Flight Safety Information - April 12, 2022 No.072 In This Issue : Incident: Easyjet A20N near Faro on Apr 10th 2022, pilot incapacitated : Aero Modifications AMI DC-3-65TP - Accident (Colombia) : China denies online rumours' blaming co-pilot for plane crash killing 132 : How IndiGo lost confidence of its pilots & commanders : Despite federal warnings, laser strikes against aircraft still happening : Call for Nominations For 2022 Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award : Safeskies Australia - 2022: Call for papers Incident: Easyjet A20N near Faro on Apr 10th 2022, pilot incapacitated An Easyjet Airbus A320-200N, registration G-UZHA performing flight U2-2213 from London Luton,EN (UK) to Agadir (Morocco), was enroute at FL370 about 60nm north of Faro (Portugal) when one of the pilots declared emergency reporting his collegue had become ill and was incapacitated. The aircraft landed safely on Faro's runway 10 about 18 minutes after leaving FL370. Authorities in Faro reported the aircraft diverted due to sudden illness of one of the pilots, after landing the pilot was taken care of and transported to a hospital. The aircraft is still on the ground in Faro about 26 hours after landing. The passengers were taken to hotels. The return flight U2-2214 was cancelled. https://www.avherald.com/h?article=4f7476ce&opt=0 Aero Modifications AMI DC-3-65TP - Accident (Colombia) Date: Friday 8 April 2022 Type: Aero Modifications AMI DC-3-65TP Operator: ALIANSA Colombia Registration: HK-5016 MSN: 25546/14101 First flight: 1944 Engines: 2 Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-65AR Crew: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: Total: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 6 Aircraft damage: Substantial Location: San Felipe Airport ( Colombia) Phase: Landing (LDG) Nature: Passenger Departure airport: Inírida-César Gaviria Trujillo Airport (PDA/SKPD), Colombia Destination airport: San Felipe Airport (SKFP), Colombia Narrative: An AMI DC-3-65TP nose down and swung off the runway during landing at San Felipe Airport, Colombia. There were no injuries, but the aircraft sustained substantial damage. Photos from the accident show damage to the underside of the forward fuselage and propeller blades. The right-hand main gear had collapsed and the left-hand main gear tire had punctured. https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20220408- China denies online rumours' blaming co-pilot for plane crash killing 132 The cause of China's recent passenger plane crash which killed 132 people remains under investigation, a Chinese aviation official has said China says no survivors in plane crash with 132 people on board The cause of China's recent passenger plane crash which killed 132 people remains under investigation, a Chinese aviation official has said, rejecting online speculation that the co-pilot may be responsible for the tragic accident. The Chinese passenger plane crashed in the southern Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on March 21, killing all 132 people on board including the nine crew members. The Boeing 737-800 aircraft of China Eastern Airlines, which flew from Kunming to Guangzhou, plunged into the mountains in Tengxian County in the city of Wuzhou. Rumours have been doing rounds online that the co-pilot "might be responsible" for the crash, attributing it to the data from black boxes, with some believing that the CAAC will require flight crews to undergo mental health monitoring, the state-run Global Times reported. China's civil aviation regulator, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), refuted such rumours over the co-pilot's involvement in the crash of China Eastern flight MU5375, saying the accident is still under investigation, and no conclusions have been drawn on the cause and nature of the accident yet. The "rumours", claimed to be sourced from some public security departments are misleading, would undermine public confidence in the ongoing investigation, and may represent a violation of the law, said Wu Shijie, a CAAC official told the official media on Monday. "We will try our best to find out the cause of the accident as soon as possible and release the relevant information according to the law and procedures," he said. Wu said the crash has had an impact on the welfare of frontline civil aviation workers, and some employees have suffered from emotional strain, particularly younger workers. The CAAC attaches great importance to the mental well-being of aviation workers and requested that airlines take measures to support pilots, flight attendants and safety officers in managing their psychological pressure. Early this month a working group sent by the US National Transportation Safety Board arrived in China to help investigate the crash of the China Eastern Airlines aircraft. The seven-member panel, consisting of authorised representatives and technical advisors, will participate in the investigation organised by the CAAC. Airline safety management is focused on the mental state and health of all aircrew, including pilots, and it is a key function of the regulation, CAAC said. The aviation industry recently held a two-week-long safety review, stating that it had addressed a number of safety hazards, after the fatal crash of Flight MU5375, killing all 132 persons onboard, the Global Times reported. Concrete measures should be taken to strengthen the investigation of hidden dangers concerning aircraft maintenance, flight weather conditions, personnel qualifications and technical ability, China's civil aviation regulator said. China's aviation officials have said that there had not been any weather or other hazards endured by the flight on its route path. China Eastern said the plane, less than seven years old, had also passed all pre-flight checks. There were three pilots, China Eastern officials said. The captain had 6,709 hours of flying experience, and the first and second officers had 31,769 hours and 556 hours respectively. https://www.business-standard.com/article/international/china-denies-online-rumours-blaming-co-pilot-for-plane-crash-killing-132-122041200370_1.html How IndiGo lost confidence of its pilots & commanders Irate pilots at India’s largest private airline explore forming a union to fight management. The airline's handling of commanders and crew appears to have come a full circle in the pandemic. IndiGo’s handling of pilots and crew has been one of its weaker spots and the relationship has, during less stressful times, appeared rather fraught. No flap 3 landings, no “set in” and “set out”, no accommodations of last minute roster changes, no rush to take off and try to meet the on-time performance requirements. These are some of the less than happy pronouncements by IndiGo flight crew in the last few days after the management’s attempts at mollifying its pilots fell flat. Even as they explore ways of getting more organised and setting up a union or guild, the commanders and crew -- many of whom are seething with anger – promise to be less accommodating and to do their job but nothing beyond. The story of how the equation between India’s largest private airline and its commanders and crew touched such a low, however, starts a bit earlier. On March 31st, soon after an article appeared in this publication, revealing the details of the employee stock options (ESOPs) given to India’s largest private airline IndiGo’s top management in FY 2021, its commanders, first officers and cabin crew were furious. Subject to significant pay cuts ever since the pandemic gripped the world, the commanders and crew were incensed at the jump in management earnings through ESOPs in the year while their salaries had not yet been reinstated. The employees were of the view that the ESOP allotments in effect negated the salary cuts taken by top managers in the year and that they (the pilots) were bearing a disproportionate share of the pain. It was argued by many that the management must share the burden of the pain of the pandemic and forgo the ESOPs, even if they were part of their contract. Alternatively, they could have taken a token salary of ₹1 through the year and made up through the ESOPs. Soon after the Fortune India article, an internal circular from IndiGo head of operations Ashim Mitra - one of the beneficiaries of the allotment - announced 8% hike in salaries of pilots and crew, starting the next day itself, in an attempt to mollify them and contain the uproar that played out on social media and internal platforms. The hike announced, however, proved counterproductive as the pilots felt the 8% increase -- coming as it did after such a gap -- was a “joke and insulting”. Many employees on different fora advised the management to “just keep it”. For the last week or so, internal platforms and social media were abuzz with messages from aggrieved pilots, several of whom categorically refused the hike. Subsequently, the airline “summoned” some vociferous protesters to Delhi and even suspended five pilots. The pilots are now looking at how best to go about setting up a union. They have contacted an independent pilot association to seek guidance. In response to an email sent to the airline by Fortune India on various pilot grievances, an airline spokesperson said: “At IndiGo, we have always worked towards addressing the concerns of our employees even in the most difficult times like the onset of Covid, where we were the only airline in India to pay full salaries for the months of March and April 2020. This was despite the absence of any revenue for 2 months. We are constantly working towards reversing any kind of pay cuts, however, these measures have to be in line with the pace of business recovery and profitability. We have already announced an additional rollback towards the end of the year, anticipating business recovery.” As the IndiGo fracas gained momentum, most of the other airlines also took a closer look at their policy on reinstatement of salary, allowances and other benefits. As a pre-emptive action to the uproar witnessed at IndiGo, SpiceJet announced pay hikes for its pilots almost immediately. Vistara reinstated the monthly bonus component in salary for eligible pilots starting from April 1, subject to the active hours being 70 in the preceding month. To say that things have been grim in India’s aviation sector for the last two years ever since the pandemic gripped the world would be a severe understatement. Pilots the world over have borne the brunt in more ways than one, including several losing their jobs as flying came to a standstill. In India, when the crisis began, the loudest noises came from the pilots and crew of the erstwhile national carrier Air India who argued that they had been burdened with a disproportionate share of the pain with the sharpest cuts in salaries and allowances. Milder grumblings emanated from the crew of the low fare carriers, where many pilots felt that something was better than nothing: the carnage in the sector globally was playing out and almost everyone personally knew a few friends out of jobs altogether. Right at the start, as the pandemic hit, IndiGo decided to continue to pay commanders and most of its staff a substantial portion of their usual monthly emoluments, winning it more loyalty points than it probably anticipated. But as the pain of the pandemic continued far longer than anticipated, IndiGo deepened the cuts across categories, including pilots. At the peak of the crisis, the cut worked out to almost 60%, including forced days of leave without pay. For the last year or so - as the waves of the pandemic ebbed and raged - commanders and crew have been complaining off and on but have not taken the matter by the horns. It is, however, the allotment of ESOPs to its top management - amounting to a total of Rs 22 odd crore in effect for its CEO Rono Dutta and similar amounts across managers - that stirred up a hornet’s nest. In response to a detailed email, an IndiGo spokesperson said that “these ESOPs were issued in June 2020 as a part of a four-year programme that will go on until June 2024. No other ESOPs were issued after this date. All these ESOPs have a vesting schedule, most of which is backloaded”. She added that ESOPs are a part of executive pay across industries and not specific to just IndiGo. Over the next two or three days, pilots calmed down but many argued that they would no longer play ball with everything the management asked of them. “We have always pushed the envelope while trying to save fuel and other costs for the company by doing flap 3 landings and switching off single engine during taxi IN and taxi OUT. But this will no longer be done,” said a senior commander. Many argue that some of the practices that help in saving fuel are against what is advised by Airbus. “I would not say that a flap 3 landing or some of the other practices encouraged by management to save fuel are unsafe per se but they definitely require more concentration, effort and airmanship from the commanders. I don’t see anyone stretching himself or going out of his way for the company if this is how we are treated,” said a senior commander who has been with the airline since inception. A few days after the fracas broke out, a letter sent by airline CEO Rono Dutta to staff to try and make amends and explain their side of the story to all the employees was termed as “wishy washy” and “vague” by crew members and pilots. A senior commander said the letter only served to add “salt to the wounds” and that they expected the CEO to come up with something far more “substantive” than what he did. Public shareholders of the airline had voted against the allotment of ESOPs to the CEO last April. Details of his salary - Rs 11.4 crore and a further committed bonus of Rs 5.6 crore are in the company’s annual report. Analysts, experts and even those who have previously worked for IndiGo felt that the management has failed to manage the situation this time around. A senior commander said the “airline’s top team has only itself to blame for this”. His point is that if employees go on strike or lose trust in them, it can only be attributed to the management’s collective failure. Within the aviation sector, IndiGo’s handling of pilots and crew has been one of its weaker spots and the relationship has, during less stressful times, appeared rather fraught. Although for a brief period in 2020 - when the management refrained from immediately cutting salaries or firing - the relationship seemed to have improved temporarily but with the latest chain of events, things have now taken a full circle. “It is unfortunate that it has taken a crisis of this magnitude for the equation between management and pilots to reach one of its highest points, only to be back to square one,” says one former senior management member of the airline. But with no easy resolutions in sight, this latest crisis and the resultant hostility looks likely to fester for a while. As a critical section of the airline’s employees continue to feel aggrieved and look at ways of unionising and tackling their grievances in a more organised fashion, the airline can brace itself for a rocky ride in months ahead. The summer of 2022 promises to be stormier than usual. https://www.fortuneindia.com/enterprise/how-indigo-lost-confidence-of-its-pilots-commanders/107753 Despite federal warnings, laser strikes against aircraft still happening • 2,237 incidents reported in first three months of 2022 • Laser strikes posing a threat to both commercial and military aircrafts JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Despite continued warnings from federal authorities, recent data show people are still pointing lasers at aircraft. Numbers from the Federal Aviation Administration reveal in the first three months of 2022, 2,237 incidents were reported. It may seem harmless to a practical joker, but pointing a laser at an aircraft, especially one flying at low altitude, is no laughing matter. News4JAX aviation expert Ed Booth said that even though there are no known permanent eye injuries involving a laser pointer, pointing one at a plane is still a federal offense. “It’s a distraction,” Booth said. “It can blind a pilot temporarily.” Booth said the FAA often compares it to being in a dark room and having a flashbulb go off in your face. Of the 2,273 complaints so far this year, more than 130 of those were in Florida. Nine were in Jacksonville. For all of 2021, the FAA reported 9,723 incidents -- 630 of those were in Florida, and 37 were at Jacksonville International Airport. Booth points out helicopter pilots can be especially vulnerable. “Most helicopters are equipped with windows on the bottom, if you will, that allow them to make ground observations and expose them to the light from lasers pointed up at them,” Booth said. “This is completely different from the exposure of most airplanes. Booth has one final warning: try pointing a laser at a law enforcement helicopter and see what happens. “They’re going to find you and identify you,” Booth said. “And they have ground units they can communicate with instantly, they can go get you and it would be a very, very bad idea to point a laser at a sheriff’s office helicopter, they’re going to find you.” Pointing a laser at an aircraft is a federal offense. According to the FAA, it can cost you up to $250,000 in fines or up to 5 years behind bars. People are encouraged to report these laser strikes to the FAA. https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2022/04/12/despite-federal-warnings-laser-strikes-against-aircraft-still-happening/ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | March 28, 2022 CONTACT: Philip Barbour, 205-939-1700, 205-617-9007 Call for Nominations For 2022 Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- The Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Foundation is now accepting nominations for the 2022 Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award, honoring a leader in global aviation safety. The Award is scheduled to be presented during Flight Safety Foundation’s annual International Air Safety Summit this fall. Presented annually since 1956, the Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award recognizes notable achievement in the field of civil or military aviation safety in method, design, invention, study, or other improvement. The Award's recipient is selected for a "significant individual or group effort contributing to improving aviation safety, with emphasis on original contributions," and a "significant individual or group effort performed above and beyond normal responsibilities." Mechanics, engineers, and others outside of top administrative or research positions should be especially considered. The contribution need not be recent, especially if the nominee has not received adequate recognition. Nominations that were not selected as past winners may be resubmitted for consideration in subsequent years. Please note that self-nominations will not be considered. The Award Committee, composed of leaders in the field of aviation, meets each year to conduct a final review of nominees and selection of the current year's recipient. Please help us identify and honor this year's most deserving recipient. Nominations, including a 1-to-2-page narrative, can be submitted via the Laura Taber Barbour Foundation website at http://ltbaward.org/the-award/nomination-form/. Nominations will be accepted through June 3, 2022. For more information, including a complete history of Award recipients, see www.ltbaward.org. About the Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Foundation and Award The Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award's story dates back more than 75 years. On April 14, 1945, after visiting family in Pittsburgh, Laura Taber Barbour was aboard a Pennsylvania Central Airlines DC-3 when it crashed into the rugged terrain of Cheat Mountain near Morgantown, West Virginia. All passengers and crew were killed. In 1956 her husband, Dr. Clifford E. Barbour and son, Clifford E. Barbour, Jr., in close association with The Flight Safety Foundation, established the Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award in her honor. For the past 65 years, this distinguished award recognizing outstanding achievements in aviation safety worldwide has been presented at Flight Safety Foundation’s International Aviation Safety Seminar. In 2013, The Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Foundation was formed as an independent non-profit charitable organization composed of members of the Award Board, the aviation community, and the Barbour family. In addition to the annual presentation of the award, in 2019 the Foundation initiated a scholarship program that supports worthy students pursuing professional aviation studies. As the Foundation broadens its scope, the Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award will continue to recognize those who significantly contributed to aviation safety. For more information on the Foundation, the award, and past winners, visit http://LTBAward.org Curt Lewis