Flight Safety Information - November 29, 2022 No. 229 In This Issue : Incident: American B738 at Orlando on Nov 25th 2022, bird strike : Incident: Delta A319 at Rochester on Nov 23rd 2022, fumes in cockpit and cabin : Incident: Libyan Arab A320 at Jeddah on Nov 24th 2022, hail strike : Incident: Myanmar AT72 at Yangon on Nov 17th 2022, temporary runway excursion on landing : TSA confiscates record number of guns from Tampa International airport this year : Brazil Reintroduces Airplane Mask Mandate : NASA Seeks to Address Aviation Emissions Through Aircraft Design Competition : How Are Aircraft Maintenance Programs Designed & Approved? : MODIFIED KING AIR CLAIMS SPEED RECORDS : Pilots flying under BasicMed can soon act as safety pilots : Airbus faces growing end-year jet delivery crunch : China's C919 narrowbody jet receives regulatory nod for mass production Incident: American B738 at Orlando on Nov 25th 2022, bird strike An American Airlines Boeing 737-800, registration N830NN performing flight AA-617 from Miami,FL to Orlando,FL (USA), departed Miami's runway 08R, climbed to FL190 and landed on Orlando's runway 17L about 40 minutes after departure. The FAA reported: "AIRCRAFT STRUCK A BIRD LEAVING A LARGE CRACK IN THE RADOME, ORLANDO, FL." The aircraft remained on the ground in Orlando for about 19 hours before returning to service. https://avherald.com/h?article=501a8e1a&opt=0 Incident: Delta A319 at Rochester on Nov 23rd 2022, fumes in cockpit and cabin A Delta Airlines Airbus A319-100, registration N344NB performing flight DL-2726 from Rochester,NY to Boston,MA (USA) with 109 people on board, was climbing through about 14,000 feet out of Rochester when the crew reported fumes in cockpit and cabin and decided to return to Rochester. The crew donned their oxygen masks and returned to Rochester for a safe landing on runway 22 about 20 minutes after departure, vacated the runway, stopped clear of the runway, removed their masks and talked to emergency services advising them they wanted to taxi to the gate to get the passengers off the aircraft. The aircraft continued taxi to the apron after about 8 minutes. The airline reported the crew elected to return to Rochester due to a smokey odour. The passengers were offered ground transport to Boston or rebooking for the next day. https://avherald.com/h?article=50180020&opt=0 Incident: Libyan Arab A320 at Jeddah on Nov 24th 2022, hail strike A Libyan Arab Airlines Airbus A320-200, registration 5A-LAK performing flight LN-1257 from Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) to Benghazi (Libya), was climbing out of Jeddah's runway 16C at 08:54L (05:54Z) when the crew stopped the climb due to a hail strike damaging both windshields. The aircraft positioned for an immediate return to Jeddah but aborted the approach at about 2000 feet and climbed again to 8000 feet and subsequently entered a hold at 5000 feet to wait for better weather. The aircraft landed safely back on runway 16C about one hour after departure. The aircraft is still on the ground in Jeddah about 53 hours after landing back. https://avherald.com/h?article=50191d53&opt=0 Incident: Myanmar AT72 at Yangon on Nov 17th 2022, temporary runway excursion on landing A Myanmar National Airlines Avions de Transport Regional ATR-72-212A, registration XY-AME performing flight UB-402 from Sittwe to Yangon (Myanmar), landed on Yangon's runway 21 at 14:15L (07:45Z) but veered sharply to the right briefly exiting the runway before the crew managed to steer the aircraft back onto the runway. The aircraft rolled out without further incident and taxied to the apron. There were no injuries. The aircraft is still on the ground in Yangon on Nov 25th 2022. Myanmar's CAA rated the occurrence a serious incident and opened an investigation. The damage to the aircraft was "unknown". https://avherald.com/h?article=5018b368&opt=0 Incident: United B764 near St. John's on Nov 25th 2022, smoke in cabin A United Boeing 767-400, registration N66051 performing flight UA-120 from Newark,NJ (USA) to Barcelona,SP (Spain), was enroute at FL360 about 220nm southsoutheast of St. John's,NL (Canada) when the crew reported smoke in the cabin and decided to divert to St. John's requesting an ILS approach to runway 29. The crew advised they did not plan to evacuate but to turn onto runway 16 to vacate runway 29 and proceed to the apron. The aircraft landed safely on runway 29 about 30 minutes after the decision to divert, vacated the runway and taxied to the apron with emergency services in trail. The airport reported fire fighters inspected the aircraft but found no fire, heat or smoke. A replacement aircraft was being dispatched to St. John's. https://avherald.com/h?article=501922a3&opt=0 Incident: Flair B738 at Kitchener on Nov 25th 2022, overran runway on landing A Flair Airlines Boeing 737-800, registration C-FFLC performing flight F8-501 (dep Nov 24th) from Vancouver,BC to Kitchener,ON (Canada) with 134 passengers and 6 crew, landed on Kitchener's runway 26 at 06:25L (11:25Z) but overran the end of the runway and came to a stop with all gear on soft ground about 140 meters/470 feet past the runway end. There were no injuries, the aircraft sustained minor if any damage. The passengers disembarked via stairs and were bussed to the terminal. https://avherald.com/h?article=5018aa32&opt=0 Crews rescue 2 from plane caught in power lines in Maryland GAITHERSBURG, Md. (AP) — Two people were rescued early Monday more than six hours after their small plane crashed into live power lines, causing widespread outages in Montgomery County, Maryland. Montgomery County Fire Chief Scott Goldstein said the plane got stuck in the lines about 100 feet (30 meters) above the ground at around 5:40 p.m. Sunday. Responders secured it to the tower at 12:16 a.m. Monday, and the first occupant was removed from the plane at 12:25 a.m. The second occupant was out at 12:36 a.m. Maryland State Police identified them as pilot Patrick Merkle, 65, of Washington, D.C., and passenger Janet Williams, 66, of Marrero, Louisiana. Both suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries and that hypothermia had set in while they waited to be pulled from the plane, Goldstein said. The single-engine Mooney M20J had departed White Plains, New York, and crashed into a power line tower near Montgomery County Airpark in Gaithersburg, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement. The FAA, National Transportation Safety Board and Maryland State Police are investigating. Utility contractors had to disconnect the high-tension wires to make it safe for rescuers to stabilize the plane. The utility Pepco had reported that about 120,000 customers were without power in Montgomery County, but most of them, outside of the crash site, had their electricity restored before the people were pulled from the plane. The Montgomery County Public School system decided late Sunday night to close its schools and offices Monday due to the outage's impact on safety and school operations. The closures extended to child care programs, the system tweeted Monday morning. https://www.yahoo.com/news/small-plane-caught-power-lines-003000714.html FAA Proposes Adding Powered-Lift To Air Carrier Definition The FAA has proposed a rule that would add powered-lift operations to the regulations covering commercial ops. The rule primarily proposes updating the definition of “air carrier”, which currently only refers to “airplanes” and “rotorcraft.” According to the FAA, the proposed changes are part of “a multi-step process of updating the regulations that apply to aircraft that traditionally have not operated under these parts.” “This proposed rule would add powered-lift to these definitions to ensure the appropriate sets of rules apply to air carriers’ and certain commercial operators’ operations of aircraft that FAA regulations define as powered-lift,” the agency said in its notice of proposed rulemaking (PDF). “This proposed rule is an important step in the FAA’s integration of new entrant aircraft in the National Airspace System (NAS).” The proposed rule will be open for comment for 60 days after its publication in the Federal Register. The agency is also proposing a Special Federal Aviation Regulation (SFAR) to “establish temporary operating and airman certification regulations for powered-lift” while it gathers information to develop permanent regulations. Defined as “a heavier-than-air aircraft capable of vertical takeoff, vertical landing, and low speed flight that depends principally on engine-driven lift devices or engine thrust for lift during these flight regimes and on nonrotating airfoil(s) for lift during horizontal flight,” powered-lift designs have become a focal point over the last several years as companies in the urban air mobility (UAM) sphere work to develop commercial air taxis. https://www.avweb.com/flight-safety/faa-regs/faa-proposes-adding-powered-lift-to-air-carrier-definition/ TSA confiscates record number of guns from Tampa International airport this year TAMPA, Fla. - The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) reported more than 2.5 million passengers were screened the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Those numbers exceeded last year’s numbers and are the highest since the start of the pandemic. Tampa International Airport also saw a high volume of passengers during the busy Thanksgiving holiday travel. "We actually saw higher passenger numbers than we expected. We expected about 725,000 passengers to come through. We saw closer to 800,000," said Emily Nipps, a TPA spokesperson. There’s one record TSA says was broken this year at Tampa International Airport, and it’s not one they wanted to see. READ: Frontier Airlines disconnects customer service phone line "We have found a total of 116 firearms. This is obviously a record-breaking number," said Jesús Serrano, TSA Deputy Federal Security Director. "It is a concern because it brings an unnecessary risk to the checkpoint, especially because most of the firearms that we find are loaded." TSA reports last year, 105 guns were seized at TPA and that set a record. "It is a concern because it brings an unnecessary risk to the checkpoint, especially because most of the firearms that we find are loaded," Serrano said. TSA says in most cases, it’s not intentional, but it’s still a costly mistake. "We have not found any malicious intent behind all these firearms that we're finding. However, they do carry a fine if they're found at the checkpoint," Serrano said. According to TSA, passengers may transport unloaded firearms in a locked hard-sided container as checked baggage only. Declare the firearm and ammunition to the airline when checking your bag at the ticket counter. The container must completely secure the firearm from being accessed. https://www.fox13news.com/news/tsa-confiscates-record-number-of-guns-from-tampa-international-airport-this-year Brazil Reintroduces Airplane Mask Mandate Over the past year or so, we’ve seen a countless number of countries eliminate mask mandates for travel. Well, Brazil is countering the trend, and is reintroducing mask requirements at airports and on airplanes. Brazil’s health regulatory agency, Anvisa, has announced plans to once again require travelers to wear masks. Specifically, as of Friday, November 25, 2022, Brazil will once again require masks at airports and on airplanes. Brazil was only one of the more recent countries to lift its mask mandate, as the country stopped requiring them for travel back in August 2022. The mask requirement won’t be quite as strict as before, as airlines will be able to serve food and drinks as usual (while previously there were restrictions regarding service on domestic flights). The mask requirement is being reintroduced as Brazil is seeing an increase in coronavirus cases in recent weeks. While cases are indeed up, they’re nowhere near what we saw at the beginning of the year, when there was the initial omicron surge. Then again, there’s also not as much testing going on nowadays. Brazil’s coronavirus cases over the past year Health authorities are concerned about a seasonal uptick in cases between November and January. While these are spring and summer months in Brazil, this reflects that this is also when many people from around the globe visit Brazil, which may lead to further cases being imported. Here’s how Alex Campos, who proposed the return of this measure, describes the decision: “The use of masks in higher risk environments, due to their characteristics of confinement, circulation and agglomeration of people, represents an act of citizenship and protection of the community and aims to mitigate the risk of transmission and contagion of the disease.” Could airplane mask mandates return in other countries? I’m kind of surprised to see Brazil reintroduce a mask mandate for travel, especially as this comes as Bolsonaro is still in office. It sure makes me wonder if we could see the return of more widespread travel mask mandates in the coming months: • At this point even the countries that were initially most conservative with pandemic restrictions have largely lifted travel mask mandates • Understandably coronavirus cases often come in waves based on variants and other factors, and it could be that we see another big wave soon • We saw all kinds of issues with people following mask mandates when they were imposed the first time around, and I can’t help but feel like there will be significantly more issues if this were to be reintroduced As I’ve often said, personally I support masks being optional on planes. Nowadays we have high quality masks that people can use to protect themselves. Heck, I flew yesterday, and wore a mask at the airport and during boarding, and didn’t during the rest of the flight. Letting people make the choice is the right move, in my opinion. Besides, at least in the United States there were few restrictions regarding the quality of masks people had to wear. It’s just plain silly to require people to wear masks, but then allow them to wear cloth masks. Could we see more mask requirements reinstated? Bottom line As of November 25, 2022, Brazil will once again require masks on airplanes and at airports. Brazil had only lifted mask requirements back in August. Now a few months later, the country is reintroducing mask requirements, as we see an uptick in cases. https://onemileatatime.com/news/brazil-airplane-mask-mandate/ NASA Seeks to Address Aviation Emissions Through Aircraft Design Competition Aircraft makers are exploring blended-wing bodies, transonic truss-braced wing models, double-bubble concepts and other unconventional plane designs for passenger aircraft and NASA is advancing that to help improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions through a competition launched in June, The Wall Street Journal reported. The NASA competition is seeking U.S. aircraft manufacturers that could help design and develop a full-scale demonstrator that could transport 150 passengers. The agency expects to have an aircraft prototype ready by 2027 and transition to mass production in the next 10 years. According to the report, submission of proposals for the aircraft design contest closed in September and NASA intends to announce in January the winning design with plans to use a portion of its space budget to fund construction and testing work on the selected aircraft. “If we don’t do this there will never be change,” said Rich Wahls, mission integration manager for NASA’s Sustainable Flight National Partnership program, which covers the plane-design competition. “We have to get this into the fleet quickly to make a climate impact.” Wahls noted that offerors should demonstrate that their aircraft designs could lead to the production of 60 units a month. Boeing and NASA are already working on a transonic truss-braced wing model, according to the report. https://executivegov.com/2022/11/nasa-seeks-to-address-aviation-emissions-through-aircraft-design-competition/ How Are Aircraft Maintenance Programs Designed & Approved? A maintenance program must be certified at the time of aircraft’s airworthiness certification. When a manufacturer develops a new airplane, a maintenance program is also designed to receive airworthiness certification for the aircraft. Apart from testing individual systems and performing rigorous flight tests, a comprehensive maintenance plan that underlines the aircraft’s operability under safe conditions is essential. The airworthiness certification is granted based on the manufacturer’s ability to provide concrete plans to keep the aircraft fit for flying. A maintenance program may only include the minimum required maintenance to keep the aircraft operating within acceptable limits. A maintenance program is developed by gathering operational information on all materials, equipment, processes, and systems used in manufacturing. The data is categorized based on the component group and its criticality in determining safe operation. An aircraft’s maintenance program goes through several processes before an airworthiness certificate is granted. Maintenance Workgroups In the first stage, Maintenance Workgroups scrutinize each part, assembly, system, and their interactions. Maintenance Workgroups comprise specialists from suppliers, vendors, operators, and regulators that have a deep understanding of individual systems. Each system is broken down into components, piece parts, machining, and materials. Each process is recorded from the origin of raw material to the manufactured system assembly. The manufacturer must be able to back-track a failed system or component to its raw material. On the serviceability side, the maintenance program lists all tasks, descriptions, tooling, and actions required to service the component. Each task has trigger criteria with a specific serviceable and repairable threshold. Each service must be recorded with the activities and the person performing them. The team also relies on the historical knowledge of similar systems and potential failure points. After compiling all the necessary information, the Maintenance Workgroups design a comprehensive maintenance plan for the aircraft. Industry Steering Committee The maintenance plan is reviewed by the Industry Steering Committee, which comprises representatives from manufacturers, operators, and industry partners. A formal checklist is followed to ensure all design and operational aspects are covered in the plan. The Steering Committee provides recommendations and best practices where needed. The committee works closely with the maintenance workgroups to make necessary amendments before approving the maintenance plan. Material Review Board The final approval of the maintenance program lies with the Maintenance Review Board (MRB). The MRB is chaired by the country’s certification authority, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), in the US. Members from manufacturers and airline operators form the MRB. The final program lists the manufacturer’s and operator’s maintenance responsibilities in keeping the aircraft serviceable. While extravagant maintenance is at the operator’s discretion, the maintenance program typically lists minimum maintenance actions required for safe operations. The MRB approves the first final maintenance program, and the aircraft type is certified for airworthiness. Amendments to the program After the aircraft gets certified and begins routine operations, new phenomena related to the usability of the aircraft occur. In instances where specific modifications to the aircraft are required, regulatory authorities issue Airworthiness Directives (AD). The operator must comply with the AD requirements to keep their airworthiness certificate valid. The recommended changes to the aircraft components, such as the engine, are sent to the operator by the component manufacturer to highlight certain conditions. Those are recorded through the issuance of Service Bulletins (SB). While the SBs are not mandatory, the operator may implement those during a maintenance check. https://simpleflying.com/aircraft-maintenance-program-design-approval-guide/ MODIFIED KING AIR CLAIMS SPEED RECORDS Tamarack Aerospace submitted two city-pair record claims to the National Aeronautic Association (NAA) and the European Fédération Aéronautique Internationale for flights involving a Smartwing winglet-equipped Beechcraft King Air 350 to and from the National Business Aviation Association Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition 2022 in Orlando, Florida. The first city-pair flight was for a nonstop 2,032.8-nautical-mile-flight from Spokane, Washington, to Orlando on October 16. The flight was completed in seven hours and 46 minutes with an average airspeed of 240 knots. At the close of the convention, the modified King Air flew a one-stop flight from Orlando to Albuquerque, New Mexico, then on to Henderson, Nevada, located about 15 miles from Las Vegas, where NBAA’s 2023 convention will be held. That 1,770.7-nm flight took eight hours and eight minutes, battling a 64-knot headwind and icing conditions along the way. Both flights were co-piloted by Tamarack founder and CEO Nick Guida, who said, “The current record claim for the King Air 350 flights demonstrates Tamarack’s extraordinary technology and showcases world-leading fuel-efficient sustainability—reaching as much as double digit fuel savings, increased range, stability, flight smoothing and associated safety benefits. “The military is especially interested in our increased range and loiter time for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions for smaller turbo props and large transport and our upgraded King Air’s boast features that additionally allow takeoffs and landings in high/hot conditions,” Guida continued. Earlier this year, Tamarack also received the NAA’s Most Memorable Aviation Records Award for its record-breaking nonstop flight in a Cessna CitationJet from Portland, Maine, to West Palm Beach, Florida, on January 26, 2021, beating another CitationJet competing in that fly-off that was not equipped with Tamarack’s upgrade. The modified CitationJet completed the 1,386-nautical-mile course in just four hours and 35 minutes and used a total of 2,610 pounds of fuel while the unmodified jet burned 3,650 pounds of fuel and spent five hours and 37 minutes in flight. https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2022/november/28/modified-king-air-claims-speed-records Pilots flying under BasicMed can soon act as safety pilots When FAA Acting Administrator Billy Nolen signed a final rule requiring medical certificates for commercial balloon pilots, it affected a very small number of pilots. But one of two “miscellaneous amendments” to the final rule does impact general aviation pilots who fly under BasicMed. The final rule makes a “minor change” to “allow a required pilot flightcrew member who is not acting as PIC to operate under BasicMed.” Translation? That means the more than 60,000 pilots who now fly under BasicMed can take advantage of opportunities to fly as a safety pilot, according to officials with the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA). The second miscellaneous amendment changes the regulations to allow a pilot to act as pilot in command (PIC) during a special medical flight test authorized under Part 67 without holding a medical certificate. The new rules become effective Dec. 22, 2022. You can read the entire final rule here. https://generalaviationnews.com/2022/11/28/pilots-flying-under-basicmed-can-soon-act-as-safety-pilots/ Airbus faces growing end-year jet delivery crunch PARIS, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Airbus (AIR.PA) is facing an increasingly tight end-year scramble to reach 2022 delivery goals, industry sources and preliminary data suggested on Monday, but analysts said investors would ignore a narrow miss as attention turns to 2023. Airbus has told investors it plans to deliver "around 700" commercial aircraft in 2022. That figure is increasingly under pressure, barring what would be a record and essentially glitch-free performance in the busy month of December, industry sources said on Monday. "It is difficult to see them getting 700 (full-year) deliveries," a senior supply chain source told Reuters, adding that aircraft were on average running four months late. Analysts note Airbus has hit tough goals before. According to latest available data from aircraft analyst Cirium, Airbus has delivered 536 aircraft so far this year, implying 39 to 41 deliveries so far in November. Allowing for a lag effect of several days in the reporting of deliveries, that could be around a dozen higher with more to come in the final days of the month, sources said. Even so, November deliveries are likely to come in closer to 60 than 70, one analyst said, compared with what suppliers described as an industrial planning goal closer to 80. An Airbus spokesperson declined to comment on deliveries ahead of a monthly status report on Dec 8. Airbus shares fell more than 5% on Monday in their biggest drop since early March. Between January and October, Airbus delivered 497 planes or a net total of 495 after adjusting for the cancellation of two planes stranded by Western sanctions against Russia. "The market would most likely accept a narrow miss for 2022, down to about 690 deliveries, but the larger story is what this means for guidance on deliveries for 2023," said Sash Tusa, aerospace analyst at UK-based Agency Partners. The second analyst, who asked not to be identified, said: "If it misses by 10 airplanes nobody will really react but if it is 20, then it shows things are not where they need to be." Two industry sources said some lessors and other buyers were under mounting pressure to take planes towards the end of December - though not before, as Airbus copes with multiple cross-currents involving engines, supply chains and labour. That could intensify the traditional crunch which often sees some planes delivered in the closing hours of the year. With 2022 ending on an uncertain note, Reuters reported on Friday that Airbus was already preparing the ground for further delivery delays for medium-haul single-aisle jets in 2023. Jefferies analyst Chloe Lemarie cautioned it was challenging to assess whether this meant additional delays on top of what Airbus has communicated, but said delays could help engine maker Safran (SAF.PA) due to additional maintenance on older models. Investors are awaiting guidance from Airbus on how many aircraft it plans to deliver in 2023. Analysts on average expect 820 deliveries next year, Lemarie wrote, citing consensus data. https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/airbus-faces-growing-end-year-jet-delivery-crunch-sources-2022-11-28/ China's C919 narrowbody jet receives regulatory nod for mass production Nov 29 (Reuters) - China's aviation regulator has issued a production certificate allowing for the mass production of the homegrown C919 narrowbody jet, manufacturer Commercial Aviation Corp of China (COMAC) said on Tuesday. The C919, a rival to the Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX single-aisle jet families, had received a type certificate in September declaring the model safe to fly but each individual jet manufactured had needed a separate sign-off from the regulator upon production. The C919's regional jet predecessor, the ARJ21, faced a 2.5-year gap between obtaining the type certificate and the production certificate, slowing production. That contrasts with the West, where both certificates are typically granted around the same time. Maiden customer China Eastern Airlines is due to take delivery of its first C919 next month and is expected to operate passenger flights with the type from the first half of next year. Jefferies analysts said last month that they expected COMAC to reach production of around 25 C919s per year by 2030, well behind the current monthly rates of narrowbody production at Airbus and Boeing. Although the C919 is assembled in China, it relies heavily on Western components, including engines and avionics, from companies including GE, Safran and Honeywell International. Tough U.S. export licensing rules have led to delays in sourcing parts and remain a key risk to ramped up production until China replaces foreign engines and components with homegrown technology. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/1-chinas-c919-narrowbody-jet-115124665.html Curt Lewis