Flight Safety Information - February 10, 2022 No. 029 In This Issue : Accident: Star Flyer A320 near Osaka on Jan 16th 2022, turbulence injures passenger : Incident: Smartlynx Malta A320 at Benin on Feb 8th 2022, bird strike : 2022 Aircraft Cabin Air Conference : Aeroflot B738 near Omsk on Feb 7th 2022, smell of burnt wires in cabin : Lasers hit 11 jet cockpits in one hour at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, feds say : 2 of 6 Boeing Max test fraud counts against pilot dropped : Black Hawk helicopter flies for first time without a pilot on board : NASA raises concerns about SpaceX satellite deployment plan : GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY : POSITION AVAILABLE: IATA - Assistant Director, Air Traffic Management (ATM) Accident: Star Flyer A320 near Osaka on Jan 16th 2022, turbulence injures passenger A Star Flyer Airbus A320-200, registration JA24MC performing flight 7G-87 from Tokyo Haneda to Kitakyushu (Japan), was enroute at FL280 about 80nm west of Osaka (Japan) when the aircraft encountered turbulence causing injuries to a passenger. The aircraft continued to Kitakyushu for a landing without further incident. On Feb 9th 2022 Japan's TSB reported the passenger received serious injuries (rib fracture). An investigation has been opened. http://avherald.com/h?article=4f465925&opt=0 Incident: Smartlynx Malta A320 at Benin on Feb 8th 2022, bird strike A Smartlynx Airlines Malta Airbus A320-200 on behalf of Air Peace, registration 9H-SLJ performing flight P4-7172 from Abuja to Benin (Nigeria), was on approach to Benin City when the aircraft sustained a bird strike affecting one of the engines (CFM56). The aircraft continued for a safe landing in Benin City. The aircraft was unable to continue its schedule, a replacement Embraer ERJ-195-E2 registration 5N-BYF positioned to Benin and performed the onward flight P4-7173 to Lagos (Nigeria) with a delay of about 7 hours. The aircraft is still on the ground in Benin about 23 hours after landing. Aeroflot B738 near Omsk on Feb 7th 2022, smell of burnt wires in cabin An Aeroflot Boeing 737-800, registration VQ-BWE performing flight SU-1524 from Moscow Sheremetyevo to Gorno-Altaysk (Russia) with 76 passengers and 7 crew, was enroute at FL350 about 140nm northwest of Omsk (Russia) when the crew decided to divert to Omsk due to the odour of burnt wires in the cabin. The aircraft landed safely on Omsk's runway 07 about 27 minutes later. A replacement Boeing 737-800 registration VQ-BHB reached Gorno-Altaysk with a delay of 6.5 hours. Maintenance determined the source of the smell were cables in an economy class lavatory. The aircraft remained on the ground in Omsk for about 41 hours before positioning back to Moscow and returned to service about 55 hours after landing in Omsk. http://avherald.com/h?article=4f46610d&opt=0 Lasers hit 11 jet cockpits in one hour at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, feds say Lasers hit 11 airliners near Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in the space of one hour Monday, federal officials reported. No injuries were reported and all the planes landed without incident, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a release. Crews on Alaska Airlines, Southwest, Horizon and Delta flights reported cockpit laser hits between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. Pacific time, the FAA said. The FAA and local law enforcement are investigating, the agency said. Four flights reported laser strikes near the airport Jan. 28, KCPQ reported. “It’s dangerous, it’s disrespectful and I don’t understand why anyone would do it,” said Deputy Anthony Mullinax, whose King County Sheriff’s Office helicopter has been hit by lasers, KOMO reported. Lasers can blind pilots and damage cockpit equipment, the FAA said in a Feb. 4 news release. The agency said 9,723 pilots reported laser strikes in 2021, a record. The agency issued $120,000 in fines for shining lasers at pilots in 2021. Violators can be fined up to $11,000 per offense, the release said. They also can face criminal charges. https://www.adn.com/nation-world/2022/02/09/lasers-hit-11-jet-cockpits-in-one-hour-at-seattle-tacoma-international-airport-feds-say/ 2 of 6 Boeing Max test fraud counts against pilot dropped • A judge has tossed two of six fraud counts against a former Boeing pilot involved in evaluating the troubled Boeing 737 Max jetliner FORT WORTH, Texas -- A judge has tossed two of six fraud counts against a former Boeing pilot involved in evaluating the troubled Boeing 737 Max jetliner. A federal judge in Fort Worth on Tuesday dismissed, on technical grounds, counts that accused Mark A. Forkner of making and using “a materially false writing... concerning an aircraft part,” in violation of federal law. U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor denied, however, Forker’s attorneys’ request for dismissal of four other wire fraud counts for not stating a case. Forkner, who has pleaded not guilty to all charges, is scheduled to go on trial March 7. A federal indictment accuses Forkner, 50, of deceiving regulators about a critical system that played a role in two crashes of Boeing 737 Max jets that killed 346 people. Prosecutors said that because of Forkner’s alleged deception, pilot manuals and training materials did not mention the system because of Forkner’s alleged deception. The flight-control system in question activated erroneously and pushed down the noses of Max jets that crashed in 2018 in Indonesia and 2019 in Ethiopia. The pilots tried unsuccessfully to regain control, but both planes went into nosedives minutes after taking off. Forkner was Boeing’s chief technical pilot on the Max program. Prosecutors said that Forkner learned about an important change to the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System flight-control system in 2016 but withheld the information from the FAA. That led the agency to delete reference to MCAS from a technical report and, in turn, it didn’t appear in pilot manuals. Most pilots didn’t know about MCAS until after the first crash. Prosecutors suggested that Forkner downplayed the system’s power to avoid a requirement that pilots undergo extensive and expensive retraining, which would increase training costs for airlines. Congressional investigators suggested additional training would have added $1 million to the price of each plane. Forkner told another Boeing employee in 2016 that MCAS was “egregious” and “running rampant” when he tested it in a flight simulator, but he didn’t tell that to the FAA. “So I basically lied to the regulators (unknowingly),” Forkner wrote in a message that became public in 2019. Forkner, who lives in a Fort Worth suburb, joined Southwest Airlines after leaving Boeing but left the airline about a year ago. Chicago-based Boeing agreed to a $2.5 billion settlement to end a Justice Department investigation into the company’s actions. The government agreed to drop a criminal charge of conspiracy against Boeing after three years if the company carries out terms of the January 2020 settlement. The settlement included a $243.6 million fine, nearly $1.8 billion for airlines that bought the plane, and $500 million for a fund to compensate families of the passengers killed. Dozens of families of passengers are suing Boeing in federal court in Chicago. Crash investigations highlighted the role of MCAS but also pointed to mistakes by the airlines and pilots. Max jets were grounded worldwide for more than a year and a half. The FAA approved the plane to fly again in late 2020 after Boeing made changes to MCAS. https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/boeing-max-test-fraud-counts-pilot-dropped-82784655 Elon Musk’s jet tracker gains FAA approval to continue tracking flights Elon Musk’s flight-tracking rival Jack Sweeney won a small victory today after receiving approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to continue tracking the billionaire’s flights. Sweeney announced that his permission from the FAA, which was submitted via a Freedom of Information Act request, was approved via Twitter. “My FAA FOIA request went thru, Now I have all the registration and airworthiness documents for all the SpaceX jets,” Sweeney Tweeted to his ballooning follower count. In the last 30 days, Sweeney has gained 38,764 new followers on Twitter. He currently has roughly 42,200. That is an increase of over 61,000 percent. As Musk inspires people everywhere, he unleashes the next generation of thinkers, and one of them, Jack Sweeney to be exact, could not be more excited to make himself official through requesting approval from the FAA. Until the government entity’s approval, Sweeney had been engaging in public discourse on Twitter and educating the masses on the rights to information, including tracking that of a billionaire’s travels by private jet. Initially, Musk offered the aspiring 19-year-old a sum of $5,000 to remove the now-infamous @ElonJet Twitter account. The unbudging teenager raised the stakes by ten times the amount despite pleas from the Tesla leader via Twitter. Exchanges through Twitter document the ongoing drama that public figures must face in negotiating for their own privacy with cash. Along with the $50,000 demand to close out the flight-tracking Twitter page, the teen proposed a potential internship opportunity with Tesla or SpaceX or a new Model 3 as a consolation. However, Musk has yet to respond to Sweeney’s conditions. “He didn’t have to block me,” said Sweeney to New York Post. “I can get why he’s mad.” Sweeney had not singled out only Musk’s travel plans like a starstruck kid. Accounts following the flights of Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, and Mark Cuban are also in service to Twitter audiences. In light of new abilities from regulators, the innovative programmer, who goes to the University of Central Florida, is expanding his own business. “Lately, I have been adding people that have requested,” he said in an interview with The Guardian. https://www.teslarati.com/elon-musk-jet-tracker-faa-approval/ Black Hawk helicopter flies for first time without a pilot on board (CNN)A Black Hawk helicopter took its first autonomous flight without a pilot on board on Saturday at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. The helicopter flew for 30 minutes without any passengers on board first on Saturday and again on Monday, according to a release from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the Department of Defense's research arm. The test flight is a part of DARPA's Aircrew Labor In-Cockpit Automation System (ALIAS) program, which aims to put "removable kits" into already existing military aircrafts to "promote the addition of high-level automation," the program's webpage says. The Black Hawk helicopter, a UH-60A model, had Sikorsky MATRIX autonomous technology installed in it to make the helicopter fly without needing a pilot. Sikorsky MATRIX is a technology produced by the company Lockheed Martin. "With reduced workloads pilots can focus on mission management instead of the mechanics," said Stuart Young, program manager in DARPA's Tactical Technology Office said in a release about the successful test flight. "This unique combination of autonomy software and hardware will make flying both smarter and safer." The ALIAS program has "leveraged the considerable advances in aircraft automation systems over the past 50 years," the release said. Young said autonomous helicopters, like the Black Hawk tested in this instance, will help Army pilots better achieve their missions. "With ALIAS, the Army will have much more operational flexibility," Young added in the release. "This includes the ability to operate aircraft at all times of the day or night, with and without pilots, and in a variety of difficult conditions, such as contested, congested, and degraded visual environments." https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/09/politics/black-hawk-autonomous-flight/index.htm NASA raises concerns about SpaceX satellite deployment plan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) raised concerns about SpaceX's plan to deploy about 30,000 satellites for its Starlink, as have some major companies. Elon Musk's SpaceX previously received authorization for about 12,000 satellites to offer broadband internet and has requested authorization for a second-generation constellation of 30,000 satellites. "NASA has concerns with the potential for a significant increase in the frequency of conjunction events and possible impacts to NASA’s science and human spaceflight missions," the agency wrote the Federal Communications Commission. NASA noted there are currently 25,000 total objects tracked on-orbit - and about 6,100 below 600 km. SpaceX’s Gen2 expansion "would more than double the number of tracked objects in orbit and increase the number of objects below 600 km over five-fold," it added. Harvard-Smithsonian astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell, part of the American Astronomical Society panel examining the impacts of satellites on astronomy said: "We've been concerned with having these large numbers of satellites that interfere with astronomical observations... I think we need a little more experience with the several thousand operating satellites before we can ramp up to the tens of thousands." SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Musk tweeted on Jan. 15 SpaceX had 1,469 Starlink satellites active and 272 moving to operational orbits soon. Amazon.com, which has pledged to spend at least $10 billion to build 3,236 such satellites through its Project Kuiper program, separately raised concerns with the FCC about SpaceX's plan as did Dish Network. Amazon said under SpaceX’s application "at least hundreds—and potentially more than ten thousand—SpaceX satellites could operate at the same altitudes as the Kuiper System." It warned "the effect of this orbital overlap would be a dramatic increase in risks and other burdens on the Kuiper System" and asked the FCC to impose "reasonable conditions." While extremely costly to deploy, satellite technology can provide high-speed internet for people who live in rural or hard-to-serve places where fiber optic cables and cell towers do not reach. The technology could also be a critical backstop when hurricanes or other natural disasters disrupt communication. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/nasa-raises-concerns-spacex-satellite-231502547.html Assistant Director, Air Traffic Management (ATM) Miami, United States of America | req1017 Employment Type: Permanent Contract Duration: ind. About the team you are joining Reporting to the Regional Director, Operations Safety and Security, the successful candidate will be responsible for Safety and Flight Operations activities related to Air Traffic Management (ATM) in North America, Latin America and the Caribbean. What your day would be like The successful candidate must take a leading and proactive role in the region to enhance air traffic capacity planning and ensure a safe, economic, and efficient airspace environment. This will be accomplished through technical work and promoting IATA’s technical policies with air navigation service providers (ANSPs), civil aviation authorities (CAAs), Airport Authorities and International Agencies including ICAO & CANSO. Among the critical responsibilities associated with this role, the successful candidate will: Spearhead IATA’s contributions to the NEXTGEN initiative in the United States; Lead the implementation and optimization of airspace through direct routing, as an enabler of Free Route Airspace (FRA), both in the US and across the LATAM/CAR region; Contribute to wider use of efficient RNAV / RNP across the Latin American region, particularly focus on SIDs, STARs and Approaches to ensure maximum optimization when new or redesigned airspace in a TMA or airport is being developed. Develop activities for the implementation of infrastructure improvements essential for enhancement of air safety and secure CO2 emission savings in the region; Identify training and consultancy opportunities resulting in airspace/ATM optimization and efficiency for IATA members while maintaining an acceptable level of operational safety; Serve as the IATA technical lead in ATM consulting projects in the region including managing IATA deliverables and controlling their quality; Support the Regional Coordination Groups and address airline user requirements; Work closely with the regional ICAO offices, relevant government agencies, and regional organizations in pursuing IATA’s global strategy and policies; Monitor performance of the ATM system and promote action when critical deficiencies are identified; Provide information to member airlines on air traffic service disruptions; coordinate contingency measures, advise members on available courses of action and monitor progress. We would like to hear from you if: Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, air traffic control, flight operations or any relevant discipline. Minimum of 10 years’ experience in the aviation industry preferably in the fields of air traffic control or airline ATM or flight operations. Recent experience in an airline operations role would be considered advantageous. Strong communications skills, able to speak in public to large audiences of professionals in the aviation industry. Ability to deal with member airlines at a technical, safety, and operational level with a positive approach to problem solving. High degree of self – motivation and flexibility, confident and able to work with minimum supervision. Proven teamwork and initiative skills. Fluent spoken and written English and Spanish; proficiency in report writing. Capable of clear expression both written and verbal with tact and diplomacy. 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 GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY Calling all Part 135 Operators, are you concerned about having an effective SMS? With safety management system (SMS) regulations on the near horizon for 14 CFR 135 operators, it is important to identify barriers to having an effective SMS. A significant challenge to implementing and maintaining a robust SMS is obtaining frontline employee participation. An SMS needs that frontline information to help identify hazards, mitigate risks, and monitor risk controls. My name is Jason Starke, and I am a doctoral candidate at Northcentral University. Please help me in my research to determine if there is a relationship between servant leadership, organizational commitment, and engagement in the SMS (i.e., safety citizenship behavior). If you meet all the following criteria, I would really appreciate your participation: · 18 year of age or older; · Employed by an organization that conducts operations under 14 CFR 135; · Employed by an organization that has implemented a safety management system; and · Employed as a flight crew member (cockpit or cabin) and/or as an aircraft mechanic. The survey only takes roughly 10 minutes to complete and will ask you questions about: · Servant leadership characteristics of your immediate supervisor or manager; · Your current level of commitment to your organization; and · Your perception of the degree to which you feel certain safety behaviors and safety management activities are part of your job responsibilities. Again, please help with the research on this important topic so that we can understand how servant leadership positively influences employee engagement in the SMS. If you are interested in participating in this study, please click this link: https://ncu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cCJTGDxqF6wUk8m If you have questions, please contact me at J.Starke8609@o365.ncu.edu. I can’t thank you all enough for your participation! Jason Starke Curt Lewis