Flight Safety Information January 27, 2020 - No. 019 In This Issue Accident: Caspian MD83 at Mahshahr on Jan 27th 2020, overran runway on landing Incident: Lufthansa A20N at Frankfurt on Jan 21st 2020, engine failure Incident: Transavia B737 at Innsbruck and Munich on Jan 26th 2020, flaps problem, flaps up landing Incident: British Airways B744 at San Diego and Los Angeles on Jan 23rd 2020, flaps problem Passenger plane crashes in Taliban-held area in Afghanistan Sikorsky S-76B - Fatal Accident (California) Kobe Bryant's helicopter flew in fog that grounded other choppers; NTSB investigating Alaska aviation's very bad year Heli-Expo Hosts Aircraft Mx Safety Session KLM resumes flights over Iran and Iraq Mitsubishi Aircraft to delay passenger jet delivery for 6th time Boeing hails first test flight of 777X, world's largest twin-engine jet Boeing's earnings could be 'an absolute disaster,' analyst says NASA is hiring someone to help figure out how to get Mars rocks back to Earth MITRE - SMS Course - March 2020 ACSF Safety Symposium DTI Training Canada Accident: Caspian MD83 at Mahshahr on Jan 27th 2020, overran runway on landing A Caspian Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-83, registration EP-CPZ performing flight IV-6936 from Tehran Mehrabad to Mahshahr (Iran) with 144 people on board, landed on Mahshar's runway 13 (landing distance available 2695 meters/8840 feet) at about 07:50L (04:20Z) but overran the end of the runway, broke through the airport perimeter fence and came to a stop on the Mahshahr-Sarbandar Expressway (96) about 170 meters past the end of the runway with all gear collapsed. The aircraft was evacuated while emergency services began to respond. There were no injuries, the aircraft received substantial damage. Plane Landing Went Wrong in Iran http://avherald.com/h?article=4d281d22&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Lufthansa A20N at Frankfurt on Jan 21st 2020, engine failure A Lufthansa Airbus A320-200N, registration D-AINM performing flight LH-1392 from Frankfurt/Main (Germany) to Prague (Czech Republic) with 118 people on board, was climbing out of Frankfurt when the crew stopped the climb at FL240 after the left hand engine (PW1127G) emitted a loud bang and failed. The crew shut the engine down and returned to Frankfurt for a safe landing on runway 07C about 45 minutes after departure. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Frankfurt 133 hours (about 5.5 days) after landing back. http://avherald.com/h?article=4d27c2f8&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Transavia B737 at Innsbruck and Munich on Jan 26th 2020, flaps problem, flaps up landing A Transavia Boeing 737-700, registration PH-XRD performing flight HV-6923 from Rotterdam (Netherlands) to Innsbruck (Austria) with 145 people on board, was descending towards Innsbruck via the West approach, when just before reaching Kühtai the crew stopped the descent at 13,000 feet due to a flaps problem. The crew decided to divert to Munich (Germany), prepared the aircraft for a flaps up (zero flaps) landing and landed safely on Munich's runway 26L at a higher than normal speed (182 knots over ground) about 40 minutes after aborting the descent into Innsbruck, vacated the runway and taxied to a remove stand with emergency services in trail. The aircraft is still on the ground in Munich about 5 hours after landing. http://avherald.com/h?article=4d27a2ee&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: British Airways B744 at San Diego and Los Angeles on Jan 23rd 2020, flaps problem A British Airways Boeing 747-400, registration G-CIVO performing flight BA-273 from London Heathrow,EN (UK) to San Diego,CA (USA), was on approach to San Diego when the crew requested to stop the descent at 5000 feet and to enter a hold. The approach clearance was cancelled, the aircraft entered a hold at 5000 feet. About 5 minutes later the crew requested to divert to Los Angeles,CA (USA) reporting they had a flaps problem and declared minimum fuel at the same time. The aircraft climbed to 10,000 feet and landed on Los Angeles' runway 25L at a slightly higher than normal speed about 35 minutes after stopping the descent into San Diego and taxied to the apron. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Los Angeles about 21 hours after landing. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/BAW273/history/20200123/1330Z/EGLL/KSAN http://avherald.com/h?article=4d264e2b&opt=0 Back to Top Passenger plane crashes in Taliban-held area in Afghanistan The number of people on board and their fate was not immediately known, nor was the cause of the crash. The mountainous Ghazni province sits in the foothills of the Hindu Kush mountains and is bitterly cold in winter. (File picture for representation: Reuters) * Number of people on board, casualties or cause of crash is not known yet * Ariana Airlines denied reports of their aircraft crashing, says planes are safe * The plane crashed in Taliban-held area in Ghazni province's Deh Yak district A passenger plane crashed on Monday in a Taliban-held area of Afghanistan's Ghazni province, local officials said. Arif Noori, spokesman for the provincial governor, said the plane went down around 1:10 p.m. local time in Deh Yak district, which is held by the Taliban. Two provincial council members also confirmed the crash. The number of people on board and their fate was not immediately known, nor was the cause of the crash. Ariana Airlines, Afghanistan's national carrier, dismissed the claim that one of their planes had crashed in a statement on their website, saying all their aircraft were operational and safe. The mountainous Ghazni province sits in the foothills of the Hindu Kush mountains and is bitterly cold in winter. The last major commercial air crash in Afghanistan occurred in 2005 when a Kam Air flight from western Herat to the capital Kabul crashed into the mountains as it tried to land in snowy weather. The war, however, has seen a number of deadly crashes of military aircraft. One of the most spectacular occurred in 2013 when an American Boeing 747 cargo jet crashed shortly after takeoff from Bagram air base north of Kabul en route to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. All seven crew member were killed. Afghanistan's aviation industry suffered desperately during the rule of the Taliban when its only airline Ariana was subject to punishing sanctions and allowed to fly only to Saudi Arabia for Hajj flights. Since the overthrow of the religious regime smaller private airlines have emerged but the industry is still a nascent one. https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/afghanistan-airplane-crash-toll-ghazni-update- news-ariana-1640615-2020-01-27 ************* Date: 27-JAN-2020 Time: Type: Bombardier Global Express (E-11A) Owner/operator: US Air Force (USAF) Registration: 11-9358 C/n / msn: Fatalities: Fatalities: / Occupants: Aircraft damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: Deh Yak district - Afghanistan Phase: Unknown Nature: Military Departure airport: Destination airport: Narrative: The governor of Ghazni, Afghanistan reported that a plane has crashed and was consumed by fire. Local people have extracted a pilot who seems to be a foreign national. Initial rumours that a passenger pland had been involved, were later disputed. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/232483 Back to Top Sikorsky S-76B - Fatal Accident (California) Date: 26-JAN-2020 Time: 09:47 LT Type: Sikorsky S-76B Owner/operator: Island Express Holding Corp Registration: N72EX C/n / msn: 760379 Fatalities: Fatalities: 9 / Occupants: 9 Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Category: Accident Location: Calabasas, Los Angeles County, CA - United States of America Phase: En route Nature: Executive Departure airport: Santa Ana-John Wayne International Airport, CA (SNA/KSNA) Destination airport: Mamba Sports Academy, Newbury Park, CA Investigating agency: NTSB Narrative: A Sikorsky S-76B helicopter impacted hilly terrain in Calabasas, Los Angeles County, California. All nine on board have died. The helicopter followed US Route 101 under a Special VFR clearance before turning left towards the hills near Calabasas, where it came down. Five-time NBA Champion Kobe Bryant was among those on board. First reports suggested that there five people onboard, the sheriff later said that there were nine occupants, the pilot and eight passengers. Background facts: - The Sikorsky S-76 is a helicopter that first flew in 1978 and entered service in 1979. - ASN has 43 fatal accidents on file - N72EX was manufactured in 1991. It was the 374th S-76 built. - Flew for the State of Illinois as N761LL in VIP config until it was sold in 2015, becoming N72EX. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/232468 Back to Top Kobe Bryant's helicopter flew in fog that grounded other choppers; NTSB investigating Smoke rises from the charred remains of a helicopter on the side of a hill in Calabasas, Calif. where NBA All-Star Kobe Bryant was killed on Sunday Jan. 26, 2020. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel) CALABASAS, Calif. (AP) - The helicopter carrying Kobe Bryant and eight others that crashed into a rugged hillside outside Los Angeles was flying in foggy conditions considered dangerous enough that local police agencies grounded their choppers. The helicopter plunged into a steep hillside at about 9:45 a.m. Sunday with an impact that scattered debris over an area the size of a football field and killed all aboard. The accident unleashed an outpouring of grief from admirers around the world who mourned the sudden loss of the all-time basketball great who spent his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers. Thousands of fans, many wearing Bryant jerseys and chanting his name, gathered outside the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles, home of the Lakers and site of Sunday's Grammy Awards where Bryant was honored. The 41-year-old Bryant, who perished with his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, was one of the game's most popular players and the face of the 16-time NBA champion Lakers. The cause of the crash was unknown, but conditions at the time were such that the Los Angeles Police Department and the county sheriff's department grounded their helicopters. The Los Angeles County medical examiner, Dr. Jonathan Lucas, said the rugged terrain complicated efforts to recover the remains. He estimated it would take at least a couple of days to complete that task before identifications can be made. Bryant's helicopter left Santa Ana in Orange County, south of Los Angeles, shortly after 9 a.m. and circled for a time just east of Interstate 5, near Glendale. Air traffic controllers noted poor visibility around Burbank, just to the north, and Van Nuys, to the northwest. After holding up the helicopter for other aircraft, they cleared the Sikorsky S-76 to proceed north along Interstate 5 through Burbank before turning west to follow U.S Route 101, the Ventura Highway. Shortly after 9:40 a.m., the helicopter turned again, toward the southeast, and climbed to more than 2000 feet (609 meters). It then descended and crashed into the hillside at about 1400 feet (426 meters), according to data from Flightradar24. When it struck the ground, the helicopter was flying at about 160 knots (184 mph) and descending at a rate of more than 4000 feet per minute, the data showed. The chopper went down in Calabasas, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Bryant's Mamba Sports Academy in nearby Thousand Oaks was holding a basketball tournament on Sunday. Federal transportation safety investigators were on their way to the scene. Among other things, they will look at the pilot's history, the chopper's maintenance records and the records of its owner and operator, said NTSB board member Jennifer Homendy at a news conference. Kurt Deetz, a pilot who used to fly Bryant in the chopper, said the crash was more likely caused by bad weather than engine or mechanical issues. "The likelihood of a catastrophic twin engine failure on that aircraft - it just doesn't happen," he told the Los Angeles Times. Justin Green, an aviation attorney in New York who flew helicopters in the Marine Corps, said pilots can become disoriented in low visibility, losing track of which direction is up. Green said a pilot flying an S-76 would be instrument-rated, meaning that person could fly the helicopter without relying on visual cues from outside. The National Transportation Safety Board typically issues a preliminary report within about 10 days that will give a rough summary of what investigators have learned. A ruling on the cause can take a year or more. Colin Storm was in his living room in Calabasas when he heard what sounded to him like a low-flying airplane or helicopter. "It was very foggy so we couldn't see anything," he said. "But then we heard some sputtering and then a boom." The fog cleared a bit, and Storm could see smoke rising from the hillside in front of his home. Firefighters hiked in with medical equipment and hoses, and medical personnel rappelled to the site from a helicopter, but found no survivors, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Daryl Osby said. News of the charismatic superstar's death rocketed around the sports and entertainment worlds, with many taking to Twitter to register their shock, disbelief and anguish. "Words can't describe the pain I am feeling. I loved Kobe - he was like a little brother to me," retired NBA great Michael Jordan said. "We used to talk often, and I will miss those conversations very much. He was a fierce competitor, one of the greats of the game and a creative force." Bryant retired in 2016 as the third-leading scorer in NBA history, finishing two decades with the Lakers as a prolific shot-maker with a sublime all-around game and a relentless competitive ethic. He held that spot in the league scoring ranks until Saturday night, when the Lakers' LeBron James passed him for third place during a game in Philadelphia, Bryant's hometown. He was the league MVP in 2008 and a two-time NBA scoring champion, and he earned 12 selections to the NBA's All-Defensive teams. He teamed with Shaquille O'Neal in a combustible partnership to lead the Lakers to consecutive NBA titles in 2000, 2001 and 2002. His Lakers tenure was marred by scandal when in 2003, Bryant was accused of raping a 19-year-old employee at a Colorado resort. He said the two had consensual sex, and prosecutors later dropped the felony sexual assault charge at the request of the accuser. The woman later filed a civil suit against Bryant that was settled out of court. Bryant went on to win two more titles in 2009 and 2010, and retired in 2016. Among those killed in the crash were John Altobelli, 56, longtime head coach of Southern California's Orange Coast College baseball team; his wife, Keri; and daughter, Alyssa, who played on the same basketball team as Bryant's daughter, said Altobelli's brother, Tony, who is the sports information director at the school. Costa Mesa Mayor Katrina Foley tweeted that the dead also included Christina Mauser, a girls basketball coach at a nearby private elementary school. Her husband, Matt Mauser, founded the Tijuana Dogs, a popular Orange County band. In a Facebook post he said: "My kids and I are devastated. We lost our beautiful wife and mom today in a helicopter crash." https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/jan/26/ntsb-review-helicopter-pilots- history-kobe-bryant-/ Back to Top Alaska aviation's very bad year Author: Colleen Mondor A PenAir plane that flew from Anchorage to Dutch Harbor, pictured off the runway at the Unalaska-Dutch Harbor airport on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2019. (Jennifer Wynn) By any metric, 2019 was a brutal year for commercial aviation in Alaska. Of the 85 total aircraft accidents within the state, 16 involved air taxis and small commuters, or companies that operate under Part 135 of the Federal Aviation Regulations. Additionally, two accidents, including October's fatal crash of PenAir Flight 3296, involved Part 121 flights. (The second Part 121 crash resulted in no one hurt.) All together, 16 people died on flights with commercial operators in the state last year, a number nearly double the decade average. With Part 135 operators accounting for 19% of all accidents last year and 52% of total aviation fatalities, 2019 is statistically both one of the worst years commercial operators have had and startlingly similar to the years that preceded it. On average, in the 2010s, Part 135 operators were involved in 25.4% of fatal crashes. (They accounted for 26.2% in the 2000s and 28.6% in the 1990s.) But with six fatal accidents last year for air taxis and small commuters, 2019 far exceeds the Part 135 fatal crash averages for the past decades. (There were, on average, 3.7 per year in the 2010s and 3.2 in the 2000s). Most worrisome though, the number of commercial fatalities is one of the decade's highest, a reminder that when a Part 135 operator crashes, it often takes several people down with it. A deeper look at specific accident reports for the year reveals some useful information. Of the 16 total accidents involving Part 135 operators, eight resulted in substantial damage to the aircraft but no injuries nor fatalities. In all of these, weather was not a factor, and they largely involved taxiing collisions with terrain or equipment, mechanical issues or an unsuitable choice of landing. The remaining eight accidents range from a passenger sustaining serious injuries after hitting her head during turbulence on a Sound Aviation flight, to the multiple fatalities suffered in the mid-air collision between Taquan Air and Mountain Air Service on May 13. It is these accidents that should draw the most attention from the flying public. After a devastating crash on Jumbo Mountain in 2018 that resulted in many serious injuries, Ketchikan-based Taquan Air was involved in two separate fatality crashes in 2019. Collectively, these three accidents, all of which involved floatplanes, resulted in eight fatalities and 20 injuries in 10 months. (Six people were killed in the mid-air crash and two in a subsequent crash in Metlakatla.) The full docket on the Jumbo Mountain investigation, released in November, revealed that at the time of that crash, Taquan's director of operations was based in Anchorage and was also employed as director of operations for Grant Aviation, which itself was involved in a fiery accident in Bethel in July 2019 resulting in six injuries. The Jumbo Mountain investigation, the Ketchikan mid-air, in which weather was not a factor, and the shockingly low time the Metlakatla pilot had spent flying floatplanes, (he was hired one month prior to crashing with only 5 hours on floats) cumulatively raise a series of questions concerning daily operations and FAA oversight for the company. Taquan Air, it should be noted, continues to operate. Similar questions could be extended to other commercial accidents last year, most notably that of PenAir Flight 3296. This accident, only the second Part 121 fatality in the entire U.S. for a passenger airliner in the past decade, was notable for the pilot-in- command's (PIC) low experience in both the airport and aircraft (the Saab 2000). According to the National Transportation Safety Board's initial report, the PIC had only 101 hours in the Saab (the second-in-command had only 147 hours). This is the only aircraft type PenAir operated in Dutch. The low-time figures were in sharp contrast to the PenAir Operations Manual requirement for Dutch Harbor, which mandated that without a specific waiver from the chief pilot, 300 hours in aircraft type are required by the PIC for the airport. (This policy was long established prior to PenAir's 2018 purchase in bankruptcy court by Ravn Air Group, whose airlines have a substantial history of accidents in Alaska.) After the October crash, which also resulted in four injuries, the PenAir chief pilot was replaced, with no public notice, and the company ceased flying the Saab 2000 into Dutch. It also lost its passenger agreement there with Alaska Airlines. It is worth noting that this was not the only difficulty the company had in 2019. In July, a passenger who was also a commercial pilot filed a formal complaint with the FAA, stating that when descending to Dillingham, that Saab 2000 lost an engine. Rather than make an immediate landing, the PIC elected to fly back to Anchorage on one engine. This engine failure followed an engine shutdown on another PenAir flight, operating as Alaska Airlines Flight 3298, in February after leaving King Salmon. In that case, the flight crew returned to the closer airport. Two of the Part 135 accidents last year involved helicopters; 12 were in single-engine aircraft; one in a multi-engine and one in a twin turbine. One involved an aircraft on skis. Floatplanes were involved in six of the accidents, including Rust's Air Service, which suffered loss-of-control on takeoff resulting in one fatality and five injuries. The NTSB noted loss-of-control as present in at least five other accidents last year. Weather, long blamed for Alaska's dismal air safety record, was not a factor in nearly all of 2019's commercial operator crashes. Guardian Flight, which crashed in January, was flying a standard instrument approach into Kake when it went down in Frederick Sound. Winds in Dutch Harbor were likely a factor in the PenAir crash although, like the November crash involving the Security Aviation medevac to Seward which operated under visual flight rules in dark night and marginal conditions, the weather was forecasted. Further, in Dutch Harbor, the winds were constantly updated by a weather observer on the field. The decisions made while dispatching and flying in these conditions are likely part of their respective investigations. There were two medevac accidents and one incident in 2019, including the triple fatality crashes of Guardian Flight in a Beechcraft King Air and Security Aviation, which was chartered by Medevac Alaska, in a Piper Navajo. Resolve Aviation, also chartered by Medevac Alaska, made a gear-up landing on a frozen lake near Koliganek on Dec. 24 after suffering a total engine loss; no one was hurt in that incident. A third medevac accident also in a King Air and operated by Aero Air, took place on Jan. 16 in Dutch Harbor. In that crash, which occurred immediately after takeoff at night in strong winds, there were no injuries or fatalities. In all four of the recent medevac events the companies were operating single-pilot, even in the King Air which traditionally employs a co-pilot. They occurred in different areas of the state (Aleutians, Southeast, Southcentral and Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta) and were flown under both instrument and visual flight rules. That three separate medevac companies (Guardian Flight, LifeMed and Medevac Alaska) should crash in less than a year calls into question numerous issues regarding judgment, risk avoidance and decision-making. The Security Aviation crash in particular occurred after Guardian and LifeMed turned down the flight due to specific conditions related to weather and lack of daylight, both of which are problematic in Seward. Dedicated air ambulance operators were supposed to bring an enhanced degree of safety to Alaska; in 2019, this was certainly not the case. In the midst of analyzing the 2019 statistics, there should be conversations about decision-making on the part of not only pilots, but also within the management structures of those who employ them. This is particularly true for the repeat offenders - those companies that have crashed again and again over the years. There must also be a long-overdue reckoning of FAA oversight, which remains perennially flummoxed in finding solutions to Alaska's long-documented problems. And we must talk about the numbers that are most important: two flight paramedics and two flight nurses, five tourists from the cruise ship Royal Princess, one tourist departing a lodge vacation, one epidemiologist traveling for work and four pilots on the job. We also should not forget the Ravn Air passenger overlooking the left engine on PenAir Flight 3296; he was killed when that aircraft skidded off the runway. There have now been 568 aviation fatalities in the state since 1990, 345 of them in commercial aircraft. Those seem like significant losses but sadly, when it comes to forcing substantial change, they still aren't significant enough. https://www.adn.com/opinions/2020/01/27/alaska-aviations-very-bad-year/ Back to Top Heli-Expo Hosts Aircraft Mx Safety Session S.A.F.E. Structure Designs CEO Johnny Buscema and HAI Training Work Group chair Terry Palmer are presenting a Rotor Safety Challenge session on aircraft maintenance safety on Tuesday at Heli-Expo 2020 from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. (Anaheim Convention Center, Room 207C). The interactive session, "Maintenance Safety-First Solutions that Work," serves as a reminder of basic safety principles and the new challenges in troubleshooting technology. Said Buscema, "We are working with Southern Utah University and industry organizations to identify and develop training that makes maintenance more effective and efficient." Separately, S.A.F.E., along with the Helicopter Safety Alliance (HSA) and Southern Utah University (SUU), are co-hosting their first annual Maintenance Symposium dedicated to safety and training for mechanics on June 10 to 11 in Dallas. The event will provide a series of interactive presentations that bring current information on the new generation of aircraft that requires an understanding of technology beyond normal maintenance skills. While safety events are provided for pilots, "This one is just for mechanics and will help to provide input to the industry on what training resources will be needed to keep up with the new aircraft," said Palmer, who is also the event director. "This symposium is necessary to provide mechanics with resources and techniques to help them get the job done effectively and efficiently. New technology has often been frustrating and time- consuming to maintain when mechanics are faced with challenges they haven't seen before." Information about Maintenance Training Symposium, HSA events, and SUU programs can be found at S.A.F.E. Structure Designs' Heli-Expo booths (4432, 130, and 55). https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/general-aviation/2020-01-26/heli-expo- hosts-aircraft-mx-safety-session Back to Top KLM resumes flights over Iran and Iraq KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Boeing 777-300ERKLM Royal Dutch Airlines Boeing 777- 300ERİ KLM Royal Dutch Airlines KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (KL, Amsterdam Schiphol) will resume its flights over Iranian and Iraqi airspace, according to statement issued on airline's website on January 23. Substantiated by such analyses, KLM has deemed it to be safe again to fly over Iran and Iraq. In its press release, the airline gave further background on its return to it more usual flight paths through the tension-filled region. "This decision is also based on the information shared within the Dutch group of experts that unites all Dutch airlines, the intelligence services, the NCTV counter-terrorism unit, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management." It also added: "The British and German governments have also issued a Notice To Airmen (NOTAM), stating that commercial airlines can once again fly safely over Iran and Iraq. Furthermore, on 16 January 2020, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) issued a notification that it would be safe to fly above Iran at an altitude of more than 25,000 feet (7,620 metres)." KLM had issued a media release on January 8 confirming that it would not fly through Iranian or Iraqi airspace, and indicated that a number of its Southeast Asian and Middle East destinations will be operated using alternative routes. In the Middle East, the Skyteam carrier flies to Abu Dhabi Int'l, Bahrain Int'l, Kuwait, Dammam, Dubai Int'l, Muscat, and Tel Aviv Ben Gurion. In Southeast Asia KLM operates to Singapore Changi, Manila Ninoy Aquino Int'l, Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta, Kuala Lumpur Int'l, Denpasar, and Bangkok Suvarnabhumi. https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/85638-klm-resumes-flights-over-iran-and- iraq Back to Top Mitsubishi Aircraft to delay passenger jet delivery for 6th time Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp. plans to push back the first delivery of its passenger jet to next year or later in its sixth schedule delay, a source familiar with the matter said Friday. The small jet called Mitsubishi SpaceJet, previously known as Mitsubishi Regional Jet, is scheduled to be delivered to All Nippon Airways Co. by the middle of this year under the current plan. The aircraft subsidiary of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. initially planned to conduct a test flight by its redesigned jetliner last June but problems with some parts delayed the test, the source said. As the aircraft maker also expects to take more time to obtain safety certification from the Japanese transport ministry, Mitsubishi Heavy plans to announce the sixth postponement on Feb. 6 when it reports its latest earnings, the source said. The parent company holds a 64 percent stake in Mitsubishi Aircraft. The decision is the latest setback for the company following the cancelation of orders for up to 100 units of the aircraft in October by Trans States Holdings Inc., which operates three U.S. regional carriers. Mitsubishi Aircraft initially planned to begin delivering the jetliner -- Japan's first homegrown small passenger jet -- in 2013 but the delivery plan was repeatedly postponed due to changes in design, reviews of the manufacturing process and a delay in parts delivery. The delays have already raised the development cost for the passenger jet to 800 billion yen ($7 billion) from the initial estimate of 600 billion yen, other sources said earlier. https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2020/01/37db69a7b82a-mitsubishi-aircraft-to- delay-passenger-jet-delivery-for-6th-time.html Back to Top Boeing hails first test flight of 777X, world's largest twin-engine jet Boeing has successfully completed the very first test flight of its 777X jet, described as the world's largest twin-engine plane at 76.72 meters (about 252 feet) long and 71.8 meters (about 235 feet) across. Based on the popular 777 aircraft, the 777-9 variant of the new aircraft departed Paine Field in Everett, Washington, at just after 10 a.m. local time for a 3 hour, 51 minute test flight over Washington state before landing at Seattle's Boeing Field about 25 miles to the south. The successful flight is a welcome ray of light for Boeing as the aerospace giant works to sort out a serious design issue with its Max 737 jet that led to two fatal crashes, the first of which occurred in 2018. Congratulations to our customers and #777X team on today's safe and successful flight, the first of many for the 777X as we continue our rigorous test program. Saturday's flight was piloted by specialist pilots Van Chaney and Craig Bomben, who worked their way through a detailed test plan to put the the 777X through its paces while a ground-based team in Seattle monitored the incoming data in real time. "Our Boeing team has taken the most successful twin-aisle jet of all time and made it even more efficient, more capable, and more comfortable for all," Stan Deal, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said in a release following the aircraft's debut outing. "Today's safe first flight of the 777X is a tribute to the years of hard work and dedication from our teammates, our suppliers and our community partners in Washington state and across the globe." Besides its large size, the aircraft is also notable for its efficiency due to its ability to deliver 10% lower fuel use and emissions and 10% lower operating costs than the competition dues to its "advanced aerodynamics, the latest generation carbon-fiber composite wing, and the most advanced commercial engine ever built - GE Aviation's GE9X," Boeing said. Additionally, a specially designed wing enables it to fold up at the end while on the ground, taking about 20 feet off the span to make it suitable for all of the airports that handle existing models of the 777. In a typical two-class configuration, the 777-9 variant of the 777X will be able to carry 426 passengers who'll experience a wide, spacious cabin, larger windows, and large overhead luggage bins. Boeing said the aircraft also offers improved cabin altitude and humidity, less noise, and a smoother ride than previous models. Boeing has already received more than 300 orders for the aircraft from carriers around the world, among them British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Lufthansa, Qatar Airways, and Singapore Airlines. Boeing has four 777X test airplanes ready to take to the skies for further evaluation as the Chicago-based company readies the aircraft for commercial service, probably in 2021. https://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/boeing-hails-first-test-flight-of-777x-worlds- largest-twin-engine-jet/ Back to Top Boeing's earnings could be 'an absolute disaster,' analyst says Analysts dial back expectations after Boeing delays expected 737 Max return A 737 Max production line inside the Boeing factory in December. Boeing Co.'s fourth-quarter earnings are shaping up to be "an absolute disaster" after the aerospace company pushed back its 737 Max return to service timeline to possibly midyear. That's from analyst Robert Stallard at Vertical Research Partners, who on Wednesday downgraded Boeing BA, +1.66% stock to hold and lowered his price target on the stock to $294 from $388. Others on Wall Street joined Stallard on dialing back their expectations for Boeing in the wake of Tuesday's 737 Max update. Boeing said Tuesday it doesn't expect regulators to approve the 737 Max's return until mid-2020, a delay from a previous expectation of early April. The aircraft has been grounded since March after two deadly crashes less than five months apart and linked to a malfunctioning antistall system. Tuesday's push-out in the estimated 737 Max return-to-service is "bad enough," and its ramifications "have yet to reverberate," Stallard said. "From a Boeing perspective, this means over a year without deliveries of its most profitable product line, while customer compensation costs are likely to be higher than previously thought," he said. "As we noted in our 4Q19 earnings preview, we are expecting Boeing's up-coming results to be 'an absolute disaster,' and that now looks guaranteed." A return to service in the third quarter would also mean more than six months of the 737 production line being dormant, "and firing up the line and the supply chain post- stoppage is likely to be more challenging than anticipated," he said. Meanwhile, there's also risk of "further downside" with other Boeing planes. Analysts at CFRA also lowered their rating on Boeing stock to hold and their price target to $350 from $427. The FactSet average price target on Boeing is $363.72, an upside around 19% from Wednesday's prices. "We still think (Boeing) has an amazing aerospace franchise, a strong order book and strong commercial, military, and services businesses that will persist for many years; however, we think the Max grounding has gone on far longer than our initial worst-case scenarios, and we worry that the company does not have the right people in place to manage this crisis," the analysts, led by Jim Corridore, said in a note. Boeing installed a new chief executive last week, and several top executives have left the company. Earlier this month, the company came under fire after emails emerged showing Boeing employees criticizing the 737 Max design and bragging about fooling federal aviation authorities. All eyes will be on Boeing's fourth-quarter results and the company's outlook for 2020, analysts at Canaccord Genuity said. Besides concerns about the actual return to service and production rate for the 737 Max, the eventual timing of airlines getting their Max planes back to their fleets "will likely take longer than expected" due to factors such as pilot training and international reviews, the Canaccord analysts, led by Ken Herbert, said. Boeing is expected to release its fourth-quarter results next Wednesday before the bell, with a conference call with analysts at 10:30 a.m. Eastern. Analysts polled by FactSet expect Boeing to report adjusted profit of 73 cents a share on sales of $21.5 billion. That would compare with adjusted earnings of $5.48 a share on sales of $28.3 billion in the fourth quarter of 2018. Boeing shares have lost 15% in the past 12 months, contrasting with gains of 26% and 20% for the S&P 500 index SPX, -0.90% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, - 0.58% in the same period. https://www.marketwatch.com/story/boeings-earnings-could-be-an-absolute-disaster- analyst-says-2020-01-22?siteid=yhoof2&yptr=yahoo Back to Top NASA is hiring someone to help figure out how to get Mars rocks back to Earth - and the position pays at least $182,000 mars sample return NASA/JPL-Caltech NASA is looking to hire a director for its Mars Sample Return program, which aims to bring rocks and soil from the red planet back to Earth for study. The first part of that work - the launch of the 2020 Mars rover - is planned for July. NASA is offering a salary of up to $188,066 for the role. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. NASA is looking to fill an intriguing new role: The space agency needs someone to direct a mission to get the first rocks from Mars back to Earth. Formally, the job is director of the Mars Sample Return (MSR) program, which aims to bring scientists pristine samples of rocks and soil from the red planet to study up close. The first step in that effort is the launch of the soon-to-be-named Mars 2020 rover, which is scheduled for July 17. Once on the red planet, the robot is tasked with collecting and storing samples in sealed caches. But getting them back to Earth is another matter - no mission is planned for that yet. That's where the new NASA role comes in. According to the agency's description, "the incumbent is responsible for implementation of all MSR program activities, beginning with mission formulation and continuing through design, development, launch, and mission operations." It's based in Washington, DC, and would pay between $182,424 to $188,066 per year. How to get Mars rocks back to Earth Scientists have been itching to study pristine Martian soil in their own labs for many years. So far, they've only been able to examine fragments of Martian meteorites that hit Earth. The rest of the investigations have been done by rovers like Curiosity, which has collected samples on Mars' surface, examined them with its own built-in tools, and beamed the data back to Earth. nasa mars sample return descent and landing NASA/JPL NASA and the European Space Agency have committed to work together on the sample- return program. But it won't be easy - or cheap. The mission was included in NASA's 2020 budget proposal request; the agency asked for $109 million to work on future Mars missions, a jump from the $50 million requested in 2019. Of NASA's total budget of $22.6 billion, that's almost 5%. mars 2020 rover NASA/JPL-Caltech The 2020 Mars rover is currently being tested and prepared for launch. It's slated to reach the red planet in February 2021. Assuming the robot lands successfully and is able to collect and store samples on Mars as planned, many questions still remain about how a future mission would get any samples back to Earth. Doing so would require the first-ever rocket launch from another planet. Mars rover Damian Dovarganes NASA predicts the mission wouldn't finish until the end of the 2020s, if not later. So if you're looking for a challenging, well-paying, long-term job, this might be for you. What NASA is looking for For the director of this ambitious program, of course, NASA has a long list of qualifications. The simplest are a bachelor's degree in science, willingness to travel, and demonstrated leadership. Experience executing end-to-end space-travel mission development is also required, since the job responsibilities include the design of the program and its budget, as well as continued project management and oversight. mars sample return NASA/JPL-Caltech Candidates also need to be well versed in the strategic formulation of spaceflight programs - that means past leadership roles at organizations or companies working on space-exploration projects (SpaceX, Lockheed Martin, or NASA, for example). The agency is looking for people who know how to work in fast-paced environments with a complex set of stakeholders, including many international, commercial, governmental, and community partners. The application period closes February 5. https://www.yahoo.com/news/nasa-hiring-someone-help-figure-133100762.html Curt Lewis