash. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres offered his condolences, through a spokesman, to the families of the victims and the various countries from which they came. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also issued a statement of condolence and said Washington was prepared to offer Ukraine "all possible assistance." He said the U.S. also called for "complete cooperation with any investigation" into the cause of the crash. Iranian state television reported that both the black box voice and data recorders from the Boeing 737 aircraft had been recovered from the crash site, a swath of farmland on the outskirts of the Iranian capital. Iran's semiofficial Mehr News Agency quoted the head of the nation's civil aviation agency as saying he did not know which country would get the black boxes for analysis, but that Iran would not hand them over to U.S.-based Boeing, the aircraft's manufacturer. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board typically participates in investigations of overseas air crashes when a U.S. airline or plane manufacturer is involved. But given the heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran, and the fact that the two sides have no diplomatic relations, it was uncertain whether the NTSB would be involved in the investigation of the UIA crash. In a statement sent to VOA Ukrainian, the NTSB said it was "monitoring developments surrounding the crash of UIA Flight 752" and was "following its standard procedures" for international aviation accident investigations. "As part of its usual procedures, the NTSB is working with the State Department and other agencies to determine the best course of action," it said. "The U.S. has not participated in an accident investigation in Iran since Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution. So it is very unlikely that the NTSB will be involved," said Madhu Unnikrishnan, editor of U.S. airline news service Skift Airline Weekly in a VOA Ukrainian interview. The Convention on International Civil Aviation, to which Iran is a signatory, does not require Tehran to hand over the data recorders to the NTSB or Boeing, said Andriy Guck, a Ukraine-based attorney and aviation expert. "There is a duty to investigate," Guck told VOA Ukrainian in a phone conversation. "Iran can decide to investigate the black boxes by itself or transfer them to a foreign laboratory. But if the Iranians do not allow anyone else to participate in the examination of the boxes, it will raise doubts about their investigation." Editor Unnikrishnan said, "The key will be to involve other European countries that have experience in these matters in the analysis of the black boxes." "If Iran sends them to Europe, I think the analysis will be trusted internationally," he said. The fiery crash occurred hours after Iran launched a ballistic missile attack on Iraqi bases housing U.S. soldiers in response to last week's U.S. drone attack that killed Iranian Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani. Iranian officials said the crash happened because of a mechanical failure. Ukrainian officials initially agreed with that assessment, but then backed away and declined to offer a possible cause while the investigation was ongoing. Insufficient information? Some U.S. aviation experts said they could not see how Iran could possibly know that a mechanical problem caused the crash without looking at the flight data recorders or examining the engines. Iranian officials dismissed speculation that a missile brought down the plane. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged the public "to refrain from ... expressing uncorroborated theories." He ordered a sweeping inspection of all civil airplanes in Ukraine "no matter the conclusions about the crash in Iran." The Iranian road and transportation ministry said it appeared that one of the plane's two engines caught fire, with the pilot then losing control of the jetliner. The flight- tracking website Flightradar24 said the plane never got above 2,500 meters (8,200 feet). An Iranian investigator said it appeared the pilot was unable to communicate with air traffic controllers in the moments before the crash. Videos taken immediately after the crash showed fires lighting up the darkened fields in the predawn hours. Ukraine International Airlines company president, Yevhenii Dykhne attends a briefing at Borispil international airport outside... Ukraine International Airlines President Yevhen Dykhne attends a briefing at Boryspil International Airport outside Kyiv, Ukraine, Jan. 8, 2020. Ukraine International Airline President Yevhen Dykhne said, "It was one of the best planes we had, with an amazing, reliable crew." The jet was built in 2016. It was a Boeing 737-800 model, a commonly used commercial jet with a single-aisle cabin that is flown by airlines throughout the world. It is an older model than the Boeing 737 Max, which has been grounded for nearly 10 months following two deadly crashes. https://www.voanews.com/middle-east/voa-news-iran/flight-recorders-found-ukrainian- crash-who-will-analyze-them Back to Top Ops group commander in charge of pilot training at Columbus AFB fired Col. Derek Stuart was removed from command of the 14th Operations Group at Columbus Air Force Base in Mississippi on Jan. 2 after the commander of the 19th Air Force lost faith in his ability to lead. The group he commanded oversaw specialized undergraduate pilot training at Columbus. (Air Force) The commander of an operations group that handles specialized pilot training at Columbus Air Force Base in Mississippi was removed from his position last week. Col. Derek Stuart, who had commanded the 14th Operations Group, was fired Jan. 2 by 19th Air Force commander Maj. Gen. Craig Wills "due to a loss of trust and confidence in his ability to command," Air Education and Training Command said in an email Tuesday. AETC spokeswoman Marilyn Holliday said in the email that Lt. Col. William McElhinney has assumed command of the group. The 14th Operations Group is the flying component of the 14th Flying Training Wing at Columbus. Its members are part of nine squadrons, and are responsible for the 52- week specialized undergraduate pilot training mission at Columbus, Holliday said. The group also performs quality assurance for contract aircraft maintenance. The Air Force launched the Pilot Training Next initiative in April to try to find a new, cutting-edge way to teach airmen, using advanced biometrics, artificial intelligence and virtual reality systems. Columbus is one of three bases that conduct specialized undergraduate pilot training, alongside Laughlin Air Force Base in Texas and Vance Air Force Base in Oklahoma. After the academic and primary flying phases of specialized pilot training, during which student pilots learn basic flying fundamentals, they are selected for one of three advanced training tracks: Airlift and tankers, fighters, or bombers. Aspiring airlift and tanker pilots go on to train in the T-1 Jayhawk, and students slated for fighter or bomber assignments train in the T-38 Talon. Stuart had been commander of the operations group since July 2018. He entered the Air Force in 1996, according to his official biography, and is a command pilot with more than 3,200 hours flying the C-17, C-141, T-6 and T-37. He has served as an instructor pilot and flown combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. Holliday said Stuart was not under investigation. She did not respond to a request for comment from Stuart, or say what caused Wills to lose confidence in Stuart. https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2020/01/08/ops-group- commander-in-charge-of-pilot-training-at-columbus-afb-fired/ Back to Top Neuroscience study uncovers unique brainwave patterns in pilots Viewing landing scenes appears to activate the "Mirror Neuron" system in pilots more than it does in non-pilots, according to preliminary research published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. The "Mirror Neuron" system is a network of neurons that are activated both during a motor action and also when observing a similar action performed by another person. In the study, 9 pilots and 8 individuals with no piloting experience viewed landing scenes as researchers monitored their electrical brain activity. The scenes were viewed from the perspective of the cockpit, and the participants were asked to gauge the distance of the runway number. "The use of a simple distance estimation task enabled us to easily include in the study a non-expert population to be compared with pilots, avoiding the potential complications that may arise from including technical flight-related aspects in the task," the researchers explained. The researchers observed differences between pilots and non-pilots in mu rhythm brainwaves. Mu brainwave patterns are considered a marker of Mirror Neuron system activity because they are suppressed whenever a person performs an action and they are also suppressed when a person observes someone else performing an action. Pilots tended to have increased mu suppression when observing the landing scenes, indicating greater activation of the Mirror Neuron system. But what is the significance of increased mirror neuron activation among pilots? As the researchers explain in their study, the findings suggests that the brains of pilots process aircraft as "a sort of extension of a pilot's body." Observing an aircraft landing might be like observing someone trying to reach for an object - in this case, "reaching" for a runway. "Critically, in a landing task, the angle-under-the-horizon has the functional property to express the location of an aircraft in terms of glide angle to a specific point on the ground. This importantly, allows the pilot to directly differentiate between locations on the ground that are within the glide range and that can hence be reached with the airplane, from those that are outside the glide range, that are hence unreachable," the researchers wrote. "It follows that for a pilot, a seemingly perceptual task such as distance judgment is framed in terms of the action capabilities of an aircraft (e.g., the glide angle)... However, in the case of aviation, the action capabilities of the aircraft would not be generally experienced by most humans." The study, "Investigating Neural Sensorimotor Mechanisms Underlying Flight Expertise in Pilots: Preliminary Data From an EEG Study", was authored by Mariateresa Sestito, Assaf Harel, Jeff Nador, and John Flach. https://www.psypost.org/2020/01/neuroscience-study-uncovers-unique-brainwave- patterns-in-pilots-55180 Back to Top Analyst: Boeing's compensation to airlines for 737 Max delays may double More than 200 Boeing 737 Max jetliners are grounded and parked all around Grant County International Airport at Moses Lake, Washington. Airline deliveries have been suspended since March, 2019, after a global grounding of the jet. Delays hampering efforts to get the 737 Max jet recertified and returned to service may double Boeing's total compensation to airlines for late deliveries, an aerospace analyst predicts. "Because the Max crisis will have a ripple effect on deliveries, potentially impacting all of the 4,543 Maxes in the order backlog, our guess is that total customer compensation could hit $10-14 billion," Cowen and Company analyst Cai von Rumohr said in a report for the firm's clients. "Because customer compensation will increase with certification delays, we're assuming Boeing takes an additional charge in the fourth quarter, possibly equal to its initial gross reserve of $6 billion," von Rumohr added. Cowen downgraded Boeing stock Wednesday, cutting its target to $371 per share from $419. Boeing, which has estimated the Max crisis has cost it about $7 billion so far, didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Boeing's payouts are based on the notion that airlines have lost months of profits because their fuel-efficient 737 Max 8 airplanes weren't delivered following two crashes killed 346 people. The jets have been grounded since March. Reports have pegged Boeing's compensation at between $2.5 million to $3 million per jet, with larger payouts for customers that ordered more Maxes early, von Rumohr explained in a report with Cowen analysts Jeff Mollinari and Dan Flick. Boeing has reached partial settlements with Southwest and American airlines, and foreign carriers like Norwegian, THY, and Aeromexico, all subject to non-disclosure agreements. Several carriers promised to share payouts with affected pilots. Hundreds of undelivered Max jets are parked around North America, including Moses Lake, but the Cowen report said Boeing's ability to ramp up deliveries and resume production is uncertain. That's because it depends not only on Boeing workers' ability to execute and prepare stored jets for delivery, but also on outside factors, including: * The impact of Federal Aviation Administration plans to check and approve every Max jet delivery as part of stepped up oversight * Overall airline passenger growth, which has decelerated * Recertification of the 737 Max by China, whose airlines have 25 percent of the backlog of Max orders * Passengers' willingness to fly the Max in the aftermath of the crisis Von Rumohr said his team was "relatively sanguine" that initial passenger resistance to flying the Max will be overcome with time after regulators have approved it to fly again. "But we're less certain that air traffic growth can match/exceed the 4 percent growth likely required to sustain demand," he added. The analyst also expressed concern Boeing may not be able to hit the 57 aircraft a month production rate at its Renton factory. Boeing cut its monthly build rate from 52 to 40 a month after the second Max crash and last month announced a temporary production halt starting in mid-January, without a firm restart date. https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2020/01/08/boeing-compensation-to- airlines-for-737-max-14b.html?ana=yahoo&yptr=yahoo Back to Top NASA Preps Core Stage of Massive Space Launch System Megarocket for Big Test The 212-foot (65 meters) core stage of NASA's new megarocket, the Space Launch System, rolls out of the Michoud Assembly Building in New Orleans, Louisiana on Jan. 1, 2020 for transport to the Stennis Space Center in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi for a critical test. The core stage of NASA's new megarocket, the massive Space Launch System (SLS), ready to leave its New Orleans home for an epic journey culminating in a space voyage. The eventual goal of SLS is to ferry astronauts to the moon and more distant destinations, but first, NASA needs to test out the rocket without people on board. NASA has said it hopes to run that test flight - called Artemis 1 - by the end of 2020, but officials have said it could slip to 2021. That flight is expected to have SLS send an Orion spacecraft on a loop from Earth, around the moon and back to our planet again. But to get that mission ready, NASA needs to ship the 212-foot (65 meters) SLS core stage from its Michoud Assembly Center in New Orleans, Louisiana to a test site in at the agency's Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. The sheer mass and size of the rocket won't easily allow for conventional overland transport, so the core stage will make its journey by barge. NASA and its contractor teams (led by Boeing) carefully moved the core stage between buildings, to Building 110, at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans on Jan. 1. This is to get the core stage ready for shipping. Assembly Facility in Louisiana. There it will be readied for the Pegasus barge and its trip to @NASAStennis. Thank you to the @NASA team for working through the holidays!" Another picture released on Jan. 3 showed the core stage sitting bare in a Michoud building after engineers removed scaffolding from the core stage. "NASA and the contractor team used the scaffolding positioned around the 212-foot core stage to assess the stage's inside and check out the electronic systems distributed throughout the stage, including avionics and propulsion systems, that will enable the stage to operate during launch and flight," the agency said in a statement. Later in January, the core stage will journey on a Pegasus barge from Michoud to NASA's Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. The core stage will be mounted on the B-2 Test Stand to do what NASA calls the "Green Run" test series - the first full test of the core stage with its flight hardware. "The comprehensive test campaign will progressively bring the entire core stage, including its avionics and engines, to life for the first time to verify the stage is fit for flight ahead of the launch of Artemis I," NASA stated. All SLS rockets will fly to space from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. After Artemis I, NASA plans a second test mission with humans on board in the next couple of years. Then the third mission, Artemis III, is scheduled to put astronauts on the moon in 2024 - roughly 55 years after humanity's first moon landing, Apollo 11, in July 1969. All told, the core stage is 212 feet tall (65 meters) and includes four engines and two liquid- propellant tanks. "I'm going to call it the ninth wonder of the world," Douglas Loverro, the new head of NASA's Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, said during the event. Bridenstine's speech was more about celebration than announcements, but the discussion left in the air several concerns that NASA is facing about both the rocket and the larger Artemis program. NASA has contracts with Boeing for only the first two SLS rockets, Bridenstine said, not later iterations of the launcher. But it's the third rocket in the series that will send astronauts to the moon in 2024 to meet the agency's much-touted goal. The agency also continued to avoid offering a schedule for Artemis flights or a cost estimate for the SLS rockets. Bridenstine has been demurring on offering a launch date for the uncrewed first Artemis mission, deferring that question to the new director of human exploration. Although he called Loverro up to the stage at the event, no date was announced. Similarly, NASA has deflected questions about the anticipated price per rocket of the SLS program. In his comments, Bridenstine argued that cost will depend on how many rockets NASA ends up commissioning - the more rockets, the lower the individual price will end up. In October, the agency expressed interest in as many as 10 SLS rockets for the Artemis program. https://www.space.com/nasa-moves-sls-megarocket-core-stage-for-tests.html Back to Top Back to Top Back to Top Najeeb E. Halaby Graduate Student Fellowship The Najeeb E. Halaby Graduate Student Fellowship was established by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) to shape the next generation of aviation researchers, honoring the late Najeeb Elias Halaby, an eminent aviator and administrator, for his vision and more than five decades of extraordinary contributions to aviation (https://ral.ucar.edu/opportunity/halaby-fellowship). The Fellowship The recipient of a Najeeb E. Halaby Graduate Student Fellowship will spend three months (in 2020 or early 2021) in residence with NCAR's Aviation Weather Research Program, which Mr. Halaby was instrumental in establishing in the 1980s. As the nation's leader in addressing aviation weather research, NCAR plays a unique role in meeting user needs by transferring research results to operations through its Research Application Laboratory (http://www.ral.ucar.edu/). The Fellow will conduct research broadly aimed at mitigation of weather sensitivities (e.g., weather impact avoidance) on aviation. We particularly encourage applicants interested in weather impacts on emerging modes of transportation, like unmanned aerial system operations and urban air mobility. The Fellowship will provide: * a monthly stipend for three months, including temporary living expenses * round-trip travel expenses to and from Boulder, CO * travel to a conference to present results * page charges (if necessary) for one publication of key results Eligibility and Application The Halaby Fellowship targets graduate students (late Masters or early PhD level) enrolled in an aviation-relevant department or program of a domestic or international university. Interested candidates should have advanced research skills, far-reaching vision, and dedication to get things accomplished. Consideration for this Fellowship will be given to candidates based on the following submitted material: * Curriculum vitae * Proposal (maximum five pages) presenting the research to be conducted at NCAR, the anticipated outcome of that, and how the proposed effort ties into the candidate's ongoing graduate research project(s) * Contact information for three references (one of which should be the student's primary advisor) NCAR will accept applications for the Halaby Fellowship each year. Email Applications by February 28, 2020 to halabyfellowship@ucar.edu Back to Top RESEARCH SURVEY SMS for small operators: does it make sense? As part of an independent research project at Lund University, we'd like to hear from small business/private aviation operators about their experience with Safety Management Systems (SMS). Does your organisation have an SMS, and a workforce of 20 or less? Does the SMS generate value? Do you think there might be a disconnect between the SMS requirements and t he capabilities of your organisation? Considering the current lack of scientific research and peer-reviewed literature for this particular sector of aviation, this is a rather unique opportunity to share feedback in complete anonymity and to help identify any issue requiring focused attention. Please take a few minutes to complete the survey now, but also to share the link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RYDPYYT Any assistance to advance the industry's understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the SMS framework will be greatly appreciated! For any question or comment, please do not hesitate to contact st1830de- s@student.lu.se. Many thanks, and best wishes for 2020! Stéphane De Wolf MSc student, Human Factors & System Safety Lund University Curt Lewis