Flight Safety Information - May 5, 2021 No. 090 In This Issue : Incident: ASL Belgium B734 at Porto on Apr 27th 2021, cleared for takeoff despite vehicle on runway : Incident: American A319 near Dallas on May 3rd 2021, electrical problems : Incident: S7 A321 at Novy Urgengoy on May 4th 2021, could not turn around on runway : Incident: Delta B752 near El Paso on May 3rd 2021, loss of cabin pressure : Mile-high meltdown: Woman arrested for attacking flight attendants on flight from Miami : Four people killed when plane crashes into Mississippi home : Report: Unstable approach led to DHC-8-300 hard landing and tailstrike, Canada : Boeing faces new hurdle in 737 MAX electrical grounding issue - sources : Air India pilots say vaccinate us or we won’t fly : China Airlines Pilots Linked to Rare COVID-19 Outbreak in Taiwan; Crew Fined for Breaking Quarantine : Nigerian regulator lifts safety ban on Azman Air operations : Woman arrested at Atlanta airport for smuggling cocaine in shoes : New Guidance on Preventing Runway Excursions Released by FSF, Partners : Pilatus Aircraft Hands Over 1,800th PC-12 : F-16’s pilots receives unprecedented level of situational awareness : Super Air Jet: Lion Air’s Suspicious New Airline : Blue Origin to begin space tourism ticket sales Wednesday : The first Crew Dragon mission finally returns home : Royal Aeronautical Society - Maintaining Wellbeing: Opening up in the maintenance environment: 17 May 2021 - 18 May 2021 - Virtual Conference : Call for Nominations For 2021 Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award : ESASI Annual Seminar Incident: ASL Belgium B734 at Porto on Apr 27th 2021, cleared for takeoff despite vehicle on runway An ASL Airlines Belgium Boeing 737-400 freighter on behalf of Fedex, registration OE-IAJ performing flight 3V-4959/FX-4959 from Porto (Portugal) to Liege (Belgium) with 2 crew, was cleared for takeoff from Porto's runway 35 and commenced takeoff at about 21:47L (20:47Z). About 12 minutes earlier tower had cleared a follow me vehicle to perform the nightly runway inspection. The vehicle entered runway 35 and worked northbound reaching the threshold runway 17. The vehicle turned around to now move southbound when the driver saw bright white lights near the threshold of runway 35 which seemed to move and queried with tower whether an aircraft was lining up runway 35. Tower reported an aircraft was in their takeoff run and instructed the vehicle to immediately vacate the runway via the left runway edge. The Boeing crew saw two white lights but weren't sure whether these were runway edge lights due to the night environment. After becoming airborne and in the climb the crew queried with tower about the vehicle and received a reply, that this was a misunderstanding. Portugal's GPIAA reported according to estimation by the vehicle driver as well as preliminary analysis of the ground radar the separation between the vehicle and aircraft reduced to 300 meters. The occurrence was rated a serious incident and is being investigated by the GPIAA. https://avherald.com/h?article=4e6e7435&opt=0 Incident: American A319 near Dallas on May 3rd 2021, electrical problems An American Airlines Airbus A319-100, registration N725UW performing flight AA-2377 from Dallas Ft. Worth,TX to Detroit,MI (USA), was departing Dallas' runway 17R when the crew observed some electrical issues, the aircraft however continued the takeoff and climbed out. In a subsequent discussion with dispatch, discussing the weather situation at Detroit, a decision was made to return to Dallas. The aircraft stopped the climb at FL270 and returned to Dallas Ft. Worth for a safe landing on runway 17C about 40 minutes after departure. A replacement A319-100 registration N702UW reached Detroit with a delay of 4 hours. The occurrence aircraft returned to service after about 10 hours on the ground. https://avherald.com/h?article=4e6e6a7f&opt=0 Incident: S7 A321 at Novy Urgengoy on May 4th 2021, could not turn around on runway A S7 Sibir Airlines Airbus A321-200, registration VQ-BQK performing flight S7-2571 from Moscow Domodedovo to Novy Urgengoy (Russia), landed on Novy Urgengoy's runway 29 and slowed safely, however, was unable to turn around to back track off the runway. The aircraft needed to be towed to the apron. One other flight needed to go around as result. https://avherald.com/h?article=4e6e6794&opt=0 Incident: Delta B752 near El Paso on May 3rd 2021, loss of cabin pressure A Delta Airlines Boeing 757-200, registration N696DL performing flight DL-628 from Salt Lake City,UT (USA) to Mexico City (Mexico) with 147 people on board, was enroute at FL390 about 120nm south of El Paso,TX (USA) already in Mexican Airspace, when the crew initiated an emergency descent to 10,000 feet due to the loss of cabin pressure. The aircraft turned around and diverted to El Paso for a safe landing on runway 22 about 35 minutes after leaving FL390. A replacement Boeing 757-200 registration N540US reached Mexico City iwth a delay of 8.5 hours. The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground in El Paso for about 8.5 hours, then positioned to Los Angeles,CA (USA) at maximum cruise level 280. https://avherald.com/h?article=4e6e664a&opt=0 Mile-high meltdown: Woman arrested for attacking flight attendants on flight from Miami Flight AA1357 out of Miami International Airport erupted into chaos late Saturday night when a passenger attacked two flight attendants while in the air. According to a police report, a New York City woman later identified as Chenasia Campbell, reportedly flew into a rage because her garbage had not been disposed of before landing at John F. Kennedy International Airport. ‘I hope you get eaten by an alligator!’ Man kicked off plane in Florida for no mask The 28 year old New Yorker stormed to the crew area to confront the attendant about the issue, striking her and knocking the woman to the ground, said the report. An AA spokeswoman told the Miami Herald that the tensions initially started over the issue of mask-wearing due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic: “A customer who refused to comply with the federal face mask requirement assaulted a crew member while in flight,” she wrote in an email Tuesday. The victim’s colleague, who attempted to break up the fight, also got caught in the fray, according to the police report. Campbell, “screaming obscenities,” then went after that woman, punching the AA employee with “closed fists,” pulling her hair and even attempting to rip off her uniform. ‘The whole plane was just going crazy’: Watch family get kicked off flight over masks “At some point during the altercation, the defendant attempted to pull up or remove the victim’s dress,” the complaint says. An off-duty NYC police officer happened to be aboard the flight and put restraints on the suspect until arrival. Campbell was taken into custody at JFK, charged with the federal offense of interfering with a flight crew. “Upon information and belief, on or about May 2, 2021, within the Eastern District of New York and elsewhere, while on an aircraft in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States, the defendant did knowingly and intentionally assault and intimidate a flight attendant of the aircraft, interfere with the performance of the duties of the flight attendant, and lessen the ability of the flight attendant to perform those duties.” says the document. Campbell appeared in court in Brooklyn, New York, on Monday and was released on $15,000 bond. “Violence of any kind is not tolerated by American,” concluded the AA spokeswoman. “We thank our crew members and law enforcement for their quick action, both on board and at the airport, to ensure the safety of our customers and crew members.” Campbell is no longer welcome to fly with the airline, for now, she said. “The customer involved in this incident has been placed on our internal refuse list, pending further investigation.” https://www.yahoo.com/news/mile-high-meltdown-woman-arrested-145637129.html Four people killed when plane crashes into Mississippi home HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) — Four people were killed when a small plane (Mitsubishi MU-2B-60 Marquise) crashed into a home in Mississippi late Tuesday night, police said. Authorities in Hattiesburg were called to the scene of the civilian plane crash just before 11:30 p.m., Hattiesburg Police Public Information Officer Ryan Moore said. Police initially said two people died; later Wednesday morning, they raised the toll to four. Authorities did not immediately identify the victims or say whether they were on the plane or in the home. The Federal Aviation Administration was called to investigate the cause of the crash. Meanwhile, police said anyone who finds de, police said. Hattiesburg is about 90 miles (145 kilometers) southeast of Jackson. https://www.yahoo.com/news/least-2-killed-plane-crashes-071721335.html **************** Date: 04-MAY-2021 Time: c. 23:00 LT Type: Mitsubishi MU-2B-60 Marquise Owner/operator: Northshore Group LLC Registration: N322TA MSN: 760SA Fatalities: Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Category: Accident Location: Hattiesburg, MS - United States of America Phase: En route Nature: Private Departure airport: Wichita Falls-Sheppard AFB, TX (SPS/KSPS) Destination airport: DESTIN EXEC AIRPORT (DESTIN, FL) DTS Investigating agency: NTSB Narrative: A Mitsubishi MU-2B-60 Marquise impacted a residential structure under unknown circumstances in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. FAA reports 2 persons died in the crash and 1 unknown injury on the ground. the aircraft was destroyed. Weather could be a factor. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/257477 Report: Unstable approach led to DHC-8-300 hard landing and tailstrike, Canada In its newly released investigation report the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) found that the January 2020 hard landing and tailstrike of a DHC-8-300 in Schefferville, Canada, was the result of an unstable approach. On 20 January 2020, a DHC-8-314 operated by Air Inuit was conducting a flight from Québec-Jean Lesage Airport, to Schefferville Airport, with three crew members and 42 passengers on board. During the landing, the rear fuselage struck the runway as the wheels touched down. After landing, the aircraft taxied to the terminal to disembark the passengers. There were no injuries; however, the aircraft sustained substantial damage. The investigation found that the flight crew forgot to perform the descent checklist and realized this at an inopportune time, while the captain (pilot monitoring) was providing a position report. Given ambiguities and contradictions in the company’s stabilized approach guidelines, the captain interpreted that he was allowed to continue the approach below 500 feet above aerodrome elevation, even though the aircraft had not been fully configured for the landing. When the aircraft passed this altitude, the pilots, who were dealing with a heavy workload, didn’t notice and continued the approach, which was unstable. At the time of the landing, the aircraft no longer had enough energy to arrest the descent rate solely by increasing pitch attitude. The pilot’s instinctive reaction to increase the pitch attitude during the flare, combined with the hard landing, resulted in the rear fuselage striking the runway, causing substantial damage to the aircraft’s structure. The investigation also made findings as to risk related to Air Inuit’s standard operating procedures (SOPs) and training, and to Transport Canada’s (TC) oversight. Transport Canada assessed Air Inuit’s SOPs, but did not identify any specific issues with the operator’s stabilized approach guidelines. If TC does not assess the quality, consistency, accuracy conciseness, clarity, relevance, and content of SOPs, the procedures may be ineffective, increasing risks to flight operations. Additionally, the captain had not received many of the required training elements during his recurrent training. If required training elements are not included in recurrent training, and if TC’s surveillance plan does not verify the content of crew training, there may be procedural deficiencies or deviations, increasing risks to flight operations. Following the occurrence, Air Inuit took a number of safety actions, including the revision of its SOPs to improve guidelines on several subjects, including stabilized approaches, and the revision of its training program to ensure that all training elements are covered within the two-year recurrent training cycle. https://news.aviation-safety.net/2021/05/04/unstable-approach-led-to-dhc-8-300-hard-landing-and-tailstrike-canada/ Boeing faces new hurdle in 737 MAX electrical grounding issue - sources SEATTLE/WASHINGTON/CHICAGO (Reuters) - U.S. air safety officials have asked Boeing Co to supply fresh analysis and documentation showing numerous 737 MAX subsystems would not be affected by electrical grounding issues first flagged in three areas of the jet in April, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters. The extra analysis injects new uncertainty over the timing of when Boeing's best-selling jetliner would be cleared to fly by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The electrical problems have suspended nearly a quarter of its 737 MAX fleet. U.S. airlines have said they expected Boeing to release the service bulletins as soon as this week that would allow them to make fixes and soon return the planes to service, but this latest issue will likely push that timelime back. “We continue to work closely with the FAA and our customers to address the ground path issue in affected 737s,” a Boeing spokeswoman said. Asked about the status of the planes, a FAA spokesman said "we are continuing to work with Boeing." Airlines pulled dozens of 737 MAX jets from service early last month after Boeing warned of a production-related electrical grounding problem in a backup power control unit situated in the cockpit on some recently built airplanes. The problem, which also halted delivery of new planes, was then found in two other places on the flight deck, including the storage rack where the affected control unit is kept and the instrument panel facing the pilots. The glitch is the latest issue to beset the 737 MAX, which was grounded for nearly two years starting in 2019 after two fatal crashes. The slog of questions over a relatively straightforward electrical issue illustrates the tougher regulatory posture facing America's largest exporter as it tries to emerge from the 737 MAX crisis and the overlapping coronavirus pandemic. Late last week, Boeing submitted service bulletins advising airlines on how to fix the problems with grounding, or the electrical paths designed to maintain safety in the event of a surge of voltage, the two people said. The FAA has approved the service bulletins but then, in ongoing discussions with Boeing, asked for additional analysis over whether other jet subsystems would be affected by the grounding issue, one of the sources said. The FAA will review Boeing's analysis and any necessary revisions to the service bulletins before they can be sent to airlines. Boeing has proposed adding a bonding strap or cable that workers screw onto two different surfaces creating a grounding path, two people said. Boeing had initially told airlines a fix could take hours or a few days per jet. The electrical grounding issue emerged after Boeing changed a manufacturing method as it worked to speed up production of the jetliner, a third person said. A fourth person said the change improved a hole-drilling process. The FAA issued a new airworthiness directive last week requiring a fix before the jets resume flight, saying the issue impacts 109 in-service planes worldwide. Sources said it impacts more than 300 planes in Boeing's inventory. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/exclusive-boeing-faces-hurdle-737-014521620.html Air India pilots say vaccinate us or we won’t fly From the BBC World Service: A pilots' union accuses airline management of not supporting staff who have been transporting stranded Indians to safety. Also, G-7 foreign ministers search for solutions to uneven COVID vaccine distribution. https://www.marketplace.org/shows/marketplace-morning-report/pilots-india-vaccines-potential-strike-g-7-vaccine-distribution-europe-companies-brazil-agriculture-pandora-lab-created-diamonds/ China Airlines Pilots Linked to Rare COVID-19 Outbreak in Taiwan; Crew Fined for Breaking Quarantine Agroup of pilots and flight attendants who work for the Taiwanese carrier China Airlines have been linked to a rare COVID-19 outbreak that stemmed from a quarantine hotel at Taipei’s Taoyuan International Airport. And on Tuesday, it was revealed that a pilot and flight attendant who tested positive for the novel Coronavirus had broken self-monitoring rules and visited a bar while potentially infectious. Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung said contact tracing was being stepped up in a bid to contain the hotel outbreak which has risen to at least 24 confirmed cases. It’s believed that infected China Airlines pilots and flight attendants somehow infected other crew isolating at the hotel, as well as hotel workers. Authorities are taking the threat so seriously that almost all of China Airlines’ 700 operational flight crew who were not in quarantine were recalled to undergo mandatory COVID-19 testing. No further cases have so been identified. Around 207 China Airlines staffers were in the quarantine hotel at the time of the outbreak and could have been infected. The Novotel hotel has been temporarily shut down and the crew transferred to a central quarantine facility according to a spokesperson for the airline. Taiwan has done so well to contain the COVID-19 pandemic that the pilot and flight attendant who broke self-monitoring rules are known locally as cases 1,153 and 1,154. The pilot worked a trip to the United States between 16th to 18th April and quarantined for three days after his return. He took a test on April 25 which was negative but started to feel ill on May 1. He took another test on Tuesday which was positive. The pilot and the flight attendant have now been slapped with fines of NT$150,000 (USD $5,000) for visiting a public bar while they were meant to be self-monitoring. The outbreak scare comes just weeks after Taiwan eased quarantine rules for flight crew returning from long-haul trips. The country is now considering stepping up quarantine measures in a similar way to Hong Kong’s strict isolation rules for airline staff. Last year, fellow Taiwanese airline Eva Air was caught up in a COVID-19 scandal that resulted in several pilots and flight attendants being sacked for breaking pandemic control measures. https://www.paddleyourownkanoo.com/2021/05/05/china-airlines-pilots-linked-to-rare-covid-19-outbreak-in-taiwan-crew-fined-for-breaking-quarantine/ Nigerian regulator lifts safety ban on Azman Air operations The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has lifted its suspension of Azman Air's B737 operations after greenlighting corrective measures implemented by the carrier following a safety audit. Among the violations the NCAA listed in its March post-grounding audit included an unsettled debt of NGN1.545 billion naira (USD3.782 million) owed as at December 2020. Other shortcomings included the "incompetence" of both Azman's maintenance director as well as chief pilot, both of whom were blamed for a poor culture of safety at the airline and who have since been replaced. In a statement on May 1, 2021, the NCAA confirmed it had reviewed “the corrective action plans that were developed and implemented to address the non-compliance and non-conformances identified by the audit (Level 1 findings) and found them satisfactory. In view of the above, the authority hereby lifts the suspension of Parts A3 and D43 of the operations specifications issued to Azman Air with regards to the operations of the B737 aircraft type.” The duration of the suspension was not without scandal after Azman Air was forced to publically apologize to the NCAA's director-general, Musa Nuhu, after airline staff, in an official airline press release, levelled allegations of "unprofessionalism and extortion" against him. Azman management subsequently repudiated the statement and expressed its regret to Nuhu and the NCAA. Azman Air, in a separate statement, confirmed the lifting of the suspension, adding it would resume operations soon. It remained “committed to raising the standard when it comes to the safety of crew, equipment, and passengers,” the airline said. The NCAA on March 15, 2021, had suspended the operation of Asman's fleet of two B737-300s and four B737-500s. As previously reported, this followed an incident involving Azman's B737-500 5N-SYS (msn 28565) leased from GECAS, which had experienced a burst tyre on landing at Lagos in February. Although no one was injured, the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) Nigeria had rated the incident as serious. Azman partly owns and partly leases its B737 fleet. One B737-300 as well as the B737-500 are leased from GECAS, with another B737-500 leased from Standard Chartered Aviation Finance. The carrier serves domestic routes including to Abuja, Kano, Lagos, and Maiduguri, according to the ch-aviation schedules module. https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/103156-nigerian-regulator-lifts-safety-ban-on-azman-air-operations Woman arrested at Atlanta airport for smuggling cocaine in shoes (CNN)A 21-year-old woman was arrested at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport for attempting to smuggle three pounds of cocaine hidden in the soles of seven pairs of shoes, customs officials said Tuesday. "Shoes are made for walking and not smuggling narcotics," US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said in a news release. The Georgia woman, who wasn't named, was returning from Jamaica on Sunday when agents pulled her aside for further inspection, according to the news release. It did not say why she was flagged. Upon examination of her bags, officers found a white powdery substance concealed in the bottoms of seven pairs of shoes, the news release says. The substance field-tested positive for cocaine, the release said. In images shared by CBP, the shoes, ranging from sneakers to sandals and even a pair of wedges, are arranged on a table after officers took them apart. In the sole of each shoe and inserted in the heel of the wedge, a package of cocaine can be seen. This isn't the first time smugglers have attempted to hide drugs in the soles of their shoes. In December, CBP said a drug-sniffing dog at the checkpoint in Yuma sniffed out more than a pound of fentanyl that was duct-taped inside the shoes of an Arizona man. On a typical day, border agents seize more than 3,600 pounds of drugs, according to CBP. "Smugglers go through great lengths to conceal drugs from our officers," Paula Rivera, CBP port director for the Area Port of Atlanta, said in the news release. "Narcotics interdiction remains a priority CBP enforcement mission, one that we take very seriously." Officials estimate that the three pounds of cocaine they found in the woman's shoes has a street value of $40,000. The woman was turned over to the Clayton County Police Department for prosecution, according to CBP. "Criminal charges are merely allegations,' reads the release. "Defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law." CNN has reached out to the Clayton County police for more information on the woman and the charges she faces. https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/04/us/cocaine-smuggled-in-shoes-airport-trnd/index.html New Guidance on Preventing Runway Excursions Released by FSF, Partners BRUSSELS, May 5, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Flight Safety Foundation today released new guidance and industry best practices aimed at preventing runway excursions – the most frequent type of aviation accident and a continuing risk for large and small aircraft. The guidance, best practices and explanatory material are contained in an expanded version of the Global Action Plan for the Prevention of Runway Excursions (GAPPRE), which was developed by an international team of more than 100 aviation professionals from around the world. The document, published today on the Foundation's website, includes more than 100 recommendations to stakeholders across the industry as well guidance material and best practices that support those recommendations. "Our focus on preventing runway excursions in regions around the world has a heightened urgency, especially in light of increases in air travel toward pre-pandemic levels. Our global campaign is to proactively raise awareness on this issue," said Dr. Hassan Shahidi, Foundation president and CEO. "We want to thank our partners across the industry for all of the work and resources that went into developing this comprehensive plan." The development of GAPPRE was coordinated by the Foundation and EUROCONTROL. The recommendations and supporting material were developed by six working groups and validated by the Airports Council International (ACI), the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (CANSO), the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The recommendations and appendixes containing the guidance and explanatory material are divided into separate sections targeting aircraft operators, aerodrome operators, air navigation service providers, aircraft manufacturers, regulators, states, international organizations and others in the industry. The expanded GAPPRE can be downloaded from the Foundation website. About Flight Safety Foundation Flight Safety Foundation is an independent, nonprofit, international organization engaged in research, education and communications to improve aviation safety. The Foundation's mission is to connect, influence and lead global aviation safety. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-guidance-on-preventing-runway-excursions-released-by-fsf-partners-301284066.html Pilatus Aircraft Hands Over 1,800th PC-12 Pilatus Aircraft last week handed over the 1,800th PC-12 turboprop single, just three months after delivering its 100th PC-24 twinjet. The milestone PC-12 NGX, S/N 2070, was delivered to Alán Aguirre, owner of Divine Flavor, a family-run and grower-owned distribution company based in Nogales, Arizona, with greenhouses and vineyards throughout Mexico. Adrian Zambrano—managing director of Pilatus Center de México, the authorized Pilatus sales and service center in Mexico—handed over the keys to the PC-12 NGX to Aguirre at the Pilatus completions and delivery center in Broomfield, Colorado. “The PC-12 program continues to exceed all expectations originally set for it by Pilatus,” Pilatus Business Aircraft CEO Thomas Bosshard said at the delivery ceremony. “The market response to the PC-12 NGX has been fantastic.” Pilatus shipped 82 PC-12s last year, which the company said made it the most-delivered turbine business aircraft model. The PC-12 NGX, which represents the third major evolution of the aircraft, was introduced at NBAA-BACE 2019 and marked the first electronic propeller and engine control system to be incorporated into a production turboprop. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2021-05-04/pilatus-aircraft-hands-over-1800th-pc-12 F-16’s pilots receives unprecedented level of situational awareness Defense giant Northrop Grumman Corp. said in a statement that its LITENING advanced targeting pod has been fielded for the first time with full-color, digital video capability with the Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard, giving pilots of the service’s F-16s an unprecedented level of situational awareness and targeting certainty. “LITENING’s color video capability gives pilots a clearer picture of the battlespace, making targeting faster and more accurate,” said James Conroy, vice president, navigation, targeting and survivability, Northrop Grumman. “The LITENING pod can display up to three different views simultaneously, allowing operators to see color and infrared video side by side, and in different fields of view. The result is a clearer view of an area of interest only available when flying with LITENING.” LITENING has been continuously upgraded over four generations and has logged more than three million operational flight hours. Northrop Grumman’s Agile methodologies and digital design expertise are accelerating the pace of change to deliver new capabilities to the field rapidly in response to evolving requirements. Built with a modular design, any LITENING pod can be upgraded to the color configuration. The upgrade also includes the ability to record simultaneous video feeds from all sensors for post-mission analysis, automatic laser code display and an eye-safe mode that allows for more realistic training while using the laser. Northrop Grumman has delivered more than 900 LITENING pods to the United States and international partner nations. The pod has maintained an availability rate in excess of 95 percent. https://defence-blog.com/news/f-16s-pilots-receives-unprecedented-level-of-situational-awareness.html Super Air Jet: Lion Air’s Suspicious New Airline A new Indonesian airline named Super Air Jet will be launching operations soon, and the carrier now has its first plane. Super Air Jet’s first plane is an Airbus A320 with the registration code PK-SAJ. This is a roughly 10 year old plane that previously flew for Indigo, which is an Indian low cost carrier. A couple of thoughts: Super Air Jet’s name and livery are… odd I’m not sure if these new employee uniforms are supposed to look casual and/or modern, but to me they look like a cross between a UPS uniform and a prison jumpsuit As of now very little is known about this airline, including how many planes the airline planes to operate, what routes it will serve, etc. However, we do know who is behind the airline, and that’s arguably the strangest part. Super Air Jet is from the founders of Lion Air One thing we do know about Super Air Jet is the people behind the airline — specifically, the founders of Lion Air. For those of you not familiar with Lion Air, this is an ultra low cost carrier with a fleet of over 140 planes, including a dozen A330s, and around 130 Boeing 737 family aircraft. In September 2020 Bloomberg reported on how Lion Air’s founders were working on starting a new airline, though that information was only provided through sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity. However, a representative from Indonesia’s transport ministry confirmed at the time that an air operator certificate was being processed for this airline. At the time we didn’t know the name of the airline, so it’s pretty clear that this is exactly what Super Air Jet is. Why would Lion Air start a new airline? Well, that’s open to speculation as of now. Lion Air has had its fair share of safety issues, including most recently the crash of a Boeing 737 MAX. Also keep in mind that Lion Air already has a full service subsidiary, Batik Air, so presumably that’s not what the airline is going for with Super Air Jet. Some say that the new Super Air Jet brand is an attempt to give Lion Air’s founders a fresh start. It’s anyone’s guess what this will look like, though, since I would assume Super Air Jet will likely also be a low cost carrier: Will they just run two low cost carriers side-by-side? If so, what will differentiate the airlines? Will Lion Air’s founders eventually try to rebrand Lion Air as Super Air Jet, as a way of trying to escape the negative connotation that some people have with the brand? If you ask me, maybe Lion Air should focus on investing in a better safety culture (since Lion Air’s issues pre-dated the 737 MAX crash), rather than investing in yet another airline brand. Super Air Jet is from the founders of Lion Air Bottom line The founders of Lion Air are starting a new airline called Super Air Jet. The carrier’s name, livery, and employee uniforms have now been revealed, though we don’t know much more. While we’ve seen some legacy airlines launch low cost carriers, seeing an Indonesian low cost carrier launch an Indonesian (probably low cost) carrier, especially when the airline already has a full service subsidiary, sure makes me wonder what’s going on here. https://onemileatatime.com/super-air-jet/ Blue Origin to begin space tourism ticket sales Wednesday SEATTLE (Reuters) - Blue Origin, billionaire Jeff Bezos' rocket company, is poised to open up ticket sales on Wednesday for suborbital sightseeing trips on its New Shepard spacecraft, a landmark moment as U.S. firms strive toward a new era of private commercial space travel. Blue Origin is expected to announce details on how to purchase a seat, the timing of the first flight, and the cost for a ticket, which has been a carefully guarded secret inside Blue for years. Reuters reported in 2018 that Blue was planning to charge passengers at least $200,000 for the ride, based on an appraisal of rival plans from billionaire Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc and other considerations, though its thinking may have changed. Blue Origin teased last week that it would soon begin selling tickets, following years of testing and development work that has included delays. Blue's New Shepard rocket-and-capsule combo is designed to autonomously fly six passengers more than 62 miles (100 km) above Earth into suborbital space, high enough to experience a few minutes of weightlessness and see the curvature of the planet before the pressurized capsule returns to earth under parachutes. The capsule features six observation windows Blue Origin says are nearly three times as tall as those on a Boeing Co 747 jetliner. While celebrities and the uber-rich appear to be a core market for space tourist jaunts, at least initially, industry sources expect Blue to include some philanthropic component to its ticket strategy. A college science professor and an aerospace data analyst are among a four-member crew for a launch into orbit planned later this year by Elon Musk's SpaceX, part of a charity drive billed as the first all-civilian spaceflight in history. Virgin Galactic also aims to fly private customers in early 2022, after a first flight with Branson on board later this year. Its zero-gravity experience is anchored by its SpaceShipTwo plane, and the company has ambitious plans to offer point-to-point travel between far-flung cities at near-space altitudes. Virgin says it will charge more than $250,000 for new reservations but has not announced final pricing. Sales will reopen following Branson's flight. In 2018, one Blue Origin employee with first-hand knowledge of the pricing plan said the company will start selling tickets in the range of about $200,000 to $300,000. A second employee said tickets would cost a minimum of $200,000. Blue Origin's announcement will provide Bezos, who founded Amazon.com Inc, sorely needed momentum after Blue Origin lost out to SpaceX on a $2.9 billion contract under NASA's high-profile program to return Americans to the moon in coming years. However, NASA has told SpaceX to halt development work specifically related to the moon program contract pending the outcome of protests by Blue and rival Dynetics at the U.S. Government Accountability Office. https://www.yahoo.com/news/blue-origin-begin-space-tourism-100743136.html The first Crew Dragon mission finally returns home The four-person crew of the first formal Crew Dragon mission finally returned home in the early hours of Sunday morning, marking an end to an incredibly important journey. The crew was part of the first scientific mission for SpaceX’s Crew Dragon after it was tested and delivered to NASA. The mission was a huge success, but some unfortunate weather delays forced the foursome to remain in space slightly longer than NASA had planned. It was the second time a Crew Dragon spacecraft returned to Earth with people aboard, following the crewed test flight to the ISS which lasted just a short time. The Crew Dragon had never spent this long in space, attached to the ISS, and while those things might seem insignificant, even the smallest changes are hugely important when a spacecraft is responsible for protecting human lives. Thankfully, Crew Dragon performed flawlessly, and the astronauts experienced a safe splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. It’s actually somewhat rare for a crew to return to Earth in the dark, but NASA had to opt for the soonest available return window after poor weather conditions delayed Crew Dragon’s return by several days. The capsule touched the water at 2:56 am EDT. SpaceX’s recovery ship picked up the astronauts and the capsule and headed back to dry land shortly thereafter. As NASA notes in a new blog post, the predawn splashdown was the first of a U.S. crewed spacecraft ” since Apollo 8’s predawn return in the Pacific Ocean on Dec. 27, 1968, with NASA astronauts Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders.” The landing was obviously great news for SpaceX but also a huge deal for NASA, which has long needed a capable spacecraft of its own for ferrying astronauts to and from the ISS. Crew Dragon is one of the products of the Commercial Crew Progam, and so far the only one. Boeing is still trying to get its Starliner off the ground after a ton of delays and setbacks. “Welcome home Victor, Michael, Shannon, and Soichi, and congratulations to the teams at NASA and SpaceX who worked so hard to ensure their safe and successful splashdown,” incoming NASA Administrator Sen. Bill Nelson said in a statement. “We’ve accomplished another incredible spaceflight for America and our commercial and international partners. Safe, reliable transportation to the International Space Station is exactly the vision that NASA had when the agency embarked on the commercial crew program.” NASA on the Commercial Crew Program: The goal of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program is safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation to and from the International Space Station. This has already been proven to provide additional research time and increase the opportunity for discovery aboard humanity’s testbed for exploration, including helping us prepare for human exploration of the Moon and Mars. It’ll still be a while before we get to see Starliner in action, but once Boeing finally finishes that project, NASA will have no shortages of ways to get its astronauts into space. https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/first-crew-dragon-mission-finally-211655954.html Maintaining Wellbeing: Opening up in the maintenance environment 17 May 2021 - 18 May 2021 Virtual Conference 13:30 - 17:00 BST Ever since the tragic Germanwings accident in 2015 there has been growing interest in the mental health and wellbeing of pilots, even to the extent that EASA has recently introduced new rules on the mental fitness of aircrew. Of course, pilots are not the only aerospace professionals whose wellbeing has a direct impact on safety. There are many humans in the chain equally vulnerable to the stresses and strains of modern life, and not least aircraft maintainers. However, are their needs being recognised, never mind being addressed? Following a successful recovery from an airborne incident the passengers and crew are rightly given every assistance to get over the traumatic experience, but what about the engineers worried that something they might have done was the cause of the incident? They are frequently the ones who have to immediately recover the aircraft, perhaps without a thought by anyone as to how they might feel about it and the impact this could have on their performance. This Conference takes a unique look at wellbeing and mental health from the maintainers point of view. What are the specific challenges faced by aircraft engineers and the business case for addressing these challenges? How widespread is the problem? Individual and organisational coping mechanisms will be discussed and we will hear thoughts from the CAA. This is a significant opportunity to shine a light on the challenges faced by maintainers who can often be taken for granted. Your attendance would help us to start a new conversation at a time when arguably the need is at its greatest. Please do see the full programme below using the blue button. Delegate fees: RAeS Member: £40+VAT Non Member Engineers special offer 50% off £40+VAT Non Member: £80+VAT RAeS Corporate Partner: £60+VAT RAeS Student/Apprentice Affiliate Member: £20+VAT BOOK NOW View the full programme now Call for Nominations For 2021 Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- The Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Foundation is now accepting nominations for the 2021 Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award, honoring a leader in global aviation safety. The Award is scheduled to be presented during Flight Safety Foundation’s annual International Air Safety Summit (IASS). Presented annually since 1956, the Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award recognizes notable achievement in the field of civil or military aviation safety in method, design, invention, study or other improvement. The Award's recipient is selected for a "significant individual or group effort contributing to improving aviation safety, with emphasis on original contributions," and/or a "significant individual or group effort performed above and beyond normal responsibilities." Mechanics, engineers and others outside of top administrative or research positions should be especially considered. The contribution need not be recent, especially if the nominee has not received adequate recognition for their achievement. Nominations that were not selected as past winners may be resubmitted for consideration in subsequent years. Please note that self-nominations will not be considered. The Award Board, composed of leaders in the field of aviation, meets each year to conduct a final review of nominees and selection of the current year's recipient. Please help us identify and honor this year's most deserving recipient. Nominations, including a 1-to-2-page narrative, can be submitted via the Laura Taber Barbour Foundation website at http://ltbaward.org/the-award/nomination-form/. Nominations will be accepted until June 4th, 2021. For more information, including a complete history of Award recipients, see www.ltbaward.org. About the Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Foundation and Award The Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award's story dates back 75 years. On April 14, 1945, after visiting family in Pittsburgh, Laura Taber Barbour was aboard a Pennsylvania Central Airlines DC-3 when it crashed into the rugged terrain of Cheat Mountain near Morgantown, West Virginia. All passengers and crew were killed. In 1956 her husband, Dr. Clifford E. Barbour and son, Clifford E. Barbour, Jr., in close association with The Flight Safety Foundation, established the Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award in her honor. For the past 65 years, this long distinguished award recognizing crowning achievements in aviation safety worldwide has been presented at Flight Safety Foundation’s International Aviation Safety Summit. In 2013, The Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Foundation was formed as an independent, non-profit, charitable organization composed of members of the Award Board, the aviation community, and the Barbour family. In addition to annual presentation of the Award, in 2019 the Foundation initiated a scholarship program that provides tuition support to worthy students pursuing professional aviation studies leading to a career. As the Foundation broadens the scope of its intent, the Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award will continue to spotlight those champions who pioneer breakthroughs in flight safety. For more information on the Foundation, the Award, and past winners, visit http://LTBAward.org ESASI Annual Seminar Dear ESASI Members and Friends, The ESASI Committee has decided to convert the ESASI Annual Seminar into a webinar. The dates remain the same. It will be held on Zoom on the afternoons of the 1st and 2nd of July 2021. The ESASI Committee has been working with our hosts in Hungary to organize ESASI 2022 in Budapest in Spring 2022. CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS • Challenges faced by air safety investigators. • The environment, and culture, that air safety investigators operate in. • Practical experience of applying investigation techniques. • New techniques to aid the investigation. • Investigating UAVs. • Investigating accidents involving manned spacecraft. • Topical cases studies. Details of proposed presentations should be sent to Thorkell Agustsson and Brian McDermid by the 14th May 2021 at presentations@esasi.eu Best regards Steve Hull - ESASI Secretary Curt Lewis