Flight Safety Information - June 3, 2022 No.106 In This Issue : Incident: Virgin Australia A320 near Perth on May 31st 2022, hydraulic problems : Beechcraft B200 King Air - Takeoff Accident (South Africa) : Accident: Canada B772 near Delhi on May 24th 2022, severe turbulence causes 8 injuries : Incident: Getjet Malta A320 at Paris on May 23rd 2022, descended below safe height on approach twice : Japan Air Self-Defense Force Points to Vertigo in Fatal January Crash : F-16 Landing Mishap Marks Second Incident This Month for South Dakota Guard Unit : GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY Incident: Virgin Australia A320 near Perth on May 31st 2022, hydraulic problems A Virgin Australia Airbus A320-200, registration VH-VNB performing flight VA-9223 from Perth,WA to Boolgeeda,WA (Australia), was enroute at FL340 about 550nm north of Perth when the crew decided to return to Perth due to hydraulic problems. The aircraft landed safely back on Perth's runway 03 about 3 hours after departure. A passenger on a different flight reported their flight as well as a number of other flights was delayed because of another flight returning. Their captain announced the returning aircraft had hydraulic problems. They landed after the occurrence aircraft had landed. The occurrence aircraft returned to service after about 13 hours on the ground. https://www.avherald.com/h?article=4f9b3424&opt=0 Beechcraft B200 King Air - Takeoff Accident (South Africa) Date: Saturday 28 May 2022 Time: 09:45 Type: Beechcraft B200 King Air Operator: Unknown Registration: ZS-PTE MSN: BB-1184 First flight: 1984 Crew: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: Total: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 4 Aircraft damage: Substantial Location: near Port Elizabeth ( South Africa) Phase: Takeoff (TOF) Nature: Private Departure airport: ? Destination airport: ? Narrative: The Beechcraft B200 King Air sustained substantial damage in an accident during takeoff from a 1 km long runway near Port Elizabeth, South Africa. The aircraft reportedly bounced due to a bump in the airstrip. The aircraft touched down again on the main gear but bounced again after hitting another bump. It yawed left and the takeoff was aborted. The aircraft sustained substantial damage in the subsequent runway excursion. The nose landing gear and right-hand main gear separated and there was major damage to both wings and both engines. https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20220528-0 Accident: Canada B772 near Delhi on May 24th 2022, severe turbulence causes 8 injuries An Air Canada Boeing 777-200, registration C-FIUJ perfomring flight AC-42 (dep May 23rd) from Toronto,ON (Canada) to New Delhi (India) with 281 people on board, was unable to land at Delhi due to Thunderstorms, the crew advised ATC of their intention to divert to Ahmedabad (India), however was told by ATC that Ahmedabad was closed. The crew did not want to try an approach in Thunderstorms and severe turbulence at Delhi, therefore declared emergency and proceeded towards Ahmedabad. While climbing to cruise the aircraft encountered severe turbulence causing altitude variations of +/- 200 feet, a number of passengers and crew received injuries. The aircraft landed in Ahmedabad without further incident. The Canadian TSB reported 8 people (including crew and passengers) received minor injuries as result of severe turbulence causing altitude variations of 200 feet. The flight landed safely in Ahmedabad however. A severe turbulence inspection was carried out before the aircraft returned to service. https://www.avherald.com/h?article=4f9ab287&opt=0 Incident: Getjet Malta A320 at Paris on May 23rd 2022, descended below safe height on approach twice A Getjet Airlines Malta Airbus A320-200 on behalf of Norwegian, registration 9H-EMU performing flight D8-4311 from Stockholm (Sweden) to Paris Charles de Gaulle (France), was on an RNP approach to CDG's runway 27R, however, with an erroneous Altimeter setting, instead of QNH 1001 hPa the crew had select 1011hPa). The approach was thus performed below the glide path and eventually triggered a Minimum Safe Altitude Warning (MSAW) at the controller's desk. In response the crew initiated a go around at low height, without having acquired visual contact with the ground, and positioned for another approach. The second approach was also performed below the glideslope, the crew however acquired visual contact, corrected their trajectory and landed without further incident about 16 minutes after the go around. The French BEA rated the occurrence a serious incident (category Controlled Flight Into Terrain) and opened an investigation. https://www.avherald.com/h?article=4f9bcc51&opt=0 Japan Air Self-Defense Force Points to Vertigo in Fatal January Crash Spatial disorientation of pilots was the likely cause of the January F-15 crash, the Japan Air Self-Defense Force says. Spatial disorientation of the two pilots was likely the cause of the crash of a Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) Mitsubishi-Boeing F-15DJ Eagle fighter aircraft in January, the JASDF said in a press release on June 2. This was the second crash of a JASDF aircraft due to pilots possibly experiencing spatial disorientation or vertigo in less than three years. The twin-seat operational trainer aircraft, tail number 32-8083, fell into the Sea of Japan about 5.5 kilometers west-northwest of Komatsu Air Base in Ishikawa Prefecture soon after taking off at around 5:30 p.m. on January 31. The two crew members on board were killed. The fighter was on its way to a nighttime training mission. Based on the result of a four-month investigation into the crash, the JASDF concluded that the two pilots were highly likely to have suffered spatial disorientation when their aircraft was considerably turning to the right, while ascending. The fighter’s nose then gradually lowered before it started a rapid descent. The service said that about two seconds before the crash, the pilots are believed to have tried to bring the jet back to its normal flight course, but failed to do so in time. Noting the aircraft had been flying in dense clouds, the JASDF concluded that the pilots were highly likely to have been experienced vertigo and may have lost their sense of equilibrium, which made it difficult for them to recognize which way was up. The JASDF pilots who died in the crash were both veterans. One had about 2,800 hours of flight time and the other about 1,900 hours. Even veteran pilots can experience vertigo in rare cases. The JASDF had a similar crash that was also likely caused by spatial disorientation of a pilot. The Japanese Ministry of Defense (MoD) announced in June 2019 that the pilot experiencing vertigo likely the cause of the crash of a JASDF F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter aircraft in April 2019 into the Pacific Ocean. This time, the JASDF stressed that the service will strengthen education and training about spatial disorientation, as well as the research and study of the system that automatically detects any abnormal position and alerts the pilots in order to avoid a crash. The service aims to introduce such crash avoidance into aircraft in the future. https://thediplomat.com/2022/06/japan-air-self-defense-force-points-to-vertigo-in-fatal-january-crash/ F-16 Landing Mishap Marks Second Incident This Month for South Dakota Guard Unit An Air National Guard F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jet skidded off the runway at the Sioux Falls Regional Airport on Tuesday afternoon, just weeks after a similar incident happened to another aircraft at the same airfield. Around 4 p.m. local time, an F-16C with the South Dakota Air National Guard's 114th Fighter Wing "departed the edge" of a runway after returning from a routine training mission, the unit said in a statement. The incident is under investigation. Photos from the local newspaper, the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, show the jet with its nose cone dipped into the ground. Emergency crews came to the scene to check on the pilot, and he was released. Read Next: Ramstein Cancels Library's 'Drag Queen Storytime' for Pride Month Following Criticism Tuesday's incident mirrors another landing mishap with the 114th Fighter Wing that occurred just 20 days earlier. On May 11, another F-16 "went off the end of Runway 15 at Joe Foss Field" at the regional airport. Images began circulating online of the fighter jet's nose cone dipping to the ground after it landed during a similar training mission. The pilot and ground crew were safe. "Even though we train to do this every day, there is still risk involved. We are grateful that no one was harmed in this incident," Col. Mark Morrell, the 114th Fighter Wing commander, said in a statement following the May 11 incident. Tuesday's runway mishap is the latest in a string of landing mishaps and crashes seen this year with the Air Force's jets. Notably, there have been long-standing issues specifically with F-16 landing gear. Collapses on F-16Cs have been happening since at least the late 1990s, according to Air Force Magazine. On March 5, 2019, the Air Force issued an order for the "Replacement of Main Landing Gear Downlock Actuators and Support Brackets and Hardware on all USAF F-16C/D Blocks 40/42/50/52 Aircraft," the magazine reported. F-16 units had until March 2, 2022, to comply with the order. It's unclear whether the 114th Fighter Wing has replaced its gear. The Air National Guard unit did not respond to multiple phone calls left with its public affairs office on Wednesday. The Air Force has been flying the earliest versions of the F-16 since the late 1970s and the F-16C/D variant -- which is flown by South Dakota's 114th Fighter Wing -- since the mid-1980s. There were three F-16 mishaps last year, according to the Air Force Safety Center. One of the crashes led to the death of a pilot and the plane being completely destroyed. The same week as another F-16 crash in Louisiana in March of this year, airmen began posting an image of an F-22 Raptor with its nose buried in the ground at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, after the aircraft had an apparent landing gear mishap. An almost identical incident happened with another F-22 at Eglin last year, when a pilot experienced an in-flight emergency and the front landing gear didn't operate properly, causing the nose to dip and impact the runway. Air Force Safety Center data shows that five Raptors had mishaps in 2021, costing taxpayers upward of $600,000 each. Investigations into the two landing mishaps last month at Sioux Falls are ongoing. "The Wing has formed an interim safety board to begin investigating the incident," the 114th Fighter Wing said in a statement. "Follow-up information will be provided as it becomes available." https://www.military.com/daily-news/2022/06/01/f-16-landing-mishap-marks-second-incident-month-south-dakota-guard-unit.html GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY Dear Participant, When you know that, during a conference on cybersecurity organized by the US Air Force, hackers succeeded, at the invitation of the Pentagon, in infiltrating the control system of an F-15, you understand the importance of cybersecurity issues, particularly in the aviation industry. As today's world becomes more and more digital, the contemporary aircraft is equipped with semi-autonomous computer systems which make aviation one of the first sectors potentially vulnerable to cyberattacks. You are being asked to participate in a research study on cybersecurity threats in aviation. This study is expected to take approximately 10 minutes of your time. In order to complete this study, you must be at least a student pilot and at least 18 years old. You may choose to opt-out of the study at any time. Please click on or copy and paste the URL below. We appreciate your time in completing the study. Link : https://forms.gle/VpADSAhXuoeY6hNP7 Curt Lewis