Flight Safety Information [November 6, 2020] [No. 225] In This Issue : Incident: Air China B789 near Moscow on Nov 6th 2020, low oil pressure indication : Incident: Rossiya A319 at Krasnodar or St. Petersburg on Nov 3rd 2020, picked up some ground cable : Accident: Baires SW4 at Mendoza on Nov 5th 2020, runway excursion possibly due to gear collapse on landing : FedEx Boeing 777 - Oil Leak on Landing (Japan) : FAA Warns On Aircraft Disinfection Risks : Duncan Aviation and KGB Aviation Solutions Offer New FDR and CVR Service : Singapore Airlines sinks to record quarterly loss on pandemic, impairments : Emirates Doesn’t Have Many A380 Pilots Left : Germany approves billion-euro purchase of 38 Eurofighter jets : SpaceX launches GPS navigation satellite from Cape Canaveral : Impact of COVID-19 on Aviation & Fatigue Survey (Round 1) : PIREP SURVEY Incident: Air China B789 near Moscow on Nov 6th 2020, low oil pressure indication An Air China Boeing 787-9, registration B-1468 performing freight flight CA-627 from Shanghai Pudong (China) to Frankfurt/Main (Germany), was enroute at FL360 about 220nm northeast of Moscow (Russia) when the crew received a low oil pressure indication and decided to divert to Moscow Sheremetyevo (Russia) for a safe landing on runway 24L about 45 minutes later. Russian sources did not specify more specifically what oil pressure indication was triggered, left or right engine (Trent 1000) oil pressure, hydraulic pressure indication or similiar. The aircraft is still on the ground about 4.5 hours after landing. http://avherald.com/h?article=4ded2fa6&opt=0 Incident: Rossiya A319 at Krasnodar or St. Petersburg on Nov 3rd 2020, picked up some ground cable A Rossiya Airbus A319-100, registration VP-BWJ performing flight FV-6314 from Krasnodar to St. Petersburg (Russia) with 123 passengers and 5 crew, departed Krasnodar's runway 05R and completed the seemingly uneventful flight with a safe landing on St. Petersburg's runway 28L. On Nov 5th 2020 Rosaviatsia reported a post flight inspection revealed a earthing cable of 5-6m length entangled in the left main gear's hydraulic lines and brakes, in addition there was damage to the radio altimeter #2 antenna and numerous abrasions on the belly skin of the fuselage. A runway inspection of Pulkovo's runway 28L as well as the taxi route of the aircraft did not reveal any damage and no foreign objects there. The aircraft was withdrawn from service for further inspection and assessment. There are no related NOTAMs for Krasnodar. http://avherald.com/h?article=4decd1cc&opt=0 Accident: Baires SW4 at Mendoza on Nov 5th 2020, runway excursion possibly due to gear collapse on landing A Baires Fly Swearingen SA-226 Metro III, registration LV-VDJ performing a charter flight from San Juan,SJ to Mendoza,MD (Argentina) with 10 people on board, veered right off runway 18 of Mendoza while landing at about 10:15L (13:15Z) and came to a stop with all gear off the runway, the right main gear collapsed. There were no injuries. Argentina's JST reported: "[NOTICE] Fairchild SA227 metro III aircraft accident event matr. LV-VDJ occurred at the Gabrielli FJ International Station (Mendoza) at approx. 13.15hs UTC. Without injuries. JST Cordoba Headquarters intervenes." http://avherald.com/h?article=4deca7c4&opt=0 FedEx Boeing 777 - Oil Leak on Landing (Japan) Date: 06-NOV-2020 Time: c. 12:00 LT Type: Boeing 777-FS2 Owner/operator: FedEx Express Registration: N854FD C/n / msn: 37725/890 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: Minor Location: Osaka/Kansai International Airport (KIX/RJBB) - Japan Phase: Landing Nature: Cargo Departure airport: Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC/PANC), AK, USA Destination airport: Osaka/Kansai International Airport (KIX/RJBB), Japan Narrative: FedEx's flight FDX/FX19 from Anchorage, AK, USA to Osaka/Kansai suffered oil leak while landing on the runway 06R of Kansai. The runway was closed from 12:30 LT to 14:40 LT. The other runway, 06L had been closed for a scheduled maintenance at the time of the incident, however, it was opened for substitution at 13:00 LT. The incident caused 15 delays of commercial flights with 34 minutes in maximum. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/244683 FAA Warns On Aircraft Disinfection Risks Sean Broderick WASHINGTON—The FAA is calling attention to risks that disinfection can have on aircraft interiors, urging operators and maintainers to heed manufacturers’ guidance and take extra steps to protect sensitive equipment, wiring, and other high-risk components. “FAA notes that although the Environmental Protection Agency publishes a list of disinfectants effective at inactivating COVID-19, the majority of the products listed may not be suitable for use on aircraft, except in very limited and localized application,” the agency said in a Nov. 4 airworthiness bulletin. The agency’s bulletin clarifies that aircraft disinfection is not considered as maintenance under FAA regulations. “However, the FAA advises that aircraft owners and operators should approach the disinfection process similarly to any maintenance or repair action for which improper execution may compromise airworthiness,” the bulletin said. Among the agency’s areas of concern: fogging and misting that allows disinfectant to penetrate areas where it could create problems, such as underlying structure or fan-cooled electronics. “Running aircraft ventilation will typically exacerbate this condition,” the bulletin said. The FAA said it recommends electrostatic spraying over fogging, because sprayers offer more directional control. “[Using] either technique with the ventilation system off will reduce the risk of unintended application,” the bulletin said. “Note that airframe manufacturers continue to assess the implications of an operating ventilation system using specific disinfectants and may identify exceptions to this general advice.” The FAA also advises increased inspections for corrosion in any areas where disinfectants are used. Any procedure that creates pools of liquid should be avoided, with the flight deck requiring extra caution. “Liquids can intrude into flight deck switches and seals. Excessive liquid intrusion can lead to electrical shorts in the near term and unexpected corrosion in the long term,” the bulletin said. “FAA emphasizes that owners and operators should follow, and not exceed, the disinfectant manufacturer’s instructions for application of disinfectants identified as appropriate for the aircraft by the aircraft manufacturer.” https://aviationweek.com/mro/safety-ops-regulation/faa-warns-aircraft-disinfection-risks Duncan Aviation and KGB Aviation Solutions Offer New FDR and CVR Service Duncan Aviation and KGB Aviation Solutions are announces that the two companies have teamed up to provide a new data analysis service for Flight Data Recorders (FDRs) and Cockpit Voice Recorders (CVRs). For years, KGB has been manufacturing equipment that downloads data from most FDRs, analyzes it and provides a comprehensive report of the anomalies found. Duncan Aviation has acquired the necessary equipment and will now be using the new, streamlined KGB Aviation Solutions Data Acquisition Retrieval Tool (DART) in order to provide this necessary service to its customers. "We believe that flight data and the integrity of that data is the next significant advancement in business aviation,” said Manager of Satellite Operations Matt Nelson. “Beyond complying with various regulations and requirements from Safety Management Systems, insurance carriers and OEM programs will require that the data from on-board systems have the highest level of integrity." Vice President of KGB Aviation Kevin G. Balys agrees with Nelson’s assessment and adds that the relationship between the two companies benefits operators by providing an efficient method of retrieving recorder data. “Using our state-of-the-art DART to effortlessly transfer the data and provide technical service will leverage the strengths of both campanies,” said Balys. Avionics Team Leader Luke Bozetarnik at Duncan Aviation’s Teterboro, New Jersey, Satellite Shop, has worked with long-time customer Aircraft Maintenance Supervisor Bill Dunne for years, and they’ve used KGB Aviation’s download service for both FDRs and CVRs. “Recently, Luke asked me why I specifically request KGB when my work involves an FDR or CVR, and my three-part answer is simple: Equipment, Answers and Urgency,” says Dunne. “Never have we been unable to procure the required equipment for a download. Whether the interrogation was being performed routinely or for troubleshooting purposes, we were able to accomplish the task on schedule. On the occasions where answers were needed regarding a FDR download, Kevin has shared, without hesitation, his knowledge of how certain manufacturers accomplish individual recording parameters versus the FAA and EASA regulations. Finally, I have never had to wait for results or answers of any kind. I have no idea how KGB manages to process the amount of data that they do and yet maintain such a positive customer experience, but I’m glad they do!” Using the DART, Duncan Aviation will now offer the download and data analysis services to all of its customers at its full-service facilities (Battle Creek, Michigan; Lincoln, Nebraska and Provo, Utah) and most of its 27 Satellite Avionics Shops located throughout the United States. Taking advantage of KGB’s web portal, encrypted data automatically and securely transfers from the DART to KGB Aviation for analysis. Once analyzed, KGB Aviation sends the reports to the Duncan Aviation team to share with customers. Based on the results of the analysis, Duncan Aviation’s technicians are able to help troubleshoot and fix any of the anomalies mentioned in the report. The reports provide insight into the integrity of the FDR and CVR systems’ recording abilities and data is presented in accordance with whatever rules the customer is flying under, such as Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) 91 or 135, Canadian Aviation Regulation (CAR) 625, European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and more. “KGB Aviation’s goals are to convert the data into engineering units, generate a list of recorded parameters for the customers, and provide a report clearly stating if the recording system meets requirements. When I was an FAA inspector, I realized data reviews needed to be organized in accordance with the rules the operator is flying under. Data is then converted into a comprehensive review of the recording system, spelling out deficiencies. We provide guidance on potential causes and remedies for the deficiencies based on our experience with the recorder and airframe,” says Bayls. https://www.aviationpros.com/aircraft/maintenance-providers/mro/press-release/21161582/duncan-aviation-duncan-aviation-and-kgb-aviation-solutions-offer-new-fdr-and-cvr-service Singapore Airlines sinks to record quarterly loss on pandemic, impairments SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore Airlines Ltd SIAL.SI reported on Friday a record S$2.34 billion ($1.74 billion) net loss for the July-September quarter, hit by a plunge in passenger numbers due to the COVID-19 pandemic and impairments charges on older aircraft. The loss compared with a S$94.5 million profit in the same period last year. Revenue tumbled 81% to S$783.8 million. The loss included an impairment charge of S$1.3 billion related to the withdrawal of 26 older aircraft, including seven Airbus SE AIR.PA A380 superjumbos. The airline said the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic was likely to remain patchy, but that it expected a progressive recovery in cargo demand. Singapore Airlines, which lacks a domestic market to cushion it against coronavirus border closures, reported a 98.6% fall in passenger numbers in September, and a 42.3% drop in the amount of cargo carried. It was running just 11% of normal passenger capacity that month. The airline has grounded much of its fleet and cut 4,300 jobs, or around 20% of its staff, as it grapples with the biggest crisis in its history. CIMB analyst Raymond Yap told clients on Oct. 26 that he expected the airline to lose money for the next three financial years, with the International Air Transport Association forecasting it will take until 2024 for passenger demand to recover to 2019 levels. Singapore Airlines had flagged in July the potential for impairments as it was reviewing its A380 fleet. One of its A380s has recently been serving as a restaurant on the ground at Singapore’s main airport, as part of a novel way to connect with loyal customers that miss flying. To help survive the pandemic, the airline said in March it would raise S$5.3 billion in equity and up to S$9.7 billion in convertible bonds in a deal backed by its majority shareholder, state fund Temasek Holdings. The airline said in mid-October it had used S$6.2 billion of the funds to date to repay a bridging loan, refund tickets, service debt, pay for aircraft and fund operating expenses. It still has S$1.9 billion of credit lines and up to S$6.2 billion of convertible bonds available, it said at that time. The company is exploring additional ways of boosting liquidity. “Positive discussions have taken place on aircraft sale-and-leaseback transactions and are well advanced, and opportunities in the debt capital markets are being evaluated,” it said. Its shares have fallen about 45% this year, in line with the decline at Hong Kong-based rival Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd 0293.HK, which also lacks a domestic market. Singapore Airlines shares closed 0.3% higher on Friday, before the results were announced. The airline’s management team will hold a briefing for analysts and media on Monday. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-singapore-air-results/singapore-airlines-sinks-to-record-quarterly-loss-on-pandemic-impairments-idUSKBN27M1CE Emirates Doesn’t Have Many A380 Pilots Left This shouldn’t come as a surprise, but it seems increasingly likely that Emirates won’t be flying a majority of its A380s for quite a while. That has been reaffirmed this week — first the airline terminated over half of its A380 pilots, and now it put even more A380 pilots on unpaid leave, with the possibility of termination at the end of 12 months. In this post: • Emirates is gradually resuming operations • Emirates has few A380 pilots remaining • Emirates has already laid off ~1,400 pilots • Emirates now put A380 pilots on unpaid leave Bottom line Emirates is gradually resuming operations Emirates has historically operated the world’s largest Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 fleets. The Dubai-based airline is the only one in the world that has loved the A380 — after all, it ordered nearly as many A380s as all other airlines combined. Emirates has been hit hard by the current pandemic, as have all airlines. While Emirates has started resuming operations, its current schedule is just a shell of what it once was, given reduced demand and border restrictions. As Emirates has resumed operations, the focus has primarily been on flying 777s, rather than A380s. This doesn’t come as much of a surprise when you consider that the A380 offers way more capacity than is needed right now. Emirates’ A380 fleet is currently 114-strong, and there has been lots of talk about the possibility of Emirates prematurely retiring dozens of A380s. While we still don’t have any confirmation on that front, one thing is for sure — not many A380s will be flying in the next 12 months. Emirates is primarily flying Boeing 777s at the moment Emirates has few A380 pilots remaining The Gulf carriers in general have been tight-lipped about the number of employees that they’ve laid off, put on unpaid leave, etc. This doesn’t come as much of a surprise when you consider that: • The airlines are government owned, and generally aren’t very transparent about a lot of matters • The airlines don’t have unions that can also publish this info • While we know the exact number of employees who have been furloughed at major US airlines, the same isn’t true in the Gulf. Nonetheless I’ve been able to roughly piece together Emirates’ current pilot situation. These are all estimates and I can’t guarantee anything is 100% accurate, but I feel pretty confident about being in the right range. Emirates has already laid off ~1,400 pilots Before the pandemic, Emirates had roughly 4,300 pilots. At this point I’m told that Emirates has roughly 2,900 pilots remaining, meaning 1,400 pilots were laid off. To be clear, those are actual layoffs — the pilots weren’t furloughed, and won’t be recalled if demand recovers. It’s my understanding that they wouldn’t even get preferential treatment if they apply in the future. So, how were those layoffs split between 777 and A380 pilots? For context: Emirates has 114 A380s and 140 777s The planes operate roughly similar missions (ranging from flights of a few hundred miles, to 7,000+ mile flights), so the number of pilots needed per aircraft is roughly equal (this accounts for the fact that long haul flights sometimes have three or four pilots) Therefore you’d expect that under normal circumstances, ~45% of Emirates pilots would be A380 pilots After the above layoffs, Emirates’ pilot composition by fleet is roughly as follows: • ~75% of pilots are on the 777 • ~25% of pilots are on the A380 • The fact that Emirates specifically laid off A380 pilots clearly suggests the airline sees those planes returning to service at a much slower pace. Emirates has disproportionately laid off A380 pilots Emirates now put A380 pilots on unpaid leave While a large percentage of A380 pilots were laid off a few months ago, there’s now more. This week Emirates has put a majority of its remaining A380 pilots on 12 months of unpaid leave. Again, there’s no transparency here, so we don’t know actual numbers. The best estimate I’ve heard is that at this point Emirates has well under 200 A380 pilots left, with a majority of those being UAE nationals (who weren’t subjected to layoffs). For the pilots who have been put on unpaid leave: • Pilots won’t receive any of the typical allowances, with the exception of an educational support allowance (for kids) and a housing allowance, for those who choose to stay in Dubai • Pilots will retain their flight privileges and health coverage • Even at the end of the 12 months, there’s no guarantee of being recalled; the company will do a business review, and then decide whether to put the pilots back into service or terminate them • So, if Emirates has at most 200 A380 pilots remaining (and this is on the high end of the estimates that I’ve heard), how many planes could it fly with that? Very rough math, but I’d assume that each A380 “frame” needs about 18 pilots, based on there previously being 2,000 pilots for 114 A380s That suggests that Emirates will be able to fly at most ~11 A380s in the next 12 months It’s possible pilots could operate a few more planes than that, given that most of Emirates’ A380 routes right now aren’t long haul, so have two pilots rather than four Like I said, this is all very rough math, so don’t quote me on any of these individual numbers. However, the moral of the story is that Emirates has very few A380 pilots at this point, which also suggests that very few A380s will be flying over the next year. Don’t expect to see many A380s flying in the next year Bottom line A while back Emirates terminated a majority of its A380 pilots, which at a minimum suggests that Emirates won’t fly most of its A380 fleet for a while. However, this week the airline has taken it to the next level, putting a majority of its remaining A380 pilots on a 12 month leave, at the end of which the pilots will either be recalled or terminated. While we don’t have any exact numbers, I would estimate that Emirates now only has enough pilots to maybe operate 10-15 A380s. Personally I have a hard time seeing a scenario where Emirates doesn’t prematurely retire some A380s, especially with the airline expected to take delivery of newer (smaller) planes in the coming years. https://onemileatatime.com/emirates-a380-pilots/ Germany approves billion-euro purchase of 38 Eurofighter jets Germany has given the green light to purchase jets worth at least €5.4 billion. The air force said that the new aircraft will be equipped with the latest technology and could be used against targets on the ground. Eurofighter The German parliament's budget committee on Thursday approved a €5.4 billion ($6.35 billion) contract to buy 38 Eurofighter jets from Airbus for the country's air force. The contract is part of the German Defense Ministry's long-term plan to gain at least 93 Eurofighter jets, along with 45 F-18s from Boeing. Decisions on the purchase of the remaining jets are expected after Germany's federal election next year. Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer wants to replace the oldest Eurofighter jets of the German fleet with new jets. The first-generation Eurofighters have been in service since 2004, and over the years presented the air force with "greater challenges." "This important decision strengthens our capabilities in the air force. By replacing Tranche 1, which is obsolete and susceptible to repairs, we are increasing the operational readiness of the Eurofighter fleet and thus our reliability in the [NATO] alliance," said Ingo Gerhartz, inspector general of the German air force. Luftwaffe gets new look Germany's air force said it will now have a "multi-role capable aircraft – which can be used not only against enemy aircraft but also against targets on the ground," adding that the new fighter aircraft will be equipped with the most modern radar technology. The air force added that this would be "a huge technological step forward in digitalization." According to the manufacturer Airbus, the new "Eurofighter Tranche 4" is the best and most modern fighter aircraft that Europe currently has to offer. Germany's ruling grand coalition government as well as the Free Democratic party (FDP), and the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party voted in favor of the billion-dollar purchase. The Left party voted against the deal, and the Greens abstained. https://www.dw.com/en/germany-approves-billion-euro-purchase-of-38-eurofighter-jets/a-55513389 SpaceX launches GPS navigation satellite from Cape Canaveral SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket Thursday from Cape Canaveral with the U.S. Space Force’s newest third-generation Global Positioning System navigation satellite, helping clear the way for the launch of SpaceX’s first operational Crew Dragon astronaut mission later this month. Running more than a month late after a Falcon 9 engine problem grounded the mission, the GPS navigation payload rocketed into a clear autumn sky at 6:24:23 p.m. EST (2324:23 GMT) Thursday. After climbing away from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station with 1.7 million pounds of thrust, the 229-foot-tall (70-meter) Falcon 9 rocket headed northeast from Florida’s Space Coast on a track parallel to the U.S. East Coast. The rocket’s nine Merlin 1D main engines shut down, and the first stage separated around two-and-a-half minutes into the flight. While the single Merlin engine on the upper stage powered the GPS satellite into orbit, the Falcon 9’s reusable first stage booster descended to a pinpoint landing on SpaceX’s football field-sized drone ship floating in the Atlantic Ocean around 400 miles (630 kilometers) downrange from Cape Canaveral. The Falcon 9’s second stage ignited two times to maneuver the U.S. Space Force’s fourth third-generation GPS satellite — designated GPS 3 SV04 — into an egg-shaped transfer orbit ranging in altitude between roughly 250 miles (400 kilometers) and 12,550 miles (20,200 kilometers), with an inclination of 55 degrees to the equator, according to publicly-available tracking data. Those figures confirm the Falcon 9 rocket hit its marks before deploying the Lockheed Martin-built GPS 3 SV04 satellite nearly 90 minutes after liftoff, wrapping up SpaceX’s 20th successful mission of the year. Lockheed Martin confirmed in a statement that ground teams at the company’s satellite control center near Denver established contact with the nearly five-ton GPS spacecraft, which will fire its on-board liquid apogee engine multiple times in the coming days to reach a circular orbit some 12,550 miles above Earth. Ground controllers will send commands for the GPS satellite to deploy its power-generating solar panels and antennas, perform checkouts, then hand over the spacecraft to the military’s Space Operations Command. The GPS 3 SV04 satellite will join 31 operational spacecraft in the GPS fleet providing positioning, navigation and timing data to billions of military and civilian users around the world, supplying information to cell phones, cars, airplanes, and ships. The new satellite will complete its checkout and test program in about a month, and officials expect GPS 3 SV04 to be ready for operational use in a few months, according to the Space Force. “The GPS 3 program continues to make strides in modernizing the GPS constellation for the U.S. Space Force while maintaining the gold standard for position, navigation and timing,” said Col. Edward Byrne, Medium Earth Orbit Space Systems Division chief at the Space Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center. The GPS 3-series satellites are designed for 15-year life spans, an improvement over the seven-and-a-half year and 12-year design lives of previous-generation GPS satellites. “GPS 3 satellites provide a major step forward in both capability and resiliency compared to legacy GPS satellites,” Byrne said. “GPS is a critical enabler for the U.S. military and its allies, and provides worldwide service to over 4 billion civilian users around the globe.” The first of 10 GPS 3-series satellites launched in December 2018, followed by two more GPS 3 spacecraft in August 2019 and on June 30 of this year. Th GPS 3 satellites provide three times better accuracy and up to eight times improved anti-jamming capabilities over early GPS spacecraft, according to Lockheed Martin. The GPS 3 satellites also introduce a new L-band civilian signal that is compatible with other international navigation satellite networks, such as Europe’s Galileo program. Combining signals from GPS, Galileo, and other navigation satellites can improve the precision of space-based position measurements. In September, Space Force officials announced they reached an agreement with SpaceX to launch future GPS 3 satellites on Falcon 9 rockets with previously-flown boosters. The first stage booster flown on Thursday evening’s mission will be refurbished and used again for the launch of the next GPS 3 satellite in mid-2021, officials said. The Space Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center, or SMC, signed an updated contract with SpaceX in September to cover the agreement to fly the next two GPS satellites on reused Falcon 9 boosters. A reused Falcon 9 first stage will also launch the GPS 3 SV06 mission, likely to fly in late 2021 or early 2022. The restructured contracts between the Space Force and SpaceX allowed for the landing of the Falcon 9’s first stage booster after the previous GPS satellite launch June 30. SpaceX also launched the first GPS 3-series satellite in December 2018, but military officials required the launch company to reserve all of the Falcon 9’s propellant for the launch of that spacecraft, leaving no leftover fuel for descent and landing. The Space Force relaxed their requirements for the next SpaceX launch with a GPS satellite earlier this year, adjusting the perigee, or low point, of the target orbit for deployment of the GPS payload to a lower altitude. That ensured the Falcon 9 rocket could land the booster on the June 30 mission, saving the Space Force several million dollars. Factoring in the changes to allow booster recovery on four GPS missions beginning with the June 30 launch, and then rocket reuse on two GPS missions beginning next year, the updated launch contracts between the Space Force and SpaceX resulted in $52.7 million in savings, officials said. The GPS 3 SV05 mission next year will be the first high-priority national security payload to launch on a Falcon 9 rocket with a previously-flown booster stage. Space Force officials will thoroughly review SpaceX’s refurbishment and rocket reuse procedures and policies before clearing the GPS 3 SV05 satellite to launch aboard a recycled booster next year. That will help lay the groundwork for launches of more national security satellites on Falcon rockets with reused first stage boosters. “This is our journey in understanding how SpaceX executes refurbishment of previously-flown hardware,” said Walt Lauderdale, chief of SMC’s Falcon Systems and Operations Division, and the mission director for the GPS 3 SV04 countdown and launch. :We would then compare that to the qualification. It’s learning and then assessing all the work that they do in order to get these boosters ready to fly again.” “So that requires review of a number of different systems and making sure that we’re good across the board with previously-flown hardware, not just this particular booster,” Lauderdale said in a conference call with reporters in September. With the GPS 3 SV04 satellite safely in orbit, SpaceX’s next mission is the launch of the first regular Crew Dragon astronaut flight to the International Space Station, a blastoff scheduled for Nov. 14 from pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA engineers will analyze data from Thursday night’s GPS launch to help ensure the Merlin engines are ready to go on the Falcon 9 rocket assigned to the Crew Dragon launch. SpaceX first tried to launch the GPS 3 SV04 satellite Oct. 2, but an engine problem forced an automatic abort just two seconds prior to liftoff. Engineers investigating the Oct. 2 abort found that two of the nine first stage engines on the rocket had a tendency to ignite a split-second earlier than expected. Inspections showed a blocked relief valve in the gas generators of the two engines caused pressures to rise sooner than designed at startup, and sensors on the engines detected the problem and halted the countdown. SpaceX engineers identified a masking treatment inadvertently left behind in two Merlin engines as the cause of the aborted countdown last month. Inspections revealed the substance blocking a line leading to a pressure relief valve in the gas generator on two of the engines originally slated for the GPS mission. Hans Koenigsmann, SpaceX’s vice president of build and flight reliability, said the vent port, which means just one-sixteenth of an inch wide, was obstructed by a hardened masking lacquer. He said liquid lacquer — similar to red nail polish — is used by a third-party vendor that anodizes aluminum engine components for SpaceX. The lacquer protects certain parts during the anodizing treatment process, but the vendor — which officials did not identify — is supposed remove the material before shipping the components to SpaceX for engine manufacturing. The gas generator on each Merlin engine drives a turbopump feeding kerosene and liquid oxygen propellants into the main combustion chamber. SpaceX replaced the two suspect engines on the Falcon 9’s first stage for the GPS 3 SV04 mission, then performed a test-firing of the rocket Saturday on pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. That gave officials enough confidence to proceed with the GPS launch countdown Thursday. A review of Merlin engines across SpaceX’s rocket fleet found that two of the engines on the Falcon 9 rocket for the Crew Dragon flight were showing similar early startup signatures to the engines on the launcher for the GPS mission. SpaceX said last week it would replace those two engines on the Falcon 9 launcher for the Crew Dragon mission. The engine problem delayed the Crew Dragon launch from Oct. 31 to Nov. 14. Steve Stich, NASA’s commercial crew program manager, said last week that the agency’s engineers wanted to review engine data from the GPS launch before clearing the Crew Dragon for liftoff later this month. https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/11/06/spacex-launches-gps-navigation-satellite-from-cape-canaveral/ 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