Flight Safety Information - May 26, 2023 No. 102 In This Issue : Accident: Asiana A321 at Daegu on May 26th 2023, emergency exit opened in flight : Incident: Jetstar A320 at Brisbane on May 23rd 2023, chemical smell on board : Incident: Indigo A20N at Mangalore on May 25th 2023, rejected takeoff due to bird strike : FAA finalizes AD addressing lavatory water leaking onto Boeing 787 electronics : Avelo Airlines Hosts Aviation Career Exploration Program : Climate Scientist Explains Increase In Airplane Turbulence : Amazon’s air cargo head changes jobs, will now oversee workplace-safety unit : A Southwest pilot crawled in through the plane's window after being locked out of the cockpit before takeoff : Boeing starts deliveries of reworked 737s, promises pricing discipline Accident: Asiana A321 at Daegu on May 26th 2023, emergency exit opened in flight An Asiana Airlines Airbus A321-200, registration HL8256 performing flight OZ-8124 from Jeju to Daegu (South Korea) with 194 people on board, had been enroute at FL210 and was descending towards Daegu when a left hand emergency exit opened causing injuries to 9 passengers. The aircraft continued for a safe landing on Daegu's runway 13R. The injured were taken to a hospital. Local Police reported nine passengers were taken to hospital with breathing difficulties after an overwing exit opened in flight. The passenger sitting next to it was arrested for allegedly intentionally opening the door. The airline reported police are investigating a man who was sitting next to the emergency exit and said he had been touching the lever. The airline later added, the aircraft was on final approach descending through about 650 feet AGL (200 meters) of height when the door opened. https://avherald.com/h?article=509a6ffd&opt=0 Incident: Jetstar A320 at Brisbane on May 23rd 2023, chemical smell on board A Jetstar Airbus A320-200, registration VH-XNP performing flight JQ-904 from Brisbane,QL to Townsville,QL (Australia), was climbing out of Brisbane when the crew stopped the climb at FL300 due to a chemical odour on board and decided to return to Brisbane for a safe landing about 35 minutes after departure. Subsequent examination of the aircraft identified hydraulic fluid from recent maintenance activity as cause of the odour. https://avherald.com/h?article=509a228e&opt=0 Incident: Indigo A20N at Mangalore on May 25th 2023, rejected takeoff due to bird strike An Indigo Airbus A320-200N, registration VT-ISY performing flight 6E-1467 from Mangalore (India) to Dubai (United Arab Emirates) with 160 people on board, was accelerating for takeoff from Mangalore's runway 06 when the crew rejected takeoff at about 80 knots over ground after a bird had impacted the aircraft. The aircraft slowed safely and returned to the apron. A replacement Airbus A320-200N registration VT-IJB reached Dubai with a delay of about 3 hours. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Mangalore about 13 hours after the rejected takeoff. https://avherald.com/h?article=509a0e06&opt=0 FAA finalizes AD addressing lavatory water leaking onto Boeing 787 electronics The FAA is addressing an unsafe condition on the Boeing 787 In a final rule Airworthiness Directive (AD), the United States (US) Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is addressing water leaking on multiple pieces of electronic equipment, including critical flight equipment, on the Boeing 787-8, 787-9, and 787-10. The AD was finalized following a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) on May 25, 2023. The FAA published the NPRM on December 13, 2022, inviting parties to comment on the proposed directive. Initially, the FAA was prompted to issue the NPRM following “reports of a loss of water pressure during flight and water leaks that affected multiple pieces of electronic equipment”. The proposed rulemaking document detailed that all Boeing 787 aircraft operators were required to conduct a detailed visual inspection (DVI) of all door 1 and door 3 lavatory and galley potable water systems for any missing or incorrectly installed clamshell couplings. If required, airlines would have to apply corrective actions to address the unsafe condition. Bordeaux Airport In Article 1st Banner Exhilaration “The FAA is issuing this AD to address incorrectly installed or missing lavatory and galley clamshell couplings that could lead to water leaks and water migration to critical flight equipment, which may affect the continued safe flight and landing of the airplane,” read the final rule AD. The agency estimated that 134 Boeing 787 aircraft registered in the US are subject to the directive, which is effective June 29, 2023. In order to comply with the AD, airlines must conduct a DVI of the lavatory and galley, which the FAA estimated would cost $85 in labor. “The FAA has received no definitive data on which to base the cost estimates for the on-condition actions specified in this AD,” the regulator noted. Insufficiently addressed unsafe condition Five commenters have addressed the directive, including Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA), which supported the AD without change. American Airlines, Boeing, and Japan’s All Nippon Airways (ANA) requested that the FAA would only include aircraft listed in Boeing Alert Requirements Bulletin B787–81205–SB380021–00 RB, Issue 001, dated August 12, 2022, as the affected units, without including undelivered aircraft. The three commentators argued that Boeing has already “taken several steps to prevent missing or misinstalled lavatory and galley clamshell couplings on airplanes” not listed in the bulletin. Furthermore, a “request for discrepancy check (RDC) was issued to inspect all stored airplanes” at door 1 and door 3 of the lavatory and galley portable water systems, and Boeing initiated a Quality Assurance (QA) verification procedure for the affected parts for future aircraft. The FAA has agreed with the request. However, American Airlines also commented that the final rule AD does not “sufficiently address the unsafe condition nor do they prevent reoccurrence when future maintenance is accomplished on the clamshell”. According to the airline, the leaks are a result of individual operators’ actions and not an inherent design failure, with Boeing not recommending the replacement of the couplings on the majority of the 787 fleet. In addition, the current Boeing 787 maintenance manual “currently provides extensive details on proper installation of the coupling, and that an incorrectly installed coupling is not a latent failure, and is detectable prior to operation of the aircraft”. “AAL observed that the same couplings are installed on their Model 737 and 777 fleet with a high level of reliability and no recorded installation errors in the previous 12 months,” the AD stated. The FAA partially agreed, arguing that the NPRM already made clear that this does not fully address the condition. The AD is an “interim action that will adequately address leak events until an appropriate design change is developed and additional AD action is proposed,” according to the governmental agency. Part of the interim solution is updating the lavatory and galley Fleet Team Digest. Maintenance procedures have already been revised to “correct errors and add tasks directing maintenance in areas where couplings are installed to return the area to its normal condition, which will include inspecting couplings for proper installation prior to leaving the area”. Though American Airlines said that the condition is detectable, the FAA fired back, stating that “there have been several cases of a loss of water pressure during flight, as well as water leaks, discovered after landing, that caused water to migrate into the forward electronic equipment (EE) bay and affect multiple pieces of EE”. In addition, since the unsafe condition has not been addressed on all affected aircraft, the unsafe condition still exists. “This AD will ensure that all couplings are inspected per the updated maintenance procedures and will ensure the safety of the entire fleet,” concluded the FAA’s response, with the regulator adding that the comment has not resulted in any changes to the AD. As such, except for minor editorial changes, the AD has been adopted as proposed. https://www.aerotime.aero/articles/faa-finalizes-ad-addressing-lavatory-water-leaking-onto-boeing-787-electronics Avelo Airlines Hosts Aviation Career Exploration Program The airline hosted an event that provided students with free introductory flying lessons. The ultra-low-cost carrier that is based out of Houston, TX, Avelo Airlines, recently hosted a flight exploration event for young, middle-school-aged students. This recent event provided students from East Haven Middle School in Connecticut to participate in free introductory flying lessons. The free flight event was part of the program run by Avelo Airlines called Aviation Career Exploration (ACE) Program. Recent event run by Avelo Airlines This most recent ACE event was hosted by Avelo Airlines on May 24th. Avelo Airlines partnered with the Yale Aviation Flying Club and Robinson Aviation. The event allowed 35 middle school students to participate in introductory flying lessons at the local Tweed-New Haven Airport (HVN). The Superintendent of East Haven Public Schools, Erica Forti, spoke about the amazing opportunity for the students, saying, “We are so grateful to Yale Aviation Flying Club, Avelo Airlines’ ACE Program, and Robinson Aviation for providing their facility, all of whom are affording a runway to our students’ dreams.” The event allowed for the 35 middle school students to fly in a single-engine Piper aircraft. The students were under the guidance of a licensed flight instructor. The Piper aircraft were provided by the Yale Aviation Flying Club, as well as the flight instructors. Robinson Aviation hosted all the students in their associated facilities as well as providing the area for their discovery flights. Each discovery flight for the students was expected to last approximately 20–30 minutes. Avelo Airlines Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Andrew Levy spoke about the program allowing students to experience flight. He said, “We can’t imagine a more appropriate or exciting capstone experience for these future aviators than to give them the chance to fly. The sky is the limit for these remarkable young people. We hope this discovery flight will inspire them to keep flying high in pursuit of their dreams. Nothing would make me prouder than to call them fellow Avelo Crew members in the future.” The Aviator Career Exploration Program The ACE program run by Avelo Airlines is the first of its kind program that is said to inspire the next generation of aerospace and aviation professionals. The program lasts for six months and is focused on providing opportunities for middle-school-aged students. This specific program is a partnership between East Haven Public Schools and Avelo Airlines in collaboration with Exploring. Exploring is a co-ed awareness program that is run by the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) that provides curriculum development and management for younger kids across the country. The Boy Scouts of America Director of Exploring, Paul Lukas, spoke about the partnership, saying, "The partnership between East Haven Schools, Avelo Airlines, and Connecticut Yankee Council, BSA, is a collaboration that seeks to inspire the next generation of aerospace professionals right here in our community.” Students were selected from their middle school to participate in aerospace programs earlier in their education journey, compared to standard high school programs. This allows the students to adjust their academic and extracurricular choices to help prepare them for a future academic career. https://simpleflying.com/avelo-airlines-hosts-aviation-career-exploration-program/ Climate Scientist Explains Increase In Airplane Turbulence • A Texas A&M professor of atmospheric sciences explains how climate change is at least partly to blame for increased turbulence on flights. • Texas A&M atmospheric sciences professor Dr. Ramalingam Saravasan says increasing amounts of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere lead to inconsistent wind speeds that can cause unpredictable clear-air turbulence in flight. As the third-busiest Memorial Day weekend since 2000 approaches, kicking off a summer travel season that AAA predicts will be one for the record books, particularly at airports, travelers are encouraged to pack their patience and buckle in for what may be a bumpier ride than usual. While flying has long presented myriad challenges, including long lines at security checkpoints and ever-changing baggage standards, experts point to a new and perhaps even larger concern — an uptick in airplane turbulence. Research has shown there has been a major increase in the number of severe turbulence cases on flights both domestic and international. Some of these instances have even resulted in injuries to both passengers and flight attendants along with feelings of extreme panic, anxiety and foreboding. Dr. Ramalingam Saravanan, professor and head of the Texas A&M Department of Atmospheric Sciences, explained that clear-air turbulence is especially concerning because it is nearly impossible to predict its frequency. “The main problem is that you can’t see it,” Saravanan said. “The best way I think pilots know about it is when some other pilot has flown through it and radios back, letting them know its location. You can try to predict it statistically, but you can’t predict it by individual case because it is a random process, and the air looks clear and harmless — hence the name.” But what does this have to do with climate change? One major cause of violent turbulence is the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which have accumulated at an historically high rate during the past year. They are released into the atmosphere as a byproduct of everyday activities like driving cars or burning gas and oil, leading to inconsistent wind speeds that can cause clear-air turbulence. Saravanan noted that greenhouse gases — namely carbon dioxide and methane — act like a blanket for the earth’s surface, trapping the heat that it emits and distorting both the troposphere and stratosphere, thereby increasing the occurrence of clear-air turbulence. “Greenhouse gases warm the lower part of the atmosphere called the troposphere, which is where we live, and cool the stratosphere, which is where most planes fly,” Saravanan explained. “The strength of the wind depends on the gradient of the temperature between the pole and the equator. In the stratosphere, this effect is reversed, and that leads to increased wind shear and turbulence.” Regardless of the unpredictability or inconvenience, air travel isn’t going anywhere. Given the increase in clear-air turbulence, Saravanan said airlines will be required to look into longer-than-usual flight routes, resulting in higher ticket prices. “Airlines employ aviation meteorologists who predict the winds and plot the path to minimize the headwind and increase the tailwind, because when wind is blowing against you, you try to avoid it and go around it,” Saravanan said. “Because it costs money to burn fuel, airlines will add clear-air turbulence predictions to flight routes, which could cost a little more and could lengthen the path.” According to Saravanan, the issue regarding rising levels of greenhouse gases in the environment can lead to bigger problems than those affecting air travel, such as intense rainfall that could cause flooding, increased droughts, stronger storms and winds, and especially rising sea levels. As one possible solution, Saravanan said we can all make more of a conscious effort to decrease our individual carbon footprints. “Greenhouse gases are being omitted as we speak, and that’s because people drive, use heating, air conditioning, etc.,” Saravanan said. “By using energy more efficiently and switching to renewable sources, you’ll reduce the emission of greenhouse gases. It’s a difficult process, but it’s what we need to do to minimize climate change.” https://today.tamu.edu/2023/05/25/climate-scientist-explains-increase-in-airplane-turbulence/ Amazon’s air cargo head changes jobs, will now oversee workplace-safety unit • Amazon’s air cargo chief is shifting roles to oversee the company’s workplace health and safety unit. • Sarah Rhoads, who joined Amazon in 2011, has become one of Amazon’s top logistics executives and helped to rapidly expand its air cargo arm. Sarah Rhoads, who was responsible for Amazon’s burgeoning air cargo business, is shifting roles to oversee the e-retailer’s workplace health and safety division. John Felton, Amazon’s head of worldwide operations, announced the move in a note to staffers on Thursday, according to a copy of the memo viewed by CNBC. Rhoads will also be in charge of Amazon’s global operations learning and development unit, which deals with things like career advancement and skills improvement in the company’s front-line workforce. “Safety is paramount in every aspect of aerospace and other industries look to aviation for best practices in safety,” Felton wrote in the memo. “Sarah’s background as a decorated military pilot and her success leading Amazon Global Air positions her as the ideal leader to assume this critical role.” Raoul Sreenivasan, who joined Amazon in 2016 and currently oversees planning, performance and cargo for Amazon Global Air, will take over most of Rhoads’ Amazon Air responsibilities, Felton said. Prior to joining Amazon, Sreenivasan worked at DHL and TNT Express, a European courier acquired by FedEx. Rhoads, a former U.S. Navy F-18 pilot, has been one of the top executives in Amazon’s sprawling logistics business. She joined the e-commerce giant in 2011. Over the past several years, Amazon has steadily moved more of its fulfillment and logistics operations in house, building a transportation network that the company says rivals UPS in size. As part of an effort to handle and deliver more of its own packages, Amazon launched an air cargo business. Rhoads joined Amazon Air in its early days and has overseen much of the unit’s growth, including the opening of a $1.5 billion air hub in Kentucky. Amazon has contracted more passenger airlines to fly packages in addition to other operators like Atlas Air and ATSG . Sun Country, a leisure-focused carrier, began flying converted Boeing 737 freighters for Amazon in 2020, after travel collapsed in the Covid pandemic. In October, Amazon announced that it reached an agreement with Hawaiian Airlines to fly leased Airbus A330 converted freighters, which would be the largest aircraft in Amazon’s fleet and its first Airbus jets. The planes will help replace older jets in the company’s fleet, Amazon said. Air cargo rates have plunged from record highs hit during late 2021, when port snarls and a dearth of international flights pinched capacity and drove up prices. The rebound in air travel has added capacity to the market, while inflation has fueled shifts in consumer spending. FedEx last year said it would park some aircraft and reduce some of its flights as part of its plan to slash costs. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy is in the midst of a broad overview of the company’s expenses as the company reckons with an economic downturn and slowing growth in its core retail business. Amazon rapidly scaled up its fulfillment and transportation network in recent years in response to a pandemic-driven surge in demand. It’s since closed, canceled or delayed several warehouses across the U.S. The company has also faced growing pressure to address its workplace-safety record. Employees criticized Amazon’s coronavirus response, arguing it wasn’t doing enough to protect them on the job, and the company has faced widespread scrutiny over the injury rates in its warehouses. In September, Amazon appointed Becky Gansert to oversee its workplace health and safety unit after Heather MacDougall resigned from the company, CNBC previously reported. Amazon has disputed reports of unsafe working conditions. During MacDougall’s tenure, the company set ambitious goals to reduce injuries, including a plan to cut recordable incident rates, a federal government measurement covering injury and illness, by half by 2025. Last year Amazon committed to become “Earth’s Best Employer,” adding it to its list of corporate values, even as labor unrest intensified. The executive tasked with overseeing that effort, Pam Greer, departed Amazon last April, according to Bloomberg. https://www.cnbc.com/2023/05/25/amazons-air-cargo-head-will-now-oversee-workplace-safety-unit.html A Southwest pilot crawled in through the plane's window after being locked out of the cockpit before takeoff • A Southwest pilot was captured crawling through the plane's windscreen. • The pilot was locked out of the cockpit, the passenger who took the photo said. • "Well that is definitely something you don't see every day," Southwest said about the photo. A passenger captured a hilarious photo of a pilot crawling through the window of a Southwest Airlines plane after being locked out of the cockpit. Matt Rexroad posted a photo on Twitter showing the pilot standing on an airstar at the side of the plane's windscreen. The pilot's upper body was outstretched inside the plane as he attempted to open the door. "No joke… yesterday last passenger got off plane with no one else on board, he shut the door. Door locked," Rexroad wrote in the post on Thursday. Rexroad told CBS News that he was a passenger on the Southwest flight headed to Sacramento from San Diego. Southwest took a jab at the photo, writing in a reply to Rexroad's post that it's "definitely something you don't see everyday." "We love you, Matt!," the airline wrote in another reply, after Rexroad commented that he loves the airline. A few Twitter users responded in disbelief, with one user named Ryan Clumpner commenting that they "had no clue cockpit windows even opened." Another user, Rob Stutzman, questioned why the pilot "didn't try a coat hanger first". It's not the first time a pilot has gotten locked out of the cockpit. In a TikTok posted in July last year, an American Airlines pilot was shown climbing into the plane through the windscreen. Rexroad and Southwest Airlines did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment, sent outside office hours. https://www.businessinsider.com/southwest-pilot-locked-out-of-cockpit-crawls-through-window-photo-2023-5 Boeing starts deliveries of reworked 737s, promises pricing discipline (Reuters) -Boeing Co has started delivering reworked 737 jets from inventory to customers after a manufacturing glitch forced a brief halt, the company said on Thursday, adding it will be "disciplined" in setting jet prices during the current boom. Stay ahead of the market The resumption could help the planemaker achieve the goal of 400-450 deliveries of the jet this year, a target closely watched by investors as the company looks to recover from successive crises caused by two fatal crashes and the pandemic. "We still expect the first half of the year to be about 30 per month and the back half of about 40 per month," CFO Brian West said, referring to deliveries, at a conference organized by Wolfe Research. Boeing was forced to halt deliveries of some 737s earlier this year due to improperly installed brackets -- which connect the vertical tail with the fuselage made by Spirit AeroSystems. Some analysts had expected the halt to delay Boeing's plans for a 737 MAX production ramp up to 38 per month from 31 currently. But West reiterated that the company expects to hit that target this year. "I don't know exactly when, but that is in our game plan," he added. Meanwhile, West said the top end of Boeing's $3 billion to $5 billion free cash flow forecast was a "bit pressured," in part due to supply-chain problems at its ailing defense business, even as the planemaker maintained that goal. PRICING POWER West said the current environment was "pretty good for price realization" and that Boeing would be "disciplined" in setting prices. Order books at Boeing and its European rival Airbus SE have swelled as carriers rush to buy jets to tap into a resurgence in travel, increasing the planemakers' bargaining power. "We just keep on selling in the future," West said. Earlier this month, Ireland's Ryanair said it paid more per seat than in previous deals as it unveiled an order for as many as 300 Boeing jets. Supply chain snarls, however, remain on the watch list. Some parts of the supply chain aren't quite "where they need to be," West said. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/boeing-says-top-end-2023-141509318.html Curt Lewis