Flight Safety Information - August 11, 2023 No. 155 In This Issue : Incident: Brussels A319 at Brussels on Aug 10th 2023, engine failure : American Airlines flight experiences issues after taking off from Charlotte Douglas : Passengers aboard a United flight that rapidly descended to '748 feet from disaster' in the ocean were saved by a warning system amid crew miscommunications and poor weather, aviation expert says : US NTSB cites United crew failure in Boeing 777 altitude loss incident : Congress may let jet owners like Elon Musk block flight info : Buttigieg, FAA crack down on people who 'act out' on airplanes : New AI laser system to guard US capital region from unauthorized aircraft : Electric aircraft makers Wisk and Archer end bitter legal dispute, agree to work together : SHAMEFUL: Dog abandoned by owner at Pittsburgh airport expected to move into foster home : Piedmont Airlines Launches $25,000 Referral Bonus Program to Attract Experienced Pilots Incident: Brussels A319 at Brussels on Aug 10th 2023, engine failure A Brussels Airlines Airbus A319-100, registration OO-SSV performing flight SN-2303 from Brussels (Belgium) to Stockholm Bromma (Sweden), was climbing out of Brussels' runway 25R when the crew stopped the climb at FL110 due to the failure of the right hand engine (CFM56). The aircraft returned to Brussels for a safe landing on runway 25L about 40 minutes after departure. The crew requested emergency service to inspect their right hand side. A post flight inspection revealed metallic debris in the engine outlet. The airline reported the aircraft returned due to a technical problem. https://avherald.com/h?article=50cdd7a8&opt=0 American Airlines flight experiences issues after taking off from Charlotte Douglas CHARLOTTE — Passengers on an American Airlines flight from Charlotte are safe, despite disruptions in the air. The flight took off from Charlotte Douglas Thursday afternoon and was heading to Gainesville, Florida. It was operated by Piedmont Airlines. American Airlines said the pilot received a notification about a pressurization issue and immediately descended to a lower altitude until the plane could land safely. Forty-eight passengers and three crew members were on board at the time of this incident. However, no one was hurt, according to American Airlines. https://www.wsoctv.com/news/local/american-airlines-flight-experiences-issues-after-taking-off-charlotte-douglas/JTW4676TSVG2NEDRVZSDMIX5PE/ Passengers aboard a United flight that rapidly descended to '748 feet from disaster' in the ocean were saved by a warning system amid crew miscommunications and poor weather, aviation expert says On December 18, 2022, a United flight from Maui to San Francisco came within 748 feet of disaster. On Thursday, the NTSB released a report on how the aircraft came so close to plunging into the sea. An aviation expert and former NTSB member said a crucial piece of technology on board saved lives. Passengers on a United Airlines flight from Maui to San Francisco that plunged within 748 feet of the Pacific Ocean were saved by technology after a series of crew mishaps, an aviation expert told Insider. On Thursday, the National Transportation and Safety Board released a final report detailing how on December 18, 2022, United flight 1722 came within seconds of a major disaster. The NTSB's report interviewed witnesses on the plane including the captain and co-pilot, and highlighted that amid heavy rain and wind during takeoff, the aircraft's flaps were set to the wrong angle by the co-pilot, who misheard the captain as the aircraft began its ascent. But the plane's ground proximity warning system ultimately kicked in as the plane started rapidly descending to the Pacific Ocean, giving the pilots time to react before it was too late. "It alerted the pilots that they were getting near the ocean — it got the pilots out of a pretty close call," Anthony Brickhouse, a former NTSB investigator and associate professor in applied aviation sciences at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University told Insider."They came within 748 feet from disaster." As it alerted the pilots, the co-pilot told the pilot to "pull up, pull up," and the crisis was fully averted with the plane later stabilizing, per the NTSB report. NTSB investigators also noted that they were alerted about the safety incident two months after it occurred. According to the NTSB, the event did not require immediate notification. United Airlines did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment on Thursday. The airline previously told Insider in February that the event was reported as the crew landed in San Francisco, and the pilots — who had a combined 25,000 hours of flight time — received additional training. Passengers aboard the flight previously said the rapid descent felt like a "roller coaster," with many saying final prayers during the sharp descent, which lasted 8 to 10 seconds, per CNN. Brickhouse told Insider that the lag in reporting the incident was also cause for concern beyond the flying of the plane. But other issues, like data retention, are tied to the slow reporting, Brickhouse said. "The recorders had been written over by that point in time," Brickhouse told Insider. "It's concerning as a safety professional and investigator that two months went by before the accident investigation board of the country found out about it," he added. Brickhouse said the NTSB and Federal Aviation Administration's push for more cockpit recording would be a safe step forward, as technological reinforcements can help avert, and investigate, other flight disasters. "Fortunately, overall, the technology worked, and ground proximity warning systems saved the day," Brickhouse told Insider. https://www.yahoo.com/news/passengers-aboard-united-flight-rapidly-011154547.html US NTSB cites United crew failure in Boeing 777 altitude loss incident WASHINGTON, Aug 10 (Reuters) - The National Transportation Safety Board on Thursday cited United Airlines crew failure in a December 2022 flight that sharply lost altitude before recovering shortly after departing Kahului, Hawaii. The Boeing 777 jet lost altitude about one minute after departure in heavy rain, descending from 2,100 feet to about 748 feet above the water before the crew recovered from the descent. The NTSB cited "the flight crew’s failure to manage the airplane’s vertical flight path, airspeed, and pitch attitude following a miscommunication about the captain’s desired flap setting during the initial climb." United Flight 1722, which was bound for San Francisco with 271 passengers and 10 crew, safely landed after the captain recovered from the descent. Both pilots recalled hearing initial warnings from the ground proximity warning system (GPWS), the NTSB said. The first officer recalled announcing "Pull up," repeatedly as the GPWS alarmed, according to a statement given to investigators. The first officer recalled as the captain was performing the recovery, the GPWS alerted again as the descent began to reverse. The NTSB said the reversal occurred about 748 feet above the water. After the plane began climbing again the remainder of the flight was uneventful, the NTSB said. United said "there’s nothing more important than the safety of our crew and customers, which is why we’re drawing on the lessons learned from this flight to inform the training of all United pilots." United noted its "pilots voluntarily reported this event and United fully cooperated with the independent investigation so that insights could be used to enhance the safety of the entire industry." The NTSB said United issued an "awareness campaign about flight path management at their training center." Boeing did not comment. Because the NTSB did not learn of the incident for two months, there were no records from the cockpit voice or flight data recorder from the flight. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/1-us-ntsb-cites-united-195050090.html Congress may let jet owners like Elon Musk block flight info Elon Musk and other private jet owners may soon be able to stop the public from learning about their flights, thanks to the FAA reauthorization bill recently passed by the House. Why it matters: Such information has proven useful to journalists and other researchers — but some plane owners, including Musk, have argued that it can pose a security risk. The big picture: Private plane information has long been public record. But, until the relatively recent advent of online flight trackers, it was cumbersome for most people to learn who owned what plane or where it had flown. The FAA already has some options for private plane owners who want to block flight information from being shared with trackers. Many owners also use LLCs and other corporate ownership structures to shield their identities. Details: A provision tucked inside the FAA reauthorization bill would require the agency to establish a process to let jet owners request to keep their planes' registration numbers, and other information, private. The five-year FAA reauthorization passed the House by an overwhelming 351-69 vote in June, and now must be reconciled with the Senate before heading to President Biden's desk for his signature. Flashback: Musk last year threatened to sue the creator of a Twitter account that tracked his private jet's activities, and permanently suspended the account. SpaceX has previously asked the FAA to block flight tracking data for Musk's private jet. Zoom out: Musk is far from alone in his attempts to prevent his flight activity from being tracked. Former president Trump's plane is enrolled in the FAA's "Limiting Aircraft Data Displayed" program, or LADD, which restricts the display of certain information about the aircraft. Taylor Swift's and Kylie Jenner's planes are also enrolled. The FAA has also granted over 300 temporary aircraft registration numbers that allow applicants to fly anonymously through the privacy ICAO aircraft address program, also known as PIA, according to Insider. https://www.axios.com/2023/08/11/private-plane-infromation-musk-congress-faa Buttigieg, FAA crack down on people who 'act out' on airplanes Acting out on an airplane might not just end with embarrassing footage blasted on social media. Actions have consequences — and as case numbers rise, the Federal Aviation Administration has gotten serious about referring the most severe cases to the FBI for prosecution. The FAA recently announced that it had forwarded 22 new cases to the bureau for prosecution. “Unruly behavior poses serious safety concerns for passengers and crew alike, which is why we are addressing this issue aggressively,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg wrote in the news release. “If you act out on an airplane, you can face criminal prosecution and fines up to $37,000 per violation.” So far, there have been 1,177 cases of unruly passengers in 2023. The 22 new cases reported to the FBI in the second quarter bring the total to 39 total cases reported in 2023. “While we do not have criminal prosecution authority, the FAA is working closely with the FBI and TSA to ensure unruly passengers face additional punishments when warranted,” the FAA told SFGATE in a statement. The civil penalties can amount to $37,000 per violation. There have been several recent incidents of bad behavior on flights to or from California. For example, a Taipei-bound flight returned to SFO due to a disruptive passenger, and a man was arrested at SFO after allegedly attacking a United employee. One of the cases sent to the FBI noted that the passenger exhibited erratic behavior and had to be restrained in handcuffs in March 2023. The incident resembles when a passenger was detained after allegedly jumping out of the emergency exit door before a Delta flight took off at LAX. Unruly passenger cases have spiked since the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2019, an average year of travel, the FAA received 1,161 reports of unruly passengers and initiated only 83 enforcement cases. But in 2021, that number rose over 500% to almost 6,000 reports, which many people attribute to mask mandates. However, the FAA has become more liberal about prosecuting cases. In 2022, the number of unruly passenger reports dropped by over half to 2,455 cases. However, 567 enforcement actions were initiated. “The FAA reviews every unruly passenger report we receive from the airlines,” the FAA told SFGATE. “If we determine a passenger may have violated a regulation or federal law, we begin an investigation. If the investigation shows a violation occurred, we’ll take enforcement action.” https://www.sfgate.com/travel/article/buttigieg-faa-crack-down-acting-out-on-airplanes-18288255.php New AI laser system to guard US capital region from unauthorized aircraft ‘The first line of defense is actually that they will beam a laser at the cockpit of the aircraft.’ A decades-old government system to monitor unauthorized aircraft over the U.S. capital region is about to get an AI overhaul to speed up operations. Teleidoscope, a company out of California that specializes in automated targeting software for augmented-reality games, has won an up-to-$100 million contract to replace portions of the National Capital Region-Integrated Air Defense System, or NCR-IADS, following an 18-month prototype phase led by the Defense Innovation Unit, or DIU. Teleidoscope founder Matt Rabinovitch said the system applies AI to full-motion-video threads to spot aircraft that aren’t operating in a safe way, then identify the type of aircraft and tell operators which way it’s heading. It also has “all kinds of image-enhancement features” such as defogging and decluttering, Rabinovitch said in an interview. “The first line of defense is actually that they will beam a laser at the cockpit of the aircraft to try to let the pilot know that they're entering restricted airspace and that they should turn on their comms and start communicating,” he said, adding that the laser is designed not to injure eyes. “And then pretty shortly after that, we’ll scramble fighter jets” The original NCR-IADS system was installed after 9/11, he said, when “obviously, aircraft went places that they weren't supposed to. And so most of the focus previously had been sort of outward-facing where they had camera systems on sort of the borders of the country, but not so much on or surrounding critical infrastructure in the country.” Watching for drones isn’t part of the current contract, but Rabinovitch said that other customers such as the Air Force are exploring how to use the system to track smaller unmanned aircraft near bases. https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2023/08/new-ai-laser-system-guard-us-capital-region-unauthorized-aircraft/389311/ Electric aircraft makers Wisk and Archer end bitter legal dispute, agree to work together Electric aircraft rivals Wisk and Archer Aviation have settled their trade secret legal dispute more than two years after the lawsuit was originally filed. In a somewhat surprise twist — given how bitterly the legal battle had become — the two companies have agreed to collaborate. Archer also agreed to make Wisk its exclusive provider of autonomy technology to be integrated into a future autonomous variant of Archer’s Midnight aircraft, in addition to the collaboration, according to a source familiar with the settlement. In a separate piece of news that broke Thursday, Archer said it had raised $215 million in new capital from its manufacturing partner Stellantis, Boeing, United Airlines, Ark Investment Management LLC and others, to accelerate its path to commercialization. Boeing’s portion of that new investment is going to support the collaboration between Wisk and Archer on autonomy, the source said. The exact amount of Boeing’s investment was not disclosed. Boeing has poured hundreds of millions into Wisk, including a $450 million investment in January 2022. Wisk became a fully-owned subsidiary of Boeing this year. Under the terms of the settlement, Archer also agreed to give Wisk the option to purchase up to 13,176,636 shares of common stock at a price of $0.01 per share. The new agreement settles all previous claims and suits, including Archer’s counter-suit against Wisk seeking $1 billion in damages. “We are pleased to have reached a mutually agreeable settlement with Archer that resolves our concerns while also eliminating the need for a costly and distracting trial,” a Wisk spokesperson said. “Wisk is committed to working collaboratively within the industry and leading in autonomous passenger flight.” Thus closes the bitter court battle between the two electric aircraft developers, a battle that’s dragged on for over two years, after Wisk accused Archer in April 2021 for “brazen theft” of confidential information and intellectual property. Those included over fifty trade secrets that Wisk alleged were stolen by a former employee who was later hired by Archer. Despite multiple mediation attempts, the two companies had been unable to come to an agreement. The lawsuit was scheduled to go to trial on September 12, so the settlement came right at the last minute. As the lawsuit raged on, Archer continued on its path to commercializing its first electric aircraft, called Midnight. Along with the earnings and new investment, the company announced Thursday that it had received a key certification from regulators greenlighting Midnight for flight test operations. The certificate – called a Special Airworthiness Certificate from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration – is a crucial step in certifying Midnight before it can start commercial service. Archer has also landed a handful of other big wins this year, signaling that it is one of the unequivocal leaders in electric aviation: In June, the company announced that former FAA administrator Billy Nolen joined as chief safety officer; and last month, the U.S. Air Force agreed to purchase up to six electric aircraft from Archer, in a deal worth up to $142 million. https://techcrunch.com/2023/08/10/ending-bitter-court-battle-wisk-and-archer-collaborate/ SHAMEFUL: Dog abandoned by owner at Pittsburgh airport expected to move into foster home A dog abandoned last week at Pittsburgh International Airport is expected to be moved into a foster home while Humane Society police officers and Allegheny County Police are investigating the case, according to Animal Friends. The dog, a male French bulldog, was found in a stroller in the airport’s short-term parking lot around 5:30 a.m. Friday morning. County police said airline officials told the owner that the dog needed to be in a crate to fly, but the owner did not have one. The owner left the dog and got on a flight to a resort. The dog had a microchip, but police said they were unable to reach the owner, whose name has not been released. County police had no updates on the case Thursday other than to say the investigation is ongoing. The dog was admitted into the care of Animal Friends. In a statement, the organization said this is the first case it has investigated involving suspected abandonment at an airport. Animal Friends said they have been inundated by people offering to adopt the dog. “We are grateful for the interest and compassion, but for now we are focused on moving this case forward and ensuring the dog receives the justice he deserves,” Animal Friends said in a statement. “The outcome of the case will determine his next steps and his final home.” While this dog is not currently available for adoption, Animal Friends said it has many dogs in need of homes. Animal Friends said those interested in adopting can visit its website or call its adoption desk at 412-847-7002. “For those who live outside of the Greater Pittsburgh area, please consider visiting your local shelter,” the statement said. “If you are unable to adopt an animal at this time, donations are always welcome to help support the animals in our care.” https://triblive.com/local/dog-abandoned-by-owner-at-pittsburgh-airport-expected-to-move-into-foster-home/ Piedmont Airlines Launches $25,000 Referral Bonus Program to Attract Experienced Pilots Piedmont Airlines, a subsidiary of American Airlines Group Inc., is proud to announce the launch of an enhanced referral bonus program for pilots. The program offers substantial bonuses for successful experienced pilot referrals, creating an opportunity for team members to benefit financially while helping Piedmont expand its fleet and operations. “At Piedmont Airlines, we believe that our team members are our most significant assets,” said Eric Morgan, Piedmont Airlines President, and CEO. “This program exemplifies our commitment to fostering a supportive and rewarding work environment, where our employees are not only motivated to excel but also incentivized to help grow the Piedmont family.” Referral Bonus Program As part of the Referral Bonus Program, Piedmont Airlines will provide team members with a $25,000 referral bonus for every qualified Direct Entry Captain (pilots with 950+ upgrade qualifying flight hours) and a $20,000 referral for every qualified High Time First Officer (pilots with 500-949 upgrade qualifying flight hours). Unprecedented Benefits for Direct Entry Captains Piedmont offers Direct Entry Captains a rewarding benefits package, including a $100,000 bonus on day one. In addition, DECs are eligible for 1:1 longevity credit for each year of experience, allowing them to start higher on the pay scale. They can also enjoy a minimum of 12 days off every month, limited reserve time, 150% pay on selected holidays, excellent healthcare, and a 401(k) plan with company match. Piedmont also provides a generous commuting policy and industry-leading flight benefits on American Airlines’ global network. All referred pilots must apply through airlineapps.com and start training by December 31 to be included in this program. Easy Transition and Training Experienced pilots making the transition to Piedmont can expect: • Expedited job offers • Opportunity to speak with a chief pilot during the job offer stage to make sure Piedmont is a good fit • Positive space travel to Piedmont’s training center to complete or resolve any outstanding paperwork or background issues • Preferential training date • Assigned concierge coordinator to expedite the hiring process • Longevity based pay and bonuses including captain pay starting at 750 hours • $100,000 day-one bonus for direct entry captains; $75,000 for high time first officers (500+ hours) • Eligible to refer others on day one and collect $25,000 per successful captain referral • Flow to American Airlines in five years or paid top of scale until flow • “With plans to expand the fleet while maintaining the highest level of reliability among regional carriers, the up-front experience bonus and premium pay makes Piedmont the ideal airline to work for,” said Eddie Leverton, Vice President Flight Operations. “Our benefits represent a continued investment in our pilots, which is critical to creating job opportunities for all of our Piedmont team members as we continue to grow our airline.” Piedmont Airlines invites eligible team members to maximize their earnings, today! If you have questions or need more information, reach out to one of our recruiters by sending an email to FlyPiedmont@aa.com. Piedmont team members can also find more information on the referral page on MyPiedmont. About Piedmont Airlines Piedmont Airlines, Inc. is a premier regional carrier of American Airlines, providing service both on the ground and in the air across the United States. Every day, nearly 10,000 aviation professional foster a mission of caring, compliance and communication on and off the airfield. Piedmont is headquartered in Salisbury, Maryland, and operates a fleet of Embraer 145 regional jets. Piedmont Airlines’ ground handling team can be found in more than 80 airports across the United States providing award-winning ground service to passengers of American Airlines. Learn more about what’s happening at Piedmont by visiting https://piedmont-airlines.com/and connect with Piedmont on Twitter @piedmontair and at Facebook.com/workforpiedmont/. https://piedmont-airlines.com/2023/08/piedmont-airlines-launches-25000-referral-bonus-program-to-attract-experienced-pilots/ Curt Lewis