Flight Safety Information - June 25, 2021 No. 126 In This Issue : Incident: Sky Gates B744 at Frankfurt on Jun 23rd 2021, engine fire indication : Incident: American A319 at Myrtle Beach on Jun 22nd 2021, hydraulic fault : Incident: SAS A20N at Alta on Jun 22nd 2021, flock of birds : Mil Mi-171 - Fatal Accident (Kenya) : Sikorsky S-70i Black Hawk - Fatal Accident (Philippines) : FAA seeks $124,500 in fines from travelers who agency says assaulted flight attendants, refused masks : Boeing faces rocky path to gaining approval for 737 MAX return in China : Cathay Pacific to require COVID-19 vaccinations for HK airline crew by Aug. 31 : Russia Detains Senior S7 Airlines Staff for Selling Pilot Jobs – Reports : Vanessa Bryant Settles Wrongful Death Suit Against Pilot’s Estate, Helicopter Company : Airlines urged to tighten Airbus A320 checks after COVID storage : Russia proposes civil aviation safety agreement with North Korea : Qantas crew left 'gasping for air' in scary mayday incident, aviation safety report reveals : United Airlines May Announce The Largest Aircraft Order Ever, Sources Say : Air Force grapples with enduring pilot shortage as airlines begin to rehire : 3 reasons why airline delays and cancellations could persist this summer : Bezos' 2021 Space Odyssey a risk too far for insurers : NASA's Mars helicopter has now flown successfully 8 times, beaming back photos Incident: Sky Gates B744 at Frankfurt on Jun 23rd 2021, engine fire indication A Sky Gates Airlines Boeing 747-400 freighter, registration VP-BCI performing flight U3-9785 from Frankfurt Hahn (Germany) to Moscow Zhukovsky (Russia), was climbing out of Hahn's runway 03 when the crew received a fire warning for one of the engines (RB211), stopped the climb at about 6000 feet and returned to Frankfurt Hahn for a safe landing on runway 03 about 25 minutes after departure. The fire warning was identified to have been false. The aircraft is still on the ground in Frankfurt about 8.5 hours after landing back. https://www.avherald.com/h?article=4e94f940&opt=0 Incident: American A319 at Myrtle Beach on Jun 22nd 2021, hydraulic fault An American Airlines Airbus A319-100, registration N747UW performing flight AA-1603 from Charlotte,NC to Myrtle Beach,SC (USA) with 99 people on board, was on approach to Myrtle Beach when the crew reported a hydraulic fault and advised they would have no nose wheel steering available. The crew requested the RNAV approach and a long final to be able to get the gear and flaps down. Established on the RNAV approach the crew requested delay vectors for about 7 to 10 minutes, then reported they were fully configured for landing and joined final again. The aircraft landed safely on runway 18 about 55 minutes after departure from Charlotte and stopped on the runway. After landing the crew advised they had lost the green hydraulics, weren't sure they had lost hydraulic fluid or not, their green hydraulic fluid had overheated, they had hot brakes due to lack of autobrakes. Emergency services reported there was no smoke visible and no fluid leaking. The crew advised they shut down their engines and needed to be towed to the apron, the aircraft was towed to the apron. The return flight AA-1603 is currently estimated to be delayed by about 20.5 hours. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Myrtle Beach about 20 hours after landing. https://www.avherald.com/h?article=4e94f799&opt=0 Incident: SAS A20N at Alta on Jun 22nd 2021, flock of birds A SAS Scandinavian Airlines Airbus A320-200N, registration SE-ROZ performing flight SK-4546 from Oslo to Alta (Norway), was on final approach to Alta's runway 29 when in the flare the crew spotted a flock of birds ahead over the runway and initiated a go around. Climbing with the engines accelerating the crew could not avoid the right hand engine (LEAP) to ingest a sea gull. The aircraft climbed to 3000 feet, positioned for another approach to runway 29 and landed without further incident about 8 minutes later. The aircraft was unable to depart for the return flight, the flight was cancelled. The aircraft is still on the ground in Alta about 19 hours after landing. https://www.avherald.com/h?article=4e94b995&opt=0 Mil Mi-171 - Fatal Accident (Kenya) Date: 24-JUN-2021 Time: 09:00 Type: Mil Mi-171 Owner/operator: Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) Registration: MSN: Fatalities: Fatalities: 17 / Occupants: 23 Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: Ol Tepesi area, Ngong, Kajiado County - Kenya Phase: En route Nature: Military Departure airport: Destination airport: Narrative: A KDF Mil Mi-171 helicopter is said to have crashed in Ol Tepesi area, Ngong, Kajiado County during a training mission. The helicopter was destroyed by fire. According to first reports there are said to be seventeen fatalities. Six occupants who were seriously injured, were rescued. https://www.aviation-safety.net/wikibase/264510 Sikorsky S-70i Black Hawk - Fatal Accident (Philippines) Date: 23-JUN-2021 Time: 20:00 Type: Sikorsky S-70i Black Hawk Owner/operator: Philippine Air Force Registration: MSN: Fatalities: Fatalities: 6 / Occupants: 6 Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: Capas, Tarlac - Philippines Phase: En route Nature: Military Departure airport: Capas AB, Tarlac Destination airport: Narrative: A Black Hawk helicopter of the Philippine Air Force has crashed in Tarlac during a night training exercise. All six crew members are said to have died in the crash. https://www.aviation-safety.net/wikibase/264505 FAA seeks $124,500 in fines from travelers who agency says assaulted flight attendants, refused masks The Federal Aviation Administration is continuing to crack down on unruly flyers. On Tuesday, the agency announced proposed fines totaling $124,500 against eight air passengers – the latest round of penalties as it enforces a "zero-tolerance policy" for dangerous behavior by passengers. The FAA has proposed $563,800 in fines against unruly passengers since Jan. 1. The behavior prompting the latest round of penalties includes passengers allegedly assaulting flight crews, refusing to wear face masks and drinking alcohol they brought on board. Despite relaxed guidelines around mask wearing, the federal face mask requirement for airplanes, airports, trains, commuter rail systems and other modes of transportation remains in effect through Sept. 13. It's also against FAA regulations for passengers to drink their own booze. Since the beginning of the year, the FAA has received about 3,100 reports of unruly behavior by passengers, including about 2,350 reports of passengers refusing to comply with the federal transportation mask mandate. Unruly airline passengers: What is the role of the captain and flight crew in taming bad behavior? Southwest Airlines incident: Passenger who allegedly struck flight attendant charged with felony battery The latest round of proposed fines range from $9,000 to $22,000. Here's what the FAA says happened in each instance and how much it could cost the passengers involved: $22,000 proposed fine: On a SkyWest Airlines flight Feb. 15 from Denver to Gypsum, Colorado, a passenger allegedly repeatedly ignored flight attendants’ instructions to wear his face mask, walked through the cabin to the lavatory while the fasten- seatbelt sign was on and drank alcohol that SkyWest did not serve. $21,000 proposed fine: On a Southwest Airlines flight Feb. 22 from Dallas to Albuquerque, New Mexico, a passenger allegedly refused to wear his face mask after being told by flight attendants and the captain repeatedly to do so while boarding. He reportedly used a bandana over his face but later removed it and was provided a sealed mask by a Southwest employee. Shortly after the plane taxied from the gate, he allegedly removed his face covering again, and the captain returned to the gate. A customer service supervisor boarded the plane to escort him off, and the passenger threw the mask at the supervisor, hit him in the jaw and still refused to wear the mask, according to the FAA. Dallas police officers charged the passenger with assault. $19,000 proposed fine: On a SkyWest flight Jan. 20 from Phoenix to Hermosillo, Mexico, a passenger allegedly became angry when the flight needed to return to Phoenix because of bad weather in Mexico. The passenger reportedly began hitting the ceiling of the aircraft, and a flight attendant confronted him about his behavior. When the plane landed in Phoenix, he stood up to and hit a neighboring passenger in the right shoulder, the FAA says, and law enforcement escorted him off the aircraft. $15,000 proposed fine: On an Alaska Airlines flight Feb. 7 from Chantilly, Virginia, to Seattle, a passenger allegedly assaulted a flight attendant by pushing or shoving the attendant when he reached the passenger's row as crew were documenting mask compliance. $14,000 proposed fine: On an Allegiant Air flight Jan. 21 from Syracuse, New York, to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, a passenger allegedly drank alcohol that Allegiant hadn't served him. The FAA says the passenger began shouting profanities at flight attendants and other passengers, refused to wear a mask and was moved to the back of the plane to separate him from other passengers. Law enforcement met him at the gate. $14,000 proposed fine: On an Endeavor Airlines flight Feb. 25 from New York City to Portland, Maine, flight attendants repeatedly told the passenger to wear her mask properly, the FAA says. The passenger allegedly unfastened her seatbelt and stood while the fasten-seatbelt sign was on. Flight attendants notified the pilots of the situation, and law enforcement met the plane at the gate. $10,500 proposed fine: On a Southwest flight Feb. 25 from Los Angeles to Sacramento, California, a passenger reportedly was not wearing his mask and was talking on his phone on the runway. After two crew members instructed him to turn off his phone and wear his mask, he began to use profanity and told the flight attendants to go away, the FAA says. The captain returned the plane to the gate, and law enforcement met the passenger on the jetway. $9,000 proposed fine: On an Allegiant flight Feb. 19 from Greensboro, North Carolina, to St. Petersburg, Florida, a passenger allegedly refused to wear his face mask during boarding and on the flight, flight attendants repeatedly told him to wear his mask. He argued with a flight attendant and began to unbuckle his seatbelt to stand and “get into it and get to the bottom of this” with the flight attendant. The passenger allegedly began recording other passengers without their permission, and crew members notified the captain of his behavior. https://www.yahoo.com/news/faa-seeks-124-500-fines-145822287.html Boeing faces rocky path to gaining approval for 737 MAX return in China * Political and regulatory obstacles delaying return -sources * Boeing won't increase MAX production until China situation clearer * China pursuing homegrown aerospace ambitions with rival C919 BEIJING, June 23 (Reuters) - Trade power tensions, regulatory hurdles and attempts by the West to counter Chinese competition are delaying a return of the 737 MAX in China, frustrating Boeing Co as a potential rival demonstrates its growing influence. Six months after the West lifted an almost two-year flight ban on the MAX, there is no clear end in sight for the crisis surrounding Boeing's fastest-selling jet in China - the first nation to ground it in 2019 after two deadly crashes in five months. The company had hoped for China to approve the MAX to return to the sky by the end of last year; in January 2021, Boeing said it expected the MAX to be approved by regulators everywhere by the end of June. Now, with help from the Biden administration, Boeing is stepping up efforts to convince China the plane is safe and reset its most strategic partnership as airlines start to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. But people familiar with the discussions say regulatory and political obstacles mean any resolution is still months away. For Boeing Chief Executive David Calhoun, that means seeing profits and market share slip to European rival Airbus SE . "I do know that if it goes on for too long, I pay a price," he told a Bernstein conference this month. "I pay a price because they're (China) the biggest part of the growth of the industry in the world." Because of the China uncertainty, Boeing is not confident it can raise production beyond the 31 MAX planes per month level it expects to hit by early 2022, Calhoun said. The company has been all but shut out of new orders in the world's biggest aircraft market since 2017, which contributed to its decision to cut production of its long-haul 787 model. China hopes to compete against Western planemakers, including with its C919, a direct rival to the MAX and other narrowbodies such as the Airbus A320. Its manufacturer, state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) is aiming for local certification of the C919 by year end, and is ultimately seeking Western certification. That potential competition has prompted the United States and Europe to call a truce in a 17-year aircraft trade war so they can focus on challenging Chinese subsidies. Group of Seven leaders last week scolded China over a range of issues and demanded a thorough probe of the origins of COVID-19, angering Beijing. Any improvement in the political backdrop to the MAX decision seems unlikely before the Communist Party's 100th anniversary on July 1, sources and analysts say. "The 100th anniversary of the founding of the party, the 20th Party Congress next year, the (2022 Winter) Olympics - all of those push China to be less cooperative," said Scott Kennedy, a senior adviser at Center for Strategic and International Studies. PRACTICAL PROBLEMS The MAX grounding - after crashes that killed 346 people - has been worst crisis in Boeing's history. Design flaws led to multiple investigations, damaged its reputation worldwide and left it short of cash needed to cope with the COVID-19 crisis. Yet a year ago, the prospects of China returning the MAX to service on a timeline similar to that of the United States and Europe seemed good. But politics, practical problems such as visa and quarantine issues, and the Chinese aviation regulator's intense scrutiny have gradually sapped U.S. hopes of a quick solution, industry sources say. Last year, engineers from Seattle visited China to answer Civil Aviation Administration of China's (CAAC) technical queries, one of the people said. Once it was clear CAAC's timeline lagged that of other regulators, Boeing suggested China send representatives to Seattle to observe test flights, two people said, but CAAC declined as the pandemic raged in the United States. Discussions shifted to having Boeing's engineers and pilots travel to Beijing for test flights, but six months later that hasn't happened, the first person said. Boeing said it continued to work closely with CAAC and other regulators to return the MAX to service worldwide but declined to respond to specific questions from Reuters. CAAC declined to comment about the timeline for approval or the considerations for granting it. But CAAC chief Feng Zhenglin late last year raised concerns about Boeing's pilot training and after-market services in a small group meeting, a third source familiar with the matter said. The source, like others in this article, declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter. CAUTIOUS REGULATOR The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was also cautious about the MAX's return to service and slapped down efforts by Boeing to speed up the process; Europe's aviation regulator delayed approvals by months. CAAC, however, is known in the industry as the most conservative of the world's major aviation regulators. China has not had a deadly commercial air crash in more than a decade. CAAC was the first regulator to ground the MAX. It has since issued three requirements for the return to service of the MAX in China: certified design changes, sufficient pilot training, and definitive findings from the crash investigations. Beijing has big long-term regulatory ambitions, according to a State Council blueprint. It aims for China to become a global aviation power by 2050, giving the regulator greater international influence. CAAC's most recent jet aircraft certification was with the domestically manufactured regional jet ARJ21, whose production is ramping up after five years in service. It has not been certified by any Western regulator. In the past, the Chinese regulator would have simply ticked certification boxes under bilateral agreements, a source at a Western aerospace supplier said. But now, as Beijing pins its aviation hopes on the C919, it is asking for detailed and sometimes proprietary data, analyses and presentations. "CAAC... have put on their big boy pants," the source said. "Now what they're doing in the industry is saying, 'We do not trust traditional certification authorities anymore. We want to learn ourselves what you guys have been doing for the past 50, 60, 70 years.'" https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/focus-boeing-faces-rocky-path-230000165.html Cathay Pacific to require COVID-19 vaccinations for HK airline crew by Aug. 31 (Reuters) - Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd said on Thursday that all Hong Kong-based pilots and flight attendants would need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by Aug. 31 or risk losing their jobs, in one of the airline industry's toughest policies. Cathay said it had struggled with staff rostering due to Hong Kong's strict quarantine rules on return that have been loosened for crew that have been vaccinated. There are also requirements that only fully vaccinated crews can operate to certain high-risk destinations and on quarantine-free "bubble" flights. Hong Kong has a surplus of unused vaccines and some of the shots are about to expire, city authorities have said. Cathay said 90% of pilots and more than 65% of cabin crew had been vaccinated already, or had appointments for vaccinations, following a previous warning that vaccination was highly likely to become compulsory. "We understand there will be some who cannot take a vaccine and we will look into accommodating them on a short-term basis where we can," the airline said in a statement. "However, we will review the future employment of those who are unable to become vaccinated and assess whether they can continue to be employed as aircrew with Cathay Pacific." Cathay's new policy was first reported by the South China Morning Post and comes amid varying industry approaches to crew vaccinations. United Airlines Holdings Inc said on Tuesday it would mandate full vaccination for crew members flying to countries with high COVID-19 cases at the beginning of August, while Delta Air Lines Inc last month said all new hires would have to be vaccinated. Australia's Qantas Airways Ltd has said it will require all passengers and crew to be vaccinated when the country's borders reopen to widespread international travel. Emirates has provided employees with free vaccines since January, and later told staff they had to get vaccinated or pay for regular tests to prove they are not infected. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/cathay-pacific-require-covid-19-065006621.html Russia Detains Senior S7 Airlines Staff for Selling Pilot Jobs – Reports S7 is Russia's second-largest airline Two senior pilots for Russia’s second-largest airline S7 have been detained on suspicion of receiving bribes in exchange for employing pilots of Russia’s first medium-haul Airbus A320neo planes, Russian media reported Wednesday. One of them was identified as S7 flight crew director Mansur Badrakov, who was allegedly caught in the act of receiving 1.5 million rubles ($20,600). “He is suspected of facilitating the employment of a pilot for the first Airbus A320neo airplane in Russia,” an unnamed source was quoted as saying. The state-run TASS news agency reported that investigators and the Federal Security Service (FSB) apprehended Badrakov and his unnamed deputy in the Moscow region. Russia’s Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes, will reportedly question all S7 employees who had come into contact with Badrakov and examine documents at his department. Some of the witnesses who were already questioned included the “potential buyer of the pilot’s job,” TASS quoted a second unnamed source as saying. S7 told TASS that it is cooperating with the investigation. If convicted, the pilots face between seven and 12 years in prison on charges of commercial bribery. S7 said in 2017 that it leased the first more fuel-efficient Airbus A320neo aircraft from the leasing company BOC Aviation Limited. Russia’s flag-carrier Aeroflot received the first of its reported nine Airbus A320neo planes earlier this spring. https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2021/06/24/russia-detains-senior-s7-airlines-staff-for-selling-pilot-jobs-reports-a74318 Vanessa Bryant Settles Wrongful Death Suit Against Pilot’s Estate, Helicopter Company The widow of the late NBA star Kobe Bryant along with three other families who lost loved ones in the January 2020 crash has reached a confidential settlement with Island Express Helicopters and the estate of Ara Zobayan. Vanessa Bryant along with the other plaintiffs have reached a confidential settlement agreement with the company that operated the helicopter and the estate of the pilot involved in the crash that killed Kobe and Gianna Bryant and seven others last January. The parties filed a “joint notice of settlement and joint request to vacate discovery deadlines” documents with the court on Tuesday. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed. In late February 2020, Vanessa Bryant filed a lawsuit against Island Express Helicopters over the Jan. 26, 2020 crash in Calabasas that killed her husband and daughter, as well as Alyssa Altobelli, John Altobelli, and Keri Altobelli; Payton Chester and Sarah Chester; Christina Mauser, and helicopter pilot Ara Zobayan. The suit said the crash was due to negligence by the pilot and the aircraft’s operating company. Vanessa Bryant said heavy fog and low clouds prompted law enforcement agencies and tour companies to ground their helicopters, but the pilot requested special clearance from air traffic control to keep flying. She says Island Express’ FAA operating certificate barred pilots from flying under such conditions and that Zobayan had previously been cited by the FAA for violating the rules. Vanessa Bryant had sought damages in return for the losses she suffered. She was joined in the lawsuit by the three other families involved in the tragic accident. In February this year, the National Transportation Safety Board ruled that the helicopter accident was caused after the pilot flew the Sikorsky S-76 through the clouds and became disoriented. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/vanessa-bryant-settles-wrongful-death-suit-against-pilots-estate-helicopter-company-1234972468/ Airlines urged to tighten Airbus A320 checks after COVID storage PARIS, June 23 (Reuters) - Regulators have called for more rigorous checks when pulling some Airbus (AIR.PA) jets out of pandemic storage, following flawed cockpit readings that can suggest blocked sensors. Pilots rely on airspeed readings derived from external probes known as pitot tubes, which can become blocked by insect nests or dirt if they are not properly sealed during storage. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) said in a safety directive covering the Airbus A320 family that "an increasing number of operational disruptions have been reported due to airspeed discrepancies" as they return to the air. A spokesperson said the events included commercial flights and in most cases led to aborted takeoff. "EASA had no reports of any resultant injuries, aircraft or system issues," she said. Asked whether passengers had been on board, an Airbus spokesperson said it did not have a breakdown between passenger, freight or technical check flights. The reports prompted Airbus to carry out further computer simulations which suggested that problems with two out of three sensors may affect the plane's stability during take-off, though none of these events happened in operations, EASA said. The Airbus spokesperson said these follow-up actions were precautionary and that safety was its chief priority. EASA first reported an "alarming" rise last August in the general number of cases of unreliable cockpit indications during the first flight of jets leaving storage. It called on operators of all makes and models of passenger aircraft to be vigilant. The unprecedented number of aircraft grounded as lockdowns blocked air travel - at one point reaching two-thirds of the global fleet - had already created a spike in problems as airlines began returning them to service last year. read more Pilot rustiness, maintenance errors and a loss of expertise in the supply chain due to job cuts have also raised concerns. Airbus says it has set up a COVID-19 safety task force aimed at safely rebooting activities from airlines to factories. Boeing Co (BA.N) has previously said extensive preparations must be carried out to return jets to service from long-term storage. Blocked pitot tubes, which are a routine hazard on most civil and military aircraft, are just one item on a list of potential snags after months of storage - along with rodents, bird nests and even snakes and scorpions in desert parking strips. Ducts that carry air from the front of most engines to the cabin's air-conditioning systems can also be contaminated. Airbus has beefed up audits of its supply chain following the crisis. In March, it warned suppliers of risks from parts being stored incorrectly or corroding, industry sources said. It also raised the alarm over a range of risks including "foreign object damage" caused by parts or tools lying around unnoticed because of greater social distancing in factories. https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/airlines-urged-tighten-airbus-a320-checks-after-covid-storage-2021-06-23/ Russia proposes civil aviation safety agreement with North Korea Draft emerges after Russia provided DPRK with almost $1 million in jet parts in 2020 Russian transport authorities have been tasked with signing a civil aviation safety agreement with their North Korean counterparts, an order posted on the official Russian government website showed last Friday. Though no Russian airlines currently fly to North Korea, the DPRK state airline Air Koryo normally maintains twice-weekly service between Pyongyang and Vladivostok. The service has been suspended since North Korea implemented COVID-19 restrictions in Jan. 2020, however, with the exception of one relief flight in March 2020. Nevertheless, the June 18 order calls for Russia’s Ministry of Transport to negotiate with the North Korean side to conclude an agreement to improve civil aviation safety between the two nations. In particular, the draft agreement calls for the two sides to ensure that minimum environmental standards relating to noise and exhaust emissions are met. Additionally, North Korea and Russia are to develop two-way recognition of safety checks, training certifications, flight simulator standards and mutually recognized maintenance and inspection standards under the agreement. The draft calls on Russia’s Federal Agency for Air Transport and North Korea’s General Bureau of Civil Aviation to carry out the new rules should the draft be formally codified. The order comes after the most recent U.N. Panel of Experts report on North Korea sanctions found that Air Koryo imported nearly $1 million worth of plane parts for its fleet of Russian Tupolev jets last year despite COVID-19 grounding most of its jets. Russia in 2018 had called for the U.N. to allow Air Koryo to buy new commercial aircraft to replace its aging jets, many of which date back to the Cold War and have been deemed unsafe by organizations like the European Union. Russian Ambassador to North Korea Alexander Matsegora said at the time that Air Koryo was in “dire need” of upgrading its aging fleet of jets, some of which fly on the Vladivostok-Pyongyang route. The Russian order on bilateral civil aviation safety also followed an apparently failed North Korean attempt to acquire additional Tupolev jets from Russia in 2019, a deal which got as far as the Russian vendor painting two aircraft in Air Koryo livery. One specialist said the order document may be related to long-term hopes surrounding the reopening of North Korea’s border. “It seems the Russian government is preparing for a reopening — at least partially — of the border, consistent with what Matsegora has alluded to,” said Anthony Rinna, a senior editor with the Sino-NK research group and an NK Pro contributor. “Even though (Matsegora) referred to the overland border in the recent past, it’s likely Moscow wants to position itself for the ability to move people between the two countries again when the situation normalizes,” Rinna continued. “This has the added advantage of being one sphere of cooperation that appears to be relatively free from the scope of sanctions.” https://www.nknews.org/2021/06/russia-proposes-civil-aviation-safety-agreement-with-north-korea/ Qantas crew left 'gasping for air' in scary mayday incident, aviation safety report reveals • A Qantas captain and co-pilot were left temporarily incapacitated during a terrifying mayday incident three years ago, according to a report. A Qantas captain and co-pilot were left temporarily "incapacitated" and "gasping for air" during a terrifying mayday incident three years ago, a new aviation safety report has revealed. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau report released on Thursday shed disturbing details about an Express Freighters Australia aircraft, which was travelling from Brisbane to Melbourne on August 15, 2018. The crew donned oxygen masks when a caution light flickered, and the aircraft started an emergency descent. But during the initial part of the descent, the captain of the Qantas Boeing 737-376 was left "temporarily incapacitated" and "gagging and gasping for breath" by a reaction to the increased supply of breathing oxygen from the mask, according to the report. A mayday was then declared by the co-pilot, also known as the first officer, and the aircraft started a diversion to Canberra Airport. "The first officer, cognisant that they had previously discussed feeling unwell, observed the captain slumped forward, gagging and gasping for air," the ATSB said. "The first officer recalled checking on the captain during this episode but not receiving a response." After the captain recovered, the first officer then suffered "incapacitating symptoms consistent with hyperventilation". The captain radio called air traffic control, requesting the attendance of emergency services upon arrival at Canberra where the aircraft landed safely. The report noted that at "no point" were both pilots incapacitated at the same time. The investigation identified intermittent flickering of the master caution light and overheat annunciator were likely due to an electrical fault in the right wing-body overheat detection system. "During the descent, the captain selected emergency flow on the oxygen mask resulting in an ingestion of gaseous oxygen, causing their temporary incapacitation," the report read. "The operating flight crew conducted the appropriate non-normal checklist, however the overheat indication could not be rectified due to the fault in the wing-body overheat detection system," the report read. "An additional fault with an isolation valve in the aircraft pressurisation system prevented isolation of the right wing-body pressure duct. "This led the crew to conduct further troubleshooting during which the cabin air supply was reduced. "In conjunction with a higher than normal cabin leak rate, the reduced airflow also lessened the cabin pressure." After landing, both the captain and first officer were transported to hospital via ambulance for medical assessment. Post occurrence medical testing and assessments did not identify lasting effects from the flight. During inspections after the incident, Qantas engineers identified "a range of serviceability issues" with the aircraft fuselage cabin drain valves, fuselage door seal, and the auxiliary power unit duct bellow seal that affected the capacity for the aircraft to hold cabin pressure. According to the report, Qantas advised ATSB it incorporated maintenance changes to avoid similar incidents in the future. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/travel/qantas-crew-left-gasping-for-air-in-scary-mayday-incident-aviation-safety-report-reveals/XXIH3HKUURTZW3RKP5AY7HYIRY/ United Airlines May Announce The Largest Aircraft Order Ever, Sources Say United Airlines plans to announce a large order for aircraft next week, perhaps the largest ever. The carrier has scheduled an investor presentation for Tuesday morning, saying it will provide an update on its strategy. The order is likely to be the largest aircraft ever, two industry sources say, although they were unable to clarify whether that would be by value or number of aircraft. Reports that the carrier will order new aircraft have been widespread. Bloomberg, quoting sources, reported June 10 that United could order 100 Boeing 737 Max 8 jets. Subsequently, CNBC reported, quoting sources, that the carrier was in talks to buy around 200 single-aisle jets in a multibillion-dollar deal involving both the Airbus A321 and the Boeing 737 Max. The largest aircraft orders in history include American’s 2011 purchase of 460 narrowbody jets: 200 Boeing 737s and 260 Airbus A321s. The deal was valued at $38 billion list price; typically, list prices are cut by about half in big aircraft deals. In this deal, Boeing agreed to revamp the 737 with new engines, leading to the creation of Max and the subsequent safety fiasco. No U.S. carriers have placed larger orders since 2011. The biggest aircraft deal ever, as ranked by website Simple Flying in 2020, came in 2013, when Emirates announced an order for 150 Boeing 777X aircraft valued at $76 billion. In 2019, Emirates chose instead to take a mixture of 126 Boeing 777X aircraft and 30 Boeing 787s. List price for the revised order was about $50 million. Still a record, if the deal is ever executed. In May, Emirates President Tim Clark warned Boeing that the airline would refuse delivery of 777X jets if they fall short of contractual performance commitments. Cowen & Co. analyst Helane Becker wrote Wednesday that the United investor meeting could include discussion of a potential aircraft order, as well as of earnings targets and a focus on coastal gateway hubs including Newark, where a media event is scheduled. “United has the largest widebody fleet among the passenger airlines, so the announcement may include new widebody aircraft to fly to new international routes,” Becker wrote. Also Wednesday, United spokeswoman Leslie Scott said, “We do not currently have a deal in place with Boeing or Airbus to purchase new aircraft and do not comment on speculative aircraft orders.” The big three airlines have adopted different strategies in response to the pandemic. Delta has strengthened its premium image, keeping middle seats empty until May. American has refocused on its Charlotte and Dallas hubs, which were both quickly restored to nearly pre-pandemic levels, while boosting coastal partnership deals with Alaska and JetBlue. As for United, “We have, for months now, turned our attention away from managing the crisis of the pandemic and toward planning for our bright future,” Scott said, in an email. “Those plans include thinking about how to harness the power of the best, midcontinent hubs in the industry; capitalizing on the financial benefits of increasing the gauge of our fleet and, most importantly, building on the significant improvements in our customers’ experience.” https://www.forbes.com/sites/tedreed/2021/06/23/united-airlines-may-announce-the-largest-aircraft-order-ever-sources-say/?sh=ea4317218760 Air Force grapples with enduring pilot shortage as airlines begin to rehire More pilots have opted to stay in the Air Force amid pandemic-era uncertainty, but the service is still struggling to fill jobs in its marquee profession as commercial airlines resume hiring. The Air Force saw a net gain of about 200 pilots in its workforce in fiscal 2020, a small move in the right direction for its persistent pilot shortage. The service now has around 19,100 pilots, or 1,900 airmen short of the 21,000 or so pilots it wants in its ranks. More than 90 percent of pilot billets are filled at the operational unit level, Maj. Gen. Jake Jacobson, director of the Air Force’s aircrew crisis task force, told Air Force Times in a recent interview. That’s 94 percent of manned aircraft pilot jobs in the active-duty force, though some types of aircraft have a more robust corps than others. Fighter, bomber and special-operations aircraft are shorter on pilots at 82 percent, 84 percent and 89 percent manning, respectively. Mobility aircraft have 100 percent of the pilots they need, while the combat search-and-rescue, command and control, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance planes are overmanned at up to 118 percent. Ninety-one percent of pilot jobs are filled across the regular Air Force, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard, according to data provided by the Air Force. However, the service has fewer pilots in non-flying staff jobs than it wants. “That means that I don’t have enough pilots on our staff to help us think through the problems in the future,” Jacobson said. Because the service did not graduate enough pilots over the past 10 years to meet its current requirement, it needs to train and keep enough of them to offset the retirements of older officers, service officials said. Military pilots often pursue commercial jobs for a pay bump and more control over their schedule and where they live. The shortage is an issue for combat operations as well as the leadership pipeline: There may not be enough younger second lieutenants, first lieutenants and captains to replace older majors, lieutenant colonels and colonels in commander posts as the higher-ranked officers are promoted or leave in the late 2020s. The service wants to gradually ramp up its number of pilots over time to even out the ranks. https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2021/06/22/air-force-grapples-with-enduring-pilot-shortage-as-airlines-begin-to-rehire/ 3 reasons why airline delays and cancellations could persist this summer American Airlines canceled nearly 600 flights over the weekend through Monday, and is cutting about 1% of its flights in July. That could be just the beginning of a rocky summer for travelers and a robust one for airlines. Delays, cancellations and higher fares could be the norm. One word of advice for voyagers: "patience," said Helane Becker, longtime airline analyst. She laid out to Yahoo Finance Live the reasons behind the delays, and why they could very well continue. First up is a central reason cited by American Airlines: worker shortages. Some are a factor of the COVID-19 pandemic, and some are due to typical airline operating procedures. American and other airlines like Delta Air Lines have announced they're ramping up hiring, but it will take time. "Because of the pandemic, a lot of pilots that may not have retired until 2021 or 2022 or '23 accelerated their retirement to last year," said Becker, a senior analyst at Cowen & Co. For pilots who were temporarily sidelined when airline demand plunged, "it takes about a year to bring a pilot up from a furlough and get him or her ready to fly again." For pilots who are working, "there's what I call the 16-13-10-hour rule, that basically says pilots can work 16 hours during the day, 13 hours overnight and need 10 hours of rest between shifts." That means the lower number of pilots can, for safety reasons, only work so much. Secondly, not only are there fewer pilots, there are also fewer planes. "Last year, you may remember, airlines accelerated retirement of a lot of aircraft," Becker said. One example was American, which permanently grounded 156 of its planes in 2020; Delta also said an early farewell to some of its Boeing jets as a result of the pandemic. Finally, there's a perennial summer problem that's only intensified as a result of climate change: weather-related delays and cancellations. "Pop-up thunderstorms wreak havoc with the industry, and you don't know when they're coming," said Becker. Not only has the amount of precipitation increased in recent years — that rain increasingly comes in what the Environmental Protection Agency calls "extreme one-day precipitation events." Tropical storm intensity has also risen. The reason all of these issues are particularly problematic for travelers is that they've come amidst a surge in demand. This week, passengers traveling through Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints surpassed 2 million in a single day for the first time since March 2020. Monday's passenger traffic of 2.03 million compares with 2.72 million on June 21, 2019, according to the TSA. That could mean a strong summer for airlines, said Becker and other analysts. That optimism, though, is not necessarily reflected in recent stock action. While American (AAL), for example, is up some 40% this year, the shares are down nearly 3% from a 52-week high in early June. Delta (DAL) has risen about 12% year-to-date, but is down 10% since a high in early April. United Airlines (UAL) and Southwest Airlines (LUV) have also sold off from highs earlier this year. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/3-reasons-why-airline-delays-and-cancellations-could-persist-this-summer-191119091.html Bezos' 2021 Space Odyssey a risk too far for insurers (Reuters) - Launching one of the richest individuals on earth into orbit has proved a leap too far for insurers, who are not ready to price the risk of losing Jeff Bezos or his fellow space travelers. Amazon CEO Bezos, a lifelong space enthusiast, has been vying with Elon Musk and Richard Branson to become the first billionaire to fly beyond the earth's atmosphere. And while insurers are well known for offering cover for even the most outlandish of risks, at a price, potential accidents in space are not yet among them. "Space tourism involves significant risk, but is not an issue life insurers specifically ask about as yet because it is so rare for anyone to travel into space," Insurance Information Institute (III) spokesperson Michael Barry said. There is a nearly $500 million market to insure satellites, rockets and unmanned space flight, but no legal requirement for an operator such as Blue Origin, which Bezos founded, to insure passengers for injury or death or for space tourists to have life cover, brokers and insurers said. "We're not aware of a case where anybody is insured against passenger liability," Neil Stevens, senior vice president, aviation and space at Marsh, the world's biggest insurance broker, told Reuters. Assuming they lift-off as planned next month, Bezos and the other wannabe astronauts on Blue Origin's New Shepard spacecraft will not only spend several minutes 62 miles (100 km) above the earth in a truck-sized capsule, they also have to get back. The only group that has regularly flown humans sub-orbitally since the 1960s is Branson's Virgin Galactic. All have been tests, with one failure in 2014 resulting in a death. Blue Origin has flown 15 unmanned sub-orbital flights with no failures, Seradata SpaceTrak data showed on June 10. Bezos, Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic did not respond to requests for comment from Reuters on their insurance plans and flight records. 'DIFFERENT RISK PROFILES' Being uninsured in space is nothing new. NASA and the U.S., in general, do not buy liability cover, with government launches basically insured by taxpayers, Richard Parker of Assure Space, a unit of insurer AmTrust Financial that provides space insurance, said. NASA astronauts are eligible for government life insurance programs, a NASA spokesperson said in an emailed response. Charles Wetton, underwriting manager for space policies at insurer Global Aerospace, said astronauts on government-funded missions are carefully selected for their knowledge, skills and fitness and train for several years before blast off. "They and their families understand the risks of the work they do, Wetton said. But commercial space cadets may only get a few days of training for a sub-orbital flight or a few months for a ride to the International Space Station (ISS), Wetton said, adding: "These represent two very different risk profiles that insurers will take into account". Blue Origin on its website says the spaceflight passenger will receive training the day before the launch, including mission and vehicle overviews, safety briefings, mission simulation and instruction on in-flight activities. Virgin Galactic said participants will get three days of training and preparation before the launch. Insurers expect iron clad waivers and contracts from commercial space travel firms, stating they will bear no burden if a passenger dies during a flight. NASA has called for responses from the industry for its plans for a liability framework for privately-funded astronaut missions to the ISS. NASA's plans include requiring private astronauts to buy life insurance. It is still early days, but cover for space tourists may be the next step, said Tim Rush, senior vice president, U.S. space, at insurance broker Gallagher, adding that the life insurance market currently provides individual cover of $2-5 million for private astronauts. The only mandatory insurance in place for commercial space operators is third-party liability, mainly to cover property damage on earth or to a flying aircraft, said Akiko Hama, client executive, space and aerospace underwriting at Global Aerospace. Blue Origin plans for its six-seater spacecraft to take off on July 20 and fly for four minutes beyond the boundary between the earth's atmosphere and outer space, where passengers will experience total weightlessness. Safety record of orbital human space flights https://graphics.reuters.com/SPACE-EXPLORATION/INSURANCE/xklpyawokpg/chart.png MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION A key question for how the sector develops is whether risks related to tourism fall under space or aviation insurance lines, insurers and brokers told Reuters. The U.N. Outer Space Treaty and the Liability Convention of 1972 governs all activities in space and very few countries have a legal framework for commercial human spaceflight, they said. The first-ever aviation insurance policy was written by Lloyd's of London in 1911. A few years later the market insured Charles Lindbergh and his single-engine plane for $18,000 on its non-stop flight from the United States to Europe. Space trips are different, said Marsh's Stevens, because the passengers are returning to the same place as they left, making it technically a domestic trip to which international aviation insurance cannot be applied, meaning there will also be no limitation to liability. "The aviation, aircraft insurance market, and the like, are less keen to take on risks that involve spacecraft," he said, adding that whether space tourism trips fall under aviation or space insurance is a "million dollar question". While air travel is governed by rules that establish airline liability in the case of death of passengers, Stevens said he was unaware of plans for similar rules for space tourism. However, Wetton said Global Aerospace had started to receive enquiries from companies for sub-orbital missions. "In 10 years' time, maybe the two lines, aviation and spaceflight will look very similar," said Assure Space's Parker. "Some legislative somewhere will say, look, we're now having average Joes flying on these launch vehicles and need to protect them," Parker added. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/bezos-2021-space-odyssey-risk-060557857.html NASA's Mars helicopter has now flown successfully 8 times, beaming back photos that look like a sci-fi film NASA's Ingenuity Mars helicopter flew over the red planet's surface for the eighth time on Monday - it zipped 525 feet over uncharted ground then landed safely in a new airfield. The space drone has far exceeded NASA's expectations, flying higher than engineers thought possible and surviving three high-risk landings. Ingenuity is on an extended mission to keep testing operations that NASA may want to conduct with future space helicopters. Photos from Ingenuity's eight flights so far reveal the rotorcraft's traveling shadow, a set of rover-wheel tracks in the red Martian dust, and the consequences of a computer glitch that sent the helicopter pitching back and forth. See more stories on Insider's business page. On Monday, NASA's Ingenuity helicopter completed its eighth flight on Mars. The 4-pound helicopter spun its two pairs of blades to lift itself more than 30 feet above the ochre Martian dust. At a speed of 9 mph, it zipped to a new landing spot 525 feet away. The tissue-box-sized space drone has come a long way since the Perseverance rover dropped it onto the Martian surface in April. The pair of robots landed in Mars' Jezero Crater on February 18. Ingenuity was meant to conduct up to five test flights in order to prove that helicopters could fly over and explore Mars. The demo chopper has far exceeded engineers' expectations. Ingenuity made history on April 19 when it took flight for the first time. It hovered 10 feet above the Martian surface for about 30 seconds. It was the first powered, controlled flight ever conducted on another planet. A camera on the Perseverance rover captured the flight in exquisite color. Perseverance moved to a nearby overlook to photograph and film the event. Ingenuity snapped its own photos, too, using a color camera on the bottom of the helicopter. The camera is mounted on Ingenuity's fuselage, and it points about 22 degrees below the horizon. That allows the lens to capture some of the Martian landscape in the distance as Ingenuity flies. A black-and-white navigation camera also captures images as the chopper flies. Ingenuity's color camera captured mid-flight photos of Perseverance's tracks in the dust below. The camera even spotted Perseverance during Ingenuity's third flight. Perseverance watched Ingenuity's first five flights, then drove away to start on its own science mission: searching for signs of ancient alien life. Perseverance is now exploring the deposits left behind by a lake that once filled Jezero Crater. Scientists think that this lake may have hosted microbial life 3.5 billion years ago. Sediment falling to the lake bottom may have trapped and fossilized some of those microbes — if they existed. Perseverance aims to collect dozens of soil samples from the lake bed, the nearby river delta, and the shorelines. It will stash those samples for a future mission to carry back to Earth. Before moving on, Perseverance captured video footage of Ingenuity's flights. Its microphone even picked up the sound of the helicopter's spinning blades. VIDEO To get the helicopter off the ground in Mars' thin atmosphere, Ingenuity's rotors have to spin at 2,500 revolutions per minute. That's five times as fast as the blades of a helicopter on Earth. Meanwhile, Ingenuity's navigation camera snapped photos throughout each flight, which combine to offer stop-motion-style footage of its shadow traveling over Martian ground. "Goosebumps — it looks just the way we had tested," MiMi Aung, the Ingenuity project manager, said as she presented video of Ingenuity's first flight at a press conference in April. "Absolutely beautiful flight — I don't think I can ever stop watching it over and over again." Ingenuity carried out its first three flights so flawlessly that NASA gave it a new, extended mission. For as long as it survives, the Ingenuity team decided, the helicopter will keep flying to new airfields. That way, it can test operations that NASA might want to conduct with future space helicopters. That includes scouting and mapping, observing interesting features of Mars from the air, and exploring rough terrain that rovers can't access. Over eight flights, the helicopter has pushed itself further, faster, and higher. It has landed safely in uncharted territory three times. NASA engineers initially did not think they could fly Ingenuity higher than 16 feet, but the helicopter has reached heights of about 33 feet. It's traveled as far as 873 feet in a single flight and moved as fast as 9 mph. It's hopped to four new airfields — three of which were unsurveyed. Ingenuity even survived a mid-air error. During its sixth flight, a glitch made the helicopter tilt wildly back and forth. About 54 seconds into the flight, a small glitch occured as the navigation camera sent images to the helicopter's computer. The chopper lost just one image, but that meant that each following photo was delivered with the wrong timestamp. The error made Ingenuity roll and pitch, leaning more than 20 degrees from one side to the other. But it still managed to land safely. "While we did not intentionally plan such a stressful flight, NASA now has flight data probing the outer reaches of the helicopter's performance envelope," Håvard Grip, Ingenuity's chief pilot, wrote in a blog update on the incident. NASA expected Ingenuity to crash long ago, but it still has more flights ahead. Perseverance scientist Ken Farley told a NASA group on Monday that he expects Ingenuity's new mission to continue for a few more months, according to SpaceNews reporter Jeff Foust. That would keep up the current rate of about two flights per month. In the future, more advanced helicopters may even work alongside astronauts on Mars. https://www.yahoo.com/news/nasas-mars-helicopter-now-flown-195611338.html Curt Lewis