Flight Safety Information [October 30, 2020] [No. 220] In This Issue : Incident: Azul E195 at Tabatinga on Oct 22nd 2020, rejected takeoff due to dog : ProSafeT - SMS, Quality & Audit Management Software : Incident: Hevilift PNG DHC6 at Mount Hagen on Oct 18th 2020, hydraulic failure and smoke in cockpit during go around : Airbus A320-214 - Ground Damage (Chile) : Cessna 310R - Fatal Accident (Nevada) : No. 2 FAA official who ran agency during 737 MAX crisis stepping down : UPS Pilots See COVID Disruption Potential : JetBlue is the latest airline to retreat from blocking seats : Vaughn College Aviation Programs Receive Accreditation by Aviation Accreditation Board International : U.S. plans to sell 50 F-35 fighter jets to the UAE after accord with Israel : SpaceX is replacing 2 rocket engines for its next astronaut launch for NASA :: Impact of COVID-19 on Aviation & Fatigue Survey (Round 1) : PIREP SURVEY Incident: Azul E195 at Tabatinga on Oct 22nd 2020, rejected takeoff due to dog An Azul Linhas Aereas Embraer ERJ-195, registration PR-AYX performing flight AD-4186 from Tabatinga,AM to Manaus,AM (Brazil) with 68 passengers and 5 crew, was accelerating for takeoff from Tabatinga, when the crew spotted a dog crossing the runway and rejected takeoff. While slowing the crew felt the impact of the dog against the nose gear. The aircraft slowed safely without further incident. Brazil's CENIPA reported the aircraft managed to stop within the runway limits and did not sustain any damage. The aircraft was able to depart about 2 hours later. http://avherald.com/h?article=4de7d2fc&opt=0 Incident: Hevilift PNG DHC6 at Mount Hagen on Oct 18th 2020, hydraulic failure and smoke in cockpit during go around A Hevilift PNG Limited de Havilland DHC-6-400, registration P2-KSY performing a flight from an unknown point of origin to Mount Hagen (Papua New Guinea) with 14 people on board, was on final approach to Mount Hagen's runway 30 when the crew decided to go around due to low visibility. While climbing out the crew declared emergency reporting a hydraulic failure and smoke in the cockpit. The aircraft returned to land safely on Mount Hagen's runway 12 about 9 minutes after the go around. Papua New Guinea's Accident Investigation Commission (PNGAIC) reported the occurrence was rated a serious incident and is being investigated. http://avherald.com/h?article=4de7c15d&opt=0 Airbus A320-214 - Ground Damage (Chile) Date: 29-OCT-2020 Time: Type: Airbus A320-214 Owner/operator: LATAM Airlines Registration: CC-BFL C/n / msn: 5554 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: Minor Location: Santiago-Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport (SCL) - Chile Phase: Pushback / towing Nature: Passenger - Scheduled Departure airport: Santiago-Arturo Merino Benitez Airport (SCL/SCEL) Destination airport: Narrative: Two LATAM Chile Airbus A320 aircraft (CC-BAE and CC-BFL) were damaged in a ground contact incident at Santiago International Airport, Chile. CC-BAE was being pushed back when the left-hand the wing tip fence hit the right-hand wing tip of CC-BFL. The top half of CC-BAE's wing tip fence broke off. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/244492 Cessna 310R - Fatal Accident (Nevada) Date: 29-OCT-2020 Time: c. 09:40 Type: Cessna 310R Owner/operator: Private Registration: N101G C/n / msn: 310R0017 Fatalities: Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Category: Accident Location: Las Vegas Valley, NV - United States of America Phase: En route Nature: Private Departure airport: Las Vegas-North Air Terminal, NV (VGT/KVGT) Destination airport: Investigating agency: NTSB Narrative: A Cessna 310R crashed under unknown circumstances in Las Vegas Valley and was destroyed by fire. Both occupants suffered fatal injuries in the accident. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/244479 No. 2 FAA official who ran agency during 737 MAX crisis stepping down WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Dan Elwell, the No. 2 official at the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) who oversaw the agency during the initial phase of the Boeing 737 MAX crisis, plans to step down, he told Reuters. Deputy FAA Administrator Elwell, who was acting administrator from January 2018 through August 2019, made the decision in March 2019 to ground Boeing Co's 737 MAX after the second fatal crash in five months. "It's looking very, very likely that the MAX is at the end of its travails," Elwell said in an interview. "We're getting to the latter steps." An FAA spokeswoman said Elwell plans to leave near the end of November. FAA officials speaking on the condition of anonymity previously told Reuters the agency could unground the plane around mid-November, but Elwell emphasized again the agency does not have a specific timetable to unground the MAX. "I am confident the job will get done," Elwell said. "That's a good time for me to go." Elwell said the agency has spent thousands of hours intensively scrutinizing the MAX. The FAA is requiring new significant safeguards and simulator training before it allows the plane to resume commercial flights. "I have absolutely not one molecule of doubt that this airplane will come back into service. We have crossed every t, dotted every i," Elwell said. "There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that it will be as safe or safer than any airplane in service today." Some critics said the FAA should have moved faster to ground the MAX, which came behind most other aviation regulators. Elwell has defended the grounding decision as one based on a review of available data. Elwell had planned to leave about a year ago, but the 737 MAX review ended up lasting longer than initially expected. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao said Elwell's "steady hand, determination, and expertise over the past three years have helped improve aviation safety, address future challenges, and increase aviation safety standards around the world." Elwell has been involved with the White House coronavirus task force as the FAA representative and part of an international working group on the safe resumption of international air travel. The international group is working on new detailed guidance to countries on testing, quarantines and other measures. "We can’t create a regime for the whole world," Elwell said, saying individual countries will have to reach agreements on how to resume travel. The goal is to facilitate "safe and healthy international travel" and give "confidence to the traveling public that travel is possible." https://www.yahoo.com/news/no-2-faa-official-ran-141107500.html UPS Pilots See COVID Disruption Potential Comments Echo CEO's Concern of 'Disruption' With Spike LOUISVILLE, Ky., Oct. 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The President of the union representing UPS airline pilots has said he agrees with UPS CEO Carol Tomé's concern that a spike in COVID-19 cases among the pilots has the potential to disrupt the Company's operations. In comments made to investors yesterday, Tomé said that "there is a big watch out" with cases spiking that could lead to a disruption in UPS operations should the increase impact the Company's pilots. "We're just watching this very, very closely," she added. Robert Travis, a UPS A300 Captain and President of the Independent Pilots Association ("IPA") wrote Tomé today (click here to read letter) confirming that the UPS pilot group is "indeed experiencing a significant increase in the number of pilots testing positive for the virus." Travis outlined three steps the IPA is recommending to avoid operational disruptions, and to enhance the health and safety of the pilot group. In his letter, Travis called for greatly expanded pilot access to testing (both before and after flight assignments), greatly improved pilot contact tracing efforts by UPS, and called on UPS to come to the assistance of crewmembers testing positive for COVID abroad in order to expedite their safe return home via specialized medical evacuation flights, if necessary. Travis said that the recommendations have been made to lower levels of UPS management, but that they "seem to be languishing under excessive study followed by inaction." Travis called on Tomé to personally intervene. "UPS pilots daily move a significant portion of commerce on which the US and world economy depends," wrote Travis. "When there is a vaccine, it will be those same pilots that form an important link in the logistical chain to deliver the vaccine. It is therefore critically important, as you (Tomé) implied yesterday, that the pilot group be kept safe and healthy," Travis said. The IPA is the collective bargaining unit representing the more than 3,000 professional pilots who fly for United Parcel Service, the world's largest transportation company. The IPA is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. SOURCE Independent Pilots Association https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ups-pilots-see-covid-disruption-potential-301163449.html JetBlue is the latest airline to retreat from blocking seats JetBlue will reduce the number of seats it blocks after Dec. 1 to accommodate families traveling together over the holidays, a spokesman said. The days of airlines blocking seats to make passengers feel safer about flying during the pandemic are coming closer to an end. JetBlue is the latest to indicate it is rethinking the issue. A spokesman for the carrier said Thursday that JetBlue will reduce the number of seats it blocks after Dec. 1 to accommodate families traveling together over the holidays. Southwest Airlines said last week that it will stop limiting the number of seats it fills after Dec. 1. Delta Air Lines and Alaska Airlines say they will lift caps on seating early next year. The pandemic and resulting border restrictions caused U.S. air travel to plunge 95% in April. Some airlines promised to block middle seats to create more distance between passengers. Others, notably United Airlines and American Airlines, did not, arguing that ventilation systems and air filters made planes safe without social distancing. Since then, all the airlines have reported a slow rise in the number of passengers, although U.S. travel is still down 65% from a year ago. “When no one is flying, and airlines aren’t hitting the sales cap anyway, they can promote blocked middle seats easily,” said Gary Leff, who runs the View from the Wing travel site. “But as travel slowly recovers, there are more and more flights on which it costs airlines real money in lost sales.” JetBlue spokesman Derek Dombrowski said the airline will keep flights under 70% full through Dec. 1, and will keep some limits through the holidays, “but what that capacity cap will be has yet to be determined.” Dombrowski said there will be more families and groups traveling over the holidays, so the New York-based airline will offer “a small number of rows” where people traveling together can occupy all the seats. Earlier this week, JetBlue President Joanna Geraghty said blocking seats “is not something that’s sustainable,” and that as passenger numbers rise and studies show airplane cabins are safe, the airline will raise capacity on flights. Southwest CEO Gary Kelly made a similar reference to “scientific evidence” that cabins are safe, but he also cited a strong financial incentive to stop blocking middle seats. Kelly said Southwest lost $20 million in revenue during September because of the policy, with the loss seen rising to between $40 million and $60 million in November. A recent study by the Defense Department’s transport command said the risk of spreading the virus that causes COVID-19 on planes is very low if everyone wears face masks. However, the study was not peer-reviewed and did not account for things like people moving around the cabin. A number of reports suggest that transmission on airlines is rare, although the lack of testing and contact tracing make it impossible to quantify the risk of flying. https://www.boston.com/travel/travel/2020/10/29/jetblue-is-the-latest-airline-to-retreat-from-blocking-seats Vaughn College Aviation Programs Receive Accreditation by Aviation Accreditation Board International Vaughn College’s bachelor’s degree programs in aircraft operations and aeronautical sciences have been accredited by the Aviation Accreditation Board International (AABI) for a period of five years, effective July 2019 through July 31, 2024. AABI was established in 1988 at the initiative of 100 colleges and universities with aviation programs who recognized the need to establish standards and submit themselves to the review of their peers and the industry. Its purpose is to serve as the official accrediting body for all collegiate aviation. Vaughn’s aircraft operations professional pilot program has been developed to provide students proficiency in all areas of pilot skills to achieve the certified flight instructor level and to meet the growing demand through 2039 for pilots. The aeronautical sciences bachelor of science degree provides students with the flexibility to incorporate flight qualifications with academic studies. The program provides the ability to explore career opportunities in addition to becoming a pilot, in the aviation, management and technology fields, by obtaining a foundation in flight dispatch, air traffic control or airfield operations. “This accreditation means a great deal for the institution and especially for our students,” said aviation department chair Pete Russo. “We’ve worked hard to meet the high standards for AABI accreditation in our degree programs and are confident it will help our students meet their educational goals and help them stand out as they begin their professional careers.” A growing number of airlines are looking for pilots who have graduated from colleges that are accredited by AABI. To become accredited, aviation programs have to satisfy a range of quality criteria that demonstrate their ability to maintain a level of performance, integrity and quality that will be recognized by the educational community, the industry and the public. “Airlines want to hire from AABI-accredited college programs because they know these pilots have been educated according to universally accepted disciplines and the rigorous standards set by the industry,” explained Russo. “The Industry advises AABI, and AABI advises colleges, and the result is that industry experts look for pilots with those credentials. It’s a virtuous circle. And that is why Vaughn College actively pursued AABI accreditation.” Aviation degree programs like the ones offered at Vaughn College ensure graduates have the skills and knowledge they need to meet the demands of growing industries. Aviation giant Boeing recently released its pilot and technician outlook, which forecasts a long-term robust need for highly trained professionals over the next 20 years. More than 760,000 pilots and more than 735,000 maintenance technicians will be needed as the industry rebounds worldwide and the current workforce approaches retirement. https://www.aviationpros.com/education-training/press-release/21160604/vaughn-college-of-aeronautics-technology-vaughn-college-aviation-programs-receive-accreditation-by-aviation-accreditation-board-international U.S. plans to sell 50 F-35 fighter jets to the UAE after accord with Israel The proposed deal must still be approved by Congress. The State Department on Thursday informally notified Congress that it plans to sell F-35 fighter jets to the United Arab Emirates, according to the chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The deal would include up to 50 of the Lockheed Martin-made jets at a cost of $10.4 billion, a congressional aide said. If the sale is completed, the UAE would become only the second country in the Middle East to fly the advanced fighter jets after Israel. Israeli officials initially objected to UAE buying the planes due to a long-standing requirement that Tel Aviv have a military advantage over other Middle Eastern nations. But last week, Israel agreed to allow the U.S. to sell “certain weapons” to the UAE after Pentagon officials promised to sell Israel more U.S.-made military equipment to maintain its advantage. Israeli initially agreed to purchase 50 F-35s, but wants to buy more. Bloomberg first reported the news of the proposed sale to the UAE. What’s next: The proposed deal must still be approved by Congress. House Foreign Affairs Chair Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) said in a statement he is concerned that the sale could degrade Israel’s military edge in the region, allow advanced technology to get into the hands of adversaries operating in the Middle East, such as Russia and China, and also lead to an arms race in the region. "As we consider these risks, we must ensure that American national security and foreign policy priorities are at the forefront of our considerations,” Engel said. “In the coming days, I invite members of Congress who share my concerns to join me in introducing legislation to ensure that the sale of these types of weapons adhere to our most important national security goals.” A State Department official declined to comment, saying the agency does not confirm proposed sales until they are formally notified to Congress. https://www.politico.com/news/2020/10/29/f-35-fighter-jets-united-arab-emirates-israel-433612 SpaceX is replacing 2 rocket engines for its next astronaut launch for NASA The Crew-1 mission is on track for a Nov. 14 liftoff. SpaceX is replacing two engines on the rocket that will launch the company's next crewed mission, which is scheduled to lift off on Nov. 14. The measure follows an investigation into the aberrant behavior of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that was supposed to launch a GPS satellite for the U.S. Space Force on Oct. 2. That liftoff was aborted automatically with just two seconds left on the countdown clock when sensors picked up off-nominal readings. The upcoming astronaut launch, which will kick off SpaceX's Crew-1 mission to the International Space Station for NASA, also will employ a Falcon 9. So NASA and SpaceX pushed back Crew-1's target liftoff date, which had been Oct. 31, to allow time for an investigation and make sure the same problem won't affect the astronaut launch. The investigation of the Oct. 2 abort traced the issue to two of the nine Merlin engines on the Falcon 9's first stage. Those two Merlins retained residue of a "masking lacquer" designed to protect sensitive parts during anti-corrosion anodizing treatment, Hans Koenigsmann, SpaceX's vice president of build and flight reliability, said during a news conference on Wednesday (Oct. 28). The vendor performing the treatment didn't manage to remove all of the lacquer afterward, and some of it ended up blocking 0.06-inch-wide (1.6 millimeters) vent holes for valves in two of the Merlins that were supposed to power the two-stage Falcon 9 skyward on Oct. 2, Koenigsmann said. After analyzing a wide range of Merlin data, SpaceX found signs of a similar issue with two of the engines in the Crew-1 Falcon 9's first stage, as well as one Merlin in the first stage of the booster scheduled to loft the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich Earth-observing satellite for NASA and several of its partners on Nov. 10. So SpaceX is now swapping out all of those affected Merlins for ones known to be free of masking-lacquer residue, Koenigsmann said. The investigation and troubleshooting process, which SpaceX conducted with the help of NASA and the Space Force, "led to a really good review and a really good anomaly resolution that, in my opinion, makes a better vehicle and a better engine going forward," Koenigsmann said. SpaceX's safety systems worked properly on Oct. 2, noticing the anomaly in time and aborting the launch, he said. And a liftoff that day may not have been disastrous, Koenigsmann added; the Falcon 9 might have experienced a "hard start" caused by introducing various fluids — igniter fluid, liquid oxygen and kerosene — in the wrong order in the affected engines. "It's not necessarily bad," he said of a hard start. "In most cases, it rattles the engine, and it may cause a little bit of damage to the engine. In extreme cases, it may cause more damage to the engine." The Falcon 9 should be ready in time for the planned Nov. 14 launch of Crew-1, NASA officials said during Wednesday's news conference, though they stressed that the mission will launch when it's ready and not be constrained by an arbitrary timeline. And NASA wants to see another Falcon 9 fly before the astronaut launch — specifically, the one that will loft the GPS satellite that was supposed to go up on Oct. 2 (and which also got a two-Merlin swap), said Steve Stich, manager of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. The GPS launch, which will take place from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Base, is currently targeted for no earlier than Nov. 4, according to Spaceflight Now. Processing of the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule that will carry the four Crew-1 astronauts — NASA's Shannon Walker, Victor Glover and Michael Hopkins and Japan's Soichi Noguchi — to the space station for a 6-month stay is coming along nicely, Stich said. If all goes according to plan, NASA and SpaceX will conduct a flight readiness review for Crew-1 on Friday (Oct. 30) and start loading propellant this weekend into the Crew Dragon, which its riders have named "Resilience," Stich said. The four astronauts are currently in "soft quarantine" at their homes and will enter a more stringent quarantine on Halloween, Stich added. The quartet will travel to the Crew-1 launch site, NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, on Nov. 6, if all goes according to plan. Crew-1 will be SpaceX's second astronaut mission to the International Space Station for NASA. On May 30, Elon Musk's company launched Demo-2, a test flight that carried NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the space station for a two-month stay. A review of the Demo-2 data has been completed, clearing the path for Crew-1, Stich said. SpaceX holds a $2.6 billion contract with NASA to fly at least six operational missions, the first of which will be Crew-1, to and from the station. Boeing signed a similar deal, worth $4.2 billion, which it will fulfill using a capsule called CST-100 Starliner. Starliner isn't ready to carry astronauts yet, however; the capsule still must refly an uncrewed test flight to the station, after failing to meet up with the orbiting lab as planned during its first attempt in December 2019. https://www.space.com/spacex-replacing-rocket-engines-crew-1-dragon-launch Impact of COVID-19 on Aviation & Fatigue Survey (Round 1) As a longitudinal survey, we will send you links to shorter follow-up surveys each month as the industry adapts to changes in regulations and public demand. For more information about the survey, please contact Dr. Cassie Hilditch at cassie.j.hilditch@nasa.gov or see below for FAQs. We thank you for your time and support of this survey addressing the effects of this unprecedented time in aviation history. All the best, Cassie Hilditch FAQs Overall purpose of the survey To assess the impact of operational changes related to the COVID-19 pandemic on fatigue in US commercial pilots. Any additional background on the study Discussions with airline representatives and pilots have highlighted several unique changes to operations as the industry attempts to adapt to reduced demand and travel restrictions. Many of these changes are unprecedented, therefore, understanding how they impact crew fatigue is important in order to manage the impact of such changes and potentially recommend safeguards to their implementation. Who will have access to the raw data? Only staff from NASA Ames Fatigue Countermeasures Research Laboratory approved by the Institutional Research Board will have access to the raw data. All data will be stored anonymously, with a unique ID code assigned to each participant to track responses over time. Who will make the final conclusions? NASA Ames Fatigue Countermeasures Research Laboratory staff will summarize and analyze the survey responses. Where will the information be published? We hope to publish the results as a NASA Technical Memorandum, and also in safety-focused peer-reviewed journals and industry newsletters to reach a wide range of audiences to maximize the learning opportunities from this survey. We also aim to present the results at relevant scientific and industry conferences where possible. Cassie J. Hilditch, PhD Senior Research Associate Fatigue Countermeasures Lab SJSU Research Foundation NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA 94035 PIREP SURVEY Greetings, Please consider participating in our online survey on PIREPs available at this link, https://fit.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6y8tcXQXgr1Q6lT. The survey will take approximately 10-minutes. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Florida Institute of Technology & Purdue University Dr. Debbie S. Carstens, PMP Graduate Program Chair & Professor, Aviation Human Factors College of Aeronautics|321.674.8820 Faculty Profile: https://www.fit.edu/faculty-profiles/2/debbie-carstens/ Curt Lewis