Flight Safety Information - September 13, 2022 No.176 In This Issue : Crash: Tracep AN28 near Bukavu on Sep 10th 2022, aircraft missing but officially reported crashed : Incident: Delta B763 at Lisbon on Sep 10th 2022, engine problems : Incident: Avior B732 at Caracas on Sep 11th 2022, hydraulic failure : Cessna 208B Grand Caravan - Fatal Accident (Brazil) : Famous Private Jet Owners—And The 20-Year-Old Student Who Tracks Their Every Move : FAA warns of elevated midair crash risk near Denver airport from pilots turning off alerts Crash: Tracep AN28 near Bukavu on Sep 10th 2022, aircraft missing but officially reported crashed A Tracep Congo Aviation Antonov AN-28, registration 9S-GAX performing a freight flight from Bukavu to Kasese (DR Congo) with 3 crew and 2 tons of cargo, went missing on its about one hour flight after departure from Bukavu at about noon (local time). The aircraft has not landed at any airport around in reach. A search is underway. According to Radio Okapi (a radio station operated by the UN) the aircraft departed Bukavo and was never heard again on radio. A search hampered by bad weather so far has not succeeded to find the aircraft. Residents at Shabunda about 80nm west of Bukavu report the wreckage of a small plane has been found with none of the occupants having survived - so far it is unclear whether this is the Tracep aircraft, there have been several past crashes in that area. On Sep 12th 2022 South-Kivu's (Bukavu's) Provincial Minister for Transport reported the aircraft had experienced a problem and crashed. All three aboard (two Russian pilots, one Congolese mechanic) perished. The search for the aircraft is still on going, the causes of the crash are unclear. The Minister provided a non-existing registration 9O-NSX (no photos, no registry, no evidence of this tail number). Local sources report the aircraft suffered engine problems. The aircraft had a systematic problem, the engines overheated on every flight. Tracep Congo Aviation, based in Goma (DR Congo) report they have been founded in 2003 and operate cargo charter flights with a fleet of one AN-28 and are trying to introduce a Let L-410. https://www.avherald.com/h?article=4fe259ab&opt=0 Incident: Delta B763 at Lisbon on Sep 10th 2022, engine problems A Delta Airlines Boeing 767-300, registration N181DN performing flight DL-125 from Lisbon (Portugal) to Boston,MA (USA), was climbing out of Lisbon when the crew stopped the climb at FL220 due to problems with one of the engines (PW4060) and decided to return to Lisbon. The aircraft landed safely back on Lisbon's runway 21 with emergency services on standby about 35 minutes after departure and taxied to the apron with the emergency vehicles in trail. The aircraft is still on the ground in Lisbon about 53 hours after landing. The engine is being replaced. https://www.avherald.com/h?article=4fe2854a&opt=0 Incident: Avior B732 at Caracas on Sep 11th 2022, hydraulic failure An Avior Airlines Boeing 737-200, registration YV2823 performing flight 9V-41 from Barcelona to Caracas (Venezuela), was on approach to Caracas about 5 minutes prior to estimated landing when the crew advised ATC of the failure of their hydraulic system A and requested assistance to vacate the runway. The aircraft continued for a safe landing about 5 minutes later. Venezuela's INAC confirmed the incident and stated, the landing was safe. An investigation has been opened. https://www.avherald.com/h?article=4fe24300&opt=0 Cessna 208B Grand Caravan - Fatal Accident (Brazil) Date: Saturday 10 September 2022 Type: Cessna 208B Grand Caravan Operator: Piquiatuba Táxi Aéreo Registration: PT-MES MSN: 208B0507 First flight: 1996 Crew: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 4 Total: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 5 Aircraft damage: Damaged beyond repair Location: near Porto Trombetas, PA ( Brazil) Phase: Unknown (UNK) Nature: Unknown Departure airport: ? Destination airport: ? Narrative: The Cessna Caravan made a forced landing following a loss of engine power. The pilot died and other four occupants were injured. The aircraft had taken off from an airfield in the Oriximiná municipality, en route to the Ayaramã indigenous village. On board were a dentist, a dental assistant and a nurse to attend to indigenous people. https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20220910-0 Famous Private Jet Owners—And The 20-Year-Old Student Who Tracks Their Every Move Searching the world for the most amazing People, Places and Things He may be only 20 years old, but a brilliant young University of Central Florida college student created headlines earlier this year when he got the attention of the wealthiest man in the world, Elon Musk. Jack Sweeney is soft-spoken, shy, and not at all affected by the attention he has received following his encounter with Musk. The billionaire offered to pay him to stop tracking his private jet travel after Sweeney launched the enormously popular Twitter account @elonjet, with almost half a million followers. Even though he turned down Musk’s cash offer to take the account down, there is a chance the two of them could eventually settle...if Musk takes him along for a ride on his jet and lets him film it. Surprisingly, Jack Sweeney has never flown on a private jet and is really just fascinated by airplanes of all types, not just famous ones. We spoke at length about his popular Twitter account @CelebJets, which follows celebrities, Russian oligarchs, and others and their private jet trips, many of them lasting under 20 minutes. Sweeney began his aviation adventure by writing unique code that was taken from data through public websites like ADS-B Exchange (Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast) and OpenSky Network, which post the location of every federally regulated aircraft. He started a company called Ground Control that monitors the flights of the world's most wealthy and has plans to start a website with more detailed coverage. He is also passionate about Offset4Jets, which was created to bring awareness to companies' efforts toward cleaner travel. Billionaires like Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates are among those who have pledged to offset carbon emissions caused by their jets. Jet owners would buy offsets through a company that runs a facility that removes carbon dioxide from the air. “This ultimately helps balance their carbon footprint by funding environmental projects that reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. One carbon offset credit supposedly equals one metric ton of carbon dioxide, or a comparable amount of other greenhouse gases, removed from the air.” There are now dozens of flight trackers who are fascinated with the activities of private jet owners. My friends at SuperYachtFan have also launched a private jets database of who owns these magnificent jets. They list the most popular jets among the rich and famous as; Gulfstream G650 ($70 million) owned by Jeff Bezos, Larry Ellison, Bill Gates, David Geffen, Laurene Powell Jobs, Ralph Lauren, Elon Musk, Steven Spielberg, Nancy Walton Laurie, Robert Kraft, Ralph Lauren, Ronald Perelman, James Simons, and Oprah Winfrey; Dassault Falcon ($60 Million) owned by Kenny Chesney and Taylor Swift; and Bombardier ($50 Million) owned by Mark Wahlberg, Tom Cruise, Marc Cuban, Barry Diller, John Henry, Shahid Khan, and Kylie Jenner. Aircraft Dassault Falcon 8X T7-SGS landing at Vnukovo international airport in Moscow on a blue sky background at sunny day Dassault Falcon 8X GETTY Ground Control offers a unique perspective on how much money is spent on these extravagant jet journeys, with many trips lasting under an hour. Here is a sampling of famous private jet owners that the company has tracked throughout the summer. Mark Wahlberg Bombardier BD-700: Summer jet trips: London, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, Las Vegas, Toronto Blake Shelton Gulfstream 4 Summer jet trips: Dallas, Calgary, Oklahoma, Iowa Tom Cruise Bombardier Challenger 300 Summer jet trips: Ireland, Aspen, Maryland, Bangor-Maine, Las Vegas, Napa, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Denver, Tennessee. Harrison Ford Cessna 680 Citation Summer jet trips: Idaho Falls, Jackson-Wyoming, Montana, Tennessee Alex Rodriguez Gulfstream 4 Summer jet trips: Miami, Atlanta, New York, Las Vegas, Coeur d’Alene-Idaho, Westhampton Kylie Jenner Bombardier BD-700 Summer jet trips: Turks & Caicos, Palm Springs, Milan, London, Big Whale Cay-Bahamas, Berry Islands-Bahamas, Miami, Westhampton Kim Kardashian Gulfstream 5 Summer jet trips: Turks & Caicos, Westhampton, Paris, Australia, Nice, Naples, Big Whale Cay-Bahamas. Kenny Chesney Dassault Falcon 900 Summer jet trips: Nashville, Montana, Idaho, Oregon, Monterey, Rhode Island, Key West, Utah, Virgin Islands. Jay Z Gulfstream 5 Summer jet trips: Puerto Vallarta, New Jersey, Colorado, Seattle, Dusseldorf, Bavaria, Hawaii, Iceland, Medellin-Colombia. Jack Nicklaus Gulfstream 5 Summer jet trips: Aspen, Westhampton, Lake Tahoe, Sardinia, Naplesm Nice, Tuscany, Milan. Floyd Mayweather Gulfstream 4 Summer jet trips: Honolulu, Las Vegas, Utah, Atlantic City, Miami, Dallas Travis Scott Embraer ERJ 170-100 Summer jet trips: Miami, London, Westhampton, Oregon, Napa, Bangor-Maine, Copenhagen, Denver, Salt Lake City. Dan Bilzerian Gulfstream 4 Summer jet trips: Dubai, Nice, Bangor-Maine, Las Vegas, Austin, Paraguay, Tijuana Steven Spielberg Gulfstream G-650 Summer jet trips: Ireland, London, Martha’s Vineyard, London, Rotterdam, Westhampton. Taylor Swift Dassault Falcon 7x Summer jet trips: London, Nashville, Missouri, Connecticut, Florida, Denver, Toronto Tiger Woods Gulfstream 5 Summer jet trips: West Palm Beach, Stockholm, Ireland, Scotland, Barcelona, Mallorca Drake Boeing 767-200 Summer jet trips: Stockholm, Ibiza, Nice, Barcelona, Turks & Caicos, Toronto Oprah Winfrey Gulfstream G650 Summer jet trips: Hawaii, Santa Barbara Elon Musk Gulfstream G650 Summer jet trips: Rome, Venice, Austin, Hailey-Idaho, Mykonos, Bodrum-Turkey, Westhampton, Norway, Berlin. Jeff Bezos (@BezosJets) Gulfstream G650 Summer jet trips: Tanzania, Paris, Switzerland, London, Seattle Bill Gates (@gatesjets) Gulfstream G65 Summer jet trips: Johannesburg, Nairobi, Canouan-Grenadines, Washington, Idaho, London, Marseilles, Provence, Seattle, Montana, St George-Utah, Seoul-Korea, Tokyo George Lucas Gulfstream 5 Summer jet trips: Marseilles, Provence, Perugia, Tuscany, San Francisco Mark Zuckerberg (@ZuccJet) Gulfstream G650 and Airbus Helicopter EC-145 Summer jet trips: Lake Tahoe, Idaho, Seattle, Wyoming, Austin Lauren Powell Jobs Gulfstream G650 Summer jet trips: Austria, Spain, Corsica, Sardinia, Paris, Naples, Trieste, Palermo, London, Venice https://www.forbes.com/sites/jimdobson/2022/09/12/famous-private-jet-owners-and-the-20-year-old-student-who-tracks-their-every-move/?sh=20d37bdf5e3f FAA warns of elevated midair crash risk near Denver airport from pilots turning off alerts Pilots approaching two closely spaced runways in the northwest corner of the airport have been getting frequent “nuisance” collision warnings, leading numerous crews to turn off those alerts Andy Pasztor The Federal Aviation Administration last month issued a stark safety warning to pilots about elevated midair collision dangers near Denver International Airport. Roughly 1 in 5 airline crews headed for certain runways, according to historical data cited by the agency, turn off collision-avoidance technology to prevent what are called “nuisance” alerts. But the FAA, which allows the procedure, now wants airlines to reassess that long-standing practice, arguing it could result in significant risks. Capping 12 years of on-again, off-again safety initiatives, the FAA’s move to issue the cautionary message was unusual because the agency for the first time publicly and explicitly acknowledged that previous efforts failed to alleviate the risks. Indeed, the FAA now has determined that when it comes to midair collision hazards around Denver International Airport, business as usual no longer may be safe enough. And suddenly, some carriers are listening. Experts inside and outside government agree the problems, initially identified by industry and agency safety leaders in 2010, were left unresolved largely to satisfy the economic interests of various airlines. Executives at various carriers opposed significant operational shifts to reduce collision dangers because in the process, those changes would have reduced the airport’s runway capacity. Industry leaders, according to the experts, also objected to various proposed alternate approach routes to DIA precisely because they would have cost airlines extra time and fuel. Industry and government leaders say there is no emergency requiring immediate action. Still, many aviation professionals see the issues roiling the airport as a clear-cut tradeoff between traveler safety and carrier efficiency, impacting everyone who flies in or out of Denver International Airport. The topic is particularly relevant in light of the airport’s ambitious expansion plans. Now, the FAA finally has taken a big step toward protecting passengers. It is urging airlines to reevaluate how they deal with heightened airborne dangers surrounding the field. Without any fanfare or news release, the FAA, in effect, is advising pilots to take extra precautions flying into Denver, the world’s third-busiest airport, based on last year’s passenger traffic. The FAA wants carriers to conduct a wide-ranging review of flight procedures, including pilot training, manuals and briefings, to ensure safe operations to two closely spaced parallel runways — 16 right and 16 left — located at the northwestern edge of the complex. Descending planes sometimes converge, heading toward each other, before turning to land simultaneously on the runways. The document issued Aug. 3 indicates previous FAA safety guidelines and earlier internal airline directives haven’t reduced the high number of automated airborne collision warnings during approaches to those specific landing strips. In extreme circumstances, such digital, last-minute commands to take evasive action, technically called cockpit “resolution advisories,” are an aviator’s ultimate lifeline to avoid disaster. The last midair crash of a scheduled passenger jetliner in U.S. airspace occurred over California in 1986. But DIA continues to pose unique challenges. Collision-avoidance sensors and software can be fooled by the Denver airport’s mile-high elevation, confusing technology about the phase of flight. That prompts more frequent errant warnings to immediately climb or descend than elsewhere. As a result, some carriers permit flight crews headed for the pair of parallel runways, located unusually close to each other, to turn off such automated collision-avoidance commands in good visibility and daylight hours, with enhanced tracking by air traffic controllers. The runways are 2,600 feet apart, compared with the 4,300-foot separation for the other pair of parallel runways at DIA. The aim of disabling such systems is to eliminate so-called “nuisance” alerts, which can create dangerous distractions for pilots. But recently, some carriers are changing procedures. United, Southwest and Delta earlier this year indicated they allowed pilots to turn off the advisories at their discretion, while pilots for American Airlines have said its cockpit crews must keep them on. When the systems are fully operational, all pilots are mandated to immediately comply with automated commands from what is called TCAS technology, or Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance Systems. On Thursday, United said it “conducted the review requested by FAA and validated our procedures at Denver and other airports.” A spokesman subsequently said the airline “made slight changes to the way alerting is handled on some approaches to Denver,” but declined to elaborate. Southwest didn’t have any immediate comment on the safety alert. A spokeswoman repeated earlier comments that the carrier is “ready to review and adhere to any updated guidance,” as part of a safety culture that “proactively identifies and manages risks to the operation.” On Friday, a Delta spokesman said that prior to the FAA’s message, the carrier revised procedures and barred pilots from turning off warnings. He didn’t indicate when or why the change was made. Without commenting on specifics, a DIA spokeswoman said “we always support enhancements to aviation safety and will continue to partner and support the FAA and airlines.” Many European and other foreign operators strictly prohibit crews from turning off collision-avoidance features approaching Denver or any other airport, arguing that would erode safety margins. Over the years, pilots for carriers including British Airways flatly refused to accept clearances to land on the closely spaced runways at Denver International Airport. Their reasons were the same: In the event of an automated command, they wouldn’t be allowed to disregard or disable the system and thus would have no choice but to break off the approach and go around for another landing attempt. That could result in 15 or 20 minutes of additional flight time and fuel burn, perhaps more for jumbo jets. The safety downside of disabling the system, according to some veteran pilots, is that in the busy, fast-changing airport environment, it’s challenging to visually keep track of all planes. Jetliners could end up on a collision course without the protection of automated commands to avoid a crash. Despite the string of joint government-industry initiatives — ranging from enhanced data collection to slightly revised landing approaches to new rules for air traffic controllers — the FAA’s safety warning highlights persistent federal worries about close calls near DIA. Specifically, the agency said it is “concerned about the continued high level” of alerts during approaches to the specific pair of Denver runways “because of the potential for increased risk of near-midair and midair collisions.” Pilots typically are required to react to computer-generated avoidance commands in seconds. Turning off that feature, however, poses major hazards. The FAA is warning pilots they could inadvertently forget to fully turn the system back on if they have to abort a landing, go around for another approach and then merge back into busy air traffic. Flight crews also could be “desensitized” to collision alerts, according to the FAA, “inside and outside” of Denver airport operations, “which may lead to other erroneous” responses. The FAA, airlines and the airport, which isn’t involved in the safety deliberations, haven’t released incident numbers. The latest FAA document, though, underscores renewed focus on the subject as well as agency efforts to make pilots and airlines more aware of the underlying risks. The agency’s studies at Denver are part of a nationwide drive to identify and alleviate midair collision risks. In 2021, automated warnings about such risks prompted federal scrutiny of airspace around Dallas, Minneapolis, Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Honolulu and other big hubs. But DIA has prompted the greatest concern. In what is believed to be the most detailed warning for crews flying into Denver, the FAA revealed data showing that pilots of some 17% of all flights converging and descending toward the closely spaced runways switched off computerized anticollision commands. According to the FAA, pilots on some flights disabled the feature after receiving a digital-voice cockpit advisory on final landing approach. A spokesman for the FAA, which several months ago was still reviewing close calls around Denver, said at the time that it routinely allowed warnings to be turned off because the field’s runway configuration and altitude generate advisories for flight paths that have “low-to-no collision risk.” Last week, the FAA said revised guidance was necessary to allow “operators to perform adequate safety assessments for establishing flight crew procedures for use of TCAS.” But for critics, turning off any part of the system is unacceptable. The automated commands were never intended to be disabled and lead to unnecessary risks, according to Donald Bateman, a former senior Honeywell International engineer and a pioneer in developing aircraft anticollision systems. He has said “airlines shouldn’t be allowed to ignore” such advisories under any circumstances. https://coloradosun.com/2022/09/12/dia-plane-crash-risk-elevated-alerts/ Curt Lewis