Flight Safety Information - April 1, 2022 No.065 In This Issue : Incident: Delta B739 and Delta A321 at Atlanta on Mar 30th 2022, ATC error causes loss of separation between two go arounds : Incident: Fedex B763 at Bogota on Mar 30th 2022, unsafe gear on approach : Cessna 208 Caravan I - Fatal Accident (Switzerland) : 2 South Korea Air Force Planes Collide Midair, 4 Pilots Reportedly Killed : American Airlines’ Flight Attendants Union Praises Clean Air Safety Act : Alaska Airlines flights being impacted by lack of pilots, contract negotiations : After 355 days aboard the ISS, astronaut Mark Vande Hei returns to Earth a changed man : Negotiating Solutions : Aviation Safety Community : Position Available: CNS President and Head of Cargo, The Americas Incident: Delta B739 and Delta A321 at Atlanta on Mar 30th 2022, ATC error causes loss of separation between two go arounds A Delta Airlines Boeing 737-900, registration N870DN performing flight DL-684 from New York JFK,NY to Atlanta,GA (USA), had already gone around once on approach to Atlanta's runway 09R due to weather and was on a second approach to runway 09R, when the crew decided again to go around due to weather and to divert to Augusta,GA (USA). Tower cleared the aircraft to turn right onto a heading of 170 degrees and to climb to 4000 feet at 21:57L (01:57Z Mar 31st). A Delta Airlines Airbus A321-200, registration N329DN performing flight DL504 from Boston,MA to Atlanta,GA (USA), had been on approach to runway 09R preceding DL-684, went around due to weather as well, climbed to 4000 feet on ATC clearance and joined a downwind south of the runway in contact with Approach frequency. While DL-684 climbed out to 4000 feet the separation between the aircraft reduced to about 200 feet vertical and less than 0.8nm horizontal according to FAA radar data when the crew initiated a descent, tower instructed the Boeing down to 6000 ah 3000 feet no delay. The Boeing crew descended the aircraft to 3000 feet and reported they had a TCAS advisory. DL-504 chimed in on tower frequency asking which frequency they should be on but was told "standby". The aircraft became clear of conflict, DL-684 was cleared to climb to 4000 feet again and received vectors to Augusta. DL-504 landed safely on Atlanta's runway 09R about 12 minutes after the loss of separation, DL-684 landed safely on Augusta's runway 17 about 30 minutes after the loss of separation. The Boeing completed the flight the following day departing Augusta and landing in Atlanta with a delay of about 18 hours. https://www.avherald.com/h?article=4f6c7d07&opt=0 Incident: Fedex B763 at Bogota on Mar 30th 2022, unsafe gear on approach A Fedex Federal Express Boeing 767-300, registration N115FE performing flight FX-205 from San Juan (Puerto Rico) to Bogota (Colombia), was on approach to Bogota's runway 13R when the crew went around due to an unsafe left main gear indication. The aircraft positioned for a low approach to Bogota's runway 13R about 20 minutes after the go around, positioned for another approach and landed safely on runway 13R about 40 minutes after the first go around. The aircraft remained on the ground for about 6 hours, then departed for the next leg to Medellin (Colombia). https://www.avherald.com/h?article=4f6c6c7e&opt=0 Cessna 208 Caravan I - Fatal Accident (Switzerland) Date: Wednesday 30 March 2022 Time: 12:22 Type: Cessna 208 Caravan I Operating for: Skydive Costa d'Argento Registration: D-FLIC MSN: 20800274 First flight: 1998 Crew: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0 Total: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 Aircraft damage: Destroyed Aircraft fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: Säntis Mountain ( Switzerland) Phase: En route (ENR) Nature: Unknown Departure airport: Siegen-Siegerland Airport (SGE/EDGS), Germany Destination airport: Costa d'Argento Airfield, Italy Narrative: A Cessna 208 Caravan I, D-FLIC, was destroyed when it impacted the side of a mountain. A police spokesperson stated that they were expecting that all occupants of the aircraft had died. It is unclear at this time how many were on board. https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20220330-0 2 South Korea Air Force Planes Collide Midair, 4 Pilots Reportedly Killed The KT-1 trainer jets crashed near the city of Sacheon, about 300 kilometres south of the capital Seoul, according to military authorities. "Two KT-1 trainer jets at the Sacheon Air Base collided in mid-air while training and crashed," the defence ministry said in a statement. Four pilots were killed in the accident, it added. The air force will "check the exact situation of damage and investigate the cause of the accident", the statement said. More than 30 firefighters and emergency responders were dispatched to the crash site, the Yonhap news agency reported. The crash is one of several incidents involving South Korean air force jets this year. In January, a pilot was killed in an F-5 fighter jet crash. That accident took place shortly after the country grounded its entire fleet of advanced F-35 fighter jets following a major systems malfunction on one plane that forced a dramatic emergency landing. The Korean peninsula remains in a technical state of war, as the armistice that ended the conflict in 1953 has yet to be replaced with a peace treaty. https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/south-korea-two-south-korea-air-force-planes-collide-midair-casualties-unknown-2856106 American Airlines’ Flight Attendants Union Praises Clean Air Safety Act DALLAS (WBAP/KLIF News ) – Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are considering a bill that protects airline employees and passengers from toxic fume events on planes, which can lead to some serious health issues. The Association of Professional Flight Attendants’ Allie Malis said exposure to fumes could occur on most planes. “It stems from the bleed air filtration system that is on every airplane that you may fly except for the Boeing 787 aircraft, which has a different air filtration system,” she said. “It can cause headaches, neurological issues. We’ve had flight attendants who’ve been hospitalized. It’s really important when these events occur to seek medical attention.” The bill would require the FAA to standardize reporting procedures, maintain a database, and conduct investigations in the event that someone involved requires medical attention. Malis said she hopes Congress passes the bill and it becomes law because safety during air travel is important everyone. “Air travel is shared space and so when passengers buy a ticket and they’re expecting safe passage a safe flight and so hopefully we can ensure that it’s the safest possible air that you might be breathing,” she said. The bill was sponsored by Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Representative John Garamendi (CA-3). The AFPA, which represents 24,000 American Airlines flight attendants, said they’re thankful for the effort. “Toxic fume events in the airplane cabin have long been a concern for Flight Attendants, aviation professionals, and passengers due to the long-term health consequences they can cause, so we are grateful to see legislation introduced yesterday,” said the AFPA statement. https://www.wbap.com/2022/03/31/american-airlines-flight-attendants-union-praises-clean-air-safety-act/ Alaska Airlines flights being impacted by lack of pilots, contract negotiations If you've had an Alaska Airlines flight canceled recently, it could be due to a lack of pilots. Right now, Alaska Airlines pilots across the country are set to picket April 1 as they look to raise awareness about better schedules and job security. It's important to note that this is not a strike. Pilots will be protesting, on their days off, for these better conditions. Being that Spokane has destinations fulfilled through Alaska Airlines, we reached out to the airline for comment. "There are some flight cancellations connected to a shortage of pilots which has created operational challenges," Alaska Airlines said in a statement. "We notified our guests whose flights have been impacted and apologize for the inconvenience. We’re working as quickly as possible to make things right and get them to their destinations." In a letter to Alaska Airlines' CEO, pilots said, "We are asking for the same quality-of-life and job security improvements that pilots at other major airlines already enjoy. We are asking that you bring these provisions in line with our peers and for the opportunity to vote on a market-rate contract." "We understand how important it is to our pilots to secure a new contract," a statement from Alaska Airlines said. "As the negotiations continue, we respect their right to engage in lawfully protected activities to voice their concerns." It's no secret that the airline industry took a hit during the pandemic. "It’s also vital for Alaska Airlines to negotiate a deal that allows us to maintain growth and profitability for a strong future," Alaska Airlines said in a statement. "It’s crucial we continue to provide all of our employees with competitive pay and benefits as we hire more people, invest in new planes and fly our guests to new destinations." According to the airline, its been in talks with the Air Line Pilots Association for a new agreement since summer 2019, with a mutual pause during the pandemic. A mediation session is scheduled for later this month. https://www.khq.com/news/alaska-airlines-flights-being-impacted-by-lack-of-pilots-contract-negotiations/article_2fcd180e-b151-11ec-ab55-7be5e0e2ea5c.html After 355 days aboard the ISS, astronaut Mark Vande Hei returns to Earth a changed man After 355 days aboard the ISS, NASA astronaut and five-time flight engineer Mark T Vande Hei returns to Earth as record holder for the longest single spaceflight in NASA history, having surpassed Commander Scott Kelly’s 340-day mark set in 2018. Though not as long as Peggy Whitson’s 665 cumulative days spent in microgravity, Vande Hei’s accomplishment is still one of the longest single stints in human spaceflight, just behind Russia’s Valeri Polyakov, who was aboard the Mir for 438 straight days (that’s more than 14 months) back in the mid-1990s. Though NASA’s Human Research Program has spent 50 years studying the effects that microgravity and the rigors of spaceflight have on the human body, the full impact of long-duration space travel has yet to be exhaustively researched. As humanity’s expansion into space accelerates in the coming decades, more people will be going into orbit — and much farther — both more regularly and for longer than anyone has in the past half century, and they’ll invariably need medical care while they’re out there. To fill that need, academic institutes like the Center for Space Medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX, have begun training a new generation of medical practitioners with the skills necessary to keep tomorrow’s commercial astronauts alive on the job. Even traveling the relatively short 248-mile distance to the International Space Station does a number on the human body. The sustained force generated during liftoff can hit 3 gs, though “the most important factors in determining the effects the sustained acceleration will have on the human body is the rate of onset and the peak sustained g force,” Dr. Eric Jackson wrote in his 2017 dissertation, An Investigation of the Effects of Sustained G-Forces on the Human Body During Suborbital Spaceflight. “The rate of onset, or how fast the body accelerates, dictates the ability to remain conscious, with a faster rate of onset leading to a lower g-force threshold.” Untrained civilians will begin feeling these effects at 3 to 4 gs but with practice, seasoned astronauts using support equipment like high-g suits can resist the effects until around 8 or 9 gs, however the unprotected human body can only withstand about 5 gs of persistent force before blacking out. Once the primary and secondary rocket stages have been expended, the pleasantness of the spaceflight will improve immensely, albeit temporarily. As NASA veteran with 230 cumulative days in space, Leroy Chiao, told Space in 2016, as soon as the main engines cut out, the crushing Gs subside and “you are instantly weightless. It feels as if you suddenly did a forward roll on a gym mat, as your brain struggles to understand the odd signals coming from your balance system.” “Dizziness is the result, and this can again cause some nausea,” he continued. “You also feel immediate pressure in your head, as if you were lying down head first on an incline. At this point, because gravity is no longer pulling fluid into your lower extremities, it rises into your torso. Over the next few days, your body will eliminate about two liters of water to compensate, and your brain learns to ignore your balance system. Your body equilibrates with the environment over the next several weeks.” Roughly half of people who have traveled into orbit to date have experienced this phenomenon, which has been dubbed Space Adaptation Syndrome (SAS), though as Chiao noted, the status debuffs do lessen as the astronaut’s vestibular system readjusts to their weightless environment. And even as the astronaut adapts to function in their new microgravity surroundings, their body is undergoing fundamental changes that will not abate, at least until they head back down the gravity well. “After a long-duration flight of six or more months, the symptoms are somewhat more intense,” Chiao said. “If you've been on a short flight, you feel better after a day or two. But after a long flight, it usually takes a week, or several, before you feel like you're back to normal.” “Spaceflight is draining because you've taken away a lot of the physical stimulus the body would have on an everyday basis,” Dr. Jennifer Fogarty from Baylor’s Center for Space Medicine, told Engadget. “Cells can convert mechanical inputs into biochemical signals, initiating downstream signaling cascades in a process known as mechanotransduction,” researchers from the University of Siena noted in their 2021 study, The Effect of Space Travel on Bone Metabolism. “Therefore, any changes in mechanical loading, for example, those associated with microgravity, can consequently influence cell functionality and tissue homeostasis, leading to altered physiological conditions.” Without those sensory inputs and environmental stressors that would normally prompt the body to maintain its current level of fitness, our muscles will atrophy — up to 40 percent of their mass, depending on the length for the mission — while our bones can lose their mineral density at a rate of 1 to 2 percent every month. "Your bones are ... being continually eaten away and replenished," pioneering Canadian astronaut Bjarni Tryggvason told CBC in 2013. "The replenishment depends on the actual stresses in your bones and it's mainly ... bones in your legs where the stresses are all of a sudden reduced [in space] that you see the major bone loss.” This leaves astronauts highly susceptible to breaks, as well as kidney stones, upon their return to Earth and generally require two months of recovery for every month spent in microgravity. In fact, a 2000 study found that the bone loss from six months in space “parallels that experienced by elderly men and women over a decade of aging on Earth.” Even intensive daily sessions with the treadmill, cycle ergometer and ARED (Advanced Resistance Exercise Device) aboard the ISS, paired with a balanced nutrient-rich diet, has only shown to be partially effective at offsetting the incurred mineral losses. And then there’s the space anemia. According to a study published in the journal, Nature Medicine, the bodies of astronauts appear to destroy their red blood cells faster while in space than they would here on Earth. "Space anemia has consistently been reported when astronauts returned to Earth since the first space missions, but we didn't know why," study author Guy Trudel said in a January 14 statement. “Our study shows that upon arriving in space, more red blood cells are destroyed, and this continues for the entire duration of the astronaut’s mission.” This is not a short term adaptation as previously believed, the study found. The human body on Earth will produce and destroy around 2 million red blood cells every second. However, that number jumps to roughly 3 million per second while in space, a 54 percent increase that researchers attribute to fluid shifts in the body as it adapts to weightlessness. Recent research also suggests that our brains are actively “rewiring” themselves in order to adapt to microgravity. A study published in Frontiers in Neural Circuits investigated structural changes found in white matter, which interfaces the brain’s two hemispheres, after space travel using MRI data collected from a dozen Cosmonauts before and after their stays aboard the ISS, for about 172 days apiece. Researchers discovered changes in the neural connections between different motor areas within the brain as well as changes to the shape of the corpus callosum, the part of the brain that connects and interfaces the two hemispheres, again due to fluid shifts. "These findings give us additional pieces of the entire puzzle," study author Floris Wuyts of Floris Wuyts, University of Antwerp told Space. "Since this research is so pioneering, we don't know how the whole puzzle will look yet. These results contribute to our overall understanding of what's going on in the brains of space travelers." As the transition towards commercial space flight accelerates and the orbital economy further opens for business, opportunities to advance space medicine increase as well. Fogarty points out that government space flight programs and installations are severely limited in the number of astronauts they can handle simultaneously — the ISS holds a whopping seven people at a time — which translates into multi-year long queues for astronauts waiting to go into space. Commercial ventures like Orbital Reef will shorten those waits by expanding the number of space-based positions available which will give institutions like the Center for Space Medicine more, and more diversified, health data to analyze. “The diversity of the types of people that are capable and willing to go [into space for work] really opens up this aperture on understanding humanity,” Fogarty said, “versus the [existing] select population that we always struggle to match to or interpret data from.” Even returning from space is fraught with physiological peril. Dr. Fogarty points out that while in space the gyroscopic organs in the inner ear will adapt to the new environment, which is what helps alleviate the symptoms of SAS. However, that adaptation works against the astronaut when they return to full gravity — especially the chaotic forces present during reentry — they can be shocked by the sudden return of amplified sensory information. It’s roughly equivalent, she describes, to continuing to turn up the volume on a stereo with a wonky input port: You hear nothing as you rotate the knob, right up until the moment the input’s plug wiggles just enough to connect and you blow your eardrums out because you’d dialed up the volume to 11 without realizing it. “Your brain has acclimated to an environment, and very quickly,” Fogarty said. “But the organ systems in your ear haven't caught up to the new environment.” These effects, like SAS, are temporary and do not appear to limit the amount of times an astronaut can venture up to orbit and return. “There's really no evidence to say that we would know there would be a limit,” she said, envisioning it could end up being more of a personal choice in deciding if the after-effects and recovery times are worth it for your next trip to space. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/iss-astronaut-mark-vande-hei-returns-to-earth-123056973.html CNS President and Head of Cargo - The Americas Miami, United States of America Employment Type: Permanent Contract Duration: N/A About the team you are joining Reporting directly to the CNS Executive Board of Directors and in a matrix relationship to the RVP The Americas, the CNS President and Head of Cargo the Americas will be responsible for management of the CNS Corporation (a wholly owned subsidiary of IATA) providing services that benefit and foster air transportation in the U.S. The successful candidate will be responsible for the development of the cargo agenda in The Americas Region based on the industry’s local and regional needs keeping in mind the IATA Cargo priorities as well. The successful candidate will ensure the necessary separation of duties between the CNS and the IATA activities. What your day would be like • Lead the CNS Corporation in the roles of President and Corporate Secretary, ensuring the application of CNS’ corporate formalities and secretarial duties. • As the Secretary of the CNS Advisory Board, ensure active participation and engagement from the U.S. industry stakeholders and CNS Board Members. • Fulfil CNS’ obligation to provide support to IATA’s cargo agenda and programs under secondment to IATA. • Represent CNS in the U.S. and IATA Cargo in The Americas with key stakeholders including Governments, international Organizations, and other Associations. • Oversee the agency program, the Cargo Accounts Settlement System (CASS) and other settlement activities in the U.S. ensuring that airlines, agents, and commercial accounts are managed satisfactorily. • Manage and expand the CNS Partnership Conference and Focus magazine on a yearly basis ensuring it remains the most relevant air cargo forum and publication in the U.S. ensuring strong adoption by current and potential subscribers at the time P&L objectives are attained. • Develop the strategy for the U.S. aligned with the Board mandated goals as well as for the Americas aligned with the IATA Cargo Agenda. • Implement a roadmap aligned with the strategy focusing on settlement (e.g., CASS 2.0), safety (e.g., DGR, Lithium Battery), Customer Satisfaction (e.g., Cargo 360), Digitalization (e.g., eManifest, eDGD) and on Security as well as any other issues that would surface (e.g., airport congestion). • Hold responsibility for the CNS P&L delivering on the approved 3-year business plan, budget, revenues, margin, target penetration, target setting and achievement of sales targets, to be communicated separately. • Deliver approved projects on time, scope and within budget to introduce new industry initiatives and products. • Roll-out existing industry initiatives and products in close collaboration with the IATA Cargo Team and Commercial Products and Services Department as per the set targets. • Manage internal and external suppliers to ensure that the CNS services up to the expectations and the KPIs for CNS operations are met. • Engage with external stakeholders as well as with internal (CNS and IATA) stakeholders such as Customer Service, Global Delivery Center, Regional Stakeholders, Financial Controllers, PPD, Legal Counsel, Products & Services team, etc. • Lead, motivate and coach a team of professionals as well as develop capabilities through effective talent management, recruitment, and succession planning We would love to hear from you if • College degree (undergrad) in Business, Financial, Logistics, Engineering, or other relevant subject, preferably with a postgraduate degree or MBA. • A minimum of 15 years of international working experience in the air cargo or logistics field with at least 10 years at a senior executive level in a similar cargo position (with P&L responsibility), and extensive knowledge of the [commercial] aviation industry, preferably in the Americas Region. • Proven experience in managing multiple lines of business, successful product development and product management oversight. • Proven ability to lead and motivate large teams and to foster collaboration across functional and culturally diverse lines. • Outstanding leadership and management experience in a high-pressure, multicultural, and international environment. • Strong communication, relationship management, advocacy and negotiation skills with experience in interacting with "C" level stakeholders. • Comfortable operating under pressure, driving multiple projects simultaneously, and delivering to tight deadlines. • Ability to work in a complex, business critical and high profile commercial and operational environment, as well as in ambiguous situations. • Fluent in English is essential, whilst knowledge of Spanish and/or Portuguese languages would be an asset. • Be people and team oriented, focused on results, embrace innovation, and change, and demonstrate leadership and personal integrity • U.S. security clearance would be a plus. • Must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. This is a CNSC (Cargo Network Services Corporation) position and not an IATA role Travel Required: Y 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. Curt Lewis