Flight Safety Information March 19, 2020 - No. 057 In This Issue ISASI 2020 and Covid19 Incident: Vietnam A321 at Ho Chi Minh City on Mar 18th 2020, rejected takeoff due to burst tyre Incident: Canada E190 and Canada B773 at Toronto on Mar 7th 2020, both aircraft accelerated on same runway Cessna 208 Caravan - Accident (Papua New Guinea) EASA Bulletin Warns of ELT Battery Fire Hazards 'A hopeful change' as 3 Chinese airlines resume SFO flights Social distancing on an airplane? Just remove the middle seat, one Wall Street analyst suggests Lufthansa Group parks 700 aircraft in crisis response COVID-19: After GoAir fires expat pilots, IndiGo warns of tough decisions Business jet-maker Textron Aviation furloughs thousands of US workers NASA asks public to design sensors for Venus rover concept ISASI 2020 and Covid19 While we watch the situation unfold around the world, we are of course thinking of the upcoming ISASI seminar, scheduled to take place in Montreal in September. While no one has a crystal ball, we are over 5 months away and it is our hope that everything will have calmed down by then. At the moment, we are proceeding with all plans and deadlines as posted on the seminar website. Please be assured our first priority is, and will continue to be, the health and safety of our delegates. We will not do anything to put that in jeopardy. Thank you for your continued support. Your ISASI 2020 Committee Back to Top Incident: Vietnam A321 at Ho Chi Minh City on Mar 18th 2020, rejected takeoff due to burst tyre sets grass alight A Vietnam Airlines Airbus A321-200, registration VN-A392 performing flight VN-920 from Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) to Phnom Penh (Cambodia), was accelerating for takeoff from Ho Chi Minh City's runway 25L when the crew rejected takeoff at high speed due to a burst nose tyre. The aircraft came to a stop about 1600 meters/5250 feet down the runway. Emergency services responded, not only because of the rejected takeoff but also because of a large smoke plume rising from the grass at the right side of the runway. Emergency services put the grass fire out within about 10 minutes. The passengers disembarked onto the runway via mobile stairs and were taken to the terminal, the aircraft was subsequently towed to the apron. The airline reported there was a technical issue with one of the nose wheel tyres, there was no fire or explosion on the aircraft. The crew rejected takeoff and stopped safely. There were no injuries. Vietnam's Civil Aviation Authority reported a part of the tyre impacted and damaged the side of the right hand engine's (V2533) cover, which in turn caused the grass fire. The CAA have opened an investigation into the occurrence. http://avherald.com/h?article=4d4a6001&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Canada E190 and Canada B773 at Toronto on Mar 7th 2020, both aircraft accelerated on same runway at same time, both aircraft rejected takeoff An Air Canada Embraer ERJ-190, registration C-FMZW performing flight AC-1037 from Toronto,ON (Canada) to Denver,CO (USA) with 87 people on board, was cleared for takeoff from Toronto's runway 06L under visual departure procedures. Immediately when the E190 began their takeoff roll, Tower cleared the Air Canada Boeing 777-300, registration C-FJZS performing flight AC-606 from Toronto,ON to Halifax,NS (Canada) with 359 people on board, to taxi into position and hold on runway 06L. While the E190 was still in their takeoff roll, tower cleared the Boeing 777-300 for takeoff. Shortly afterwards the E190 received a bird strike, the crew decided to reject takeoff at 135 KIAS. The crew radioed tower that they were rejecting takeoff exactly at the same time when the B773 acknowledged their takeoff clearance and commenced takeoff. When the B773 accelerated through 110 KIAS they noticed the E190 was still on the runway and rejected takeoff and managed to stop clear of the E190. Both aircraft were able to vacate the runway, the E190 returned to the apron. The Boeing 777-300 waited on a taxiway for 45 minutes to cool their brakes, then returned to the apron. The Canadian TSB reported there were no injuries and no damage to either aircraft. There was a risk of collision, the TSB opened a Class 3 investigation into the occurrence. http://avherald.com/h?article=4d4a7b67&opt=0 Back to Top Cessna 208 Caravan - Accident (Papua New Guinea) Date: 19-MAR-2020 Time: Type: Cessna 208 Caravan Owner/operator: Mission Aviation Fellowship - MAF Registration: C/n / msn: Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3 Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: Substantial Location: Yengis airstrip, Kompiamp-Ambum District, Enga Province. - Papua New Guinea Phase: Landing Nature: Private Departure airport: Destination airport: Yengis airstrip, Kompiamp-Ambum District, Enga Province. Narrative: The MAF plane crashed while trying to land. The three occupants survived the crash. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/234151 Back to Top EASA Bulletin Warns of ELT Battery Fire Hazards The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has published a safety information bulletin (SIB) addressing certain brand ELTs to ensure that the presence of fire (in case of a lithium ELT battery failure) cannot propagate from the battery compartment to surrounding material. The specific ELTs in question are approved on various models from H.R. Smith and Techtest Ltd., installed in numerous small and large airplanes and helicopters. According to the SIB, the affected ELT and battery packs, in case of a thermal runaway, may release gases on fire. As this fire eventually self-extinguishes, the design remains compliant with the criteria of technical standard orders. However, the presence of fire may affect the performance of surrounding equipment if an approved ELT has not been installed under a TC or STC. Therefore, EASA recommends "operators of aircraft that have any affected ELT or battery pack(s) carried on board which are not part of the approved aircraft type design, or design change, as applicable, to ensure that the presence of fire (in case of an ELT battery failure) cannot propagate to the surrounding material." The assessment should "explicitly include the effect of fire or hot gases impingement on any stowed safety equipment installed in proximity of the battery such as life rafts, life jackets or emergency flotation systems." https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2020-03-18/easa-bulletin-warns-elt-battery-fire-hazards Back to Top 'A hopeful change' as 3 Chinese airlines resume SFO flights As China sees first signs of recovery, flights return. But who will fly? While most U.S. airlines are cutting flights to historically low numbers because of the coronavirus pandemic, three mainland Chinese carriers plan to resume non-stop flights to San Francisco International Airport this month, a move SFO officials said "marks a hopeful change in direction." The resumption of flights is one of several early signs that the worst could be over in China, meaning the crisis will eventually come to an end here, too. China Eastern will resume a daily non-stop flight this month between its hub in Shanghai and San Francisco using a Boeing 777-300ER jet. Flights are expected to start on Saturday, March 28 Strangely, flights were not yet available for booking at the time of this writing on the airline's North America website. Air China plans to resume non-stop flights between Beijing and San Francisco this Saturday with flights operating on a limited schedule, and on sporadic days throughout the week. Economy class fares are selling for north of $3,000, a staggering price tag considering round-trip fares on this route were typically sub-$600 before the coronavirus crisis. Air China did not entirely stop serving SFO during the peak of the outbreak in China. It flew flights four times a week to Los Angeles. After a 90-minute stop at LAX, those flights continued north to SFO. The Chinese carrier had a similar arrangement on the U.S. East Coast: flights flew from Beijing to New York's Kennedy Airport and then onwards to Washington-Dulles Airport and vice versa. China Southern intends to resume its non-stop flight from Guangzhou to San Francisco on March 29. It will operate four times a week, on Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays using Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner jets. This flight had originally included a stop in Wuhan, where the outbreak began, but this resumption will not include a stop in that city. Fares on this route aren't cheap either, running on average for a round-trip flight in the $2,500 range in economy class. These high price tags underscore the scarcity (definitely not the demand) in non-stop flights between the U.S. and China. In the weeks following the outbreak, and with the onset of Trump administration travel restrictions, U.S. carriers hastily suspended all their flights to China. Those restrictions still remain in place, and have expanded to include the U.K., Ireland, and European countries in the Schengen area. Foreign nationals who have been in mainland China for the last 14 days are banned from entering the United States. U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents are allowed to return home, but must quarantine for 14 days after their arrival. So who might book these flights? Undoubtedly, it will be the people who urgently need to travel intercontinentally. Perhaps it's the Americans who have been in China for the past two months - there are many who split their time between family in the mainland and Northern California - or the foreign nationals here on the West Coast who have been unable to return home until now. And of course, those big jets have big cargo holds, and there is plenty of pent-up demand for U.S. and Chinese products on both sides of the Pacific. All three airlines are majority owned by the Chinese government (Air China is the national flag carrier), so operating these flights at near-empty loads and at a financial loss should not be much of a concern for each carrier. The likelihood is these flights will be mostly empty, and that's okay when you have the deep pockets of the Chinese government to finance these flights. With China slowly turning the corner as it relates to the pandemic, it may be the safest place to be in the months ahead as countries elsewhere grapple with the terrible consequences of this virus. https://www.sfgate.com/travel/article/Chinese-airlines-return-SFO-15140380.php Back to Top Social distancing on an airplane? Just remove the middle seat, one Wall Street analyst suggests • Airlines have drastically slashed flights as travelers heed government warnings to stay home to slow the spread of coronavirus. • To entice them back, one analyst suggested carriers leave middle seats empty in a modest attempt at social distancing. • Airlines have asked the government for a financial-assistance package totaling more than $50 billion. On airplanes, it's hard enough to keep from bumping knees with the person in the next seat - let alone follow the Centers for Disease Control's guidelines for social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic, which are to stay at least six feet away from others. But to maintain more distance in the usually cramped modern coach cabins, one Wall Street analyst has an idea most passengers would likely be in full support of: removing the middle seats. "We could possibly have an onboard experience where, on a six-seat row in economy class on a plane, they're required to keep the middle seat empty for some modest social distancing," Stephen Trent, an analyst at Citigroup, told CNBC on Tuesday. It wouldn't be the CDC's recommended six feet of space, but it's a start. Rubbing elbows in economy, after all, is the opposite of social distancing, and the extra precautions could help airlines bolster decimated routes that have seen industry capacity slashed in recent weeks amid the spread of the coronavirus - which has, as of this publishing, infected more than 205,000 people worldwide and killed more than 8,200. In the US, there have been more than 7,300 reported coronavirus cases and 115 deaths. Airlines, meanwhile, have seen their market values plunge. An exchange-traded fund that tracks aviation stocks is down more than 50% since January 1, as demand for air travel takes a hit similar to the one after 9/11. "One should not expect to capacity to just snap back to where it was in January," Trent said. "That's not going to happen. "The other thing that's probably unlikely to happen is all routes being available. If this is widespread, it will take a while to recover. If is this isolated and there are couple of hot zones where there is no flying, that would mean the non hot zones have limited capacity." An industry group that represents some of the US' largest passenger and cargo airlines on Monday revealed its proposal for a government financial-rescue package that totals more than $50 billion and is composed of grants, loans, and tax relief. Several lawmakers and influential unions said they would not support a federal bailout without significant restrictions for consumer and worker protections, as well as restrictions on stock buybacks and raises for executives. "It's going to take months to get back to normal," Trent said. And even if Trent's middle-seat recommendation doesn't get a lot of traction, it's a nice future to think about. https://www.businessinsider.com/as-coronavirus-spreads-analyst-suggests-removing-middle-seat-on-airplanes-2020-3 Back to Top Lufthansa Group parks 700 aircraft in crisis response Lufthansa Group is unable to predict how much its profit will fall this year as it confirmed a 95% capacity reduction to battle the coronavirus outbreak. "At present, no one can foresee the consequences," notes chief executive Carsten Spohr in a statement accompanying 2019 earnings. "We have to counter this extraordinary situation with drastic and sometimes painful measures." Spohr adds that it is the most challenging crisis in the company's history. "The longer this crisis lasts, the more likely it is that the future of aviation cannot be guaranteed without state aid," he states, echoing calls by other airlines worldwide for government help through the coming months. Capacity has been reduced to 5% of the original plan and the Lufthansa Group is parking approximately 700 of its 763 aircraft, it says. Lufthansa units Brussels Airlines, Austrian Airlines and Air Dolomiti have already declared that they are suspending operations. The group says Lufthansa itself will discontinue long-haul flying from Munich, leaving long-haul flights only from Frankfurt. Swiss will fly three times a week to Newark. Only a few European metropolitan areas will be served by short-haul flights from Frankfurt, Munich and Zurich, the group adds. Lufthansa says it has so far planned around 140 special relief flights to bring people back home, and others will follow. Freight arm Lufthansa Cargo continues to fly its regular programme, except for mainland China, meaning that its entire freighter fleet of seven Boeing 777Fs, six MD-11Fs and four 777Fs at AeroLogic is still flying. "In addition, the company is currently examining the possibility of using passenger aircraft without passengers as pure cargo aircraft in order to further increase cargo capacity," it adds. Lufthansa Group had revealed an operating profit of €2 billion ($2.2 billion) for 2019 on 13 March, but would not pay shareholders a dividend in an effort to preserve cash amid the coronavirus crisis. It has disclosed that revenues rose 2.5% to €36.4 billion. Consolidated net profit fell by 44% to €1.2 billion. Unit revenue fell 2.5%, which the group put down to high price pressure amid overcapacity. For the network airlines - Lufthansa, Swiss and Austrian Airlines - adjusted EBIT was down 26% at €1.8 billion. Lufthansa says in its annual report that this was down to "scrapped aircraft" as well as impairment losses on IT projects, and financial claims related to the insolvency of Thomas Cook Group. At Eurowings, the operating loss narrowed 28% to €166 million. This includes €44 million of losses attributable to Eurowings long-haul and Brussels Airlines, which will be reported in the Network Airlines division in 2020, the group says. Lufthansa's executive board members will waive 20% of their basic pay in 2020 and the company says it is looking at using aircraft financing to provide further liquidity to see it through the crisis. Credit Suisse had forecast on 16 March that Lufthansa could make an operating loss of €1.5 billion this year and also advocated for Lufthansa to lease aircraft as a way of improving its cash position over the coming months. Lufthansa says it is seeking to reduce fixed costs by one-third during the crisis, such as by implementing short-term working, asking staff to take unpaid leave, imposing a hiring freeze, and cancelling wet-leases, as well as cutting executive pay. Finance chief Ulrik Svensson states: "Lufthansa Group is financially well-equipped to cope with an extraordinary crisis situation such as the current one." https://www.flightglobal.com/airlines/lufthansa-group-parks-700-aircraft-in-crisis-response/137395.article Back to Top COVID-19: After GoAir fires expat pilots, IndiGo warns of tough decisions IndiGo's flight operations head says economic environment had worsened significantly The economic environment in the aviation sector has deteriorated significantly and it has become necessary to initiate some tough decisions over the next few days and weeks, IndiGo's flight operations chief Ashim Mitra told pilots in an email on Thursday morning. With countries sealing their borders partially or fully across the world due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the aviation sector has been hit extremely hard as most airlines globally have drastically curtailed their flight operations. Mitra stated in his email, "Economic environment has deteriorated significantly and no airline is insulated from this severe downturn." "It has become a necessity to initiate some tough calls and we are working on a string of measures that will be shared and implemented over the next few days and weeks," Mitra said. Asking the pilots to not believe any hearsay, Mitra added that the airline will keep them updated. "Please keep taking all the precautions against COVID-19 and we shall overcome any challenge...," he said. GoAir cuts staff GoAir on Wednesday said it has terminated contracts of expatriate pilots amid curtailed operations due to the coronavirus pandemic. Citing "unprecedented" decline in air travel, the budget carrier, on Tuesday, announced suspension of international operations and offering of leave without pay programme for its staff on a rotational basis. "In view of the current situation, GoAir has been forced to terminate the contracts of expat pilots, which is in line with the reduced international capacity," a GoAir spokesperson said in a statement to PTI. However, the spokesperson did not respond to a query on the number of expat pilots whose contracts have been terminated. According to an airline source, it has around 80 expatriate pilots. "... GoAir is forced to temporarily suspend all its international operations (Dammam, Kuwait, Muscat, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Bangkok, Phuket and Male) starting March 17 until April 15. No sooner the situation improves, GoAir will reinstate these flights and operate at the earliest opportunity," the statement said. https://www.theweek.in/news/biz-tech/2020/03/19/covid-19-after-goair-fires-expat-pilots-indigo-warns-of-tough-decisions.html Back to Top Business jet-maker Textron Aviation furloughs thousands of US workers as coronavirus hits aerospace industry • Textron Aviation is furloughing workers through the end of May as coronavirus spreads. • Aviation is at the epicenter of the coronavirus crisis as curbs on travel grow. • Textron makes business jets and other smaller passenger planes. Business jet-maker Textron Aviation on Wednesday said it will furlough thousands of U.S. employees, as the rapid spread of coronavirus hurts the aviation industry and other sectors. The maker of Cessna and Beechcraft airplanes said it will furlough workers on a staggered schedule from March 23 through May 29. The company declined to say how many it is furloughing but a spokeswoman said it applies to "most" of its U.S. workers, which number 12,000. Shares of Textron fell 8% to close at $25.79. "This decision will allow us to do our part in mitigating and containing the spread of COVID-19 through social distancing, while continuing to support our customers," Ron Draper, the Textron unit's CEO told employees in a note, which was seen by CNBC. "Due to anticipated market conditions, we are adjusting production to align with anticipated market production. This is a very difficult first step in responding to a situation that has affected our entire world." Air travel demand has been devastated by coronavirus as companies scale back on business trips and travel restrictions. Boeing on Tuesday said it was seeking government support of $60 billion for itself and the aviation industry. https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/18/coronavirus-prompts-thousands-of-furloughs-at-jet-maker-textron.html NASA asks public to design sensors for Venus rover concept The sensors should be designed for ride in "hell," NASA says. NASA is asking the public to help them explore "hell," as the agency terms it - the roasting surface of the planet Venus. The cloud-shrouded planet is so socked in that its surface - which is covered in lava flows and possibly active volcanoes - soars to oven-like temperatures of 840 degrees Fahrenheit (450 degrees Celsius). The surface pressure is so great that it would quickly crush a nuclear submarine, according to NASA. But NASA has plans to deploy a very hardy rover to the surface, and the agency is asking the public to design a sensor to ride on this early-stage conceptual vehicle. Called Automaton Rover for Extreme Environments (AREE), the vehicle will use wind power to spend several months carefully crawling Venus' surface. The vehicle requires the sensor to navigate obstacles in its environment, such as rocks and steep terrain. This vehicle is not ready to ship to Venus just yet. AREE is part of NASA's Innovative Advanced Concepts program, which studies very nascent technology to make it more ready for the rigors of space exploration. NASA has not yet formally approved the AREE mission for launch, but the agency is hoping the tech will be used someday on the surface of Venus, upon which no spacecraft has landed since 1985. That last mission was the Soviet Union's Vega 2, which like predecessor landers, succumbed within a short while to the extreme environment on Venus' surface. "Earth and Venus are basically sibling planets, but Venus took a turn at one point and became inhospitable to life as we know it," Jonathan Sauder, principal investigator for AREE at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said in a statement. "By getting on the ground and exploring Venus, we can understand what caused Earth and Venus to diverge on wildly different paths and can explore a foreign world right in our own backyard." Several prizes will be awarded for sensor concepts; the device must be able to withstand the extreme temperatures and pressures of the surface. One common problem, NASA said, is that state-of-the-art electronics fail at just over 250 F (120 C). First place for the sensor idea will receive $15,000, with other prizes of $10,000 (for second place) and $5,000 (for third place). Submissions are due by May 29, and NASA will announce the winners in July. More details about sensor submissions and contest eligibility are available at the HeroX crowdsourcing platform, which is hosting the contest on behalf of JPL and the NASA Tournament Lab. https://www.space.com/nasa-venus-rover-challenge-aree.html Curt Lewis