Flight Safety Information - June 28, 2023 No. 128 In This Issue : CAA Accused of Being Asleep at the Wheel as 3 UK Flight Schools Collapse : US Senate Considering FAA Reauthorization Act : How common are airplane engine ingestion fatalities? Two airport workers killed in 2023 : More tech investment needed to prevent aviation accidents - US safety board : United Airlines CEO blames FAA as storms trigger more flight cancellations :_Ryanair pilot killed in hot air balloon accident was 'doing what he loved' CAA Accused of Being Asleep at the Wheel as 3 UK Flight Schools Collapse Bristol Groundschool, the Wings Alliance, Flyer Magazine and The British Airline Pilots’ Association (BALPA) have together written to the Secretary of State for Transport to ask for action over the financial risks in UK Flight Schools as several Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) approved institutions have collapsed in the last few months, leaving customers owed millions. Please see the attached open letter to the Secretary of State. Earlier this year, students who paid in advance for flight training were left seriously out of pocket when Tayside Aviation and FTA Global collapsed. Some trainees are owed up to £90,000, and the indications are that there is very little chance of getting anything back from the liquidators. The CAA are required by retained EU law to operate an ongoing oversight program for the Flight Schools they approve, and this includes a requirement to establish evidence of sufficient funding. Despite this, the CAA have taken the public position that they do not regulate the ongoing financial viability of flying schools. It is understood that groups of students who have lost large sums of money are currently taking legal advice to establish whether the CAA can be separately pursued for compensation. Alex Whittingham, Managing Director of Bristol Groundschool said: “The CAA have been asleep at the wheel. They need to fix the system so this doesn’t happen again.” The signatories to the letter have asked the Secretary of State to instruct the UK CAA to make it a condition of approval that Flight Schools do not take large amounts of cash up front and to make sure that the CAA’s regulatory activities in future comply with their legal responsibility. BALPA are launching an ongoing campaign to improve regulation in the sector. BALPA Interim General Secretary Miranda Rackley said: “Flight schools going bust is financially devastating to hardworking students who deserve to have their money better protected from flight school failures. Pilot training is amongst the most expensive training of all professions, and unlike other careers such as law and medicine, there is no student funding available. Many trainees’ resort to family support to fund their training, such as remortgaging family houses. Government needs to step up and protect students that are so vital to the future of the UK aviation industry.” US Senate Considering FAA Reauthorization Act On the heels of the US House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and Aviation Subcommittee filing their FAA reauthorization bill, the US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation and its Aviation Subcommittee filed its companion legislation – the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2023. Following the committee’s markup on the bill, the legislation will advance to the Senate for wider debate and approval before being sent to conference to reconcile differences with the House version of this legislation. A final reauthorization bill is conceptually due on President Biden’s desk for signature not later than 30 September, so it may take force at the start of FY2024 on October 1. The US traveling public and the nation’s aerospace and commercial aviation industries should be heartened by the attempts of the US Senate and US House committees with oversight on aviation to find common ground in areas of safety, advancing new technology and other developments. While differences exist on topics in the two initial bills, there is the probability the differences will be narrowed or reconciled as the legislative pieces advance through committee and conference hearings, and other deliberations. Key sections of the Senate legislation contain aviation training and aviation safety provisions. Continue SMS Implementation In Section 320, Safety Management Systems, Congress pointed out that in January the FAA released a notice of proposed rule making to update and expand the requirements for safety management systems to all Part 135 certificate holders, Part 91.147 air tour operators and certain Part 21 Type Certificate and Production Certificate holders. This legislation directs the FAA Administrator to “ensure that safety management systems program requirements can be appropriately scaled to the size and complexity of each operator.” Bolstering Aviation Workforce The legislation seeks to increase the numbers and competencies of qualified employees throughout the FAA and the US commercial aviation industry. Section 507, Crewmember Self-Defense Training, directs TSA, in consultation with other organizations, to increase the effectiveness of initial and recurrent self-defense training for these professionals. Section 530, Improved Access to Air Traffic Control Simulation Training, directs the FAA Administrator to make tower simulator systems more accessible to all air traffic controller specialists as assigned to an air traffic control tower of the FAA, regardless of facility assignment. Pilots for Powered-Lift The Senate bill, similar to the House version, contains important provisions and language to advance the safe introduction and integration of next-generation aircraft into the US national airspace. One illustrative provision, Section 825, Rules for Operation of Powered-Lift Aircraft, states that not later than December 31, 2024, the Administrator shall finalize a Powered-Lift Special Federal Aviation Regulation establishing a procedure for certifying pilots and the operation of powered-lift aircraft capable of transporting passengers and cargo. Common Ground Similar to the House version of the FAA Reauthorization Act, the Senate committee also inserted language to create an innovative office at FAA and to stop runway “close calls.” Of special interest is the direction to FAA to increase runway safety by deploying the latest airport surface detection equipment and technologies. How common are airplane engine ingestion fatalities? Two airport workers killed in 2023 Since December, two airport workers have been tragically killed in jet engine accidents. A look into these accidents and the dangers posed by the profession. Last Friday, a worker at the San Antonio Airport in Texas was killed after being pulled into a jet engine. The event is the second of this nature to take place this year, sparking outrage within the aviation sector that worker safety is deteriorating. The aircraft ramp worker, who has yet to be named, was employed by Unifi, a company contracted by Delta to manage operations on the tarmac. The fatal accident occurred just before 10:30 p.m. when an inbound plane from Los Angles landed at the Texas airport, and while being taxied to the gate, the aircraft ingested the worker into the engine. Dangers for workers in the aviation industry Across the aviation industry, workers face various risks. Flight crews such as pilots, navigators, and flight attendants are at risk of mechanical failure. Groundworkers face significant dangers like the two who have died in recent months. These workers are often unprotected while working around massive airplanes as they navigate tight corners while taxiing between the gates and runway. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), between 2011 and 2021, nearly three hundred workers in the Air Transportation sector died on the job. The data from the BLS is not so detailed as to identify the specific number killed after being ‘ingested’ into a jet engine. What is known is that these events are rare, making the fact that two have occurred in less than one year a cause for concern. The most recent analysis, which was not a complete census, was conducted by Boeing in 2008, where researchers found that since 1969, thirty-seven people had been sucked into Boeing 737-100/-200 or 737-300/-400/-500 and Next-Generation 737 airplane jet engines. OSHA finds that the fatality in Alabama could have been prevented In December 2022, a baggage handler employed by Piedmont Airlines passed away at Montgomery Regional Airport in Alabama. The airline had been contracted by American Airlines to handle several small regional flights at that airport. Just days before tragedy struck again in Texas, the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined Piedmont Airlines a measly $15,625 for failing to protect the worker who died. Jose A. Gonzales, the OSHA Area Director, said that “proper training and enforcement of safety procedures could have prevented this tragedy,” adding that even for “routine” tasks, “safety measures must be in place.” After the most recent accident, the National Transportation Safety Board provided a statement to NPR, stating that the agency is examining the situation, but did not confirm if a formal investigation had been opened. Both workers killed were employed by airline contractors It is important to conduct thorough investigations to determine if airline contractors are compromising safety standards for the sake of cutting costs. When an airline chooses to contract out certain operations, it is typically because it is more economical. However, it is essential for authorities to closely examine whether these contractors are neglecting their responsibilities to maintain a safe working environment in order to save airlines money. More tech investment needed to prevent aviation accidents - US safety board WASHINGTON, May 23 (Reuters) - The U.S. needs to invest more in aviation safety technology solutions after a series of close-call runway incidents this year, the head of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said on Tuesday. The NTSB is investigating six runway incursion events since January including some that could have been catastrophic. Technology systems that help detect aircraft and ground vehicles at airports to prevent runway incursion are currently used at 43 U.S. 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 U.S. has about 500 commercial airports. The U.S. 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 U.S. has not had a major fatal U.S. 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 (FDX.N) cargo plane and a Southwest Airlines (LUV.N) Boeing 737 that came within about 115 feet (35 metres) of each other in Austin on Feb. 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 (DAL.N) plane and an American Airlines (AAL.O) Boeing 777. United Airlines CEO blames FAA as storms trigger more flight cancellations June 27 (Reuters) - United Airlines (UAL.O) Chief Executive Scott Kirby has blamed the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) after severe storms led to thousands of canceled flights in recent days. "I'm ... frustrated that the FAA frankly failed us this weekend," he said in a memo to the company's employees on Monday. "We estimate that over 150,000 customers on United alone were impacted this weekend because of FAA staffing issues and their ability to manage traffic," Kirby said in a memo reviewed by Reuters. Thunderstorms and failing equipment at an FAA facility created significant delays for air travelers across the U.S. East Coast on Sunday evening as Washington and New York were forced to briefly halt most incoming flights. Kirby said that the FAA reduced arrival rates by 40% and departure rates by 75% on Saturday. That, he said, led to massive delays, cancellations and "put everyone behind the eight ball when weather actually did hit on Sunday and was further compounded by FAA staffing shortages Sunday evening." An FAA spokesperson said, "We will always collaborate with anyone seriously willing to join us to solve a problem." Last weekend, about 26,000 flights by all airlines were delayed and over 4,000 canceled between Saturday and Monday after thunderstorms ripped through parts of the United States, according to data from flight monitoring service FlightAware. Reporting by Jaiveer Singh Shekhawat in Bengaluru and David Shepardson in Washington; Editing by Maju Samuel Ryanair pilot killed in hot air balloon accident was 'doing what he loved' The family of a 25-year-old Ryanair pilot who was killed in a hot air balloon accident have said he died doing 'what he loved'. The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has launched an investigation after the hot air balloon carrying Peter Gregory crashed to the ground near the village of Ombersley, in Worcestershire, in the early hours of Sunday morning (25 June). A profile on UK Competition Ballooning says Peter gained his ballooning licence on his 17th birthday after being 'brought up in ballooning', and over the years he had taken part in competitions and earned the best newcomer award. Curt Lewis