Flight Safety Information - October 25, 2023 No. 207 In This Issue : Incident: TAP A21N near Barcelona on Oct 23rd 2023, engine failure : Incident: United B737 near Houston on Oct 23rd 2023, electrical problems : Incident: Lauda Europe A320 near Vienna on Oct 21st 2023, failure of weather radar : Houston airport had to ground all flights after a private jet departed ‘without permission’ and collided with another jet, FAA says : Jet engine maker CFM says more than half of engines with suspect parts have been removed from service : Senate confirms FAA chief. Here’s the mess awaiting him. : How safe are cockpits? Aviation experts weigh in after security scare on board Horizon Air flight : Travelers at Reagan National Airport continue to bring firearms to checkpoints : NTSB: Pilot’s loss of consciousness led to helicopter crash; drug and alcohol use, sleep apnea, or illness could have played role : TRAINING AND SAFETY TIP: OPTICAL ILLUSIONS : Several Thai airlines initiate passenger weigh-in measure for flight safety : Boeing trims annual 737 delivery target due to supplier errors : More disruptions at Pakistan's PIA as cash dries up : Choctaw Nation breaks ground on Emerging Aviation Technology Center : CALENDAR OF EVENTS Incident: TAP A21N near Barcelona on Oct 23rd 2023, engine failure A TAP Air Portugal Airbus A321-200N, registration CS-TJL performing flight TP-823 from Milan Malpensa (Italy) to Lisbon (Portugal), was enroute at FL370 about 30nm westsouthwest of Barcelona,SP (Spain) when the crew drifted the aircraft down due to an engine (LEAP) failure and decided to divert to Barcelona. The aircraft landed safely on Barcelona's runway 24R about 50 minutes later. A replacement A21N registration CS-TJK reached Lisbon with a delay of about 8:10 hours. A passenger reported they had been only informed about a "technical issue" with the aircraft. The aircraft is still on the ground in Barcelona about 25 hours after landing. https://www.avherald.com/h?article=5102d754&opt=0 Incident: United B737 near Houston on Oct 23rd 2023, electrical problems A United Boeing 737-700, registration N24715 performing flight UA-1065 from Newark,NJ (USA) to Mexico City (Mexico), was enroute at FL380 about 170nm southsoutheast of Houston,TX (USA) when the crew decided to divert to Houston's Intercontinental Airport for a safe landing on runway 09 about 40 minutes later. Attending emergency services were asked to check for any hot spots on the aircraft. A passenger reported the crew announced electrical issues. A replacement Boeing 737-700 registration N23721 continued the flight and reached Mexico City with a delay of about 3 hours. The occurrence aircraft resumed service after about 13 hours on the ground in Houston. https://www.avherald.com/h?article=5102c96e&opt=0 Incident: Lauda Europe A320 near Vienna on Oct 21st 2023, failure of weather radar A Lauda Europe Airbus A320-200 on behalf of Ryanair, registration 9H-LAX performing flight FR-168 from London Stansted,EN (UK) to Trieste (Italy), was enroute at FL350 about 5nm north of Salzburg (Austria) when the crew decided to divert to Vienna (Austria) due to the failure of their weather radar. The aircraft landed safely on Vienna's runway 34 about 30 minutes later. The passengers were offered a bus transfer to Triest (about 7 hours duration). The aircraft remained on the ground in Vienna for about 10.5 hours, then resumed service. https://www.avherald.com/h?article=5102bbba&opt=0 Houston airport had to ground all flights after a private jet departed ‘without permission’ and collided with another jet, FAA says An airport in Houston temporarily grounded all flights on Tuesday after two private jets collided on its tarmac, officials said. The incident took place around 3:30 p.m. CT when a twin-engine jet departed “without permission” from the William P. Hobby Airport runway and collided with another twin-engine jet that was landing on the runway, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. No injuries were reported in the collision and it’s unclear how many people were on board either aircraft, the FAA said. The departing plane was identified as a Hawker H25B, a corporate aircraft model, while the arriving flight was a Cessna C510 business class jet, according to the FAA. The two private jets “clipped their wings as they were moving on the airfield,” Hobby Airport said in a post on X. The airport remained under a ground stop while crews worked to remove the debris, the post said. The airport announced the debris had been cleared just after 7 p.m. and flight operations had been restored. Hobby Airport is located 7 miles from downtown Houston. The incident remains under investigation by the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board. https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/24/us/houston-hobby-airport-grounded-flights-jets-collision/index.html Jet engine maker CFM says more than half of engines with suspect parts have been removed from service CHICAGO, Oct 24 (Reuters) - Jet engine maker CFM International said on Tuesday more than half of the 145 engines suspected, thus far, of containing falsely documented parts from a UK distributor have been removed from service. CFM, owned by GE (GE.N) and France's Safran (SAF.PA), said it has completed an "exhaustive" review of the documentation provided by AOG Technics and shared the results with the relevant authorities. "We are closely working with CFM56 operators affected by unauthorized parts from AOG Technics while supporting the investigation to keep unapproved parts out of the global supply chain," a spokesperson said. The company said after an analysis of the documentation provided by AOG Technics it has identified 180 falsified documents, covering 124 part numbers. CFM has shared all of the records AOG Technics produced with regulators in the U.S., the UK and Europe, it said. While the count of affected engines has risen from 126 in the past three weeks, they still accounted for less than 1% of the 22,600 CFM56 engines in service globally. The CFM56 is the most-sold jet engine in history and was developed by a transatlantic venture that turns 50 next year. The engines are repaired through third-party networks or at maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities operated by CFM itself. The company said it is coordinating with operators and MRO shops to help assess the authenticity of documentation for parts they acquired directly or indirectly from AOG Technics. CFM and its parent companies are also working on a number of internal measures including a better evaluation of suppliers, with an aim to reduce the risk of similarly fraudulent conduct in the future, it added. AOG Technics could not be reached for comment. In a court hearing last month, lawyers representing AOG and director Jose Zamora Yrala said they were "cooperating fully" with the investigation without commenting on CFM's claims. https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/jet-engine-maker-cfm-says-more-than-half-engines-with-suspect-parts-have-been-2023-10-24/ Senate confirms FAA chief. Here’s the mess awaiting him. The agency saw 18 months fly by without a permanent leader at the helm. Mike Whitaker faced little opposition to his confirmation to the five-year term. Lawmakers in the Senate Commerce Committee unanimously advanced his nomination just weeks after his Oct. 4 confirmation hearing. Mike Whitaker, confirmed by the Senate Tuesday to lead the Federal Aviation Administration, is inheriting the agency at a troubled moment as it grapples with a rash of aviation near-misses and challenges in replenishing its depleted air traffic controller workforce. The agency saw 18 months fly by without a permanent leader at the helm. The prolonged vacancy at the top of the agency has sparked unease as passenger travel roared back following the pandemic slump — and suffered a series of incidents and disruptions. Now it’s up to Whitaker, a former FAA deputy administrator and former United Airlines executive, to guide the agency through this turbulence while ensuring the U.S. can maintain a leading edge in aviation. Whitaker faced little opposition to his confirmation to the five-year term. Lawmakers in the Senate Commerce Committee unanimously advanced his nomination just weeks after his Oct. 4 confirmation hearing. Republicans chastised the Biden administration, and Democrats were unhappy that the agency was without a permanent leader for so long. Lawmakers from both parties questioned whether the agency can adequately tackle safety incidents that continue to pile up. Just days before his confirmation, two new incidents made headlines. An off-duty pilot was charged with attempted murder after authorities say he tried to shut down the engines of a Horizon Airlines flight bound for San Francisco on Sunday, causing the plane full of 83 passengers to divert to Portland. And last week, the FAA launched an investigation into whether two planes operated by Alaska Airlines and SkyWest Airlines came too close to each other at Portland International Airport on Oct. 16 — potentially marking another close call after a string of near-misses earlier this year. A series of high-profile close calls raised enough concerns early this year that then-acting Administrator Billy Nolen convened a nationwide safety summit to review suggestions for improvement. Following the summit, the FAA recommended that pilots and crew “reduce distractions” during take-off, landing and taxiing, among other suggestions. Jeff Guzzetti, an aviation safety consultant who’s worked at the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board, said those types of incidents are not uncommon, but that the public isn’t necessarily at increased risk. “There are risks that exist, but they’ve always existed and the risks change from time to time for different reasons,” Guzzetti said in an interview Friday. “I don’t think the problems are as serious as the public [is] perceiving,” he said, referencing the uptick in near-misses. “I think the perception that things are worse than they are is because [the FAA] didn’t have stable leadership.” Maintaining the gold standard Guzzetti said that while the close calls over the last few months merited investigations, redundancies in the aviation system — runway and cockpit technology, persistent communication between air traffic control and pilots — caught them before they turned catastrophic. But, he added, there are issues that the FAA cannot ignore. “We have an air traffic control workforce that is diminished in numbers,” he said of the chronic staffing problems at ATC facilities. Guzzetti said pilots may also be relying too heavily on automated cockpit equipment instead of their training, making them more prone to making errors — factors that the FAA and NTSB are looking into as part of their near-miss inquiries. Still, Whitaker will need to rebuild public confidence in air travel that’s been undermined by spurious flight delays and cancellations, as well as and pay extra attention to an aviation workforce that’s been stretched too thin, added Alan Diehl, an aviation consultant and research psychologist who also previously worked at the FAA and NTSB. “These are labor-intensive jobs, and working extra shifts is not conducive” to long-term safety, Diehl said in an interview Monday. Like Guzzetti, Diehl cited the resilient and redundant system that boosts safety. Diehl said Whitaker will also have to navigate the ongoing fight in Congress over the FAA reauthorization bill, which has been held up by disputes over pilot training rules in the Senate. “The political paralysis is probably the biggest obstacle he’s got to overcome,” Diehl said of getting the FAA bill to advance past the Commerce Committee. Meanwhile the House cannot take up conference legislation without a speaker. The agency has seen worse days: Whitaker’s predecessor, Steve Dickson, saw a tenure mired with challenges and increased pressure from lawmakers, pilots, and other aviation groups for the FAA to rebuild its oversight of manufacturers, most notably Boeing after two 737 MAX crashes that killed more than 300 people overseas in 2018 and 2019. While the FAA’s failure to detect the Boeing aircraft’s flaws and criticisms that it fostered an industry-friendly approval process eroded trust in the agency, Guzzetti said he believed “the dust is settling” over those issues. Commitment to the flying public Scott Maurer, an aviation safety advocate whose daughter Lorin was killed in a 2009 crash of Colgan Air Flight 3407 near Buffalo, N.Y., said he and other family members of that disaster met with Whitaker last week, and he called Whitaker’s confirmation “good news.” (The Colgan crash was the last fatal domestic airline crash in the U.S.) “The near miss rate is alarming. This is screaming, ‘my goodness, we’ve got to do something before something really really bad happens,’” Maurer said. “We were screaming that we need a full-time person and they need to be multi-disciplined and that’s what his experience is.” Maurer said Whitaker will be a critical voice for aviation safety efforts, hiring more air traffic controllers and ensuring that drones and air taxis are able to safely integrate into the larger airspace as they ramp up commercial operations. Maurer also said he’s hopeful that Whitaker’s confirmation can spur the Senate to pass a five-year FAA authorization bill that could coincide with the new administrator’s five-year term. The current FAA bill expires at the end of this year after Congress passed a short-term extension last month, and the Senate is stuck in a stalemate over the pilot training rules. And having an administrator serving a full term may make the FAA more likely to weigh in on big issues that a temporary leader might shy away from. “Having all these acting people, they never know when they’re going to be done, whether it’s next month or six months from now, you don’t know,” Maurer said. “They can’t really sink their teeth into the job like a full-time person can.” But Maurer said Whitaker’s main responsibility will be to represent the flying public rather than airlines or unions. The top priority, he said, should always be safety. “Time will tell how he handles these difficult situations,” Maurer said. “We all know if I’m working at Delta or United, they’re trying to run a business and they’re going to want regulations that favor business. Pilot unions will want things that favor the unions. He has to understand that he represents you and I. We told him, ‘We’re the representatives of what happens when that breaks down.’” https://www.politico.com/news/2023/10/24/senate-faa-chief-whitaker-00123210 How safe are cockpits? Aviation experts weigh in after security scare on board Horizon Air flight The attempt by an off-duty pilot to shut down the engines of a U.S. airliner in midflight highlights the threat that insiders pose to aviation safety with their ability to go where passengers are prohibited. Get a curated selection of 10 of our best stories in your inbox every weekend. Events like the one Sunday on a Horizon Air jetliner are very rare, but they are potentially devastating. The captain and co-pilot prevented disaster by subduing the off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot who — from his perfect vantage point in the cockpit jump seat — tried to cut fuel to the engines. “We’re just lucky he wasn’t flying the plane when he decided to do this. What’s going to stop that?” said Jon Loffi, a longtime law enforcement officer who teaches aviation security at Oklahoma State University and wrote a paper on identifying insider threats. There is something of a see-something, say-something mindset in aviation, where employees are encouraged to voluntarily report anything that raises a safety concern, including suspicious behavior of colleagues. It’s not clear how often that happens, however — if ever. The pilot who was arrested after Sunday’s flight didn’t appear to raise alarms. Neighbors and fellow members of a flying club where he was an instructor described him as a great guy who was obsessed with safety. The pilots who let him in the cockpit Sunday said they didn’t see anything out of the ordinary before takeoff. Pilots are required to undergo psychological screening as part of their regularly scheduled medical exams. The pilot involved in Sunday’s incident got his most recent exam in September, according to Federal Aviation Administration records. However, the pilot, Joseph David Emerson, told police that he had been depressed for about six months — starting long before his last medical exam — and was having a “nervous breakdown,” according to an FBI agent’s affidavit. During FAA-required exams, pilots are supposed to go through an interview and report whether they have received psychiatric treatment and what medicines they take. The FBI agent’s affidavit didn’t indicate whether Emerson was being treated for depression. The FAA says its approved medical examiners are trained to gauge a pilot’s mental health. Airlines frequently conduct their own interviews that include a psychological evaluation, “but most of those are to determine whether the pilot is a good fit for the company, not whether they are mentally unstable,” said Jeffrey Price, an aviation-security expert at Metropolitan State University of Denver. The Horizon close call could result in the re-examination of the practice of letting off-duty pilots or other airline employees sit in the cockpit jump seat. Air travel changed after the 9/11 terror attacks. The Transportation Security Administration was created to screen passengers. Cockpit doors were hardened. For a time, jump-seat riders were banned. Pilots fought to restore their ability to hitch a ride in the cockpit. Many of them commute to their jobs, and letting them use the jump seat means the airline doesn’t have to bump a passenger off a full flight to make room for a pilot. “I’m afraid this will put that privilege in jeopardy now,” said Ross Aimer, a retired airline pilot who is now CEO of an aviation-consulting firm. He said air travel won’t function — “it will come to a grinding halt” — if off-duty pilots can’t use the jump seat to commute to work. Airlines must approve people to sit in the jump seat, and pilots wishing to do it must present their credentials to the crew. The captain can deny access. “Our flight crew vetting system is just that — it’s based on trust,” Price said. “We have to trust personnel to a certain extent, or the system doesn’t work.” Loffi, the Oklahoma State professor, said banning pilots from the jump seat would be silly because a pilot intent on crashing the plane could simply wait until their turn to operate a flight. Investigators concluded that is what happened on board a Germanwings plane in 2015. They determined that the co-pilot deliberately crashed the plane in the French Alps. The man had been treated for suicidal tendences but did not tell the airline. A FedEx pilot riding on a cargo plane tried to kill the crew and crash the plane in 1994 but was stopped by the on-duty pilots. In 1987, a fired employee who still had his security badge hijacked a Pacific Southwest Airlines jet, which crashed in California, killing everyone on board. On rare occasions, other employees including a mechanic have been accused of sabotaging planes. Loffi said pilots could be subjected to more rigorous psychological examinations, as is often done with police officers, but that’s not foolproof either. “I think we’re doing a pretty good job of managing the insider threat,” he said. “How often does this happen? Darn seldom. And it’s just so hard to predict this kind of behavior.” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the FAA will look into “any safety considerations” that come out of investigations of the Horizon Air incident. Security experts say it would be difficult if not impossible to stop every determined criminal or terrorist who targets aviation. They say there are steps that could make such an attack more difficult, but they would come at a cost of time and money. One possibility is to make airline and airport employees go through the same type of security checkpoints as passengers. Currently many of those insiders can go behind security perimeters with the right credentials. Federal law requires that people seeking to work in secure areas of an airport must pass a criminal-records check and a “security threat assessment” that includes checking their names against a terrorism watch list. The vetting is conducted by the Transportation Security Administration. The off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot who was arrested Sunday joined Horizon as a first officer or co-pilot in 2001. In 2012, he went to work at Virgin America, which was bought by Alaska in 2016. Emerson was promoted to captain in 2019. Alaska Airlines said Emerson met all requirements for medical exams “and at no point were his certifications denied, suspended or revoked.” Alaska said Tuesday that Emerson was “relieved from all duties” on Sunday, the day of the flight. His next flight had been planned for Thursday. The airline indicated it was talking to the pilots’ union “regarding his employment status.” On Tuesday, Emerson was being held in the Multnomah County, Oregon, jail on one federal count of interfering with a flight crew and 83 state counts of attempted murder, a felony, 83 counts of misdemeanor reckless endangerment, and one count of endangering an aircraft, a felony. He was due to be arraigned Tuesday in Portland. Emerson’s neighbors in Pleasant Hill, California, a suburb about 30 miles east of San Francisco, describe him as friendly, and officials of a local flying club say he is meticulous about safety. “No sign he was off. Nothing,” Karen Yee, a neighbor whose grandchildren play with Emerson’s two elementary-school kids, told The (San Jose) Mercury News. “He is everything you would want to have in a good neighbor. We see him over the fence and on walks. Great guy. Great family.” Allen Scott, former president of a flying club where Emerson served as a flight instructor several years ago, told the San Francisco Chronicle he has flown with Emerson and he was “fanatical” about safety. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/10/24/airline-security-safety-insider-threat-emerson/f5959d1e-729c-11ee-936d-7a16ee667359_story.html Travelers at Reagan National Airport continue to bring firearms to checkpoints TSA on pace to set record-number of guns caught ARLINGTON, Va.--Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers working at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) continue to see travelers bringing their guns to the airport in their carry-on luggage and TSA wants to remind travelers of the proper and legal way to transport firearms for their flights. TSA officers at DCA have prevented 30 guns from getting through the checkpoints so far this year, which ties the record for most firearms caught in a year with two months still remaining in 2023. Nationwide, TSA officers have stopped more than 5,000 firearms at airport checkpoints so far this year and the agency is on pace to surpass the record of 6,542, which was set last year. The TSA team at DCA is part of that upward trend. “Our TSA officers are good at their jobs in helping to ensure that passengers get to their destinations safely and get home safely,” said John Busch, TSA’s Federal Security Director for the airport. “Each firearm caught has been discovered during the routine screening of carry-on items at the airport checkpoint." “It is disappointing to see travelers continue to bring their guns to our checkpoints because in doing so they create a potentially dangerous situation through their own actions,” Busch added. “Responsible gun owners know where their guns are and they know not to bring them to a checkpoint. We have no issues with passengers who pack their firearms properly to be transported on their flight in their checked baggage, but bringing a loaded gun to a checkpoint is not the way to do it.” When a TSA officer at DCA spots the image of a handgun on the x-ray monitor, TSA immediately alerts the Washington Metropolitan Airports Authority Police, which responds to the security checkpoint and resolves the matter. In addition to potential criminal arrests or citations, travelers face stiff federal civil penalties for bringing guns to the security checkpoint. TSA evaluates each gun incident on a case-by-case basis. “The most common excuse we hear is that someone claims they forgot they had their loaded gun with them,” said Busch. “If you own a firearm, you should know where it is at all times. It is part of being a responsible gun owner. Even if travelers have a concealed weapons permit, they are not allowed to board an airplane with the gun in carry-on luggage. The idea is that nobody should have access to a gun during a flight. However, you can transport it with checked baggage if you do so properly.” Busch also expressed concern that many travelers claim that they are not aware that their loaded firearm is in their bag and that “every day TSA and airport staff encounter lost or left-behind carry-on bags. If this were one of them, there would be very little that could be done to prevent another person, even a curious child, from accessing that bag. Being unaware that you are transporting a loaded firearm has potential to be the first link in a potentially tragic chain of events. Guns can be transported on a flight if they are unloaded, packed in a locked, hard-sided case and declared to the airline. The airline will be sure that the gun travels with checked baggage in the belly of the plane, never in the cabin of the plane. Additionally, replica firearms also are prohibited in carry-on baggage and also must be transported in checked luggage. “Prior to traveling, individuals who want to transport their firearm should do some homework and check gun regulations at their destination to ensure they are in compliance with all local and state laws,” Busch advised. “We expect all travelers to start with an empty bag to ensure they know what is and is not inside. It’s also important to pack your own bag. I also strongly urge gun enthusiasts not to use their range bags as carry-ons when traveling. It’s a simple step that reduces the chance of a firearm or ammunition from entering our screening checkpoints.” TSA also recommends travelers check with their airline prior to their flight to ensure they comply with any airline-specific requirements for transporting firearms. Federal civil penalties for bringing a handgun into a checkpoint can stretch into thousands of dollars, depending on mitigating circumstances. Among the factors TSA considers when determining the amount of the civil penalty include whether the firearm was loaded and whether there was accessible ammunition. Citations for carrying a weapon can reach $15,000. The complete list of civil penalties is posted online. Individuals who violate rules regarding traveling with guns will have Trusted Traveler status and TSA PreCheck® expedited screening benefits revoked. TSA has additional traveler information specifically related to the transportation of firearms and ammunition posted on its website. TSA reminds passengers to always know the contents of their carry-on bag prior to coming to the security checkpoint. TSA has multiple resources available to passengers to help them determine whether an item is permitted in carry-on baggage, checked baggage, either or neither. Travelers can use the “Can I Bring?” feature on the TSA website or on the free downloadable myTSA app. Travelers can also tweet to @AskTSA or send a text message (275-872) if they have a travel question or are unsure if an item is allowed through security in a carry-on bag. Just snap a picture or send a question and get real-time assistance. https://www.tsa.gov/news/press/releases/2023/10/24/travelers-reagan-national-airport-continue-bring-firearms NTSB: Pilot’s loss of consciousness led to helicopter crash; drug and alcohol use, sleep apnea, or illness could have played role The National Transportation Safety Board has released its final report regarding a 2022 helicopter crash in Andalusia. NTSB reports indicate the pilot lost consciousness from drug and alcohol use, sleep apnea, or illness. The National Transportation Safety Board has released its final report regarding a 2022 helicopter crash in Andalusia indicating that the pilot lost consciousness, possibly due to the effects of ethanol that were detected in his system during post-crash testing, an illness reported the previous day, or his history with obstructed sleep apnea. The Eurocopter AS350B2 Ecureuil had departed Evergreen on July 29, 2022 and was traveling to Andalusia Health Hospital to pick up a patient to be transferred to another health facility. Once in Andalusia, witnesses at the scene reported seeing the helicopter flying overhead before impacting trees and powerlines before hitting the ground at Packer Field. The incident resulted in serious injuries to the pilot and one crew member with another crew member sustaining minor injuries. According to the NTSB final report, as the helicopter began its descent to the Andalusia Health helipad when the pilot lost consciousness, as witnessed by the flight paramedic. The helicopter then departed controlled flight and impacted at Packer Field, about a mile from the hospital helipad. The report states that after post-accident examination of the helicopter there was no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures. Following the accident, the pilot was admitted to the hospital and underwent evaluation for injury and syncope (loss of consciousness), but no definitive cause of the syncope was identified. The NTSB reported that toxicology testing detected ethanol in blood and urine specimens collected from the pilot approximately 1.5 hours after the crash. Testing also detected cocaine metabolites benzoylecgonine and cocaethylene in the pilot’s urine, but not in his blood. The NTSB stated that, based on the pilot’s blood ethanol level when tested, his ethanol level at the time of the accident was likely between .04 to .08 g/dL (grams per deciliter). “Ethanol at this level would not sufficiently explain the pilot’s loss of consciousness but would be expected to have adverse effects on his performance capacity. Thus, it is likely that the pilot was impaired by effects of ethanol at the time of the accident,” according to the NTSB report. The report further states that the benzoylecgonine detected in the pilot’s urine indicated that he had used cocaine, but the timing is unknown. “The cocaethylene in his urine indicated that both cocaine and ethanol were in his system at the same time, with more than a small amount of cocaine likely used. The time elapsed between the pilot’s last cocaine use and his blood specimen collection was sufficient for cocaine to be metabolized and for its metabolites to fall below detectable levels in his blood. However, the precise time of his last cocaine use could not be determined, and the possibility of residual adverse effects from his cocaine use could not be excluded.” The NTSB also reported that the pilot had a history of obstructed sleep apnea and had called out sick the day before the accident, reporting a stomach illness. The report states the reason for the pilot to lose consciousness is still unknown. “At the time of the accident, the pilot likely was experiencing some impairing effects from alcohol use and may also have been experiencing impairing effects related to his use of cocaine. However, the event that precipitated the loss of helicopter control was the pilot’s acute incapacitation by a syncopal episode, the precise medical cause of which is unknown. Whether the pilot’s substance use, reported illness, or obstructed sleep apnea (or a combination thereof) contributed to his syncopal episode cannot be determined.” https://www.andalusiastarnews.com/2023/10/23/ntsb-pilots-loss-of-consciousness-led-to-helicopter-crash-drug-and-alcohol-use-sleep-apnea-or-illness-could-have-played-role/ TRAINING AND SAFETY TIP: OPTICAL ILLUSIONS Pilots face various optical illusions depending on the type of flying they do, including illusions associated with weather, night flying, and instrument flying. However, optical illusions triggered by a runway’s width and slope affect all pilots. I took my first flight lessons in my small hometown airport with a 2,500-foot-long and 60-foot-wide runway. Soon after, I continued training at an aviation university airport where the main runway was 10,500 feet long and 150 feet wide. While that is a huge difference—and may not be every pilot’s experience—any time you approach a runway that is narrow, wide, or sloping up or down you must overcome optical illusions for a safe landing. When approaching a runway that is narrower than you are used to, the aircraft will appear to be higher than it is. As a result, the illusion will tempt you to fly a lower approach than is appropriate for that runway. Conversely, a runway wider than you are used to will make you feel like you are approaching low, leading you to fly a higher approach than you should. Similar illusions affect approaches to sloped runways. When approaching an inclined runway, the aircraft appears to be higher than it is, causing you to fly a lower approach than you should. When approaching a down sloping runway, you may attempt to fly a higher approach because the optical illusion makes the approach seem lower than it is. There are obvious dangers to flying a too-low approach, but even a higher-than-normal approach is problematic and could lead to the need for a go-around. Fortunately, there are ways to counteract these illusions. First, as with any flight, simply be prepared. Research the airport information before your flight to understand the length and width of each available runway, the slope (if applicable), and the airport environment. Armed with that information, you can anticipate which optical illusions you will likely encounter on the approach. To learn more about optical illusions, see the AOPA Air Safety Institute’s Spatial Disorientation Safety Spotlight and Chapter 17 of the FAA’s Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge. Second, if flying to an airport broadcasting automatic terminal information service, ensure the altimeter is set correctly and refer to it throughout the approach. Even better, use the color-coded glidepath indicator lights (visual approach slope indicator or precision approach path indicator) if you are fortunate enough to have that runway guidance available. Lastly, as with any skill you are honing, there is no substitute for practice. Fly to airports with runways different from what you are used to—but still within your personal minimums and the limitations of the aircraft. The more you fly—safely—outside your comfort zone, the better you will be able to handle new and unusual conditions. https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2023/october/24/training-and-safety-tip-optical-illusions Several Thai airlines initiate passenger weigh-in measure for flight safety According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand, the passenger weight survey is in line with the standard measures of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and the purpose is to aid in the calculation of the take-off weight of the aircraft, to ensure flight safety. Several airlines in Thailand, including Bangkok Airways, Air Asia, and Thai Lion Air, have asked the public for cooperation in the survey of weight measurement of passengers, inclusive of their carry-on luggage, before boarding. According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand, the passenger weight survey is in line with the standard measures of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and the purpose is to aid in the calculation of the take-off weight of the aircraft, to ensure flight safety. The collected data will be anonymous and used for safety operations, complying with the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA). At Bangkok Airways, the survey will be carried out until 31 October 2023. At Air Asia and Thai Lion Air, their surveys were completed on 20 October 2023. The move follows a similar measure that has already been implemented by other international carriers, such as Korean Air and Air New Zealand, with the same objective of enhancing flight safety. (PRD) https://www.pattayamail.com/thailandnews/several-thai-airlines-initiate-passenger-weigh-in-measure-for-flight-safety-443834 Boeing trims annual 737 delivery target due to supplier errors (Reuters) -Boeing on Wednesday cut its 737 delivery forecast for this year due to quality issues at supplier Spirit AeroSystems, a temporary setback to the planemaker that is looking to recover from its own set of crises. The company was aiming to deliver 400 to 450 737 jets in 2023 but was forced to temper that goal to 375 to 400 jets after two separate quality issues at Spirit, which makes fuselages for the cash-cow narrowbody jets. Despite falling short on projected 737 deliveries, Boeing stuck to its goal of generating $3 billion to $5 billion in free cash flow and intends to keep its 737 production ramp up plan intact. It also plans to meet a delivery target of at least 70 widebody 787 Dreamliners in 2023 and is transitioning from a production rate of four to five jets per month. Meanwhile, the company's ailing defense business continues to struggle with cost overruns on fixed price contracts due to inflationary pressures. It reported another quarter of negative margins due to combined losses of $797 million on its next-generation Air Force One and an unspecified satellite program. Earlier this month, Boeing said it had expanded the scope of its inspections of a production defect arising from misdrilled holes that affect its bestselling 737 MAX 8 aircraft. "I have heard those outside our company wondering if we've lost a step. I view it as quite the opposite," said Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun in a letter to employees. "Thanks to the culture we're building, we have identified non-conformances from the past that we now have the rigor to find and fix once and for all." The company delivered 70 737 aircraft in the third quarter, down 20%. Planemakers get a bulk of the payment when they handover jets, so delivery numbers are closely watched. Boeing has worked to step up deliveries to speed up its recovery from overlapping safety and pandemic-induced crises but has faced disruptions for the second year in a row, though demand for jets is booming. It was forced to cut its 2022 delivery goal due to industry-wide supply and labor shortages, some of which have abated this year. Analysts, however, remain upbeat on Boeing's prospects given the bulging jet order books that should provide a bulwark against any economic downturn. For its third quarter through September, Boeing reported a cash burn of $310 million compared with a flow of $2.91 billion a year ago. Adjusted loss per share fell to $3.26 from $6.18. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/boeing-trims-annual-737-delivery-113208923.html More disruptions at Pakistan's PIA as cash dries up PIA - Pakistan International Airlines (PK, Islamabad International) continues to experience extreme difficulties maintaining its day-to-day operations, with 77 out of 81 scheduled flights cancelled on October 22 because its fuel supplier again cut off access. Multiple Pakistani outlets report that PIA cancelled 52 international and 29 domestic flights after the state-owned Pakistan State Oil (PSO) suspended Jet A1 deliveries. Four international flights did manage to take off. The fuel supplier regularly stops supply to force the state-owned airline to the negotiating table and extract some payment of monies owed. According to reports, late-night meetings between PIA and PSO on October 22 resulted in a promise by the airline to make daily payments of PKR100 million Pakistani rupees (USD359,000) to reduce its debt in exchange for PSO resuming a "restricted" supply of fuel. Consequently, PIA cancelled domestic and international 26 flights on October 23. Earlier this month, ch-aviation reported on threats by PSO to cut or restrict fuel supply after PIA ran up a debt of approximately PKR26 billion (USD93.3 million). Amid the flight disruptions, Pakistan's caretaker prime minister, Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, renewed his calls to accelerate PIA's partial privatisation process. The flight disruptions also follow a PKR18 billion (USD64.6 million) loan made to PIA by two Pakistani financial institutions in mid-September. The airline purportedly used the money to bring payroll obligations up to date and stabilise flight operations. However, in recent days, reports have also emerged of PIA going back to the banks to ask for a further PKR1.5 billion (USD5.4 million) in emergency funding to keep the airline flying. The airline has also reportedly written to the Ministry of Finance requesting another government guarantee to secure a further PKR7.5 billion loan (USD26.9 million). The current Pakistan government has previously told the airline it will no longer keep bailing it out, but financial institutions will only lend to it with some form of guarantee. Last month, ch-aviation reported that PIA was spending 48% of its revenues servicing its debts. ch-aviation has contacted PIA for comment. Meanwhile, a seven-person delegation has made the trip to Kuala Lumpur to attempt to settle a long-running lease dispute with Asia Aviation Capital Limited (AACL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Capital A, the entity behind AirAsia Aviation Group. The negotiations are about two out-of-lease A320-200s parked at Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta, which PIA would like to buy. However, in a case running in the UK's High Court, AACL says PIA owes it over USD31 million in unpaid basic rent, redelivery rent, maintenance reserves, and contractual interest from its previous lease of the aircraft. However, the talks have progressed and if the parties can reach a settlement, a PIA spokesperson told ch-aviation that the airline remains keen to buy the planes. "The discussions are in conclusive stages," he said. "We would be interested in acquiring those aircraft for PIA Fleet and necessary funding is being planned for that." https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/133242-more-disruptions-at-pakistans-pia-as-cash-dries-up Choctaw Nation breaks ground on Emerging Aviation Technology Center • Several state, tribal, and federal officials gathered Tuesday for a groundbreaking ceremony for an operation center for the Choctaw Nation’s Emerging Aviation Technology Center’s test range between Stringtown and Daisy on State Highway 43. • Choctaw Nation Chief Gary Batton said 44,000 acres of land set aside for the testing of unmanned aircraft within his tribe’s southeastern Oklahoma reservation is a new frontier for both the tribe and the state of Oklahoma. • Oklahoma Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell said investments from sovereigns and the state of Oklahoma is positioning the state to “truly become a top 10 state in the country when it comes to the aviation and defense industry jobs.” • James Grimsley, the Choctaw Nation’s executive director of Advanced Technology Initiatives, said he hopes future generations of tribal members will be influenced by the tribe’s work in aviation technology. CHOCTAW NATION — Chief Gary Batton said 44,000 acres of land set aside for the testing of unmanned aircraft within his tribe’s southeastern Oklahoma reservation is a new frontier for both the tribe and the state of Oklahoma. “I always say, ‘who would of thought that 44,000 acres of remote area would be a great testing site for technology for the future of our unmanned aircraft systems,” Batton said Tuesday. Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma hosted a large crowd of state, tribal, and federal officials Tuesday at the tribe’s Emerging Aviation Technology Center’s test range between Stringtown and Daisy on State Highway 43 for a groundbreaking of the EATC’S operation center. The three-story, 6,387 square-foot design includes office space, telemetry rooms, workrooms for both training and development, and drone maintenance and mechanical repairs, a conference lounge, an observation deck and more. “I truly believe this is going to be the gateway for the future for us, from manufacturing to all the opportunities that we desperately need here for southeastern Oklahoma, and we believe this is the spark that’s going to grow our area,” Batton said. The Choctaw Nation was the only tribal nation selected to participate in the Federal Aviation Administration’s initial Integrated Pilot Program for unmanned aircraft systems in 2017 before becoming the only tribal nation to lead the FAA’s BEYOND Program. The FAA in January gave the tribe’s program approval to conduct beyond visual line of sight flights. Oklahoma Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell was in attendance for the groundbreaking and said investments from sovereigns and the state of Oklahoma is positioning the state to “truly become a top 10 state in the country when it comes to the aviation and defense industry jobs.” “The number one industry, as we all know in the state is still oil and gas, and we are very thankful for that industry,” Pinnell said. “But because of groundbreakings like this, I truly believe over this next decade, our aviation aerospace industry could be the number one industry in the state of Oklahoma.” Pinnell said without the help of the tribes, the state would not be able to build a “next generation workforce when it comes to jobs that are truly going to be needed. “For this aviation industry, we wouldn’t be able to do it without the tribes,” Pinnell said, followed by loud applause. “The chief and I have been on a lot of stages over the last four or five years, cutting a whole lot of ribbons and turning dirt over, but that’s because when the state of Oklahoma partners with a sovereign, we can’t lose. We can’t lose.” James Grimsley, the tribe’s executive director of Advanced Technology Initiatives, said as new technology emerges, it will be accomplishing things that benefit society at large. “In 21st century United States of America, your ZIP code tells us a lot about you, tells a lot about your access to health care, your access to education, your access to economic opportunities, and one of the big things that we still have left to resolve in this country is access to X. I call it access to X, but it’s really a fundamental transportation problem,” Grimsley said. “We’re about to solve that with aviation and in our lifetimes. We’re going to see some amazing things.” Grimsley said he hopes the work the tribe is doing now in the aviation industry will keep growing and influence future generations. “My hope is that we’re not building a palace out here, we’re building a ladder,” Grimsley said. “And my hope is that generations that haven’t even been born yet will simply say, ‘I wish my grandparents were here to see what the Choctaw Nation is doing because they would be amazed.’ “I think that would be the biggest success we can have. And I’m very confident that’s going to happen.” https://www.mcalesternews.com/news/choctaw-nation-breaks-ground-on-emerging-aviation-technology-center/article_f3f2de22-7292-11ee-940d-cbe8ac96e4a2.html CALENDAR OF EVENTS • NATA Aviation Business Conference - November 1-2, 2023 • CHC Safety & Quality Summit 2023: November 14 – 16, 2023 Curt Lewis