Flight Safety Information - March 6, 2022 No.046 In This Issue : Incident: Frontier A20N at Rochester on Mar 3rd 2022, unsafe gear on approach : Incident: Commut E145 near Wichita on Mar 3rd 2022, flight control issues : Dornier 228-101 - Runway Excursion (India) : F-16C jet suffers in-flight emergency, lands safely at Aviano : Plane slides off runway during inclement weather at Waterloo Regional Airport : Now boarding: Start-up Avelo Airlines uses robot to sanitize planes : Airline offers up to $187K in bonuses over five years for pilots as it opens new crew base Incident: Frontier A20N at Rochester on Mar 3rd 2022, unsafe gear on approach A Frontier Airlines Airbus A320-200N, registration N323FR performing flight F9-2590 from Tampa,FL to Rochester,NY (USA), was on approach to Rochester's runway 04 when the crew initiated a go around from about 1000 feet due to an unsafe gear indication. The aircraft climbed back to 3000 feet, positioned for another approach and landed safely on runway 04 about 25 minutes after the go around. Emergency services reported they responded to an alert 2 due to a landing gear light. https://www.avherald.com/h?article=4f58584c&opt=0 Incident: Commut E145 near Wichita on Mar 3rd 2022, flight control issues A CommutAir Embraer ERJ-145 on behalf of United, registration N16170 performing flight UA-4845 from Springfield,MO to Denver,CO (USA) with 47 people on board, was enroute at FL320 about 70nm east of Wichita,KS (USA) when the crew reported flight control issues and decided to divert to Wichita for a safe landing on runway 19R about 40 minutes later and taxied to the apron. After landing the crew advised no assistance was needed, they had a flight control issue but were able to fix it up. A replacement Embraer ERJ-145 registration N11164 reached Denver with a delay of about 7 hours. The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground for about 19.5 hours, then positioned to Denver. https://www.avherald.com/h?article=4f5853d8&opt=0 Dornier 228-101 - Runway Excursion (India) Date: 05-MAR-2022 Time: Type: Dornier 228-101 Owner/operator: Indian Coast Guard Registration: CG756 MSN: 7106 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 4 Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: Minor Location: Kanpur Chakeri AB (VICX) - India Phase: Landing Nature: Military Departure airport: Chennai Airport (MAA/VOMM) Destination airport: Kanpur-Chakeri Airport (VICX) Narrative: An Indian Coast Guard Dornier 228-101 made a priority landing at Kanpur Chakeri AB (VICX), after the left side engine failure. During landing the aircraft made a runway excursion and crashed in an airport structure. The four POB escaped unhurt and the aircraft received minor damage. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/276228 F-16C jet suffers in-flight emergency, lands safely at Aviano A U.S. Air Force pilot safely landed their F-16C Fighting Falcon jet in Italy after suffering an in-flight emergency on Wednesday afternoon, prompting buildings near the runway to lock down. “Aviano Air Base’s emergency response teams responded and secured the area. All other base operations have returned to normal,” spokesperson Natalie Stanley said in an email Friday. She did not provide details on the nature of the problem or if the plane was damaged. A photo published by the Italian news outlet Veneto Messenger that shows a jet nose-down in the grass is not of the plane in question, Aviano spokesperson Maj. Kaylee Ausbun said Sunday. Screenshots of a base alert posted to social media on Wednesday warned all employees and work centers facing the flightline, “including sierra, zulu and tango loop,” to shelter in place. The airman who declared the emergency is part of Aviano’s 31st Fighter Wing, the only U.S. Air Force fighter wing in Europe south of the Alps. It oversees two F-16 squadrons, the 555th “Triple Nickel” Fighter Squadron and the 510th Fighter Squadron, that are key to protecting NATO’s southern region. It’s unclear which squadron the pilot was assigned to. The 555th is currently supporting NATO’s air policing mission to fend off Russian pilots who behave erratically in or near the airspace of allied countries. More than 100 combat aircraft from the United States and Europe are flying nonstop patrols over NATO nations to protect Russia’s war in Ukraine from spilling over into their territory. Around 340 F-16s have been destroyed in mishaps since 1975, with 131 fatalities, according to the Air Force Safety Center. Three of the jets were in accidents in fiscal 2021, including one that was destroyed and its pilot killed. https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2022/03/04/f-16c-jet-suffers-in-flight-emergency-lands-safely-at-aviano/ Plane slides off runway during inclement weather at Waterloo Regional Airport WATERLOO, Iowa (KWWL)- A plane slid off the runway while landing during the inclement weather at the Waterloo Regional Airport on Saturday night. The plane was a 737-800 aircraft coming from Dane County Regional Airport in Madison, according to flight data. After landing at 6:07 p.m., the jet slid off the end of the runway. Waterloo Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Ben Petersen said none of the 88 people on board were injured, and the plane did not catch fire. Fire rescue crews responded to the plane crash and helped get the people off the airplane. They used two school busses to transport the passengers from the plane back to the terminal. Petersen said at the time of the crash, the airport and Waterloo area were experiencing inclement weather from a line of severe storms that passed through much of the Hawkeye state on Saturday, but he could not say if it played a role in the crash. The 737-800 aircraft was scheduled to fly from Waterloo to Laughlin/Bullhead City, Arizona, according to flight records. In December, the Waterloo Regional Airport announced chartered flights from the Waterloo Regional Airport to Laughlin-Bullhead City, Arizona. It is not clear if the flight on Saturday was a part of that program. However, in February, Caesars Entertainment, the largest casino operator in the United States, announced a charted trip for March 5 through March 9. The company partnered with Swift Air, also seen as Iaero Airways, to operate Boeing 737s between the two locations. It is part of the Caesars Rewards Air program. Iaero Airways operated the flight that slid off the runway on Saturday night. The charter trips connect the city's where Caesars Entertainment operates facilities. For example, the Isle Casino in Waterloo and Harrah's Casino in Laughlin fall under the same Caesars umbrella. https://www.kwwl.com/news/waterloo/plane-slides-off-runway-during-inclement-weather-at-waterloo-regional-airport/article_6e3534e4-9d08-11ec-a3cd-0b489210af86.html 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/ Now boarding: Start-up Avelo Airlines uses robot to sanitize planes Start-up Avelo Airlines, which has established its East Coast hub at Tweed-New Haven Airport in Connecticut, said Thursday it has begun using autonomous robots to disinfect aircraft cabins to guard against the spread of COVID-19. Avelo said it is the first airline in the U.S. to use the robot manufactured by the Canadian manufacturer Aero HygenX that is designed to use ultraviolet light to sanitize cabins. The introduction of the robots comes as a federal mandate requiring air travelers to wear masks is set to expire March 18. Federal health officials have not indicated whether the requirement will be extended. Avelo said the robot, named “RAY,” destroys up to 99.9% of harmful pathogens in the air and on the surfaces of aircraft cabins, galleys, lavatories and flight decks. The robot also will be used in Avelo’s space in airport terminals. “We are excited to be on the leading edge of helping to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other viruses among the flying public,” Andrew Levy, Avelo’s chairman and chief executive, said. “RAY is safer, faster, more cost-effective and [a] more sustainable solution than the conventional chemical-based manual disinfection process used by most airlines.” The robot can be operated remotely by one flight crew member, far faster than manually-operated sanitizing equipment. Bloomberg Businessweek reported that the Aero HygenX also has provided the robots to the Deutsche Lufthansa airline. With no worldwide rules on sanitizing aircraft, airlines, Bloomberg reported, have adopted a patchwork of disinfecting measures, from spraying chemicals on surfaces to manually operated units that use ultraviolet light. Avelo now offers service from Tweed-New Haven to six destinations in Florida and, in early May, will add service to Charleston and Myrtle Beach, S.C., Nashville, TN, and Savannah, GA. https://www.dailyitem.com/business/now-boarding-start-up-avelo-airlines-uses-robot-to-sanitize-planes/article_d0602c4d-10ce-5c27-856a-397f3785e172.html Airline offers up to $187K in bonuses over five years for pilots as it opens new crew base Piedmont Airlines will open a new crew base at Harrisburg International Airport. Piedmont Airlines, a wholly owned subsidiary of American Airlines has announced it will open a new crew base in May at Harrisburg International Airport in Lower Swatara Township. “We are excited to add another crew base location first for the quality of life it offers for our pilots and flight attendants who choose to live or commute there, and second for the value it adds to our operation,” Piedmont vice president of flight operations, Steve Keefer said in a news release. “Piedmont took on many new challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, including expanded routes out of Chicago, and our crews performed flawlessly.” Piedmont currently operates a fleet of aircraft out of American Airlines hubs in Charlotte and Philadelphia. Piedmont previously had a crew base at the airport, according to Scott Miller, a spokesperson for HIA. Piedmont currently has a maintenance base and customer service team members at the airport and a corporate presence off-site in the Middletown area. “The new Harrisburg base will start with just 10 lines of flying and increase as the network warrants,” Piedmont president and CEO Eric Morgan said in the news release. In addition, Piedmont plans to hire 400 pilots and 190 flight attendants in 2022. Piedmont plans to hire 60 crew members at HIA, according to Piedmont spokesperson, Crystal Byrd. Piedmont will hire a mix of both pilots and flight attendants, she said. Piedmont employees have the same flight benefits as American Airlines’ staff members. Pilots hired this year will receive up to $187,000 in bonuses over five years, the company said. Piedmont flight attendants reached a tentative agreement on a new contract in January which includes higher wages, the airline said. For additional information for pilot opportunities go to piedmont-airlines.com/pilots. In other airline news out of HIA, United Airlines launched a new route to Newark, New Jersey on Friday. The destination was switched from Washington D.C. Officials say the Newark destination offers more connection opportunities, which they say is a plus as international travel begins to come back. https://www.pennlive.com/life/2022/03/airline-offers-up-to-187k-in-bonuses-over-five-years-for-pilots-as-it-opens-new-crew-base.html Curt Lewis