Flight Safety Information - March 27, 2023 No. 058 In This Issue : Incident: EAT Leipzig A306 at Amsterdam on Mar 23rd 2023, smoke indication : Incident: Avelo B738 at New Haven on Mar 22nd 2023, hydraulic problem : Incident: Singapore B744 near Hong Kong on Mar 24th 2023, fire indication : Incident: Chrono B732 at Montreal on Mar 22nd 2023, engine shut down in flight : Accident: Hifly A333 over Nigeria on Mar 23rd 2023, severe turbulence causes 10 injuries : Jet Shook, Killing Ex-White House Aide, After Pilots Shut Off Key System, Report Says : 2 pilots killed after their Baton Rouge Police Department helicopter crashes in a cane field : Nepal suspends two controllers after flights avert midair crash : Police: passenger pulled jet's emergency slide at LA airport : RUSSIAN AIRLINES NO LONGER SAFETY RATED : Higher-airspace operations regulation explored in EASA proposal : Nominee for F.A.A. Post Withdraws From Consideration Incident: EAT Leipzig A306 at Amsterdam on Mar 23rd 2023, smoke indication An EAT Leipzig Airbus A300-600 freighter, registration D-AEAH performing flight QY-1491 from Amsterdam (Netherlands) to Leipzig (Germany), was climbing out of Amsterdam's runway 18L when the crew declared Mayday reporting a smoke indication. The aircraft stopped the climb at FL060 and returned to Amsterdam for a safe landing on runway 18R about 25 minutes after departure. The crew advised they had no actual smoke on board. The aircraft remained on the ground in Amsterdam for 21 hours, then returned to service. https://www.avherald.com/h?article=506ee799&opt=0 Incident: Avelo B738 at New Haven on Mar 22nd 2023, hydraulic problem An Avelo Airlines Boeing 737-800, registration N809VL performing flight XP-346 from West Palm Beach,FL to New Haven,CT (USA) with 176 passengers and 6 crew, was on approach to New Haven when the crew received indication of a hydraulic problem, went around, decided to divert to Hartford,CT (USA) and climbed the aircraft 3000 feet. The aircraft landed safely on Bradley Airport's runway 24 about 30 minutes after the go around. Avelo reported the aircraft suffered an issue with one of redundant hydraulic systems and diverted to Bradley as a precaution. The remainder of the flight was cancelled, the passengers are going to be reimbursed for their trip from Bradley to New Haven. The aircraft remained on the ground in Hartford for about 67 hours before returning to service. https://www.avherald.com/h?article=506ee608&opt=0 Incident: Singapore B744 near Hong Kong on Mar 24th 2023, fire indication A Singapore Airlines Boeing 747-400 freighter, registration 9V-SFN performing flight SQ-7858 from Singapore (Singapore) to Shanghai Pudong (China) with 2 crew, was enroute at FL400 about 160nm south of Hong Kong when the crew decided to divert to Hong Kong reporting a fire indication in the main cabin. The aircraft landed safely on Hong Kong's runway 07L about 30 minutes later. The indication was identified false. The aircraft remained on the ground in Hong Kong for about 18 hours, then continued the flight. https://www.avherald.com/h?article=506edfd7&opt=0 Incident: Chrono B732 at Montreal on Mar 22nd 2023, engine shut down in flight A Chrono Jet Boeing 737-200, registration C-FYPN performing flight MB-792 from Montreal St. Hubert,QC to Iqaluit,NU (Canada) with 86 passengers and 6 crew, was climbing through FL180 out of Montreal's St. Hubert Airport when the crew received a low oil pressure indication for the right hand engine (JT8D), stopped the climb, shut the engine down and returned to Montreal's St. Hubert Airport for a safe landing about 40 minutes after departure. https://www.avherald.com/h?article=506ece2e&opt=0 Accident: Hifly A333 over Nigeria on Mar 23rd 2023, severe turbulence causes 10 injuries A Hifly Airbus A330-300 on behalf of TAAG Angola Airlines, registration 9H-HFA performing flight DT-652 from Luanda (Angola) to Lisbon (Portugal), was enroute at FL380 about 190nm southeast of Abuja (Nigeria) just after crossing from Cameroon into Nigeria when the aircraft encountered severe turbulence causing altitude fluctuations between -200 and +200 feet causing injuries to 10 people on board. One person received first aid on board by a doctor travelling as passengers on board. The aircraft continued to Lisbon, where the aircraft landed on runway 20 about 5:10 hours after the encounter. Emergency services reported two cabin crew and 8 passengers received injuries, one of the cabin crew received a fractured leg, the other injuries were minor. Passengers reported the meal service was just in progress when the turbulence occurred causing the service trolleys to be thrown against the ceiling and all items to be distributed throughout the cabin. The airline reported two cabin crew and 8 passengers received injuries as result of severe turbulence while flying above DR Congo, none of the injuries were serious. The aircraft is still on the ground in Lisbon about 19 hours after landing. https://www.avherald.com/h?article=506e51a1&opt=0 Jet Shook, Killing Ex-White House Aide, After Pilots Shut Off Key System, Report Says Dana Hyde sustained fatal injuries during the flight in New England after pilots turned off a switch that controls a stabilizer function in the aircraft, a preliminary report said. A business jet carrying a former White House official this month pitched up and down in midair, causing her death, after pilots turned off a system that stabilizes the plane, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a preliminary report. The pilots noticed several warnings related to system failures of the aircraft’s flight control as it traveled from Keene, N.H., to Leesburg, Va., on March 3, and they followed steps on a checklist, which advised them to turn off a switch that controls a stabilizer function in the aircraft, according to the report. When the switch was turned off, it prompted the nose of the plane to swing upward, the report says. The plane then pointed down and jerked upward again in a roller-coaster-like motion before a pilot used both hands to regain control of it, the N.T.S.B. said. “As soon as the switch position was moved, the airplane abruptly pitched up,” the report says. One of the pilots, in his account to investigators, estimated that the plane had oscillated up and down for a “few seconds.” Shortly after the scare, the crew members were told by a passenger that the former White House official, Dana Hyde, 55, of Cabin John, Md., had been injured. Ms. Hyde, who was a senior adviser at the State Department under President Barack Obama and served as counsel on the 9/11 Commission, was taken to a hospital after the plane landed. She died in the hospital from her injuries, the authorities said. The people onboard the plane, a Bombardier Challenger 300, were subjected to forces about four times the pull of gravity, according to the report. The authorities initially said that the plane had encountered “severe turbulence.” But the flight crew members told investigators that they “did not experience any remarkable turbulence during the flight,” the report says. The jet was diverted to Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Conn. Last year, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a directive to pilots flying the Bombardier Challenger 300 that instructed them to conduct extra safety tests before flights. The directive was prompted by several reports that the horizontal stabilizer caused the noses of planes to tilt down when pilots tried to make the plane climb, according to a rule from the F.A.A. in June last year. Bombardier said in a statement on Sunday that it was “deeply saddened by this tragic event,” adding, “We extend our sincerest sympathies to all those affected by this accident.” Bombardier said it was “carefully studying” the preliminary report from the N.T.S.B. Ms. Hyde’s husband, Jonathan Chambers, said in a statement that they and their younger son had been flying home that day, after visiting schools in New England, when their plane “suddenly convulsed in a manner that violently threw the three of us.” “Dana was the best person I ever knew,” he said, adding that she “never forgot her small-town eastern Oregonian roots.” Ms. Hyde was a special assistant to the deputy attorney general in the Clinton administration, according to Columbia University. She later served as associate director of the Office of Management and Budget during the Obama administration. She also helped establish the African Leadership University and worked at Jerusalem Venture Partners, a venture capital firm. “That’s a real résumé,” her husband said. Mr. Chambers said his wife was “a wonderful mother to our boys.” In a eulogy for Ms. Hyde delivered by Mr. Chamber’s older son, he dismissed the idea of living each day as if it were your last. “I now realize that’s wrong,” the son said, according to Mr. Chambers. “You should live each day as if it’s the last of someone you love.” https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/26/business/jet-dana-hyde-ntsb-report.html 2 pilots killed after their Baton Rouge Police Department helicopter crashes in a cane field FAA flight data reveals the helicopter took off from Baton Rouge Metro airport at 2:26 a.m. and crashed three miles away about 12 minutes later. BATON ROUGE, La. — Two Baton Rouge Police Department pilots were killed when their police helicopter crashed in a cane field in West Baton Rouge Parish Sunday morning. Authorities say the crash happened around 11:30 a.m. near North Winterville Road, and U.S. 190. FAA flight data reveals the helicopter took off from Baton Rouge Metro airport at 2:26 a.m. and crashed three miles away about 12 minutes later according to WBRZ. State Police, BRPD, and the WBR Sheriff's Office arrived on the scene along with the Baton Rouge Coroner's Office. Dozens of first responders also showed up to the scene of the crash to pay their respects to the officer. Sunday Sgt. Landon Groger with the West Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office delivered a message of heartache. “There was a law enforcement crash located here in Erwinville, Louisiana the reason is still under investigation by the FAA.” he told Eyewitness News. Two of his law enforcement brothers were killed in that downed helicopter. “We are asking the community to lift our officers up in prayer, to lift the two family members of the two heroes we lost today, to lift those families up in prayer," Baton Rouge Police Chief, Murphy Paul said during a press conference. Sources told our partners at WBRZ the officers in the helicopter were pursuing a car running from police when the crash happened. The wheelers who live nearby say they were going about their usual Sunday activities when tragedy struck. “We went to church this morning and upon arriving back from church we were out here on the porch and we saw all the police activity turning in off the highway,” Lawanda Wheeler told Eyewitness News. She said her two sons have both spent time in law enforcement, so this hits close to home for them. “We were shocked, utterly shocked… this little small community is really quiet, laid back, not a whole lot of traffic… just learning of officers that were working and now won’t make it home,” Wheeler said. “It's very emotional it's almost indescribable at a time when we have to keep the tears off our face and do what we have to do to bring justice to the family, closure to the family, be supportive of everyone, but deep down inside its absolutely devastating,” Sgt. Groger said. He would not confirm what led up to the crash. The identities of the officers killed will be released after their families are notified. https://www.wwltv.com/article/news/local/helicopter-fatal-crash-baton-rouge-police/289-7ae246cf-53a1-4200-9d48-3f0d42ed83ff Nepal suspends two controllers after flights avert midair crash The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal suspends two employees of the air traffic controller department for ‘carelessness’. An Airbus SAS A321 aircraft operated by Air India approaches to land at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai, India. Air India and Nepal Airlines aircraft came close to collision midair while they were waiting to land at Nepal's Kathmandu airport [File: Dhiraj The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has suspended two employees of the air traffic controller department for “carelessness”, the aviation body’s spokesperson Jagannath Niroula has told the Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency. Nepal’s CAAN on Sunday wrote to the Director General of Civil Aviation of India (DGCAI) to probe why the Air India plane, which was on hold at an altitude of 5,800 metres (19,000 feet) due to high traffic at Kathmandu airport, suddenly descended and narrowly missed colliding with the Nepal Airlines aircraft flying at an altitude of 4,572 metres (15,000 feet). “We have written to DGCAI requesting them to evaluate the occurrence and take action as deemed and inform us accordingly,” the CAAN spokesperson told the Reuters news agency. He added that the aviation body has formed a committee to look into the incident. On Friday, an Air India and a Nepal Airlines aircraft came close to colliding in midair while they were waiting to land at Kathmandu’s busy international airport. But the warning systems alerted the pilots which averted the disaster, PTI reported on Sunday. The Nepal Airlines plane was inbound to Kathmandu from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and the Air India plane was coming to Kathmandu from New Delhi, India. “Similarly, we have sent a letter to the Indian civil aviation regulatory body to investigate into possible fault of Air India’s pilot and take necessary action,” Niroula said. Nepal is notorious for its poor air safety, and the latest incident comes less than two months after a plane crash in western Nepal which killed all 72 people on board. A government committee is due to submit its report to ascertain the cause of the Yeti Airlines crash. In addition to difficult flying conditions, Nepal’s air transport sector has been plagued by accidents due to poor maintenance, insufficient training and lax standards. The European Union has banned all Nepali carriers from its airspace over safety concerns. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/3/27/nepal-suspends-two-controllers-after-flights-avert-mid-air-crash Police: passenger pulled jet's emergency slide at LA airport A passenger on a Delta Air Lines flight out of Los Angeles International Airport was detained for triggering the plane’s emergency slide prior to takeoff, authorities said. The passenger opened an emergency exit door around 10 a.m. Saturday, causing the emergency slide to deploy as the plane was pushing away from the gate, according to Los Angeles Airport Police. The person was not arrested, but “transported to a local hospital for mental evaluation,” said airport police Captain Karla Rodriguez. Flight 1714 was scheduled to fly to Seattle, Delta said in a statement Sunday. “The aircraft was holding to taxi for takeoff when the passenger exited the aircraft and was initially detained by Delta staff ahead of being arrested by local law enforcement,” the statement said. The aircraft returned to a gate and passengers were put on another plane, Delta said. The FBI was notified, Rodriguez said. https://www.ksby.com/news/national-news/police-passenger-pulled-jets-emergency-slide-at-la-airport RUSSIAN AIRLINES NO LONGER SAFETY RATED AirlineRatings.com. the world’s most respected airline safety rating site is no longer safety rating Russian airlines. Editor-in-Chief Geoffrey Thomas explains that “Russian airlines have run out of spare parts and are being forced to split their fleets into flying and grounded and cannibalize parts from the grounded planes.” “Also, the insurance on the flying assets is now void,” Mr Thomas said. “Last month the Russian government legalized the cannibalization of aircraft for parts and this is making experts nervous” Website Poltitico.eu cited Richard Aboulafia, director of U.S.-based AeroDynamic Advisory, who raised safety concerns. “I wouldn’t feel at all confident flying on a plane in a country that was no longer keeping public maintenance records and was subject to sanctions by the producer countries. I just wouldn’t,” he told the website. Poltitico reported that “nine minor carriers stopped flying last year after having their permits pulled by regulator Rosaviatsiya, and three of those were directly linked to sanctions.” Also last year Patrick Ky, the EU’s top aviation safety official, expressed concern that Russia is using Western-made planes without access to spare parts and proper maintenance, calling the situation “very unsafe.” Mr Thomas added that last year “the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) downgraded its air safety rating for Russia, saying the country’s Federal Agency for Air Transport was not complying with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) safety standards.” Russia airlines fly Airbus and Boeing aircraft almost exclusively – all powered by western engine makers – and the airlines are turning to the black market for spares made by illegal manufacturers. Before the invasion of Ukraine, Russia had a very robust and respected airline system that spanned the globe. Aeroflot flew to 146 destinations in 52 countries. Russian airlines have been forced to order the 215-seat TU-214, the new 175-seat MC21 and the 75-seat Sukhoi Superjet to replace their Boeing and Airbus aircraft. However, it will be a number of years before these aircraft are delivered. https://www.airlineratings.com/news/russian-airlines-no-longer-safety-rated/ Higher-airspace operations regulation explored in EASA proposal Supersonic, hypersonic, and potential suborbital flights are among the considerations in a newly-proposed roadmap to prepare for a future regulatory framework on higher-airspace air transport operations in Europe. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency says such operations – above 55,000-66,000ft – “do not yet exist on a large scale” on the continent. “Only one application for certification of [a higher-airspace operations] aircraft is pending at EASA for the time being and it is unlikely that multiple civil or commercial operations of [such] aircraft, when certified, will take place in the EU airspace in the immediate future,” it states in the proposal document. But it says a “new category” of airspace users could emerge “in the near future”, pointing out the developments relating to air-launched vehicles, high-altitude pseudo-satellites, and other craft. “Future operations in the higher airspace will be manned or unmanned and may pose safety risks when transiting through the current air operations in the airspace below,” it states. Higher-airspace operations could cover future supersonic, hypersonic and suborbital craft The development timeline is uncertain, says EASA, and the diversity of operations, vehicle categories, manoeuvrability and energies, and flight phases is likely to be broad – and bring specific safety, security and environmental risks. “Bringing these different needs together and finding a balanced set of rules, respecting every current and potential future operation use-case, could be difficult and take time,” it adds. “But ensuring a regulatory level-playing field addressing all categories of [higher-airspace] users appears necessary.” Given the uncertainty over industrial development, EASA believes creating a full regulatory framework is not immediately practical, and is recommending a two- or three-year preparatory phase – running from 2023 – to understand the needs and constraints of higher-airspace operations. This preparatory phase would cover six categories of action, such as offering support to industrial developments, building regulatory awareness and know-how, and carrying out scientific studies to improve the data which would drive regulatory choices. Studies would be required to assess the impact of weather phenomena – including space weather – the performance and limits of current communication, navigation and surveillance capabilities, and the impact of higher-airspace operations on crew and passengers. EASA says the preparatory roadmap will also encompass regulatory analysis of hybrid higher-airspace operations, to determine whether some should be governed by air law. It will also seek to take advantage of other programmes and policies to support higher-airspace operations development, co-ordinating closely with defence interests, and extending this co-operation cross-border to achieve a harmonised environment and as much global interoperability as possible. https://www.flightglobal.com/aerospace/higher-airspace-operations-regulation-explored-in-easa-proposal/152621.article Nominee for F.A.A. Post Withdraws From Consideration Phillip A. Washington’s Republican critics had complained that he lacked aviation experience and raised questions about his connection to a corruption investigation. Phillip A. Washington testifying before the Senate earlier this month in Washington. He has withdrawn himself from consideration for the F.A.A. WASHINGTON — President Biden’s nominee to lead the Federal Aviation Administration, Phillip A. Washington, has withdrawn from consideration for the job, according to the White House. Mr. Washington’s Republican critics in the Senate had argued that he lacked sufficient aviation experience, and they raised questions about his connection to a corruption investigation in Los Angeles. His withdrawal came shortly after the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation said it would delay its vote on Mr. Washington’s nomination, which had been scheduled for Wednesday. Abdullah Hasan, a spokesman for the White House, said that Mr. Washington had the right qualifications and experience to run the F.A.A. “Unfortunately, an onslaught of unfounded Republican attacks on Mr. Washington’s service and experience irresponsibly delayed this process, threatened unnecessary procedural hurdles on the Senate floor, and ultimately have led him to withdraw his nomination today,” Mr. Hasan said in a statement to The New York Times. Though Mr. Washington, a 24-year Army veteran, has been the chief executive of Denver International Airport since 2021, much of his career involved ground transport: leading Denver’s Regional Transportation District and later the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. He has been linked to a Los Angeles public corruption investigation involving no-bid contracts awarded by the transit system to a nonprofit operating a sexual harassment hotline. Last year, the California attorney general’s office took over the investigation from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Mr. Washington has denied any wrongdoing in the matter. Pete Buttigieg, the U.S. transportation secretary, at an event this year. He expressed regret for the withdrawal of Mr. Washington’s nomination. Pete Buttigieg, the U.S. transportation secretary, had announced Mr. Washington’s withdrawal on Twitter late Saturday, a few hours before the White House released its statement to The Times. “The FAA needs a confirmed Administrator, and Phil Washington’s transportation and military experience made him an excellent nominee,” Mr. Buttigieg tweeted Saturday night. “The partisan attacks and procedural obstruction he has faced are undeserved, but I respect his decision to withdraw and am grateful for his service.” The F.A.A. has been without permanent leadership since Stephen Dickson, a former Delta Air Lines executive tapped by President Donald J. Trump in 2019, stepped down nearly a year ago. Billy Nolen, the agency’s top safety official, has been in charge since Mr. Dickson’s departure. In recent months, the agency has dealt with a number of challenges, including a series of near collisions at airports around the country and a system outage in January that caused widespread disruptions. Mr. Washington, 65, would have been the first Black person confirmed as F.A.A. administrator. President Biden nominated him to the post in July 2022, but he did not receive a hearing in the last Congress. The president resubmitted the nomination in January. In a hearing earlier this month, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, the top Republican on the Commerce Committee, argued that Mr. Washington was simply not qualified for the position. Citing the aviation backgrounds of previous F.A.A. leaders, he peppered Mr. Washington with technical questions related to the Boeing 737 Max crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/26/us/politics/faa-nominee-withdraws-phillip-washington.html Curt Lewis