Flight Safety Information - January 14, 2022 No. 010 In This Issue : Incident: LOT B788 at Warsaw on Jan 13th 2022, flaps problem on departure : Incident: Omni B763 over Black Sea on Jan 13th 2022, loss of cabin pressure : Incident: Ural A320 at Ekaterinburg on Jan 12th 2022, gear problem on departure : Incident: KLM B738 at Amsterdam on Jan 12th 2022, cabin pressure problem : Accident: Egypt B738 at Tunis on Jan 8th 2022, turbulence on approach injures 2 cabin crew : EPA commits to regulating lead in aviation gasoline : Three women busted in drunken beatdown of Delta workers at JFK airport, say feds : 8,000 Delta workers tested positive for covid as the airline cut sick leave : Why airplanes might soon have just one pilot : 2021 was the worst year on record for unruly airplane passengers in the US, FAA data confirms : NTSB: Pilot hurt in fatal chopper crash had weather warning : SpaceX: Falcon 9 completes launch, has now lifted 550 satellites into orbit : Position Available - Analyst, Safety/Flight Operations Quality Assurance : POSITION AVAILABLE: IATA - Assistant Director, Airport Development : RTCA - FAA Administrator January 19 Webinar : POSITION AVAILABLE: Voluntary Safety Reporting Program (ASAP) Manager : POSITION AVAILABLE: Manager, Environmental Health & Safety : POSITION AVAILABLE: Director, Technical & Compliance Programs : GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY Incident: LOT B788 at Warsaw on Jan 13th 2022, flaps problem on departure A LOT POlish Airlines Boeing 787-8, registration SP-LRG performing flight LO-6233 from Warsaw (Poland) to Santa Clara (Cuba), was climbing out of Warsaw's runway 33 cleared to climb to FL240 when the crew requested to stop climb at 6000 feet due to a technical problem. The crew subsequently reported they had a problem with the flaps and needed to return to Warsaw, but before needed to dump fuel. ATC advised minimum altitude for fuel dump was FL140, the crew advised they were able to climb FL140 and were cleared to climb FL140. The aircraft climbed further to FL150 and FL170 before positioning for the approach back to Warsaw's runway 33, where the aircraft landed safely about 65 minutes after departure. A replacement Boeing 787-8 registration SP-LRE reached Santa Clara with a delay of about 3.5 hours. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Warsaw about 28 hours after landing back. http://avherald.com/h?article=4f315c1d&opt=0 Incident: Omni B763 over Black Sea on Jan 13th 2022, loss of cabin pressure An Omni Air Boeing 767-300, registration N378AX performing freight flight OY-8894 from Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan) to Sofia (Bulgaria) with 14 crew, was enroute at FL400 over the Black Sea about 50nm northwest of Trabzon (Turkey) when the crew initiated an emergency descent to FL090 due to the loss of cabin pressure and decided to divert to Burgas (Bulgaria). Upon being handed off to Burgas Approach the crew advised some but not all of the 14 crew had used oxygen masks. The aircraft landed safely on Burgas' runway 22 about 110 minutes after leaving FL400. The aircraft was scheduled to continue to Baltimore,MD (USA) after landing in Sofia. http://avherald.com/h?article=4f31597f&opt=0 Incident: KLM B738 at Amsterdam on Jan 12th 2022, cabin pressure problem A KLM Boeing 737-800, registration PH-BXE performing flight KL-1151 from Amsterdam (Netherlands) to Oslo (Norway), was climbing out of Amsterdam's runway 24 when the crew requested to stop climb at 3000 feet advising they were having problems with the cabin pressurization. The crew subsequently climbed the aircraft to FL060 for troubleshooting and further to FL070, then the crew requested to return to Amsterdam advising they had a problem with one of the aircraft doors. The aircraft landed safely back on Amsterdam's runway 18R about 25 minutes after departure. The flight was cancelled. http://avherald.com/h?article=4f314a8a&opt=0 Incident: Badr B738 near Luxor on Jan 12th 2022, cargo smoke indication A Badr Air Boeing 737-800, registration OM-LEX performing flight J4-690 from Khartoum (Sudan) to Istanbul (Turkey) with 125 passengers and 8 crew, was enroute at FL320 near Luxor (Egypt) when the crew received a forward cargo smoke indication and diverted to Luxor for a safe landing. Emergency services found no trace of fire, heat or smoke. A replacement Boeing 737-800 registration OM-KEX was dispatched to Luxor, continued the flight and reached Istanbul with a delay of about 10 hours. The airline reported a smoke indication for the forward cargo hold prompted the crew to divert to the nearest airport Luxor. The indication was determined false. http://avherald.com/h?article=4f31740c&opt=0 EPA commits to regulating lead in aviation gasoline Victory: Most lead air pollution in the country comes from piston-engine aircrafts NEW YORK, NY — Today, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it will take the necessary steps to regulate lead pollution from aircrafts, the largest source of lead emissions in the country. EPA said it will propose an endangerment finding on leaded aviation gasoline by the end of 2022 and finalize the endangerment finding in 2023. The endangerment finding is a necessary first step before EPA, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), can regulate lead in aviation gasoline. EPA’s actions stem from a petition that community groups represented by Earthjustice, together with the County of Santa Clara, California and the Town of Middleton, Wisconsin, filed in 2020. Though the use of leaded gasoline in most motor vehicles was banned 25 years ago, leaded aviation fuel is still used in nearly 170,000 piston-engine aircraft across 20,000 airports. EPA estimates that emissions from these airplanes account for about 70% of lead released into the atmosphere. According to an Earthjustice review of lead pollution data, airports with the highest lead emissions are located in a handful of states, including California, Florida, Arizona, Washington, and Colorado. “Lead causes adult mortality and irreversible damage to children, and it is high time that EPA regulate the country’s largest source of airborne lead emissions,” said Jonathan J. Smith, Earthjustice attorney. “Every day of delay means more people, including hundreds of thousands of children, are harmed by lead. We urge the FAA to support communities, counties, and EPA, in this much needed process.” Over 5 million people, including more than 360,000 children under the age of 5, live near at least one of the airports where piston-engine aircraft operate, according to EPA. Multiple studies have shown that children who live near airports have higher levels of lead in their blood. Most general aviation airports with the highest lead emissions are in communities of color. In August, a peer-reviewed study showed that leaded aviation gasoline increased blood lead levels among thousands of children living nearby a Santa Clara general aviation airport. Children living downwind of the airport had blood lead level increases on par with those detected during the peak of the Flint Water Crisis. In 2006 Friends of the Earth petitioned EPA to initiate an endangerment finding for leaded aviation gasoline and begin regulating this source of harmful lead emissions. In 2012 the agency said it planned to issue an endangerment finding in 2015, but that plan did not happen. Today, EPA committed to making this endangerment finding by 2023. Lead is widely known to be toxic, particularly to children, as it causes neurodevelopmental damage. QUOTES FROM OUR CLIENTS AND PARTNERS: “Alaska has 400 public airports, many in close proximity to Alaska Native communities and in diverse urban communities where children and other residents may be exposed to dangerous levels of lead,” said Pamela Miller, executive director of Alaska Community Action on Toxics. “We applaud Biden’s EPA for approving this petition and encourage the FAA to help us reach a ban on lead in aviation fuel. Preventing lead exposure is an urgent priority and environmental justice obligation that must be promptly addressed.” “Regulating leaded aircraft gasoline is a necessity to protect children’s health and address ongoing environmental injustices,” said& Dr. Jimena Diaz Leiva, science director of Center for Environmental Health, based in Oakland, California. “We commend Biden’s EPA for responding to this petition and urge FAA to support us in this effort.” “An endangerment finding for leaded avgas was a long time coming,” said Sandra Stahl, executive director, Montgomery-Gibbs Environmental Coalition, an organization from San Diego, California. “We look forward to the FAA and EPA ending the largest remaining source of lead air emissions in the United States.” “For too long the government let the largest source of lead in the air continue unregulated,” said Miki Barnes, Oregon Aviation Watch. “We applaud Biden’s EPA for taking action on leaded avgas and hope FAA helps this effort.” “This is welcome news for the health of airport workers, pilots, passengers, and children who live around airports,” said Marcie Keever, legal director for Friends of the Earth. “EPA has repeatedly concluded that lead is extremely toxic to humans and wildlife even at low doses. Communities have waited long enough for this announcement.” “The County of Santa Clara is encouraged by the steps that the EPA is taking,” said James Williams, County of Santa Clara County Counsel. “We have seen the severe impacts that leaded aviation fuel has in communities of color around Reid-Hillview Airport in Santa Clara County. We are taking immediate local action to respond to those impacts, but it is critical that we also have a long-term national strategy. We are thrilled that the EPA is taking strong action and hope that it results in a long-overdue ban of leaded aviation fuel nationwide.” https://earthjustice.org/news/press/2022/epa-commits-to-regulating-lead-in-aviation-gasoline Three women busted in drunken beatdown of Delta workers at JFK airport, say feds A trio of unruly would-be passengers at John F. Kennedy Airport viciously beat down two Delta Air Lines employees after a flight crew decided they were too drunk and belligerent to board a flight to Puerto Rico, federal prosecutors said Thursday. Long Island residents Jordan Nixon, 21, Janessa Torres, 21, and Johanna Zavala, 44, were set to board a midday flight to San Juan, Puerto Rico on Sept. 22 after their morning flight reservation was changed. In the intervening hours, the women ordered nine drinks at an airport bar and showed up to their gate visibly drunk, according to prosecutors. Zavala had difficulty walking, while Nixon smelled of alcohol and held a to-go cup filled with an orange liquid that also smelled like alcohol, the feds said. A Delta gate employee informed the flight crew of the three passengers’ state, and a flight crew member and the captain of the flight determined that the trio would not be allowed to board, according to court papers filed by prosecutors. A security officer was called to inform the three women, and told the group that while they wouldn’t be allowed on the flight, they could rebook on another flight later that afternoon, prosecutors said. But the women refused to leave the jetway, and began cursing and screaming at the security guard, according to court papers. “Nixon began to tap on [the security guard’s] head and removed his radio, which had been clipped on his person. Nixon then struck [the security guard] repeatedly with his radio as he struggled unsuccessfully to regain control of it,” prosecutors wrote in a memo asking a judge to set bail in the case. Zavala punched in the face a Delta gate employee who was trying to stop the mayhem and help the security guard, prosecutors said. As the gate employee called for backup, the trio punched and kicked the security guard, who had fallen to the floor — and Torres stepped on the guard’s face, according to the feds. The flight crew was able eventually to shield the security guard behind a glass pane to stop the assault and neither employee has returned to work at the airport since that day, according to prosecutors. Attorneys for Torres and Zavala did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Nixon’s attorney, Peter Guadagnino, said he and his client would assess the evidence in the case. https://www.yahoo.com/news/three-women-busted-drunken-beatdown-231100709.html 8,000 Delta workers tested positive for covid as the airline cut sick leave Eight thousand Delta Air Lines employees tested positive for covid-19 over the last four weeks, CEO Ed Bastian said today (Jan. 13), representing 11% of the company’s total workforce. Staff absences at Delta and other airlines, coupled with inclement weather, spurred thousands of flight cancellations over the holiday season. Delta reported losses of $408 million in the last quarter, and said it expects recovery to be delayed through January and February. The news highlights an ongoing battle between Delta and the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA union over worker safety. The covid cases occurred during a period when the company, which does not have an employee vaccine mandate, cut its covid sick leave from 10 days to five. Delta has defended the new isolation policy, as it falls in line with federal public health guidance, but the union has challenged the airline on the guidance, saying it pressures employees to come to work while still feeling ill. Delta cut sick leave as omicron ramped up On Dec. 21 Delta executives wrote a letter to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director Rochelle Walensky asking the agency to shorten the recommended period of isolation for fully vaccinated covid-positive individuals, arguing a 10-day isolation period could “significantly impact our workforce and operations.” Other airlines, including JetBlue, made the same request. A week later the CDC did just that, recommending that covid-positive individuals isolate for five days, as long as their symptoms improve. The agency cited research indicating most covid patients are contagious early in the illness, with transmission usually at its highest in the first five days after an individual develops symptoms. Delta cut its covid sick pay and isolation policy in accordance with the new guidance the last week of December. Whereas employees testing positive for the coronavirus previously received 10 days of paid sick leave to isolate, they now receive five, with the potential to receive two additional sick days if they test positive at the end of the shortened period. The new policy only applies to vaccinated employees. The airline’s response has critics Delta has consistently defended its shortened sick leave policy. The company’s chief health officer Henry Ting called it a “safe, science-based and more practical approach” given that the omicron variant “involves a shorter duration of illness and a shorter contagious period compared to previous strains.” The Association of Flight Attendants, which is currently trying to unionize Delta’s flight attendants, disagrees. The union’s president Sara Nelson claimed last week that she was getting reports the airline told workers to come to work even if they were still testing positive for the virus. Delta fired back with a cease-and-desist letter on Jan. 11, calling Nelson’s statements false and defamatory. While the spat between Delta and the flight attendants union is in part driven by an ongoing push to unionize the airline’s workers, it raises questions about whether the new guidance contributed to the 8,000 covid cases among staff. While Delta’s policy says employees must be asymptomatic before returning to work, it doesn’t require them to test for covid before returning, raising the possibility that workers could show up to work while still positive for the virus. Nelson claimed last week that a covid-negative employee was asked to show up to work at Delta despite having symptoms, and later tested positive after interacting with other staff and passengers. But even the union is moving in the direction of the CDC guidance, despite its criticism of Delta’s approach. Nelson said today the union is working with other airlines it represents to develop a “nuanced policy” to allow staff that have recovered from covid to go back after five days. United, which is represented by the union, still has a 10-day isolation policy in place. That airline said on Jan. 11 that 3,000 of its staff had tested positive for the coronavirus, or 4% of its workforce. https://qz.com/2112899/8000-delta-workers-tested-positive-for-covid-in-the-last-month/?utm_source=YPL Why airplanes might soon have just one pilot (CNN) — If you boarded a passenger plane in 1950 and peeked into the cockpit, you would have seen five people in there (almost certainly men): two pilots, a radio operator, a navigator and a flight engineer. Over the years, technical advances in radio communications, navigation systems and on-board monitoring equipment gradually removed the need for the last three, making it possible to safely fly a passenger plane with just two pilots. That has been the norm in commercial aviation for about 30 years. Soon, however, things could streamline further, and one of the two remaining pilots -- technically the first officer -- could soon go, leaving behind only the captain. Many smaller and military aircraft are already manned by a single pilot, but for commercial aviation this would mean venturing into a brave new world. A challenging transition "The transition from a two-pilot cockpit to a single-pilot cockpit will be significantly more challenging than the transitions from a five-person cockpit to a two-person cockpit," says a 2014 study on single-pilot operations by NASA, which has done research on the subject for well over a decade. According to the same study, a properly implemented switch could "provide operating cost savings while maintaining a level of safety no less than conventional two-pilot commercial operations." But how do you safely get rid of one pilot? One way is to greatly increase automation in the cockpit, devoting more tasks to computers. Another is to offload the same tasks from the cockpit to the ground, with the remaining pilot working as a member of a "distributed crew." The latter approach seems more feasible, at least in the short term, because much of what is required to implement it already exists. "Technologically you could argue that in in a lot of cases we're already there," says Patrick Smith, an airline pilot flying Boeing 767 aircraft and the author of the popular book and blog "Ask the Pilot." "But by doing that," he continues, "you eliminate certain redundancies and I have a hard time with that, because I fly aeroplanes for a living and even with two pilots in the cockpit things can become extremely busy -- to the point of task saturation for both of them." Increased workload In one scenario, proposed by NASA, the remaining pilot in the cockpit would be supported by a "super dispatcher" on the ground, a trained pilot that could oversee a number of flights at once and even fully control the plane remotely if needed, for example if the cockpit pilot become incapacitated. Another option is the "harbor pilot," also a trained pilot but specializing in a specific airport, who could offer assistance with multiple planes arriving and departing from that airport. NASA has conducted tests for these setups by placing pilots from real crews in separate rooms, before presenting them with difficult flight conditions on a Boeing 737 simulator. All pilots were able to land their planes safely, but the study showed "significant increases in workload" compared to regular two-crew operations, resulting in "subjective assessments of safety and performance being significantly degraded." Missing the visual cues from the other pilot sometimes resulted in confusion or uncertainty about which tasks had been completed or not. Having only one pilot on board would save airlines money, but only if the new ground operators and advanced automation doesn't end up costing more, NASA says. Additional minor savings could come from smaller or lighter cockpits in future aircraft. Reduced crew There's also another way to implement single-pilot operations, but only on long-haul flights, which currently require a third pilot that takes over when one of the other two is resting. In this scenario, the third pilot would be removed and the two remaining ones would operate normally during takeoff and landing, but take alternating breaks during the cruise portion of the flight. "In that case, you're going from two pilots to one pilot in certain regimes of flight," says Smith. "But in the other regimes of flight and when necessary, there would always still be at least two pilots there. I'm open to that conversation -- I'm a lot more amenable to that conversation than the idea of removing a pilot entirely." Courtesy Cathay Pacific Airbus and Cathay Pacific are already testing this on the A350: "We are engaged in studies on operational patterns for flight crew on long-range flights," an Airbus spokesperson confirmed to CNN. "These studies are ongoing and based on a minimum of two operating crew per flight. They are being undertaken in conjunction with the regulatory authorities and airline partners." The goal is to certify the A350 for this kind of operation over the next few years. Cathay Pacific also confirmed its involvement as "one of a number of airlines engaging with Airbus," a spokesperson told CNN, and that "this is a long-term commitment to a project that is still very much in its conceptual stage." They added that, even if the concept is approved and introduced in the future, "all of the aircraft in [Cathay Pacific's] existing fleet are certified to operate with a minimum of two pilots on board and that there is no plan to reduce that number." Pilot backlash Airlines are accelerating on single-pilot operations not just because it could save them money, but because of a looming pilot shortage on the horizon. Boeing predicts a need for 600,000 new pilots in the next two decades, but by some estimates there will be a shortfall of at least 34,000 pilots globally by 2025. Reducing the number of pilots on some crews or aircraft could help mitigate the impact of this. However, the group that will offer the strongest opposition will likely be pilots themselves. "That's because we're advocating on our behalf to save our jobs, but also because we have a pretty good understanding of how commercial aeroplanes operate and the vastness of the challenges involved," says Smith. The Airline Pilots Association, International (ALPA), the largest airline pilot union in the world, released a paper in 2019 about the dangers of single-pilot operations. It called the idea "premature" and based on "many costly and unproven technologies," and stated that "the most vital safety feature in transport-category aircraft now and for the foreseeable future [is] two experienced, trained, and rested professional pilots in the cockpit." The paper also says that no autonomous system can compensate for an incapacitated pilot, and that there are many examples of incidents where two pilots in the cockpit were needed to recover from equipment malfunctions that otherwise would have likely resulted in disaster. One such incident, often cited as a brilliant example of cockpit collaboration, is the casualty-free 2009 Hudson river landing of damaged US Airways Flight 1549 by Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger and First Officer Jeff Skiles. The 2015 Germanwings Flight 9525, during which the first officer locked himself in the cockpit while the captain was on a bathroom break, then intentionally crashed the plane into a mountain in an apparent suicide, is also often brought up to highlight the risks of leaving a single individual at the controls of an aircraft. Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger talks to CNN's John Berman about the United Boeing 777 flight that experienced engine failure and the training pilots receive to handle those situations. Would you? Perhaps the biggest hurdle on the path to a single pilot will be selling the idea to passengers. In 2019 Don Harris, a professor of human factors at Coventry University in the UK, conducted a focus group and survey on the prospect of flying on an airliner with just one pilot. Just about 50% of participants said they'd be willing to take that flight, and the general consensus was that removing a pilot is "dangerous until proven safe." The three factors that weighed the most in the participants' decision process were the state of the pilot, trust in the technology and a combination of ticket price and airline reputation, signaling that a significantly reduced fare would help sell the idea. In the study, Harris concludes that the single-crew airliner is still probably 20 years away, but that legislative developments could make that a reality sooner, albeit only for cargo aircraft. Smith agrees: "Maybe there's room for something like that further down the the aviation chain, small aeroplanes or cargo operations, air taxi operations, charters. But implementing that at the major airline level, that's a long way off." According to Richard Aboulafia, an aviation analyst at Teal Group, the move will take many more years, although it's inevitable: "I don't think passenger perception is very important, but establishing guaranteed and secure data links with ground stations is a must, and of course an appropriate amount of time for regulators and insurance people to get comfortable with this too." Removing a pilot from the cockpit, however, will help develop the very technology required for the next, and final, step: removing human pilots altogether and fly planes remotely or autonomously. That, however, sounds like an even more complicated conversation: "Two pilots to one pilot is a major step," says Smith, "but one pilot to no pilots is an immense one." https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/single-pilot-planes/index.html 2021 was the worst year on record for unruly airplane passengers in the US, FAA data confirms More than ever, flight attendants have been dealing with unruly passengers fighting against mask mandates, and now, they're saying enough is enough. Assaults on crew members. Public intoxication. Verbal abuse. Last year was the worst on record for unruly airplane passenger behavior in the United States, according to Federal Aviation Administration data. Alleged F13 gang members charged in slaying of off-duty LAPD officer, authorities said A whopping 5,981 reports of unruly passengers were logged by the FAA as of December 31. Of those, 4,290 -- nearly 72% -- were mask-related incidents. Thursday marks one year since the FAA announced a "zero tolerance" policy for unruly passenger behavior that skips warnings or counseling and goes directly to penalties, which can include heavy fines and jail time. The policy, spurred by incidents tied to masks and violence at the US Capitol, was originally set to expire at the end of March 2021. It was extended at least until the federal mask mandate is lifted. A Delta flight headed to Los Angeles from Washington D.C. was diverted to Oklahoma City Thursday night after a passenger assaulted a flight attendant and an air marshal, authorities say. The unruly passenger incident rate has dropped approximately 50% since record highs in early 2021, the FAA notes on the page where it tracks incidents, "but there remains more work to do." A lot more work, according to flight attendant and union leader Sara Nelson. Nelson, international president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, is painfully aware of what airline crew members continue to face. In addition to the "extremely violent" and most "outrageous and egregious" cases that have made headlines during the pandemic, there has been a steady stream of aggression. "We also have a lot of incidents that are happening more regularly that are violent maybe not directly toward someone, but in actions and words: punching backs of seats, spitting, throwing trash at people, yelling obscenities, using racial, gender and homophobic slurs," Nelson told CNN Travel. "Today when flight attendants put on their uniforms, they don't know if it's going to be a signal of leadership and authority for safety in the cabin or a target for a violent attack," she said. A huge spike in serious incidents Before 2021, the FAA didn't track the number of unruly passenger incidents reported because the number was fairly consistent. But a sharp uptick in unruly passenger behavior in late 2020 spurred the agency to begin tracking the reports in 2021. However, the FAA has recorded the number of unruly passenger incidents that rose to the level of being investigated since 1995. From 1995 to 2020, an average of 182 investigations were initiated per year. In 2021, the FAA initiated 1,081 investigations -- a 494% increase over the historic average of investigations. A bit of good news from the past year is the approximately 50% drop in the rate of incidents from early 2021, when the FAA launched its zero tolerance campaign amid a record high number of incidents. "Our work is having an impact and the trend is moving in the right direction. But we need the progress to continue," FAA Administrator Steve Dickson said in a news release marking a 50% drop in September. But the figure at that time was more than twice as high as the end of 2020, the release said. "This remains a serious safety threat, and one incident is one too many," Dickson said. Consequences for unruly passengers As of November 4, the FAA had referred 37 out of 227 cases for which it had initiated enforcement action to the FBI for criminal prosecution review. (The FAA does not have authority to prosecute criminal cases). It's part of growing attention from the Justice Department on unruly passenger behavior. Additional cases are being referred to the FBI regularly, the FAA told CNN. Airline industry group Airlines for America, which has been working with the government to address unruly passenger incidents, said in a statement that it continues to "advocate for increased and expedited prosecution by the Department of Justice for criminal cases of violence or assault against passengers or crew." At least one passenger involved in a 2021 incident has been charged with assault and interference with a flight crew. Nelson said eventually seeing convictions and jail time for some passengers will "serve as the most effective deterrent to these incidents on the planes." Calls grow for crackdown on unruly passengers, push for expanded 'no fly' list There's a new effort to keep unruly flyers grounded in reaction to this summer's trend of people throwing a fit while flying. She would also like to see a centralized no-fly list of violators that could be used by all airlines to deny flights. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in late October that a federal no-fly list for violent airplane passengers "should be on the table." (The existing federal no-fly list is used to prevent terrorism). "It is completely unacceptable to mistreat, abuse or even disrespect flight crews," Buttigieg told CNN's Dana Bash. Some of the most immediate consequences for passengers in 2021 came in the form of hefty fines. The FAA can propose fines of up to $37,000 per violation against unruly passengers. The FAA initiated enforcement actions on 350 cases in 2021. The agency said it has not tallied the full 2021 amount levied in fines against unruly passengers, but the figure had topped $1 million by August. A number of the incidents that prompted fines in 2021 involved alcohol. Unruly passengers could also lose their TSA PreCheck status, a possible consequence for bad behavior announced in December. Moving into 2022 As of Tuesday, 76 unruly passenger incidents had been reported since the start of this year, with one investigation and one enforcement action initiated. Nelson stresses that "the vast majority of people who come on the planes want to just have a safe, uneventful flight, and that continues to be true." Work with agencies, airports, airlines and law enforcement has "built stepping stones" toward tackling the problem, she said. So far, the most remarkable change Nelson has seen since January 2021 is widespread awareness -- with kindness and appreciation from some passengers as welcome byproducts. "We know that people understand this is happening, and that is a huge difference," Nelson said. "We just have to solve it now." https://abc7.com/faa-data-2021-unruly-passengers-worst-year-mask-related-incidents/11465462/ NTSB: Pilot hurt in fatal chopper crash had weather warning SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A pilot injured in a helicopter crash that killed his passenger in Tennessee didn't heed warnings about flying in marginal weather in the Smoky Mountains, federal transportation safety authorities said. According to the National Transportation Safety Board's preliminary report, the pilot and his passenger traveled from Utah to Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge Airport on Dec. 29 to get a leased Robinson R-44 four-seat light helicopter. The report says service center employees cautioned about dangerous flying conditions in the Smokies. The pilot declared “those are hills” and said he had 14 years of mountain flying, the report says. A local ambulance pilot advised “there was no way he would make it” to Raleigh, North Carolina. The ambulance pilot noted the route's 6,000-foot mountains and power lines above the Interstate 40 gorge. A man at a campground near the Cosby, Tennessee, crash reported hearing, then seeing, the helicopter emerge from the fog, then called 911 when it crashed. https://www.ncadvertiser.com/news/article/NTSB-Pilot-hurt-in-fatal-chopper-crash-had-16774981.php SpaceX: Falcon 9 completes launch, has now lifted 550 satellites into orbit This was the booster's 10th flight to space. 10:40 am ET Update: With clearing skies and moderate winds, SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket rideshare mission safely launched into space on Thursday. The first stage then sent its upper stage and a payload with 105 small satellites on its way into low Earth orbit. The Falcon 9 first stage made a smooth landing back near its launch site. Remarkably, this single Falcon 9 rocket first stage has now launched 550 satellites into orbit, as well as one Cargo Dragon and one Crew Dragon. It has flown, on average, every two months since its first launch. It would seem that rocket re-use is more than a fad. Original post: SpaceX will seek to launch its "Transporter-3" mission into low Earth orbit from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Thursday morning. The rocket has a 29-minute launch window, which opens at 10:25 am ET (15:25 UTC), and weather conditions are forecast to be fair. This will be the company's third rideshare mission in which it uses its Falcon 9 rocket to compete with small satellite launch companies. For this mission, the rocket will launch 105 different spacecraft. Among them are 44 "SuperDove" satellites for Planet, which the company said will replenish its current constellation, which images every landmass on Earth every day. The varied manifest includes CubeSats, microsats, PocketQubes, and orbital transfer vehicles for a mix of government and commercial customers. The satellites will be deployed over about a 90-minute period. The combined mass of the payloads is light enough that SpaceX will be able to perform a land-based return of the Falcon 9 first stage at its landing zone along the Florida coast—the first in more than half a year. Nearby residents, therefore, will be able to enjoy both a launch and then a series of sonic booms about eight minutes after liftoff. For the launch, SpaceX is using a previously flown first stage that has a lot of experience. This rocket, initially used for a commercial crew demonstration mission in 2020, has since flown ANASIS-II, CRS-21, Transporter-1, and five Starlink missions. Upon launch, it will become the third Falcon 9 first stage that SpaceX has flown 10 times. Notably, this booster, number 1058, reached this 10-flight milestone in 594 days. The previous 10-flight rockets required 1,100 and 799 days, respectively. So SpaceX continues to bring down the time needed between reuse of each first stage, as Booster 1058 has only required about two months between flights. https://arstechnica.com/science/2022/01/with-thursdays-launch-spacex-continues-to-increase-cadence-of-booster-reuse/ Analyst, Safety/Flight Operations Quality Assurance Job Locations US-TX-Irving ID 2022-4589 Category Safety/Security Position Type Regular Full-Time Overview Who we are: Would you like to work for a stable, secure, and fast-growing airline where you will be stimulated, challenged, and have the opportunity to develop your career? If so, read on! Come and work with the best of the best at Envoy Air where you will join a team committed to providing outstanding service. We offer: · Amazing employee flight privileges within the American Airlines global network · Training and development programs to take your career to the next level · Comprehensive health and life benefits (subject to location) Responsibilities How will you make an impact? Responsibilities · Assist in the continued development of the FOQA Program · Support Manager of Flight Safety with the daily administration of the FOQA Program · Coordinate FOQA data collection with Maintenance Planning · Manage data processing and storage (including processing by the analysis system) and screen the data for accuracy and integrity · Track external media and aircraft recording conditions to maintain un-interrupted flow of data · Interface with senior management, ALPA and FAA representatives · Work with engineers and vendors to troubleshoot and diagnose problems, evaluating and implementing actions · Assist Manager of Flight Safety with data analysis as assigned · Create monthly preparation of FOQA trend analysis reports for FOQA Monitoring Team (FMT) · Support Manager of Flight Safety with facilitation of FMT meeting · Present FOQA information to various internal and external groups such as senior management, pilots, industry, and government agencies · Contributes to internal newsletters as well as external safety related publications, communicating significant trends to internal and external audiences · Maintain records of FOQA corrective action items · Performs administrative functions as assigned to maintain program efficiency · Others tasks as assigned · Requires planned and unplanned overnight travel Qualifications Who are we looking for? Requirements · Minimum age: 18 · Bachelor Degree or equivalent amount of Commercial Aviation work experience · Ability to effectively use Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, WBAT, Intelex and PowerPoint · Possess the legal right to work in the United States · Ability to read, write, fluently speak and understand the English language · Experience with data analysis and trending preferred · Experience in working effectively under extreme deadline pressure preferred · Knowledge and proficiency in the Austin Digital EMS software, Google Earth, and CEFA flight animation preferred · Possession of a Commercial Pilot, Dispatcher or A&P Certificate is preferred Please note: The description is intended to provide a brief overview of the position. It’s not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, expectations, and skills required of those in this position. Duties and expectations may be subject to change at any time. Envoy Air is an Equal Opportunity Employer – Minorities/Women/Veterans/Disabled. Envoy Air Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of American Airlines Group, provides regional flight service to American Airlines under the American Eagle brand and ground handling services for many American Airlines Group flights. The company was founded in 1998 as American Eagle Airlines, Inc., following the merger of several smaller regional carriers to create one of the largest regional airlines in the world. Envoy is headquartered in Irving, Texas, with hubs in Dallas/Fort Worth, Chicago and Miami, with a large ground handling operation in Los Angeles. Connect with Envoy on Twitter @EnvoyAirCareers, on Instagram @EnvoyAirCareers, and on Facebookat Facebook.com/envoyaircareers and Facebook.com/EnvoyPilotRecruitment. APPLY HERE Assistant Director, Airport Development Miami, United States of America req1016 Employment Type: Permanent Contract Duration: ind. About the team you are joining Reporting to the Regional Director Airport, Passenger, Cargo and Security - The Americas, the candidate will focus on addressing airport development, capacity enhancement programs, in addition to the implementation of best practices on infrastructure planning guidance, technical standards, and metrics. The candidate will work hand in hand with the global airport development team, Country Managers, and the regional airport charges teams. The focus will be to work with and on behalf of key member airlines and with related authorities to implement functional, cost effective and phased modular development strategies based on comprehensive master plans that meet the business objectives and needs of the airline industry. What your day would be like Work closely with the airport development and charges experts in both the Region and in the Division to identify and develop agreed strategies for airport infrastructure development. Provide expert support to airlines, Regional Director APCS and Regional Vice President on airport development matters including airside and landside operations, security, cargo and facilitation. Engage constructively with airport owners/operators and authorities to ensure airport capital expenditure is demand driven, cost effective, prioritized and addresses airline's needs. Work with airport and civil aviation authorities to address airline requirements at major airports, particularly hubs served by groups of IATA member airlines. Priority airports will be identified by the Regional management and/or regional airline groups. Conduct airport missions/assessments with airline subject matter experts to determine the underlying rationale, scale, and cost of proposed airport development/capacity enhancement programs in the Region. Produce reports with specific recommendations and action plan for airlines’ review and feedback. Support other divisional initiatives including Advocacy, Commercial, Consulting, Environment and Sustainability, Training, and other Divisional campaigns. We would love to hear from you if The successful candidate must possess: · University degree or equivalent technical standard for an airport design engineer/architect. · Suitable experience may be considered in lieu of professional qualification. · Minimum of 10 years project management experience in airport planning, development and/or operation with airlines and airport authorities. · Ability to demonstrate the application of technical elements such as capacity assessments and clear benefits and outcomes. · Sound knowledge about airport charges regulation and consultation processes. · Experience in senior level stakeholder management i.e. Chairing / leading committees. · High motivation with proven teamwork abilities. · A self-starting approach with ability to proactively engage with stakeholders and progress work goals. · Excellent communication skills with ability to influence senior (Director level and up) stakeholders. · Experience in making clear presentations and preparing reports based on technical merits and facts. · Proficiency in Microsoft Office. · Fluent in both written and spoken English and Spanish; Portuguese would be an asset. · Travel Required: 30% · Diversity and Inclusion are one of our key priorities and we want to role model it. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives and skills in which you can contribute at your best and be who you are. The more inclusive we are, the better we will be able to thrive to represent, lead and service the airline industry. If there is anything we can do to create a more comfortable interview experience for you, please let us know. · Learn more about IATA’s role in the industry, our benefits, and the team at iata/careers/. We are looking forward to hearing from you! APPLY HERE RTCA - FAA Administrator January 19 Webinar RTCA kicks off the 2022 webinar series featuring a conversation with FAA Administrator Steve Dickson. During this webinar, attendees will hear directly from Administrator Dickson on the agency’s key priorities for 2022. The Administrator’s opening remarks are followed by a conversation with RTCA President and CEO, Terry McVenes, on FAA’s priorities for infrastructure investment, certification reform, and safety plus international initiatives, workforce development plans and more. Webinar: January 19, 1pm ET. Register: https://bit.ly/34sxzpg Manager, Voluntary Safety Reporting Program (ASAP Manager) Company: NetJets Aviation, Inc. Area of Interest: Flight Operations Location: Columbus, OH, US, 43219 Req ID: 4781 Purpose of Position The Manager, Voluntary Safety Reporting Program position assists the Director, Aviation Safety in the execution of the comprehensive NetJets Safety Program. This includes the responsibility for management and operation of the Pilot, Flight Attendant, and Dispatch Aviation Safety Action Programs (ASAP) and related safety department functions. Tasks and Responsibilities · Evaluate, analyze and process safety reports submitted to any of the NJA administered Aviation Safety Action Programs (ASAP) including but not limited to: · Investigating the issues raised in each safety report. · Make recommendations to management regarding changes to policy, procedures and practices to enhance safety. · Collection and analysis of policy, maintenance records, and fatigue assessments to determine if safety enhancements are available or warranted. · Provide opinion and interpretation of collected materials to the ASAP ERC. · Act and speak on behalf of NJA as the ASAP Event Review Committee (ERC) representative on a rotating basis. · Administer corrective actions in response to ASAP ERC findings. · Plan for and manage all voluntary safety reporting program requirements for the Pilot, Flight Attendant, and Dispatch groups in line with FAA and Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) requirements. · Participate or lead investigations of the facts related to reports submitted through ASAP. · Research and analyze trend data in the NetJets Safety Program and other industry data. · Track ASAP related safety recommendations and corrective actions to ensure that follow-up actions have been taken that are effective. Determine if the actions have been effective and if not, make recommendations for additional changes or corrective action. · Manage the production of ASAP communications. · Acts as an information conduit to bring safety of flight issues to the attention of management and to deliver safety information to NJA employees. Education Bachelor's in Aviation Management or Business Management Certifications and Licenses FAA Commercial Instrument Years of Experience 2-4 years of experience Core Competencies Adaptability Collaboration Curiosity Service-Oriented Strives For Positive Results Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Other (KSAOs) · Must be able to work independently and use independent discretion and judgment. · Exposure to responding to irregular events as well as identifying, evaluating and writing risk assessments for said events. · Experience with safety analysis, trending and risk assessment. · Experience or training in Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP). · Ability to use sound judgment in analyzing reports, assessing risks and making recommendations. · Must possess a demonstrated high degree of personal and professional integrity with the ability to maintain confidentiality. · Detail oriented characteristics with an ability to prioritize multiple objectives in a dynamic environment with constantly shifting priorities. · Strong verbal and written communication with the ability to write effective reports, business correspondence and procedure manuals. · Technical computer expertise and proficient knowledge in commercial off-the-shelf applications, such as Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint). · Must be effective working both individually as well as in a team environment with the ability to interact in a tactful manner. · Able to read and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures and governmental regulations with a detailed knowledge of applicable Federal Aviation Regulations. · Demonstrated ability to interact with people at varying levels of authority. · Demonstrated public speaking and presentation skills with the ability to effectively present on both the individual level and to large audiences, including NJA employees, industry professionals and federal agencies. APPLY HERE Manager, Environmental Health & Safety (NJUS) Company: NetJets Aviation, Inc. Area of Interest: Flight Operations Location: Columbus, OH, US, 43219 Req ID: 4581 Purpose of Position The Manager, Environmental Health & Safety is responsible for the continuous compliance with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations. In addition, the Manager, Environmental Health & Safety ensures the well-being of employees through the deployment and maintenance of safety and wellness programs including training, ergonomic and hearing assessments. Tasks and Responsibilities · Reviews and approves internal procedures to ensure company compliance with applicable safety regulations including but not limited to OSHA, EPA, Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and internal safety policies and promote continuous improvement of organizational safety. · Develops, distributes and oversees environmental and safety policies as outlined in the NetJets safety manual. This includes safety monitoring of employees and organizational outputs including but not limited to industrial hygiene monitoring, hazardous waste disposal, and hazardous waste manifesting. · Develop, deploy and oversee environmental and safety training. · Investigate reports of unsafe conditions received through established safety reporting systems. · Perform scheduled environmental and safety audits and analysis for communication to leadership. Education Bachelor's Certifications and Licenses Years of Experience 2-4 years of experience Core Competencies Adaptability Collaboration Curiosity Service-Oriented Strives for Positive Results Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Other (KSAOs) · Ability to recognize and analyze hazards for corrective action · Ability to develop training and present information in formal classroom settings · Ability to research and apply appropriate safety standards and best practices to the needs of the organization · Aviation maintenance safety, line operations safety, or flight operations safety experience preferred. · Experience with audiometric testing program, respiratory protection program, and/or hazardous materials program · Experience conducting job safety analyses or risk analyses APPLY HERE Director, Technical & Compliance Programs (NJUS) Company: NetJets Aviation, Inc. Area of Interest: Flight Operations Location: Columbus, OH, US, 43219 Req ID: 4675 Purpose of Position The Director, Technical & Compliance Programs is a senior member of the Flight Operations management team and is accountable to the VP, Safety for the overall direction of the various Flight Operations teams responsible for NetJets Aviation (NJA) technical and compliance programs, including preparation and production of regulatory manuals and documents; airport analysis function; and centralized document distribution. A primary function of the Director, Technical & Compliance Programs is coordinating with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to ensure all NJA flight operations policies and procedures are following all applicable federal regulatory requirements including, FAA specifications and safety guidelines. Additionally, the Director, Technical & Compliance Programs assists in the operational control functions of the department. Tasks and Responsibilities · Provide effective leadership and direction to the Technical and Compliance Operations team by prioritizing work and designating resources required for timely completion of tasks and achievement of objectives assigned by the VP, Safety. · Direct all federal and other relevant regulatory compliance functions as they relate to the creation and maintenance of up-to-date flight operations policies and procedures ensuring safety and service standards remain paramount. This includes but may not be limited to the development and management of policy and procedure consistent with all applicable federal and related regulatory guidelines; the development and management of the processes supporting compliant policy creation and maintenance; partnering with internal and external stakeholders to ensure compliance, standardization, and effective implementation of new or revised policy and procedure. · Analyze the impact to Company operations of proposed, new, or revised regulations, specifications, or technical requirements. Recommend or develop means for compliance. · Direct compliance-related activities of NetJets managers serving as Company representatives for FAA or other industry committees, taskforces or workgroups engaged in the development of new or revised regulations, procedures, or technical operating requirements. · Develop or recommend technology solutions and process improvements that enhance safety, compliance, customer service, and/or efficiency of operations. · Serve as FAA Voluntary Disclosure Reporting Program (VDRP) coordinator for the Flight Operations Department. Education Bachelor's in Aviation Certifications and Licenses FAA Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) Years of Experience 10+ years of experience Core Competencies Adaptability Collaboration Curiosity Service-Oriented Strives For Positive Results Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Other (KSAOs) · 3+ years of aviation management experience. · 2+ years’ experience as a flight operations manager in a large 14 CFR, part 135 on-demand Air Carrier or FAR 91, subpart K, fractional program manager. · Working knowledge of on-demand or fractional program operations, regulations, FAA specifications, and technical requirements. · Demonstrated leadership skills and ability to effectively manage multiple work groups and projects. · Some technical writing experiences · Excellent verbal & written communication skills. · Personal Computer skills including MS Office Suite and Outlook. APPLY HERE GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY My name is Jason Starke, and I am a doctoral student at Northcentral University. I am conducting a research study to determine if the effects of servant leadership are positively related to employee participation in the organization’s safety management system through positive commitment to the organization. I am recruiting individuals who meet all these criteria: 1. Are 18 years of age or older. 2. Are employed by an organization that conducts business aviation operations under 14 CFR 135. 3. Are employed by an organization that is registered to the International Standards for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO). 4. Are employed as a flight crew member (cockpit or cabin) and/or as an aircraft mechanic. If you decide to participate in this study, you will be asked to do the following activities: 1. Complete an online survey for 15 minutes. During these activities, you will be asked questions about: · Your age, gender, and race. · Your current job role in the organization, how many years you have served in that role across your career, and how many years you have served with your current organization. · Servant leadership characteristics of your immediate supervisor or manager. · Your current level of commitment to your organization. · Your perception of the degree to which certain safety behaviors and safety management activities are part of your job responsibilities. If you are interested in participating in this study, please click this link: https://ncu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5nC84XvifID4jtQ If you have questions, please contact me at J.Starke8609@o365.ncu.edu. Thank you! Jason Starke Curt Lewis