Flight Safety Information - June 1, 2022 No.104 In This Issue : Incident: LATAM A321 at Fortaleza on May 28th 2022, rejected takeoff due to engine failure : Incident: Sunstate DH8D at Tamworth on May 29th 2022, hydraulic failure : Federal regulators say they will keep closer eye on Boeing : EASA Progresses on Civil Supersonic Jet Regulations : Southwest Airlines partners with Texas HBCU to recruit future Black pilots : Venezuela's Conviasa Is Seeking Airbus A340 And Boeing 747 Pilots : ExpressJet Airlines Names Bobby Looney Director of Safety Incident: LATAM A321 at Fortaleza on May 28th 2022, rejected takeoff due to engine failure A LATAM Airbus A321-200, registration PT-MXA performing flight LA-3864 from Fortaleza,CE to Rio de Janeiro,RJ (Brazil), was accelerating for takeoff from Fortaleza's runway 13 when the crew rejected takeoff at high speed (about 95 knots over ground) due to an engine (V2533) failure. The aircraft slowed safely and returned to the apron. A replacement Airbus A321-200 registration PT-XPG reached Rio de Janeiro with a delay of 6.5 hours. The occurrence aircraft returned to service about 17 hours after the rejected takeoff. https://www.avherald.com/h?article=4f99f083&opt=0 Incident: Sunstate DH8D at Tamworth on May 29th 2022, hydraulic failure A Sunstate Airlines de Havilland Dash 8-400 on behalf of Qantas, registration VH-QOF performing flight QF-2008 from Sydney,NS to Tamworth,NS (Australia), was on approach to Tamsworth when the crew aborted the approach at about 5000 feet and decided to return to Sydney due to a hydraulic failure. The aircraft climbed to FL190 and landed safely back in Sydney about 1:45 hours after departure. The flight was cancelled. The occurrence aircraft returned to service about 44 hours after landing back. https://www.avherald.com/h?article=4f99eedf&opt=0 Federal regulators say they will keep closer eye on Boeing FAA wants to assess ‘multiple’ improvements over the next 3 years WASHINGTON — Boeing employees will still be allowed to perform some safety analysis on the company’s aircraft, but for three more years instead of the five-year extension the company requested, federal regulators have determined. Federal Aviation Administration officials indicated Tuesday that the agency’s decision on the safety-related work was designed to keep a closer eye on Boeing BA, -0.63%. Under rules in place for more than a decade, employees of aircraft manufacturing companies can be deputized to do certain tasks for the FAA. That practice came under more scrutiny after two deadly crashes involving Boeing 737 Max jets and allegations that Boeing employees misled regulators about a key flight system on the planes. Boeing’s ability to do that work for the FAA was due to expire Tuesday. In a letter to Boeing, an FAA safety official said a three-year renewal was “more appropriate” than a five-year extension. “There are multiple in work improvements that the FAA would like to assess within the Boeing organization over the next three years,” Ian Won, acting manager of the FAA office that oversees Boeing, told the company. The list of items that the FAA wants Boeing to complete in the next three years includes ensuring that employees who help the FAA are protected from pressure by company managers, and making sure that Boeing quickly corrects any problems it finds. Boeing issued a statement, which in its entirety read, “As always, we are committed to working transparently with the FAA through their detailed and rigorous oversight processes.” The FAA also said its inspectors — and not Boeing employees — will continue to be responsible for issuing final safety certificates for all new Boeing 737 Max and 787 jets rolling off the company assembly lines. That was a step taken in November 2019, during a 19-month grounding of the Max following crashes in 2018 and 2019 that killed 346 people. Deliveries of the 787, which Boeing calls the Dreamliner, have been halted most of the past two years because of a series of production problems. That is depriving Boeing of cash, because buyers typically pay a large portion of the purchase price for jets on delivery. https://www.marketwatch.com/story/federal-regulators-say-they-will-keep-closer-eye-on-boeing-01654044198?siteid=yhoof2 EASA Progresses on Civil Supersonic Jet Regulations Spike Aerospace is still pursuing development of its S-512 supersonic business jet. Preliminary specifications and performance data includes a top speed of Mach 1.6, seating for up to 18 passengers, and 6,200-nm range. EASA has undertaken two rulemaking actions to develop environmental safeguards for the new generation of business jets and airline supersonic transports (SSTs) that are expected to become operational in the late 2020s. An EASA advance notice of proposed amendment (A-NPA) aims to ensure that certified landing and takeoff noise limits for SSTs correspond to existing EASA requirements for subsonic jet airplanes. Initial requirements for CO2 limits for SSTs are also being proposed. Currently, no ICAO standards or recommended practices exist for SST noise limits. Comments on the A-NPA are due July 25. While the ban on operations at supersonic speed over land remains in force in several world regions, including the U.S., restrictions in the EU that were adopted after the Concorde SST was withdrawn from commercial operation only prohibit supersonic flights under VFR. A notice of proposed amendment (NPA) would introduce speed restrictions to prevent IFR supersonic flights over the EU, with the objective of preventing unacceptable sonic booms. EASA asserts that the "sonic booms of new-generation SST aircraft are expected to be comparable to those of the Concorde. Advanced sonic boom mitigation technologies…are not expected to become commercially available in the short term." Comments on the NPA are due August 25. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2022-05-31/easa-progresses-civil-supersonic-jet-regulations Southwest Airlines partners with Texas HBCU to recruit future Black pilots “We do want to have a diverse workgroup. We want to represent not only the customers but the communities we fly to,” Southwest said. HOUSTON — Ever since he can remember, Anthony Pumphrey Junior has wanted to be a pilot. “I blame my dad for this one. I think I made that decision when I was two weeks old. My dad worked for the airlines. The story goes, they threw me in an airplane and I never wanted to get back out since,” he said. Pumphrey flew his first plane at age 8 and now has his commercial pilot’s license as a college freshman at Texas Southern University. “For me, a lot of times, even today, I look out that window and look down and I’m like ‘whoa,’” he added. Anthony is just the kind of student that Southwest Airlines wants to keep track of. The Dallas-based airline recently announced a partnership with TSU to create a pipeline for new pilots. In school, students will earn a bachelor’s degree, in addition to a pilot’s certificate. Then, after working for smaller airlines, those future TSU graduates can apply at Southwest. Along the way, they are mentored by Southwest pilots. “There are nine HBCUs with aviation programs. Only three of them own their airplanes. Texas Southern University owns our own airplanes,” said Dr. Terence Fontaine, the director of aviation at TSU. But why Texas Southern? It is an HBCU – a historically Black college or university – and like every airline, Southwest is trying to diversify its pilot ranks. “Well, we know we have work to do and need to do and really and truly want to do from a pilot perspective,” said Lee Kinnebrew, Southwest’s vice president of flight operations. “We do want to have a diverse workgroup. We want to represent not only the customers but the communities we fly to.” Diversifying the flight deck is not just something Southwest is doing. The majority of all commercial airline pilots today are white men. They make up more than 90-percent of those in this field. Black pilots are scarce and only account for two and a half percent of commercial pilots. Even more rare are minority women. Katherine Cabrera, a TSU junior, wants to apply for a new pilot recruitment program that Southwest Airlines launched at the historically Black universities. “Nobody in my family flies so it was kind of a shock to them. My mom tells me “I never thought you’d consider being a pilot” but for me, it was a natural curiosity. I was always curious about space and aircraft and – because it was just so amazing to me,” said Katherine Cabrera, a TSU junior. She is among the students applying to join the Southwest program at TSU. Last year, United Airlines started a similar initiative with three HBCUs. In February, Delta announced it was doing one, as well. Then in March, Southwest joined TSU. “One day, one day when I’m with my family, I know it’s going to happen. I’m going to be walking down the concourse of some airport somewhere and I’m going to see one of these TSU students,” said Dr. Fontaine. Realistically, it could take close to a decade to go from TSU student to Southwest pilot. But it’s a long play for all involved. The airline will need new pilots in the future and graduates will need a place to land. Southwest says between Texas Southern, military retirees and private flight school graduates, the airline anticipates having a pool of 700 potential pilots in the coming years. https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/southwest-airlines-partners-with-texas-southern-university-in-houston-to-recruit-future-black-pilots/287-6417a75a-6ddf-4dc0-8720-01fbec9e3613 Venezuela's Conviasa Is Seeking Airbus A340 And Boeing 747 Pilots The Venezuelan flag carrier Conviasa is looking for Airbus A340 and Boeing 747 pilots to join its ranks. On Sunday, the airline made a public announcement addressing the subject. Let's investigate further. Pilot shortage? Conviasa, the Venezuelan flag carrier, has a fleet that includes their Airbus A340s (submodels -200, -300, and -600) and a Boeing 747 subleased as a freighter. These planes operate diverse and odd-looking routes, for example flying directly between Caracas and Tehran. To address a seeming lack of qualified pilots among its ranks, Conviasa released a short video looking for new pilots. "We are hiring captains and first officers for our Airbus A340s and Boeing 747. If you're interested, please send an email to ingreso.pilotos.conviasa@gmail.com". Conviasa is also looking for flight engineers for the Queen of the Skies. Why does Conviasa need a 747 flight engineer? Flight engineers are the members of an aircraft's flight crew who monitor and operate its complex aircraft systems. Currently, most modern jetliners don't need a flight engineer, which is somewhat of a relic of an older time. Nonetheless, older aircraft still need this position, which is the case with Conviasa's Boeing 747. Conviasa currently has a Boeing 747-300M. The airline received the plane earlier this year and subleased it to operate cargo flights for Emtrasur. This classic 747 requires a flight engineer because its cockpit consists of analog dials and has a heavier workload. Additionally, the flight engineer monitors the meters for engines and oxygen. In contrast, the most recent Boeing 747-400 and B747-8i don't require having a flight engineer onboard. Conviasa's Boeing 747-300 has a registration YV3531. Prior to flying with the Venezuelan carrier, this Queen of the Skies operated with five different airlines. It first flew with UTA between 1986 and 1992. UTA, or Union de Transports Aériens, was a French carrier that disappeared in 1992. After that, the Boeing 747-300 went to the French flag carrier, Air France, which operated it until 2006. Following its stint as an Air France aircraft, YV3531 went to Garuda Indonesia (2006-2007), Blue Airways (2007-2009), and finally to the Iranian airline Mahan Air, where it stayed until it eventually was leased by Venezuela's Conviasa. Here below is a tweet with several images of Conviasa's Boeing 747, released by Venezuela's embassy in Belarus. Conviasa's fleet Conviasa currently operates around 17 international flights per week. It puts up over 2,270 seats for sale on several routes to countries in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. These are Conviasa’s international destinations available for sale on the airline’s website: Buenos Aires (EZE), Cancún (CUN), Guayaquil (GYE), Havana (HAV), Lima (LIM), Madrid (MAD), Moscow (VKO), Panama (PTY), Quito (UIO), St. Vincent (SVD), Mexico City (NLU), Santiago de Chile (SCL), Tehran (IKA), and Viru Viru (VVI). To operate these routes, Conviasa has a diverse fleet. According to ch-aviation, Conviasa currently has a fleet of 22 aircraft, including three long-haul Airbus A340s. The airline also has one Boeing 737-200, 15 Embraer ERJ-190, and one Lineage 1000, operated for the Venezuelan government. Emtrasur has only one Boeing 747-300. https://simpleflying.com/conviasa-airbus-a340-boeing-747-pilots/ ExpressJet Airlines Names Bobby Looney Director of Safety ExpressJet Airlines LLC announces that Bobby Looney has joined the company as its new Director of Safety. ATLANTA, GEORGIA, UNITED STATES, May 31, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- ExpressJet Airlines LLC announces that Bobby Looney has joined the company as its new Director of Safety. Looney has almost 20 years of airline experience, most of that in aviation safety roles. He previously served in Director of Safety and Security positions with Delta Ground Services, Compass Airlines, Dynamic International Airways, Aerodynamics, Inc., and World Airways. He also served as Check Airmen for multiple airlines. “Bobby Looney comes to us with an extensive background in aviation safety and airline operations experience. He is a key addition to the team helping continue ExpressJet’s outstanding safety performance.” said ExpressJet President John Greenlee. Looney holds a bachelor’s degree in science and business management from Oklahoma City University. He is also a graduate of the National Transportation Department’s Aircraft Accident Investigation and the FAA Academy’s Aviation Safety Action Programs. In addition to his extensive airline career, Looney served as a Flight Engineer with the U.S. Air Force. ### About ExpressJet Airlines ExpressJet Airlines operates Embraer ERJ145 regional jet aircraft and has more than 40 years of regional airline experience. ExpressJet, including its leisure brand aha!, is focused on providing travelers in smaller communities with convenient, short, nonstop flights to high-quality destinations. The company’s services also include specialty charter flights and additional future routes. ExpressJet is owned by KAir Enterprises and its affiliates. www.expressjet.com About aha! aha! is a leisure brand of ExpressJet Airlines. aha! seeks to provide travelers in smaller communities, many who have seen air service reduced over the past decade through airline mergers, with convenient, short, nonstop flights. Operating out of the Reno-Lake Tahoe region, aha! is servicing high-quality destinations throughout California, Oregon and Washington. In addition to offering value-priced, nonstop flights, aha! is partnering with resorts, casinos and attractions to “bundle” value-priced vacation packages. www.flyaha.com https://www.einnews.com/pr_news/574729412/expressjet-airlines-names-bobby-looney-director-of-safety Curt Lewis