Flight Safety Information - May 11, 2023 No. 091 In This Issue : Incident: Fedex AT72 at Memphis on May 5th 2023, runway excursion on landing : Accident: American A321 at Charlotte on May 5th 2023, tail strike on landing : Incident: Azul E295 at Salvador on May 10th 2023, overran runway on landing : Accident: Qatar B773 near Bangkok on May 10th 2023, severe turbulence causes injuries : Incident: Indigo A320 near Medan on May 9th 2023, smell of smoke in cabin : Air India hooked 200 Go First pilots before insolvency filing : Air Force pilot training boss fired amid misconduct investigation : Pilot landing at Boston Logan International Airport reported a laser being flashed at the plane : Mexico could recover coveted US air safety rating by mid-June -media : Turkish Airlines set to order 600 aircraft in June -chairman : An unruly airplane passenger attacked the flight attendants because he did not like how his meal choices were presented : Man charged with making bomb threat at Pittsburgh International Airport : Man who fired gun inside Atlanta airport sentenced to 10 years in federal prison : Tibet Airlines Airbus A319 Returns To Shenzhen With Smoke Reported In The Cabin Incident: Fedex AT72 at Memphis on May 5th 2023, runway excursion on landing A Fedex Federal Express Avions de Transport Regional ATR-72-202 freighter on behalf of Mountain Air Cargo, registration N820FX performing flight MTN-8387 from Charleston,SC to Memphis,TN (USA), landed on Memphis' runway 36R but veered to the right edge of the runway before returning onto the center line. The aircraft taxied to the apron. The FAA reported: "AIRCRAFT LANDED AND VEERED OFF RUNWAY DAMAGING RUNWAY EDGE LIGHTS, MEMPHIS, TN.", there was no damage to the aircraft. https://avherald.com/h?article=508f4f7c&opt=0 Accident: American A321 at Charlotte on May 5th 2023, tail strike on landing An American Airlines Airbus A321-200, registration N921US performing flight AA-1753 from Fort Lauderdale,FL to Charlotte,NC (USA), landed on Charlotte's runway 18L but suffered a tail strike on landing. The aircraft rolled out without further incident. The FAA reported: "AIRCRAFT EXPERIENCED A TAIL STRIKE ON LANDING, CHARLOTTE, NC.", the damage was UNKNOWN. The aircraft is still on the ground in Charlotte 6 days later. https://avherald.com/h?article=508f4d70&opt=0 Incident: Azul E295 at Salvador on May 10th 2023, overran runway on landing An Azul Linhas Aereas Embraer ERJ-195-E2, registration PS-AED performing flight AD-4372 (dep May 9th) from Sao Paulo Viracopos,SP to Salvador,BA (Brazil) with 105 people on board, landed on Salvador's runway 17 (length 1518 meters/4980 feet) at 01:26L (04:26Z) but overran the end of the runway by about 36 meters and came to a stop in the grass past the paved surface of the runway. There were no injuries and no visible damage to the aircraft. The longer primary runway 10/28 (length 3003 meters/9852 feet) was not available due to maintenance works. https://avherald.com/h?article=508ecfd7&opt=0 Accident: Qatar B773 near Bangkok on May 10th 2023, severe turbulence causes injuries A Qatar Airways Boeing 777-300, registration A7-BAN performing flight Qr-960 (dep May 9th) from Doha (Qatar) to Denpasar (Indonesia), was enroute at FL370 about 140nm westnorthwest of Bangkok (Thailand) when the crew decided to divert to Bangkok after severe turbulence had caused a number of injuries on board. The aircraft landed safely in Bangkok about 30 minutes later. The airline confirmed that the aircraft experienced severe turbulence which caused injuries to some individuals on board. The aircraft diverted to Bangkok to provide medical assistance to the injured. The aircraft is still on the ground in Bangkok about 8.5 hours after landing. https://avherald.com/h?article=508eeb51&opt=0 Incident: Indigo A320 near Medan on May 9th 2023, smell of smoke in cabin An Indigo Airbus A320-200, registration VT-IAN performing flight 6E-1007 from Tiruchirappalli (India) to Singapore (Singapore), was enroute at FL350 about 270nm westnorthwest of Medan (Indonesia) when cabin crew noticed a burning odour in the cabin. The flight crew rapidly descended the aircraft to FL100 and diverted to Medan for a safe landing on runway 23 about 55 minutes after leaving FL350. The airline promised to send a replacement aircraft, however, about 17 hours after landing in Medan no Indigo Aircraft has yet arrived in Medan. https://avherald.com/h?article=508ea1c0&opt=0 Air India hooked 200 Go First pilots before insolvency filing Air India’s ‘November Oscar Whiskey’ ad led to a rush in job applications by Go First pilots with more than 200 pilots of the bankrupt budget airline receiving employment offers. Despite this, the recruitment battle is heating up as Air India is having to compete with the likes of IndiGo and Akasa Air who are also vying for the same pool of 700 Go First pilots. “More than 200 offers were made in the first three days of the recruitment drive. The pilots are being roped in at the same salary as other Air India pilots with similar work experience. This also works for the Tata-owned airline, since they continue to have a large chunk of pilots who have refused to sign the new compensation contract," a senior airline executive aware of the development said, seeking anonymity. https://www.livemint.com/news/india/air-india-competes-with-indigo-and-akasa-air-for-go-first-pilots-as-recruitment-battle-heats-up-amid-bankruptcy-filing-11683741860405.html NTSB To Host Runway Incursion Roundtable A week after the FAA struck a committee to discuss the state of aviation safety, the NTSB has announced it will host a roundtable discussion on the spate of serious runway incursions that occurred in the first quarter of the year. The four-hour morning discussion will be hosted by NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy on May 23 at NTSB headquarters in Washington. The board said in a news release the meeting will be open to the public and streamed online. It will feature “safety experts from the aviation industry, labor, and government to discuss the current state of the runway incursion problem and possible solutions and next steps.” The release doesn’t name the experts. “I look forward to hosting a candid assessment of what’s been done to prevent runway incursions in the years since our last event on the topic—and to spur meaningful, immediate action on the areas where we’re stalled,” said Homendy. “By proactively looking for ways to make our skies safer, this event reflects our agency’s commitment to meeting the same high standards we ask of others.” In the first three months of the year, at least six runway incursions involving airliners that resulted in some kind of diversion or go-around occurred at U.S. airports. https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/ntsb-to-host-runway-incursion-roundtable/ Air Force pilot training boss fired amid misconduct investigation Air Force Maj. Gen. Phillip Stewart, 19th Air Force commander, greets airmen at the 54th Operations Support Squadron at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, Sep. 28, 2022. Stewart was removed from command Tuesday amid an investigation into allegations of misconduct. (Airman 1st Class Corinna Diaz/Air Force) Maj. Gen. Phillip Stewart, commander of the Air Force’s pilot training enterprise, was removed from his post Tuesday amid an investigation into his alleged misconduct. Air Education and Training Command boss Lt. Gen. Brian Robinson relieved Stewart of command “due to a loss of confidence in his ability to lead” after less than a year in the job, spokesperson Capt. Lauren Woods said in an email Wednesday. She declined to elaborate on the nature of the allegations. Stewart’s deputy, Brig. Gen. Christopher Amrhein, will serve as interim commander until further notice. Replacing the organization’s top officer is intended to “ensure good order and discipline and continued high performance,” the service said. “The Air Force takes any misconduct allegation seriously and is committed to conducting a thorough investigation,” Robinson said in the release. As the head of 19th Air Force, Stewart oversaw 32,000 employees and more than 1,500 aircraft across the United States since taking command last August. The San Antonio-based organization is in charge of training around 27,000 American and foreign aviators on about two dozen different airframes each year, according to his official biography. Before arriving at Joint Base San Antonio, Stewart served as a deputy chief of staff at NATO’s military headquarters in Belgium. He commanded NATO’s Global Hawk force and its air advisors in Afghanistan, earning the NATO Meritorious Service Medal from the alliance’s secretary general, according to his biography. The two-star general trained as an F-15C pilot after joining the Air Force in 1992, then became an instructor and evaluator on a range of other special operations and intelligence-collection aircraft, his biography said. He ran the 9th Reconnaissance Wing at Beale Air Force Base, California, as well. Stewart amassed more than 600 hours in combat over 168 missions, earning the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit and Bronze Star Medal. Several other Air Force officials have been fired so far this year, including six officers tasked with managing infrastructure, fuel and logistics support at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota, and Brig. Gen. Paul Birch, commander of the 36th Wing at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam. https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2023/05/10/air-force-pilot-training-boss-fired-amid-misconduct-investigation/ Pilot landing at Boston Logan International Airport reported a laser being flashed at the plane A pilot who was landing at Boston Logan International Airport Tuesday night reported that a green laser was flashed at the plane, according to FAA officials who are investigating the incident. SkyWest Flight 3984, an Embraer 175, was traveling from Baltimore/Washington International Airport to Logan. As the plane was landing at around 9 p.m. on Tuesday, a green laser was apparently flashed at the aircraft. https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/05/10/pilot-landing-at-boston-logan-international-airport-reported-a-laser-being-flashed-at-the-plane/ Mexico could recover coveted US air safety rating by mid-June -media MEXICO CITY, May 10 (Reuters) - Mexico could recover a much-needed aviation safety rating by mid-June, following an upcoming audit from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the country's transportation minister said in an interview published Wednesday. "We asked for it to be as soon as possible, we proposed within a month and they said it was feasible," Transportation Minister Jorge Nuno said in an interview with Mexican newspaper Reforma. Stay ahead of the market The FAA downgraded Mexico to the Category 2 safety rating in May 2021, saying country's aviation authority lacked regulations in compliance with international standards. The downgrade has prohibited Mexican airlines' ability to open new international routes to the U.S. and limited their ability to carry out marketing agreements. The damage done to Mexican airlines as a result has been "significant," Aeromexico CEO Andres Conesa said last year. Mexico is on track to recover the rating two years after the downgrade, following a recently passed aviation reform which resolved the last of issues raised by the FAA, officials have said. The aviation reform, which took effect this month, overhauls safety requirements for the country's regulator on a number of matters such as personnel licensing, aircraft operation and airworthiness of craft. It also included a stipulation backed by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador allowing a military-run company to operate both a network of airports and a commercial airline. The government inked a deal this year to buy the brand of defunct airline Mexicana, which it plans to revive as the military-run line. It is set to take flight by the end of this year, officials have said. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/mexico-could-recover-coveted-us-155243797.html Turkish Airlines set to order 600 aircraft in June -chairman ISTANBUL, May 11 (Reuters) - Turkish Airlines will order a total of 600 new aircraft in June, the company chairman Ahmet Bolat said on Thursday, adding that they will be delivered within ten years. Bolat also said the order will consist of 400 wide body aircraft and 200 narrow body aircraft, adding that the fleet will increase to 810 aircraft by 2033. https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/turkish-airlines-set-order-600-aircraft-june-chairman-2023-05-11/ An unruly airplane passenger attacked the flight attendants because he did not like how his meal choices were presented On a flight from Barbados to Miami, a passenger became physically abusive because he was unhappy with HOW his meal choices were presented to him! It is unclear what about this menu presentation set the gentleman off. Still, he had enjoyed two drinks, assumedly alcoholic, before his tirade turned into physical pushing, touching, and an attempt to break into the cabin. The passenger is getting a financial lesson, even if he serves no time in jail, as he must now wait in the United States, paying for room and lodging as his court dates approach. A motion filed by Croizat's attorney explains he was going to Miami for five days to visit his son, who wound up co-signing his dad's bond. But things weren't moving fast enough for Croizat, who was ordered to turn in his passport, and complained to the court that the cost of renting Airbnbs while waiting for his case to be adjudicated was "financially burdensome" and asked to be allowed to return home temporarily. His request was denied. The FAA last year received 2,455 reports of unruly passengers aboard airplanes, with 831 investigations launched. In addition to criminal charges being brought by law enforcement, the FAA—which says it has "zero tolerance" for fliers acting out, separately levied $8.4 million in fines for bad behavior. Croizat is scheduled to plead guilty in Miami federal court on Wednesday to a misdemeanor charge of interference with a flight crew and assault, according to court records. His lawyer, Barry Wax, and American Airlines, did not respond to The Daily Beast's requests for comment. There is just no what that whatever airplane food was on that menu it is worth jail time. Seriously, man. https://boingboing.net/2023/05/10/an-unruly-airplane-passenger-attacked-a-flight-attendant-because-he-did-not-like-how-she-presented-his-meal-choices.html Man charged with making bomb threat at Pittsburgh International Airport PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A man was charged with making a bomb threat at Pittsburgh International Airport on Wednesday. A spokesperson for the Allegheny County Airport Authority said police responded around 4:30 p.m. after a "perceived threat" to an American Airlines flight scheduled to depart Pittsburgh to Philadelphia International Airport. The spokesperson said a passenger who was late and missed boarding "made a threat against the aircraft to gate agents." The passenger was detained and all passengers were deplaned while officials investigated. Allegheny County police said Hossein Dehnavifard, an Iranian national, was arrested after he said he had a bomb in his checked bag. Officials said he was flying to Iran. "The threat was made after he was not allowed to board the aircraft due to being late," police said in a release. "The threat was heard by two airline workers who each confirmed what the man stated." "I saw a lot of law enforcement in the B Terminal prior to arriving in that central area," Rachel Riordan said. "Once I got there, I saw a crowd of people." "The policemen and the elevated policemen with the body armor were storming through the B Terminal and running," Riordan added. Operations at the airport were not impacted, the spokesperson said. Police said no threats were found. Dehnavifard was charged with terroristic threats and threat to use weapons of mass destruction. He was taken to the Allegheny County Jail. In a statement, American Airlines said, "Prior to departure, American Airlines Flight 1862 was met by law enforcement due to a possible security issue." A TSA spokesperson said it didn't have any involvement with this incident. https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/perceived-threat-at-pittsburgh-international-airport/ Man who fired gun inside Atlanta airport sentenced to 10 years in federal prison ATLANTA — The man who sent Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport into chaos in November 2021 is heading to federal prison. Kenny Wells Jr., 42, fired a gunshot while at the main TSA security checkpoint on November 20, 2021. According to investigators, Wells ran from the airport after the gun went off and threw it in a nearby trash can. He was captured three days later after Atlanta police used airport surveillance video to find the gun. Channel 2 investigative reporter Mark Winne was the only reporter in the courtroom in January when Wells pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. On Wednesday, Wells was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. After his January plea, the government indicated they would be recommending a sentence of ten years and the defense appeared to agree to the sentence. Police say Wells is a convicted felon. He was released from prison in 2000. He has a list of offenses between 1997 and 2015 including burglary, forgery, impersonating an officer, false imprisonment, theft by taking and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. TSA agents said they found the gun in his bag as it passed through the security screening area, so they pulled him aside for another search. “During that secondary search, the passenger lunged into his property, grabbing a firearm that was located inside which ultimately discharged,” said Robert Spinden with the Transportation Security Administration. Police say three people needed medical assistance after Wells fired his weapon. One person fell in the atrium and two others complained of shortness of breath. https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/atlanta/man-who-fired-gun-inside-atlanta-airport-sentenced-10-years-federal-prison/2UACXGPBI5BUNA3H52K6AQY35E/ Tibet Airlines Airbus A319 Returns To Shenzhen With Smoke Reported In The Cabin Tibet Airlines confirmed that it is not a safety issue, On May 6th, a video on the internet showed a Tibet Airlines passenger flight forced to return to its departure airport due to an unknown thick smoke in the cabin. Footage from the cabin The passenger who took the video said it smelled like a burnt electronics device, and the plane circled in the air for an hour before returning. Smoke can be seen in the video, and the flight attendants can be heard shouting, "Safety belts confirmed, lower your head and cover your mouth and nose with your collar." According to the data from VariFlight.com, the flight was Tibet Airlines TV9918 from Shenzhen to Lhasa, which departed from Shenzhen Bao'an Airport (SZX) at 14:17 on May 6th. The flight was conducted by Airbus A319. The flight was canceled after returning, and VariFlight.com also showed that the flight had circled before returning. Tibet Airlines customer service said that it had been confirmed that the plane returned due to a mechanical failure, and the flight was canceled afterward without any replacement. In such cases, accommodation and other flights will be arranged, and passengers can choose to reschedule or refund their tickets. On May 8th, Tibet Airlines issued a statement regarding the incident: On May 6th, Tibet Airlines flight TV9918 departed from Shenzhen Bao'an Airport at 14:17. Shortly after takeoff, smoke appeared in the cabin, and the crew decided to return. The aircraft landed safely at Shenzhen Airport at 15:00, and the flight was subsequently canceled and passengers were properly arranged. After the ground maintenance personnel's systematic inspection, it was confirmed that the fault was in the air conditioning component in the belly of the aircraft, which would not affect flight safety. We apologize for the inconvenience caused to passengers and express sincere gratitude for your concern and understanding. Tibet Airlines' incident last year May 12th, 2022, marked a bad day for Tibet Airlines, as a flight from Chongqing to Lhasa caught fire after take-off. According to officials from Tibet Airlines, the plane, also an Airbus A319, had a mechanical failure while taking off. The fire started in the engine and quickly spread to the cabin, causing panic among the passengers and crew. The pilot was able to immediately take control of the plane and make an emergency landing at Chongqing airport. Fortunately, the aircraft landed safely, and all passengers and crew evacuated quickly. However, the fire had caused significant damage to the plane and the airport. The fire was quickly put out by emergency personnel and firefighters, but not before it had caused significant damage to the plane and the airport. Tibet Airlines has rapidly responded to the incident and has launched an investigation into the cause of the fire. In a statement, the airline expressed deep regret for the incident and its commitment to ensuring passenger safety. The airline also said that it would work with the relevant authorities to ensure that the incident is thoroughly investigated and that the necessary measures are taken to ensure the safety of its passengers. https://simpleflying.com/starlux-founder-facing-fine-letting-passenger-cockpit/ Curt Lewis