Flight Safety Information - March 8, 2022 No.047 In This Issue : Incident: Cebu Pacific AT72 at Manila on Mar 8th 2022, runway excursion on landing : Incident: PSA CRJ9 at Newport News on Mar 6th 2022, wing tip strike on landing : Incident: Spirit A320 at Lake City on Mar 5th 2022, dropped panel in flight : Incident: Biman B789 at Dhaka and Sylhet on Mar 7th 2022, bird strike : Incident: Kulula B738 near Johannesburg on Mar 7th 2022, engine shut down in flight Incident: Cebu Pacific AT72 at Manila on Mar 8th 2022, runway excursion on landing A Cebu Pacific Airlines Avions de Transport Regional ATR-72-212A, registration RP-C7283 performing flight DG-6112 from Naga to Manila (Philippines) with 42 passengers and 4 crew, landed on Manila's runway 24 at 11:27L (03:27Z) but went right off the runway and came to a stop on the grass just after the intersection with runway 13/31 about 1200 meters down runway 24. There were no injuries. The aircraft sustained minor if any damage. The airline confirmed their flight DG-6112 suffered an incident. The aircraft was towed off the runway area about 90 minutes after landing. https://www.avherald.com/h?article=4f5afc16&opt=0 Incident: PSA CRJ9 at Newport News on Mar 6th 2022, wing tip strike on landing A PSA Airlines Canadair CRJ-900 on behalf of American Airlines, registration N602NN performing flight AA-5662 from Charlotte,NC to Newport News,VA (USA), landed on Newport News' runway 25 but performed a balked landing and went around reporting they had gone around due to gusting winds. The aircraft positioned for another approach to runway and landed about 10 minutes later. Tower subsequently advised later landings there had been a loss of 15 knots of airspeed on final. The FAA reported giving the timestamp of the second landing as occurrence time: "AIRCRAFT ON LANDING STRUCK WINGTIP ON RUNWAY, NEWPORT NEWS, VA.", the damage was unknown and the occurrence rated an incident. https://www.avherald.com/h?article=4f5a951b&opt=0 Incident: Spirit A320 at Lake City on Mar 5th 2022, dropped panel in flight A Spirit Airlines Airbus A320-200, registration N620NK performing flight NK-9120 from Lake City,FL to Fort Lauderdale,FL (USA), was climbing out of Lake City when the aircraft dropped a panel from one of the ailerons. The aircraft climbed to FL240 and continued to Fort Lauderdale for a safe landing about one hour after departure. The FAA reported: "AIRCRAFT LOST A PANEL FROM THE AILERON ON DEPARTURE, LAKE CITY, FL.", the damage was unknown and the occurrence was rated an incident. https://www.avherald.com/h?article=4f5a9324&opt=0 Incident: Biman B789 at Dhaka and Sylhet on Mar 7th 2022, bird strike A Biman Bangladesh Boeing 787-9, registration S2-AJX performing flight BG-201 from Dhaka to Sylhet (Bangladesh), departed Dhaka's runway 14, climbed to FL150 and landed on Sylhet's runway 11 about 20 minutes after departure from Dhaka. A post flight inspection revealed one of the engines (GEnx) was damaged by a bird strike, the aircraft was unable to continue the next leg to London,EN (UK). A replacement Boeing 787-8 was flown to Sylhet arriving in Sylhet about 13 hours after the landing of S2-AJX, resumed the flight the following day and reached London with a delay of about 31 hours. https://www.avherald.com/h?article=4f5a9116&opt=0 Incident: Kulula B738 near Johannesburg on Mar 7th 2022, engine shut down in flight A Kululu Boeing 737-800, registration ZS-ZWB performing flight MN-451 from Lanseria to Cape Town (South Africa) with 45 passengers and 6 crew, was climbing through FL210 out of Lanseria when the crew reported the failure of the left hand engine (CFM56), shut the engine down and decided to divert to Johannesburg. The aircraft landed safely on runway 03R about 45 minutes after departure. A passenger reported a loud bang occurred several minutes into the flight. Another passenger reported there was a trail of smoke and significant vibrations. https://www.avherald.com/h?article=4f5a8d1b&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/ 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 Canada Fines Private Jet Chartered By Russians While most media coverage of aviation-related sanctions has focused on seizing designated Oligarchs' assets, including their private jets, actions by the United Kingdom, European Union, Canada, and the United States prohibit Russian nationals from chartering private jets. A notice last week from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration stated, "The Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) and regulatory orders will suspend operations of all aircraft owned, certified, operated, registered, chartered, leased, or controlled by, for, or for the benefit of, a person who is a citizen of Russia. This includes passenger and cargo flights, and scheduled as well as charter flights, effectively closing U.S. air space to all Russian commercial air carriers and other Russian civil aircraft." A Dassault Falcon 900 like this jet, but registered as VP-CVS in the Cayman Islands, was detained. According to a report in the National Post, Canada may have caught the first private jet charter flight attempting to skirt the sanctions. A large cabin Dassault Falcon 900 registered in the Cayman Islands, its crew and passengers were detained at Yellowknife after landing from Geneva, Switzerland, last Tuesday. The aircraft was released and flew back to Europe Friday. The Russian charter customer was fined $3,000, as was the jet's pilot. The aircraft's owner, listed as Dunard Engineering Ltd., was fined $15,000. Diane Archie, Minister of Infrastructure, told Canadian regional legislators, "It appears that the plane and its passengers were on their way to Resolute, Nunavut with the intention of taking a planned Arctic overland expedition in a large all-terrain utility vehicle.” It's not clear how authorities were led to the jet or if the actions were the results of normal customs and immigration processing. Russians are not allowed to charter jets; however, they can travel as passengers. David Hernandez, a partner with Vedder Price and a former FAA and DOT attorney, warns the industry and consumers to act proactively to comply with the sanctions. He says U.S. authorities take a "shoot first, ask questions later" approach. He says the sanctions apply to dual passport holders, so anyone who holds Russian citizenship is subject to the charter ban. Last week during a webinar held by Corporate Jet Investor, one attendee noted, "Yesterday we had a flight with a European operator between Italy and France. Because the Captain was Russian – he has lived in the Czech Republic for the past 10 years – the aircraft was denied entry into France." Another participant expressed concern about what will be expected of the industry to ensure compliance, especially with customers who have multiple passports. Robert Baltus, COO of the European Business Aviation Association, warned brokers and operators against allowing customers to use workarounds. Reading the EU sanctions, he noted, "It shall be prohibited to participate, knowingly or intentionally, in activities the object or effect of which is to circumvent the prohibitions set out in this decision, including by acting as a substitute for the natural or legal persons, entities or bodies subject to those prohibitions, or by acting to their benefit by using any of the exceptions provided for in this decision." While the Canadian fines may seem light, Hernandez says operators risk their certificates and jet owners could find their aircraft impounded. So far, it's not clear what actions industry players are taking to ensure Russian nationals don’t charter their jets. One executive said he expects operators will require lead passengers and brokers to attest that the customer doesn't hold a Russian passport or isn't a principal at a Russian-controlled company. Another operator executive said it’s a hot topic. "It’s a discussion right now. I think it's going to be a bit like Covid. There are daily developments. Once everyone understood (Covid) wasn't short-term, and there were (compliance issues), you saw the industry figure out how to comply. Aviation is highly regulated. It may be one more form to sign for customers, but I think (authorities) will say we have a responsibility to inform customers. If a customer gives us a Spanish or American passport, and they provide a sworn statement they don't have a Russian passport, they aren't subject to the sanctions, and we do our normal due diligence, against no-fly lists, etc., I would hope that it would show we are doing our part (but) we are paying our lawyers to tell us what to do." https://www.forbes.com/sites/douggollan/2022/03/06/canada-fines-private-jet-chartered-by-russians/?sh=38e4af2c18af Australia Recommends Helmets For Some Pilots Australia’s Air Transportation Safety Board has issued a Safety Advisory Notice recommending that pilots who do low-level work wear an approved helmet to improve their chances of survivability in the low-energy crashes that claim pilots doing this work every year. “A correctly fitted and secured flight helmet can significantly reduce injuries and save lives in the event of a serious incident or accident but to be fully effective it must be adjusted to fit the head and the chin strap must be fastened securely,” ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said in a news release. “In addition, helmets must be serviced regularly, routinely inspected for damage, and replaced immediately if it has sustained a major impact.” The recommendation came as part of the final report into an accident involving an aerial spray helicopter that was less than 20 feet above the ground when it caught a skid on a powerline and went out of control. The ATSB said the pilot was wearing a helmet but that particular helmet didn’t help much. “Although the pilot was wearing a flight helmet, it came off after the initial impact and did not attenuate the impact forces to a survivable level,” the report said. The pilot also slipped out of the shoulder restraint and the report said a four or five point restraint would have been better. https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/australia-recommends-helmets-for-some-pilots/ CAAS launches first safety charter for Singapore aviation sector SINGAPORE: The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) on Monday (Mar 7) launched a safety charter to uphold standards as the travel industry recovers from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Charter for a Strong and Positive Safety Culture in Singapore is the first of its kind for the aviation sector here. The launch took place at the annual Aviation Safety Forum at the Pan Pacific Hotel. “Recognising various safety-related challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the charter expresses the shared commitment by leaders in the sector to jointly uphold safety standards and strengthen safety culture in their respective organisations as air travel recovers,” said CAAS in a news release. To date, 80 aviation organisations have signed the charter; more are expected to do so in the coming months, said CAAS. They include major airlines, training organisations, maintenance, repair and overhaul firms, aircraft manufacturers, the airport operator, ground handlers, industry associations and unions. The charter sets out to encourage voluntary reporting of safety hazards, unsafe practices and safety errors, and including self-disclosure of mistakes, slips and lapses. It also aims to promote confidentiality and protection from punitive action for self-disclosure of safety lapses and errors, while “not tolerating conduct that constitutes gross negligence, wilful misconduct or criminal activity”, said CAAS. Mr Han Kok Juan, director-general of CAAS, said: “Aviation safety must be a non-negotiable and the top priority of the Singapore aviation sector as air travel recovers and we ramp up operations. “The safety charter is a statement of shared commitment, by leaders of the Singapore aviation sector, to uphold the highest safety standards as we work together to rebuild and reclaim Singapore’s position as a global air hub this year.” Singapore recently eased border measures to facilitate the arrival of travellers into the country. Last week, it announced new vaccinated travel lanes for Vietnam and Greece, while extending the quarantine-free arrangement to more cities in Malaysia, Indonesia and India. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/caas-launches-first-safety-charter-singapore-aviation-sector-2544706 US Labor Department orders Calabasas private aviation provider to pay $958K to former worker who suffered retaliation for reporting safety concerns Pegasus Elite Aviation Inc. sent false reports that led to later termination, FAA suspension LOS ANGELES – The U.S. Department of Labor has ordered a California business aviation provider to pay $958,000 in back wages and associated costs, and correct misinformation about a former employee who the employer retaliated against after they reported flight safety issues. Investigators with the department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration found that – after a former employee of Pegasus Elite Aviation Inc. in Calabasas reported safety issues that led to an onsite inspection – the company sent a falsified and negative Pilot Records Improvement Act report to the worker's new employer, violating the whistleblower provision. The report led to the employee's termination. OSHA also found Pegasus Elite Aviation provided falsified information to the Federal Aviation Administration that contributed to the agency's decision to suspend the former employee's pilot certificates. The investigation compelled OSHA to order Pegasus Elite Aviation to pay more than $898,000 in back wages and associated costs, $50,000 in emotional damages and $10,000 in attorney's fees. “The U.S. Department of Labor will enforce the protections afforded to airline workers who do what's right and raise their safety concerns,” said OSHA's Regional Administrator James D. Wulff in San Francisco. “No matter the industry, every worker has the right to report safety concerns of any kind without fearing retaliation.” In addition to the monetary penalties, Pegasus Elite Aviation must send a letter of correction to the FAA and other employers who received the falsified report, removing the derogatory information. The company may appeal the order to the department's Office of Administrative Law Judges. OSHA enforces the whistleblower provisions of AIR-21 and 24 other statutes protecting employees who report violations of various airline, commercial motor carrier, consumer product, environmental, financial reform, food safety, motor vehicle safety, healthcare reform, nuclear, pipeline, public transportation agency, railroad, maritime, securities, tax, antitrust, and anti-money laundering laws and for engaging in other related protected activities. For more information on whistleblower protections, visit OSHA's Whistleblower Protection Programs webpage. # # # Editor's note: The U.S. Department of Labor does not release the names of employees involved in whistleblower complaints Media Contacts: Michael Petersen, 415-625-2630, petersen.michael.w@dol.gov Jose Carnevali, 415-625-2631, carnevali.jose@dol.gov Release Number: 22-350-SAN https://www.osha.gov/news/newsreleases/region9/03022022 Curt Lewis