Flight Safety Information - November 15, 2023 No. 222 In This Issue : Incident: Easyjet Switzerland A320 at Geneva, Basel and Zurich on Nov 14th 2023, fuel emergency, landed substantially below minimum fuel : Incident: Valuejet CRJ9 at Port Harcourt on Nov 14th 2023, runway excursion on vacating the runway : Accident: Gol B738 at Navegantes on Nov 14th 2023, takeoff thrust rips runway asphalt off : A horse broke loose in a cargo plane, forcing the pilots to dump fuel and return to JFK : Safety review team calls for 'urgent action' after US aviation near-miss incidents : Safety Innovation #9: A system to prevent depressurisation accidents : United flight from LAX diverted to SFO due to aircraft threat : Airplane makes emergency landing after Egyptian passenger writes 'I love Allah' on a form : Dubai Plans To Replace World's Busiest Airport With A Bigger One : American Airlines offering $250K bonus to help attract pilots from FedEx and UPS, reports say : Ethiopian Airlines Agrees to Landmark Order for Up to 67 Boeing Jets : CALENDAR OF EVENTS Incident: Easyjet Switzerland A320 at Geneva, Basel and Zurich on Nov 14th 2023, fuel emergency, landed substantially below minimum fuel An Easyjet Switzerland Airbus A320-200, registration HB-JZR performing flight U2-1326 from Nice (France) to Geneva (Switzerland), was on final approach to Geneva's runway 22 when the crew initiated a go around from very low height (possibly with runway contact) and decided to divert to Basel (Switzerland). Subsequently Geneva's ATC advised there was windshear on short final to runway 22. The aircraft climbed to FL200 and performed an approach to Basel/Mulhouse's runway 15 but again needed to go around from about 500 feet AGL about 33 minutes after the go around in Geneva. The crew declared emergency being low on fuel and decided to divert to Zurich advising Zurich ATC they had only 18 minutes of fuel left. The aircraft touched down on Zurich's runway 14 about 13 minutes after the go around in Basel and about 92 minutes after departure from Nice and taxied to the apron. The aircraft is still on the ground in Zurich about 3 hours after landing. https://avherald.com/h?article=51123b8a&opt=0 Incident: Valuejet CRJ9 at Port Harcourt on Nov 14th 2023, runway excursion on vacating the runway A Valuejet (Nigeria) Canadair CRJ-900, registration 5N-BXR performing flight VK-226 from Lagos to Port Harcourt (Nigeria) with 62 passengers and 5 crew, landed on Port Harcourt's runway 21, slowed to taxi speed and was to turn off the runway at the last exit when the aircraft skidded and went off the paved surface with all gear. There were no injuries, the aircraft received minor if any damage. The airline reported that the aircraft had stopped on the runway and was subsequently about to turn off, however, due to algae on the turn off the aircraft skidded. https://avherald.com/h?article=5112360e&opt=0 Accident: Gol B738 at Navegantes on Nov 14th 2023, takeoff thrust rips runway asphalt off A Gol Transportes Aereos Boeing 737-800, registration PR-GXT performing flight G3-1843 from Navgantes,SC to Rio de Janeiro Galeao,RJ (Brazil), had backtracked runway 25, turned around for departure. When applying takeoff thrust, large portions of the asphalt were blown up and hit the tailplane. The crew rejected takeoff at about 60 knots over ground and returned to the apron. There were no injuries, the aircraft sustained substantial damage to its tail plane. The flight was cancelled. The airport was closed for about 5 hours as result. https://avherald.com/h?article=511232e9&opt=0 A horse broke loose in a cargo plane, forcing the pilots to dump fuel and return to JFK • The horse was being transported on a Boeing 747 cargo plane. • A horse managed to escape its stall shortly after a cargo plane took off from JFK on November 9. • One of the pilots told air traffic controllers the horse could not be secured and asked to return. A cargo plane had to return to JFK after a horse broke loose and the crew couldn't get it back in its stall. Air Atlanta Icelandic flight 4592 took off at 2.30 p.m on November 9 on its way to Liege, Belgium. The Boeing 747 climbed to about 31,000 feet when a pilot called air traffic control to say that a horse had escaped from its stall and that they needed to return to JFK. "We are a cargo plane with a live animal, a horse, on board the airplane. And the horse managed to escape his stall," says a pilot in audio posted on YouTube by You can see ATC. "We don't have a problem as of flying wise but we need to return back to New York. We cannot get the horse back secured," he warned. Cleared to return to New York, the jet did a U-turn off the eastern coast of Canada, tracking data from Flight Radar 24 shows. The crew had to first dump fuel over the Atlantic to be able to land safely. "Due to our weight we need to dump 20 tonnes of fuel," one of the pilots told air traffic control. It's unclear how the horse managed to escape, but it remained unrestrained until the plane landed at JFK. The crew had requested a vet be on standby as the animal was "in difficulty," per the audio recording. The aircraft successfully reached Belgium the following day. Air Atlanta Icelandic did not immediately reply to a request for comment from Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/horse-broke-loose-cargo-plane-forced-pilots-return-jfk-2023-11 Safety review team calls for 'urgent action' after US aviation near-miss incidents WASHINGTON, Nov 15 (Reuters) - An independent safety review team named by the Federal Aviation Administration after a series of close-call air incidents called for "urgent action" and made a series of recommendations on Wednesday to boost safety. The 52-page report released Wednesday cited air traffic control staffing shortages, technology issues, funding needs and other challenges. The National Transportation Safety Board has opened seven investigations into near-miss incidents since January, including some that were potentially catastrophic. "The FAA continues to be asked to do more with less in an already strained system, and the series of serious incidents in early 2023 illuminate significant challenges to the provision and safety oversight of air traffic services," said the report chaired by Michael Huerta, a former FAA administrator, saying "there are no easy, short-term fixes to the challenges in the system." The report called for strengthening FAA organizational structures "institutionalizing roles and responsibilities, and advancing a proactive, data-driven safety culture." https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/safety-review-team-calls-urgent-action-after-us-aviation-near-miss-incidents-2023-11-15/ Safety Innovation #9: A system to prevent depressurisation accidents Airbus developed an automatic system which, in the event of cabin pressurisation system failure, takes over from the crew and brings the aircraft back to an altitude where it is possible to breathe normally. On 14 August 2005, a passenger aircraft suffered a failure in its pressurisation system a few minutes after taking off from Larnaca Airport in Cyprus. This went undetected by the crew. As the aircraft continued to climb to an altitude of 33,000 ft (10,200 m), oxygen became increasingly scarce. The ensuing hypoxia (a reduction in the amount of oxygen delivered by the blood to the tissues) caused the occupants to lose consciousness. The plane, on its way to Prague and carrying 121 people, flew under autopilot until it ran out of fuel and eventually crashed near Marathon, north of Athens in Greece. Unfortunately, similar cases occurred on other passenger aircraft and business jets. Aircraft typically cruise at altitudes of ~30,000-45,000 ft (~9,000-13,000 m) above sea level where the level of oxygen is not sufficient for humans to breathe. This is why aircraft are pressurised: to provide sufficient oxygen for the people on board. Usually, the air pressure is kept equivalent to an altitude of ~6,000-8,000 ft (~1,800-2,400 m) above sea level. In the case of a loss of pressurisation in cruise, passengers and crew members must immediately use oxygen masks to prevent hypoxia. Depending on the altitude, the so-called time of useful consciousness is 15 seconds or less. The flight crew must then initiate an emergency descent procedure comprising immediate pilot actions as well as communication to air traffic control and passengers in the cabin. This will enable the aircraft to descend to a lower altitude where the oxygen level is sufficient to breathe without an oxygen mask. Airbus developed the Automatic Emergency Descent (AED) function to enable the flight crew to initiate the emergency descent by pressing a button and extending the speed brakes. The aircraft will then automatically perform the manoeuvre while avoiding potential high terrain like mountain ranges. This dramatically reduces the workload for the crew in this critical situation. As an additional safety net, in the event of cabin depressurisation where no crew reaction is detected, the AED will automatically activate after a countdown and initiate the emergency descent. https://www.airbus.com/en/newsroom/stories/2023-11-safety-innovation-9-a-system-to-prevent-depressurisation-accidents United flight from LAX diverted to SFO due to aircraft threat A duty manager at San Francisco International Airport confirmed a flight from LAX was diverted to SFO on Monday night due to a threat to the aircraft. SAN FRANCISCO - A duty manager at San Francisco International Airport confirmed a flight from LAX was diverted to SFO on Monday night due to a threat to the aircraft. Airport officials say United flight 1909 to Vancouver, landed at SFO at around 10 p.m. The threat was deemed to be "low" and the plane was moved from the tarmac to the passenger terminals, where police are investigating. United issued a statement confirming this was a "potential security issue on board," but was not more specific. "The flight landed safely and was met by local law enforcement. We are working to get our customers to their final destination as soon as possible," the statement read. United said there were 148 passengers and eight flight-crew personnel onboard. https://www.ktvu.com/news/united-flight-from-lax-diverted-to-sfo-due-to-aircraft-threat Airplane makes emergency landing after Egyptian passenger writes 'I love Allah' on a form A Vueling flight between Paris and Cairo made an emergency landing in Rome on Tuesday, November 7 where an Egyptian passenger was removed from the flight. Videos obtained by FRANCE 24 show the man being arrested by Italian police. The flight crew accused him of writing “I love Allah” on a form. It was a “blood-chilling scene,” says our Observer, who witnessed the whole incident and believes the man was racially profiled. It was around 5:30pm on November 7 when the Vueling VL8522 flight, which had left Paris Orly airport, bound for Cairo, took a sudden turn to the west over Croatia’s Lake Brac so it could make an emergency landing at an airport in Rome. The crew decided to make an emergency landing because they had concerns about what they viewed as suspicious behaviour by a 29-year-old passenger. According to Italian customs officials, the man was feeling ill and asked for medication. “He had to sign a form to say that he had taken the medication at his own risk. It seems as if a member of staff saw the words “I love Allah” on the form, which led to the flight’s emergency landing,” Italian officials reported. The Italian police said that they didn’t have access to the document in question. Once the flight landed at Fiumicino Airport in Rome, the man was arrested by Italian police. Two videos obtained by our team document this scene. You can hear the passenger shout, in broken English, “I don’t do something, I don’t know something,” “I don’t do problems”, “Please, I want help” and “I’m from Egypt.” He also seems to be giving the officials an address in Arabic. “It was the pilot who decided to land,” Italian customs officials said. They added that the pilot did not explain why he wanted to land at the airport in question. Vueling said, in a statement, that the flight was “rerouted to Rome for security reasons due to the inappropriate behaviour of a passenger”. The company said that, in the name of “passenger security,” it followed “established protocols” and asked for the “intervention of security forces” without giving more details. We asked for specifics, but Vueling said that they couldn’t comment on the reasons why the passenger was reported, “if it was about what he wrote on his form or his behaviour”. 'Decisions like this are going to reinforce the feeling amongst Muslims that the West has something against them' Our Observer, Pierre (not his real name), was sitting near the passenger in question. He said that it had been a difficult flight, with many delays, but that the passenger showed no sign of agitation before the landing in Rome. We were supposed to take off at 11am. About twenty minutes after the scheduled departure time, the pilot announced that there was an electrical issue. Thirty minutes after that, they made us get out of the plane, telling us that we would be taking off in a different plane. In the end, we took off three hours late. I was sitting near the young man in question. I didn’t see any issues with him. He didn’t do anything disruptive during the flight – he didn’t yell or insult anyone. I didn’t see him take medication but maybe I missed that. An hour after takeoff, I went to the bathroom in the back of the plane and saw a flight attendant crying. That worried me but I thought maybe she was crying for personal reasons. I tried not to think about it because I didn’t want to stress myself out. And then, an hour after that, they announced that we were going to land, without giving us any additional information. 'We wondered what was going on, if it was a bomb…' People were grumbling a bit. Some of the Egyptian passengers were joking about it, including the young man in question. The plane landed and, around 6pm, a woman sitting near the young man stood up to go to the bathroom. She said it was an emergency, but a flight attendant yelled at her to stay seated and said that the police were on board and that they were in the midst of an emergency procedure. We started wondering what was going on, if it was a bomb… then, quickly, at about 6:15pm, the police were on board and they took the young man, who was yelling that he hadn’t done anything. Decisions like this are going to reinforce the feeling amongst Muslims that the West has something against them Italian customs officials have said, contrary to what the Italian media reported, that there were no elite sharpshooters on the runway when the man was taken off the plane, just “a normal security system, with armed police”. The man was quickly released. The same authorities reported that no “legal action” was taken. A source in Egypt, who spoke to the passenger’s friends and family in his village, told our team on November 10 that the man had finally reached Egypt. However, we were unable to obtain more information by the time this article went to publication. https://observers.france24.com/en/europe/20231114-airplane-makes-emergency-landing-after-egyptian-passenger-writes-i-love-allah-on-a-form Dubai Plans To Replace World's Busiest Airport With A Bigger One Dubai, United Arab Emirates: Dubai is forging ahead with plans to replace the world's busiest airport with an even bigger one as passenger traffic recovers to outstrip pre-pandemic levels, a top official told AFP on Wednesday. Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths said designs were being drawn up for Al Maktoum International Airport, which will be built on the city's outskirts and should replace Dubai International in the 2030s. He was speaking at the Dubai Airshow in the United Arab Emirates, where airlines have invested heavily in new planes. Last year, neighbouring Saudi Arabia announced plans for a major new air hub in Riyadh. "Once we've reached about 120 million (passengers a year), which is what we think our total capacity at DXB (Dubai International) is at the absolute maximum with everything optimised, we are going to need a new airport," Griffiths said. "That is going to have to happen at some stage during the 2030s. We're going to be working on those designs over the next few months. "So the trajectory is good. The confidence in the industry remains high." Griffiths was speaking as new figures forecast 86.9 million passengers at Dubai International this year, surpassing 2019 traffic and underlining the recovery from the pandemic. Third-quarter traffic was 22.9 million, the highest since 2019, taking 2023 numbers so far to 64.5 million, nearly 40 percent higher than the same period in 2022. 'Little impact' from Gaza war Passenger numbers have not been affected by the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, which is expected to hit regional economies and especially tourism. There has been "very, very little impact of traffic to the north", Griffiths said. "In fact, in some regions it's got even stronger than before, so (there was) no impact that was discernible." He added: "We always knew when the pandemic struck, there'd be an equal and strong recovery because people under lockdown for two years were denied the ability to travel. And so that's why we've bounced back so quickly." Dubai airport closed briefly to commercial flights from March to July 2020 for the pandemic, but was one of the first travel hubs to reopen. In 2020, it received only 25.9 million passengers, down from 86 million in 2019. No price tag or capacity has been set for the new airport, Griffiths said, adding that it would be designed on a modular basis rather than based around terminals -- meaning it can easily expand over time. "It stands to reason that Al Maktoum International has to be even bigger and even better (than Dubai International)," he said, calling it the "airport of the future". "This will be a project that extends way into the 2050s, because we take the long-term view here." He added: "We are not planning an airport that has terminals. We're going to completely change the business model for airports, make them actually far more intimate and get rid of all the legacy processes that we've had to subject our customers to, for far too long." https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/israel-gaza-war-impact-on-airports-dubai-plans-to-replace-worlds-busiest-airport-with-even-bigger-one-4575781 American Airlines offering $250K bonus to help attract pilots from FedEx and UPS, reports say American Airlines is reportedly offering certain pilots a generous signing bonus in hopes of adding more captains to its passenger planes. According to multiple reports, the airline is offering a $250,000 signing bonus to any captain who leaves FedEx or UPS. They will get $175,000 in their first check and an additional $75,000 after one year. PSA Airlines, a regional carrier owned by American, is putting the six-figure bonus out there to pilots to help fill a gap in service to smaller U.S. cities, according to The Wall Street Journal. The gap in service has reportedly worsened over the past year as smaller airports have been forced to cancel flights due to a lack of pilots. According to reports, PSA is having a tough time hiring pilots with enough experience to join the cockpit as a captain, keeping many of its planes grounded. UPS and FedEx have reported a reduction in cargo shipments and hours for some pilots in recent months as parcel volume has decreased. According to The Wall Street Journal, a decrease in demand has left FedEx with an excess of some 700 pilots. Over the summer, American Airlines pilots approved a new contract that will raise their pay by more than 40% over four years and increase company contributions to retirement plans. “This contract is a big first step toward restoring the wages, benefits, and work rules that were lost during the past two decades while our profession was under continuous assault,” union President Ed Sicher was quoted by The Associated Press. According to Sicher, pilots deserve to be compensated in line with the tremendous amount of responsibility they take with every flight. https://www.wsaz.com/2023/11/15/american-airlines-offering-250k-bonus-help-attract-pilots-fedex-ups-reports-say/ Ethiopian Airlines Agrees to Landmark Order for Up to 67 Boeing Jets • - Agreement for 11 787 Dreamliners and 20 737 MAX, with opportunity for 36 more jets, represents the largest Boeing jet purchase by an African carrier. • - Services collaboration for 787 cabin retrofits to enhance passenger experience DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Nov. 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] and Ethiopian Airlines today announced the carrier has agreed to order 11 787 Dreamliner and 20 737 MAX airplanes with an opportunity for 15 and 21 additional jets, respectively. The agreement, signed by Ethiopia's national carrier at the Dubai Airshow, represents the largest-ever purchase of Boeing airplanes in African history. "We are pleased to announce that Ethiopian Airlines has reached a deal with Boeing to place a firm order for 31 ultra-modern airplanes, with opportunity for 36 additional jets," said Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO Mr. Mesfin Tasew. "This order will enable us to modernize and increase our fleet in support of Ethiopian Airlines' growth plan and our Vision 2035 Strategy. Through this deal, we have solidified our decades-old exemplary business partnership with Boeing. The 787 Dreamliner and 737 MAX demonstrate Ethiopian Airlines' environmentally conscious decisions and its commitment to serve passengers with the latest technologically advanced airplanes." Ethiopian is ordering the 787-9 variant, part of a Dreamliner family that reduces fuel use and emissions by 25% compared to the airplanes it replaces. The carrier is also adding the 737-8 model, which reduces fuel use and emissions by 20% and creates a 50% smaller noise footprint compared to the airplanes it replaces. Both families bring better environmental performance and passenger comfort to their respective markets. The new commitment positions Ethiopian Airlines to further strengthen and diversify its fleet, which currently includes more than 80 Boeing jets. Ethiopian operates Africa's largest Dreamliner fleet with a mix of 787-8s and 787-9s. The new 737 MAX order, which will grow the airline's backlog for the fuel-efficient jet to 50, will be posted on Boeing's Orders & Deliveries website when finalized. Boeing and Ethiopian Airlines also agreed to work together to provide cabin modification services for the carrier's existing 787 Dreamliners. The comprehensive retrofits will enhance the passenger experience with advanced in-flight entertainment and new seats in all cabins, including lie-flat business-class seats from Boeing joint venture Adient Aerospace. "Ethiopian Airlines continues its leadership as one of Africa's preeminent airlines with this landmark commitment to expand their 787 and 737 MAX fleets," said Brad McMullen, Boeing senior vice president of Commercial Sales and Marketing. "Ethiopian was the first African airline to take delivery of the 787, and the Dreamliner family continues to play an integral role in its long-haul fleet. With their decades of experience operating our single-aisle and widebody jets, we appreciate Ethiopian Airlines' confidence in our products and the strength of our relationship after more than 75 years of collaboration." The 787-9 can fly 296 passengers 14,010 km (7,565 nautical miles), in addition to carrying substantial cargo. Since revenue service began in 2011, the 787 family has launched more than 380 new nonstop routes around the world. The 737-8 carries up to 210 passengers depending on configuration and offers a range of up to 6,480 km (3,500 nautical miles). Boeing's Commercial Market Outlook forecast for Africa projects the continent will need 1,025 airplanes over the next two decades; more than 70% of commercial deliveries are expected to be single-aisle jets. Africa's overall air-traffic growth is forecast at 7.4% through 2042, third-highest among global regions and above the global average growth rate of 6.1%. About Ethiopian Ethiopian Airlines Group (Ethiopian) is the fastest-growing airlines brand globally and the continent's largest airline brand. In its seventy-seven years of successful operations, Ethiopian, the fastest growing airline, has become one of the continent's leading carriers, unrivalled in efficiency and operational success. Ethiopian commands the lion's share of the African passenger and cargo network operating the youngest and most modern fleet to more than 150 domestic and international passenger and cargo destinations across five continents. Ethiopian's fleet category consists of ultra-modern and environmentally friendly aircraft such as Boeing 737s, 777s, 787s, Airbus A350-900 and Bombardier Dash 8-400 double cabin with an average fleet age of seven years. In fact, Ethiopian is the first airline in Africa to own and operate most of these aircraft. As a multi-award-winning airline, Ethiopian has been the champion in various coveted awards including Skytrax's 'Best Airline in Africa Award' for six consecutive years among others. The airline has been a Star Alliance member since 2011 and has been registering more than threefold growth in the past 10 years. For more at: https://www.ethiopianairlines.com/ https://boeing.mediaroom.com/2023-11-14-Ethiopian-Airlines-Agrees-to-Landmark-Order-for-Up-to-67-Boeing-Jets CALENDAR OF EVENTS • 2024 Women in Aviation International Conference - March 21-23 (Orlando) • 2024 ACSF Safety Symposium – Air Charter Safety Foundation - April 1-3, 2024 • 2024 ISASI - Lisbon, Portugal - September 30 to October 4, 2024 • 2024 NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition - Oct. 22-24 (Vegas) Curt Lewis