Flight Safety Information - February 10, 2021 No. 030 In This Issue : Incident: LATAM Brasil B773 at Sao Paulo on Feb 7th 2021, damaged tyre on landing : Incident: Indigo A20N near Kolkata on Feb 9th 2021, engine trouble : Incident: Envoy E145 at Columbia on Feb 9th 2021, could not retract landing gear : Incident: Rusline CRJ2 at Mineralnye Vody on Feb 9th 2021, could not retract gear : Antonov An-12BK - Gear Collapse (Russia) : Cessna 402B - Fatal Accident (Paraguay) : Pilot in Kobe crash violated flying rules -NTSB : Indonesian authorities to brief relatives before releasing Sriwijaya Air crash preliminary report : Florida Tech’s Aviation Safety Master’s Degree Earns ‘Graduate Safety Practitioner’ Status : UPS ‘Futureproofs’ Airbus A300s with Primus Epic : Why The MD-11 Was More Successful As A Cargo Aircraft : Boeing kicks off new year with 26 jet deliveries, four orders : Supersonic jet company Aerion partners with NASA on high-speed point-to-point travel : NASA taps SpaceX to bring its Gateway station to the Moon : VISTAIR - Deliver Operational Intelligence with DocuNet Forms : 2021 Aircraft Cabin Air Conference Incident: LATAM Brasil B773 at Sao Paulo on Feb 7th 2021, damaged tyre on landing A LATAM Brasil Boeing 777-300, registration PT-MUE performing flight JJ-4781 from Manaus,AM to Sao Paulo Guarulhos,SP (Brazil), landed on Guarulhos' runway 09R but damaged the right hand outboard forward main tyre, which lost its tread, during roll out. The aircraft rolled out without further incident and was towed to the apron. A passenger reported in the roll out there was a bang, maybe something hit the underside of the fuselage. The captain subsequently announced they had burst a tyre and they would be towed to the apron. http://avherald.com/h?article=4e2cc9a6&opt=0 Incident: Indigo A20N near Kolkata on Feb 9th 2021, engine trouble An Indigo Airbus A320-200N, registration VT-ISD performing flight 6E-291 from Guwahati to Bangalore (India) with about 100 people on board, was enroute at FL320 about 150nm northnorthwest of Kolkata (India) in Bangladesh's Airspace when the crew reported engine trouble, began to drift down and set course to divert to Kolkata. The aircraft landed safely on Kolkata's runway 01R about 45 minutes after leaving FL320. A replacement A320-200N registration VT-IZN reached Bangalore with a delay of about 2 hours. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Kolkata about 12 hours after landing. http://avherald.com/h?article=4e2cc701&opt=0 Incident: Envoy E145 at Columbia on Feb 9th 2021, could not retract landing gear An Envoy Embraer ERJ-145, registration N900AE performing flight AA-3950 from Columbia,MO to Dallas Ft. Worth,TX (USA) with 47 people on board, was climbing out of Columbia's runway 02 when the crew stopped the climb at 5000 feet due to issues with the landing gear. The crew subsequently stated the landing gear didn't want to come up and they were looking into their options and checked wether of airports around. The crew decided to divert to Springfield,MO and declared emergency requesting to maintain 5000 feet to Springfield. The aircraft landed overweight but safely on Springfield's runway 02 about 45 minutes after departure. A replacement ERJ-145 registration N611AE reached Dallas with a delay of 3 hours. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/ENY3950/history/20210209/1320Z/KCOU/KDFW http://avherald.com/h?article=4e2cc512&opt=0 Incident: Rusline CRJ2 at Mineralnye Vody on Feb 9th 2021, could not retract gear A Rusline Canadair CRJ-200, registration VQ-BFB performing flight 7R-970 from Mineralnye Vody to Pskov (Russia) with 39 passengers and 3 crew, was climbing out of Mineralnye Vody when the crew stopped the climb at 8000 feet due to being unable to retract the landing gear. The aircraft entered a hold to burn off fuel and returned to Mineralnye Vody for a safe landing about 40 minutes after departure. http://avherald.com/h?article=4e2ca87c&opt=0 Antonov An-12BK - Gear Collapse (Russia) Date: Tuesday 9 February 2021 Time: 03:35 Type: Antonov An-12BK Operator: Russian Air Force Registration: RF-95416 C/n / msn: 8346102 First flight: 1968 Crew: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: Total: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: Aircraft damage: Substantial Location: Iturup Airport (ITU) ( Russia) Phase: Landing (LDG) Nature: Military Departure airport: Khabarovsk-Novy Airport (KHV/UHHH), Russia Destination airport: Burevestnik Airport (BVV/UHSB), Russia Narrative: While landing in a snow storm, a Russian Air Force Antonov An-12 sustained a collapsed left main landing gear and nose gear. The airplane sustained substantial damage. https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20210209-0 Cessna 402B - Fatal Accident (Paraguay) Date: 09-FEB-2021 Time: 14:30 Type: Cessna 402B Owner/operator: Fuerza Aérea Paraguaya Registration: 0221 C/n / msn: 402B-1360 Fatalities: Fatalities: 7 / Occupants: 8 Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: near Int. Airport Silvio Pettirossi (ASU/SGAS), Luque, Central Dep. - Paraguay Phase: Landing Nature: Military Departure airport: Olimpo Airport (OLK/SGOL) Destination airport: Asunción-Silvio Pettirossi International Airport (ASU/SGAS) Narrative: A Cessna 402B of the Fuerza Aérea Paraguaya has crashed while landing near International Airport Silvio Pettirossi (ASU/SGAS), Luque, near Asunción, Central Department. Seven occupants were killied, one was seriously injured and the aircraft was destroyed by fire. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=247650 Pilot in Kobe crash violated flying rules -NTSB Pilot Ara Zobayan told air traffic controllers that his helicopter was climbing out of heavy clouds when in fact it was descending immediately before slamming into a hillside near the town of Calabasas, the agency said in June. Zobayan's actions have been in focus in the investigation into the crash of the Sikorsky S-76B helicopter outside Los Angeles into hilly terrain. NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt said the pilot was "flying under visual flight orders or VFR which legally prohibited him from penetrating the clouds" but he continued into clouds. The board was meeting to vote on the probable cause of the crash.The board "will discuss whether the pilot faced pressure to complete the flight," said Sumwalt, and asked "What were the expectations of the pilot under the company policy? Did he put pressure on himself and what actions could he have taken to avoid flying into the clouds?" .Bryant, 41, an 18-time National Basketball Association all-star with the Los Angeles Lakers, was traveling with his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, two other girls and several friends to a youth basketball tournament at the time of the crash. All, along with Zobayan, perished in the tragedy. https://www.yahoo.com/news/pilot-kobe-crash-violated-flying-175105363.html Indonesian authorities to brief relatives before releasing Sriwijaya Air crash preliminary report JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia’s air accident investigator will brief relatives of the 62 victims of last month’s Sriwijaya Air crash in Jakarta on Wednesday morning ahead of the release of a preliminary report in the afternoon, a family member told Reuters. The briefing follows one held for families on Tuesday in Pontianak, the doomed flight’s destination, and comes as divers search for the missing memory unit from the plane’s cockpit voice recorder. The 26-year-old Boeing Co 737-500 jet crashed into the Java Sea shortly after take-off from Jakarta, marking Indonesia’s third major airline crash in just over six years and shining a spotlight on the country’s poor air safety record. Rafik Alaydrus, whose wife died in the crash, said investigators on Tuesday told family members that the cause had not been determined but that various factors, including the plane’s autothrottle system, were being investigated. “For family of victims, we do not understand about technical issues,” he said. “We responded this incident had happened and the victims should get their right compensation.” Investigators quickly located and read the plane’s flight data recorder (FDR) and sent parts of the plane, including the autothrottle system that controls engine power automatically, to the United States and Britain for examination. Citing sources close to the investigation, the Wall Street Journal last month reported the FDR data showed the autothrottle system was not operating properly on one of the plane’s engines as it left Jakarta. Instead of shutting off the system, the FDR indicated the pilots tried to get the stuck throttle to function, the WSJ said. That could create significant differences in power between engines, making the jet harder to control. National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) Chief Soerjanto Tjahjono last week said that the WSJ report was incorrect and that more information would be provided in KNKT’s preliminary report. Safety experts say most air accidents are caused by a combination of factors that can take months to establish. Under international standards, the final report is due within a year of the crash. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-indonesia-crash-idUSKBN2AA07H Florida Tech’s Aviation Safety Master’s Degree Earns ‘Graduate Safety Practitioner’ Status Graduates of Online Program Can Now Seek Prestigious GSP Designation MELBOURNE, FLA. —Florida Tech’s Online Master of Science in Aviation, Aviation Safety degree program has been approved as a Graduate Safety Practitioner (GSP) Qualified Academic Program after a review by the Board of Certified Safety Professionals. The approval means graduates may now apply to the Board for the GSP designation. “We welcome Florida Institute of Technology’s exceptional safety program and those who graduate from it,” said Christy Uden, CAE, IOM, interim CEO of the Board of Certified Safety Professionals. “Those who graduate from GSP Qualified Academic Programs have a strong foundation of knowledge that deserves recognition, and BCSP looks forward to supporting them in the development of their careers.” Debbie Carstens, graduate program chair and professor, aviation human factors, said the designation adds even more value to the program for Florida Tech students. “The GSP puts students on the fast track to becoming a Certified Safety Professional (CSP), which is recognized as being the gold standard in professional safety certification.” The GSP meets the credential requirement for the Certified Safety Professional certification, allowing those who hold the designation to waive the Associate Safety Professional (ASP) certification examination. It demonstrates accomplishment and commitment to professional development. To receive the GSP Qualified Academic Program designation, Florida Tech’s program was reviewed by BCSP and demonstrated a substantial match to the ASP exam blueprint. Any person having graduated from Florida Tech with a Master of Science in Aviation, Aviation Safety may apply for the GSP designation within the program’s applicable dates as it appears on the QAP list. Learn more about Aviation Safety program here and find additional details on the GSP at www.bcsp.org/gsp. ### About The Board of Certified Safety Professionals BCSP, headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, is a not-for-profit corporation recognized as a leader in high-quality, accredited credentialing for safety, health, and environmental (SH&E) practitioners. BCSP establishes standards and certifies competency criteria in professional safety practice. Since 1969, over 100,000 of BCSP’s CSP, SMS, ASP, OHST, CHST, STS, STSC, or CIT certifications have been achieved. Florida Institute of Technology Florida Tech was founded in 1958 at the dawn of the Space Race that would soon define the Atlantic coast of Florida and captivate the nation. Now the premier private technological university in the Southeast, Florida Tech is a Tier 1 Best National University in U.S. News & World Report and one of just nine schools in Florida lauded by the Fiske Guide to Colleges. Florida Tech is ranked among the top 5 percent of 20,000 degree-granting institutions worldwide in the 2020-21 World University Rankings and has been named a Top College and Best Value University for 2019 by Forbes. Florida Tech offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in aeronautics and aviation, engineering, computing and cybersecurity, business, science and mathematics, psychology, education and communication. Learn more about our relentless pursuit of greatness at www.fit.edu. UPS ‘Futureproofs’ Airbus A300s with Primus Epic UPS expects to extend the service life on its Airbus A300s by at least another 20 years with a project to upgrade their cockpits with Honeywell Primus Epic avionics. Speaking with reporters on a videoconference Monday, UPS Aircraft Maintenance director of engineering Ed Walton said the upgrade to UPS’s 52 A300s will also allow for further operational flexibility, giving pilots more ready access to airports, for example. “That’s the real challenge with the growing databases,” explained Walton. “As the airports continue creating more departures and arrivals [and] your database doesn’t include [them], you get pretty much kicked out the queue and you have to hold until the airport has time to deal with you. So by doing this, we future-proofed this airplane.” Honeywell calls the “really serious upgrade” to the cockpits a first-of-its-kind endeavor for the A300s, all of which UPS took new from Airbus from between 2000 and 2006. “We did know when we purchased them that they had an older-generation flight deck that we would have to address at some point,” explained Walton. “So we began looking at different options really around 2010 and in 2017 we really kicked the project off in earnest.” Walton said a desire to address any obsolescence issue until at least 2035 drove the decision to pursue a project of such size. Airbus received EASA approval to perform the upgrades toward the end of last year and since then the team received FAA approval, he added. Walton further explained that the limitations of the A300’s flight management computer (FMC) perhaps most influenced the decision to launch the project. “[The FMC] only had about 200 kilobytes of storage capacity, and that worked ok for the first decade,” said Walton. “Even though we only fly the airplane in North America, we were pretty much having to be very stingy with the navigation database that we put into the airplane [and] had to eliminate a lot of airports. Eventually, we had to start splitting the country up into different segments. And so an airplane that would fly, let's say from Newark to Louisville, would pretty much need to go back to the Northeast to be able to fly with the same database. If we needed that airplane to go to Denver, then there's a 45-minute upload to another database.” Another benefit of the new system centers on safety and situational awareness for pilots through the addition of vertical guidance, for example. The new system also features predictive wind shear—what Walton called a big enhancement—and TCAS integrated into the displays. “This really brings us into the modern realm in terms of what pilots expect on a new-type aircraft,” noted Walton. The new system also uses a central maintenance computer, allowing for the download of status in flight and allowing mechanics the ability to react more quickly. UPS has entered final negotiations with two MROs, which Walton wouldn’t name until the contracts get signed, to perform the upgrades. Plans call for work at the first MRO to start in May and the second in June, he added, in time to complete all 52 airplanes by UPS’s peak season near the end of 2022. Walton said he expects roughly a three-week downtime to perform the modification on each airplane. “We've just been through this similar modification on our 757s, and we're completing a similar modification of our 767s,” he added. “So that will be done by May. So it's a process we're very familiar with and we're very comfortable we'll hit our timelines.” https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/air-transport/2021-02-08/ups-futureproofs-airbus-a300s-primus-epic Why The MD-11 Was More Successful As A Cargo Aircraft The trijet McDonnell Douglas MD-11 took its maiden flight a little over 31 years ago. However, the aircraft is only active with four airlines these days – all of them cargo operators. Despite once being flown by passenger airlines around the world such as Finnair, KLM, Japan Airlines, and VARIG, the jet no longer takes on a passenger role. So why was the MD-11 more successful as a cargo aircraft? The MD-11 was never that popular The MD-11 program was officially launched at the end of 1986. Its release was met with orders from 12 customers for a total of 52 units, according to the Los Angeles Times. In total, however, just 200 would end up being built during a production period that would last just over 10 years. Its slightly smaller predecessor, the DC-10, at least notched nearly 450 deliveries, while even the relatively unpopular Airbus A340 was able to achieve 375 deliveries over its nine years of production. However, data from Planespotters.net indicates that about 107 MD-11s are listed as active. What’s more, global shipping company UPS announced last year it was acquiring more of the type. For an aircraft that ended production two decades ago, that’s quite impressive. Efficiency doesn’t matter While the aircraft’s three engines make it less efficient and more fuel-hungry, this is a much smaller concern for cargo operators. That’s because cargo aircraft tend to fly less frequently than passenger aircraft do, meaning that differences in efficiency don’t accumulate and compound in the same way as aircraft in passenger service. This is why you’ll see cargo airlines operate older Boeing 747s, 767s, 757s, Airbus A300s, and of course, MD-11s. But fuel efficiency (or lack thereof) is just one thing to consider. The other big factor is maintenance. In general, cargo airlines can pursue older jets because their aircraft will tend to fly less frequently for longer distances. This equates to fewer pressurization cycles and lowers some maintenance requirements. So we’ve explained some of the general factors that make some very old jets useful for freight service. What is it about the MD-11 specifically that has made it successful as a cargo jet? High capacity, low acquisition cost Perhaps the two biggest reasons that the MD-11 is doing well as a cargo jet (especially in 2020 and 2021) is its low-cost of acquisition combined with its high capacity. As CAPA noted last April, “extending the leases on its elderly MD-11Fs would be a lower-cost way for Lufthansa Cargo to maintain freighter capacity than replacing them with more modern aircraft.” When compared to a 777F, the MD-11 would only be able to carry 81% of the load capacity (534 vs. 653 cubic meters). However, the latter would also end up being cheaper and more readily available when compared to the newer 777F. Although more efficient in the long run, converting a passenger 777 into a cargo version would take time and ultimately cost more than an MD-11. That makes the latter a more attractive option for the time being. This is especially true right now when belly hold capacity is low with passenger flights down significantly. Freight companies have a limited window of time to capitalize on the demand for cargo aircraft, and the old MD-11 helps them achieve this. https://simpleflying.com/md-11-cargo-aircraft-success/ Boeing kicks off new year with 26 jet deliveries, four orders (Reuters) - Boeing delivered 26 aircraft in January, boosted by the clearing of the 737 MAX jet to fly again after a 20-month ban as it also won four new orders for its 747-8 freighters. MAX deliveries are seen as central to Boeing's financial recovery in 2021 after a sharp slump in demand for its bigger, more profitable wide-body jets due to the coronavirus crisis added to the company's woes last year. Boeing, which books revenue after actual deliveries, said it handed over 21 737 MAX jets last month, along with one P8 military plane and four wide-body aircraft other than the 787 Dreamliner that had no deliveries for the third straight month. The overall figure compared to 39 aircraft in December and was double the 13 planes delivered in January of last year, as Boeing struggled with the MAX's grounding. In January two years ago, the company delivered 46 planes. Following January's deliveries, Boeing is now estimated to have a total of about 400 737 MAX jets in storage, down from about 450 at the end of November, when the U.S. regulator gave a green light to start the jet's shipments. The four gross orders for the 747-8 freighters from Atlas Air had already been announced. January orders net of cancellations and conversions, however, stood at negative two, as customers scrapped two orders for 737 MAX jets, three orders for 747-8 aircraft and one order for 787-8 Dreamliner. A business jet customer and Czech airline Smartwings canceled one order each for the 737 MAX, while three orders for 747-8 freighters were scratched by Russian carrier Volga-Dnepr and one 787-8 Dreamliner order was canceled by Jordan's Royal Jordanian, the company said. Boeing removed from its backlog another 11 737 MAX jets seen as unlikely to be filled when stricter accounting standards are applied. When adjusted for the accounting standard, that made January net orders negative 13. European rival Airbus SE reported deliveries of 21 aircraft in January with no orders or cancellations. (Corrects to say order cancellations were for three 747-8 aircraft and one 787-8 Dreamliner, not four 747-8 aircraft, in paragraph 7; Also, corrects paragraph 8 to say Royal Jordanian canceled one order for 787-8 jet, not 747-8) https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/boeing-kicks-off-26-jet-160509384.html Supersonic jet company Aerion partners with NASA on high-speed point-to-point travel Aerion has been working on ushering in a new era of commercial supersonic flight for nearly a decade now, and the company just revealed that it has signed a new partnership with NASA to put that experience to use in the pursuit of supersonic point-to-point travel -- the technical name for putting to use the kind of high-speed flight typically associated with space launches for helping people move very quickly from one place on Earth to another. The new collaboration comes via the Space Act Agreement, which basically allows NASA to enlist the aid of private companies to help it achieve its various goals. NASA has been developing high-Mach, supersonic aircraft technologies for some time now, in particular through its arrangement with Lockheed Martin to build and fly the X-59 QueSST, a demonstrator aircraft that will show how supersonic craft can also operate relatively quietly, with so-called "low-boom" capabilities that avoid the loud sonic booms produced by most supersonic vehicles when they break the sound barrier. NASA announced a similar partnership under the Space Act Agreement with Virgin Galactic last year, with the goal of helping the agency develop technologies that will assist in the eventual deployment of sustainable supersonic commercial flight. Aerion's team-up with the agency will focus specifically on studying commercial flight capabilities in speeds ranging between Mach 3 and Mach 5, with a focus on propulsion and thermal management systems, power generation and technologies for use in the passenger and crew cabins. Supersonic aircraft startup Hermeus raises $16 million Series A Aerion's own high-speed commercial aviation efforts are currently on track to see its AS2 private jet for business customers enter production in 2023, which will set the stage for its AS3 commercial supersonic passenger aircraft to follow after that. This isn't Aerion's first team-up with NASA: The two have collaborated twice previously on similar projects, with the first collaboration begun way back in 2012. Now that Aerion's closer to actual production, it's likely that both partners will gain a lot toward their mutual goals of helping the U.S. develop commercially viable and sustainable supersonic passenger flight technologies. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/supersonic-jet-company-aerion-partners-204137989.html NASA taps SpaceX to bring its Gateway station to the Moon When the first two segments of NASA’s Gateway station make their way to the Moon sometime in 2024, they’ll be carried into space by a Falcon Heavy rocket. The $331.8 million agreement, which the agency announced on Tuesday, is the second launch contract NASA has awarded to SpaceX in as many weeks. Once it’s safely in lunar orbit, the Gateway will serve as a way station for astronauts and equipment heading to the Moon as part of NASA’s Artemis program. The pair of modules SpaceX will ferry into space are the power and propulsion element (PPE) and the habitation and logistics outpost (HALO), which two separate companies are building for NASA for $375 million and $187 million respectively. The former will provide Gateway with power and allow the station to move to different lunar orbits, while the latter will give astronauts a place to stay on their way to the Moon. The mission will blast off from Kennedy Space Center in May of 2024 at the earliest. In the lead up to Artemis, NASA has been awarding contracts to private companies to speed up the project’s timeline. In January, however, it came out that the agency had quietly pushed back the award timeframe for two lander contracts from late February to the end of April, which has cast doubt over whether NASA will be able to meet its ambitious 2024 goal for Artemis. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/spacex-lunar-gateway-launch-contract-231142514.html 2021 Aircraft Cabin Air Conference Registration Now Open ** Thanks to our generous sponsors, registration is currently free, so book today! ** 2021 Aircraft Cabin Air Conference 15 to 18 March 2021 1500 to 2000 GMT daily via Zoom (0700 to 1200 PST) Four online days of powerful talks given by industry and subject matter experts. Registration is open and currently FREE, so book today! https://www.aircraftcabinair.com/ Following on from the success of the 2017 and 2019 Aircraft Cabin Air Conferences, the 2021 conference will be an essential four-day free modular online event via Zoom. Providing an in-depth overview or update for all those seeking to understand the subject of contaminated air, the flight safety implications, the latest scientific and medical evidence investigating the contaminated air debate and the emerging solutions available to airlines and aircraft operators. The 2021 conference will be the biggest conference ever held on the issue. Who should participate? Airline Management - Aircraft Manufacturers - Safety equipment providers - Health & Safety Regulators - Maintenance Companies - Airline Safety Departments - Air Accident Investigators- Crew & Unions - Policy Makers- Press & Media - Aircraft Insurers - Leasing Companies - Scientists - Occupational Health Professionals - Academics & Researchers - Engineers Register Curt Lewis