Flight Safety Information [November 24, 2020] [No. 237] In This Issue : Incident: China Airlines B744 at Taipei on Nov 6th 2020, burst tyre on landing : Incident: Spicejet DH8D at Patna on Nov 22nd 2020, engine trouble : Incident: Southwest B737 at Sacramento on Nov 21st 2020, bird strikes : Incident: Alaska B737 near Sacramento on Nov 23rd 2020, smoke in cockpit : Beechcraft King Air 200 = Nose Gear Collapse (Switzerland) : Qantas becomes first airline to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations : June crash of F-15C attributed to pilot's spatial disorientation : Nav Canada looking at cutting air traffic controller jobs at 7 towers across Canada : Air Methods agrees to pay $825,000 to settle claims for operating a helicopter with “severely corroded” parts : Alaska Airlines leases 13 Boeing 737 MAX jets after ungrounding : Relativity Space raises $500M to speed up plan to build and launch 3D-printed rockets : RTCA Free Technical Webinar 11/30: Interference Risk on Radar Altimeters from Planned 5G Telecommunication Systems Incident: China Airlines B744 at Taipei on Nov 6th 2020, burst tyre on landing A China Airlines Boeing 747-400 freighter, registration B-18710 performing flight CI-5880 from Manila (Philippines) to Taipei (Taiwan), landed on Taipei's runway 05L when during roll out a loud bang occurred. The aircraft slowed without further incident. The #4 tyre (aft inboard left main tyre) was found blown. The runway was closed for about 50 minutes as result. The airline confirmed the tyre was found punctured, according repairs have been applied to the aircraft, its return to service was also approved by Taiwan's CAA. Taiwan's CAA reported it was found the #4 brake's anti-skid valve failed. Inspection intervals and removal intervals for the valves were shortened. The aircraft returned to service two days later on Nov 8th 2020. http://avherald.com/h?article=4df9ad87&opt=0 Incident: Spicejet DH8D at Patna on Nov 22nd 2020, engine trouble A Spicejet de Havilland Dash 8-400, registration VT-SUR performing flight SG-3723 from Patna to Amritsar (India) with 65 people on board, was climbing out of Patna when the crew decided to return to Patna due to problems with one of the engines (PW150A). The aircraft landed safely back in Patna. The aircraft remained on the ground for about 8 hours, then departed again and reached Amritsar with a delay of 9:20 hours. http://avherald.com/h?article=4df99669&opt=0 Incident: Southwest B737 at Sacramento on Nov 21st 2020, bird strikes A Southwest Boeing 737-700, registration N910WN performing flight WN-2400 from Santa Ana,CA to Sacramento,CA (USA), was on approach to Sacramento's runway 16R when a number of birds collided with the aircraft. The aircraft continued for a safe landing. The FAA reported: "AIRCRAFT STRUCK SEVERAL BIRDS DAMAGING ENGINE COWL, SACRAMENTO, CA." The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Sacramento 37 hours after landing. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/SWA2400/history/20201122/0120Z/KSNA/KSMF http://avherald.com/h?article=4df99eb2&opt=0 Incident: Alaska B737 near Sacramento on Nov 23rd 2020, smoke in cockpit An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-700, registration N615AS performing flight AS-1433 from Las Vegas,NV to Seattle,WA (USA), was enroute at FL400 about 120nm eastnortheast of Sacramento,CA (USA) when the crew decided to divert to Sacramento reporting smoke in the cockpit. The aircraft landed safely on Sacramento's runway 16L about 25 minutes later. The remainder of the flight was cancelled. The aircraft is still on the ground in Sacramento about 10 hours after landing. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/ASA1433/history/20201123/2305Z/KLAS/KSEA http://avherald.com/h?article=4dfa3311&opt=0 Beechcraft King Air 200 = Nose Gear Collapse (Switzerland) Date: 23-NOV-2020 Time: 14:30 Type: Beechcraft 200 King Air Owner/operator: Air-Glaciers Registration: HB-GJM C/n / msn: BB-255 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: Minor Location: Sion Airport - Switzerland Phase: Landing Nature: Private Departure airport: Sion Airport (SIR/LSGS) Destination airport: Saint Tropez-La Môle Airport (LTT/LFTZ) Narrative: During the flight, the pilots noticed that there was a technical problem with the landing gear. They returned to Sion Airport. Upon landing, the nose landing gear collapsed. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=245130 Qantas becomes first airline to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations The airline says that once vaccines are widely available, it will require international travelers to prove they’ve been vaccinated before flying. https://www.yahoo.com/gma/qantas-becomes-first-airline-mandate-193039757.html June crash of F-15C attributed to pilot's spatial disorientation Nov. 23 (UPI) -- Spatial disorientation of the pilot was responsible for the June crash of an F-15C plane in England, a report on Monday by U.S. Air Forces in Europe said. The tactical fighter plane crashed into the North Sea during a training exercise, near the Royal Air Force Lakenheath base, killing the pilot, 1st Lt. Kenneth Allen, and destroying the fighter plane assigned to the 493rd Fighter Squadron. Rescue teams quickly pulled Allen's body from the water. "The cause of the mishap was the pilot's fixation on the intercept of the simulated adversary aircraft and failure to execute cockpit instrument visual scans when the pilot encountered Instrument Meteorological Conditions," the USAFE Accident Investigation Board said in its report, released on Monday. "The inability of the pilot to accurately sense the pitch attitude of the aircraft due to spatial disorientation significantly contributed to the pilot's undesirable low pitch attitude, rapidly descending altitude, and the resulting mishap," the report added. It also cited reduced visibility and the pilot's inability to identify a discernible horizon. "The loss of an airman is never easy, and this aircraft accident was no exception," said Col. Jason Camilletti, commander of the 48th Fighter Wing. "Our Liberty Wing community, especially the Reapers of the 493rd Fighter Squadron, was truly touched by the tremendous outpouring of support from families, friends and partners around the globe in our time of grieving," Camilletti said. Acknowledging travel restrictions because of the COVID-19 pandemic, USAFE participated in live streaming Allen's funeral in Utah on social media. https://www.upi.com/Defense-News/2020/11/23/June-crash-of-F-15C-attributed-to-pilots-spatial-disorientation/6651606151680/ Nav Canada looking at cutting air traffic controller jobs at 7 towers across Canada 'It would degrade the level of safety,' says president of Air North airline NAV Canada, hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, is considering cutting air traffic controller jobs at seven towers across Canada in an effort to save money as the global health crisis continues to drag down air traffic. But some aviation experts and airlines warn that reducing the number of people who control air traffic and ensure aircraft keep their distance in the sky and on the ground would amount to removing a layer of protection. "It would degrade the level of safety at Whitehorse," said Joe Sparling, president of Whitehorse-based airline Air North. "We would encourage Nav Canada to look for other cost reduction measures." CBC News obtained an internal memo from Nav Canada president and CEO Neil Wilson informing staff that the not-for-profit company — which operates Canada's civil air navigation system — is conducting studies of air traffic control towers in Whitehorse, Regina, Fort McMurray in Alberta, Prince George in B.C., and Sault Ste. Marie and Windsor in Ontario which "will result in workforce adjustments." The company also is looking into closing a control tower in St. Jean, Quebec. These locations were identified as having low-air traffic levels, even prior to the pandemic, the memo said. "We are working closely with our bargaining agents to safely streamline our operations in an ongoing effort to align with traffic levels," wrote Wilson on Nov. 14, adding his commitment to safety is unwavering. Nav Canada manages millions of kilometres of airspace over Canada and used to provide air navigation services for more than 3 million flights a year. It's funded through service fees paid by air carriers. COVID-19 has dramatically decreased the number of flights across the country since March. In September, there was a 63 per cent drop in air traffic compared to the same month in 2019, according to Nav Canada numbers. In response, the company announced in September it was cutting more than 720 jobs, or 14 per cent of its workforce. The CEO also warned more layoffs remain possible. NAV Canada is dealing with an unprecedented drop in air traffic due to COVID-19 and is looking at cutting air traffic controllers at towers across Canada. (Canadian Press) Transitioning to flight service stations Nav Canada is studying the possibility of closing the St. Jean tower in Quebec. The company is also looking into transitioning the other six towers to "Flight Service Stations," which would involve cutting air traffic controller jobs. Flight service specialists — who cost less to employ than air traffic controllers — would replace those workers. They do not have the power to control air traffic and keep planes separated while in flight or on the ground. Instead, they provide advisory services and information about weather, runway conditions and air traffic, leaving it up to pilots to keep a safe distance from other planes. Sparling said Whitehorse doesn't have radar, so the tower can't see air traffic on its screens. He said cutting the number of air traffic controllers from the airport could affect pilots by making it harder for them to keep track of everything in the air. "It removes the level of safety afforded to air operators," he said. "During peak season, during heavy traffic periods, it is a safer environment if you're in a tower environment ... "The worst instance would be a collision or something like that." Review by Nav Canada puts Windsor International Airport control tower at risk for shut down Nav Canada looking to cut costs at its Whitehorse airport operations The president of Air North warns against cutting the level of service at the air traffic control tower in Whitehorse. Mid-air collision in 1999 David McNair, a former aviation safety investigator with the Transportation Safety Board, said airports "with air traffic controllers tend to have a safer management of traffic." He pointed to a fatal mid-air collision over Penticton, B.C. in 1999 that killed five people and involved flight service specialists. One plane had just taken off from the airport when it collided with a descending plane. One aircraft smashed into the parking lot of the Okanagan University College, the other into the yard of a business. The crash raised concerns about the lack of air traffic controllers at the airport at the time — positions that were eliminated years earlier in a cost-cutting move by Transport Canada, according to a CBC report in 1999. "Likely, neither pilot was aware of where the other aircraft was or what exactly it would be doing," said McNair. "A tower controller would have controlled as required to provide separation." Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens also raised concerns last week about the impact on Windsor's airport, arguing that removing "Nav Canada controllers at YQG will really cut us off at the knees ... it will have a detrimental impact." City officials plan to fight the move by arguing it could cause delays and operational challenges. 'Safety is always our number on priority,' said Nav Canada In a statement, Nav Canada said that its studies are "rigorous" and follow a process set by Transport Canada that includes public consultation. "Safety is always our number one priority — and we would never do anything to jeopardize that," said Nav Canada spokesperson Rebecca Hickey in a statement to CBC News. "When making decisions, we always take a long-term view to preserve the sustainability of the company and the integrity of the air navigation system of behalf of all Canadians." Transport Minister Marc Garneau's office said that before Nav Canada moves forward with any staff reductions or terminations, it must ensure it will maintain "rigorous aviation safety standards." "Transport Canada will work closely with Nav Canada to ensure the safety of air transportation in Canada," said department spokesperson Amy Butcher in a statement to CBC News. Under Canadian aviation regulations, Garneau also has the power to direct Nav Canada to maintain levels of service if he believes there is an unacceptable risk to aviation safety. https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/nav-canada-studying-cutting-air-traffic-controller-jobs-covid-19-1.5813372 Air Methods agrees to pay $825,000 to settle claims for operating a helicopter with “severely corroded” parts United States Attorney Jason R. Dunn announced that Air Methods Corporation has agreed to pay $825,000 to settle a civil case alleging that the company violated Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations by operating an emergency-services helicopter with severely corroded pitot tubes. Pitot tubes are components of the pressure measurement system used to determine airspeed. If a pitot tube is not functioning properly, it can cause the airspeed reflected on a helicopter’s instruments to vary significantly from the actual airspeed, cause the helicopter’s auto-pilot to disengage, and present serious safety concerns. Air Methods, headquartered in Greenwood Village, Colorado, is the largest air medical transport services provider in the U.S. Air Methods provides emergency transportation to trauma victims, and other patients requiring urgent transfers between medical facilities on its fleet of more than 450 helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. Air Methods’ aviation operations are regulated by the FAA, which, as part of its mission to ensure safety, routinely inspects aircraft within its jurisdiction. The United States contends that on November 4, 2014, an FAA Aviation Safety Inspector inspected an Air Methods helicopter in Tampa, Florida. During that inspection, the safety inspector noticed that the helicopter’s pitot tubes were severely corroded and crumbling to the touch. The inspector informed Air Methods and took photographs to document the corrosion. When Air Methods showed the photographs to the manufacturer of the helicopter, an employee of the manufacturer responded that the parts were “obviously” outside the scope of what would be considered serviceable to keep a pitot tube in service and recommended replacing the part(s) “as soon as possible.” Internally, Air Methods’ employees agreed that severely corroded pitot tubes “are way beyond acceptable” and “indicative that our crews are not paying attention.” Even so, Air Methods continued to operate the helicopter with severely corroded pitot tubes for several more days before replacing the parts. On November 4, 2019, the United States filed a civil action, United States v. Air Methods Corp., 19-cv-03130-RM-NRN (D. Colo.), seeking to recover civil penalties from Air Methods. The United States contended that, by operating an air-ambulance helicopter with severely corroded pitot tubes, Air Methods violated FAA “airworthiness” regulations, which require aircraft to be in a condition for safe operation. Air Methods has now agreed to pay $825,000 to settle the lawsuit. “When an FAA safety inspector informs an air-ambulance company about a potential safety issue, the company needs to address it immediately,” said U.S. Attorney Jason Dunn. “The consequences of not working cooperatively with the FAA to minimize safety risks can be disastrous for the crew and for those being transported while seriously ill or injured. This settlement reflects how seriously we take any regulatory violations that could create such unnecessary risks.” The claims against Air Methods are allegations, and in agreeing to settle this matter, Air Methods did not admit to any liability. This case was being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ian Kellogg and Andrea Wang in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado. https://verticalmag.com/press-releases/air-ambulance-company-agrees-to-pay-825000-to-settle-claims-for-operating-a-helicopter-with-severely-corroded-parts/ Alaska Airlines leases 13 Boeing 737 MAX jets after ungrounding (Reuters) - Alaska Air Group Inc said on Monday it would lease 13 new Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes from aircraft lessor Air Lease Corp, handing its traditional jet supplier a boost less than a week after Boeing won U.S. approval to fly the MAX again. Alaska also disclosed plans to sell 10 Airbus A320s to Air Lease, reducing its reliance on European jets inherited from a takeover of Virgin America and moving back towards being a carrier that labeled its jets "Proudly All Boeing". (prn.to/3m3XYxS) The deal is seen as Boeing’s opening shot together with an influential lessor in a campaign to rehabilitate the 737 MAX, which was grounded for 20 months following two fatal accidents. The U.S. planemaker is trying to secure eye-catching deals with other major carriers to sell the 737 MAX at heavily discounted prices to help rebuild what was once its fastest-selling product, industry sources said. Boeing has identified Alaska Air as one of the candidates to buy the 737 MAX jet along with Southwest Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Ryanair, the sources said. In an interview with the Financial Times on Sunday, Delta Air Lines’ Chief Executive Officer Ed Bastian hinted at the possibility of purchasing 737 MAX planes. Delta currently does not have the aircraft in its fleet. Alaska Air, which is based in Boeing’s main commercial factory city of Seattle, said it expects deliveries of the 13 737 MAX jets to start from the fourth quarter of 2021 and continue through 2022. The company’s 13 leased 737 MAX aircraft will be in addition to the 32 737 MAX jets it currently has on order with Boeing, Alaska Air said, adding that it expects to be flying five 737 MAX planes by summer of 2021. Reuters in October reported that Boeing was in discussions to sell 737 MAX jets to Alaska Air. (reut.rs/3pSKcAg) https://www.reuters.com/article/us-alaska-air-group-737max/alaska-airlines-leases-13-boeing-737-max-jets-after-ungrounding-idUSKBN2832B1 Relativity Space raises $500M to speed up plan to build and launch 3D-printed rockets Relativity Space says it’s brought in another $500 million in investment to speed up its effort to build entire orbital-class rockets using 3D printing. The startup — which was founded in Seattle less than five years ago and is now headquartered in Long Beach, Calif. — has attracted more than $685 million from investors so far, and is said to have a total valuation in excess of $2 billion. That rise to unicorn status has sparked comparisons to another California-based space venture, SpaceX, even though Relativity has yet to launch a rocket. In a news release, Relativity Space CEO Tim Ellis said his company is on track to execute the first launch of its Terran 1 rocket from Florida next year, thanks to existing capital on its balance sheet. “With this new Series D funding, we will now dramatically accelerate the development of our long-term plans and look beyond first launch,” said Ellis, who co-founded Relativity Space after working for Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture in Kent, Wash. The Series D round was led by Tiger Global Management — with several new investors participating in the round, including Fidelity Management & Research Co., Baillie Gifford, ICONIQ Capital, General Catalyst, XN, Senator Investment Group and Elad Gil. Zillow co-founder Spencer Rascoff added to his existing investment in Relativity. Other returning investors include BOND, Tribe Capital, K5 Global, 3L, Playground Global, Mark Cuban and Allen & Co. Relativity’s key innovation is to use giant, custom-designed 3D printers for the manufacture of large-scale rocket components. Most rocket companies — including Blue Origin and SpaceX as well as Rocket Lab and Virgin Orbit — use 3D printing for aspects of their manufacturing process, but Relativity has gone all in on additive manufacturing. The goal is to go from raw materials to a launch-ready rocket in less than 60 days, and send up to 2,755 pounds (1,250 kilograms) of payload into low Earth orbit for a price as low as $12 million. “The compounding rate of improvement and iteration possible through our disruptive approach will be unlike anything seen before,” Ellis said. “If we are going to live on Mars, it is inevitable that this factory of the future must exist to build humanity’s industrial base once there.” Relativity Space says it now employs more than 230 people, including some high-profile hires from SpaceX. The fresh investment caps a year in which Relativity made a deal with the U.S. Air Force for a launch facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, with the Iridium satellite telecommunications company among its anchor customers. The company is also readying a launch complex at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, and proceeding with engine tests at NASA’s Stennis Space Center. Last year, Seattle-based Spaceflight Inc. signed a launch services agreement with Relativity to put rideshare payloads on the Terran 1 rocket. And last month, Relativity Space announced that it’ll team up with Lockheed Martin on a NASA-funded project aimed at demonstrating in-orbit rocket refueling. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/relativity-space-raises-500m-speed-223342047.html RTCA Free Technical Webinar 11/30: Interference Risk on Radar Altimeters from Planned 5G Telecommunication Systems Join RTCA and leaders of Special Committee 239 (SC-239) for a discussion on the planned 5G telecommunications system implementation that could interfere with radar altimeters. The session will address potential risks to commercial transport airlines; business, regional, and general aviation airplanes; and both transport and general aviation helicopters. The presentation includes an overview SC-239’s new white paper: Assessment of C-Band Mobile Telecommunications Interference Impact on Low Range Radar Altimeter Operations that was written to address the potential consequences of interference events. The panel will address your questions and concerns in an interactive Q&A session. Panelists include committee co-chairs Jean-Luc Robin of Airbus and Seth Frick of Honeywell and secretary Dr. Sai Kalyanaraman of Collins Aerospace. REGISTER Curt Lewis