Flight Safety Information - July 10, 2023 No. 131 In This Issue : Incident: UPS MD11 at San Juan on Jul 8th 2023, mechanical failure : Incident: Spirit A320 at Fort Lauderdale on Jul 8th 2023, engine problem : Cessna 550 Citation II - Crash on Go-Around (California) : American Boeing 787 Loses Door Due To Dublin Airport Jet Bridge Collapse : Worker dies in Montreal airport accident after trying to dislodge luggage : Go First Challenges Order That Forbids It To Remove Aircraft Parts : AD Affects 41,000 Turbocharged Aircraft : Southwest Airlines Plane Hits Light Pole At Jacksonville International Airport Incident: UPS MD11 at San Juan on Jul 8th 2023, mechanical failure A UPS United Parcel Service McDonnell Douglas MD-11 freighter, registration N254UP performing flight FX-327 from San Juan (Puerto Rico) to Louisville,KY (USA), was climbing out of San Juan's runway 08 when the crew stopped the climb at 10,000 feet maintaining ground speeds below 290 knots, entered a hold for about 17 minutes and subsequently returned to San Juan for a safe landing on runway 08 about 45 minutes after departure. The airport reported without going into further details that the aircraft suffered a mechanical problem, but denied it had been a lightning strike as rumoured on social media and in some local media. The aircraft remained on the ground for about 26 hours, then departed to Louisville. https://avherald.com/h?article=50b93bce&opt=0 Incident: Spirit A320 at Fort Lauderdale on Jul 8th 2023, engine problem A Spirit Airlines Airbus A320-200, registration N616NK performing flight NK-438 from Fort Lauderdale,FL (USA) to Saint Croix (Virgin Islands), was climbing out of Fort Lauderdale's runway 28L when the crew stopped the climb at FL250 reporting an engine (V2527) problem. The aircraft returned to Fort Lauderdale for a safe landing on runway 28L about an hour after departure. The FAA reported the crew reported a possible engine issue and returned to Fort Lauderdale. The FAA is investigating the occurrence. https://avherald.com/h?article=50b80e8e&opt=0 Cessna 550 Citation II - Crash on Go-Around (California) Type: Cessna 550 Citation II Operator: Prestige Worldwide Flights LLC Registration: N819KR MSN: 550-0114 First flight: 1979 Engines: 2 Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15D-4 Crew: Fatalities: / Occupants: Passengers: Fatalities: / Occupants: Total: Fatalities: 6 / Occupants: 6 Aircraft damage: Destroyed Aircraft fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: 0,2 km (0.1 mls) N of Murrieta/Temecula-French Valley Airport, CA (RBK) ( United States of America) Phase: Approach (APR) Nature: Executive Departure airport: Las Vegas-Harry Reid International Airport, NV (LAS/KLAS), United States of America Destination airport: Murrieta/Temecula-French Valley Airport, CA (RBK), United States of America Narrative: A Cessna 550 Citation II crashed short of runway 18 near Murrieta/Temecula-French Valley Airport (RBK), California, USA. The six occupants died and the aircraft was destroyed. The flight departed Las Vegas International Airport, NV (LAS) about 03:15 local time on a flight to RBK. Upon arrival in the area an marine layer of fog began to envelope the area with low ceilings and visilibities. At 04:03 hours, the pilot aborted the approach to runway 18 and performed a go-around. The aircraft crashed on the second approach to land. http://www.aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20230708-1 American Boeing 787 Loses Door Due To Dublin Airport Jet Bridge Collapse While details about what caused this incident are limited, there are pictures of a jet bridge having collapsed at Dublin Airport (DUB) today. Specifically, the jet bridge was connected to an American Airlines Boeing 787-8, which was supposed to operate flight AA723 to Philadelphia (PHL). When the jet bridge collapsed, it caused the plane’s second door on the left to disconnect and fall to the ground. The good news is that it’s my understanding that there were no major injuries. Jet bridge accidents are fairly rare, so I’m curious what the cause of this is determined to be. The aircraft involved in this incident was a seven year old Dreamliner with the registration code N812AA. Oddly as of the time of this post, the flight still shows as operating, just with a delay of a bit over 2.5 hours. I don’t think this Boeing 787 is going anywhere! Admittedly American is very bad at updating flight status, though I’m a bit confused. American does have four flights a day to Dublin in summer, though the other three have already left (to Charlotte, Chicago, and Dallas). So does American have a spare Boeing 787 on the ground in Dublin, or is it simply taking the airline some time to decide whether a Boeing 787 without a door can safely fly across the Atlantic? I’d be willing to bet this isn’t some maintenance fix that’s going to be taken care of within hours. This is obviously massively inconvenient for passengers, though at least they should be eligible for EU261 compensation, since this is maintenance related. I imagine Dublin Airport (or the airport’s insurance company) will be on the hook for quite a bit of compensation to American. Bottom line A jet bridge collapsed today at Dublin Airport, and this happened while it was hooked up to an American Airlines Boeing 787. When the jet bridge failed, it took one of the doors of the 787 with it, which can’t be an easy maintenance fix. I imagine this 787-8 Dreamliner will be out of service for some time. I’m just amused that American hasn’t outright canceled this flight yet. https://onemileatatime.com/news/american-boeing-787-loses-door-jet-bridge-collapse/ Worker dies in Montreal airport accident after trying to dislodge luggage The Montreal airport says a worker died in an on-site accident Saturday. The employee worked for Equans, a company that offers technical services to airports including baggage handling systems and electrical networks. Antoine Leclerc-Loiselle, a spokesperson for the Quebec workplace health and safety board, says a worker in charge of luggage handling fell early Saturday afternoon after trying to dislodge a suitcase from a piece of equipment — possibly a conveyor belt. The Montreal airport says it is working with partners to co-ordinate support resources and other assistance for personnel who witnessed the incident. In a statement, airport CEO Philippe Rainville offered condolences to loved ones and colleagues. The safety board says two inspectors have visited the site to meet witnesses and gather information on the circumstances surrounding the accident. https://www.cp24.com/news/worker-dies-in-montreal-airport-accident-after-trying-to-dislodge-luggage-1.6472980 Go First Challenges Order That Forbids It To Remove Aircraft Parts The airline is worried that the latest court order could hamper its comeback plans. Go First is not completely out of the woods as it attempts to make a comeback. The airline has been at loggerheads with its lessors, who are not happy with not being able to repossess their planes due to the bankruptcy process. And now, the court has also asked Go First not to remove any aircraft parts, which might hamper its comeback plans. Challenging the court's order India’s Go First has filed an appeal in Delhi High Court against a recent court order that forbids it to change or remove aircraft parts. This could prove to be a significant roadblock for the airline in its process of restarting business. Airlines often have to change aircraft components as part of routine or unscheduled maintenance procedures. But the latest order puts Go First in a tricky position as it prevents it from carrying out any procedures that require changing certain parts if necessary. A person aware of the matter told the Economic Times (ET), “In a commercial airline business, aircraft develop minor snags for which changing components becomes necessary. The parts taken from an aircraft are those that are not being used. That is a usual practice. “An aircraft needs to have adequate spares and components along with engines to continue running a business. It becomes necessary sometime to change a seat or any small component before the flight.” He further added that it would be very difficult for the carrier to seek permission before any such change as part replacements could be needed in between multiple sectors that a particular aircraft is operating. Banks apprehensive All of this has reportedly made banks nervous about Go First’s future prospects. The airline’s lenders had approved funding of around $50 million not too long ago, pending the approval of India’s aviation regulator, the DGCA. Things were shaping up as per the plan, with the resolution process kick-starting and banks showing confidence, but the latest court order has the potential to derail the plans and add to the airline’s waiting time. And it doesn’t bode well for Go First to remain grounded for long. ET quotes a bank executive as saying, “From the Jet Airways example, we know that a grounded airline becomes a dead asset as its parking slots are distributed among others and trained employees leave. Hence, it is important to keep the airline functional, which will save jobs, and also allow us to repay creditors.” Flights suspension extended Meanwhile, more than two months after halting operations, Go First’s flights continue to remain suspended until July 12th, according to the airline’s website. A few days ago, an Indian court instructed the DGCA and local airport authorities to allow Go First’s lessors access to their aircraft to undertake inspections and maintenance. Reuters has also pointed out to Go First’s newspaper advertisement, inviting Expression of Interest for the sale of the carrier as part of the process. The last date to apply is August 9th. It remains to be seen how that plays out. https://simpleflying.com/go-first-forbidden-to-remove-aircraft-parts/?newsletter_popup=1 AD Affects 41,000 Turbocharged Aircraft An AD that takes effect July 17 affects more than 41,000 turbocharged piston aircraft in service in the U.S. They’ll all have to be checked to see what kind of clamp is used to connect the turbocharger to the tailpipe. If it turns out to be a spot-welded, multi-segment exhaust pipe v-band coupling that has been in service more than 500 hours it will have to be replaced within a maximum of two years and inspected every 100 hours in the meantime. Clamp failures have occurred in dozens of aircraft types and resulted in type-specific ADs but a General Aviation Joint Steering Committee working group figured out it was only the spot welded ones that were coming apart. Some clamps are riveted and those ones are not affected by this AD. When the clamps let go, they allow the venting of blazing hot exhaust gases into the engine compartment that can easily cause a fire. The FAA pegs the cost of the work at $570 per engine but AOPA says that’s light. FAA uses $85 an hour as the base labor rate but AOPA says its members are paying up to $180 for shop rates. https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/287280/ Southwest Airlines Plane Hits Light Pole At Jacksonville International Airport The aircraft was removed from service after the incident. On Wednesday, July 5, a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 made contact with an off-pavement light pole during taxi at Jacksonville International Airport (JAX) in Florida. Southwest Flight 5122 originated from Houston Hobby Airport (HOU) and landed safely at JAX before the incident occurred. The aircraft was carrying 172 passengers and six crew members at the time of the incident. None of the occupants onboard the aircraft were hurt. Passengers were later rerouted to their destinations. Southwest said in a statement, We are working to take care of the 172 customers onboard, along with our crew of six. Safety is our highest priority, and we apologize for the inconvenience. The incident at JAX Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-800 registration N8671D, received major damage to its left wing after hitting a light pole at JAX. The aircraft had just landed on runway 08 from HOU and was taxiing to the parking stand. The ground tower controller was guiding the aircraft towards a holding area while waiting for the gate clearance. The 8-year-old aircraft was built in 2015 and delivered to the airline in November of that year. The leading edge of the left wing just ahead of the winglet was severely damaged. A technical team reviewed the extent of the damage before the aircraft was towed to the gate to deboard passengers and crew. The aircraft was deemed unserviceable at the time and was taken for additional maintenance. According to a spokesperson for Southwest Airlines, During that maneuvering, it appears the left wing tip of the aircraft made contact with an off-pavement light pole. The aircraft was reviewed before being towed to a gate and now is removed from service for additional maintenance. As the world’s largest low-cost carrier, Southwest Airlines offers scheduled service to over 120 destinations in the United States and ten internationally. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, the airline operates an exclusive fleet of Boeing 737 jets, over 800 in total. Taxiway collisions Taxiway collisions are not uncommon, given the complexity of airports and the minimum separation between traffic (both airplanes and ground vehicles). While most taxiway occurrences do not result in serious injuries or loss of life to passengers or ground personnel, they are often associated with aircraft damage, delays to passengers, and avoidable financial costs. The controlled separation between aircraft must be maintained and optimized. The majority of taxiway occurrences involve aircraft, vehicle operators, or both deviating from a surface movement controller clearance. Another incident on the same day at JAX The Southwest incident wasn't the only one witnessed by the Jacksonville Aviation Authority on Wednesday. A Delta Flight 1328, operating a Boeing 757, made an emergency landing at JAX after suffering a cabin pressure issue. The aircraft was carrying 186 passengers and six crew members from Atlanta International Airport (ATL) to Miami (MIA) before being diverted to Jacksonville. No one was injured due to the emergency, and the aircraft landed safely at JAX. https://simpleflying.com/southwest-airlines-plane-hits-light-pole-jacksonville-international-airport/ Curt Lewis