Flight Safety Information - November 21, 2022 No. 225 In This Issue : Accident: LATAM Chile A20N at Lima on Nov 18th 2022, collision with fire truck on takeoff : Incident: Airbus A337 at Albert on Nov 18th 2022, runway excursion on backtrack : Incident: ASL Ireland B734 near Munich on Nov 19th 2022, loss of cabin pressure : Incident: UPS B752 at Louisville on Nov 18th 2022, flaps disagree : Accident: American B738 at Kansas City on Nov 15th 2022, bird strike and loss of airspeed indicators : LATAM A320neo Pilots Were Put In Jail After Fire Truck Crash : FAA Extends Aircraft Re-Registration Period : NBAA Urges FAA and DoT Action for Safe 5G Implementation : Aviation regulators push for more automation so flights can be run by a single pilot : United Airlines’ first Boeing 737 MAX 10 makes maiden flight despite certification : COMAC's C919 Proves Its Worth In High Elevation Airport Tests : ESASI – ‘FocusOn...ICAO’ - 7 December 2022 : GRADUATE RESEARCH STUDY Accident: LATAM Chile A20N at Lima on Nov 18th 2022, collision with fire truck on takeoff A LATAM Chile Airbus A320-200N, registration CC-BHB performing flight LA-2213 from Lima to Juliaca (Peru) with 102 passengers and 6 crew, was accelerating for takeoff from Lima's runway 16 at about 15:11L (20:11Z) when multiple fire trucks with flashing lights and sirenes sounding crossed the runway in front of the accelerating aircraft. The crew rejected takeoff at high speed (at about 125 knots over ground) but wasn't able to avoid contact with fire truck #3 although the truck tried to turn around turning right (into direction of the aircraft). The right main gear collapsed causing the aircraft to veer right towards the right hand runway edge coming to a stop partially off the runway about 2500 meters/8300 feet down the runway. A fire erupted around the right hand engine (PW1127G), all occupants were able to evacuate the aircraft. 4 passengers received serious and 36 passengers received minor injuries. The aircraft sustained substantial damage, the fire truck was destroyed. Two fire fighters on board of the truck involved in the collision did not survive, a third fire fighter on the truck involved received serious injuries. The airline reported all occupants of the aircraft survived the accident. There were 102 passengers and 6 crew on board. Lima's Airport Authority reported all passengers were "doing well" and are receiving the attention of their teams. According to recordings the fire truck(s) entered the runway without clearance. The fire trucks had been responding to another aircraft that had suffered mechanical problems. On Nov 19th 2022 the Airport Authority reported that works to remove the aircraft from the runway have begun. In the late evening of November 19th 2022 the airport authority announced, the aircraft had been moved off the runway in a very complex operation, repair works on the runway have begun. The runway had received extensive damage both in depth and length. On Nov 20th 2022 Lima's Airport Authority reported in a written communique, that a pre-planned response time exercise was performed by the Rescue Team, in which it was to prove that a response to an emergency on the runway would not take any more than 3 minutes. The exercise had been coordinated between the airport and the Air Traffic Authority (CORPAC) and set to be carried out between 15:00 and 16:00 local time on Nov 18th 2022. CORPAC (Control Tower) confirmed the start time of the exercise at 15:10L, the impact with the LATAM aircraft happened at 15:11. The exercise was duely authorized under the current aeronautical regulations. (Editorial note: this communique does not mention, whether the vehicles were cleared to enter the runway by tower or whether the pre-coordination with CORPAC also included that the vehicles would be cleared to enter the runway without actual tower clearance, in other words tower would halt all traffic at 15:10L) Medical Services reported 102 passengers and 6 crew were evacuated from the aircraft, 24 passengers were taken to hospitals with injuries. The numbers were later updated stating 4 passengers received serious and 36 passengers minor injuries. The head of the fire fighters at Lima Airport reported that two fire fighters persished in the accident, a third was taken to a hospital with serious injuries and is in the Intensive Care Unit in stable condition. Later the head of the firefighters added, the surviving fire fighter was diagnosed with a fracture at the base of his skull, severe head trauma including bruises of the brain stem and facial trauma, the vital functions are stable, the neurological compromise can only be assessed at a later time. The next 24 hours will be crucial. An ATC report states in writing that the rescue vehicle entered runway 16 from the west at the height of taxiway B without authorization and collided with flight LA-2213. Emergency procedures were invoked and rescue vehicles cleared onto the runway to deal with the accident. The runway was NOTAMed closed. The local prosecution office reported two firefighters died in the accident, another one was injured. The office have opened an investigation to determine the facts and possible culpability and are currently reviewing the CCTV recordings. Peru's Comision de Investigacion de Accidentes de Aviacion (CIAA) opened an investigation into the accident. https://avherald.com/h?article=5013c619&opt=0 Incident: Airbus A337 at Albert on Nov 18th 2022, runway excursion on backtrack An Airbus Transport International Airbus A330-700 Beluga (Beluga 5 XL), registration F-GXLN performing flight BG-127N from Montoir to Albert (France), landed on runway 27 at 12:43L (11:43Z), rolled to the end, turned into the turn pad to begin the 180 degrees turn for backtracking, and completed about 135 degrees of the turn but then became disabled with the nose and right hand main gear off the paved surface in the grass. The aircraft is still not removed from the position, the runway is still closed. https://avherald.com/h?article=50148e00&opt=0 Incident: ASL Ireland B734 near Munich on Nov 19th 2022, loss of cabin pressure An ASL Airlines Ireland Boeing 737-400, registration EI-STS performing flight AG-897 from Leipzig (Germany) to Rome Fiumicino (Italy) with 2 crew, was enroute at FL310 about 100nm north of Munich (Germany) when the crew initiated an emergency descent to 10,000 feet due to the loss of cabin pressure. The aircraft diverted to Munich for a safe landing on runway 26R about 35 minutes after leaving FL310. The aircraft is still on the ground in Munich about 10 hours after landing. https://avherald.com/h?article=50145eeb&opt=0 Incident: UPS B752 at Louisville on Nov 18th 2022, flaps disagree A UPS United Parcel Service Boeing 757-200, registration N454UP performing flight 5X-776 from Louisville,KY to Dallas Ft. Worth,TX (USA) with 4 crew, was climbing out of Louisville's runway 35L when the crew requested to stop the climb at 10,000 feet and enter a hold to work the checklists reporting they had a flaps disagree problem. The aircraft joined a hold for about 30 minutes, then the crew declared emergency reporting a flight control issue. The aircraft returned to Louisville for a safe landing on runway 35L about 50 minutes after departure. https://avherald.com/h?article=5013aa7b&opt=0 Accident: American B738 at Kansas City on Nov 15th 2022, bird strike and loss of airspeed indicators An American Airlines Boeing 737-800, registration N846NN performing flight AA-1855 from Chicago O'Hare,IL to Kansas City,MO (USA) with 139 people on board, was on approach to Kansas City's runway 01R about to join the right hand downwind while descending through 6000 feet about 8nm abeam of the runway when the crew declared emergency reporting they had received a bird strike and had lost their airspeed indicators. The crew reported they had the runway in sight and were instantly cleared for the visual approach for runway 01R. The aircraft continued for a safe landing on runway 01R about 8 minutes after the bird strike. There were no injuries, the aircraft sustained substantial damage. The FAA reported: "AIRCRAFT STRUCK A FLOCK OF GEESE AND POST FLIGHT INSPECTION REVEALED DAMAGE TO THE NOSE AND LEADING EDGE OF RIGHT WING, KANSAS CITY, MO.", the damage was UNKNOWN. https://avherald.com/h?article=50139b6e&opt=0 LATAM A320neo Pilots Were Put In Jail After Fire Truck Crash The pilots were in custody for approximately two days. Following Friday's runway collision involving a departing LATAM Airlines Airbus A320neo and a firetruck crossing the runway, the pilots operating flight LA 2213 we're arrested and held in custody in Lima before being released on Saturday night. The pilots' arrests have stirred concern within the International Federation Air Line Pilots' Association (IFALPA). A look back at what happened The unfortunate accident happened at Aeropuerto Internacional Jorge Chávez, where LATAM Airlines was scheduled to operate a domestic flight service LA 2213, using one of its Airbus A320neo registered CC-BHB. Everything was routine as the pilots prepared for their take-off roll and were ready to depart. As LA 2213 was accelerating through its take-off roll, airport fire trucks were crossing the very same runway. Unfortunately, the pilots of LA 2213 were unable to stop the aircraft, which had reached more than 120 knots, and this resulted in a tragic collision with one of the airport fire trucks. The crash led to the landing gear collapsing and the right engine and wing bursting into flames. While it was fortunate that LA 2213 suffered no passenger or crew fatalities, the same sadly could not be said of the firefighters driving the fire truck. Two died, and one remains in a critical condition. An immediate arrest In the wake of the accident, the flight crew of LA 2213 was arrested and held in custody. After discovering their arrests, IFALPA voiced their concerns as the union emphasized that the flight crew should have been provided immediate medical care and evaluation before being subjected to criminal arrest. The union said: "In no circumstances is it appropriate to question the flight crew of LATAM 2213 in the immediate aftermath of any accident or incident until they have been professionally evaluated by qualified medical personnel. The evaluation is to help determine their mental and physical fitness to contribute accurate information to investigators." The union also further emphasized that arresting the pilots so soon was in complete disregard for the Positive Safety Culture principles laid out by Annex 13 (Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation) and Annex 19 (Safety Management) of the Convention on International Civil Aviation. Most importantly, IFALPA noted that the immediate arrest would lead to the public believing that the accident resulted from the pilots' intentional acts instead of considering other possible causes. Other causes included technical or mechanical issues or even a string of human errors triggered by multiple factors. Eventually, the pilots were released from custody on Saturday night, albeit it remains unclear if they are still under arrest. Regardless, IFALPA continues to encourage the Peruvian authorities to follow and implement ICAO's positive safety culture principles for the remainder of the investigation. Find the latest South American aviation news here! Part of an emergency drill The pilots' release likely came as Peruvian officials discovered that the fire trucks crossing the runway were taking part in a nearby fire drill and had allegedly entered the runway without authorization. The drill was part of a disaster-response exercise required as part of the preparations for the new runway slated to be ready in January. As per Peruvian aeronautical regulations, the exercise intended to confirm that the airport firefighting services could reach a scene of an emergency on the runway within three minutes. The rules also required that the airport operator conduct such unannounced drills, in coordination with air traffic services, at least three times a year. But according to the airport operator, the firefighters did obtain authorization for the drill and to cross the runway. The firefighters had coordinated with air traffic services the day before, and the exercise was slated to commence between 15:00 and 16:00 on the day of the accident. Air traffic controllers had allegedly confirmed a starting time of 15:10, and investigations discovered that it was at 15:11 when LA 2213 collided with one of the fire trucks. Given the conflicting perspectives, the airport operator said it would continue working with the relevant authorities to clarify all facts in the investigation. https://simpleflying.com/latam-airbus-a320neo-pilots-jailed/ FAA Extends Aircraft Re-Registration Period The FAA will issue a Direct Final Rule extending the registration interval for general aviation aircraft and the new seven-year duration applies to all GA aircraft. Until 2010, aircraft registrations lasted for the life of the aircraft but that resulted in a lot of inaccurate and ghost registrations on the books. In 2010, the agency made all operators re-register their planes and set a three-year limit for re-registration. The alphabets argued that was too onerous for private operators and got the ear of Congress. The 2018 FAA reauthorization mandated the agency extend the limit to seven years for non-commercial aircraft. That caused an issue for the FAA because use and not aircraft type defines the distinction between commercial and private operation. “Consequently, it is impracticable to have different durations for commercial and noncommercial general aviation aircraft registrations,” the final rule says. “Therefore, the FAA is extending the registration duration for all aircraft to seven years.” As before, re-registration has to take place by the end of the month of the anniversary of the existing registration. https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/faa-extends-aircraft-registration-period/ NBAA Urges FAA and DoT Action for Safe 5G Implementation "Our industry is strongly supportive of the deployment and implementation of 5G services nationwide, but we will not compromise aviation safety." Technological development is often seen as the key to an improved future. However, not all new or updated technology comes without logistical challenges when integrating it into pre-existing infrastructure. 5G, the latest in cellular technology, is an advancement that allows for a significant increase in the speed and responsiveness of cellular networks. As 5G is deployed across the nation, it has begun to impact the safety of aviation across the United States. It appears 5G might be interfering with avionics in aircraft, raising questions regarding the new technology’s ability to safely coexist within aviation. In fact, since January 2022 alone, there have been over 100 reported incidents that could potentially involve 5G interference. The concerns stem from the C-Band of the radio spectrum that carriers Verizon and AT&T purchased for 5G: it sits dangerously close to the band of spectrum radar altimeters on aircraft use for navigation on take-offs and landings. Given that a majority of the 100 incidents that occurred this year were cockpit safety alerts resulting from radar altimeter impacts associated with 5G, it seems the issue of air travel and 5G coexisting safely is becoming more pressing as the cell network becomes more widespread. Despite this, beyond requiring any operators of regional aircraft to install radio frequency filters on aircraft types most susceptible to interference, it seems the FAA has taken few further steps to mitigate the risk of this new technology on the aviation industry. Now, a group of aviation stakeholders, including the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), is pushing the FAA, Department of Transportation, and Department of Commerce to address this growing issue proactively. The goal is to introduce a solution that allows 5G to grow while preventing flight delays and cancellations from becoming prevalent as a result of changing regulations. With only seven months before the next aircraft retrofit deadline, it's clear these government agencies must take action quickly to prevent complications associated with retrofitting aircraft to meet new regulations. The coalition of stakeholders, including Thales, Garmin, Embraer, Boeing, Airbus, Collins Aerospace, and many others, published a letter of concerns and requests last week, including the following message: "We will continue to be committed to finding reasonable solutions that allow implementation of 5G while addressing safety and operational disruptions in the NAS. Stakeholders cannot do this alone and we need the federal government to codify mitigations for all airports and extend the July 2023 and 'Power Up' retrofit deadlines. The entire government must work together to ensure future 5G deployment is unencumbered and our aviation system remains the safest in the world. Aviation stakeholders call on the Administration to meet with us to discuss a way forward that will achieve the goal of moving 5G forward, while ensuring passengers and cargo reach their destinations safely and on time." Despite the controversy, it seems business aviation is not feeling the impact of 5G to the extent that the commercial sector of the industry is. While the NBAA claims this is because business aircraft do not typically utilize CAT 1 approaches (these rely on radio altimeters, which are vulnerable to interference from 5G), there could be other reasons as to why this segment remains less affected. For example, aircraft like the Boeing 757, 767, and even certain 737 models have radio altimeters that are deeply integrated with other systems, such as auto throttle, ground proximity warning, and thrust reversers. If the FAA requires changes to radio altimeters, it might be more difficult to make these revisions. While changing requirements could impact various aircraft types differently, this factor could cushion the impacts of 5G for the business aviation segment. The coalition of stakeholders urging these government agencies to create a solution clearly recognizes the importance of acting proactively in such a dynamic industry. If the FAA, Department of Transportation, and Department of Commerce cannot identify and implement a solution for the 5G challenge before the deadline, the aviation industry could be facing more delays, cancellations, and frustrations. https://www.aviationtoday.com/2022/11/21/nbaa-urges-faa-dot-action-safe-5g-implementation/ Aviation regulators push for more automation so flights can be run by a single pilot This is despite a wealth of evidence showing the value of having two in the cockpit Regulators are pushing the UN's International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to examine ways of making single pilot operations the eventual norm in commercial flights. The area that I think is the most concerning is a pilot sitting on their own in the dark and tired at 3am body clock time for four hours with only text messages from air traffic... In a working paper [PDF] filed with the aviation standards body, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) requested on behalf of member states that the "necessary enablers" be created "for a safe and globally harmonized introduction of commercial air transport (CAT) operations of large aeroplanes with optimised crew/single-pilot operations while ensuring an equivalent or higher level of safety compared to that achieved in current operations." There are two obvious drivers for the proposal – cost cutting and crew shortages. Technology has over decades reduced the need for more people in the cockpit and the hope seems to be that further improvements can pare the current two down to one. "One of the driving factors for the industry to propose taking advantage of the introduction of these new concepts of operations is a foreseen reduction in operating costs," the paper says, though it does note: "Potential additional costs related to higher-level ground support and two-way communications should also be considered. On the aircraft manufacturer side, the development and certification of new cockpit designs and associated systems may require significant investment, although these will likely produce safety benefits and savings in the medium/long term." The requirements for a full flying license are also incredibly onerous, which creates a bottleneck in the supply for qualified pilots. For most European airlines, you need 1,500 hours flight time before you get a full license. Until then, you're on provisional terms and need a fully qualified pilot operating alongside you. Nonetheless, single pilot operations (SPO) seems to be the direction of travel for the aviation industry. Chris Kempis, director of flight operations at Cathay Pacific, described it as "the unavoidable challenge" at the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Safety Conference last month, but said it is "many, many times more complex" than going from three crew to two. EASA's Safety Risk Assessment Framework for Extended Minimum Crew Operations (eMCO) and SPO aims to address the following points: • Pilot workload: Ensure that the workload of the single-pilot during the cruise phase of the flight is acceptable in normal, abnormal, and non-normal operations. • Pilot error: Ensure that the cockpit design is appropriately tolerant of errors, noting that when operating as single-pilot, there is no scope for cross-checking actions by another pilot. • Pilot incapacitation: Detect whether the single-pilot during the cruise phase of the flight is no longer fit to fly. Ensure that the level of safety remains acceptable in case of pilot Incapacitation. • Fatigue: Ensure that the level of fatigue remains at least as acceptable as for conventional two-pilot operations. • Sleep inertia: Ensure resilience of the aircraft and of the operational environment for the time required for the resting pilot to recover sufficiently from the effects of sleep inertia that they can either take command of the aircraft and continue to a safe landing in case of incapacitation of the pilot-flying or be able to assist the pilot-flying with a complex failure scenario. • Breaks due to physiological needs: Allow the single-pilot to temporarily leave their station to attend to their physiological needs during an eMCO segment of the flight while ensuring an acceptable level of safety and security. • "The psychological barriers are probably harder than the technological barriers," Boeing Southeast Asia president Alexander Feldman told a Bloomberg business summit in Bangkok last week. "The technology is there for single pilots, it's really about where the regulators and the general public feel comfortable." And there is reason for concern. Just to look at Boeing, not even two pilots could overcome the 737 MAX airliner's flawed MCAS software, which played a part in the deaths of 346 over two doomed flights in 2018 and 2019. Obviously, there could be no limit to the amount of testing and vetting with regard to any further reliance on automation. There are also a number of events in recent memory which demonstrate the value of having two pilots in the cockpit. Germanwings Flight 9525 crashed in 2015, killing all 150 on board. Co-pilot Andreas Lubitz had been treated for suicidal tendencies and was declared unfit for work by his doctor. Lubitz kept this information from his employer and reported for duty. Once the aircraft, an Airbus A320-211, reached cruising altitude, Lubitz waited for the captain to leave the cockpit, locked the door, and began a controlled descent into the side of a mountain. Following the incident, EASA itself recommended that there be two authorized personnel in the cockpit at all times. The rule has since fallen out of favor with regulators. There is also the "Miracle on the Hudson" of 2009, where the captain and first officer in tandem safely landed a US Airways Airbus A320 on the Hudson River after striking a flock of geese, causing both engines to fail. All on board survived. "Proposed automated solutions do not provide the same safety and security margin as having a second rested, qualified, well-trained pilot physically present on the flight deck," says another ICAO paper [PDF] on eMCO dated August 2022. A commercial pilot who spoke to The Register on the condition of anonymity said: "I would say it's more of an ambition of the airlines and aircraft manufacturers. I have certainly had conversations about it with our managers (who deal with Airbus) in the past. "The area that I think is the most concerning is a pilot sitting on their own in the dark and tired at 3am body clock time for four hours with only text messages from air traffic. "It's mentally tough going and more likely to result in the build up of anxiety and stress when something goes wrong. Pilots are trained to be open and questioning of plans of action e.g. asking the other pilot what they think is the best direction to turn to avoid the thunderstorms. "Also the vast majority of problems in cruise on long-haul flights come from the cabin. I assume the single pilot would have to give total control to the ground monitoring team while they deal with the cabin issue. Not sure the data link systems are up to that. "Having two pilots at the front seems like a small price to pay to get to where you want to go in one piece." ® https://www.theregister.com/2022/11/21/pilot_single/ United Airlines’ first Boeing 737 MAX 10 makes maiden flight despite certification Third completed aircraft of the model took off for the first on November 18 and will be used in test flights along with the first two prototypes The start of revenue flights of the 737 MAX 10, the largest version of the jet ever developed, should only occur in 2024, but Boeing decided to foresee the future by painting an aircraft of the model with the colors of United Airlines. With registration number N6055X, the 737 MAX 10 made its maiden flight on Friday, November 18th. It is the third aircraft completed so far and will join the two prototypes that participated in the test program aimed at certification. United Airlines is one of the largest customers of the MAX 10 variant, with capacity for up to 230 passengers. In June 2021, the US carrier closed an order for 150 aircraft of the model, in addition to another 50 units of the MAX 8 version. Despite Boeing’s gesture of optimism, the 737 MAX 10 is at serious risk of having its approval by the FAA, the US civil aviation agency, postponed. The reason is that new safety legislation requiring new commercial aircraft to be equipped with a crew alert will come into effect from December 28th. Both the 737 MAX 7, the smallest of the family, and the MAX 10 are behind schedule for certification programs and will miss the deadline for not meeting the new requirements. If an exception is not approved by the US Congress, Boeing will have to redesign both to accommodate the new system, which would delay development by several months. In addition, it will make the two new planes have different equipment from the MAX 8 and MAX 9, already in service. Perhaps United Airlines’ 737 MAX 10 could be a common sight just around Boeing in Washington State for some time to come. https://www.airdatanews.com/united-airlines-first-boeing-737-max-10-makes-maiden-flight-despite-certification/ COMAC's C919 Proves Its Worth In High Elevation Airport Tests COMAC’s C919 completed its first high-plateau route demonstration this week, ahead of the upcoming first delivery next month. COMAC's C919 completed its first high-plateau route demonstration this week, showing its capability for operating in all high-plateau airports. This feature is a key attribute for any aircraft operating in China, as the country is home to some of the highest altitude airports in the world. In fact, eight of the top 10 highest altitude airports are found within China. COMAC used the B-001F (Manufacturer Serial Number: 005), the same aircraft flew to Beijing for the Type Certification Ceremony at the end of September, and to Zhuhai for the China Airshow earlier this month, for the high-plateau demonstration task. The airplane left its base in Shanghai on Thursday (November 17th), landing at Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport (CTU) for the first time. It continued to conduct the demonstration flight to Aba Hongyuan Airport (AHJ, elevated at 3,535 m / 11,598 ft above sea level) the following day, marking the first time a C919 has flown to a high-plateau airport. Another C919 (B-001G) conducted a week-long plateau demonstration in Yunnan Province in August, which was its first visit to a plateau airport then. The demonstration flights are part of the functional and reliability test flights, which is a pre-requisite for Type Certification. According to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) regulation, airports that are elevated above 1,524m (5,000ft) are categorized as plateau airports, and airports elevated above 2,438m (8,000ft) are categorized as high-plateau airports. CAAC has additional regulatory requirements for these airports in terms of pilot qualification and aircraft operational verification. High airports in China China now has 21 high-plateau civil airports, nearly half of the world's total high-plateau civil airports, most of which are located in western provinces and autonomous regions, like Qinghai (6), Sichuan (5), Tibet (5), Yunnan (2), Xinjiang (1), Gansu (1), and Hubei (1). Aba Hongyuan Airport (AHJ) is ranked 10th by altitude among them. The B-001F stayed at Aba Hongyuan Airport overnight and returned from AHJ at 10:38 on Saturday (November 19th), arrived at CTU at 11:18, then took off from CTU at 12:28 and arrived at Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) at 14:38. The COMAC flight test center, with the participation of the CAAC, operated the C919 flight demonstration. ARJ21 traveled the same path In July 2020, more than four years after its first delivery, in order to expand the scope of the ARJ21 operation, COMAC conducted the ARJ21 high-plateau flight test at Daocheng Yading Airport (DCY), the world's highest civil airport with an altitude of 4,411m (14,471ft) above sea level. After being certified by the CAAC, the test result expanded ARJ21's flight envelope significantly, making the aircraft capable of reaching all the high-altitude airports scattered in the western part of China, a potential market for which a regional aircraft is ideally suited. Stay informed: Sign up for our daily and weekly aviation news digests. C919 close to the first delivery In March 2021, China Eastern Airlines and COMAC together, witnessed by high-ranking officials from the Shanghai government and senior management from both companies, signed a purchase agreement for five C919 aircraft in Shanghai. China Eastern Airlines will receive its first C919 before the end of this year, according to Li Yangmin, General Manager of China Eastern, speaking at the China Eastern Group party meeting at the end of October. COMAC finally got C919's type certificate from the CAAC on September 29th. It clears the biggest and final obstacle for C919's first delivery. The first C919 for China Eastern took its maiden flight in May. According to COMAC, the C919 program has 815 orders from 28 customers. Part of these orders will be transferred to firm orders after the C919 receives its type certification. COMAC has not revealed the exact number of orders which will be transferred, though. COMAC announced 300 firm orders from seven Chinese state-owned leasing companies during Zhuhai Airshow earlier this month. https://simpleflying.com/comac-c919-high-elevation-airport-testing/ ESASI – ‘FocusOn...ICAO’ - 7 December 2022 ESASI FocusOn...ICAO will take place on 7 December 2022, which is the 78th anniversary of the signing of the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation. The aim of this free session is to increase the understanding of aviation safety investigators on the breadth of ICAO’s activities relative to accident investigation. Speakers and Content The principal speakers are: Padhraic Keller, President of the Air Navigation Commission; Thor Thormodsson, Air Accident Investigator, ICAO Air Navigation Bureau; Arnaud Desjardin, Safety Officer ICAO EUR/NAT Regional Office Paris; Olivier Ferrante, Chair ICAO Accident Investigation Group Panel; and Simon Lie, Annex 13 Research Group. The session will be chaired by Dr David King, Visiting Professor at Cranfield University, Ex Chief Inspector of UK AAIB. FocusOn...ICAO will cover the ICAO organisation from the 1944 Chicago Convention, through its structure, guidance material, circulars, State Letters and Annexes. It will look at its implementation and explore the Annexes particularly relevant to the air accident investigation community, which includes Annex 13. The session will conclude with an open discussion on the topics covered. Format FocusOn...ICAO will be hosted on Zoom and start at 1400 UTC on Wednesday 7 December 2022. The formal session will be kept to a maximum of two hours and the virtual meeting room will be opened from 1300 UTC to allow you to meet and enjoy a coffee (also free!). We also intend to keep the virtual room open for a further 30 minutes at the end of the session to allow members, who so wish, the opportunity to continue informal discussions. Invitation If you are interested in joining FocusOn…ICAO, then please send an email to registrations@esasi.eu to obtain a link to the meeting and details of Zoom meeting good practices. GRADUATE RESEARCH STUDY Good day, I am a B777 Captain flying for one of the worlds major airlines studying for a degree in Aviation Management through a University based in the United Kingdom. I am studying levels of burnout and fatigue within the industry, please can I get a few minutes of your time to fill out this survey to find out how you are being or have been affected by this. Thank you. Captain William Oliver https://forms.gle/XBMyeniKaqQwwfQr9 Curt Lewis