Flight Safety Information - May 24, 2023 No. 100 In This Issue : Incident: THY A21N and BA Euroflyer A320 at London on May 23rd 2023, on short final with aircraft in position for departure resulting in fuel emergency : Accident: Avelo B737 near Orlando on May 20th 2023, wake turbulence injures flight attendants : Incident: Delta B752 near Jacksonville on May 22nd 2023, lightning strike : Incident: Jetblue A320 near New York on May 22nd 2023, loss of cabin pressure : Pilots uninjured after crop dusters collide (Louisiana) : New Montana law targets drone pilots disrupting firefighting efforts : US needs to invest in aviation safety tech to prevent accidents: NTSB : India's aviation regulator to audit Go First for service restart - internal memo : IBAC congratulates Joby Aviation on becoming first eVTOL/AAM to adopt IS-BAO safety standard : Frontier Airlines Opens Crew Base At Dallas Fort Worth International Airport : Tardy Training Jet Reveals Limits of Digital Design, Air Force Says : France bans short-haul flights where trains are available : RTCA Webinar: From ConOps to Operational Deployment Incident: THY A21N and BA Euroflyer A320 at London on May 23rd 2023, on short final with aircraft in position for departure resulting in fuel emergency A THY Turkish Airlines Airbus A321-200N, registration TC-LSN performing flight TK-1997 from Istanbul (Turkey) to London Gatwick,EN (UK) with 112 people on board, was on final approach to Gatwick's runway 08R about 2.5nm before touchdown descending through about 875 feet AGL when the crew initiated a go around due to another aircraft in position to begin their takeoff run. A BA Euroflyer Airbus A320-200, registration G-GATS performing flight BA-2762 from London Gatwick,EN (UK) to Amsterdam (Netherlands), was lining up with runway 08R while the A21N was on final approach, crossing the hold short line when the A21N was about 3nm before touchdown. The aircraft commenced their takeoff run about 30 seconds later, when the A21N had already initiated their go around. According to a listener on local frequencies tower was calling the A320 to stop while still on the taxiway and then instructed the A21N to go around. The crew of TK-1997 climbed their aircraft to initially 3000 feet then decided to divert to Birmingham,EN (UK), as they had been holding at Gatwick at FL140 and FL070 due to traffic congestion at the aerodrome (which suffered delays of up to 30 minutes at the time) and were nearing their diversion fuel. The aircraft climbed to FL160 on their way to Birmingham, on approach to Birmingham the crew declared fuel emergency and continued for a safe landing on Birmingham's runway 33 about 35 minutes after the go around. The aircraft remained on the ground in Birmingham for about 80 minutes, then departed to Gatwick and landed in Gatwick with a delay of about 3 hours. The A320 continued to Amsterdam landing there on time. The A21N is still on the ground in Gatwick about 4 hours after landing there. The return flight TK-1998 was cancelled. https://avherald.com/h?article=5098d9da&opt=0 Accident: Avelo B737 near Orlando on May 20th 2023, wake turbulence injures flight attendants An Avelo Airlines Boeing 737-700, registration N701VL performing flight XP-357 from New Haven,CT to Fort Myers,FL (USA), was enroute at FL360 about 160nm northeast of Orlando,FL (USA) when the aircraft encountered turbulence causing injuries to three flight attendants. The flight crew diverted the aircraft to Orlando for a safe landing on runway 35L about 35 minutes after leaving FL360. The airline reported the aircraft was enroute at FL360 when three flight attendants received minor injuries caused by wake turbulence of another large aircraft, their aircraft dropped by about 400 feet as result. The flight attendants were treated at Orlando, replacement flight attendants continued the flight to Fort Myers. The aircraft remained on the ground for about 80 minutes, then continued and reached Fort Myers with a delay of about 90 minutes. https://avherald.com/h?article=5098b55a&opt=0 Incident: Delta B752 near Jacksonville on May 22nd 2023, lightning strike A Delta Airlines Boeing 757-200, registration N6708D performing flight DL-2990 from Atlanta,GA to Jacksonville,FL (USA), was descending towards Jacksonville when the aircraft was struck by lightning. The aircraft continued for a safe landing on Jacksonville's runway 08. The airline reported the aircraft landed safely after indication of a potential lightning strike on arrival into Jacksonville. A replacement aircraft performed the return flight. The aircraft is still on the ground in Jacksonville about 21 hours after landing. https://avherald.com/h?article=509898ae&opt=0 Incident: Jetblue A320 near New York on May 22nd 2023, loss of cabin pressure A Jetblue Airbus A320-200, registration N534JB performing flight B6-137 from New York JFK,NY (USA) to Santiago (Dominican Republic), was climbing through FL330 out of New York when the crew initiated an emergency descent due to the loss of cabin pressure, the passenger oxygen masks were released. The aircraft levelled off at 10,000 feet about 6 minutes later and returned to New York for a safe landing on runway 13R about 65 minutes after departure. A replacement A320-200 registration N569JB reached Santiago with a delay of about 4.5 hours. https://avherald.com/h?article=50987d67&opt=0 Pilots uninjured after crop dusters collide (Louisiana) Two crop dusters (Gulfstream-Schweizer G-164D Turbo Ag Cat's) collided near the Vermilion Parish Police Jury barn located on La 14 near Gueydan. According to Sheriff Mike Couvillon, the incident took place Monday, May 22 on a dirt landing strip. The aircraft's were damaged but the pilots were not injured. Lafayette regional Airport Operations were notified and the FAA/NTSB Regional Operations Center will investigate the incident. https://www.katc.com/news/vermilion-parish/pilots-uninjured-after-crop-dusters-collide New Montana law targets drone pilots disrupting firefighting efforts Montana has adopted a new law adding state penalties for drone pilots whose flights interfere with firefighting efforts on top of federal fines – a legal combination that could feasibly cost convicted violators $40,000. State governor Greg Gianforte signed bill SB 219 that legislators had earlier approved establishing a $1,500 fine for the misdemeanor of drone pilots flaunting interdictions of flying around blazes, and obstructing firefighters in their work while doing so. The new law – which can also hold violators liable for all costs involved in hampering responders in their work – will be applied in addition to federal statutes. Those can inflict up to $25,000 in fines and possible criminal prosecution of drone pilots whose flights impede firefighting, or otherwise interfere with responses to blazes. Passage of the law was largely in response to firefighting activity that was interrupted by a drone flight last year as units battled a wind-driven inferno on Mount Helena. That was reportedly the second such obstruction Montana fire units experienced last summer, and among the 19 or 20 similar incidents averaged across the US annually since 2019. The new law was drawn up to compensate for what were considered overly specific prohibitions of drone pilots inhibiting aerial firefighting activity. The new rules will now punish anyone whose UAV inhibits fire suppression activity in any manner – including communication tech interference. It also gives fire officials on site more authority to determine when those craft have hampered their work – a legal appreciation that’s expected to strengthen eventual prosecution and conviction of violators. “This provides law enforcement the jurisdiction and discretion to make a professional determination of obstruction, and then leaves it to the prosecuting authority to follow through,” said Matt Hall, the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation’s Fire Protection’s bureau chief. “If you fly your drone into an area where we have aerial suppression efforts going, we’ll use whatever means necessary to take that drone out.” https://dronedj.com/2023/05/24/new-montana-law-targets-drone-pilots-disrupting-firefighting-efforts/ US needs to invest in aviation safety tech to prevent accidents: NTSB The US needs to invest more in aviation safety technology solutions after a series of close-call runway incidents this year, the head of the US National Transportation Safety Board said on Tuesday. The NTSB is investigating six runway incursion events since January including some that could have been catastrophic. For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app. Technology systems that help detect aircraft and ground vehicles at airports to prevent runway incursion are currently used at 43 US airports. That technology needs to be upgraded and all other commercial airports also need additional technology, Jennifer Homendy, chair of the NTSB, told reporters. She was speaking after a five-hour meeting with industry, union, government and academic representatives on ways to address runway incursions. “We have to make sure all these upgrades to safety can be funded,” Homendy said, adding that proper pilot and air traffic control staffing was also important. The US has about 500 commercial airports. The US runway incursion rate steadily increased from late 2022 and into 2023, peaking in March at 33 per 1 million takeoffs and landings. That rate fell to 19 in April. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the rate was coming closer to normal levels and vowed continued vigilance. The US has not had a major fatal US passenger airline crash since February 2009. In March, the FAA said it was taking steps to improve air traffic control, convening a safety summit and issuing a safety alert. In April, it named an independent safety review team and on Monday, it announced an investment of $100 million in 12 airports for improvements to taxiways and lighting to reduce runway incursions. Homendy said a FedEx cargo plane and a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 that came within about 115 feet (35 meters) of each other in Austin on February 4 in poor visibility conditions could have been a “terrible tragedy.” She disclosed Tuesday that the FedEx plane’s first officer saw a single light from the Southwest 737 and then a silhouette of the plane before they aborted their planned landing. “The first officer said, ‘Hey this is what I see’ and then says ‘I think we should perform a go around,’” Homendy told reporters. “This crew did a great job.” Near-miss incidents have also occurred in Boston, Florida and include a near collision at New York’s JFK airport between a Delta Air Lines plane and an American Airlines Boeing 777. https://english.alarabiya.net/business/aviation-and-transport/2023/05/24/US-needs-to-invest-in-aviation-safety-tech-to-prevent-accidents-Safety-board- India's aviation regulator to audit Go First for service restart - internal memo BENGALURU, May 24 (Reuters) - The Indian aviation regulator will conduct an audit of cash-strapped carrier Go First's preparedness to restart its operations, the company said on Tuesday night in an internal memo. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will conduct the audit in the coming days, with operations commencing following the regulator's approval, Rajit Ranjan, vice president of flight operations, told employees. As part of preparations to recommence operations, employees will be required to undertake a four-hour refresher on the airline's monsoon operations, among other items, according to the memo seen by Reuters. "You are requested to be available for flying so that the relaunch is smooth and we start flying as soon as possible," it said. Go First has, however, cancelled its flights on May 27-28 due to issues outside the company's control, according to a source with direct knowledge of the matter. Reuters could not immediately reach Go First Chairman Varun Berry for comment. The memo came after an appeals tribunal upheld insolvency proceedings against Go First, which the company describes as a "landmark decision", making it harder for the airline's lessors who are attempting to take back their planes. Go First CEO Kaushik Khona assured that employees' April salary would be credited ahead of resuming operations, said the memo. The airline has blamed its financial woes on problems with engines from Raytheon-owned (RTX.N) Pratt & Whitney, but has highlighted the Indian government's support in resolving the issues. https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/indias-aviation-regulator-audit-go-first-service-restart-internal-memo-2023-05-24/ IBAC congratulates Joby Aviation on becoming first eVTOL/AAM to adopt IS-BAO safety standard The International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) congratulates Joby Aviation on becoming the first advanced air mobility (AAM) company to achieve the International Standard for Business Aircraft Operators (IS-BAO) registration, which highlights their commitment to safety. Kurt Edwards, IBAC Director General commented, “Joby Aviation is a leader in advanced air mobility. We congratulate them on achieving Stage 1 IS-BAO and look forward to working with them and others in this evolving aviation segment to demonstrate excellence in safety and continuous improvement.” Andrew Karas, Director IS-BAO Programme, said, “It’s exciting to see Joby make this commitment to safety in their operation from the start. They have been active in our IS-BAO AAM working group and contributed to the adaptation process of the standard to this new sector. Our team has enjoyed working with the Joby safety team and admire their hard work and professionalism.” Bonny Simi, Head of Air Operations and People at Joby Aviation, said, “Achieving this milestone is an important step towards developing our operational muscle and we’re grateful to the team at IBAC for their leadership in this space.” As the globally recognized voluntary safety standard, IS-BAO assists operators in applying industry best practices by challenging them to review and compare their safety-related policies, processes, and procedures and then make improvements, elevating them to a global standard. IS-BAO was developed by the business aviation community and is designed to promote high-quality operating practices by establishing a framework for effective safety and operational processes, providing tools to facilitate the implementation and deliver a safety management system (SMS) appropriate to all operational profiles. https://verticalmag.com/press-releases/ibac-congratulates-joby-aviation-on-becoming-first-evtol-aam-to-adopt-is-bao-safety-standard/ Frontier Airlines Opens Crew Base At Dallas Fort Worth International Airport DFW is Frontier's ninth crew base. Frontier Airlines has opened its latest crew base at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. DFW became the ninth base in the carrier's network and will be home to almost 350 pilots and flight attendants within the first year of operations. Expanding at DFW Last November, after a failed merger with Spirit Airlines, Frontier Airlines announced the opening of a new base at DFW, opened its Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport crew base the following day, announced a 12-month flight subscription service, and several new routes. Six months after its announcement, Frontier has opened its DFW base. Frontier Airlines President and CEO Barry Biffle and DFW Airport Vice President of Airline Relations Milton De La Paz hosted an event along with Frontier team members to celebrate the opening. “We are thrilled to celebrate this historic occasion for Frontier and DFW. This new crew base will bring quality jobs to the DFW community and allow us to expand our affordable and convenient travel options to those across the region. This crew base demonstrates our strong commitment to DFW now and for many years to come." - Barry Biffle, President and Chief Executive Officer, Frontier Airlines Frontier expects to generate more than $78 million in wages at DFW and anticipates growth, already the fastest carrier at the airport since 2019. The airline expects to employ 120 pilots and 220 flight attendants within the first year of operations. To celebrate its commitment to DFW, Frontier is hosting a community event today from 17:00 to 20:00 at Community Beer Co. At the event, Frontier is giving away a number of its GoWild! All-You-Can-Fly Summer Passes in addition to other prizes. Analyzing DFW Operations According to schedule data from Cirium, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport has about 900 daily departures this week from 28 airlines. American Airlines is by far the largest airline at the airport, home to its headquarters and biggest hub, with over 700 daily departures. Spirit Airlines is in a distant second place with over 30 daily departures, and Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, and Frontier are just a short distance away from Spirit. Frontier's busiest day at DFW this week is Friday, with 26 departures to 19 cities, including two international destinations, Cancun and Montego Bay. On Friday, Frontier's busiest route is to Harry Reid International Airport, with four departures scheduled. Across its 168 flights planned this week, Frontier offers the third-most seats, with 32,456, averaging about 193 seats per flight. https://simpleflying.com/frontier-airlines-opens-crew-base-dallas-fort-worth-international-airport/?newsletter_popup=1 Tardy Training Jet Reveals Limits of Digital Design, Air Force Says New GAO report says decade-late T-7A program will get later yet. The U.S. Air Force’s decade-late training jet is so wracked with problems—notably in the emergency escape system—that even the service’s updated schedule is unrealistic, according to a new Government Accountability Office report. “The Air Force has yet to resolve significant issues with the escape system, flight software, simulator, and aircraft sustainment,” the report said, while a new schedule issued in January “is also optimistic, relying on favorable outcomes not supported by past performance.” Long a poster child for digital design, which the Air Force hopes will save time and money, the Boeing-Saab T-7A Red Hawk has instead revealed its limits. On Monday, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall conceded that the promise of digital design was “over-hyped.” Digital engineering is “very efficient” compared to moving piles of documents around, Kendall said, but it will never replace testing. “It's not perfect and the T-7 gives you an example of that. It doesn't help you when you're doing a design that's different than anything you've ever done before. Having digital doesn't give you better knowledge about how it's going to work. You end up having to do testing just as we always had,” Kendall told reporters on Monday. Lawmakers have urged the Air Force to move faster to replace its half-century-old T-38 trainers, which have been involved in several accidents in recent years. Earlier this year, the service pushed back a production decision on the T-7A to February 2025 and moved initial operating capability to January 2027. But GAO said this new schedule is “likely optimistic since the schedule for several areas depends on favorable assumptions,” according to the report, which was released Friday. While Boeing and the Air Force have both cited progress on the ejection seat, GAO said Boeing will need to “execute several more design iterations and tests to resolve the problems.” The watchdog agency said the Air Force is likely two years away from demonstrating a safe escape system. The Air Force declined to say when exactly the ejection seat will be ready, but said it will be before the 2025 production decision, according to a spokesperson. Boeing, which has built five test aircraft and two flying prototypes for the T-7, has said more rigorous flight testing will begin this summer after it receives “military flight release,” which essentially clears the aircraft for flight. One reason the GAO is dubious about the Air Force’s professed two-year schedule is the slow pace of previous tests. After a sled test in late 2021, more than 15 months passed before the following test was successfully executed last February, the report said. The Air Force told GAO that seven more tests are needed before the plane can be declared safe. “The Air Force tested some design changes for the [trainer] escape system in its February 2023 test, but program officials said the system, in order to meet airworthiness criteria, needs at least seven additional tests to achieve confidence in the system. These seven tests include the three remaining tests funded under the study and four more that the contractor is planning to conduct,” the report said. Boeing has reported more than $1 billion in losses on the program. The company originally underbid the T-7 competition, and delays and new charges have added additional pressures. “Air Force program officials said that they expect what they call a tenuous relationship with the contractor to remain a key element of managing the program, especially as the contractor continues to lose money,” GAO said. A Boeing spokesperson said that the company and the Air Force are “partnered on a path forward” to work on the trainer’s escape system. “The team completed a successful sled shot on Feb. 1, 2023 to test the system and provide confidence. Additionally, we continue to evaluate findings and discovery during testing activities which is standard practice when developing a new aircraft,” the spokesperson said in a statement. https://www.defenseone.com/defense-systems/2023/05/tardy-training-jet-reveals-limits-digital-design-air-force-says/386687/ France bans short-haul flights where trains are available A ban on short domestic flights for journeys that can be completed in two-and-a-half hours by train was signed into law in France on Tuesday. Clement Beaune, France’s transport minister, heralded the decree. “This is an essential step and a strong symbol in the policy of reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” Beaune said in a statement. “As we fight relentlessly to decarbonize our lifestyles, how can we justify the use of the plane between the big cities which benefit from regular, fast and efficient connections by train,” he added. Only three routes have been discontinued: those linking Paris-Orly airport to the cities of Bordeaux, Nantes and Lyon. Connecting flights will be unaffected. For the ban to apply, the EU insisted the air route in question must have a high-speed rail alternative that makes it possible to travel between the two cities in less than two-and-a-half hours. There must also be enough early and late-running trains to enable travelers to spend at least eight hours at the destination. How one European country is planning a ‘rail revolution’ Some have criticized French President Emmanuel Macron for watering down proposals from his own environmental panel, which had recommended a ban on flights where a train journey would take fewer than four hours. Critics have pointed out that high-speed train lines were already draining passengers away from airlines and that the ban pays lip service to climate concerns without really doing anything about them. “No one will be fooled by this measure: passengers are naturally turning away from taking flights on these routes,” Guillaume Schmid, former vice president of Air France’s pilots’ union, tweeted. “The French flight ban is a symbolic move, but will have very little impact on reducing emissions,” said Jo Dardenne, an aviation director at cleaner transport campaign group Transport & Environment. T&E estimates that the three routes affected by the ban represent only 0.3% of the emissions produced by flights taking off from mainland France, and 3% of the country’s domestic flight emissions (counting only mainland domestic flights). https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/france-bans-short-domestic-flights-climate/index.html RTCA Webinar: From ConOps to Operational Deployment As the industry moves closer to realizing AAM Systems as part of our airspace, manufacturers, customers and regulators are exploring how Operational Deployment will differ based on the initial Concept of Operations. Join us for a discussion with IATA, Wisk and Zipline on the different paths required for crewed, partially crewed and completely autonomous operations when moving from Concept of Operations to Operational Deployment. Register free: https://bit.ly/3IcsKkS Curt Lewis