Flight Safety Information - December 5, 2022 No. 233 In This Issue : Accident: LATAM A321 at Santiago on Dec 1st 2022, tail strike on departure : Incident: Delta A319 near Austin on Dec 3rd 2022, oil fumes on the flight deck : Incident: Austrian E195 at Vienna on Dec 4th 2022, gear problem on departure : Incident: Lufthansa A359 near Luanda on Dec 3rd 2022, engine trouble : Incident: Serene A332 at Karachi on Dec 2nd 2022, cabin pressure problems : Incident: Spicejet B38M at Jeddah on Dec 2nd 2022, burst tyre on departure, hydraulic problem : Union Tells Pilots To Use Regular Security Lines, To Delay Flights And Prove A Point : India jumps to 48th spot in international aviation safety ranking: DGCA : Baylor aviation accident investigation lab bound for Waco Regional Airport : US jet engine factory in Israel to shut, laying off 900 employees : Unwanted Airbus A350? Former SAS Jet Sent To Storage : How electric air taxis could shake up the airline industry in the next decade : Phuket-Bound Turkish Airlines Airbus A330 Diverts To Karachi Due To Passenger Misbehaviour : Big Island helicopter crash leads NTSB to call for urgent safety inspections of Bell 407 : Niece of former Gov. Chris Christie arrested on Spirit Airlines flight : Join SCSI for a free 30-minute course on Risk Management : Positions Available: Flight Operations Quality Assurance Analyst Accident: LATAM A321 at Santiago on Dec 1st 2022, tail strike on departure A LATAM Chile Airbus A321-200, registration CC-BEJ performing flight LA-1277 from Santiago to Concepcion (Chile), was departing Santiago's runway 17R when the tail contacted the runway surface. The crew stopped the climb at FL180 and returned to Santiago for a safe landing on runway 17R about 30 minutes after departure. A replacement A321-200 registration CC-BEK reached Concepcion with a delay of 3 hours. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Santiago about 72 hours after landing back. According to information The Aviation Herald received the aircraft had been incorrectly loaded. https://avherald.com/h?article=501eb409&opt=0 Incident: Delta A319 near Austin on Dec 3rd 2022, oil fumes on the flight deck A Delta Airlines Airbus A319-100, registration N346NB performing flight DL-605 from Mexico City (Mexico) to Minneapolis,MN (USA) with 62 people on board, was enroute at FL370 about 40nm northeast of Austin,TX (USA) when the crew donned their oxygen masks reporting fumes on the flight deck and decided to divert to Austin. Descending towards Austin the crew characterized the fumes as fumes from an oil leak of an engine (CFM56) advising ATC there was no smoke and visibility issue. The crew landed their aircraft on Austin's runway 36R about 25 minutes after leaving FL370. A replacement Airbus A321-200 registration N379DN reached Minneapolis with a delay of 5:15 hours. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Austin about 18 hours after landing. https://avherald.com/h?article=501e88b0&opt=0 Incident: Austrian E195 at Vienna on Dec 4th 2022, gear problem on departure An Austrian Airlines Embraer ERJ-195, registration OE-LWN performing flight OS-293 from Vienna (Austria) to Hanover (Germany) with 77 people on board, was climbing out of Vienna's runway 16 when the crew stopped the climb at 6000 feet due to a problem with the landing gear. The aircraft entered a hold to burn off fuel and returned to Vienna for a safe landing on runway 11 about 65 minutes after departure. The airline reported a suspected gear fault prompted the return, to avoid an overweight landing the aircraft burned off fuel. https://avherald.com/h?article=501e7df8&opt=0 Incident: Lufthansa A359 near Luanda on Dec 3rd 2022, engine trouble A Lufthansa Airbus A350-900, registration D-AIXE performing flight LH-575 from Cape Town (South Africa) to Munich (Germany) with 286 passengers and 13 crew, was enroute at FL380 about 10nm southwest of Luanda (Angola) when the crew initiated a descent to FL340. Shortly after levelling off at FL340, now about 80nm northnorthwest of Luanda, the crew initiated a drift down to FL200 due to problems with the left hand engine (Trent XWB) and decided to divert to Luanda and burn off fuel. The aircraft landed safely on runway 23 about one hour after the onset of trouble. The aircraft is still on the ground in Luanda about 20 hours after landing. The Aviation Herald received information that the left hand engine needs to be replaced. On Dec 4th 2022 the airport reported the crew declared emergency at 14:18L (13:18Z) reporting a fire indication for the left hand engine (editorial note: the aircraft was just levelling off at FL200 at that time and entered a hold). Emergency services solved the problem about 35 minutes later after landing at 14:56L (13:56Z). https://avherald.com/h?article=501e4562&opt=0 Incident: Serene A332 at Karachi on Dec 2nd 2022, cabin pressure problems A Serene Air Airbus A330-200, registration AP-BNG performing flight ER-811 from Karachi (Pakistan) to Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) with about 200 people on board, was climbing out of Karachi's runway 25L when the crew stopped the climb at 3000 feet due to problems with the cabin pressurization. The aircraft returned to Karachi for a safe landing on runway 07R about one hour after departure. The aircraft remained on the ground for about 24 hours, then departed again and reached Jeddah with a delay of about 25 hours. https://avherald.com/h?article=501dd9f3&opt=0 Incident: Spicejet B38M at Jeddah on Dec 2nd 2022, burst tyre on departure, hydraulic problem A Spicejet Boeing 737-8 MAX, registration VT-MXJ performing flight SG-36 from Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) to Kozhikode (India) with 191 passengers and 6 crew, departed Jeddah's runway 34C. After becoming airborne the crew received an anti-skid indication, but decided to continue the flight. The crew was subsequently informed that tyre debris had been found on the departure runway. The aircraft continued, climbed to FL330 and later FL350. Upon reaching India's coast the crew decided to divert to Kochi (India) due to a hydraulic system indicating low pressure. The crew performed two low passes over Kochi's runway 09 to have the gear inspected from the ground and subsequently positioned for an approach to runway 27 and landed without further incident about 6 hours after departure. The aircraft is still on the ground in Kochi about 5.5 hours after landing. The airline reported tyre pieces were found on Jeddah's runway, a caution light subsequently illuminated. The crew diverted to Kochi and performed low passes to have the gear position verified. After confirmation by ATC that the gear was down the aircraft landed without further incident. The passengers disembarked normally. https://avherald.com/h?article=501d28e5&opt=0 Union Tells Pilots To Use Regular Security Lines, To Delay Flights And Prove A Point The president of American Airlines’ pilots union is in no uncertain terms telling members that they should show up late for their flights by using standard security lines, in order to prove a point to both airlines and the TSA. Bottom line Pilots are frustrated with Known Crewmember program With the Known Crewmember program (KCM), eligible pilots and flight attendants can skip the security lines at airports, and enter the sterile area of the airport without being screened. The intent is that this saves time for crews, and allows the TSA to better allocate its resources to passengers, who generally pose a greater risk. The thing is, when crews use a Known Crewmember checkpoint, they can still randomly be subjected to secondary screening. It makes sense that there would be some element of surprise involved here, just to make sure crews aren’t trying to transport drugs, weapons, etc. Over time we’ve increasingly seen (a very small percentage of) crew members abusing these checkpoints, and there have even been several reports of flight attendants trying to smuggle drugs through checkpoints. As a result, the number of secondary screenings at Known Crewmember checkpoints has allegedly increased massively in recent months, to the point that sometimes people are getting secondary screening more often than not. While there are rumors that changes could be coming to Known Crewmember, nothing has been officially confirmed by the TSA. And that brings us to the interesting way that one union representing pilots is telling members to deal with this. Pilots & flight attendants don’t have to go through security What American’s pilots union is telling members Ed Sicher is the President of the Allied Pilots Association (APA), representing American Airlines pilots. In a memo to all pilots on Thursday (as reported by Ross Feinstein), Sicher recommended that pilots start avoiding Known Crewmember checkpoints. He starts by explaining the problem: “The word ‘expeditious’ can no longer be used in the same sentence as KCM. The KCM ‘privilege’ has become anything but due to the rising number of secondary screenings our pilots are being subjected to on a regular basis. It is not unusual for a pilot to be ‘randomly’ screened six or seven consecutive times. The rate of these screenings has increased to the point where expeditious screening at KCM has been replaced by unpredictable and in some cases lengthy delays.” Sicher states that pilots used Known Crewmember checkpoints two million times in 2021, and only 17 problems were identified, some of which were minor infractions. In other words, he doesn’t think the increase in secondary screenings is appropriate. So, what does he recommend? Using the regular security lines, and not jumping ahead of any passengers in them: “Since KCM no longer appears to be working as it was originally intended, it may be time for pilots to consider forgoing it completely until expedited screening becomes a reality again. Accordingly, I recommend using the standard passenger entry points for security screening when beginning and connecting on our sequences. For those who choose to do so, please do NOT jump in front of passengers who may also be harried and late due to the unpredictable nature of the TSA checkpoints.” You might be thinking, “it’s so considerate that he’s telling pilots not to jump the line.” Employees are allowed to cut the line, so as you might expect, there’s a motive for that: “By temporarily bypassing the KCM screening checkpoints, we will highlight to both the TSA and management the problems that have arisen with the system. Once KCM has been fixed to the point that it is once again a predictable means of expeditious security screening, I will be the first to encourage our pilots to exercise the privilege. Until then, you should consider utilizing traditional TSA screenings and wait in line with our passengers.” There’s not much left to the imagination here. The way pilots would “highlight” this problem to management is when it impacts operational performance, so the intent here is to obviously have flights delayed, in hopes of getting airlines to pressure the TSA to reduce the number of secondary screenings at Known Crewmember checkpoints. Your next flight might be delayed due to security wait times Bottom line Pilots are frustrated by the number of secondary screenings that they’re getting at Known Crewmember checkpoints, which are intended to let them predictably zip through the airport. The Allied Pilots Association, representing American Airlines pilots, is encouraging members to forgo these checkpoints. Rather the union is telling members to use the regular security lines and not skip anyone, in order to “highlight” the issue to both airlines and the TSA. So if you do see an increase in the number of pilots in standard security lines, now you know why (however, something tells me most pilots won’t actually do this, because who would want to voluntarily deal with a TSA checkpoint?). https://onemileatatime.com/news/pilots-security-lines-delay-flights/ India jumps to 48th spot in international aviation safety ranking: DGCA The country’s score in terms of effective implementation of key safety elements has improved to 85.49%, putting it ahead of China (49), Israel (50) and Turkey (54). India has jumped to the 48th position — its highest ever spot — in the global aviation safety ranking by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) officials said on Saturday. Four years ago, the country was at the 102nd spot in the rankings. The country’s score in terms of effective implementation of key safety elements has improved to 85.49%, putting it ahead of China (49), Israel (50) and Turkey (54). India’s score in the 2018 Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme was 69.95%. “Maintaining the new found status is a challenge. We assure all our stakeholders that DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) will leave no stone unturned to further improve India’s ranking,” said DGCA director general Arun Kumar. A formal announcement on the result is expected soon, he added. The higher ranking means that India has improved its air safety processes. Better aviation safety in home skies also allows Indian carriers to expand faster in overseas markets as permissions for new services are easier to get. The United Nations agency had conducted the audit from November 9 to 16 in areas including legislation, organisation, personal licensing, operations, airworthiness and aerodrome. “Two areas, aircraft accident and investigation and air navigation, were not audited by ICAO,” Kumar said. “To check if rules were being followed, the team also visited Delhi airport, SpiceJet, a charter operator, air traffic control, communication navigation and surveillance,” he said. India’s score for civil aviation organisation rose from 63.64% to 72.73%, personnel licensing and training from 25.58% to 84.71%, aircraft operations from 80.34% to 97.44%, airworthiness of aircraft from 90.20% to 97.06% and aerodrome and ground aids from 72.36% to 92.68%. https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/india-jumps-to-48th-spot-in-int-l-aviation-safety-ranking-dgca-101670091599288.html Baylor aviation accident investigation lab bound for Waco Regional Airport Baylor University aviation students soon will learn to investigate air crashes using the wreckage of an actual crashed aircraft. The Baylor Institute for Air Science will build an aviation accident investigation lab on a little more than an acre leased at Waco Regional Airport. “We will stage a set of aircraft wreckage at the site,” institute Director William Cade III said by phone Friday. The students taking a course on investigating aircraft crashes will go out to the outdoor lab to practice forensic investigations, Cade said. “The wreckage will be set up to look like different crash scenarios,” Andy Olvis, who teaches the crash investigation course, said by phone Friday. “Then when the students come to look at it, they’ll document the parts, look for ground scars and try to figure out how it ended up where it was post-impact.” A map included in documents for a Waco City Council meeting Nov. 15 shows the Waco Regional Airport site where the Baylor Institute for Air Science plans to build an aviation accident investigation lab. Instructors will use a plane that crashed in 2016 to create simulated crash scenes for students to investigate. City of Waco, provided The lab and the reconfigurable aircraft wreckage, from N actual plane that crashed in 2016, will give the students practical application of what they learn in the classroom, Olvis said. “By the end of each lab (session) they should have a hypothesis on how it could have ended up on the ground where it was located,” he said. Waco City Council approved a five-year lease for the site Nov. 15, and the city will charge the university $5,000 annually, according to council documents. Olvis, a part-time lecturer with Baylor who works full time as an aviation accident investigator with the Federal Aviation Administration, brought the idea for the accident lab to Baylor. He said the larger aviation degree programs at other major universities have similar labs. “The problem universities usually run into is acquiring the wreckage,” Olvis said. City of Waco, provided Even small commercial aircraft are usually insured and after a crash the insurer will usually sell the recovered aircraft on to an air salvage yard, Olvis said. He found out about a 2016 crash of an uninsured aircraft in Val Verde County and was able to arrange for the wreckage to be donated for education, Olvis said. Olvis teaches a course for the Baylor institute in aircraft accident investigations in the fall, and in the spring an aviation safety course. Cade said the institute plans to have the lab set up with outdoor seating and stageable aircraft wreckage by the time Olvis’ students need it for the fall 2023 semester. During his 21 years serving in the United States Marine Corps as an air traffic controller, Olvis learned to work investigations of “class A mishaps,” he said. Upon retirement from the Marine Corps in 2010, he started an air traffic controller training program at Texas State Technical College, he said. The following year, the National Transportation Safety Board recruited him to be an aircraft crash investigator. A few weeks ago, in September, the FAA recruited him away from the NTSB. Olvis said he has lived in Waco and taught with the institute since 2020. “The goal of crash investigations is to uncover the cause,” Olvis said. Then he said the FAA and the aviation industry work to make sure all pilots and aircraft maintenance programs prevent whatever caused the crash. Baylor’s aviation program lets students complete flight training and pilot licensing as part of a bachelor’s degree program, Cade said. The training at the outdoor lab facility will mean graduates with the Baylor Bachelor of Science in aviation will be better prepared to work crash investigations, which they may have to do early in their flying careers, Olvis said. https://wacotrib.com/news/local/education/baylor-aviation-accident-investigation-lab-bound-for-waco-regional-airport/article_f3afb0ec-7280-11ed-9b45-3fb18f728cd8.html US jet engine factory in Israel to shut, laying off 900 employees US jet engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney announces it will cease manufacturing compressor blades at its factory in northern Israel by 2025, laying off 900 workers. The firm says in a statement that the Blades Technology Industry factory at the Migdal Tefen Industrial Zone near Nahariya will begin shutting down in 2024 and shift to the United States, due to “major losses that are only growing.” https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/us-jet-engine-factory-in-israel-to-shut-laying-off-900-employees/ Unwanted Airbus A350? Former SAS Jet Sent To Storage As SAS looks to reduce its costs and reduce its fleet, one of its former Airbus A350s has been sent to storage. It would appear that the first of two Airbus A350-900s has officially departed the SAS fleet and is now in storage. This aircraft flew from Stockholm Arlanda airport to Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrenees Airport on November 29th. Facing financial challenges, SAS has been on a mission to reduce its costs and become a smaller, more profitable airline. From Stockholm to Tarbes On November 29th at 13:29 local time, the former SAS Airbus A350-900 currently registered as SE-RSC departed Stockholm Arlanda as flight SK9202. The aircraft arrived at Tarbes three hours and three minutes later, at 16:32. Prior to this ferry flight into storage, the jet had spent nearly three months sitting at Stockholm airport. Before this extended stay, FlightRadar24.com data indicates that the aircraft's final revenue service with SAS was on August 29th, completing a return flight out of Copenhagen to San Francisco (SK935/936). According to Air Insight Group, the court approved the lease termination of MSN 391 on September 20th. The aircraft, MSN 391, is listed by ch-aviation as being a leased aircraft managed by ORIX Aviation. Simple Flying reached out to the lessor for additional details on the fate of the aircraft, but the firm declined to comment. As of September 30th, the jet had 4,087 flight hours and 470 flight cycles. Get all the latest aviation news right here on Simple Flying SAS and its fleet reduction strategy The Scandinavian carrier has been working hard to recover financially in recent times - not just from the impact of COVID, but from pilot strikes that took place more recently. The carrier filed for bankruptcy in July 2022 and remains under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. During this process of restructuring, certain aircraft are being returned to their lessors, which Air Insight Group notes include two A350s, three A330-300s, three A320neos, and one A321. One more A350 to go? It would appear that SE-RSC is the first jet to fully depart the SAS fleet, with another A350 still to go. The aircraft registered as SE-RSB (MSN 378) appears to be next. This aircraft was delivered in February 2020 and was withdrawn from use in September 2022. It would appear that its last revenue service took place on August 30th, with a return flight out of Copenhagen to Shanghai (SK997/998). Stored in Copenhagen from September 2nd to November 29th, the aircraft was then moved to Stockholm Arlanda. At the time of this article's publication, the aircraft remains in Stockholm with its fate unknown. ch-aviation.com data indicates that the jet is owned by SAS, which, if accurate, would put the onus on the airline to find a buyer - either in the form of a lessor or airline. As of September 30th, SE-RSB had 5,765 flight hours and 701 flight cycles. What do you think of SAS' fleet reduction strategy? Are you sad to see the airline part with some of its fairly new Airbus A350s? And what airlines around the world could be suitable operators for these aircraft? Click the blue 'comments' button below to share your opinion! https://simpleflying.com/former-sas-a350-sent-to-storage/ How electric air taxis could shake up the airline industry in the next decade A world with flying vehicles, like the 1960s sitcom The Jetsons, might be closer than you think. Companies across the U.S., including several startups, are developing electric air taxis that aim to take cars off the road and put people in the sky. Commercial airlines, specifically, are investing in this type of technology to make trips to and from the airport shorter and faster for consumers. In October, Delta Air Lines joined the list of airlines backing EV technology startups, with a $60 million investment in Joby Aviation, a company developing electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOLs), intended to operate as an air taxi service. In 2021, when Joby announced its plan to launch its Uber-like air taxis by 2024, it generated criticism from industry analysts on the ability to launch by that date. But Delta’s investment in Joby is a five-year partnership to operate eVTOLs exclusively in Delta’s network. United Airlines is also partnering with a Swedish-based startup, Heart Aerospace, to have electric aircraft flying regional routes by 2030, adding to two other eVTOL investments from the airline. One is for $15 million with Eve Air Mobility for 200 aircraft, and another for $10 million with Archer Aviation for 100 eVTOLs. American Airlines invested $25 million in Vertical Aerospace, a U.K.-based company, with an order for 50 aircraft. Air taxis could hit markets in the 2030s While major airlines enter agreements with global startups, it’s important to remember these are conditional. It depends on the certification of these aircraft and how fast companies can manufacture them, said Savanthi Syth, managing director of equity research, covering global airlines and mobility at Raymond James. Once these aircraft get certified and start ramping up production, Syth said the potential market size largely depends on how close companies can get eVTOLs to where consumers are. “Initially, eVTOLs are supposed to replace your personal car,” Syth said. “But it’s going to be different for people, based on where eVTOLs are going to be.” Companies envision eVTOLs using existing infrastructure to operate, such as creating “vertistops,” where aircraft land on top of buildings in urban areas to charge between short distances, or “vertiports,” which utilize regional airports to charge between longer distances, roughly over 100 miles. If companies can put vertistops and vertiports close to consumers in residential areas, then the market size could be large, Syth said. “We think that you’ll see small amounts of [eVTOL] operations starting in the 2025 timeframe, with certifications hopefully happening in 2024,” Syth said. “But for you to see a lot of aircraft flying overhead, it’s probably going to be more likely into the 2030s.” Airlines benefit from eVTOL investments While airlines face cost and availability challenges in becoming more sustainable, investments in eVTOLs is one effort where airlines can try to offset carbon emissions, said Beau Roy, senior managing director at FTI Consulting, who specializes in the aviation industry. “Airlines don’t have a lot of [sustainable] choices. The biggest option is sustainable aviation fuel, but, last year, maybe one out of every 1,000 gallons of jet fuel could be found as SAF,” Roy said. “Airlines are getting aggressive with where else they can invest.” While eVTOLs initially offer airlines an addition to their ESG portfolio, they also provide them the ability to capitalize on replacing long car drives with a flight option for consumers. “An interesting use-case [of eVTOLs] is thinking about getting people out of cars for the 100-, 200-, or 300-mile trips that we take,” Roy said. “Close to 200 million trips per year are in cars for 100- to 500-mile distances.” Roy said airlines are not only taking cars off the road for the benefit of the environment, but they’re opening the door for consumers to pay for a faster and more efficient alternative to cars. “Airlines are looking at, ‘How do we get the cost and ease of use more widely available to people?’” Roy said. “If it’s cheap enough and the time savings is significant enough, people will change their behavior and get out of cars.” Flying out of regional airports from smaller towns is not largely seen across the country anymore, Roy said. Most traffic occurs at the major airports, so airlines can take advantage of emerging tech like eVTOLs and existing regional airports for industry growth. Launching in major cities, but still hurdles to clear Delta and Joby are planning for eVTOLs to hit major cities, like New York City and Los Angeles, for its initial launch. Ranjan Goswami, senior vice president of customer experience design at Delta, said the company set its sights on NYC and LA because of the prolific congestion and traffic in these dense metropolitan areas, and because of how prominent Delta is in these markets. “The big cities are where you have the best-use cases and the most people to utilize [an eVTOL] service,” Goswami said. “It’s also where you have economies of scale to, ultimately, help bring the cost reachable to more people.” Goswami said getting to and from the airport are some of the most stressful parts of traveling, and eVTOLs will alleviate that experience. “We’re not going to talk to the market right now about price points, but we believe it needs to be an accessible price point,” Goswami said. “Unlike helicopters, which are so expensive, the goal is to make [eVTOLs] reachable and affordable to the traveling public.” While Roy says he’s optimistic about seeing eVTOLs in the next decade, these air taxis will not launch as quickly as startups and airlines might hope. In addition to getting these aircraft produced and then certified, Roy said utilizing existing infrastructure to accommodate eVTOLs is also a hurdle. If eVTOLs land on rooftops, Roy said, there’s a lot of construction and new infrastructure that goes into converting roofs into vertistops. With eVTOLs operating on electric batteries, these buildings must also generate substantial power and electricity for charging stations. “These aircraft are going to work, and the FAA [Federal Aviation Administration] will do their job to make sure they work,” said Roy. “It’s just going to take a while to get from where we are today to where we’ll need to be.” https://www.cnbc.com/2022/12/03/how-electric-air-taxis-could-shake-up-the-airline-industry.html Phuket-Bound Turkish Airlines Airbus A330 Diverts To Karachi Due To Passenger Misbehaviour A Turkish Airlines Airbus A330 diverted midflight to deplane a disruptive passenger. On Saturday, December 3rd, a Turkish Airlines flight traveling from Turkey's Istanbul Airport (IST) to Thailand's Phuket International Airport (HKT) diverted to Pakistan's Jinnah International Airport (KHI) to deplane a passenger who was allegedly misbehaving. A passenger began to misbehave with passengers and crew aboard the aircraft after departing IST. The captain made the decision to divert to KHI to deplane the passenger. After the passenger was taken into custody by local law enforcement, the flight continued to its intended destination. Precautionary diversion Turkish Airlines flight TK-172, flown on an Airbus A330 registered TC-JNL, diverted to KHI approximately three hours into the flight near the Iran, Pakistan border. Authorities have stated that the flight diversion was not an emergency but was a precautionary measure taken by the flight crew. Upon landing, the passenger was arrested and deported back to Turkey. Afterward, the flight continued to HKT, where it landed safely. No injuries were reported in association with this incident. Simple Flying has reached out to Turkish Airlines concerning the incident. This article will be updated once a response has been received. Get the latest aviation news straight to your inbox: Sign up for our newsletters today. Rise in disturbances This incident is one of many flight disruptions caused by a misbehaved passenger that have taken place over the past few years. The reason for the recent rise in misbehaved passengers is unclear, as every situation is unique and different people have different motives. Alcohol and drugs are reported factors in many incidents involving misbehaved passengers. However, many of these incidents involve sober passengers. Other psychological factors have been reported to play a part in disorderly conduct aboard an airplane. Regardless of the reason, airlines and government organizations are cracking down on disorderly passengers. Many airlines have established no-fly lists for passengers deemed disruptive from previous accounts of disrespectful conduct. While airlines have the right to refuse service to anyone in most countries, select government organizations are working to increase penalties for misbehaved passengers. The FAA is currently working to implement fines ranging from $9,000 to $52,000 for unruly passengers. Since the pandemic began, many of the disruptive passengers have acted out in protest against mask policies and other travel regulations. Since most pandemic travel restrictions have been removed, including face mask requirements in many countries, reports of passengers acting out over these matters have reduced. However, passengers continue to misbehave on flights worldwide. Recent incident A few months ago, a LOT Polish Airlines flight diverted to an alternate airport after a passenger misbehaved. The flight was traveling between Warsaw Airport (WAW) and Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) when the pilots decided to divert to Iceland. A few hours into the flight, a passenger became verbally hostile with cabin crew members after being denied drink service. The passenger reportedly attempted to assault a crew member but was apprehended by passengers first. During the ensuing scuffle, the passenger attempted to open an aircraft door before being restrained by other passengers. The airline reported that at least five passengers intervened in the incident. The passenger was arrested upon landing in Iceland, and the flight returned to WAW due to company policies. https://simpleflying.com/turkish-airlines-airbus-a330-diverts-karachi/ Big Island helicopter crash leads NTSB to call for urgent safety inspections of Bell 407 In response to the findings of the June 8 helicopter crash in a lava field on South Point, the National Transportation Safety Board issued urgent recommendations on Friday for immediate and more frequent inspections of tail boom components on Bell 407 aircraft. In the Big Island crash, the tail boom separated from the fuselage of a Bell 407 during a sunset tour operated by Paradise Helicopters out of Kona. The 54-year-old pilot and 19-year-old passenger in the co-pilot seat were seriously injured, while the four passengers in the back walked away from the crash in a remote area of the island. NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said the Bell 407 helicopter is a popular model among tour operators, police departments, air ambulance providers and others. “[This] is why our finding is so urgent,” she said. “We’re calling on regulators to act immediately – before there’s another accident.” In the Big Island accident, investigators located the tail boom more than 700 feet from the rest of the helicopter. According to the pilot, about 30 minutes into the flight, the helicopter began an uncontrolled spin to the right. A passenger reported that as the helicopter continued to spin, she observed something fall off the helicopter. The pilot made two May Day calls and told his passengers to brace for a hard landing as he tried to level the helicopter, which continued to spin uncontrollably until it crashed on the lava field. An examination of the helicopter wreckage revealed that the upper left attachment hardware, one of four fittings that attaches the tail boom to the fuselage, was missing and could not be located at the accident site. The remaining three fittings and hardware were found with the tail boom. One fitting had multiple fatigue fractures and two fittings had overload fractures. The NTSB is urging the United States’ Federal Aviation Administration and Transport Canada to require immediate inspections of the tail boom attachment hardware and fittings. The NTSB also said the 300-hour inspection interval the manufacturer required for the tail boom attachments may not detect missing or fractured hardware before the tail boom separates from the fuselage. It said the inspections should be done more often. This was based on the crash investigation that found the accident occurred just 114 hours following the last inspection of the crashed Paradise helicopter, which did not turn up any anomalies. The preliminary report for the ongoing investigation of the Kalaʻe, Hawaii, accident was published June 22. The public docket for that accident was opened Oct. 31. https://bigislandnow.com/2022/12/04/big-island-helicopter-crash-leads-ntsb-to-call-for-urgent-safety-inspections-of-bell-407/ Niece of former Gov. Chris Christie arrested on Spirit Airlines flight The niece of former Gov. Chris Christie was arrested following an incident on a Spirit Airlines flight from New Orleans to New Jersey. According to the Times-Picayune, Shannon Epstein, 25, is accused of injuring six deputies, including biting one and kicking another in the groin. Spirit Airlines crew wanted her removed from the flight before takeoff because she was asking certain passengers if they were smuggling cocaine. Epstein was arrested and now faces several charges. https://westchester.news12.com/report-niece-of-former-gov-chris-christie-arrested-on-spirit-airlines-flight Flight Operations Quality Assurance Analyst Indianapolis, IN US ID JR-003892 Category Flight Operations Quality Assurance Analyst Schedule Full time POSITION PURPOSE Processes day-to-day raw data using Flight Operational Quality Assurance (FOQA) and program Ground Data Replay Analysis System (GDRAS). Creates weekly and monthly deliverables in addition to working with Gatekeepers and other members of FOQA and FOQA Management Team (FMT). ESSENTIAL DUTIES To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. • Supports the FOQA Program Manager with daily administration of the FOQA efforts to ensure analysis of flight data for improved flight safety. • Oversees data collection process of aircraft fleet in conjunction with Maintenance and Engineering. • Performs data analysis, root cause analysis, and determines corrective actions of digital flight data to determine adverse events for trends in flight and maintenance operations. • Coordinates, develops, verifies and validates aircraft specific event definitions. • Prepares flight operations trending analysis charts and reports. • Compiles and presents FOQA data summaries for use by senior management, regulators, pilots, and union officials. • Performs specialized studies and fulfills special data requests. • Creates safety and FOQA department publications. • Prepares reports, presentations, and statistical data required to keep the FOQA community informed. • Reviews corrective action responses to inspections and internal evaluations findings for adequacy. • Maintains FOQA database, write database queries, program new FOQA events, and manages documentation supporting these functions. • Communicates with other airlines FOQA departments, governmental and academic institutions regarding FOQA. • Performs other duties as assigned. REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability necessary to perform this job. EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE. • Bachelor’s degree in aviation, flight technology, engineering, or related area or a combination of education and experience. • Holds Commercial Pilot Certificate • Basic understanding of aircraft systems and/or Part 121 aviation operations. • Previous work experience in quality control, maintenance, operations, safety or a combination of these areas (preferably in 14CFR Part 121 air carrier operations). • Previous experience maintaining and enhancing corporate safety standards and safe operation practices. • Extensive working knowledge of Microsoft Office Programs, including spreadsheet and database applications. • Strong work ethic, ability to work in a fast-paced environment and a positive attitude toward teamwork. PREFERRED EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE • At least 3 years related experience. • Additional certifications: Dispatch, Airframe and Powerplant and/or ATP license. • Basic computer programming and statistical methods experience preferred. • Prior experience with Sagem AGS or equivalent GDRAS platforms is preferred. LANGUAGE SKILLS Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations. Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and the general public. REASONING/PROBLEM SOLVING ABILITY Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions. Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagram form and deal with several abstract and concrete variables. Proven project management and analytical skills. Ability to handle numerous projects at one time and meet deadlines. Self-motivated and able to work with minimal supervision in support of the Safety Department. DECISION MAKING Makes day to day decisions used to support strategic direction. Decisions often require some thought and are somewhat structured. Decisions tend to be short term and usually moderate cost. PHYSICAL DEMANDS The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an associate to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Able to move about the work environment. Frequently required to stand, walk, sit, talk and hear. WORK ENVIRONMENT The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an associate encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Typically not exposed to extreme environmental conditions. TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS Travel up to 10% of the time, including overnight stays. Curt Lewis