Flight Safety Information - April 28, 2023 No. 082 In This Issue : Incident: Avianca A320 at Medellin on Apr 26th 2023, bird strike : Incident: Summit RJ1H at Saskatoon on Apr 17th 2023, engine fire indication : Aviation Safety Compliance : Incident: Canada A320 at WInnipeg on Apr 17th 2023, coffee troublemaker : Worker taping Spirit Airlines plane wing goes viral as social media baffled : Passengers With Cello Removed From American Airlines Flight : American Airlines Still Has 120 Grounded Regional Jets : Air Force seeks to retire more than 300 aircraft : TAG To Run Ground Schools for Dassault Falcon Pilots : HNA Aviation buys 100 planes from Comac, giving China's home-grown aircraft builder a leg up in its bid to catch up with Airbus and Boeing Incident: Avianca A320 at Medellin on Apr 26th 2023, bird strike An Avianca Airbus A320-200, registration N477AV performing flight AV-234 from Medellin (Colombia) to Mexico City (Mexico), was climbing out of Medellin's runway 01 when the aircraft received a bird strike against the left hand windshield leaving the windshield apparently undamaged. With all indications remaining normal the crew continued the climb, the aircraft was enroute at FL360 about 40 minutes into the flight when the left hand windshield started to develop cracks prompting the crew to decide to return to Medellin. The aircraft descended to FL350 and entered a high level hold before commencing the descent towards Medellin, the cracks worsened during the descent. The aircraft landed safely on Medellin's runway 01 about 2:05 hours after departure. A replacement A320-200 registration HK-5318 reached Mexico City with a delay of about 3.5 hours. A passenger reported the crew reported they had received a bird strike during takeoff from Medellin impacting the captain's windshield, only at cruise level at FL360 cracks developed in that windshield prompting the return to Medellin. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Medellin about 30 hours after landing back. https://avherald.com/h?article=508672d2&opt=0 Incident: Summit RJ1H at Saskatoon on Apr 17th 2023, engine fire indication A Summit Air Avro RJ-100, registration C-FXRJ performing flight BF-8093 from Saskatoon,SK to Kamloops,BC (Canada) with 43 people on board, was climbing through 8000 feet out of Saskatoon when the crew received engine #3 (LF507, inboard right hand) vibration indications. While working the related checklist the crew received a fire warning for engine #3, performed the fire drill and shut the engine down, the fire indication ceased. The crew declared emergency and returned to Saskatoon for a safe landing. The Canadian TSB reported maintenance found the engine oil tank empty, metal was found on the engine's chip detector and the fuel flow divider was found cracked. The engine was replaced. https://avherald.com/h?article=508622ed&opt=0 Incident: Canada A320 at WInnipeg on Apr 17th 2023, coffee troublemaker An Air Canada Airbus A320-200, registration C-FGJI performing flight AC-299 from Winnipeg,MB to Vancouver,BC (Canada), was climbing out of Winnipeg's runway 36 when a flight attendant attempted to turn on the coffee makers in the forward galley, however, one of them did not show any power on. A short time later the flight attendant heard a loud pop and noticed a burning odour, smoke became visible. The flight crew declared PAN PAN, stopped the climb at FL230 and returned to Winnipeg for a safe landing on runway 36 about 35 minutes after departure. The Canadian TSB reported maintenance found visible damage on one of the coffee makers in the forward galley, wire harness and maker tray did not show any damage however, the circuit breaker had not tripped. The coffee maker was replaced. https://avherald.com/h?article=508621bb&opt=0 Worker taping Spirit Airlines plane wing goes viral as social media baffled A shocking video of an airline worker putting tape on a Spirit Airlines plane has gone viral and people can’t believe what they watched. In the video, posted by TikToker myhoneysmacks, the airline worker is doing quick maintenance to the aircraft’s left wing while sitting on the tarmac at Nashville International Airport, as passengers look on from inside the plane. “The reason why I don’t fly with Spirit,” the TikToker said. “I don’t care if it is aviation airplane tape or nothing, the fact that you have to tape the plane together and then you doing it while people are on the flight like we cannot see you.” “That’s the reason why I will not fly with Spirit, now Southwest I’ll do, but Spirit no sir,” the video creator doubled-down on her claim on her disdain for the budget airline. As the quick patch on the plane proceeded, the woman continued to be shocked by what she was witnessing. “After a while, they’re going to need a fresh new roll of tape, their tapes gonna lose all its stickiness, you flying all around the world and you got tape holding it together. Don’t even worry about it, I won’t be booking with you.” “This is called Speed Tape used to perform minor repairs on airplanes. Every airline uses it including SouthWest,” one user commented. Speed Tape is an aluminum-backed adhesive used to make quick repairs on aircraft and race cars. https://nypost.com/2023/04/28/worker-taping-spirit-airlines-plane-wing-goes-viral/ Passengers With Cello Removed From American Airlines Flight The airline later offered a full refund to the passengers. American Airlines denied boarding to two passengers earlier this month as they were traveling with their cello in the cabin. Interestingly, it was their second flight of the day, and they had no problem flying with the musical instrument on their earlier flight with the carrier. Removed View from the Wing reports that on April 5th, two elderly passengers were asked to deboard their American Airlines flight from Dallas-Fort Worth to Washington Dulles, as the cello they were traveling with was deemed unfit to be carried in the aircraft cabin. This came as a surprise to the travelers as not only did they purchase a separate seat for the instrument but faced no problem on their previous American Airlines flight earlier on the same day. But it was the type of the plane that posed a challenge rather than the cello itself. According to the report, the gate agent told them they could wait for the next flight on an Airbus plane instead of a Boeing 737 or check the cello as baggage. They said that instruments are not permitted to be carried on 737 seats. With the next flight hours away, the passengers chose to check the instrument as baggage and continued with the flight. An American Airlines spokesperson was quoted as saying, “Customers with large carry-on musical instruments that do not meet carry-on requirements may choose to purchase an additional seat for the instrument. The requirements for these instruments are available on aa.com. Our team is reviewing this specific issue and will reach out to the customer directly.” View from the Wing states that following the report, American Airlines offered a full refund to the passengers for the ticket and also gave a $100 trip credit per person. What do American Airlines’ rules say? American Airlines' policy on carrying musical instruments can be found on its website page for special items and sports equipment. For musical instruments, the airline allows small instruments as a carry-on on a first-come, first-serve basis as long as it fits in the overhead bin or under the seat in the front. Get the latest aviation news straight to your inbox: Sign up for our newsletters today. For instruments that don’t fit in the carry-on bag space, passengers can choose to buy an additional seat which: Costs the applicable adult fare plus any applicable taxes or carrier-imposed fees Is a bulkhead (divider) window seat (not in an Emergency Exit row) Is directly next to the passenger The airline also specifies that if the instrument is placed on a seat, the seat bags must not weigh more than 165 lbs / 75 kg and must meet seat size restrictions based on airplane type. It looks like a case of miscommunication between the airline and the passengers where details of the plane type for the second part of their journey were overlooked, resulting in the incident. For an average traveler, asking about the aircraft type may not come naturally. Hopefully, clearer communication regarding this can prevent something like this from happening again. https://simpleflying.com/passengers-cello-removed-american-airlines-flight/?newsletter_popup=1 American Airlines Still Has 120 Grounded Regional Jets The airline's regional network is still suffering from a supply and demand imbalance. A shortage of pilots from pandemic cutbacks and retirement forced several US carriers to ground their smaller regional fleets last year, even amid a rebounded summer passenger demand. American Airlines also suffered from the supply and demand imbalance, which saw the carrier grounding approximately 150 regional jets in the second quarter of last year. These regional aircraft were smaller 50 and 76-seater planes belonging to American Airlines' regional network, the American Eagle, which consists of six regional carriers like Envoy Air, Piedmont Airlines, PSA Airlines, Air Wisconsin Airlines, Republic Airways, and SkyWest Airlines. The optimistic outlook was that the grounding would have worn off by this year, and most of the jets would be flying again. Plenty of planes are still grounded Nearly five months into this year and it's safe to assume that this optimistic outlook has yet to fully occur, as approximately 121 aircraft across the six regional carriers are still grounded. Looking at the bright side of the three main wholly-owned regional subsidiaries like Envoy Air, Piedmont Airlines, and PSA Airlines, an estimated 55 aircraft are still stored. And among the three carriers, Envoy Air stands out with 28 Embraer ERJ-145s still grounded, the most number of jets compared to the other two. Following close behind is PSA Airlines, with approximately 17 Bombardier CRJ-700s still grounded. Then there is Piedmont Airlines, with only 10 Embraer ERJ-145s stored. Although the primary issue for that many planes still being ground lies with pilot shortages, American Airlines is confident that American Eagle will prosper again within the next two years for these aircraft to be back in the skies. Chief Executive Officer Robert Isom highlights: "I mentioned the 150 aircraft that we're not flying from a regional perspective before, and I think we've seen the low supportability point. And as we look through the rest of this year, that will be built back. And I don't know if we'll be back to probably 100 aircraft down, but I look out over certainly in the next 18, 24 months, to be in a much better position just for utilization and service the smaller cities." A troubling effect on regional flights While the number of American Airlines' grounded regional aircraft has reduced slightly compared to last year, it has done little to positively affect the airline's regional flight operations - which have understandably declined compared to pre-pandemic levels. To gain a rough picture, American Airlines conducted nearly 100,000 regional flights in April 2019. But within this month alone, the airline is only nearing 69,300 regional flights, highlighting a difference of at least 30.5%. Some of the most impacted regional routes include New York-Washington, which saw about 316 flights for both ways in April 2019, a far cry from the 77 flights conducted this month. Another affected route is Los Angeles-San Diego, which used to see about 177 flights for both ways in pre-pandemic times. Unfortunately, American Airlines has since offered zero flights either way for this route this month. The same fate has also occurred to other routes like Charlotte-Indianapolis and Washington-Texas, to name a couple. Bottom line Earlier this year, I discussed how one significant trend that would reshape the aviation industry within the next decade was the steep decline of regional airlines. Although carriers like American Airlines have been actively hiring to bolster their workforce, most pilots will likely to poised to fly with the primary carrier as demand for international flights grows. Additionally, the decline of regional airlines will likely see the primary carriers taking up the regional routes for higher profits, which is better than having that many regional planes grounded and not making money. But given American Airlines' confidence that American Eagle will come back strong in about two years, perhaps regional aviation isn't that forgotten after all. https://simpleflying.com/american-airlines-120-grounded-regional-jets/ Air Force seeks to retire more than 300 aircraft • Air Force leaders told the House Armed Services Committee that the savings would go to research, development, testing and evaluation for future platforms. WASHINGTON — If the Air Force gets its way, it will get rid of more than 300 legacy aircraft next year. In its $185.1 billion Fiscal Year 2024 budget, the Air Force has requested to divest a total of 310 aircraft. Among the planes on the chopping block are 32 F-22 Raptors, which the service says are not combat certified, and 57 F-15C and D Eagles. Air Force leaders on Thursday told the House Armed Services Committee that the savings would go to research, development, testing and evaluation for future platforms. They said hard choices must be made. "Often, these choices are between current capability, readiness and future capabilities," said General Charles Brown, USAF Chief of Staff. "Our message this year has not changed. The Air Force must modernize to counter strategic competition while balancing risk by divesting platforms and capabilities that have decreasing relevance against pacing challenges." Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall III agreed. He said: "We ask for Congress' continued support for this and other identified challenges we must make to fill the forces we need to be successful against our pacing and other challenges. The committee's chairman Rep Mike Roger (R-Alabama) supported the concept generally. But he added: "We should also ask tough questions about how much risk we're absorbing and for how long, because the fact is, many of these advanced technologies are a decade away." On a more positive note, if the Air Force budget request is enacted as proposed, airmen would see a 5.2% pay raise, the largest in years, plus an estimated 4.2% increase in their housing allowance. https://www.13newsnow.com/article/news/national/military-news/air-force-seeks-retire-more-than-300-aircraft/291-bfeccb6d-3ea8-4bef-9a5a-28f0834190db TAG To Run Ground Schools for Dassault Falcon Pilots Indonesian air force pilots were the first to attend TAG's ground school for Dassault Falcon flight crew. TAG Global Training will run ground school instruction for pilots of Dassault Falcon aircraft completing initial simulator training at CAE’s facility at Burgess Hill in the UK. Under an agreement announced today, TAG will run two-day courses at its Farnborough Airport site covering aviation first aid, wet drills, safety emergency procedures, standard operating procedures, and passenger handling. Pilots who graduate from the training will be able to return for refresher training at the required intervals. TAG Global Training’s ground school curriculum covers all required instruction for both commercial operations and Part NCC rules for private operators. In March, TAG conducted the first of the new ground school sessions with a pair of Indonesian air force pilots who were also undergoing Dassault Falcon training. “After years of negotiations, I am proud that Dassault and CAE have chosen TAG Global Training as their ground school training provider,” said Debbie Elliott, manager of TAG Global Training. “This venture continues to strengthen the working relationships we have with both organizations and complements our strategic focus within TAG Aviation globally.” https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2023-04-27/tag-run-ground-schools-dassault-falcon-pilots HNA Aviation buys 100 planes from Comac, giving China's home-grown aircraft builder a leg up in its bid to catch up with Airbus and Boeing HNA Aviation Group, which operates China's fourth-largest aircraft fleet, has ordered 100 planes from the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac), giving the state-run manufacturer a leg up in its race to catch up with Airbus and Boeing in the global aviation industry. HNA signed a contract for 60 of Comac's C919 single-aisle passenger jet and 40 of the ARJ21 regional jetliners yesterday in Shanghai, according to a statement that did not divulge financial details. The procurement is a boost for Comac in helping China to fulfil President Xi Jinping's aspiration to challenge the dominance of Boeing and Airbus in the home or even the global market. China is aiming for a 10-per cent share of domestic aviation by 2035. By the end of last year, Comac received orders for 1,035 C919 airliners, its flagship product to rival Boeing's 737 and Airbus' A320. Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. "The two parties will take advantage of this opportunity to deepen cooperation and further integrate the civil aviation transport industry with commercial airline manufacturing to build a strong nation in terms of civil aviation and manufacturing," according to the statement. An ARJ21 jetliner carrying the livery of One Two Three Airlines (OTT Airlines) at the Hongqiao International Airport in Shanghai on December 28, 2020. Photo: Xinhua. alt=An ARJ21 jetliner carrying the livery of One Two Three Airlines (OTT Airlines) at the Hongqiao International Airport in Shanghai on December 28, 2020. Photo: Xinhua.> Comac can break the duopoly of Boeing and Airbus in the home market because of the size of China's aviation industry and strong policy support, according to Berlin-based think tank Mercator Institute for China Studies. Comac, which was founded in 2008 with the state-owned asset regulator and Aviation Industry Corporation of China being its major shareholders, anticipates having an annual manufacturing capacity of 150 C919 aircraft within five years. Its ARJ 21 regional jet can fly 95 passengers and has a flight range between 2,225 kilometres and 3,700 kilometres. Hainan Airlines, the Shanghai-listed unit of HNA Aviation, had a fleet of 342 planes, including 260 Boeing airliners and 64 Airbus jets by the end of 2022, according to its annual report. HNA operates several carriers, the largest of which is Hainan Airlines. It also operates regional carriers like Tianjin Airlines and Fuzhou Airlines. It is the latest customer for the C919, which can carry between 156 to 168 passengers in typical configurations, with an operational range of 3,000 nautical miles (5,555 kilometres). China Eastern Airlines bought four C919s in May 2022 for US$99 million each. The first plane was delivered in December after undergoing 100 hours of test flights. The plane will be put into commercial use after it meets a series of flight requirements such as operational safety and maintenance reliability, according to the Xinhua News Agency. The C919 made its maiden test flight in 2017 and was certified to fly by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) in September last year after 14 years of development. Its major parts such as engines and communication systems are imported from the US or Europe. China's aviation industry is on the recovery after the nation dropped all the Covid curbs in November, unleashing pent-up demand for traveling. Data from online travel agency Trip.com shows that searches for air tickets and hotels from the coming May Golden Week holiday that starts on Saturday, have exceeded the pre-pandemic level. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/hna-aviation-buys-100-planes-093000720.html Curt Lewis