Flight Safety Information March 16, 2020 - No. 054 In This Issue Incident: Polar Cargo B744 near Petropavlovsk on Mar 14th 2020, fire indication on board Incident: United B773 near Gander on Mar 11th 2020, electrical problems de Havilland Canada DHC-8-402Q Dash 8 - Smoke in the Cockpit (Papua New Guinea) Incident: Nordica CRJ9 near Stockholm on Mar 12th 2020, engine shut down in flight Incident: Southwest B737 near Salt Lake City on Mar 9th 2020, crack in fuselage crown Incident: Aeromexico B788 near Azores Islands on Mar 13th 2020, cracked windshield Cessna 525 CitationJet - Runway Excursion/Fire (Venezuela) COVID-19 pandemic forces American Airlines to retire aircraft, offer unpaid employee leave EBACE Canceled, AEA Postponed Singapore Airlines Fast Forwards Boeing 777-200ER Retirement Delta pilots union reaches deal offering pilots time off at reduced pay SpaceX aborts launch attempt of sixth batch of Starlink satellites due to engine power issue Incident: Polar Cargo B744 near Petropavlovsk on Mar 14th 2020, fire indication on board A Polar Air Cargo Boeing 747-400, registration N450PA performing freight flight PO-717 (dep Mar 13th) from Los Angeles,CA (USA) to Tokyo Narita (Japan), was enroute at FL380 about 230nm southeast of Petropavlovsk (Russia) when the crew descended the aircraft to FL250, declared emergency and diverted to Petropavlovsk. Due to weather the aircraft could not land in Petropavlovsk (like four other domestic Russian flights) and entered a hold for about 20 minutes. The aircraft subsequently diverted to Shemya,AK (USA) where the aircraft landed safely about 2.5 hours after leaving FL380 and about 90 minutes after exiting the hold near Petropavlovsk. A local Russian media reported according to preliminary data the Boeing attempted to divert to Petropavlovsk due to a fire on board. Russian aviation fora report the aircraft attempted to divert to Petropavlovsk reporting "something like a fire". Russia's news agency TASS reported four domestic flights could not land in Petropavlovsk and diverted due to a "Pacific Cyclone" with heavy snow fall and winds of up to 40 knots affected the southern part of Kamchatka (including Petropavlovsk). The agency later reported the crew received a fire indication on board and could not land in Petropavlovsk, too, and diverted to Shemya. The aircraft remained on the ground in Shemya for about 26.5 hours, then continued the flight to Tokyo and continued service. http://avherald.com/h?article=4d473a95&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: United B773 near Gander on Mar 11th 2020, electrical problems A United Boeing 777-300, registration N2748U performing flight UA-48 from Newark,NJ (USA) to Mumbai (India), was enroute at FL330 about 130nm northnortheast of Gander,NL (Canada) when the crew decided to return to Newark due to problems with the right hand main electrical bus, which indicated disconnected several times. The aircraft descended to FL320 for the return and landed safely back in Newark about 5 hours after departure. A replacement Boeing 777-300 registration N2749U reached Mumbai with a delay of 14.5 hours exciting Mumbai planespotters due to the aircraft carrying the new United livery. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/UAL48/history/20200312/0054Z/KEWR/VABB http://avherald.com/h?article=4d4724aa&opt=0 Back to Top de Havilland Canada DHC-8-402Q Dash 8 - Smoke in the Cockpit (Papua New Guinea) Date: 16-MAR-2020 Time: Type: de Havilland Canada DHC-8-402Q Dash 8 Owner/operator: Sunstate Airlines opf QANTAS Registration: VH-QOE C/n / msn: 4125 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: None Location: AYPY/POM Port Moresby, Jacksons Field - Papua New Guinea Phase: Initial climb Nature: International Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Port Moresby-Jacksons International Airport (POM/AYPY) Destination airport: Cairns Airport, QLD (CNS/YBCS) Narrative: The aircraft returned to land at Port Moresby after takeoff due to smoke in the cockpit. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/234056 Back to Top Back to Top Incident: Nordica CRJ9 near Stockholm on Mar 12th 2020, engine shut down in flight A Nordica Canadair CRJ-900 on behalf of LOT Polish Airlines, registration ES-ACB performing flight LO-456 from Stockholm (Sweden) to Warsaw (Poland) with 28 people on board, was enroute at FL360 about 110nm south of Stockholm when the crew drifted the aircraft down to FL250 due to an engine (CF34) failure, shut the engine down, turned around and returned to Stockholm for a safe landing about one hour after departure. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Stockholm about 61 hours after landing back. http://avherald.com/h?article=4d47ccde&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Southwest B737 near Salt Lake City on Mar 9th 2020, crack in fuselage crown A Southwest Boeing 737-700, registration N726SW performing flight WN-1685 from Las Vegas,NV to Boise,ID (USA), was enroute at FL390 about 130nm southwest of Salt Lake City,UT (USA) over terrain rising up to above 3000 meters/10.000 feet MSL, when the crew initiated a rapid descent to FL220 due to unstable cabin pressure. The aircraft levelled off at FL220 about 7 minutes after leaving FL390 (average rate of descent 2400 fpm). The cabin pressure stabilized at FL220, the passenger oxygen masks had not deployed, so that the crew continued the flight to Boise maintaining FL220. The aircraft landed safely in Boise about 38 minutes after leaving FL390. Late Mar 13th 2020 US East Coast time the FAA reported the cabin pressure had gradually decreased in flight. An inspection by the FAA revealed a 12inch/30cm long crack in the crown skin of the aircraft in an area, which was required to be inspected every 1500 hours already. The last inspection of that area had been done 500 flight hours before the occurrence. The FAA is investigating the occurrence, it is too early to tell whether more frequent examinations of these areas will be required. The airline confirmed the occurrence stating the crew performed an about 6 minute descent from FL390 to FL220, at FL220 the cabin pressure was safe and the crew completed the flight at that altitude. Oxygen masks never dropped. On Friday (Mar 13th) the aircraft was in a maintenance facility at Boise undergoing repairs. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Boise on Mar 14th 2020. In 2011 another crack in the fuselage crown caused a sudden loss of cabin pressure, see Accident: Southwest B733 near Yuma on Apr 1st 2011, hole in fuselage, sudden decompression. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/SWA1685/history/20200309/1610Z/KLAS/KBOI http://avherald.com/h?article=4d47b421&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Aeromexico B788 near Azores Islands on Mar 13th 2020, cracked windshield, loss of cabin pressure An Aeromexico Boeing 787-8, registration N964AM performing flight AM-37 (dep Mar 12th) from Mexico City (Mexico) to Barcelona,SP (Spain), was enroute at FL380 about 270nm north of Lajes Azores Islands (Portugal) when the initiated an emergency descent to FL100 due to the loss of cabin pressure as result of the cracked left forward windshield. The aircraft turned south and diverted to Lajes for a safe landing on runway 15 about 45 minutes after leaving FL380. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Lajes about 12 hours after landing. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/AMX37/history/20200312/2355Z/MMMX/LEBL http://avherald.com/h?article=4d472742&opt=0 Back to Top Cessna 525 CitationJet - Runway Excursion/Fire (Venezuela) Status: Date: Friday 13 March 2020 Type: Cessna 525 CitationJet Operator: Unknown Registration: YV3452 C/n / msn: First flight: Crew: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0 Total: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 Aircraft damage: Damaged beyond repair Location: Porlamar-del Caribe Santiago Mariño International Airport (PMV) ( Venezuela) Phase: Landing (LDG) Nature: Unknown Departure airport: Porlamar-del Caribe Santiago Mariño International Airport (PMV/SVMG), Venezuela Destination airport: Charallave-Óscar Machado Zuloaga Airport (SVCS), Venezuela Narrative: A Cessna 525 CitationJet suffered a runway excursion after returning to land at Porlamar-del Caribe Santiago Mariño International Airport, Venezuela. The aircraft hade departed Porlamar, bound for Charallave, when it developed a 'mechanical failure'. The flight crew returned to Porlamar. After landing the aircraft suffered a runway excursion. A fire erupted, consuming the forward part of the aircraft. https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20200313-0 Back to Top COVID-19 pandemic forces American Airlines to retire aircraft, offer unpaid employee leave The Fort Worth-based carrier is moving up the retirement date for its Boeing 757 and 767 aircraft fleets and suspending all hiring system-wide. DALLAS - Updated at 3 p.m. to add a statement from the the Association of Professional Flight Attendants. Fort Worth-based American Airlines, one of the largest employers in North Texas, said it will suspend all hiring system-wide and retire two fleets of aircraft earlier than it expected after a drastic reduction in travel demand due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In a message to employees, Doug Parker, American's CEO, said the airline "moved quickly to reduce our schedule to match demand, [but] it's become clear that more is needed." "We will accelerate the retirement of our remaining Boeing 757 and 767 aircraft," Parker wrote in the message to employees late last week. "Doing so removes older, less fuel-efficient aircraft from our fleet sooner than originally planned and avoids unnecessary maintenance and fuel costs. "The 767 fleet will be grounded in May 2020, and the remaining 757 aircraft will retire between May 2020 and post-summer 2021 at the latest." There are 50 jets affected between the two fleets and those planes are, on average, 20 years old. To stop the new coronavirus from spreading, President Trump ordered all flights between the United States and China to stop recently. On Friday, the president also suspended European travelers from entering the country for 30 days, though U.S. citizens and legal residents will be allowed to return to the U.S. The emergency presidential orders and the national public health response have hit airlines hard. United Airlines President Scott Kirby said that domestic bookings at his airline - which has a massive presence at Houston's Bush Intercontinental Airport - are currently down 70% because of coronavirus concerns. American announced it will also defer annual merit increases for leadership until August, suspend hiring system-wide for at least sixty days and offer extended unpaid, voluntary leaves of absence to employees. "We are evaluating all of our staffing levels to make sure we're appropriately staffed for our evolving schedule. We are working with union partners to offer voluntary leaves on an elective basis," Parker wrote to employees. American Airlines announced Sunday it would also reduce its international capacity by 75% compared with last year for flights from March 16 to May 6. The airline also expects its domestic capacity in April to go down by 20% compared to last year, with May flights going down by 30% of last year's capacity. The airline will still have one flight a day from DFW International to London Heathrow (LHR) and three flights a week from DFW to Tokyo's Narita (NRT). But it is suspending all other flights to Asia starting March 16, including flights from DFW to Hong Kong. It is also suspending service from DFW to São Paulo (GRU), Santiago (SCL), Bogota (BOG), Guayaquil (GYE), Quito (UIO) and Lima (LIM) starting March 16. In an interview with WFAA this weekend, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz suggested the travel industry could get a potential federal bailout after the COVID-19 pandemic is successfully stopped. "It's going to be a major economic challenge, and I fully expect Congress and the administration to work, and work creatively, to try to address that economic challenge because there's no doubt we need to continue to have a vibrant and healthy commercial airline industry in the United States," Cruz told WFAA. "They're losing actually billions of dollars," he added. "This is an unprecedented challenge. They're seeing a greater challenge to their balance sheets than they saw after September 11. They are working to extend their ability to stay afloat." The International Air Transport Association - the industry's trade association - estimates that airlines could lose up to $113 billion dollars because of the pandemic. Significantly lower oil prices will help offset some of the losses, but airlines around the world are taking emergency measures to stay afloat, IATA said. But if the Trump administration and public health officials are not able to quickly stop the virus from spreading, there is concern among airlines, Cruz said, that domestic travel restrictions could also be imposed on the American public. "If the epidemic continues to spread, I don't think it would be surprising to see domestic travel halted - probably at least initially in key affected regions," the senator explained. "But potentially, more broadly. That's been a big topic for discussion as I've visited with the CEOs of the major airlines. "They're very concerned. They're already seeing domestic travel dropping precipitously just because people are concerned and declining to fly, but I think it's possible we will see a pause in domestic travel depending on the health circumstances." Lori Bassani, the president of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA), issued a statement in response to the news about American Airlines. The union represents the company's 28,000 flight attendants. "These new International changes are hard-hitting. American is phasing out most international flying with a reduction of 75% year over year from March 16 to May. It will continue to operate: one flight daily from Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) to London (LHR), one flight daily from Miami (MIA) to London (LHR), and three flights per week from Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) to Tokyo (NRT). "American Airlines confirmed last night that flights still continue to operate in short-haul international markets including Canada, Mexico, Caribbean, Central America, and some South America (northern part) as scheduled. Domestic capacity will be reduced by 20% in April and 30% in May on a year-over-year basis. Obviously, this means that Flight Attendants' schedules are significantly reduced. "Our union has worked hard in these past couple of weeks with American Airlines' management to provide flexible options for Flight Attendants as we navigate through these tough times. To that end, we have offered voluntary short-term leave options and are working on longer-term voluntary leave options. "On the health front, we have demanded all protective measures for our Flight Attendants be provided on every flight-focused first on international flights but now on flights everywhere. We have also addressed internal protocols and the sick policy for crew members who may be exposed and/or quarantined. "In the coming days, APFA will continue to call on our lawmakers on Capitol Hill to assist our industry and Flight Attendants. We are also calling on our Flight Attendants to assist us to push lawmakers as needed. "As changes and network reductions continue to roll in, we are working around the clock to stay on top of news that obviously impacts every person in the airline industry. And while many of us have lived through life-changing events, it's important to know that we have come back from every kind of crisis known to man in modern times. "During 9/11, I worked as APFA's media consultant. That event, as well as many other difficult times, has allowed me to see the true resilience and caring nature of our work force. The hearts of our Flight Attendants will no doubt once again lift up our communities and see us through to the other side of this crisis." https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/covid-19-outbreak-forces-american-airlines-to-retire-aircraft-offer-unpaid-employee-leave/287-1e164e80-86ae-4383-9857-bad5fdc02e25 Back to Top EBACE Canceled, AEA Postponed The European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (EBACE) has been cancelled for 2020 and exhibitors and attendees will be getting full refunds. The show, sponsored by the European Business Aviation Association and the National Business Aviation Association, was scheduled for May 26-28 in Geneva but the uncertainty surrounding the staging of such events, recent actions by the Swiss government and concern for the health and safety of participants made it untenable. "As with all NBAA events, we view our participants as partners, whose health and well-being is our foremost concern, and that priority is front and center in our decision to cancel EBACE2020." said NBAA President Ed Bolen. NBAA had already canceled some smaller events and is not ruling out pulling more in the future. "We will keep our international partners and members informed with regard to how this challenging public health situation impacts events in the coming months," he said. The Aircraft Electronics Association recently postponed its convention scheduled for March 24-27 in Nashville to a future undetermined date and Sun 'n Fun has been postponed until at least May 5-10. Several airshows in the southern part of the U.S. scheduled for late March and early April have also been scrapped. https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/ebace-cancelled-aea-postponed/ Back to Top Singapore Airlines Fast Forwards Boeing 777-200ER Retirement Seeing a precipitous drop in demand, Singapore Airlines has opted to retire its 777-200ERs earlier than expected. The move comes as the virus continues to spread globally, forcing airlines to cancel flights and cut costs. A drop in demand has forced Singapore Airlines to retire the plane early. Photo: Singapore Airlines An early goodbye Singapore Airlines currently operates 4 Boeing 777-200ER aircraft. The aircraft type is the oldest in the airline's fleet, clocking in at an average of 17.6 years. Prior to schedule changes, the plane was used to service medium-haul routes in Asia. Singapore Airlines plans to replace the aging jet with the newer Boeing 787-10. Singapore Airlines originally planned to retire the plane in late-May. However, flight cancellations due to the coronavirus seemed to have moved up this timeline. The airline has now scheduled the plane's last flight on 20th April. This could be subject to further change, as more adjustments to services can be expected in the coming months. Singapore Airlines has a very young fleet, with an average age of just 6.6 years. This is due to the airline's commitment to continuous fleet modernization. The airline has inducted a number of A350s and 787-10s in the last few years, which has taken over the long and medium-haul routes from planes like the 777s and A330s. The carrier currently maintains a fleet of 137 aircraft, with a whopping 48 A350-900s in service. Cost-cutting measures taking effect Singapore Airlines is not the first carrier to retire its older aircraft early in light of the coronavirus outbreak. American Airlines has opted to retire its 757s and 767s early and Delta has done the same for its MD-88s. In a bid to cut costs in times of reduced revenue, airlines have been forced to let go of their older, less-efficient aircraft early. However, unlike many other airlines, Singapore Airlines has not opted to ground its super-jumbo A380s. The virus has forced Singapore Airlines to cut thousands of flights and scale back its operations worldwide. Singapore Airlines and SilkAir have seen a 15.6% reduction in capacity overall, while their hub airport, Changi, has seen a 33% drop in overall passenger movement. These reductions have been on routes across the world, with Asia impacted the most significantly in recent months. Passenger demand is not expected to bounce back until the virus is contained, and it's even possible that it will extend past virus containment. Unfortunately, this will force carriers to cut more services. We may also see more carriers collapse as we saw with European regional carrier Flybe. Overall It's always sad to see airlines retire legacy aircraft from their fleet. The 777 has historically been Singapore Airlines' workhorse. The airline even had the largest fleet of the type at one time. However, the coronavirus has forced airlines to dramatically cut costs in times of reduced passenger demand. With the situation only getting worse, we are likely to see more airlines shelve their older aircraft as the aviation industry goes through its most turbulent time, possibly, ever. https://simpleflying.com/singapore-airlines-777-200er-retirements/ Back to Top Delta pilots union reaches deal offering pilots time off at reduced pay The pilots union at Delta Air Lines has reached a deal to offer pilots time off at reduced pay. The Air Line Pilots Association at Delta struck the agreement as the Atlanta-based airline cuts its flights by 40% due to the coronavirus pandemic.Delta is also offering other employees, who are not unionized, the option to take 30-day, 60-day or 90-day unpaid leave while retaining their full benefits and better travel privileges including confirmed flights. The agreement means Delta pilots will be able to bid on schedules for May and June that pay a reduced amount of 55 hours and do not require them to fly. Due to flight cancellations, pilots could be removed from their regular flying schedules. Along with the reduced pay option, the pilots union also reached an agreement on provisions for sick pay for pilots who are diagnosed with COVID-19, are required to quarantine or decide to self-quarantine."We are living in unprecedented times," said Delta pilots union chairman Ryan Schnitzler in a memo to the airline's pilots. While the union is in ongoing negotiations with the company on a long-term labor contract, "we must deal with the crisis at hand - helping our Company mitigate the effects of COVID-19 while protecting our pilots." The union leadership held an emergency conference call Friday during which Delta announced its plans to cut flying by 40%, eliminate nearly all of its flying to Europe and park 300 planes.The airline had asked the pilots union for assistance to help mitigate the effects of the cutbacks, and issued a statement thanking the union's leadership for its collaboration. Due to the urgency, the union leaders said they decided to agree to the terms, without putting it up for a vote by the union membership, and voted to approve it unanimously effective immediately.Delta is also substantially reducing its use of contract workers and consultants. https://www.ajc.com/blog/airport/delta-pilots-union-reaches-deal-offering-pilots-time-off-reduced-pay/Q5HriNvDknxcEnYkkRprQO/ Back to Top SpaceX aborts launch attempt of sixth batch of Starlink satellites due to engine power issue SpaceX was attempting to launch its sixth batch of Starlink internet broadband satellites, but the launch was aborted when the countdown timer reached zero. On the live feed of the launch, SpaceX engineers were heard to cite a "launch abort on high engine power," and the announcer presenting the webcast said that it was indeed an abort related to Merlin engine power, and SpaceX later provided added detail, including that the sequence was auto-aborted by its system. The announcer noted that the "vehicle appears to be in good health," which SpaceX later confirmed, which should bode well for resetting for another attempt. SpaceX has a backup opportunity on Monday, but the actual next launch attempt is still to be determined, likely as SpaceX investigates and learns more about what exactly was behind the engine power issue and when it makes sense to try again, given conditions on the launch range. This would've been a record fifth flight for the Falcon 9 booster used in this launch, as well as a first re-use of the fairing that protects the cargo. SpaceX has advised that it'll reveal when it'll make its net launch attempt once it can confirm those details, and we'll provide that info once available. https://www.yahoo.com/news/spacex-aborts-launch-attempt-sixth-133741218.html Curt Lewis