Flight Safety Information - October 27, 2023 No. 209 In This Issue : Incident: Ryanair B738 at Tenerife on Oct 25th 2023, flaps problem on departure : Incident: USA Jet MD88 near Lubbock on Oct 22nd 2023, smoke in cockpit : Incident: BAW A35K over Atlantic on Oct 25th 2023, hydraulic problems : Investigation into 2022 medical helicopter crash claims pilot used drugs, alcohol : SkyWest Orders 19 Embraer E175 Aircraft for Operation with United Airlines : New self-declared medical (Australia) : Boeing Closing In On 737-7, 737-10 Certification Milestones : Oregon incident shows pilots in mental distress can slip by FAA; ‘A major problem’ says expert : Airline announces plans to suspend route between Austin and London : CALENDAR OF EVENTS Incident: Ryanair B738 at Tenerife on Oct 25th 2023, flaps problem on departure A Ryanair Boeing 737-800, registration EI-EKW performing flight FR-1122 from Tenerife South,CI (Spain) to Birmingham,EN (UK), was climbing out of Tenerife's runway 07 when the crew stopped the climb at FL100 reporting problems with their flaps. The aircraft entered a hold and positioned to return to Tenerife South for a safe landing at a higher than normal speed on runway 07 about 75 minutes after departure. The flight was cancelled. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Tenerife about 24 hours after landing. https://avherald.com/h?article=51041744&opt=0 Incident: USA Jet MD88 near Lubbock on Oct 22nd 2023, smoke in cockpit A USA Jet Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-88 freighter, registration N832US performing flight UJ-832 from El Paso,TX to Louisville,KY (USA) with 3 crew, was enroute at FL370 about 120nm west of Lubbock when the crew decided to divert to Lubbock due to smoke in the cockpit. On final approach to Lubbock the crew reported they were intending to turn off the runway, the smoke had dissipated. The aircraft landed safely on Lubbock's runway 17R, vacated the runway and stopped for an inspection on the taxiway querying emergency services whether they saw any smoke coming out of the back of the aircraft. Emergency services stated there was no smoke, the crew subsequently requested taxi to the apron and advised emergency services, they were now starting the APU and requested immediate information if any smoke became visible. The aircraft remained on the ground in Lubbock for about 46 hours, then positioned to Laredo,TX (USA) and resumed service about 3.5 hours after landing in Laredo. https://avherald.com/h?article=51040812&opt=0 Incident: BAW A35K over Atlantic on Oct 25th 2023, hydraulic problems A BAW British Airways Airbus A350-1000, registration G-XWBH performing flight BA-219 from London Heathrow,EN (UK) to Denver,CO (USA), was enroute at FL380 about 370nm northwest of Shannon (Ireland) when the crew decided to turn around and return to London due to hydraulic problems. The crew requested a long approach at London. The aircraft landed safely back on Heathrow's runway 09L at a normal speed about 2 hours after the decision to turn around. A passenger reported the crew initially announced a technical issue about 2 hours into the flight, later they received information it had been a hydraulic issue. The passengers were taken to hotels and rebooked for the next day. The airline reported the aircraft returned due to a minor technical issue. https://avherald.com/h?article=5103f2f2&opt=0 Investigation into 2022 medical helicopter crash claims pilot used drugs, alcohol ANDALUSIA, Ala (WDHN) — Over a year after an Alabama medical helicopter crashed into a field and injured three people, the National Transportation Safety Board has released its final report on the cause. On July 29, 2022, a medical helicopter was launched from Evergreen, Alabama, destined for a hospital in Andalusia to transport a patient to another hospital, but approximately one mile away from the hospital’s helipad, the helicopter crashed in a field. The crash injured the pilot, a flight paramedic, and a nurse. According to the National Transportation Safety Board, the crash occurred after the pilot lost consciousness, and a later toxicology report revealed the pilot may have used cocaine and been drinking, causing him to be impaired. The benzoylecgonine detected in the pilot’s urine indicated that he had used cocaine. The cocaethylene in his urine indicated that both cocaine and ethanol had been in his system at the same time, with more than a small amount of cocaine likely used. 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 (loss of consciousness) episode, the precise medical cause of which is unknown. NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD FINAL REPORT NTSB investigators also claim the pilot had a history of driving infractions, being convicted for a DUI in 2012 and an arrest for another DUI in May 2022, just two months before the crash. The final report from the NTSB claims that right before the crash, the flight nurse had noticed the helicopter descending early and told the pilot the helicopter was too low, to which the pilot replied, “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” and once the helicopter began to pitch down, the nurse made a Mayday call and told the pilot to “pull up” three times. The helicopter then nosed up and crashed into several trees and powerlines before crash landing in the field. Witnesses in the field near the accident site stated that the helicopter flew overhead about 300 ft above ground level, then nosed up 90° or more before turning left and impacting trees, powerlines, and the ground. NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD FINAL REPORT According to the NTSB, the pilot said in a post-crash interview that he felt sweaty and clammy and remembered someone telling him to pull up three times but did not remember the crash itself. The next thing he remembered was receiving medical treatment after the incident. https://www.cbs42.com/news/investigation-into-2022-medical-helicopter-crash-claims-pilot-used-drugs-alcohol/ SkyWest Orders 19 Embraer E175 Aircraft for Operation with United Airlines SÃO JOSÉ DOS CAMPOS, Brazil, Oct. 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Embraer (NYSE: ERJ; B3: EMBR3) has agreed to the sale of 19 new E175 jets to SkyWest, Inc. (NASDAQ: SKYW) for operation in the United Airlines (NYSE: UAL) network, adding to the 90 E175 jets SkyWest already operates for United. The E175 aircraft will fly exclusively with United under a Capacity Purchase Agreement (CPA). The value of the contract, which has been included in Embraer's Q3 backlog, is US$1.1billion, based on list price. The 70-seat aircraft will be delivered in a three-class configuration. Deliveries will begin Q4 2024. President and CEO of SkyWest Chip Childs said, "SkyWest is already the largest E175 operator in the world, and when this order is delivered we will have over 250 E175s. We look forward to continuing to improve the passenger flying experience with enhanced comfort and reliability." Martyn Holmes, CCO, Embraer Commercial Aviation, said, "We are pleased to build upon our superb partnership with SkyWest. The E175 is truly a versatile aircraft, the backbone of North American regional aviation." Images: https://embraer.imagerelay.com/share/85fe52c5353541cfb77657d7e89168c9 About Embraer A global aerospace company headquartered in Brazil, Embraer has businesses in Commercial and Executive aviation, Defense & Security and Agricultural Aviation. The company designs, develops, manufactures and markets aircraft and systems, providing Services & Support to customers after-sales. Since it was founded in 1969, Embraer has delivered more than 8,000 aircraft. On average, about every 10 seconds an aircraft manufactured by Embraer takes off somewhere in the world, transporting over 145 million passengers a year. Embraer is the leading manufacturer of commercial jets up to 150 seats and the main exporter of high value-added goods in Brazil. The company maintains industrial units, offices, service and parts distribution centers, among other activities, across the Americas, Africa, Asia and Europe. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/skywest-orders-19-embraer-e175-aircraft-for-operation-with-united-airlines-301969521.html New self-declared medical (Australia) Dr Kate Manderson, Principal Medical Officer, says this policy is in response to industry requests for a simplified aviation medical scheme for the recreational aviation community. This proposal offers a contemporary, safe and effective self-certification that works within a risk-based governance framework.t to facilitate greater operational opportunities for sport and recreational aviation activities when safe to do so, as outlined in our General Aviation Workplan. 'The Class 5 medical self-declaration aims to improve accessibility to a streamlined medical certification pathway for the general aviation and recreational aviation community. 'What we are proposing is that pilots will be able to seek a Class 5 medical self-declaration online and self-assess as to whether they meet the relevant medical requirements. 'Applicants who meet the eligibility criteria, satisfactorily meet the Class 5 medical requirements and make a self-declaration, will be automatically issued with a Class 5 medical. 'To support the implementation of the policy, we plan to develop comprehensive guidance materials and training modules on the Class 5 aviation medical requirements for applicants to be able to make an informed self-assessment of medical fitness for aviation safety. 'This will be supported by enhancements to the Medical Records System that will facilitate an online self-assessment and self-declaration medical application process.' Consultation opens 27 October and closes 17 November 2023. The survey can be accessed on our Consultation Hub. This is one of the initiatives in our GA workplan for simplifying health arrangements. This proposal has been developed with input from the aviation community, including the aviation medicine technical working group. Consultation on access to airspace Medical fitness is also one of the topics in our consultation on access to Class C and Class D controlled airspace for sport and recreation aircraft. We are seeking feedback as part of our commitment. https://www.miragenews.com/new-self-declared-medical-1112144/ Boeing Closing In On 737-7, 737-10 Certification Milestones Boeing is close to getting FAA certification approval on the 737-7s and the go-ahead to start formal flight-testing of the 737-10—steps that could see deliveries of the last two 737 Max variants start in early 2024 and early 2025 respectively, sources with knowledge of the programs tell Aviation Week. The long-awaited 737-7 certification is on track for year-end at the latest and could come as soon as next month, the sources said. The timeline, which is in line with statements made earlier this year by 737 SVP development programs and customer support Mike Fleming, should allow deliveries to get underway to launch customer Southwest Airlines by early 2024. The airline said earlier this year that its notional plan saw certification in 2023, but it did not expect deliveries to start before 2024. On the 737-10, Boeing is about 70% through a list of items the FAA has required before the agency grants type inspection authorization (TIA), the milestone which marks the start of flight testing for certification credit. Boeing has been working with the FAA to complete system safety assessments and newly required human factors assumptions validation. Assuming TIA is granted by year-end and flight testing goes with few major surprises, Boeing would start 737-10 deliveries in the first quarter of 2025, the sources said. Officially, Boeing has offered little beyond vague outlines of its notional certification timelines. Fleming told reporters in May that Boeing’s latest plans assume 737-7 certification and 737-10 TIA “this calendar year,” followed by 737-10 certification in 2024. But, he added, the new certification environment means plans must remain fluid and nothing is final until the FAA says so. Speaking during the company’s third-quarter earnings call Oct. 25, Boeing executives said nothing has changed on 737-7 or 737-10 timelines but declined to pinpoint specific dates for the key milestones. “The FAA makes that call and we’re going to give them all the flexibility they need,” CEO Dave Calhoun said. “In terms of the certification milestones that we have in front of us ... there’s been no change,” added CFO Brian West. “There’s really nothing to say other than there’s a lot of people hard at work.” Calhoun reiterated that outstanding deliverables are mostly “design assurance documentation” required by a late 2020 law that pushed through a series of certification reforms. Among the new requirements: validating system safety assessments with certain human factors-related assumptions, such as a pilot’s anticipated response to an alert or warning. The 737-10’s certification’s scope, already notably different from its 737 MAX predecessors due to several changes being introduced for retrofit fleet-wide, has expanded some in recent months to cover more required changes. The FAA in September issued an exemption that will permit 737-7 certification approval without new yaw-damper software that Boeing and the agency determined was needed to meet the latest regulations. It will be introduced and approved on the 737-10 and, like a new angle-of-attack (AOA) monitoring system, eventually retrofitted at Boeing’s expense. Meanwhile, the fifth production 737-10, built for United Airlines, is participating in the latest phase of Boeing’s on-going ecoDemonstrator technology demonstration effort. All other 737-10 test aircraft are inactive. The only known active 737 MAX family test aircraft, a 737-8, is engaged in systems tests. It is not clear whether the work is linked to upgrading the 737 MAX family with the enhanced AOA system or other tasks such as the development of the new yaw damper software. https://aviationweek.com/air-transport/safety-ops-regulation/boeing-closing-737-7-737-10-certification-milestones Oregon incident shows pilots in mental distress can slip by FAA; ‘A major problem’ says expert PORTLAND — Joseph David Emerson, the off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot who is charged with trying to crash a jetliner in Oregon while riding a jumpseat in the cockpit, had piloted another commercial aircraft just three days earlier. The terrifyingly close proximity of the two events — Emerson sitting at the controls of his own jetliner on Oct. 19 and Emerson allegedly leaping out of the jumpseat in an attempt to crash a Horizon plane by pulling emergency fuel cutoff handles Sunday, Oct. 22 — underscores gaping holes in the public safety net that allow pilots in mental distress to remain at the helm of massive aircraft. "That could be devastating," said Joseph Gutheinz Jr., a Texas lawyer who in previous roles investigated pilots suspected of lying about their mental health for federal agencies. "The bottom line: This is a major problem." After last working Oct. 19, Emerson told Port of Portland police who took him into custody at Portland International Airport that he was having a "nervous breakdown" and had used "magic mushrooms" 48 hours earlier, which would have been Friday evening. He also said he hadn't slept in the past 40 hours, which would have been approximately since 2 a.m. Oct. 21. Emerson told police he had been battling depression for the previous six months and he'd been struggling to come to terms with the death of a close friend, though it's unclear whether his employer or the Federal Aviation Administration were aware. An Alaska Airlines spokesperson said she was "unable to share any private employment details." The FAA didn't respond to questions from The Oregonian/OregonLive. Gutheinz said he wouldn't be surprised if Emerson hid his struggles from them — or even if he didn't and he was allowed to continue flying. "There are people that fly sick … and they represent a threat to the flying public and to the people on the ground," Gutheinz said. "And the FAA is basically an absentee landlord when it comes to protecting the public." He added an airplane is the equivalent of "a flying bomb." According to the FAA, tens of thousands of flights safely take off or land daily at U.S. airports. They transport close to three million passengers. The last fatal U.S. airlines passenger crash was in 2009 in New York, killing all 49 people on board and one person on the ground. The FAA states most mental health conditions "if treated, do not disqualify a pilot from flying." But some, including psychosis and bipolar disorder, automatically do. In August, an investigation by The Washington Post found nearly 5,000 pilots are suspected of falsifying medical records to hide benefits they've been receiving for mental illness or other health problems that might make them hazards on the job. FAA regulations require pilots undergo medical examinations every six months to five years, depending on the type of aircraft they operate and their age. But aviation experts say those with mental health or other problems sometimes conceal them, out of fear they will be cut off from flying. The FAA says it takes mental health concerns seriously and has been trying to reduce the stigma pilots feel in reporting depression and other difficulties they're facing. In a statement posted to its website, Alaska Airlines said Emerson's medical certification had never been "denied, suspended or revoked." One of Emerson's defense attorneys, Noah Horst, said he and his colleagues will "pursue a diligent investigation into all the facts and circumstances" leading up to Sunday's events. "Joseph Emerson is a caring father, a loving husband, and a skilled aviator who is supported and loved by a vast network of friends, family, and colleagues," Horst said in an email. "He would never intentionally hurt another person. Joe was not under the influence of any intoxicants when he boarded that flight." Emerson, who lives in the Bay Area of California, remains in Multnomah County Jail. He faces 83 counts of attempted murder and one count of first-degree endangering aircraft in Multnomah County Circuit Court. He also faces federal charges, which he will heard during his arraignment Thursday, Oct. 26. https://www.eastoregonian.com/news/northwest/oregon-incident-shows-pilots-in-mental-distress-can-slip-by-faa-a-major-problem-says/article_c13d61a6-7453-11ee-859f-0b8e869b0db5.html Airline announces plans to suspend route between Austin and London AUSTIN (KXAN) — An airline announced Friday morning it plans to suspend its route that connects the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport to the London Heathrow airport early next year. Virgin Atlantic, a British airline, said in a release it plans to suspend services between London and Austin following a “persistent softening in corporate demand, specifically the tech sector.” Jan 2022: Virgin Atlantic starts flying to and from AUS in May 2022 The last services to Austin will operate on January 7, 2024, and the airline’s teams will be in contact with affected customers due to fly after this date to provide options, which include offering a full refund, according to the release. The airline’s route between Austin and London has been operating since May 2022. Juha Jarvinen, the chief commercial officer for Virgin Atlantic said, “we’ve adored flying our customers to Austin and experiencing this wonderful city of music and culture, but demand in the Tech sector is not set to improve in the near term, with corporate demand at 70% of 2019 levels. Therefore, sadly we made the tough decision to withdraw services. We’d like to thank everyone in Austin; our customers, teams, partners and the authorities for their support over the past 18 months.” Other airlines continue to offer flights from AUS to London Heathrow, including British Airways, American Airlines, and United. https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/austin-airport/airline-announces-plans-to-suspend-route-between-austin-and-london/ CALENDAR OF EVENTS • NATA Aviation Business Conference - November 1-2, 2023 • CHC Safety & Quality Summit 2023: November 14 – 16, 2023 • 2024 ACSF Safety Symposium – Air Charter Safety Foundation - April 1-3, 2024 Curt Lewis