Flight Safety Information January 14, 2020 - No. 010 In This Issue Beyond pilot trash talk, 737 Max documents reveal how intensely Boeing focused on cost Iran Announces Arrests Over Accidental Downing Of Ukrainian Jet Accident: Finnair A320 at Helsinki on Jan 13th 2020, flight attendant fell off aircraft Incident: Canada A321 near Calgary on Jan 7th 2020, burning odour in cockpit and cabin Accident: Delta B739 near Minneapolis on Jan 11th 2020, turbulence injures three cabin crew Diamond DA42 Twin Star - Fatal Accident (China) A man charged an airplane cockpit, injuring a flight attendant, police said Air safety watchdog extends deadline for IndiGo to replace Pratt...& Whitney engines NTSB Public Docket Reveals Crew Confusion, Training Discrepancies in Atlas Air 3591 Downing Heathrow Airport Installs Anti-Drone System to Detect Threats Aviation Has No Good Ways To Prevent Another Missile Strike On A Commercial Aircraft Iran decided to send black boxes from a downed UIA plane to France FAA Isn't Using the Troves of Data It's Collecting on Drone Integration First Ilyushin IL-96-400M Takes Shape Lockheed Martin to deliver 24 C-130J Super Hercules aircraft to USAF Embraer E-Jets return to Eastern Airways' fleet Southwest CEO teases South America expansion out of this Texas airport SpaceX, NASA gear up for in-flight abort demonstration Aircraft and Helicopter Accident Investigation from SCSI DTI Training Canada Najeeb E. Halaby Graduate Student Fellowship RESEARCH SURVEY Laura Taber Barbour Aviation Scholarship Fund Beyond pilot trash talk, 737 Max documents reveal how intensely Boeing focused on cost The damaging internal documents related to the 737 Max jet that Boeing released Thursday are full of late-night trash talk between two company pilots who mocked federal regulators, airline officials, suppliers and their own colleagues as idiots, clowns or monkeys. While some of the more memorable quotes may be dismissed as bravado - nothing more than hard-charging guys who "blew off steam" after work, as the lawyer for the lead pilot put it - other, more sober internal e-mails reveal the pressures the pilots were under from the Max program leadership. They suggest a troubling Boeing culture that prioritized costs over safety. All the messages from the leaders of the Max program "are about meeting schedule, not delivering quality," one employee laments in a 2018 email. Boeing has disowned the language in the communications and offered an abject public apology. On Friday, interim CEO Greg Smith sent an internal email to employees declaring that the messages "do not reflect who we are as a company or the culture we've created." The evidence in the documents, however, points beyond a couple of rogue employees to serious problems with how the Max was developed and certified. The details drew widespread outrage Friday. Michael Stumo, father of 24-year-old Samya Stumo of Massachusetts, who died in the Ethiopian crash, said, "These revelations sicken me." "The culture of Boeing has eroded horribly," he added. "My daughter is dead as a result." Chris Moore, of Toronto, Canada, father of Danielle Moore, 24, who also died in that crash, said, "We spent an agonizing night thinking about these comments" in the documents. He called for an investigation that would "strip any professional accreditation from those who do not care about the safety of the flying public." Robert Clifford, lead lawyer for the Ethiopian Airlines victims, said the documents will "be used by the families of the victims to show a jury that Boeing was reckless and put profits before safety." The Professional Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS), the union representing some staff units within the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), termed the messages "disheartening" and called for reevaluation of the increased delegation of oversight granted by regulators to Boeing for airplane development. U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., said she is "deeply concerned" by the documents and Boeing's apparent intent "to work around the FAA and foreign regulators." Members of the U.S. House of Representatives were particularly incensed by one document showing that, in order to avoid any need for additional pilot training, Boeing downplayed to the FAA the significance of the new flight control software on the Max - known as the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) - that was implicated in the two crash flights. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee vice-chair Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Everett, said these "efforts to characterize the MCAS software as seemingly inconsequential were a serious mistake." He called for Congress to pull back some of Boeing's authority to handle oversight of its own jet programs, a move that would likely slow certification of its upcoming new airplane, the Everett-built 777X. Loose talk Most of the documents made public Thursday were forwarded to Congress, the Department of Justice and the FAA in late December, the same day that Boeing fired Dennis Muilenburg as CEO. Boeing added some more documents with the release. All the documents came out of a group within Boeing that worked during development of the 737 Max to get the flight simulators qualified by regulators and to determine the training that would be required for an airline pilot to move from the previous 737 model to the Max. Many of the messages are from then-737 chief technical pilot Mark Forkner, including some late-night instant message exchanges with his deputy, Patrik Gustavsson, similar in tone to conversations released in October that sparked outrage then. In the newly released exchanges, with Forkner sometimes drinking Grey Goose vodka - "I just like airplanes, football, chicks and vodka, not in that order," he wrote - and Gustavsson preferring Bowmore Scotch, both talk loosely about their bosses and everyone else they have to deal with in varying derogatory ways. Though Boeing redacted most of the names, so that one cannot pin down the individuals speaking in many other exchanges, the sentiments expressed are deeply embarrassing to the company. One pilot who gave a presentation to FAA staff mocks their lack of technical knowledge: "It was like dogs watching TV." The supplier of the large Max simulators, U.S.-Canadian firm TRU, is "disorganized, chaotic, dysfunctional," though hardworking, honest, and cheap. The 737 Max is described as "designed by clowns, who are in turn supervised by monkeys." "Would you put your family on a Max-simulator trained aircraft?" one pilot asks, then answers himself: "I wouldn't." His colleague agreed. Indonesia's air safety authority, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), is "apparently even stupider" than another unnamed foreign regulator. And one pilot notes, in reference to dealings with the FAA, that "I still haven't been forgiven by God for the covering up I did last year." Saving airlines money Behind this loose talk are more telling details. The emphasis in all the documents is on meeting the directive from Max program leaders that the new jet must be classified by regulators as so close to the previous 737 model that airlines will have to pay for only minimal pilot training. Forkner writes of pulling "jedi mind tricks" to convince regulators of this. The reason for the emphasis is clear from one email thread that begins with Boeing's jet sales director for Africa and the Caribbean expressing concern when an airline considering buying the Max asks for precise dollar figures for what pilot training will cost. He's worried because the airline believes it needs to allocate two days of training per pilot, including a two-night hotel stay and a per diem payment at one of the few cities with a Max simulator. In the exchanges that follow, Boeing employees point out that "Airbus is throwing money" at airlines that are prepared to flip from the 737 to the Airbus A320neo. They offer the assurance that the transition training for a pilot to move from the previous 737 to a Max will not be two days, but two hours on a computer, on the pilot's own time. "We can say it will be zero dollars in crew salary cost for off-line time," a Boeing employee tells the sales director. When Indonesian carrier Lion Air in 2017 asked for simulator training for its pilots, apparently at the suggestion of the country's regulator, known as DGCA, Forkner scrambled to convince the airline that it shouldn't do so. He approached DGCA and argued that other regulators didn't require sim training, so why should Indonesia. This manipulation by Boeing of both its airline customer and a foreign regulator looks damning in hindsight, especially when the first crash was a Lion Air jet. Simulator training might well have gone some way to compensating for the overreliance on cockpit automation and a lack of manual flying experience by pilots at some low-cost carriers overseas, which has emerged as an issue after the two crashes. And just this week, Boeing conceded as much when it reversed course and recommended simulator training for all pilots before the Max returns to service. Resisting system upgrades The documents also show that the pressure to make little of the differences between the Max and the previous model extended to certification of the aircraft, including systems important to safety. One safety upgrade proposed for the Max that would have greatly improved the jet's air data systems was called synthetic airspeed. Engineers including Curtis Ewbank, who later filed an internal ethics complaint, believed this could have overcome the vulnerability due to MCAS's dependence on a single angle of attack sensor. The documents show this was rejected because it would "jeopardize the program directive" that there should be no new systems that would trigger a requirement for simulator training. Another safety upgrade, called Roll Command Alerting Systems (RCAS), was introduced for the Max to alert the pilots to an excessive bank angle that the autopilot might not cope with. However, again to minimize differences, as it was developing the Max Boeing introduced RCAS as a new feature first on the previous 737 NG model, and encouraged airlines taking the Max to have at least one earlier model 737 with RCAS in their fleet so that then they could say there's no difference between the two models. And in relation to certification of RCAS, the e-mails show that Boeing employees discussed how to minimize this new crew alert to the FAA so as not to raise concerns that pilots might need simulator training on what to do if the alert light comes on. One message notes how the alert will most likely come on if an engine goes out, and suggests that the recovery from that needs to be sold to the FAA "as a very intuitive basic pilot skill." "I fear that skill is not very intuitive any more with younger pilots and those who have become too reliant on automation," a colleague responded. "Probably true," replied the first Boeing pilot. "But it's the box we're painted into with the (no simulator) requirements." In a later email, Forkner said he was fairly sure the FAA's Aircraft Evaluation Group would want to require some training on RCAS in a simulator. "We are going to push back very hard on this, and will likely need support at the highest levels when it comes time for the final negotiation." Failure to avoid simulator training because of RCAS would be a "planet-killer for the Max," he wrote. In the end, he and Boeing got their way. After the document release Thursday, a Boeing official insisted that the company's "overriding imperative in designing and developing the Max was to ensure that the airplane design was safe." He said the objective to avoid simulator training "was subordinate to this safety imperative." Yet soon after the Max was certified in 2018, when a series of internal e-mails addressed why the Max simulator program had proved so troublesome and expensive, the employees in the conversation pointed to a "culture" that prioritized cost-cutting over everything else. "We put ourselves in this position by picking the lowest cost supplier (a reference to TRU) and signing up to impossible schedules," wrote a Boeing employee. "We have a senior leadership team that understand very little about the business and yet are driving us to certain objectives." "Time and time again, we are inundated with Boeing material specifying quality is key - this clearly is not the case in any of the decisions that are made," wrote another. "Until an open and frank discussion takes place, the same errors, wasted opportunities, and financial losses will continually be absorbed." https://www.inquirer.com/business/boeing-737-max-documents-costs-20200113.html Back to Top Iran Announces Arrests Over Accidental Downing Of Ukrainian Jet Judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili did not say how many individuals have been detained or name them. DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - Iran's judiciary said Tuesday arrests have been made over the accidental shootdown of a Ukrainian passenger plane that killed all 176 people on board just after takeoff from Tehran. The announcement came shortly after Iran's president called for a special court to be set up to probe the downing last week of the plane by Iranian forces. Judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili was quoted by Iranian state media saying that "extensive investigations have taken place and some individuals are arrested. He did not say how many individuals have been detained or name them. Iran, which initially dismissed allegations that a missile had brought down the jetliner, acknowledged - three days after Wednesday's downing and in the face of mounting evidence - that its Revolutionary Guard had shot down the Ukrainian plane by mistake. "The judiciary should form a special court with a ranking judge and dozens of experts," President Hassan Rouhani said in a speech televised in Iran on Tuesday. "This is not an ordinary case. The entire the world will be watching this court." Rouhani called the incident "a painful and unforgivable" mistake and promised that his administration would pursue the case "by all means." "The responsibility falls on more than just one person," he said, adding that those found culpable "should be punished." "There are others, too, and I want that this issue is expressed honestly," he said, without elaborating. Rouhani called the government's admission that Iranian forces shot down the plane the "first good step". The plane, en route to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, was carrying 167 passengers and nine crew members from several countries, including 82 Iranians, 57 Canadians - including many Iranians with dual citizenship - and 11 Ukrainians, according to officials. There were several children among the passengers, including an infant. Iran shot down the plane when it was bracing for possible U.S. retaliation for a ballistic missile attack on two military bases housing U.S. troops in Iraq. No one was hurt in that attack, which was carried out to avenge the stunning killing of Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani in an American airstrike in Baghdad. The shootdown and the lack of transparency around it has reignited anger in Iran at the country's leadership, with protesters taking to the streets in past days. Online videos appeared to show security forces firing live ammunition and tear gas to disperse protests in the streets. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ukrainian-jet-crash-iran-arrests_n_5e1d7dd7c5b650c621e46e1d Back to Top Accident: Finnair A320 at Helsinki on Jan 13th 2020, flight attendant fell off aircraft A Finnair Airbus A320-200, registration OH-LXD performing flight AY-450 from Oulu to Helsinki (Finland), had completed an uneventful flight with a safe landing, had taxied to the gate, the passengers had disembarked. A flight attendant opened one of the aft doors and fell off the aircraft about 3.5 meters down onto the tarmac. Emergency services took the flight attendant to a hospital. The airline confirmed the flight attendant fell off the aircraft while opening an aft door, a very unusual and rare event. Finland's AIB reported an investigation has been opened. The flight attendant received serious injuries (bone fractures), the injuries are not life threatening. Why the flight attendant fell off the aircraft is still under investigation. The occurrence aircraft departed for its next flight about one hour after landing. http://avherald.com/h?article=4d1ea637&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Canada A321 near Calgary on Jan 7th 2020, burning odour in cockpit and cabin An Air Canada Airbus A321-200, registration C-FJNX performing flight AC-119 from Toronto,ON to Vancouver,BC (Canada) with 190 passengers and 6 crew, was enroute at FL320 about 210nm eastsoutheast of Calgary,AB (Canada) when the crew detected a smell of smoke on the flight deck, cabin crew reported a burning odour in the forward galley. The crew declared PAN PAN, shut packs 1 and 2 down and diverted to Calgary, where the aircraft landed safely about 40 minutes later. A replacement A321-200 registration C-FGKN reached Vancouver with a delay of 6 hours. The Canadian TSB reported maintenance identified the left hand recirculation fan as source of the odour. The fault was addressed and the aircraft returned to service. The occurrence aircraft returned to service about 17 hours after landing. http://avherald.com/h?article=4d1ea447&opt=0 Back to Top Back to Top Accident: Delta B739 near Minneapolis on Jan 11th 2020, turbulence injures three cabin crew A Delta Airlines Boeing 737-900, registration N826DN performing flight DL-2461 from Seattle,WA to Minneapolis,MN (USA) with 175 passengers and 5 crew, was descending through about FL260 on approach to Minneapolis when the aircraft encountered severe turbulence causing injuries to all cabin crew. The aircraft continued for a safe landing on Minneapolis' runway 30L about 20 minutes later. The FAA reported all three cabin crew received minor injuries when the aircraft experienced severe turbulence. The damage to the aircraft is unknown. The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground for about 12 hours before returning to service. http://avherald.com/h?article=4d1e7eec&opt=0 Back to Top Diamond DA42 Twin Star - Fatal Accident (China) Date: 13-JAN-2020 Time: 12:00 Type: Diamond DA42 Twin Star Owner/operator: Yichang Aviation Academy Registration: C/n / msn: Fatalities: Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3 Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: near Hubei, Yichang - China Phase: En route Nature: Training Departure airport: Destination airport: Narrative: The trainer plane crashed under unknown circumstances. The pilot and two trainees died in the crash. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/232093 Back to Top A man charged an airplane cockpit, injuring a flight attendant, police said A United Airlines commercial jet sits at a gate at Terminal C of Newark Liberty International Airport. (Julio Cortez/AP) A man attempted to storm an airliner's cockpit while the plane was in flight, injuring a flight attendant, then fought with several police officers while being taken into custody after the plane landed, police said. Six officers were also reported hurt in the incident. Matthew Dingley, 28, was on a flight bound for Newark Liberty International Airport on Thursday night when passengers witnessed him becoming violent and erratic, NBC New York reported. They watched as he rose from his seat and ran toward the cockpit. "This guy was in a full sprint, right up to the cockpit, hits the cockpit, starts banging on it," passenger Mike Egbert told NBC. He and others on the United Express flight from Dulles International Airport watched as Dingley assaulted a female flight attendant who tried to stop him. Several passengers then intervened, NBC New York reported. Once the plane had landed at Newark, Port Authority police attempted to board the aircraft and encountered a belligerent Dingley. He allegedly charged at the officers, Port Authority police spokeswoman Lenis Rodrigues told The Washington Post, causing them to fall down a set of stairs used to disembark passengers and hit the pavement. One officer broke four ribs. One police officer was hospitalized after he fell off the stairway. A total of six officers were injured during the arrest and were transported to a hospital, according to Rodrigues. The flight attendant was also taken to the hospital. After backup officers arrived, Dingley was arrested and charged with criminal trespassing, resisting arrest and aggravated assault. He is being held at the Essex County Correctional Facility. Police did not immediately provide a suspected motive for why Dingley allegedly charged the cockpit. "If he did actually get into that cockpit," Egbert told NBC, "lord knows what would have happened." https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2020/01/13/man-storms-cockpit-newark/ Back to Top Air safety watchdog extends deadline for IndiGo to replace Pratt & Whitney engines A logo of IndiGo Airlines is pictured on passenger aircraft on the tarmac in Colomiers near Toulouse NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's aviation regulator has given IndiGo more time to replace the Pratt & Whitney engines on its fleet of Airbus A320neo planes which have been linked to in-flight engine shutdowns, a statement released by the watchdog said on Monday. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in November said IndiGo, the country's largest airline, must replace the engines by January 31, after four incidents of in-flight engine shutdowns within a week caused "serious concern". The DGCA has now given IndiGo until May 31, saying that while the regulator was obliged to set up a tight deadline it was also intended to "spur frenetic action on the part of all stakeholders". "The airline and the aircraft and the engine manufacturer have made significant efforts towards completion of the task," it said in the statement, adding that they had submitted a detailed plan to the regulator for procuring the 135 replacement engines still required. IndiGo, owned by InterGlobe Aviation is the biggest customer of Airbus' A320neo jets with more than 400 planes on order. IndiGo and Pratt & Whitney did not respond to a request for comment. Airbus said in a statement it is supporting the engine maker in its commitment to deliver engines on time to Indian customers. United Technologies' current Pratt & Whitney engine models entered in service in 2016, but issues with the units have forced IndiGo to ground planes several times. IndiGo will replace at least one Pratt & Whitney engine on each affected plane with a modified one before March 31, the DGCA said, adding that 70% of the replacements were expected to be completed by Jan 31. IndiGo, Pratt & Whitney and Airbus have also submitted a plan to ensure that the second engine on each plane is replaced with a modified one by June 2020, but the DGCA has insisted on the May deadline. That is ahead of the Dec 31 deadline set by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for airlines to complete the replacement of engines linked to the shutdowns. "The DGCA believes that the unmodified engines do contain an unsafe condition, which is prone to undesirable outcomes and therefore, need to be dispensed with," it said, adding that no aircraft fitted with the unmodified engines will be allowed to fly after May. The watchdog has also allowed IndiGo to add new planes to its fleet, reversing an earlier directive where the airline was asked to first replace engines on existing aircraft before adding new ones. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/air-safety-watchdog-extends-deadline-143154815.html Back to Top NTSB Public Docket Reveals Crew Confusion, Training Discrepancies in Atlas Air 3591 Downing Although the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has not yet issued its probable cause determination in the Feb. 23, 2019 downing of an Atlas Air Boeing 767 freighter near Houston, Texas, information contained in the Board's recently-released public docket on the investigation paints a picture of a confused flight crew working against one another trying to keep their aircraft in the sky. Flight 3591 from Miami International Airport (MIA) had proceeded normally for most of its journey to George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), with captain Ricky Blakely, first officer Conrad Aska, and jump-seater Sean Archuleta, a recently promoted captain at Mesa Airlines, discussing their respective employers and the flying qualities of the Boeing 767. Aska, the pilot flying, reported to Blakely as the aircraft approached IAH that his primary flight display appeared to be showing incorrect aircraft orientation on the horizontal situation indicator (HSI), but the crewmembers later determined the instrument was functioning properly. The situation deteriorated as the Boeing descended through 10,000 feet msl and maneuvered around thunderstorms circling IAH while approaching to land on Runway 26L. The aircraft's flight data recorder (FDR) noted "triaxial acceleration magnitudes increased" at an altitude of approximately 6,500 feet, "consistent with the aircraft entering light to moderate turbulence," according to the NTSB FDR specialist's factual report. Five seconds later, the aircraft's go-around autothrottle mode activated and "the engines began advancing to go-around thrust setting," according to the report. However, neither pilot seemed aware the mode had been selected or that their aircraft was now configuring for a 2,000 foot-per-minute climb; until about 10 seconds later, when Aska suddenly pitched the aircraft nose down but did not touch the throttles. "Whoa, my speed, my speed," Aska stated, according to the NTSB's cockpit voice recorder (CVR) transcript. "We're stalling. Stall." However, FDR data indicates the aircraft was flying normally at a computed airspeed of approximately 250 knots prior to the nose pitching down in response to the first officer's control inputs. Citing a physiologist, the NTSB noted Aska may have been disoriented by the increase in speed while operating in instrument meteorological conditions. According to the FDR, Blakely then pulled back on his yoke as Aska continued pushing forward, resulting in "a split between left and right elevators...ranging between 2 to 7 degrees," according to the NTSB. The aircraft continued to descend, with airspeed increasing beyond 350 knots. The plane's autothrottles switched out of go-around mode as the aircraft descended through 3,000 feet, by which time the aircraft had descended under the cloud cover and was in visual conditions. The FDR indicates both Aska and Blakely then pulled back on their yokes to the full aft position, where they remained until the aircraft crashed into a shallow bay approximately 40 miles southeast of IAH. "Aircraft pitch was about 50 degrees nose down," the FDR report stated. "Vertical acceleration went from 0 g to 4.2 g and pitch increased rapidly until its final recorded position of 16 degrees nose down...The final recorded airspeed was 433.5 kts." PILOTS' EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING HISTORIES HIGHLIGHTED Investigators also found that Aska, 44, had a problematic employment and training history prior to his hiring at Atlas in 2017. He joined the freight operation from Mesa Airlines, which he left after failing two flight simulator checkouts for promotion to captain on the Embraer 175 regional jet. One Mesa captain who evaluated him told the NTSB that Aska would "make frantic mistakes [and] start pushing a lot of buttons without thinking about what he was pushing." Earlier in his flying career, Aska had been briefly employed by regional airlines Air Wisconsin and Commutair but had left after four months and one month, respectively, due to failure to satisfactorily complete training at both carriers. He did not list his time with those airlines when applying at Atlas, the NTSB noted. Both Aska and Blakely, 60, also underwent remedial instruction at Atlas, with the latter enrolled in the carrier's proficiency watch program in 2015 after he initially failed his 767 checkride. Blakely was approved to fly the 767 later that year, following successful retraining on proper stall recovery and missed approach procedures. Aska also failed his initial checkride at Atlas, due to what company pilots told the NTSB was "unsatisfactory performance in crew resource management, threat and error management, non-precision approaches, steep turns, and judgment." He ultimately passed the checkride after more remedial training, with the chief pilot at Atlas telling investigators he'd chalked up the first officer's previous difficulties to nerves and family issues. That pilot told the NTSB that he'd intended to informally monitor Aska's performance going forward, but the carrier did not place Aska under a dedicated proficiency watch program as mandated by the FAA. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2020-01-13/ntsb-public-docket-reveals-crew-confusion-training-discrepancies-atlas-air-3591-downing Back to Top Heathrow Airport Installs Anti-Drone System to Detect Threats London's Heathrow airport has deployed a system designed to block drones entering its airspace following a string of recent attempts that threatened Europe's busiest travel hub. The airport, classified as a flight restriction zone by authorities, is now using a product manufactured by France's Thales SA to detect and identify drones. The French company declined Tuesday to detail the contract's value or the precise specification being used at Heathrow. Illegal drones are a growing problem for airports, utilities and factories. While their use is often meant to be disruptive -- when used for example by activists -- or for surveillance, they have recently been used in destructive attacks in Saudi Arabia. Companies like Thales have sought to increase their use beyond military solutions to seize market opportunities. Heathrow chose a holographic radar system developed by Aveillant Ltd., a Cambridge, England company acquired by Thales in 2017. Its technology is now part of the French defense contractor's anti-drone solution, EagleShield. The radar system is also used at Paris's Charles de Gaulle airport. It can detect drones as far as 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) away in all directions, according to Aveillant's website. Appropriate countermeasures can then be deployed. Representatives for Thales wouldn't say what Heathrow planned to use as a countermeasure, but said drone-disabling technology was not part of its contract with the airport. A spokesman for Heathrow declined to comment. Away from transit hubs, common solutions include the use of radio waves to jam the signal used by a pilot to control a drone, or take over control of the unit. Other methods include dispatching eagles or giant nets to pull craft out of the sky. In September, police in London arrested two people outside the perimeter of Heathrow after climate protesters attempted to close it with illegal drone flights. Campaigners said at least one craft was successfully launched, though departures and arrivals did continue. In Dec. 2018, flights at Gatwick airport were halted for more than a 24 hours during pre-Christmas high season following reports of drone sightings close to its runway. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/heathrow-airport-installs-anti-drone-090000402.html Back to Top Aviation Has No Good Ways To Prevent Another Missile Strike On A Commercial Aircraft For the 346 people who died in two crashes on Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, there are Congressional hearings, thousands of pages of documentation, and avionics calculations being refined to decimal points in order to prevent the aircraft from ever repeating the problem. Yet commercial aviation has no good answers in response to the 474 people who died when missiles destroyed Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 last week and Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in 2014. "No effort should be spared to make sure that such a tragedy is never repeated," aviation's representative body IATA said of PS752. On the first anniversary of MH17, IATA wanted to ensure "civilian airliners will never again be brought down by weapons of war." So "never again" became again. The tragedy of PS752 is dumbfounding for many: its live flightpath was visible to anyone with an internet connection to the free Flightradar24 tracking service. There are views that given the higher probability of missile activity on the day PS752 was shot down, Iran should have at least issued a warning and pre-emptively closed its airspace. If it did not, the argument continues, other countries or individual airlines should have known not to fly in. Aviation is reluctant to discuss that. "The pilots did not know anything and they could not know, because there were no warnings," Ukraine International Airlines president Yevhen Dykhne said. "The airport was working as usual. Knowing about who shoots where is not the business of civilian pilots." IATA also largely places responsibility on authorities. "Helping airlines assess potential dangers is the moral responsibility of governments around the globe," IATA said after MH17. IATA encouraged its government counterpart, the UN-backed ICAO, to establish a database so airlines could share safety assessments. ICAO did but then closed it after governments did not want other parties assessing their airspace, according to Reuters. The Dutch Safety Board's investigation into MH17 recommended that besides merely sharing information, threat assessment distribution needed to be more timely while regulators should oversee how their airlines make judgments. Some safety information is already evident or shared, but airline outcomes diverge. After PS752 crashed, the Lufthansa Group said its airlines would stop flying to Tehran until at least January 20. Turkish Airlines, Emirates and Qatar Airways continue to fly to Tehran. Qatar Airways does what few other airlines do: fly through Syrian airspace. Logistically, Syrian airspace is convenient since Qatar continues to have a blockade imposed on it that it prevents it from using airspace of countries like Saudi Arabia, which could be an easy alternate to overflying Syria. CEO Akbar Al Baker has denied Qatar would do anything unsafe. Israel's airlines have gone to the extreme. National carrier El Al and small operators Arkia and Israir are the only known commercial airlines to have outfitted their aircraft with an anti-aircraft missile system. Besides cost and payload implications, there are murky international views on the safety of such systems. Threat assessment inconsistency has been highlighted by the European Cockpit Association, which represents pilots in Europe. ECA president Dirk Polloczek noted the United Kingdom in 2017 prohibited personal electronic devices on flights from six countries, mostly in the Middle East. This was done on unspecified safety grounds, yet other European countries did not replicate the ban. The threats being assessed are changing. The long standing threat scenario was thought to be terrorists with shoulder-fired missiles. Instead, MH17 was downed by a missile big enough it needed its own launch vehicle. The Iranian government accepted its military, and not a rogue operative, was responsible for PS752. The history of aircraft being shot down unfortunately reaches back further, including the United States Navy shooting down Iran Air flight 655 in 1988. Thirty years later, aviation safety has remarkably improved, but has not stopped missiles from destroying innocent civilian aircraft. Existing protocols, expectations and a mentality of "do the right thing" have failed passengers. https://www.forbes.com/sites/willhorton1/2020/01/13/aviation-has-no-good-ways-to-prevent-another-missile-strike-on-a-commercial-aircraft/#1b28ecc14f31 Back to Top Iran decided to send black boxes from a downed UIA plane to France French Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety confirms participation in technical work Iran has decided to send black boxes from a downed UIA plane to France. Iranian Supreme Court official representative Golyam Hossein Ismaili said this, IRNA reports. In addition, the French Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety has confirmed its participation in the technical work on the decryption of onboard recorders. "It has been decided to send black boxes to France to clarify all the issues," he said. Related: Government will pay to families of those killed in PS 752 plane crash in Iran $8.5 thousand, - Honcharuk As it was reported earlier, Boeing 737 of Ukraine's International Airlines, flight PS752 with 176 people aboard crashed in Tehran, not far from Imam Khomeini airport. No one, including 11 Ukrainians survived the tragedy. The aircraft of Ukraine's Defense Ministry will return from Iran with the bodies of 11 Ukrainians who deceased in the recent plane crash in Tehran. The aircraft was on its way from Tehran to Kyiv. The crash took place soon after the takeoff. Iranian media reported that, quoting the airport administration. The officials said that the reason for the crash was a "technical malfunction" of the plane's engine. The Ukrainian air company that owned the aircraft denied that there was such a malfunction; a pilot's mistake was ruled out, too. Initially, Iran denied that any claims of the plane being shot down by a missile made no sense. Later, the government and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps recognized that the aircraft was downed by a missile, as the country's anti-aircraft defense systems were on high alert. Tehran expressed its deepest condolences to all those who lost their loved ones in the disaster. https://112.international/ukraine-top-news/iran-decided-to-send-black-boxes-from-a-downed-uia-plane-to-france-47487.html Back to Top FAA Isn't Using the Troves of Data It's Collecting on Drone Integration The Federal Aviation Administration has years of data on operating drones that it could share with stakeholders, auditors said. The Federal Aviation Administration has been collecting huge amounts of data on the use of unmanned aerial vehicles-better known as drones-for the last five years. But that information isn't being shared with stakeholders or properly used by the agency, according to a report from the Government Accountability Office. Further, as of the end of 2019, FAA has yet to develop a plan to use all that data, despite officials saying such a document would be useful. The full integration of drones into the nation's airspace-characterized by the widespread use of unmanned flights without prior approval from the Federal Aviation Administration-has been a goal of federal regulators for nearly a decade. As part of this push, FAA designated seven test sites for pilots to try out new uses for unmanned craft, including aerial surveillance, package delivery and transporting people. "FAA's vision for fully integrating UAS into the national airspace system entails UAS operating safely and routinely-i.e., without requiring prior approval for UAS flights-in the same airspace as manned aircraft," the GAO report reads. "While safety is FAA's paramount concern, the integration of UAS is important because of the potential economic benefits that progress in UAS integration could bring, including more investment in uses such as large passenger operations, as well as the potential safety benefits, such as more effective firefighting and other disaster response efforts." From 2015 to 2018, pilots flew some 15,000 test flights at these sites, and FAA has been collecting data on all of them. That data centers on useful research areas, such as avoiding in-air collisions and other safety requirements. GAO auditors found that the data being collected by FAA is "sufficiently reliable," however that data is not being shared with outside stakeholders that could benefit. GAO officials also dinged the agency for not having an analysis plan that clearly outlines how FAA officials plan to use the data internally. "To date, FAA has only used data from test sites in a few cases to directly inform the agency's UAS integration efforts," auditors wrote. For example, FAA officials used research data from one of the test sites to inform its noise certification standard. However, the agency did not use data collected through the mission logging system, or MLS, the primary database for the integration program. FAA officials told GAO they plan to use MLS data more proactively in the near future, including certifying safety cases tested at the sites and for the development and evaluation of the unmanned aerial system traffic management, or UTM, system. Officials also said they are using other kinds of "data" to assess the program, including conversations with test site users and "information shared in meetings." "According to FAA officials, the test site program supports UAS integration not only by providing industry stakeholders with an avenue for testing complex UAS operations and concepts, but also by helping FAA officials stay informed about issues related to integration," the report states. All of this data is integral to the FAA's 2018 UAS Integration Roadmap, which puts the test site program at the front and center of the agency's integration plan. "Specifically, according to the 2018 UAS Integration Roadmap, the test site program plays a critical role in UAS integration as one of the program's goals is to provide information so that FAA can determine technical and operational trends that could support safety-related decision making for integration, and develop policy and standards required to address new and novel aspects of UAS flight operations," according to the report. However, "While FAA has indicated plans to analyze and use test site data in the future, it has not yet developed a data analysis plan to do so. FAA officials told us that having an analysis plan for MLS data could be useful and that-as of September 2019- they were considering creating such as plan but had not taken steps to do so," GAO said. And test site users appeared to be clamoring for more data, as well. "Agency officials told GAO they were wary of sharing more information about the test sites, citing concerns about, among other things, protecting test site users' proprietary data," according to the report. "All test site representatives and most users GAO interviewed, however, said that more information on test sites' research would be helpful for UAS stakeholders' research efforts." Data problems aside, "all test site representatives stated that FAA has improved both its management of the UAS test sites and collaboration with representatives in recent years as the program has matured," auditors wrote. In the early days of the program, test site users reported a significant amount of turnover for FAA managers. FAA officials interviewed by GAO agreed this was a problem, especially early on, as the agency "had not established test sites before." Since then, FAA has largely fixed these issues, according to users GAO interviewed. "Specifically, FAA has solicited input from test site representatives on various issues related to UAS integration and helped facilitate information sharing between the test sites and various FAA lines of business," according to the report. However, users reported three other outstanding issues FAA could help with: lack of guidance on FAA research priorities; a complex and lengthy process for getting a certificate of waiver or authority to conduct certain research activities at the test sites; and difficulties generating enough revenue at the sites to maintain operations. https://www.nextgov.com/analytics-data/2020/01/faa-isnt-using-troves-data-its-collecting-drone-integration/162402/ Back to Top First Ilyushin IL-96-400M Takes Shape The first Il-96-400M undergoes assembly at the VASO plant in Voronezh. (Photo: UAC) United Aircraft Corporation's Transport Aircraft division has mated fuselage and outer wing sections of the first Ilyushin Il-96-400M widebody quad jetliner, the company reported on January 10. The press statement comes with photos depicting the airframe in the final assembly shop of VASO plant in Voronezh, Russia. It further indicates that VASO has moved into the next development phase, which includes installation of avionics, other onboard systems, and the interior. "Work on the new Il-96-400M jetliner proceeds on schedule," said Ilyushin general director Yuri Grudinin, also head of UAC's Transport Aviation division. "The first operable example shall be complete by the year-end. Following completion of ground trials, it will be submitted to fight testing. The first flight is planned for 2021." The Il-96-400M follows the Il-96-400T, both featuring a fuselage stretch of 9.65 meters of the tube used in the original Il-96-300. Since the new version is a derivative of the baseline aircraft, developers plan for complimentary type certification. UAC further reported that the Ilyushin design house completed the development of four interior options, work on which it performed with help of a fuselage mockup featuring a full-scale cross-section. The Il-96-400M will seat 305 passengers in a three-class layout or 350 in a dual-class configuration. The third option targets charter airlines with 402 seats in an all-economy layout. UAC stresses that the Il-96-400M will use only locally designed and manufactured components, including "modern avionics and radio navigation systems that meet all current and upcoming local and international requirements." Although engine developer Aviadvigatel offered the more technologically advanced PS-90A3(M), a derivative of the PS-90A2 certified in 2010, Ilyushin rejected it in favor of PS90A1 turbofans already in service on the Il-96-400T freighter. Later, the Il-96-400M will use a pair of 77,160-pound-thrust PD-35 turbofan under development for the Sino-Russian CRAIC CR929. Plans call for the Il-96's twin-engine derivative to fly in 2025 and acquire certification two years later. Specifications show a gross weight of 270 tonnes (595,240 pounds) to transport a 41-tonne payload over 5,134 nautical miles. According to non-classified documents available on the Russian state defense orders, the Kremlin has set aside a budget of 10 billion rubles ($163 million) for the construction of the first Il-96-400M, including 7.6 billion rubles for the airframe and onboard systems. Apart from government customers, including the presidential air detachment and defense ministry, the GTLK (Russian acronym for State Transport Lease Corporation) indicated its intent to procure five of the quads by 2023 for subsequent placement with airlines providing scheduled passenger services from Moscow to Vladivostok and Khabarovsk. GTLK has indicated it might eventually take six to eight Il-96-400Ms. Last year, UAC president Yuri Slyusar told a Russian corporate newspaper that in the coming years VASO will assemble up to three Il-96 series aircraft annually. The first Il-96-400M under assembly for test purposes will precede six deliverable airframes set for completion from 2021 to 2024, he added. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/air-transport/2020-01-13/first-ilyushin-il-96-400m-takes-shape Back to Top Lockheed Martin to deliver 24 C-130J Super Hercules aircraft to USAF Lockheed Martin has won an order to deliver 24 C-130J Super Hercules aircraft to the US Air Force (USAF). The delivery is part of the US Department of Defense's (DOD) Multiyear III award. The more than $3bn contract stems from an existing indefinite delivery indefinite quantity (IDIQ) award signed in August 2016. The initial contract under the IDIQ was for the procurement of 21 C-130J aircraft, worth $1.5bn. Under the latest award, a total of 50 aircraft will be delivered to the US Government. In addition to the aircraft allotted for the USAF, the award includes 20 KC-130Js for the US Marine Corps and options for six HC-130Js for the US Coast Guard (USCG). Lockheed Martin Air Mobility & Maritime Mission vice-president and general manager Rod McLean said: "The C-130J multiyear III award represents a joint commitment between Lockheed Martin and the US Government in delivering proven capability that meets our operators' mission and affordability requirements. "Our partnership with the US Government provides significant savings through multiyear procurement as compared to annual buys, and provides the best tactical airlifter to crews who fly and support the world's largest Super Hercules fleet." Aircraft purchased through the contract will be built at Lockheed Martin's Marietta facility in Georgia, US, and is expected to be delivered between 2021 and 2025. The C-130J Super Hercules is a proven tactical airlift designed to complete missions at any given time. This aircraft features Rolls-Royce AE 2100D3 engines and six-bladed GE-Dowty Aerospace R391 composite propellers. The Super Hercules fleet has logged two million flight hours and is used by more than 20 nations around the world. https://www.airforce-technology.com/news/lockheed-martin-super-hercules-usaf/ Back to Top Embraer E-Jets return to Eastern Airways' fleet The UK regional airline is seeing significant growth in the ad-hoc charter market for 70-100 seat jets, and the first of these aircraft will be delivered later this month. Eastern Airways is re-entering the E-Jet market during January with the initial return of the Embraer 170 aircraft type to its fleet. The UK regional airline is seeing significant growth in the ad-hoc charter market for 70-100 seat jets, and the first of these aircraft will be delivered later this month. The Embraer 170-100 LR jet has a range of over 1,800 miles and is powered by two General Electric CF34-8E 5A1 jet engines with a maximum cruise speed of 553mph. It brings routes such as Norwich - Aberdeen within an hour's flight time, and most European destinations, including the Mediterranean, to a little over two hours. As part of the expanding E-Jet fleet, the regional operator will also add three of the larger Embraer 190 during the year, a type already commonly operated by both UK and European airlines. This will offer expanded larger capacity scheduled and charter opportunities to fit the airline's growth plans, complementing the Embraer 170. Roger Hage, Eastern Airways' General Manager Commercial and Operations, said: "We are pleased to see the return of the E-Jets to our fleet giving us an entry into new ad-hoc charter and ACMI markets, alongside an option to evolve our scheduled service network, especially as we expand this fleet through the year." Both the Embraer 170 and 190 have the ability of offering steep approaches to restricted airports, good short-field performance and long-range operations making them one of the most flexible aircraft in the up to 100-seat market. Yorkshire and Humber based Eastern Airways was formed in 1997. As well as operating scheduled flights, the airline also specialises in providing customer-focused charter services for the energy industry, corporate and sports contracts and ad-hoc charters. https://www.traveldailynews.com/post/embraer-e-jets-return-to-eastern-airways-fleet Back to Top Southwest CEO teases South America expansion out of this Texas airport "Down the road it's something that we would be interested to do," Southwest CEO Gary Kelly said about a South America expansion. Houston will be one of three key cities where Southwest is focused on adding flights this decade, Chief Executive Gary Kelly said last week. Domestic flights will continue to be the "primary" driver of growth for Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) at William P. Hobby Airport, Kelly told reporters last week as the company unveiled a new maintenance facility in Houston according to a video posted by KHOU 11. Outside of America, Southwest will look at adding destinations in Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean out of Houston, Kelly said. He also teased another destination. "I think probably from Houston what would be most exciting ultimately is adding South America access," Kelly said. "I don't see that in the next year or so, but definitely down the road it's something that we would be interested to do. Nothing specific yet." Right now, the southern-most destination Southwest serves is Costa Rica where it flies to both Liberia and San Jose in the Central American country, according to a network map posted on the Dallas-based carrier's website. Southwest is famous for its all Boeing 737 fleet, which has a rough range of about 2,500 miles, Kelly said. That would open the door to Southwest serving the top of South America. "The northern part of South America is definitely within reach from Houston," Kelly said. "I would hope someday there's maybe half a dozen destinations that we would be able to serve." Kelly said Southwest flies about 200 daily departures out of Houston right now, and said he thinks the company will add a "significant" number of flights from the city in the coming years. For reference, Southwest flies 195 daily departures out of Dallas Love Field Airport. Like at Love Field, Southwest is the dominant carrier at Hobby where it handles more than 90 percent of the traffic. Adding South America to its network would be a major step for Southwest, which is evolving from its early days as a short-haul carrier. The company added Hawaii to its network to much fanfare last year, and executives have told the Dallas Business Journal that new strategies like codesharing with another carrier operating U.S.-European flights and flying red eyes could one day be in the cards. https://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/news/2020/01/13/southwest-south-america-houston.html?ana=yahoo&yptr=yahoo Back to Top SpaceX, NASA gear up for in-flight abort demonstration The uncrewed in-flight abort demonstration is targeted for 8 a.m. EST Saturday, Jan. 18, from Launch Complex 39A in Florida. There is a four-hour test window. NASA and SpaceX are preparing to launch the final, major test before astronauts fly aboard the Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency's Commercial Crew Program. The test, known as in-flight abort, will demonstrate the spacecraft's escape capabilities - showing that the crew system can protect astronauts even in the unlikely event of an emergency during launch. The uncrewed flight test is targeted for 8 a.m. EST Saturday, Jan. 18, at the start of a four-hour test window, from Launch Complex 39A in Florida. SpaceX performed a full-duration static test Saturday, Jan. 11, of the Falcon 9 and completed a static fire of the Crew Dragon on Nov. 13, setting the stage for the critical flight test. Prior to launch, SpaceX and NASA teams will practice launch day end-to-end operations with NASA astronauts, including final spacecraft inspections and side hatch closeout. Additionally, SpaceX and NASA flight controllers along with support teams will be staged as they will for future Crew Dragon missions, helping the integrated launch team gain additional experience beyond existing simulations and training events. After liftoff, Falcon 9's ascent will follow a trajectory that will mimic a Crew Dragon mission to the International Space Station matching the physical environments the rocket and spacecraft will encounter during a normal ascent. For this test, SpaceX will configure Crew Dragon to intentionally trigger a launch escape prior to 1 min, 30 seconds into flight to demonstrate Crew Dragon's capability to safely separate from the Falcon 9 rocket in the unlikely event of an in-flight emergency. Once the launch escape sequence begins, Falcon 9's first stage Merlin engines will shut down and Crew Dragon's SuperDraco thrusters will begin their firing sequence. The launch vehicle and spacecraft will separate, and Crew Dragon's SuperDracos will burn to completion. After Crew Dragon's SuperDracos shutdown, the spacecraft will passively coast to apogee, the highest point in its arc. Near apogee, Crew Dragon's trunk will separate and the smaller Draco thrusters will re-orient the spacecraft for reentry and parachute deploy. At the appropriate conditions, Dragon's drogue and main parachutes will sequence to provide for a soft landing in the Atlantic Ocean near SpaceX Dragon recovery teams. Following Crew Dragon's separation, Falcon 9 is expected to aerodynamically break up offshore over the Atlantic Ocean. Expected breakup time will vary based upon a number of factors, including day of launch winds and expected minor variations in vehicle attitudes and positions, but could occur shortly after separation or later upon reentry from the upper atmosphere. In either scenario, a dedicated team of SpaceX Falcon 9 recovery personnel will be staged and ready to begin recovering debris immediately after breakup. As part of the Dragon recovery operation, Air Force Detachment-3 personnel will work with the SpaceX recovery team to observe Crew Dragon and practice their initial approach to the spacecraft in the open ocean, mimicking an actual rescue operation before the SpaceX team recovers Crew Dragon for return to Cape Canaveral. SpaceX's uncrewed in-flight abort demonstration test of Crew Dragon's launch escape capabilities is designed to provide valuable data toward NASA certifying SpaceX's crew transportation system for carrying astronauts to and from the International Space Station. https://tinyurl.com/tgroegg 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 Lewi