Flight Safety Information - March 4, 2022 No.045 In This Issue : Incident: Jazz DH8D at Montreal and Charlottetown on Feb 19th 2022, de-icing not liked by brakes : Incident: Chrono B732 at Mary River on Feb 22nd 2022, flaps did not fully retract : Boeing F/A-18D Hornet - Takeoff Accident (South Carolina) : Jet Blue pilot who was removed from cockpit told officials he'd had 7 or 8 drinks : Jet’s tail strikes London runway while attempting to land in windstorm : Spirit Airlines is planning to open crew bases in Atlanta and Miami this year, according to a note sent to flight attendants. : Viva Aerobus CEO Hopeful Over Mexico Air Safety Rating : Position Available: Safety Evaluator Incident: Jazz DH8D at Montreal and Charlottetown on Feb 19th 2022, de-icing not liked by brakes A Jazz de Havilland Dash 8-400, registration C-GSJZ performing flight QK-8775 from Montreal,QC to Charlottetown,PE (Canada), landed at Charlottetown and was taxiing clear of the runway when tower observed smoke from the right hand landing gear. Emergency services responded, it was assessed it was safe to continue taxi to the apron. After arriving at the apron the passengers deplaned normally. The Canadian TSB reported: "maintenance personnel inspected the aircraft and determined that the origin of the smoke was from deice fluid dripping onto the brakes and burning off. The aircraft brakes had been deiced in CYUL prior to departure due to slush on the taxiway." https://www.avherald.com/h?article=4f578ffa&opt=0 Incident: Chrono B732 at Mary River on Feb 22nd 2022, flaps did not fully retract A Chrono Jet Boeing 737-200, registration C-FYPN performing flight MBK-791 from Mary River,NU to Iqaluit,NU (Canada) with 99 passengers and 5 crew, was climbing out of Mary River when the crew selected the flaps to position 1, the flaps however stopped moving between positions 2 and 1. The crew continued the climb while working the related checklist and consulting with dispatch and maintenance to verify whether sufficient fuel was on board to continue to destination. The crew decided to continue the flight at FL190 and continued for a safe landing on Iqaluit's runway 34 about 90 minutes later. https://www.avherald.com/h?article=4f578e85&opt=0 Boeing F/A-18D Hornet - Takeoff Accident (South Carolina) Date: 03-MAR-2022 Time: 15:15 Type: Boeing F/A-18D Hornet Owner/operator: US Marine Corps (USMC), VMFA-533 Registration: MSN: Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Category: Accident Location: near MCAS Beaufort, SC (NBC/KNBC) - United States of America Phase: Take off Nature: Military Departure airport: Beaufort-County Airport, SC (BFT/KNBC) Destination airport: Confidence Rating: Information is only available from news or social media reports Narrative: The aircraft crashed on take off. Both crew ejected safely. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/276141 Jet Blue pilot who was removed from cockpit told officials he'd had 7 or 8 drinks The pilot was removed from a plane’s cockpit in Buffalo after a TSA officer said he appeared “impaired” while passing through security, authorities said. A Jet Blue pilot was removed from a plane's cockpit in Buffalo on Wednesday morning after a Transportation Security Administration officer told authorities that he appeared "impaired" as he passed through security, authorities said. The pilot, James Clifton, 52, was taken into custody after he registered a blood-alcohol level of .17, a Niagara Frontier TSA spokeswoman said. Clifton told authorities he'd had seven to eight drinks before he got on the aircraft, which was bound for Fort Lauderdale, Florida, said the spokeswoman, Helen Tederous. Clifton submitted to the test after he told police he needed to get his gun from the plane's cockpit, Tederous said. Pilots are permitted to carry firearms on planes if they're certified to do so. Clifton's status wasn't immediately clear. In a statement, Jet Blue said it was aware of the incident and fully cooperating with law enforcement. Clifton was removed from his duties while the airline conducts an internal inquiry, the company said. "We adhere to all DOT rules and requirements concerning alcohol at all times and have a very strict zero-tolerance internal alcohol policy," the statement added, referring to the Department of Transportation. Federal regulations bar pilots from drinking while on-duty within eight hours of flying or if their blood alcohol level is greater than .04. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/jet-blue-pilot-was-removed-cockpit-told-officials-7-8-drinks-rcna18469 Incident: Comair B734 at East London on Feb 20th 2022, could not retract landing gear A Comair Boeing 737-400, registration ZS-OTG performing flight MN-252 from East London to Johannesburg (South Africa) with 111 people on board, was climbing out of East London when the crew could not retract the landing gear and returned to East London for a safe landing. The airline reported the landing gear failed to retract. The passengers were rebooked for a later flight. http://avherald.com/h?article=4f52f2f0&opt=0 Jet’s tail strikes London runway while attempting to land in windstorm LONDON — Passengers and crew on a British Airways flight to London from Scotland on Monday had quite the adventure as the plane’s tail struck the runway while trying to land during strong winds.The flight had left Aberdeen and attempted to land at Heathrow Airport as Storm Corrie brought howling winds to the UK. The video by Big Jet TV shows the Airbus 321 wobble and leaning to one side over the runway, then the tail dips and strikes the pavement before the pilot aborts the landing and regains altitude. The pilot went around and made a successful landing on the second try, according to the Guardian. No one was injured. British Airways told the media: “Our pilots are highly trained to manage a range of scenarios, including extreme weather conditions, and our flight crew landed the aircraft safely. Our customers and crew all disembarked as normal.” The storm brought winds as high as 92 mph off the coast of Scotland, though the winds were gusting to around 31 mph at Heathrow at the time of the aborted landing. https://nypost.com/2022/03/03/jets-tail-strikes-london-runway-while-attempting-to-land-in-windstorm/ Spirit Airlines is planning to open crew bases in Atlanta and Miami this year, according to a note sent to flight attendants. • Spirit has been studying ways to improve its staffing after crew shortages contributed to more than 2,000 canceled flights in the middle of last summer. • Spirit and fellow U.S. budget airline Frontier last month announced an agreement to merge. Spirit Airlines is planning to open crew bases in Atlanta and Miami this year, according to a note sent to flight attendants that their union sent on Thursday. The Miramar, Fla.-based discount airline is setting up the new bases for pilots and flight attendants as it staffs up to take on bigger rivals with strong holds on those airports, like Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines and American Airlines, which is the dominant airline in Miami. Spirit first launched service from Miami International Airport last October and now has 30 nonstop routes from there, making it the second-biggest carrier at the airport, still far behind American Airlines, which has more than 300 daily departures out of the airport this month. Spirit and fellow budget carrier Frontier Airlines last month announced plans to merge into the country's fifth-largest carrier. Spirit Airlines spokesman said the crew bases are not related to the combination. The new bases come after Spirit has been studying for months how to staff more efficiently after crew shortages contributed to more than 2,000 flight cancellations in the middle of last summer. Spirit, like other airlines, has been scrambling to hire pilots, flight attendants and other staff to cater to the rebound in travel demand. The airline said it plans to have more than 100 pilots and 200 flight attendants at each new base at first. The note to flight attendants said the bases are expected to open in June. https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/03/spirit-airlines-plans-miami-atlanta-crew-bases-this-year-as-it-takes-on-rivals.html Viva Aerobus CEO Hopeful Over Mexico Air Safety Rating Juan Carlos Zuazua says the carrier is ready to expand Mexico-US service as soon as it is allowed to. Viva Aerobus CEO Juan Carlos Zuazua is hopeful that Mexico will regain its Category 1 safety rating within the coming months, saying it is “in the best interests” of both the US and Mexico authorities to ensure a speedy restoration. Mexico’s aviation safety rating was downgraded by the FAA in May 2021 to Category 2 status—a move that prevents Mexican carriers from adding new US routes and frequencies beyond what has been approved. It also bars US airlines from codesharing on flights operated by Mexican carriers. At the time of the downgrade, the FAA said that during a reassessment of the Agencia Federal de Aviacion Civil (AFAC) from October 2020 to February 2021, it identified “several areas of non-compliance” with minimum ICAO safety standards. Since then, Mexican authorities have been working with the FAA to recover the Category 1 rating. “We can only fly our maximum number of frequencies we already had so Mexican airlines cannot grow,” Zuazua told Routes from the sidelines of Routes Americas 2022 in San Antonio last month. “But Mexico-US is among the biggest international markets in the world—there’s a lot of trade, tourism and VFR traffic and so it is in the best interests of the US and Mexico to get it back to Category 1 and get things moving.” Viva Aerobus currently serves nine US destinations, data provided by OAG Schedules Analyser shows, offering almost 44,000 two-way weekly seats from points in Mexico. Zuazua said there was a “huge opportunity” for the ULCC to expand further once it is able, boosted by the planned transborder alliance with Allegiant Air. “We believe there are over 200 nonstop markets from the US to Mexican leisure destinations that we’ll be able to serve,” he said. “There are many small and mid-sized cities in the US where to get to Puerto Vallarta, Cancun or Los Cabos, you have to fly through a hub. There are no direct options and so there are many US travelers flying indirectly to Mexican leisure destinations.” Zuazua added: “There is also a huge opportunity for us to connect more point-to-point networks from differing Mexican cities to leisure destinations in the US, like Florida and Las Vegas where Allegiant has a significant presence.” In recent days, Volaris EVP airlines commercial and operations Holger Blankenstein also said he expects Mexico to regain its Category 1 rating during the second half of 2022, following which the ULCC plans to resume growth in the Mexican-US market, and benefit from a codeshare with Frontier Airlines. For the week commencing Feb. 28, OAG data shows that the US and Mexico are currently linked nonstop by 236 airport pairs. In total, there are 908,000 two-way seats being offered between the two countries—up by 18.2% on this time in 2019. https://www.routesonline.com/news/29/breaking-news/297682/viva-aerobus-ceo-hopeful-over-mexico-air-safety-rating/ Position Available: Safety Evaluator Job Description At Republic Airways, our vision is to be America’s regional airline of choice, and our 6,000 associates work together each day to achieve that by providing a safe, clean and reliable flying experience. Whether the role is on the aircraft or in the office, every person at Republic contributes to our success and our family-oriented work environment. Since our founding in 1974, we’ve grown to become the world’s largest operator of the Embraer 170/175 jet, flying more than 1000 flights daily for our partners, American Airline, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines. Beyond our operations, we’re focused on sharing our time, talents and treasures with our community—both locally and globally. Join Republic Airways where you will find opportunities, reach new heights and be part of something bigger than yourself. Republic Airways, opportunity elevated. #WhyRepublic POSITION PURPOSE Conducts internal evaluations of operational divisions to ensure adherence to federal regulations, company policies and procedures. Conducts aircraft damage investigations, tracks regulatory correspondence and completes special projects as assigned. ESSENTIAL DUTIES To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Conducts internal evaluations of operational divisions to ensure compliance with federal regulations as well as company policies and procedures. Communicates company policies/procedures, Federal Aviation Regulations and other Standards including but limited to International Air Transport Association (IATA) Operational Safety Audits (IOSA) standards, Department of Defense Standards etc. facilitating fair resolutions and imparting quality expertise to all operational departments. Coordinates Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) - Safety Assurance System (SAS) inspections conducted by the FAA Coordinates IOSA conducted by appointed Audit Organization Coordinates DOD inspections conducted by the DOD Communicates with external audit organizations, the FAA and DOD Identifies, tracks, and solves quality and safety concerns, issues or hazards (this includes, but not limited to, interviews, reviews of past evaluation/audit records and compliance data for trends) Reviews changes to applicable regulations in order to recommend appropriate actions to ensure company compliance. Ensure adherence to all Safety and Security regulations Develops and maintains Data Analysis Group key performance indicators, and continuous improvement initiatives for data analysis and visualization. Provides technical leadership to team and department members. Leads through example; monitors, influences and trains others. OTHER DUTIES Performs data analysis on aircraft ground damage to identify trends & systemic causes of aircraft damage. Participates in investigations of aircraft ground damage. Leads investigations into company controllable damage and participates in conference calls for codeshare partner damages. Contributes to the development of SMS training modules for all company associates covered under SMS. Responsible for the continuous improvement of Republic’s Safety Management System Assists with development of SMS structured risk assessment and safety assurance processes, including facilitating Data Analysis Groups Participates in special projects including but not limited to: special request audits, Codeshare meetings and initiatives, Safety Management System (SMS) implementation, monthly safety newsletter and manual reviews using SAS tools. Performs various other duties as assigned. REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability necessary to perform this job. EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE. Bachelor’s degree with at least 2 years of Aviation experience required. Knowledge of the Code of Federal Regulations for Title 14 and 49 and associated regulatory materials. Knowledge in aviation safety systems including, but not limited to: Safety Management System (SMS), System Safety, Safety Assurance System (SAS) and IOSA. Skills in Microsoft Office applications is a must. PREFERRED EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE Bachelor's degree in an aviation or safety related discipline is preferred. At least 3 years of previous experience in aviation. Airframe and Powerplant, Dispatch License or Pilot’s License is preferred. Previous auditing and evaluating experience. LANGUAGE SKILLS Ability to read, analyze, and interpret common scientific and technical journals, financial reports, and legal documents. Ability to respond to common inquiries or complaints from customers, regulatory agencies, or members of the business community. Ability to effectively present information to top management, public groups, and/or boards of directors. REASONING/PROBLEM SOLVING ABILITY Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists. Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form. DECISION MAKING Makes decisions and determines best methods to solve problems by referring to established precedents and policies. Decisions tend to be medium range and of medium significance with moderate consequences. PHYSICAL DEMANDS The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an associate to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Able to move about the work environment. Frequently required to stand, walk, sit, talk and hear. WORK ENVIRONMENT The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an associate encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Typically not exposed to extreme environmental conditions. Work in an open air hangar and outdoor weather conditions occasionally. TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS Travel up to 15% of the time, including overnight stays. Equal Opportunity Employment and Disability Accommodations Republic Airways is committed to achieving a diverse workforce by providing equal employment opportunities to all Associates and applicants, and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type with regard to any characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. We are committed to providing applicants and Associates reasonable accommodation to enable the individual to perform the essential duties of the job. If you require accommodation, please contact Human Resources. Curt Lewis