Flight Safety Information - April 15, 2021 No. 077 In This Issue : Incident: Greenland DH8B at Kulusuk on Apr 14th 2021, engine shut down in flight : Incident: American A321 at Charlotte on Apr 12th 2021, rejected takeoff due to engine failure : Incident: Azul E195 at Rio de Janeiro on Apr 12th 2021, smoke on board : Incident: American B738 at Miami on Apr 12th 2021, gear did not go up : Alaska Airlines flight makes emergency landing in Missoula : JetBlue flight out of Jamaica diverts to Charleston Intl. for medical emergency : Report - Checklist interruption factor in Metroliner runway excursion, Canada : What's the process for pilots returning to flight after COVID? What's involved in retraining? : OKLAHOMA AEROMEDICAL CONSULTANT ACCUSED OF BILKING PILOTS : Quarantine should be replaced by testing and proof of vaccination – aviation body (Ireland) : American Airlines Has Turned Miami Into A 737 MAX Hub : Virgin Australia to Bring Back Hundreds of Cabin Crew as Airlines Hopes to Reach 100% Capacity Within Months : Wow: flydubai Has 237 Boeing 737 MAX Aircraft On Order : Boeing partners with Indian Aviation Academy, USC for training program : NASA's Insight Mars Lander Is 'in Crisis', And Has Entered Emergency Hibernation : ATI SELECTS VISTAIR'S DOCUNET TO SUPPORT OPERATIONAL DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT : Make Sense Of Your Flight Data has been sent : Register for the Upcoming Virtual April ACSF Auditor Workshop | April 29, 2021 : POSITION AVAILABLE: Manager, Internal Evaluation Program Incident: Greenland DH8B at Kulusuk on Apr 14th 2021, engine shut down in flight An Air Greenland Dash 8-200, registration OY-GRP performing flight GL-4651 from Kulusuk to Nuuk (Greenland) with 24 passengers, was climbing out of Kulusuk's gravel runway 29 at about 13:40L (15:40Z) when the crew needed to shut the right hand engine (PW123D) down. While sirenes were sounding in Kulusuk calling emergency services to the airport, the aircraft positioned at low level (approximately 600 feet MSL) for a return and landed safely back on runway 11 about 11 minutes after departure. The airline reported the crew received indication of an engine failure, shut the engine down and returned to Kulusuk. It appears the fault is probably identified by now, and it was not an engine fault as initially believed, an automatic back up system incorrectly activated and triggered the alarm. This occurrence is thus not related to the two engine shut downs that occurred earlier this year. OY-GRP had suffered another engine failure less than two weeks ago, see Incident: Greenland DH8B at Kangerlussuaq on Apr 2nd 2021, engine shut down in flight, in February another DH8B OY-GRJ had suffered another engine fault, see Incident: Greenland DH8B near Nuuk on Feb 10th 2021, engine shut down in flight. http://avherald.com/h?article=4e5e8474&opt=0 Incident: American A321 at Charlotte on Apr 12th 2021, rejected takeoff due to engine failure An American Airlines Airbus A321-200, registration N575UW performing flight AA-588 from Charlotte,NC to Phoenix,AZ (USA), was accelerating for takeoff from Charlotte's runway 36C when the crew rejected takeoff at low speed (about 70 knots over ground) due to the failure of the right hand engine (V2533). The aircraft slowed safely, stopped on the runway for about 5 minutes. The crew subsequently recommended to sweep the runway until the point they came to stop at about 700 meters/2300 feet down the runway. The crew of another aircraft reported their flight attendants observed a flame out of the back of the right hand engine when N575UW rejected takeoff. N575UW subsequently taxied along the runway to vacate the runway via a high speed turn off about mid runway (1560 meters/5100 feet down the runway) and returned to the apron. A replacement A321-200 registration N162UW reached Phoenix with a delay of 4.5 hours. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Charlotte about 46 hours after the rejected takeoff. http://avherald.com/h?article=4e5e506b&opt=0 Incident: Azul E195 at Rio de Janeiro on Apr 12th 2021, smoke on board An Azul Linhas Aereas Embraer ERJ-195, registration PR-AUE performing flight AD-4040 from Rio de Janeiro Santos Dumont,RJ to Sao Paulo Viracopos,SP (Brazil), was climbing out of Santos Dumont's runway 20L when the crew stopped the climb at about FL150 declaring emergency reporting smoke on board and a burning odour. During the following descent the smoke subsided. The aircraft diverted to Rio de Janeiro's Galeao Airport for a safe landing on longer runway 15 about 20 minutes after departure. Two passengers felt bad and requested assistance by the airport's medical services. A replacement Embraer ERJ-195 registration PR-AXY reached Viracopos Airport as flight AD-9350 with a delay of about 3:15 hours. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground at Galeao Airport about 24 hours after landing there. The airline stated that the flight diverted to Galeao Airport due to technical problems. The aircraft landed normally, the passengers disembarked normally. http://avherald.com/h?article=4e5dc75b&opt=0 Incident: American B738 at Miami on Apr 12th 2021, gear did not go up An American Airlines Boeing 737-800, registration N337PJ performing flight AA-935 from Miami,FL (USA) to Puerto Plata (Dominican Republic), was in the initial climb out of Miami's runway 27 when the crew stopped the climb at 5000 feet MSL and requested to return to Miami advising ATC their "gear did not go up". The aircraft landed safely on Miami's runway 30 about 20 minutes after departure. A replacement Boeing 737-800 registration N928NN reached Puerto Plata with a delay of about 2.5 hours. http://avherald.com/h?article=4e5e534f&opt=0 Alaska Airlines flight makes emergency landing in Missoula MISSOULA, Mont. — An Alaska Airlines flight made an emergency landing in Missoula Wednesday night. The flight from Baltimore to Seattle landed at Missoula International Airport just before 8:30 p.m. Airport deputy director Brian Ellestad confirmed the landing with NBC Montana. Alaska Airlines says a passenger was "experiencing a medical event onboard," and there are no issues with the plane. The flight is scheduled to continue to Seattle. https://nbcmontana.com/news/local/alaska-airlines-flight-makes-emergency-landing-in-missoula JetBlue flight out of Jamaica diverts to Charleston Intl. for medical emergency NORTH CHARLESTON, SC (WCIV) — A JetBlue flight from Kingston, Jamaica, bound for New York was diverted to the Charleston International Airport on Wednesday. Spencer Pryor, spokesperson for CHS, says a passenger aboard the plane suffered a medical emergency. According to Flight Aware flight tracking, the Airbus A321 twin-jet departed Norman Manley International Airport in Jamaica at 12:11 p.m. EDT, bound for JFK airport in New York City. The flight's logs show it diverted course to Charleston International at 2:05 p.m., and arrived shortly before 2:40 p.m. Charleston County EMS had paramedics waiting with an ambulance on the tarmac when the flight arrived, Pryor said. Officials have been unable to comment further on the nature of the medical incident or the person’s condition. A JetBlue spokesperson said the plane continued onto its original destination following the stop at Charleston International, departing at 5:03 p.m. and arriving at JFK shortly after 6:30 p.m. https://abcnews4.com/news/local/jetblue-flight-out-of-jamaica-diverts-to-charleston-intl-for-medical-emergency Report - Checklist interruption factor in Metroliner runway excursion, Canada Status: Final Date: Monday 24 February 2020 Time: 16:10 Type: Swearingen SA227-DC Metro 23 Operated by: Perimeter Aviation On behalf of: Bearskin Airlines Registration: C-GJVB C/n / msn: DC-902B First flight: 2000 Total airframe hrs: 15460 Engines: 2 Garrett TPE331-12UHR-701G Crew: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 6 Total: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 8 Aircraft damage: Substantial Location: Dryden Regional Airport, ON (YHD) ( Canada) Phase: Takeoff (TOF) Nature: Domestic Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Dryden Regional Airport, ON (YHD/CYHD), Canada Destination airport: Sioux Lookout Airport, ON (YXL/CYXL), Canada Flightnumber: JV344 Narrative: A Metro 23 operated by Perimeter Aviation as flight Bearskin Airlines 344, was conducting a VFR flight from Dryden Regional (CYHD), ON to Sioux Lookout (CYXL), ON with 2 crew members and 6 passengers on board. As the aircraft started the takeoff roll on runway 12, the aircraft directional control was lost and the aircraft exited the right side of the runway. The propellers subsequently contacted a snow bank and broke apart. Parts of the broken propellers penetrated the fuselage, injuring 1 passenger. The aircraft was substantially damaged. Probable Cause: Findings as to causes and contributing factors 1. While the crew was carrying out the "Before Taxi" checklist, the "Start Locks" task was initiated; however, it was interrupted and not completed. 2. After the captain told the first officer to stand by, the crew’s focus shifted to other tasks. It is likely that this slip of attention resulted in the power levers not being pulled over the flight idle gate to release the start locks. 3. The "Before Taxi" checklist did not contain a task to ensure that the start locks were removed and, as a result, the crew began taxiing unaware that the propellers were still on the locks. 4. After the engine was started or while the occurrence aircraft commenced taxiing for departure, it is likely that slight or rapid transient movements of the engine power levers, which were needed to taxi the aircraft, resulted in the release of the left propeller start locks while the right propeller start locks remained engaged. 5. As the power was advanced through 20%, the "positive torque" call required by standard operating procedures was not made, and the engine torque differential was not noticed by the crew. As a result, power lever advancement continued although the right engine torque/thrust remained near zero. 6. The engaged start locks on the right propeller prevented forward thrust, which resulted in a significant thrust differential. This differential thrust during the take-off roll resulted in a loss of directional control of the aircraft and, ultimately, a lateral runway excursion. 7. Following the runway excursion, the propellers, which were operating at a high rpm, shattered and splintered when they struck a frozen snowbank. 8. High-energy release of the nickel-cobalt erosion strips and splintered wood core debris from the propeller blades penetrated the reinforcement panel, fuselage skin and cabin wall, and resulted in serious injuries to a passenger sitting next to the penetrated cabin wall Accident investigation: cover Investigating agency: TSB Canada Status: Investigation completed Duration: 1 year and 2 months Accident number: A20C0016 Download report: Final report https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20200224-0 What's the process for pilots returning to flight after COVID? What's involved in retraining? How did pilots sharp during the pandemic? What do they have to do before they can fly again? With the recent surge in air travel, more pilots who were grounded during the height of the pandemic are returning to service. But they are requalified and retested before being cleared to fly passengers again. Pilots who have been out for more than 90 days return to the simulator for training. If they have gone than 90 days but less than 180 days without flying, they undergo extensive ground school followed by a multi-day transition course of simulator flights and a checkride and in-flight training. (If they haven't flown for more than 180 days or if they are moving to a different airplane, they go through initial training.) Finally, they undergo a checkride in an actual plane, known as a line check. Testing is to the initial qualification standards for competency. Although some pilots have reported feeling rusty in the cockpit, it is important to remember that these are professional pilots who have years of experience flying. They recover their skills quickly. What changes would you like to see included in pilot training and re-training? I would like to see the demonstration of competency in the handling of emergencies, such as engine failures, fires and flight control problems continue with an emphasis on maintaining manual flying skills. It is essential that pilots of modern aircraft are experts at using the onboard automation but they must also be very proficient and comfortable in manually flying the airplane. Training must include upset-recovery training, given that loss of control in flight is the leading cause of fatalities in aviation. I would also like to see more “real world” training scenarios based on events that other flight crews have faced. Generally speaking, airline pilots undergo retraining about every 9 months. The Federal Aviation Administration measures how well they retain this information through its Advanced Qualification Program (AQP). Here's the problem, though: That's a lot of training to pack into a limited number of 4-hour training simulator slots. Perhaps it is time to increase the number of slots allocated to each pilot so that training can be expanded. This will increase costs but it could improve the quality of the training. To me, it would be worth it. John Cox is a retired airline captain with US Airways and runs his own aviation safety consulting company, Safety Operating Systems. The views and opinions expressed in this column are the author's and do not necessarily reflect those of USA TODAY. https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/columnist/cox/2021/04/15/pilot-training-flying-again-after-covid-and-retraining-process/7223626002/ OKLAHOMA AEROMEDICAL CONSULTANT ACCUSED OF BILKING PILOTS An Oklahoma woman has been charged with 10 felonies for allegedly taking money from pilots to help resolve medical certification issues without rendering services, according to court documents filed by the state’s attorney general. The defendant said she is confident she will be exonerated. A probable cause affidavit filed March 29 before the state District Court in Oklahoma City alleges that Lisa Diane Gordon, 37, doing business as Oklahoma Aviation Medical Consulting (“OK Aviation Medical Consulting” in some contexts), collected fees ranging from $500 to $1,700 from nine pilots between 2018 and 2020. In each case, state investigators found, the pilots sought Gordon’s services to “expedite” the issuance of their airman medical certificate, paid up front, and got nothing in return. Gordon was arrested March 30 at her home in Oklahoma City. According to a police report, Gordon told officers, “I’m not a bad person I just got into a bad job.” In a phone call with AOPA, Gordon said she is confident she will be exonerated in court. She said she “has retained an attorney and has documentation refuting the claims” against her. Gordon said she was advised by her attorney, Robert Groshon, to not make any further statements. Groshon wrote to AOPA that “Ms. Gordon was charged in the case without any investigation into her side of the story. She has a lot of documentation as to the work she performed and the documentation will be presented to the prosecutor for the attorney general's office.” Gordon faces a separate felony charge for each of the nine pilots who told state investigators that they had paid for services not received, each punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $5,000 fine. The tenth felony, charged for a pattern of offenses, carries up to two years in prison and a fine of up to $25,000 if Gordon is convicted. The probable cause affidavit claims Gordon “engaged in a deceptive and unfair trade practice by knowingly entering into a contract…” with nine pilots to “…expedite medical issuance.” In many cases, according to the affidavit, Gordon’s customers lost much more than the money paid for help with their medical certificate application. Some reported FAA denials with no paperwork having been filed. One pilot had to return months early from a work assignment in Africa after his flying privileges lapsed, costing him $24,000 in lost compensation. Gordon’s company claimed on its website that it would help FAA medical certificate applicants facing problems or issues with their applications. Images of the OK Aviation Medical Consulting website recorded by AOPA on March 30 include the promise that “we work directly with the FAA, aviation medical examiners, physicians and aviation attorneys, as a liaison for pilots needing FAA medical certification.” The company offered, for a fee, to be “your aviation medical eyes and ears,” promising, “we along with our medical staff will confidentially walk you through the process needed in order for your case to look favorable before we submit or re-submit your documents to the FAA medical records review board.” The website was offline in early April, but there was evidence of outraged customers on the internet, including social media sites where posts dating to 2018 urged pilots to avoid Gordon and her company. A Facebook group called “I Got Ripped Off By OK Aviation Medical Consulting (Lisa Gordon CEO)” has 88 members, many of whom told their stories to the state attorney general’s Consumer Protection Unit. https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2021/april/13/oklahoma-aeromedical-consultant-accused-of-bilking-pilots Quarantine should be replaced by testing and proof of vaccination – aviation body (Ireland) Aviation forum publishes plan to restart industry The Government should axe tough Covid-19 quarantines for travellers in favour of virus tests and vaccination proofs to restart aviation, the industry said on Thursday. The National Civil Aviation Development Forum (NCADF) published details of a plan to restart the industry, responsible for up 140,000 jobs before the pandemic struck. The organisation wants the Government to reintroduce the EU’s traffic light system for travel, which grades regions according to their infection risk and favours pre- and post-arrival testing over quarantines for incoming travellers. “Having due regard to the relevance of proof of vaccination, existing testing requirements and EU rules on free movement of persons, any requirement for quarantine should be proportionate and based on transparent and objective criteria,” the forum’s plan states. The report warns that the Republic cannot function as a closed economy without suffering permanent damage. It points out that aviation, responsible for 90 per cent of arrivals into the State, cannot begin recovering until the ban on non-essential travel is lifted. Lifting the ban The NCADF calls on the Government to confirm the conditions that will allow the ban to be lifted and the restoration of travel to destinations that meet those conditions. Donal Moriarty, chief corporate affairs officer of Aer Lingus, argued that it was “critically important” for the Government to take the steps needed to implement the plan. Aer Lingus and rival Ryanair are members of the forum, along with State airport companies, DAA and Shannon Group, and employers’ body Ibec. The forum’s steering committee met transport ministers Eamon Ryan and Hildegarde Naughton last month, when it was agreed that Government and the industry should work on ending Covid curbs to restore foreign travel. https://www.irishtimes.com/business/transport-and-tourism/quarantine-should-be-replaced-by-testing-and-proof-of-vaccination-aviation-body-1.4538285 American Airlines Has Turned Miami Into A 737 MAX Hub American Airlines’ Boeing 737 MAX 8s are mainly used at its Miami hub. Now, the number of MAX seats from the airport has already exceeded the maximum recorded before the grounding. Some 45 routes are currently scheduled, with La Guardia number one. However, the outlook is far from clear, as very few MAX flights have been filed from June onwards. American Airlines was the first airline in the United States to restart Boeing 737 MAX flights following the FAA’s recertification of the aircraft. American Flight 718 took off from Miami to New York La Guardia on December 29th, 2020 – the same first MAX route for the airline back in 2017. American now has 41 MAX 8 aircraft in service, according to Airfleets. Miami plays a fundamental role in American’s MAX operations, as it has since done the first aircraft was received. So far, the airline has some 2.3 million MAX 8 seats from the Florida airport, analyzing OAG data reveals. This is despite June to December being far from finalized, as there are currently few routes filed for the aircraft. Nonetheless, these 2.3 million have already surpassed the 2.1 million recorded at Miami in full-year 2018, before the grounding occurred. 45 MAX routes from Miami American Airlines has scheduled its MAX 8s to operate 45 routes from Miami, although this may change significantly given the minimal allocations from June onwards. Still, the top-20 routes until the end of May are shown below. La Guardia leads by flights, with all or virtually all six daily departures by the aircraft, followed closely by Santo Domingo and Washington National: New York La Guardia Santo Domingo Washington National Orlando San Juan St Thomas Boston Port-au-Prince Santiago (D.R.) Punta Cana Newark St. Croix Atlanta New York JFK Guatemala City Tampa Bogota Medellin Quito Denver American's top-20 MAX routes from Miami Manaus was the longest route At 2,407 miles, Manaus was American’s longest MAX route from Miami. It last operated on April 7th, RadarBox.com confirms, although the route is no longer bookable until June 3rd when the A319 will once again operate it. The reason for the near two-month suspension must be because of Brazil’s rising coronavirus cases. There’s a solid chance that the MAX will operate the route again later in the year. Until then, San Diego, at 2,267 miles, is now the longest. American serves the Californian airport once-daily from Miami, with all flights – for now – by the 8. San Diego has mainly been a B737-800 route in the past decade, although others, including the A321, have occasionally operated it too. American’s Miami hub Miami is American’s third-largest hub this year, coming in behind Dallas Fort Worth and Charlotte but ahead of Chicago O’Hare and Philadelphia. Simple Flying recently looked at the numbers behind its Charlotte hub. Miami has jumped up the ranks from fourth place in 2019, mainly because of greater cuts at O’Hare. Just 22% of American’s Miami flights are by regional jets this year, delving into OAG data shows, well ahead of Philadelphia (59%), Chicago (59%), Charlotte (55%), Dallas (44%), and Phoenix (40%). Indeed, American now has 153 seats per flight at Miami, obviously helped by so few RJs and having a good number of long-haul and domestic widebody services. https://simpleflying.com/american-miami-max-hub/ Virgin Australia to Bring Back Hundreds of Cabin Crew as Airlines Hopes to Reach 100% Capacity Within Months Virgin Australia chief executive Jayne Hrdlicka announced an aggressive post-pandemic recovery plan on Thursday with plans to bring back more than 200 cabin crew and hire 150 additional crew with hopes that the airline will have reached 100 per cent capacity by the end of the year. Hundreds of cabin crew are needed after Virgin Australia negotiated the reintroduction of 10 Boeing 737-800 planes with aircraft lessors. The recovery plan is underpinned by a rebound in domestic demand an expected surge in regional tourism. “More aircraft means more flying, and with easing travel restrictions, there are more opportunities to further support domestic tourism and the nation’s economic recovery from COVID-19,” Hrdlicka commented from a cabin crew training centre. “Today, we are operating around 850 weekly return flights, and as we approach the June school holidays, we will add another 220 return flights per week to our schedule. By mid-June, we expect to be operating more than 80 per cent of our pre-COVID domestic capacity,” she continued. Hrdlicka later told ABC News that she was “hopeful” the airline would reach 100 per cent capacity by the end of the year. “That’s the burning desire,” she commented while saying that there was a burning desire for tourism and that domestic border closures should soon be a thing of the past. Around 220 cabin crew who worked at Virgin Australia’s now discontinued international, ATR and Tigerair services will soon return to the skies, while the airline plans to hire 150 additional crew in the coming months. Applications from laid-off employees will be prioritised, although external expressions of interest are also being accepted. Last August, Virgin Australia said as many as 3,000 employees would be laid off after the airline was saved from bankruptcy by Bain Capital. The new business plan saw Virgin Australia close down its low-cost Tigerair brand, sell its regional ATR aircraft and dispose of widebody jets that it used for its long-haul international services. The airline has entered into a wetlease agreement with Alliance Airlines to operate some regional services using Fokker 100 aircraft. Virgin Australia said the deal would give it greater flexibility to provide regional services. As part of Virgin Australia’s initial focus on domestic growth, Hrdlicka recently said that the airline would initially eschew the travel bubble with New Zealand. While remaining committed to trans Tasman travel, Hrdlicka said Virgin Australia wouldn’t start flying to New Zealand until the end of October. https://www.paddleyourownkanoo.com/2021/04/15/virgin-australia-to-bring-back-hundreds-of-cabin-crew-as-airlines-hopes-to-reach-100-capacity-within-months/ Wow: flydubai Has 237 Boeing 737 MAX Aircraft On Order flydubai became one of the latest airlines to resume flights with the 737 MAX last week. The Dubai-based low-cost carrier has an incredible 237 MAXs currently on order, with 14 already in the fleet. Let’s find out more about flydubai’s bold plans with the aircraft. Betting big flydubai is the second-largest customer for the 737 MAX in the world, behind only Southwest and tied with the Lion Air Group. The airline first placed its bets on the MAX in 2013, ordering 75 new aircraft to grow its existing all-737-800 fleet. This order was later topped up by a substantial 175 aircraft in 2017, cementing the long-term future of the MAX in the flydubai fleet. The Dubai-based carrier took delivery of its 737 MAX in August 2017 and quickly began using the aircraft on key routes, including Europe. The airline consistently took on more MAX 8s and started taking the larger MAX 9s in late 2018. By January 2019, the airline had 14 MAXs and the jets accounted for nearly 30% of the fleet. However, this reliance meant that the grounding on the 737 MAX in March 2019 had a huge impact on the airline, forcing it to lease older 737s and cut back some routes. With 14 jets now grounded, flydubai was suffering from capacity issues seen with airlines around the world. Committed Despite the fallout of the 737 MAX crisis on flydubai, the airline remained committed to the fleet. Considering the airline had always been an all-737 carrier, it was likely not much of a choice given the circumstances. Moreover, flydubai already spent millions in buying aircraft, setting up maintenance facilities, and more. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in flydubai grounding nearly all flights from late March to June last year. This took some pressure off the MAX in the short term but also meant the airline couldn’t benefit from the aircraft’s better efficiency when it resumed flights. However, the end of last year brought some light at the end of the tunnel. The FAA officially recertified the 737 MAX in November last year, ending the 18-month-long grounding order. The UAE’s GCAA recertified the jet in February, allowing flydubai to pull out its aircraft from deep storage and start the reactivation process. On April 8th, flydubai officially flew its first 737 MAX passenger flight, over two years after the grounding began. Long future Despite some recent issues with MAX (which flydubai is reportedly unaffected by), flydubai sees a long future for the 737 MAX in its fleet. The airline still has 237 aircraft on order, many of which have been produced and are waiting for delivery in Seattle. The coming months will likely see deliveries resume once again and flydubai take on more of these efficient MAX 8s and 9s. The timing for the return of the MAX works well for flydubai as well. The airline has optimistic plans for 2021, including a strong summer season in Europe. With aviation recovering, flydubai plans to use the 737 MAX for many years to come. https://simpleflying.com/flydubai-237-unfilled-737-max-orders/ Boeing partners with Indian Aviation Academy, USC for training program Aircraft manufacturer Boeing on Thursday said it has partnered with the Indian Aviation Academy (IAA) and the University of Southern California (USC) for safety management system training to all stakeholders in the domestic aviation industry. Commercial aircraft operators, airports and air traffic services are required to have a Safety Management System (SMS), as per International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) requirement. It is considered a best practice to provide a framework for hazard identification, risk mitigation and promotion of a positive safety culture, Boeing said in a release. Boeing is adopting these practices as it implements an enterprise SMS to support its commitment to the highest levels of safety and quality with its products and services. “As part of our continued commitment to safety, we are collaborating with India’s civil aviation stakeholders to promote a collaborative safety culture. We have partnered with IAA and USC to introduce the Safety Management System program to India,” Salil Gupte, President of Boeing India, said. This is the first of a series of trainings that?Boeing?plans to organise for India’s aviation ecosystem towards continued learning of best practices, the company said. The USC-IAA program for India’s civil aviation authorities focuses on modern safety management and safety assurance concepts such as risk management, root cause analysis, audits, data collection and incident investigations to further enhance the safety, efficiency, and reliability of the country’s aviation ecosystem. “The introduction of SMS is the most significant development of aviation safety of the decade. It applies to all major operational aviation entities and draws upon the power of communication and data to identify potentially hazardous situations,” Thomas R Anthony, Director of USC’s Aviation Safety and Security Program, said. IAA is a joint civil aviation training academy of the Airports Authority of India, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS). The academy has collaboration with bodies such as International Air Transport Association and Airports Council International as well as with reputed management institutes to host international and national training programs on various aviation courses. https://www.financialexpress.com/industry/boeing-partners-with-indian-aviation-academy-usc-for-training-program/2233653/ NASA's Insight Mars Lander Is 'in Crisis', And Has Entered Emergency Hibernation NASA's $800 million Mars lander is in an energy crisis. InSight, which landed in a Martian plain called Elysium Planitia in 2018, has detected more than 500 Mars quakes, felt more than 10,000 dust devils pass by, and started to measure the planet's core. But over the past few months, InSight has been fighting for its life as the red planet's unpredictable weather threatens to snuff out the robot. Unlike other sites where NASA has sent rovers and landers – including the landing spot of the new Perseverance rover and its Mars helicopter – powerful gusts of wind have not been sweeping Elysium Planitia. These winds, called "cleaning events," are needed to blow the red Martian dust off the solar panels of NASA's robots. Without their help, a thick layer of dust has accumulated on InSight, and it's struggling to absorb sunlight. InSight's solar panels were producing just 27 percent of their energy capacity in February, when winter was arriving in Elysium Planitia. So NASA decided to put the lander in "hibernation mode," switching off different instruments each day. Soon the robot will shut down all functions that aren't necessary for its survival. By pausing its scientific operations, the lander should be able to save enough power to keep its systems warm through the frigid Martian nights, when temperatures can drop to negative-130 degrees Fahrenheit. "The amount of power available over the next few months will really be driven by the weather," Chuck Scott, InSight's project manager, said in a statement. Now almost halfway through its expected hibernation period, InSight is still in good condition, but the risk of a potentially fatal power failure is ever-present. If the lander's batteries die, it might never recover. "We would be hopeful that we'd be able to bring it back back to life, especially if it's not asleep or dead for a long period of time," Bruce Banerdt, InSight's principal investigator, told Insider. "But that would be a dicey situation." The agency expects to restart InSight's full operations after Mars swings back toward the sun in July. If it can survive this Martian winter, the lander could keep listening for quakes and tracking weather into 2022. InSight's power shortage contributed to NASA's decision to abandon the lander's "mole" in January. That burrowing probe was supposed to measure the temperature deep in the Martian crust – crucial data in the study of the planet's history and internal structure. Now scientists are missing out on even more data as the lander shuts down its instruments. Its Mars weather measurements have become scarce, and in the next month or so, it will stop listening for quakes. Banerdt said he fears the lander could miss some big quakes, but it's worth it to keep the robot alive. If InSight's batteries die, he added, "it's a good zombie spacecraft" – meaning it's programmed to recharge and start up again once the sun comes out. "The problem with that scenario is that in the meantime, the spacecraft is very, very cold. And this is happening during the coldest part of the year for the spacecraft," Banerdt said. "A lot of the electronics is pretty delicate. And it's, unfortunately, pretty likely that something would be damaged by the cold." Banerdt suspects that's what happened to the Spirit and Opportunity rovers. Both ran out of energy on the Martian surface and were unable to power up again. He's hopeful that InSight won't have to die, though. "Right now, our predictions, our projections are that we should be able to make it through the lowest-power point and come out the other side," Banerdt said. Still, an odd dust storm in the next four or five months could tip the scales by piling more dirt onto InSight's solar panels. That's what happened to Opportunity. But luckily, it's not dust-storm season. "We think we're pretty well off, but Mars is unpredictable. We never know exactly what's going to happen," Banerdt said. https://www.sciencealert.com/nasa-s-insight-lander-enters-hibernation-as-dust-puts-it-at-risk-of-an-energy-crisis Manager, Internal Evaluation Program 1. Minimum Qualifications a. At least 3 years of auditing experience with a Part 121 airline, in either maintenance or flight operations b. At least 2 years of supervisory/managerial experience c. US citizen or have the legal right to accept employment in the United States d. Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite e. Possess strong leadership, written, verbal and interpersonal skills f. Must be able to work with a variety of personalities and conduct professional interviews g. Ability to organize own work, while working under pressure to meet tight deadlines h. Must be detail oriented i. Ability to maintain professional conduct at all times j. Ability to maintain confidentiality k. Must be a self-starter 2. Preferred Qualifications a. Bachelor’s degree or higher in aviation or safety-related field b. FAA license, such as a Commercial Pilot’s License, an Airframe and Powerplant License (A&P), or Dispatcher license c. IOSA familiarity d. Safety Management System (SMS) familiarity e. Technical writing experience f. Knowledge and/or experience with Q-Pulse 3. Authorities a. Develop and maintain processes for the Internal Evaluation Program, approved by the Director of Safety, to include authoring procedures in airline manuals b. Develop and maintain an IEP auditor training curriculum, approved by the Director of Safety, ensuring auditors are trained and qualified to conduct IEP audits as assigned 4. Duties and Responsibilities a. Coordinate with the Director of Safety to establish and maintain an auditing schedule and required checklists b. Assign IEP audits to trained and qualified IEP auditors to ensure completion of all audits in a timely and accurate manner c. Supplement the conduct of scheduled audits d. Conduct Special Audits as assigned by the Director of Safety e. Ensure the IEP Auditor position is staffed by an appropriately qualified individual f. Conduct initial and recurrent auditor training g. Develop and manage audit and finding processes within the Q-Pulse system h. Assist operational departments regarding responses to audit outputs in Q-Pulse i. Assist in the development of processes for IEP-related SMS activity j. Facilitate completion of the Swift Air IOSA Conformance Report according to IOSA requirements k. Participate in FAA, IOSA, and DoD audits as requested by the Director of Safety l. Attend industry meetings as appropriate to maintain currency with industry best practices related to the Internal Evaluation Program 5. Reporting Chain a. The Manager, IEP reports directly to the Director of Safety APPLY to Safety Director at: ecates@flyiaero.com Curt Lewis