Flight Safety Information - August 23, 2021 No. 169 In This Issue : Incident: Aerosucre B732 at Mitu on Aug 21st 2021, cargo door open in flight : Incident: Smartwings B738 at Budapest on Aug 21st 2021, possible bird strike : Accident: Transair SH36 at Honolulu on Aug 20th 2021, gear up landing : Incident: Canada B738M near Vancouver on Aug 6th 2021, electrical odour in cockpit : The Pentagon is calling on US airlines to help with Afghanistan evacuations : Indianapolis charter plane carrier accused of using unqualified pilots, FAA proposes fine : Japan to send military aircraft to repatriate citizens from Afghanistan : Singapore offers A330 tanker aircraft to help US airlift evacuees from Afghanistan: PM Lee : Biden says safe zone around Kabul airport to expand, as Pentagon enlists commercial airlines to aid evacuations : FAA attempts to wrangle airlines’ unruly passengers : Don't normalize unruly air travel : EASA to scrutinise vortex ring hazard and alternative escape methods : Korean Air to end A380, pax B747 ops by 2031 : Uganda Airlines readies for A330neo operations : Pilot Pipeline Newsletter : Aviation Safety Community : RTCA - Upcoming RTCA Training Opportunities Incident: Aerosucre B732 at Mitu on Aug 21st 2021, cargo door open in flight An Aerosucre Colombia Boeing 737-200, registration HK-5026 performing a freight flight from Mitu to an unknown destination (Colombia), returned to Mitu for a safe landing on runway 20 because the main cargo door was open or opened in flight. The cargo door remained attached, was wide open in flight during the final approach and fell down into a nearly shut position during roll out. The damage to the aircraft needs to be assessed. http://avherald.com/h?article=4ec19589&opt=0 Incident: Smartwings B738 at Budapest on Aug 21st 2021, possible bird strike A Smartwings Boeing 737-800, registration HA-LKG performing flight 7O-737 from Budapest (Hungary) to an unknown destination, was climbing out of Budapest's runway 31L when the runway was closed due to a possible bird strike. The aircraft levelled off at 2500 feet MSL and entered a hold while the crew was working the checklists. The aircraft returned to Budapest for a safe landing on runway 31R about 30 minutes after departure. http://avherald.com/h?article=4ec133d9&opt=0 Accident: Transair SH36 at Honolulu on Aug 20th 2021, gear up landing A Transair Shorts 360, registration N4476F performing flight P6-7 from Kahului,HI to Honolulu,HI (USA) with 2 crew, maintained routine communication throughout the approach and landing on runway 04R at 04:02L (14:02Z) until after touch down, when tower queried: "did the gear collapse or did you land gear up?" There were no injuries, the aircraft sustained substantial damage. The FAA reported the aircraft landed gear up. http://avherald.com/h?article=4ec12991&opt=0 Incident: Canada B738M near Vancouver on Aug 6th 2021, electrical odour in cockpit An Air Canada Boeing 737-8 MAX, registration C-FSJH performing flight AC-225 from Calgary,AB to Vancouver,BC (Canada) with 90 passengers and 6 crew, was enroute at FL400 about 190nm eastnortheast of Vancouver when the crew observed an electrical odour in the cockpit, donned their oxygen masks and declared PAN PAN. The crew continued the flight to Vancouver where the aircraft landed safely on runway 08L about 35 minutes later. The aircraft stopped on the runway for an inspection by emergency services and subsequently taxied to the apron on own power. The Canadian TSB reported maintenance checked numerous systems but was not able to find anything unusual and was not able to reproduce the smell. http://avherald.com/h?article=4ec06c45&opt=0 The Pentagon is calling on US airlines to help with Afghanistan evacuations • Six US airlines will contribute to “one of the largest, most difficult airlifts in history.” As the US evacuation from Kabul, Afghanistan, continues, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin moved to activate the Civil Reserve Air Fleet on Sunday for just the third time in its history, calling up commercial aircraft to join the effort to transport evacuees. The civilian fleet will not fly into Kabul’s airport directly, according to the Pentagon, but will instead be used to ferry evacuees onward “from temporary safe havens and interim staging bases” after they have been airlifted from Kabul. “Activating CRAF increases passenger movement beyond organic capability and allows military aircraft to focus on operations in and out of Kabul,” the Pentagon said in a statement Sunday. The Wall Street Journal first reported that CRAF activation was under consideration by the Biden administration. Currently, military aircraft — massive C-17 Globemaster III and C-130 Hercules planes — are being used to rescue thousands of US citizens, Afghan Special Immigrant Visa recipients, and “other at-risk individuals” from the country following the collapse of the US-backed government there earlier this month and ahead of the US troop withdrawal deadline of August 31. The US is flying evacuees from Kabul to Doha, Qatar, where the US maintains an air base, and to a number of other countries, both in the region and further away. “Bahrain, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Qatar, Tajikistan, Turkey, the UAE, the United Kingdom, and Uzbekistan have been, or will soon be, transiting Americans or, in some circumstances, others through their territories to safety,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said this week. Some Afghan refugees have also been evacuated to the US; hundreds arrived in Annandale, Virginia, on Saturday night, and thousands more are expected to arrive in coming weeks. “We have never seen this kind of increase in people wanting to volunteer,” Jacqueline Buzas, a program supervisor for a Texas refugee aid organization, told the Washington Post as communities in the US prepare to welcome Afghan refugees. “We have people calling to say, ‘I have an extra bedroom.’ Or, ‘I’m retired and have this extra house.’ People understand the human aspects of this, having to flee this life-or-death situation. And they just open the door.” More than a dozen other countries, including the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, have also evacuated their citizens and Afghan nationals this week, according to Reuters. The initial CRAF response will consist of 18 aircraft drawn from six different US-based passenger and cargo airlines, according to the Pentagon: American Airlines, Atlas Air, Delta Air Lines, and Omni Air will contribute three planes each, while Hawaiian Airlines will provide two and United Airlines four. Capt. John Perkins, a spokesperson for the US Transportation Command, told the New York Times on Sunday that CRAF aircraft would begin operating on either Monday or Tuesday. In a Sunday statement, American Airlines said its aircraft would be “ready to deploy” by Monday. “American is part of the CRAF program and is proud to fulfill its duty to help the U.S. military scale this humanitarian and diplomatic rescue mission,” the company said. “The images from Afghanistan are heartbreaking. The airline is proud and grateful of our pilots and flight attendants, who will be operating these trips to be a part of this life-saving effort.” Previously, CRAF aircraft have been activated to assist US forces as part of Operations Desert Shield/Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom, the Pentagon said. The program itself was established in 1951 by the Defense and Commerce departments in response to the Berlin airlift. The decision to enlist civilian aircraft in the evacuation comes after a hectic week; Kabul fell to Taliban forces on August 15, and the US has deployed thousands of troops back into the country to help stabilize the airlift operation from Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport. As of Saturday, according to Maj. Gen. Hank Taylor, the US has about 5,800 troops on the ground and the airport “remains secure” as evacuation flights continue. “In the last 24 hours, six US military C-17s and 32 charters departed Kabul,” Taylor said Saturday. “Through this combined effort, the total passenger count for those flights was approximately 3,800.” At one point earlier in the week, a single US C-17 also evacuated 823 Afghans, including 183 children, setting an aircraft record for C-17s in the process. According to Defense One, which first reported the story, The C-17, using the call sign Reach 871, was not intending to take on such a large load, but panicked Afghans who had been cleared to evacuate pulled themselves onto the C-17’s half-open ramp, one defense official said. Instead of trying to force those refugees off the aircraft, “the crew made the decision to go,” a defense official told Defense One. Within the last 24 hours, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Sunday, the US and coalition partners have evacuated almost “8,000 people on about 60 flights.” Since last Saturday, according to the White House, more than 25,000 people have been evacuated between US and coalition flights. However, there are tens of thousands more people who still need help: In a Wednesday interview, President Joe Biden told ABC News’s George Stephanopoulos that his administration estimated there were still between 50,000 and 65,000 Afghan allies of the US to be evacuated, including families. “The threat is real” As airlift efforts by US and coalition forces continue, safety concerns remain front of mind. In addition to a Taliban presence surrounding the Kabul airport, US officials have signaled that they are increasingly concerned about the possibility of an ISIS attack on the airport. According to CNN, the Pentagon is worried that dense crowds around Kabul’s airport could become a target for ISIS or another terrorist group, using mortars, car bombs, or suicide bombers. US concerns center specifically on a branch of ISIS, called ISIS-K or Islamic State Khorasan, that operates in Afghanistan and Pakistan, one US defense official told CNN. According to Biden, ISIS-K is a “sworn enemy” of the Taliban. “The [ISIS] threat is real. It is acute. It is persistent. And it is something we’re focused on with every tool in our arsenal,” White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN on Sunday. In response to the threat, the US began warning US citizens away from the airport on Saturday until directed otherwise. “Because of potential security threats outside the gates at the Kabul airport, we are advising U.S. citizens to avoid traveling to the airport and to avoid airport gates at this time unless you receive individual instructions from a U.S. government representative to do so,” the US embassy in Afghanistan said in a security alert. However, evacuations are continuing, Taylor said Saturday, with US commanders “metering how many people come in and out of the gate to ensure the [safety] and ability to screen applicants as they come.” Desperate conditions at the Kabul airport In addition to potential terror threats, conditions on the ground outside the Kabul airport remain chaotic, and at times deadly. At least seven people were killed in a stampede near the airport on Saturday, according to CNN correspondent Sam Kiley, and Austin told US lawmakers Friday that “some people, including Americans, have been harassed and even beaten by the Taliban.” Harrowing personal stories — such as a baby who was lifted over razor wire by US Marines before being reunited with his father, or an Afghan interpreter for US special forces who finally made it to safety inside the airport after being beaten by the Taliban — have also emerged during the week. At points, US helicopters have been used to retrieve US citizens and Afghans in Kabul. According to the AP, a trio of Chinook helicopters flew 169 Americans from a nearby hotel to the airport because of safety concerns over traveling through a large crowd, while another helicopter ferried 96 Afghans to the airport for evacuation. However, the US embassy in Kabul has warned “the U.S. government cannot ensure safe passage to the airport” — and some US flights have left the airport “nearly half empty,” according to the Pentagon, while the AP reports that one Belgian plane “took off empty because the people who were supposed to be aboard couldn’t get in.” All told, there are believed to be anywhere from “several thousand” to 15,000 Americans still in Afghanistan, though the exact number remains unclear, and there are many thousands more Afghans hoping to escape the country. As Vox’s Li Zhou reported earlier this week, Already, roughly 88,000 Afghans are estimated to have applied for special immigrant visas (SIVs), an immigration channel open to individuals who worked with the US government as well as their family members. In addition to people pursuing SIVs, other Afghan residents are expected to apply for refugee status if they’re able to do so. Earlier this week, the Pentagon announced that the US intends to resettle 22,000 Afghan SIV applicants in the coming weeks, though the number of people trying to leave is expected to be much larger. Delays in the visa process, however — an issue that lawmakers and advocates raised well before the Taliban takeover this month — have also hindered evacuation efforts from the Kabul airport in some cases, with Afghan allies of the US stuck in a bureaucratic backlog. “The past week has been heartbreaking,” Biden said in a Friday speech on the status of the US evacuation effort. “We’ve seen gut-wrenching images of panicked people acting out of sheer desperation. You know, it’s completely understandable. They’re frightened. They’re sad — uncertain what happens next.” “I don’t think anyone — I don’t think any one of us can see those pictures and not feel that pain on a human level,” he said. A looming deadline As US and coalition evacuation efforts enter their second week after the fall of Kabul, the Biden administration is also facing down a deadline: August 31, the date Biden set in July to conclude the US military mission in Afghanistan. On Wednesday, Biden told ABC that while the US is “gonna try to get it done before August 31,” it also won’t leave US citizens behind. “If there’s American citizens left, we’re gonna stay to get them all out,” Biden said. That could come with its own set of complications, however, including the need for the US to revisit its current arrangement with the Taliban, which ostensibly allows evacuations to go ahead without interference. As of Thursday, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby told reporters that “there has been no decision to change the deadline, and we are focused on doing everything we can inside that deadline to move as many people out as possible. “If and when there’s a decision to change that, then obviously that would require additional conversations with the Taliban, as well,” he said, “but I don’t believe that those conversations have happened at this point.” Biden administration officials have also expressed optimism that Sunday’s CRAF activation — as well as “agreements with more than two dozen countries on four continents” — can help expedite the evacuation process going forward, with Afghan immigrants going through background and security checks at various “staging points” outside of the US. “We need more planes in the mix to do that piece of it, to move them from these initial points of landing on to places that they’ll ultimately resettle,” Blinken told CBS on Sunday. https://www.vox.com/2021/8/22/22636498/pentagon-afghan-airlift-evacuation-american-kabul-taliban Indianapolis charter plane carrier accused of using unqualified pilots, FAA proposes fine Federal authorities are proposing a fine of over $2 million against an Indianapolis charter plane carrier and its associates after accusing the company of conducting illegal flights for nearly a year beginning in 2017. The Federal Aviation Administration proposed the civil penalty against Indy Jet Management LLC on Friday. Officials say the company conducted about 168 flights with unqualified pilots or without the required air carrier certificates or operation specifications. The pilots did not complete training, testing and competency checks the administration requires, the agency alleges. The FAA said the flights occurred between March 2017 and February 2018. The agency implicated the following associates: Gary Aletto, GSA Investment Inc., AirXL LLC, Excel 2 LLC, Excel 3 LLC, Excel 4 LLC, CJI LLC, Indy Bravo LLC, Bradley Cable, Citation Management LLC and Indy Jet Management LLC. The parties have 30 days to respond, the agency said. https://www.indystar.com/story/news/local/transportation/2021/08/20/indy-jet-management-unqualified-pilots-faa/8217928002/ NTSB’s new chief eyes safety shake-up By: Alan Levin The nation’s new chief accident investigator wants to send a message: growing public confusion over automated driving systems in the U.S. is threatening to undermine the potential safety benefits of the technology. Jennifer Homendy took the reins as chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board one week ago, just as controversy erupted over Tesla Inc.’s so-called Autopilot. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Monday opened an investigation into car accidents involving the use of Autopilot. “Whether it’s Tesla or anyone else, it is incumbent on these manufacturers to be honest in what their technology does and does not do,” Homendy told Bloomberg News in her first interview since she was sworn in on Aug. 13. Homendy, 49, a former Capitol Hill staffer who has served as an NTSB board member since 2018, went on to praise Tesla’s cooperation during multiple previous NTSB investigations and said she didn’t want to single the company out. She cited TV advertisements for various vehicles that create the false impression they are capable of steering and braking on their own when drivers must still monitor the systems. At a recent conference she attended of state highway safety officials, most said they thought some models could operate themselves. “I was stunned,” Homendy said. “No, we do not.” Addressing the safety of these driver assist systems is one of a “very long list” of actions Homendy plans to shake up transportation safety. She’s vowing to ask Congress to expand the staff and budget of the agency, and to put new focus on emerging technologies such as automated cars and human space flight. “I think we have a great past,” Homendy said, “but I think we have to be future-looking.” Homendy was staff director for Democrats on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s panel overseeing railroads, pipelines and hazardous materials before being appointed as a member of the safety board in 2018. Robert Sumwalt, who was NTSB chairman for almost four years, stepped down June 30. In her first address to the NTSB’s staff of almost 400 employees, Homendy said she will work with the agency’s Office of Aviation Safety to rename it within the next 100 days to reflect that it also has responsibility to investigate mishaps in commercial space travel. “We are doing a lot, but nobody knows it,” she said of NTSB’s role in space investigations. “We need to demonstrate to our partners, to our stakeholders, that we’re ready, because we are.” She also told staff to finalize within 60 days a draft of regulations that would update requirements governing the growing commercial space industry during an NTSB investigation. The NTSB has investigated accidents involving commercial rockets and space vehicles for decades, including the 2014 fatal destruction of a prototype of Virgin Galactic’s space plane. But such investigations have been rare. “I don’t want to be in a situation, God forbid, that something does happen and we don’t have adequate resources,” she said. “So I do believe this is an area we do need to expand and include additional expertise.” Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc. and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin LLC last month both launched human passengers into the fringes of space, a first for such companies. Virgin later announced it planned to charge $450,000 a ticket for such flights. The need to prepare extends beyond space, Homendy said. Whole new generations of aircraft, from unpiloted drones to robotic flying devices designed to serve as air taxis, are also expanding rapidly, and the NTSB needs to be ready for new, complex investigations, she said. https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/2021/08/20/ntsb-new-chief-eyes-safety-shake/118455848/ Japan to send military aircraft to repatriate citizens from Afghanistan TOKYO, Aug 23 (Reuters) - Japan will send a military aircraft to Afghanistan on Monday to bring back its citizens, the top government spokesman said, amid uncertainty in the country after the hardline Islamist Taliban seized power. More military transport planes are expected to be sent to Afghanistan to repatriate not only Japanese citizens but also Afghans working at the Japanese embassy or with Japanese missions, Katsunobu Kato, chief cabinet secretary, told a news conference. "This transportation is an urgent humanitarian measure to evacuate our nationals in such an exceptional situation," Kato said. Numerous countries have been sending aircraft to bring back their citizens and some Afghans after the United States and other foreign countries including Britain brought in several thousand troops to manage the evacuations. Kato did not say how many people Japan was planning to evacuate. Japan closed its Afghan embassy and evacuated the last 12 personnel but "a small number" of Japanese nationals are still in Afghanistan, officials said earlier. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/japan-send-military-aircraft-repatriate-citizens-afghanistan-2021-08-23/ Singapore offers A330 tanker aircraft to help US airlift evacuees from Afghanistan: PM Lee SINGAPORE - Singapore will offer the United States the use of one of its tanker aircraft to airlift evacuees from Afghanistan, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Monday (Aug 23). He said this during a press conference at the Istana with US Vice-President Kamala Harris, who is in Singapore until Tuesday. The two leaders had met to reaffirm the excellent state of bilateral relations as well as to discuss several issues, including defence and cyber security. Singapore’s offer of the Republic of Singapore Air Force’s (RSAF) A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport (A330 MRTT) to help with evacuation efforts comes after Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, fell to the Taleban on Aug 15. The day after, the Taleban declared from the presidential palace that the 20-year war in Afghanistan was over and that it would proclaim the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. In response, thousands of people swarmed the passenger terminal of Kabul's international airport in the hope of getting an evacuation flight. These included Afghans who had helped the US and its allies over the past two decades by working as translators for military operations. Since then, the Taleban has sought to get the situation under control by firing guns in the air and using batons to force people to form queues outside the airport. But this has not stopped the chaos there and at least seven people were killed in a crush at airport gates last Saturday. US President Joe Biden said on Sunday that the country has an "unwavering commitment" to getting US citizens and at-risk Afghans out of Afghanistan to safety. The RSAF’s A330 MRTT, which attained full operational capability in April, is capable of conducting air-to-air refuelling and airlift roles simultaneously and enhances the Singapore Armed Forces' ability to contribute to international humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions, as well as peace support operations. The Taleban, an Islamic fundamentalist group, ruled Afghanistan from 1996 until it was ousted by an invasion led by the US following the Sept 11 attacks in 2001. Since then, the militant group has waged an insurgency against the US-backed government in the country. On Monday, Ms Harris thanked PM Lee for the “very generous offer” to assist the US in its evacuation efforts in Afghanistan. “We look forward to following up on that discussion,” she said. When asked further about the situation in Afghanistan, PM Lee said the safety and security of the civilians is on the minds of everyone around the world and that he hopes all sides involved can work to ensure this. He noted that Singapore is not unfamiliar with the challenges and that the Singapore Armed Forces previously deployed personnel there in support of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). The ISAF was an international military mission established by the United Nations Security Council to train the Afghan National Security Forces and to assist the country in rebuilding key government institutions. Singapore has sent people to Afghanistan because it is a key battlefront in the global fight against terrorism, said PM Lee, noting that extremist ideas and capabilities have been exported from there to the region here. PM Lee said the US’ intervention 20 years ago has stopped terrorist groups from using Afghanistan as a base. “For this, Singapore is grateful. We hope Afghanistan does not become an epicentre for terrorism again,” he said. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/politics/singapore-offers-its-a330-tanker-aircraft-to-help-us-airlift-evacuees-from Biden says safe zone around Kabul airport to expand, as Pentagon enlists commercial airlines to aid evacuations President Biden said Sunday that the U.S. military is “executing a plan” to move stranded American citizens to the Kabul airport in greater numbers, including through an expansion of a safe zone around the facility and by creating conduits for people to access the compound “safely and effectively.” “Our first priority in Kabul,” Biden said in remarks at the White House, “is getting American citizens out of the country as quickly and as safely as possible.” The president would not say how the plan for “increased rational access to the airport” is being carried out or whether U.S. troops have expanded their perimeter outside the airport and further into Kabul, which could put them at heightened risk of attack from Taliban factions manning security checkpoints and Islamic State operatives who, U.S. officials warn, pose a serious threat. In recent days, the Qatari ambassador to Afghanistan has escorted small groups of Americans into the airport, according to two people familiar with the effort who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive operation. American citizens have been instructed to meet at rally points in the city, and the ambassador then accompanies them to guarantee safe passage, these people said. Qatar has served as an intermediary between the United States and the Taliban at several stages of the American withdrawal, sponsoring peace talks and serving as the first point of refuge for many evacuees. Taliban leaders are promising peace, order and amnesty in Afghanistan. They promised that last time, too. The operational shift comes as U.S. commanders gear up for what officials hope will be a dramatic acceleration of evacuations from Afghanistan in the coming days, enlisting domestic commercial airliners and a number of foreign allies to aid the effort. Evacuations had slowed over the past couple days, as backlogs in way stations like Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar prevented planeloads of people from departing Kabul, grounding planned flights out and degrading humanitarian conditions at the already overcrowded airport. The addition of 18 commercial airplanes — activated, the Pentagon announced Sunday, as part of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet — is intended to address those bottlenecks. The jetliners, contracted from domestic airlines United, American, Atlas, Delta, Omni and Hawaiian, will not be flown into Kabul, but used instead to move those taken to places like Qatar on to other destinations in Europe, the Americas, Africa and the Persian Gulf. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said earlier in the weekend that 13 countries had pledged to temporarily host evacuees, while an additional 12 had agreed to serve as transit points. Biden said Sunday that the mobilization represented a “first stage,” leaving the possibility that more flights could be added to the effort. On Saturday, the U.S. military operated 14 evacuation flights that took about 3,900 people out of the country, while 35 other planes evacuated approximately the same number, according to White House and Pentagon officials. That’s up twofold from Friday — but still short of the 5,000 to 9,000 people per day that senior military officials have said they have the capability to evacuate themselves. About 28,000 people have been evacuated since Aug. 14, including 11,000 over the weekend, Biden said. “We see no reason why this tempo will not be kept up,” the president told reporters. Yet the backlog remains significant — particularly at the Kabul airport, where people have been waiting for days in increasingly squalid conditions to learn when it might be their turn to board a plane to safety. Over 10,000 people had crammed themselves inside the airport perimeter on Sunday, as more clamored to get in. The crush and chaos outside the airport killed seven Afghan civilians, including a toddler, on Saturday, according to the British military. Although it appears the Taliban has tried to disperse those crowds, some Afghans stayed anyway, according to a senior U.S. official. The gates to the airport remain closed to most people Sunday, the official said, though U.S. citizens and Afghans with approved special immigrant visas are being let through. Pentagon hints at more rescues outside Kabul airport, amid new security concerns and evacuation bottleneck Many American citizens and U.S.-approved Afghans, however, are still sheltering in place, awaiting instruction for when it is safe to come to the airport. Over the weekend, the State Department issued a warning to U.S. citizens, telling them not to approach the airport unless expressly notified by a U.S. government official. Last week, the Biden administration estimated there were up to 15,000 Americans remaining in Afghanistan. Officials said Saturday that about 2,500 had left the country. U.S. officials are in contact with Taliban leaders to try to negotiate assurances of peaceful passage to the airport. But as Blinken noted during a television appearance Sunday, the Taliban “are in control of Kabul. That is the reality.” The Taliban’s leaders are presently in Kabul, discussing how to form a government. On Sunday, a senior member of the Taliban’s ruling council said that although the militant group would respect an amnesty for Afghan citizens, including those who cooperated with the United States, it would not apply to “troublemakers” or those “who are creating law and order situations.” The State Department’s warning also was motivated in part by threats that the Islamic State might be targeting Americans. “The threat is real. It’s acute. It is persistent. And it is something we’re focused on with every tool in our arsenal,” Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said Sunday on CNN. During remarks later in the day, the president added that “we’re under no illusions” about the severity of the threat posed by the Islamic State. The Islamic State has long been at odds with the Taliban. But the Taliban remains aligned with al-Qaeda, the group behind the 9/11 terrorist attacks that prompted the United States to invade Afghanistan 20 years ago. Blinken acknowledged during an interview on Fox News that remnants of al-Qaeda remain in Afghanistan, though he insisted that the group’s capacity to launch a similar attack on the U.S. homeland “is vastly, vastly diminished.” Neither Blinken nor Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who appeared Sunday on ABC News, would say whether U.S. forces would be allowed to go beyond the narrow perimeter of the Kabul airport — or whether they thought Biden should extend the Aug. 31 deadline for U.S. forces to leave Afghanistan, to ensure that the maximum number of American citizens and Afghans eligible for U.S. entry are evacuated. The president indicated that such conversations are underway within the administration but that he remains hopeful it won’t be necessary to stay there any longer. https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2021/08/22/afghanistan-biden-evacuations/ FAA attempts to wrangle airlines’ unruly passengers Agency slaps dozens with fines totaling more than $1M ATLANTA — Airline pa ssengers are facing record federal fines for lashing out at 30,000 feet amid conflicts over mask mandates, flight cancellations and because of behaviors fueled by the consumption of alcohol. The Federal Aviation Administration has slapped dozens of unruly passengers with fines amounting to more than $1 million so far in 2021, the agency announced Thursday. The total has already reached the highest ever in a single year, according to the FAA. The issue has frustrated flight attendants, airlines and federal authorities — and heightened the tension and stress of flying amid a pandemic — but the prospect of losing flight privileges and hefty fines hasn’t deterred thousands of people reported for disruptive behavior. Travelers have reportedly punched crew members or other passengers, thrown things at people and tried to break into the cockpit. “As the number of passengers traveling has increased, so has the number of unruly and unsafe behavior incidents on planes and in airports,” according to FAA administrator Steve Dickson. So far this year, the FAA has fielded 3,889 reports of unruly passengers, including 2,867 related to masks. In response, the agency started 682 investigations in 2021 to date. That’s the most on record dating back to 1995, and marks a sharp increase from 183 in 2020 and 146 in 2019. “The stress level is higher than we’ve ever seen it. People are simply more frazzled than we’ve ever seen,” said Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants union, while announcing results of a recent survey on unruly passenger incidents. The stressors of the pandemic and economic uncertainties are contributing factors, she said. The highest federal fine so far — $52,500 — was levied against a Delta passenger who struck a flight attendant and tried to open a cockpit door on a flight from Honolulu to Seattle on Dec. 23, 2020. More recent cases include two Delta Connection passengers, one on a flight from Atlanta in March and another in April who refused to comply with the mask mandate and now face fines of $9,000 and $10,500, respectively. In another incident, a Frontier Airlines passenger on a Jan. 3 flight from Atlanta to New York tried to get into the flight deck by “physically assaulting two flight attendants, threatening to kill one of them, and demanding them to open the door,” according to the FAA. That passenger faces a proposed fine of $30,000. Those are three of 34 unruly passenger cases amounting to $531,545 in proposed civil penalties announced by the FAA Thursday. And mask conflicts in the air are unlikely to disappear anytime soon. The Transportation Security Administration, which requires face masks on flights and in airports, this week said it plans to extend the mandate until Jan. 18, 2022, instead of allowing it to expire under the previous end date of Sept. 13. Key drivers for the increase in incidents and enforcement this year are the FAA’s “zero tolerance” policy for unruly and dangerous behavior on airline flights in place since Jan. 13, and the mask mandate in place since Feb. 1 after an executive order from President Joe Biden. Airlines have had policies requiring masks on board since mid-2020 and have put thousands of disruptive passengers on their no-fly lists for noncompliance. Atlanta-based Delta has put more than 1,500 travelers on its no fly list for not complying with its mask policy. Delta may also terminate passengers’ SkyMiles frequent flier memberships “on the basis of documented abusive behavior.” The airline issued a statement supporting the extension of the federal mask mandate and the FAA’s “continued support of our customers and crews.” https://www.columbian.com/news/2021/aug/22/faa-attempts-to-wrangle-airlines-unruly-passengers/ Don't normalize unruly air travel The number of incidents is rising, and stiffer penalties could help. Just as some Americans started feeling better about travel during the pandemic, airline passengers found they have another thing to worry about — fellow passengers. The number of rowdy, sometimes violent incidents aboard planes is skyrocketing, putting travelers at risk. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials say that as of mid-August they've logged nearly 3,900 unruly passenger reports, about 2,800 related to wearing masks. So far this year, 682 investigations (more than twice the previous 2004 high of 310) have been done, and offenders have been assessed a record $1 million in potential fines. Federal Aviation Administration and airline officials say the offenses range from refusing to wear a mask to throwing suitcases and other items to physical confrontations. In one case, a flight crew member was punched in the face and lost two teeth. In another, a man was fined for fighting and trying to put his head under a flight attendant's dress. And in several incidents, altercations have resulted in diverted flights. Combine these skirmishes in the skies with increased incidents of road rage, pugilistic parents at kids' sports games and ugly, random acts of carjacking and other violence on the streets, and you can see the anger in America in 2021. This is not the kind of world we want to live in. Americans need to calm down and, as the Star Tribune Editorial Board argued last month after a Twin Cities man was killed in a road-rage shooting, we have to resist normalizing violent, aggressive behavior. Yet according to flight attendants, threatening behavior, harassment and physical altercations have become normal experiences for cabin crews this summer. Due to the increase in violence, more airline crew workers are taking self-defense classes to protect themselves and others. A recent Association of Flight Attendants-CWA union survey reported that 85% of its members had dealt with difficult and sometimes violent passengers during 2021. The poll included 5,000 flight attendants from 30 airlines; over half of them said that they had experienced five or more such incidents, and 17% said they were involved in an incident that got physical. The flight attendants survey confirmed that mask compliance, routine safety reminders, flight delays and cancellations were common factors in the ugly onboard incidents. And they confirmed that alcohol is often involved, prompting some airline staffers to urge alcohol bans on flights. Problems aboard planes prompted a coalition of aviation unions and industry stakeholders to send a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland requesting that federal prosecutors dedicate more resources for egregious cases. "Aviation safety is a federal matter that impacts passengers and crew members across the country as well as in interstate travel; it is not a local issue subject to jurisdictional variations," they wrote. Those who would even think about getting out of hand on a flight should consider the serious consequences. Interfering with the staff doing their jobs on a flight violates federal law. Bad behavior on a plane can result in substantial fines — up to $37,000 per violation. One incident can generate multiple violations, which can drive fines even higher. Some airline staffers are pressing for even stronger penalties. That's not a bad idea. Violent, aggressive passengers put others at risk in the air. https://www.startribune.com/dont-normalize-unruly-air-travel/600090132/ EASA to scrutinise vortex ring hazard and alternative escape methods Helicopter safety researchers are to undertake formal analysis of the hazardous vortex ring phenomenon and the effectiveness of an alternative recovery and escape technique. The vortex ring state is an aerodynamic condition which typically emerges in vertical descent, when relative upward air velocity equals the downward induced main rotor flow – resulting in the downward flow being recirculated into the rotor. It generates a turbulent flow – with a toroidal shape – across a large region of the rotor disc. This toroidal turbulence is known as a vortex ring and it causes a loss of rotor efficiency despite the continued delivery of engine power. “In this [condition] most of the power developed by the engine is wasted in circulating the air around the rotor,” says the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, which is intending to award a two-year contract for the research. Vortex ring states generate vibration, oscillation and high descent rates Helicopters affected by the vortex ring state experience vibration, uncommanded oscillation in the pitch and roll axes, limited flight control, and – most critically – high descent rates of up to 6,000ft/min. EASA says that, despite previous studies on the condition, “very little” is known about the precise physical and dynamic criteria for any specific helicopter type which might lead to vortex ring creation. The research programme will improve understanding of the phenomenon on different helicopters and the simulation and flight-test methods for predicting its onset. But EASA also aims to assess the effectiveness of alternative pilot recovery manoeuvres. It says a traditional recovery to exit an incipient or full vortex ring involves increasing airspeed, through forward longitudinal cyclic control, and lowering the collective. “The drawback of this recovery manoeuvre is the further loss of altitude produced by the pitch-down attitude attained to increase the forward speed,” says EASA. “If the vortex ring is developed at low altitude…there may be not enough altitude to complete the recovery and hence to avoid the ground impact.” A relatively new alternative recovery sequence – using the ‘Vuichard technique’, named after Claude Vuichard – involves increasing the collective to maximum power while maintaining heading through pedal input and applying opposite lateral cyclic to bank out of the vortex. This technique, says EASA, is claimed to be effective at limiting altitude loss compared with the conventional escape method. “There is the need to verify its effectiveness on different helicopter models having different dimensions and rotor types and in different flight conditions at which the [vortex ring] might be developed,” it adds. EASA intends to use the results of the research to support assessment of the need for possible changes to certification specifications and pilot-training regulations. https://www.flightglobal.com/safety/easa-to-scrutinise-vortex-ring-hazard-and-alternative-escape-methods/145106.article Korean Air to end A380, pax B747 ops by 2031 Korean Air (KE, Seoul Incheon) is planning to retire all A380-800s, including those it will inherit from Asiana Airlines after the two airlines merge, within the next five years, Chief Executive Walter Cho told FlightGlobal. "The A380s will be leaving Korean Air’s fleet within five years, and the B747-8 fleet will also follow suit within ten years," he said. The Korean carrier currently owns and operates ten A380-800s, 9.4 years old on average, the ch-aviation fleets advanced module shows. Asiana Airlines operates an additional six of which it owns four and leases the other two from Minsheng Financial Leasing. Asiana's A380s are 6.4 years of age on average. Korean Air, at this time, operates just one of its A380s - on the Seoul Incheon-Guangzhou route - while Asiana Airlines has its entire fleet of the type in storage. Although Cho's comments hint at a limited future for the A380s in South Korea, they remain one of the few commitments to continue operating the type in the post-COVID-19 pandemic period. So far, the only airlines to unequivocally pledge to do so are Emirates - the type's largest operator, Singapore Airlines, British Airways, Qantas, China Southern Airlines, and ANA - All Nippon Airways. In terms of B747-8s, Korean Air operates ten aircraft in a passenger configuration. They are 5.3 years old on average and are split evenly between owned and leased units. Korean Air is one of just three operators of the type in passenger configuration globally alongside Lufthansa and Air China. Cho didn't specify whether the retirement plan also covers B747-400(ERF) and B747-8(F) freighters, of which Korean Air has four and seven, respectively. Korean Air will be replacing the quadjets primarily with smaller and more fuel-efficient widebodies. The carrier's twin-aisle passenger fleet currently comprises eight A330-200s, twenty-two A330-300s, twelve B777-200(ER)s, four B777-300s, twenty-six B777-300(ER)s, and ten B787-9s. It has another ten B787-9s and ten B787-10s on firm order from Boeing. Asiana Airlines, in turn, is renewing its long-haul fleet with the A350 Family: it already has thirteen A350-900s with a further eight on firm order, alongside nine A350-1000s on order. The carrier's current widebody fleet consists of fifteen A330-300s, a single B747-400, five B767-300s, and nine B777-200(ER)s. Cho said Korean Air is continuously evaluating the B777X but underlined that there would not likely be sufficient demand in years to come to justify an order for an entirely new type. https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/107021-korean-air-to-end-a380-pax-b747-ops-by-2031 Uganda Airlines readies for A330neo operations Uganda Airlines (UR, Entebbe/Kampala) is set to begin widebody operations after it managed to add its pair of A330-800s to its AOC's operations specifications last week. In a press release, the state-owned airline said the move would allow it to open up flights to Dubai Int'l first followed by London, Mumbai Int'l, and Guangzhou. No official dates or timelines have yet been revealed. 5X-NIL (msn 1977) and 5X-CRN (msn 1979) arrived in central Africa in December 2020 and January 2021, respectively. However, due to delays in their type certification by the Ugandan Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA), both were grounded until August 12. Just before being certified, 5X-NIL carried out a demonstration flight to Johannesburg O.R. Tambo in South Africa. The bungling of the A330neo's induction into service is one of the key events Uganda Airlines' upper management is being held accountable for by the government given the losses the airline has incurred since its launch. Since its inception in August 2019, Uganda Airlines has been plying a fleet of four CRJ900s on flights to Burundi, Tanzania, South Africa, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Kenya, and Somalia. According to the Ministry of Transport update, an application to the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for a TCO certificate has been submitted to enable the airline to fly to London. In addition, the airline has also been designated as the Ugandan carrier for flights to the UK capital and Dubai. An application for China (Guangzhou) is being worked on. https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/107038-uganda-airlines-readies-for-a330neo-operations Upcoming RTCA Training Opportunities DO-178C, Software Considerations in Airborne Systems and Equipment w/Supplements – September 13-17, 11am-5pm est. Airworthiness Security Certification – September 27-30, 11am-5pm est. Safety Management Systems Overview – October 11-14 1pm-5pm est. DO-160G, Environmental Testing – October 25-29, 11am-5pm est. DO-254, Design Assurance Guidance for Airborne Electronic Hardware – December 7-10, 11am-5pm est. Learn more about RTCA’s training offerings. Curt Lewis