Flight Safety Information May 26, 2020 - No. 105 In This Issue Witness ProSafeT's Comprehensive SMS Solution Incident: Delta B772 near Moncton on May 21st 2020, first officer incapacitated Accident: British Airways A320 at Tenerife on Feb 7th 2020, fumes affect both flight crew Mil Mi-8 - Fatal Accident (Russia) FAA needs stronger safety process French Aviation Safety Authority Sends Team to Probe Pakistani Plane Crash ACI, IATA outline roadmap to restart aviation FAA Proposes $5.89 Million Civil Penalty Against Ga Company for Illegal Charter Flights Innovation, automation and collaboration - three ways to get aviation moving safely again ASIA Air Astana to Launch an International Air Cargo Division Garuda Indonesia's 70 percent aircraft grounded over COVID-19 pandemic Latin America's largest airline, LATAM, files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY Incident: Delta B772 near Moncton on May 21st 2020, first officer incapacitated A Delta Airlines Boeing 777-200, registration N702DN performing flight DL-3343 from Frankfurt/Main (Germany) to Chicago O'Hare,IL (USA), was enroute at FL400 about 60nm northnortheast of Moncton,NB (Canada) when the first officer became incapacitated. The captain called the relief first officer to the flight deck and diverted the aircraft to Moncton for a safe landing about 15 minutes later. The first officer was taken to a hospital. The Canadian TSB reported, the captain summoned the relief first officer to the flight deck and together they provided first aid to the first officer including the use of an automated external defibrillator to stabilize the first officer. After diversion to and landing in Moncton the first officer was transported for medical treatment. The condition of the first officer is currently unknown. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL3343/history/20200521/0950Z/EDDF/KORD http://avherald.com/h?article=4d7cf474&opt=0 Back to Top Accident: British Airways A320 at Tenerife on Feb 7th 2020, fumes affect both flight crew A British Airways Airbus A320-200, registration G-GATL performing flight BA-2702 from London Gatwick,EN (UK) to Tenerife Sur Sofia Reina,CI (Spain), was descending through about 10,000 feet towards Tenerife when the crew declared PAN reporting fumes on board. The aircraft continued for a safe landing on runway 07 with emergency services on standby. The return flight BA-2703 was cancelled. The aircraft remained on the ground for about 30 hours, then positioned back to Gatwick as flight BA-9271. The aircraft remained on the ground in Gatwick for about 7 hours over night, then performed flight BA-2780 to Funchal and remained on the ground in Funchal for 24 hours before performing the return flight BA-2781 and continuing service. The Aviation Herald received information that the aircraft had been assigned an ILS approach to runway 07 and was descending through about 10,000 feet when the captain noticed an unusual odour in the cockpit, the first officer confirmed smelling the odour, too, the odour quickly intensified. The first officer, pilot flying, donned his oxygen mask, while the captain decided to continue without the oxygen mask. The crew attempted to isolate the source of the fumes by turning off air conditioning pack #1. Although the airport is designated to be a "captain's landing only", the first officer continued to fly the approach while the captain declared PAN with ATC reporting fumes on board. The odour further intensified, the captain felt his eyes started stinging. The captain took control of the aircraft for the final stages of the landing following the first officer having flown the final approach. After landing the captain taxied the aircraft to the apron with emergency services in trail. After shutting down the conditions in the cockpit improved considerably when the cockpit door was opened, the odour was still present however. Both pilots looked extremely pale and had distorted perceiption of senses, both pilots thought they were much farther apart than they were, both felt dizzy and faint, both felt they had difficulties in thinking and developing clear thoughts, which made decision making much harder. The crew requested an engineer to attend to the aircraft. The tech log had indicated a crew had heard a grating noise from the #1 engine (V2527, left hand) on Feb 6th 2020, the maintenance engineer suspected a loose bearing. The engineer responding to the captain's request on Feb 7th suspected the fumes were due to oil ingress into the left hand engine. After working for about 45 minutes the engineer was able to reproduce the odour, both pilots confirmed this was the same odour they had noticed in flight. The engineer grounded the aircraft. Both pilots were told to visit the local hospital for blood and urine tests, the hospital however advised they did not have the relevant equipment to perform those tests. Feeling tired and fatigued the crew went to their hotel, the first officer started coughing up blood, the captain felt increasingly sick, The following day both crew consulted with Medaire. The accident aircraft had gone through a similiar event about 3.5 months earlier, see Accident: British Airways A320 at Paphos on Oct 19th 2019, fumes in cockpit, both pilots partially incapacitated. http://avherald.com/h?article=4d7cd87f&opt=0 Back to Top Back to Top Mil Mi-8 - Fatal Accident (Russia) Date: 26-MAY-2020 Time: Type: Mil Mi-8 Owner/operator: Russian Air Force Registration: C/n / msn: Fatalities: Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4 Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: Anadyr Airport (DYR/UHMA) - Russia Phase: Take off Nature: Military Departure airport: Anadyr Airport (DYR/UHMA) Destination airport: Narrative: A Mil Mi-8 helicopter began spinning uncontrollably during takeoff from Anadyr Airport, Russia. The aircraft came down and burst into flames, killing the three crew members and engineer. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/236398 Back to Top FAA needs stronger safety process More than a year into the grounding of Boeing's 737 MAX fleet, regulators - like the manufacturer - are still attempting to defend the indefensible. The business and regulatory failures that led to the deaths of 346 people in two crashes continue to be papered over, including in a Federal Aviation Administration report released Tuesday. The report shows how badly the FAA lost its way in ensuring safety. The agency needs a thorough overhaul of the safety review process that enabled the 737 MAX to take flight with full federal certification, yet the report maps out an opposite agenda. It says the FAA will continue to delegate to Boeing detailed safety reviews of new aircraft and mechanism "as an effective and efficient method to enhance safety." Extensive reporting by The Seattle Times and official investigations of the MAX crashes have shown that delegation of safety reviews to the company itself is too risky to continue in the same form. The flying public needs impartial expert analysis of air safety mechanisms. Allowing Boeing's in-house engineers to conduct the majority of certification testing opens the door to shortcuts and manipulation. This concern cuts deeper than a theoretical conflict of interest. When Boeing was rushing to complete the 737 MAX safety approvals, engineers said they encountered extensive improper pressure from company managers to disregard safety concerns and meet production schedules on the cheap, according to Seattle Times reporting. FAA officials likewise reported feeling pressure to cede increased responsibility to Boeing. That's a textbook example of a broken system. The FAA has a foundational role in America's - and the world's - air safety. Its regulatory reach cannot be significantly reduced without potentially dire consequences. Boeing has strayed far from its reign as the standard-bearer for safe, trustworthy airplanes. The company cannot be trusted with the heavy burdens of reviewing its own work as long as quick profits and boosting stock valuation are central to its ethos. As the report notes, the FAA has delegated certain reviews to manufacturers including Boeing for decades. With proper limits and accountability, the procedure can create efficiencies with cutting-edge private-sector engineers dealing straight with regulators. That means curtailing interference from managers on either side. But that's not what the FAA has embraced. The agency's 2017 blueprint for transforming certification calls for empowering companies to self-police - in that report's phrasing, "relying less on the numerous, prescriptive interactions that can lead to project delays." This abdication is the wrong path for safety and stability in an essential sector of the economy. U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell and other Congressional leaders are right to push for stronger safety processes. The human and business costs of encouraging slipshod safety practices amount to disasters. The long-term benefit to Boeing and the flying public of rigorous safety standards easily justifies the investment of time and resources. Boeing and the FAA each need to move toward that goal, instead of backing away. https://tdn.com/opinion/editorial/faa-needs-stronger-safety-process/article_e64596bc-7fdd-553a-811d-5dbd51879f22.html Back to Top French Aviation Safety Authority Sends Team to Probe Pakistani Plane Crash PARIS (Sputnik) - France's Bureau of Inquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety sent an investigative team to Pakistan on Monday to probe the crash of an Airbus jetliner with 99 people on board. "Investigators with BEA_Aero, technical advisors from Airbus & SafranEngines are on their way to Pakistan and will be on site on 26 May", the organization tweeted. The Airbus A320 crashed into a crowded neighborhood near the airport in the Pakistani city of Karachi on Friday. The Sindh provincial health ministry has confirmed the death of all but two people aboard the plane. A dozen people on the ground were hurt. Following the crash of the aircraft, the Pakistani government's aviation division set up a four-member investigative team to probe the incident. Airbus said the plane first flew in 2004 and joined the air fleet of the Pakistan International Airlines in 2014, logging around 47,100 flight hours. It was powered by CFM56-5B4/P engines, produced by France's Safran Aircraft Engines and US's General Electric. https://sputniknews.com/asia/202005251079415586-french-aviation-safety-authority-sends-team-to-probe-pakistani-plane-crash/ Back to Top ACI, IATA outline roadmap to restart aviation ACI and IATA are exhorting governments to ensure any new measures rolled out for airports and airlines post-pandemic are scientifically backed and globally consistent, in order to drive a balanced and effective restart for the aviation industry. The trade associations have jointly issued a paper laying out a pathway for restarting the aviation industry, titled Safely Restarting Aviation - ACI and IATA Joint Approach. Airlines and airports have cooperated to build a roadmap for resuming operations which reassures the travelling public that health and safety remain the overall priorities. The joint approach proposes a layered approach of measures across the entire passenger journey to minimise the risk of virus transmission at airports and onboard aircraft. ACI and IATA said such measures should be globally consistent and subject to continued review, improvement, and removal when no longer required, to ensure an even recovery. ACI and IATA are both central members the COVID-19 Aviation Recovery Task Force (CART) being led by ICAO. CART enables the collaboration - among governments and between governments and industry - that is vital to ensure a unified response to restoring air connectivity and passenger confidence in air travel. "Airports and airlines have come together with ICAO and the wider aviation industry to address the biggest challenge ever faced by commercial aviation in restarting a global industry while continuing to halt the spread of Covid-19," ACI World director general Angela Gittens said. "There is currently no single measure that could mitigate all the risks of restarting air travel but we believe a globally-consistent, outcome-based approach represents the most effective way of balancing risk mitigation with the need to unlock economies and to enable travel." IATA director general and CEO Alexandre de Juniac said: "Safety is always our top priority and that includes public health. Restoring air connectivity is vital to restarting the global economy and reconnecting people. Our layered approach of measures recommended by airports and airlines safeguard public health while offering a practical approach for a gradual restart of operations. "It is important to remember that the risk of transmission on board is very low. And we are determined that aviation will not be a significant source of reinfection. We are working continuously with governments to ensure that any measures put in place are done so consistently and with scientific backing. That is key to restoring public confidence so the benefits of safely restarting aviation can be realised." https://www.ttgasia.com/2020/05/26/aci-iata-outline-roadmap-to-restart-aviation/ Back to Top FAA Proposes $5.89 Million Civil Penalty Against Ga Company for Illegal Charter Flights The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has proposed a $5.89 million civil penalty against Humes McCoy Aviation of Atlanta, Ga., for conducting hundreds of allegedly illegal charter flights. The FAA alleges Humes McCoy operated a Cessna Caravan, Beechcraft Super King Air and CASA 212-200 on a total of 270 illegal cargo flights in 2017, 2018 and 2019. The flights were illegal because the company did not have a commercial operating certificate, advertised and offered to perform operations that required such a certificate, received compensation for the flights, and used pilots who had not passed required tests and flight-competency checks, the FAA alleges. Additionally, the company did not have an approved pilot training program and hazardous materials training program, and failed to provide initial and recurrent hazardous materials training to all its crew members, which are required for those types of operations. The 270 flights occurred between Raleigh-Durham Airport, Albert J. Ellis Airport, Coastal Carolina Regional Airport, Dare Country Regional Airport in North Carolina; Columbia Metropolitan Airport and Beaufort County Airport in South Carolina; and Eastern Iowa Airport and Spencer Municipal Airport in Iowa. The FAA alleges these flights were careless or reckless so as to endanger lives or property. At the time of publishing, the Humes McCoy website was down and listed as 'under maintenance.' According to the Georgia Secretary of State's corporation search, the company's licensing was first filed in 2002, was last registered in 2010, and the company was administratively dissolved in 2012. Humes McCoy has 30 days after receiving the FAA's enforcement letter to respond to the agency. https://allongeorgia.com/georgia-business/faa-proposes-5-89-million-civil-penalty-against-ga-company-for-illegal-charter-flights/ Back to Top Innovation, automation and collaboration - three ways to get aviation moving safely again Airlines are desperate to build confidence among passengers and put them in the planes that are slowly returning to the skies. In the absence of a vaccine, tracking and tracing is being pushed as a means of keeping infection rates down and new technologies are coming to the fore to meet the challenge. Recognizing that downloadable apps might encounter some opposition, not least because of worries over privacy, Matthew Hiller, CEO of TrekSecure, a contagion response platform for travel, has a solution that he believes would work quickly and alleviate such concerns. His initial thinking was to offer the technology to governments but saw an opportunity for the travel industry, specially airlines, cruise ships and hotels. Hiller says his research on how some elements of the industry handled the contagion demonstrated the need for a far more automated process which could contact airline passengers as soon as a case manifested itself. "It's about connecting the entire value chain without being dependent on the government agencies," he argues Most passengers will have provided some sort of identification at check-in or to board an aircraft, making it easy to trip a contacting process. Passengers can then acknowledge that they have seen the alert and if they do not, a follow-up notification goes out. Other benefits of the TrekSecure system include its use for pilots and cabin crew who can quickly be advised that they need to isolate themselves. The platform can also have checklists built into it so airlines can keep a close watch on cleaning regimes. Hiller says he's already talking to several U.S. airlines as well as the cruise industry about the solution. He adds that while the technology is not a panacea for the wider problem, it's about giving the industry a "jump start" in terms of helping to build confidence and getting people flying. "If we had had something like this six months ago, we could have contained this," he believes. He also stresses the flexible nature of the technology so that as advisories change and new processes are implemented, the system can take them into account. Agile response It is likely that flexibility from all components of the travel industry will be key going forward. During a webinar organized by TravelPerk last week, Rami El-Dahshan, head of travel management companies and European sales for Virgin Atlantic, also stressed the need for flexibility from every player. He expects "a two steps forward, one step back environment" for the foreseeable future, as countries open and close. "Airlines and TMCs are going to have to be more comfortable being agile in saying 'such and such country is open now and if we get stuck there, this is how we'll get you home.' "All airlines, hotels and others will need to adapt quickly in terms of how they do revenue management and pricing. We're all looking to how we innovate during this period to change some of the standards we've known for perhaps 40/50 years." The biggest challenge we have right now is the complete lack of consistency even within the same city. During the webinar, El-Dahshan also spoke about the need for consistency from all parts of the ecosystem in the industry and a standard for cleanliness. Highlighting some of the current challenges facing aviation, he says: "All airports have different ownership models, different structures. They have all outlined to suppliers very different procedures around what we can expect. "The biggest challenge we have right now is the complete lack of consistency even within the same city." He adds that while companies are asking what a carrier's procedures are for check-in and boarding, there are no simple answers. "There are so many nuances airport-by-airport in the same city, never mind country-by-country where variance gets even wilder and the speed at which things are changing is miraculous." He says the industry should work together to establish minimum standards around hygiene and not "make cleanliness a competition." Standard approach El-Dahshan's sentiment echoes that of the wider aviation industry for a "standards" approach to restarting the travel industry. Last week, the International Air Transport Association laid out "five key principles" for restarting the aviation industry, centered on safety and security, being flexible and working according to the science. The fifth element concentrates on operating to "global standards which are harmonized and mutually recognized by governments." Commenting on the principles, Alexandre de Juniac, CEO of IATA, says: "The restart will go much more smoothly if governments cooperate. As I have said before, we must avoid the mess that followed 9.11 when governments acted unilaterally. This created confusion for airlines and travelers alike. And it took many years to clean up. "We have a small window to avoid these mistakes with COVID-19 by agreeing global standards for a re-start. In doing so, we must build-in measures for continuous review so that we can streamline the system as science and technology evolve." IATA also unveiled a paper called Safely Restarting Aviation, put together with Airports Council International, which includes some detail of the sorts of measures and recommendations that passengers might face. But, it's a big ask in a highly competitive industry where margins are thin. Add individual airport and country specifics into the mix and the picture is blurred further. Many carriers have already published details on their health and hygiene procedures and what they expect from passengers. JetBlue, for example, announced last week that it was continuing its distancing policy, with middle seats blocked, into the first week of July. Others, however, have been vociferous about the middle-seat policy being unworkable. Michael O'Leary, CEO of Ryanair, described the idea as "idiotic" at the end of April, adding that the carrier would not resume flights if this was a policy. During the TravelPerk webinar, El-Dahshan picked up on the middle-seat policy, saying it was a way of instilling confidence but questioned whether it would be sustainable longer term. More recently, O'Leary has criticized quarantine measures from the U.K. government as "ineffective and unimplementable" and supported EU guidelines which would mandate the wearing of masks on flights. Going forward, increased automation is inevitable to fall in line with monitoring, tracking and tracing guidelines from governments as well as the drive for greater efficiency in travel and the need to demonstrate health and hygiene concerns from consumers are being addressed. During a recent World Aviation Festival webinar, Barbara Dalibard, CEO of SITA, stressed that the future of travel would be mobile. Such a statement might elicit a sigh under normal circumstances, but airports and airlines have an opportunity to organize and manage processes via mobile. She pointed to how low-touch airport technology such as its own SmartPath system and biometrics would play an increased role. https://www.phocuswire.com/aviation-health-and-safety Back to Top ASIA Air Astana to Launch an International Air Cargo Division Air Astana plans to launch an international air cargo division operating a fleet of three converted Boeing 767-300 aircraft, which had previously been in passenger service with the carrier since 2013. The decision to launch Air Astana Cargo results from a strong increase in the demand for regional freight transport in the recent months and a strategic review of Air Astana's overall fleet plans in the wake of the global health crisis. The first Boeing 767 is already undergoing conversion into semi-cargo configuration at Air Astana's technical center in Almaty, with the removal of all seating and other passenger amenities. Associated amendments to technical documents and approvals for freight operations from local aviation authorities are also in process. During the health crisis, Air Astana responded to the substantial demand for the transportation of medical equipment and supplies to destinations across Kazakhstan, Central Asia and Europe by operating a specially prepared Boeing 767-300 passenger aircraft. "Air Astana has rapidly met the immediate heightened demand for air freight by operating a Boeing 767 passenger aircraft, but we must strictly enforce European Aviation Safety Agency weight and volume regulations regarding cargo placed on seats," said Zhanna Shayakhmetova, Director of Freight, Air Astana. "Once we start operations with the converted semi-cargo Boeing 767 aircraft, we'll be able to considerably increase the volume of transported goods and offer our customers more flexible conditions." https://aviationtribune.com/airlines/asia/air-astana-to-launch-an-international-air-cargo-division/ Back to Top Garuda Indonesia's 70 percent aircraft grounded over COVID-19 pandemic During this outbreak period, we have grounded several of our aircraft since the cut in flight traffic Jakarta (ANTARA) - The COVID-19 pandemic has left Garuda Indonesia, the state-owned airline, with no choice but to ground 70 percent of its aircraft while also conducting checks and maintenance of planes to ensure their airworthiness. "During this outbreak period, we have grounded several of our aircraft since the cut in flight traffic. Thus, the operation of flights has been paused," Technical Director of Garuda Indonesia Rahmat Hanafi stated in an official Instagram post @garuda.indonesia on Monday. Several technicians from GMF AeroAsia are working hard to ensure the planes' airworthiness by adhering to a prolonged inspection mechanism, including covering the aircraft's inlet and exhaust to prevent the entry of particles into the machines, Hanafi expounded. In-cabin maintenance processes include cabin and lavatory cleaning, as well as disinfecting the seats and cushions, in addition to taking off the seat covers. The entire process regularly takes some 14 days to conduct. It will be conducted two to three days before its operations. "Thus, the aircraft will not encounter any snag, and comfort, safety, and health aspects are maintained during flights," he noted. Garuda Indonesia owns 142 aircraft, comprising Boeing 777-300ER, Boeing 737-800NG, Airbus A330-200, Airbus A330-300, Airbus A330-900neo, CRJ1000 NextGen, and ATR 72-600, with lifespan averaging 6.62 years. https://en.antaranews.com/news/149335/garuda-indonesias-70-percent-aircraft-grounded-over-covid-19-pandemic Back to Top Latin America's largest airline, LATAM, files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy LATAM Airlines Group, the largest carrier in Latin America, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Tuesday, according to a statement released on its website. Reservations, employee pay, flight vouchers as well as passenger and cargo operations will not be affected, according to the statement. "The U.S. Chapter 11 financial reorganization process provides a clear and guided opportunity to work with our creditors and other stakeholders to reduce our debt, address commercial challenges that we, like others in our industry, are facing as a group," the company said. LATAM's CEO Roberto Alvo cited coronavirus-related travel restrictions as a main driver for the decision to file for bankruptcy. "We are looking ahead to a post-Covid future and are focused on transforming our group to adapt to a new and evolving way of flying, with the health and safety of our passengers and employees being paramount," Alvo said in an infographic explaining the bankruptcy filing. The voluntary reorganization will include LATAM's affiliates in Chile, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador and the United States. This is the second major airlines in the region to file for bankruptcy in the month of May. Colombia-based Avianca filed for bankruptcy in the US Southern District of New York after facing coronavirus-related financial problems. https://keyt.com/lifestyle/money-and-business/2020/05/26/latin-americas-largest-airline-latam-files-for-chapter-11-bankruptcy/ Back to Top GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY Dear Participants, You are being asked to participate in a research study of your opinions and attitudes about stress and mental health. This research started almost two years ago. The purpose of this study is to examine mental health issues in aviation, specifically Part 121 airline pilots. During this study, you will be asked to complete a brief online survey about your opinions on various life circumstances, stress, and mental health topics. This study is expected to take approximately 15 minutes of your time. In order to participate, you must possess an FAA issued Airline Transport Certificate (ATP) and you must also be currently working as a pilot for a Part 121 air carrier that is headquartered within the United States. Participation in this study is voluntary and data will be collected anonymously, stored confidentially, and you may choose to opt out of the study at any time. We sincerely appreciate your consideration and time to complete our study, as it is another small but important step towards increasing safety in aviation. Please click on the link below to complete the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/7ZG6M6L For more information, please contact: Tanya Gatlin - Student Researcher Gatlint1@my.erau.edu 281-924-1336 Dr. Scott Winter - Faculty Advisor winte25e@erau.edu 386-226-6491 Curt Lewis