Flight Safety Information March 9, 2020 - No. 049 In This Issue FAA proposes $19.68 million civil penalty against Boeing Incident: Swiss B773 at Los Angeles on Mar 3rd 2020, bird strike Incident: Sudan A320 at Juba on Mar 6th 2020, bird strike Boeing proposal to avoid MAX wiring shift does not win U.S. support Ethiopia jet crash report likely to blame Boeing and pilots UK to withdraw from EU aviation safety regulator Japan Airlines Cabin Attendant Tests Positive for Coronavirus Flight Forced to Turn Around Twice After Multiple Passenger Fights ERAU Short-Course in Aviation Regulation with FL CLEs ISASI 2020 - Call for Papers "Human Factors in Flight Safety" training course FAA proposes $19.68 million civil penalty against Boeing 7 March 2020 The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) proposes a $19.68 million civil penalty against The Boeing Co. for allegedly installing equipment on hundreds of the company's 737 aircraft containing sensors that were not approved for that equipment. The FAA alleges that between June 2015 and April 2019, Boeing installed Rockwell Collins Head-up Guidance Systems on 791 jetliners, including 618 Boeing 737 NGs and 173 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. The FAA alleges that the guidance systems in these aircraft were equipped with sensors that had not been tested or approved as being compatible with those guidance systems. The FAA alleges that Boeing violated Federal Aviation Regulations when it certified these aircraft as airworthy when they were not in conformance with their type certificate. The agency further alleges that Boeing failed to follow its own Business Process Instructions, which are in place to help prevent such situations from occurring. The manufacturer of the head-up guidance system, Rockwell Collins, subsequently conducted the necessary testing and risk analysis and updated the documents. Boeing has 30 days to respond the FAA's enforcement letter. https://news.aviation-safety.net/2020/03/07/faa-proposes-19-68-million-civil-penalty-against-boeing/ Back to Top Incident: Swiss B773 at Los Angeles on Mar 3rd 2020, bird strike A Swiss Boeing 777-300, registration HB-JNI performing flight LX-40 from Zurich (Switzerland) to Los Angeles,CA (USA), had departed Zurich's runway 16 and landed on Los Angeles' runway 25L completing a seemingly uneventful flight. A post flight inspection revealed evidence of a bird strike, the aircraft was unable to depart for the return flight. The return flight LX-41 was cancelled as result. The aircraft remained on the ground for about 25 hours, then positioned to Zurich as flight LX-5041. The aircraft returned to service after another about 26 hours on the ground in Zurich. http://avherald.com/h?article=4d42f033&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Sudan A320 at Juba on Mar 6th 2020, bird strike A Sudan Airways Arbus A320-200, registration ST-MKW performing flight SD-311 from Juba (South Sudan) to Khartoum (Sudan), was climbing out of Juba's runway 31 when an engine (CFM56) ingested a bird prompting the crew to stop the climb at 7000 feet and return to Juba for a safe landing on runway 31 about 20 minutes after departure. Two engine blades were found damaged as result of the bird strike. The aircraft remained on the ground for about 26 hours, then positioned back to Khartoum but has not yet returned to service about 36 hours after landing back in Juba. http://avherald.com/h?article=4d439738&opt=0 Back to Top Boeing proposal to avoid MAX wiring shift does not win U.S. support WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Boeing Co's proposal to leave wiring bundles in place on the grounded 737 MAX has not won the backing of U.S. aviation regulators, a person briefed on the matter told Reuters. Last month, Boeing told the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) it does not believe it needs to separate or move wiring bundles on its grounded 737 MAX jetliner that regulators have warned could short circuit with catastrophic consequences. The source said the FAA told Boeing on Friday that it did not agree with the planemaker's argument that the planes' wiring bundles meet safety standards and now it is up to Boeing to decide how to proceed. The FAA said Sunday it "continues to engage with Boeing as the company works to address a recently discovered wiring issue with the 737 MAX. The manufacturer must demonstrate compliance with all certification standards." Boeing said Sunday it was in ongoing discussions with the FAA over the issue. Boeing could opt to make a new proposal or move the bundles or try to convince the FAA to reconsider its position, but a U.S. official said it was "unlikely" the FAA would reconsider. Boeing and the FAA first said in early January they were reviewing a wiring issue that could potentially cause a short circuit on the 737 MAX, and under certain circumstances lead to a crash if pilots did not react in time. Boeing's 737 MAX was grounded worldwide last March after two crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia killed 346 people within five months. There are more than a dozen different locations on the 737 MAX where wiring bundles may be too close together. Most of the locations are under the cockpit in an electrical bay. If the bundles pose a potential hazard, regulations would typically require separating the bundles or adding a physical barrier. Boeing has noted in talks with the FAA that the same wiring bundles are in the 737 NG, which has been in service since 1997 and logged 205 million flight hours without any wiring issues. New safety rules on wiring were adopted in the aftermath of the 1998 Swiss Air 111 crash. A company official told Reuters in January Boeing had been working on a design that would separate the wiring bundles, if necessary. Moving the bundles could pose further delays to the return of the MAX, however, a key certification test flight is not expected until April or later. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/boeing-proposal-avoid-max-wiring-002525625.html Back to Top Ethiopia jet crash report likely to blame Boeing and pilots (AP) Ethiopian investigators are expected to release an interim report this week on the crash of a Boeing 737 Max 8 jet that killed 157 people --- WHAT WE KNOW There's little doubt that Ethiopian investigators will find fault with the Max's flight control software called MCAS, an acronym for Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System. It automatically lowers the plane's nose to prevent an aerodynamic stall. Initially, pilots worldwide weren't told about the system, which Boeing said was needed because the Max had bigger, more powerful engines that were placed farther forward on the wings than previous-generation 737s. Boeing's big selling point for the plane was that it was essentially the same as older 737s and therefore little pilot training was needed to switch to the new aircraft. A preliminary report released in April by the Ethiopian agency indicated that MCAS pushed the jet's nose down based on faulty readings from sensors outside of the plane. The agency found that pilots were inundated by multiple alarms but, at least initially, followed procedures to deal with an MCAS problem. They cut off power to MCAS, but because they failed to slow the plane from takeoff speeds, they couldn't take the next step - manually turn a wheel that would move a stabilizer on the tail to point the nose back up. One sensor measured the plane's speed at 575 miles per hour (925 kilometers per hour), which some experts believe put too much force on the stabilizer, making manual movement nearly impossible. The pilots apparently turned MCAS back on shortly before the final, fatal nosedive. --- WHAT WE DON'T KNOW Exactly what the pilots talked about in the frantic moments after takeoff as they tried to deal with the MCAS intervention. Whether they followed checklists in dealing with the crisis, and how multiple alarms influenced their decisions. Also, why they didn't slow the plane from takeoff speeds, which could have let them manually control the rear stabilizer. --- WHY IT'S IMPORTANT A transcript of the cockpit voice recorder would help pilots across the globe train for similar problems when automated flight control software goes awry. It also will help to train pilots on how to handle the blizzard of alarms that go off when a plane starts having problems so they can diagnose the trouble and deal with the most critical things. https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/ethiopia-jet-crash-report-blame-boeing-pilots-69478393 Back to Top UK to withdraw from EU aviation safety regulator, Shapps says Transport secretary says senior figures will gradually return to UK as regulatory powers revert to CAA The UK is to withdraw from the European Union aviation safety regulator (EASA) after the Brexit transition period, Grant Shapps has confirmed. The transport secretary said many of the most senior figures at the organisation headquartered in Cologne, Germany were British and that they would gradually return to the UK throughout this year as regulatory powers reverted to the Civil Aviation Authority. "As you would expect from an independent nation, we can't be subject to the rules and laws made by somebody else, so we can't accept rules from the EU commission and we can't accept rulings in terms of court cases from the European court of justice or anybody else, any more than the US would," he told Aviation Week in Washington. "A lot of the expertise [EASA has] is UK expertise, in fact ... A lot of the key leading lights were Brits." The Tory MP added that the UK would seek to be "particularly forward-leaning" in the technology and automation sectors. "We'll make sure our legislative framework is in a great place to enable those kinds of organisations to excel in the UK market," he said. The aerospace trade body ADS, which represents more than 1,100 UK businesses, said the decision could put high-skilled jobs at risk. "We have been clear that continued participation in EASA is the best option to maintain the competitiveness of our £36bn aerospace industry and our access to global export markets," the chief executive, Paul Everitt, said. He added that British influence in EASA helps raise global aviation standards and fosters collaboration with international partners. "Government had promised it would consider harmonisation where it is in the UK interest and will be led by the evidence on the future of aviation safety regulation," he said. "We are disappointed that it has not taken a more ambitious approach. It is essential that it works with us to deliver a regime that does not put jobs at risk in an industry that employs 111,000 people in highly skilled roles across the UK." A Department for Transport spokesperson said: "Being a member of the European Aviation Safety Agency is not compatible with the UK having genuine economic and political independence. We will maintain world-leading safety standards for industry, with the Civil Aviation Authority taking over these responsibilities, and will continue to work with colleagues in the EU to establish a new regulatory relationship." The spokesperson added that the EU had been clear the UK would no longer be able to participate in the EASA but that the bloc had indicated a willingness to agree a bilateral aviation safety agreement. "Given we have broadly the same starting position on aviation safety with the EU, we have an opportunity to provide early certainty to industry on the terms of our new regulatory relationship," they said. On its website, EASA has said the UK will not take part in any decision-shaping activities during the transition period, which ends on 31 December. However, it can be extended by up to two years if the EU and UK agree jointly on a delay. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/07/uk-withdraw-eu-aviation-safety-regulator Back to Top Japan Airlines Cabin Attendant Tests Positive for Coronavirus TOKYO (REUTERS) - A Japan Airlines Co Ltd <9201.T> cabin attendant has tested positive for coronavirus, the airline said on Monday, the latest case in what has become a widening outbreak for Japan. The infection comes after local media reported that one person in Kanagawa prefecture had died from the virus, bringing the country's death toll so far to 15, including seven from the quarantined cruise ship near Tokyo. https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2020-03-09/japan-airlines-cabin-attendant-tests-positive-for-coronavirus Back to Top Flight Forced to Turn Around Twice After Multiple Passenger Fights Unruly passengers, disruptions, fights both physical and verbal ... the conduct on airplanes is no surprise these days. But this latest incident is a bit different, for sure. An EasyJet plane looking to take off from Manchester, England was forced not once but twice to turn around on the tarmac due to brawling, boozing passengers. The flight was bound for Alicante, Spain, on Thursday according to England's Daily Mirror newspaper. Two separate fights erupted on the plane involving two separate groups of passengers as the pilot twice taxi'd for takeoff. After the second attempt, police were called to escort the brawling passengers off the plane back at the gate. The flight was delayed for three hours. An EasyJet spokesperson said some of the passengers had been drinking their own alcohol they brought aboard the plane. "We can confirm that the flight EZY1919 from Manchester to Alicante returned to stand on two occasions as a result of two separate groups of passengers on board behaving disruptively," EasyJet said in a statement. "We are aware that some passengers were drinking their own alcohol on board and prior to the flight in the terminal. Police met the aircraft to remove the passengers before it continued to Alicante. EasyJet's cabin crew are trained to assess and evaluate all situations and to act quickly and appropriately to ensure that the safety of the flight and other passengers is not compromised at any time. Whilst such incidents are rare, we have take them very seriously, and do not tolerate abusive or threatening behaviour on board. The safety and wellbeing of customers and crew is our highest priority." https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/flight-forced-to-turn-around-twice-after-multiple-passenger-fights/ar-BB10UMOF Back to Top Back to Top Back to Top "Human Factors in Flight Safety" training course, Lisbon, Portugal, 11-15 May 2020: Registrations now open Registrations are now open for the EAAP-recognised "Human Factors in Flight Safety" training course to be held in Lisbon from 11-15 May 2020. NetJets Europe will kindly host the course at their European HQ in Lisbon. Full details are provided in the course Information and Registration Brochure, available from the EAAP (European Association for Aviation Psychology) website: https://www.eaap.net/read/6055/initial-human-factors-in-flight-safety.html The experienced team of Brent Hayward and Dr Alan Hobbs will conduct the 27th iteration of this popular training course on behalf of EAAP. This year's course will also feature special guest speakers. The first of these courses was conducted by at Ispra, Italy in 1999, and since then the course has been continually updated and held regularly in locations including Luxembourg, Stockholm, Madrid, Lisbon, Interlaken, Dublin, Dubai and Barcelona, with a total of more than 480 participants attending to date. As detailed in the Information and Registration Brochure, there is a significant "Early Bird" discount for those who register by April 10th. EAAP members are offered further reduced registration fees. Please note that completion of this training course is recognised by EAAP as contributing towards requirements for those wishing to become an EAAP-certified Aviation Psychologist or Human Factors Specialist. Course participant numbers are limited, so those wishing to attend are encouraged to register and make hotel bookings as soon as possible. Those with any questions about the course, please email Brent Hayward: bhayward@dedale.net Curt Lewis