Flight Safety Information - November 30, 2023 No. 229 In This Issue : Incident: Algerie A332 at Algiers on Nov 26th 2023, engine shut down in flight : Incident: Ryanair B738 near Krakow on Nov 26th 2023, pilot incapacitated : Incident: Transat A332 over Atlantic on Nov 20th 2023, pilot incapacitated : Incident: Southwest B737 near Las Vegas on Nov 26th 2023, small fire on board : American Airlines employee hospitalized after attack on plane leaving Florida : Questions and Answers: Commission adopts new EU Air Safety List : NTSB investigating aircraft crash that killed three San Antonio residents, including fifth-grader : Emergency response ongoing at Hamburg Airport (HAM) after Eurowing aircraft slides off runway evening of Nov. 29. : PIA accounts frozen amid safety review by EU : Airbus' FlightLab flies itself while pilot rides shotgun with a tablet : CALENDAR OF EVENTS Incident: Algerie A332 at Algiers on Nov 26th 2023, engine shut down in flight An Air Algerie Airbus A330-200, registration 7T-VJC performing flight AH-4062 from Algiers (Algeria) to Dubai (United Arab Emirates), was climbing out of Algier's runway 27 when the crew stopped the climb at FL120 due to high vibrations of the right hand engine (CF6) and shut the engine down. The aircraft returned to Algiers for a safe landing on runway 27 about 35 minutes after departure. A post flight inspection revealed severe damage to the high pressure turbine blades that also damaged the low pressure turbine blades downstream. Preliminary data suggest repetitive and excessive use of TOGA power and poor EGT margins contributed to the engine failure. The aircraft is still on the ground in Algiers about 85 hours (3 days 13 hours) after landing back. https://avherald.com/h?article=511d150a&opt=0 Incident: Ryanair B738 near Krakow on Nov 26th 2023, pilot incapacitated A Ryanair Boeing 737-800, registration EI-IHW performing flight FR-3472 from London Luton,EN (UK) to Rzeszow (Poland), was enroute at FL370 about 90nm northwest of Krakow (Poland) when one of the pilots became incapacitated prompting the other pilot to divert the aircraft to Krakow, where the aircraft landed safely on runway 25 about 25 minutes later where the aircraft was awaited by an ambulance. The pilot received medical assistance. Poland's PKBWL rated the occurrence a serious incident and opened an investigation. https://avherald.com/h?article=511cafd5&opt=0 Incident: Transat A332 over Atlantic on Nov 20th 2023, pilot incapacitated An Air Transat Airbus A330-200, registration C-GUBD performing flight TS-186 from Toronto,ON (Canada) to Punta Cana (Dominican Republic) with 299 people on board, was enroute at FL370 over the Atlantic Ocean north of the Hispaniola Island (Dominican Republic and Haiti) when one of the flight crew members became incapacitated. The crew performed a descent to FL310 and continued to destination for a safe landing about one hour later. The Canadian TSB reported: "A flight crew member became incapacitated approximately 3 hours into the flight. A company qualified pilot who was flying as a passenger replaced the incapacitated flight crew member and the aircraft continued to the intended destination without further incident." https://avherald.com/h?article=511ca1ca&opt=0 Incident: Southwest B737 near Las Vegas on Nov 26th 2023, small fire on board A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700, registration N966WN performing flight WN-2367 from Denver,CO to San Diego,CA (USA), was enroute at FL400 about 100nm southeast of Las Vegas,NV (USA) when the crew decided to divert to Las Vegas reporting a small fire on board. The aircraft landed safely on Las Vegas' runway 01L about 22 minutes after leaving FL400. The airport reported the crew reported a small electrical fire on board. The airline reported the aircraft was inspected with no anomalies found. A replacement Boeing 737-700 registration N964WN reached San Diego with a delay of about 3 hours. The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground in Las Vegas for about 6 hours before returning to service. https://avherald.com/h?article=511ca418&opt=0 American Airlines employee hospitalized after attack on plane leaving Florida MIAMI, Fla. (WFLA) — A 29-year-old man was arrested Monday after he attacked an American Airlines employee on a plane at the Miami International Airport, leaving her hospitalized. According to NBC Affiliate WTVJ, the incident occurred on Monday night after the man, identified as Bruno Luke Machiavelo, boarded his flight from Miami to New York’s LaGuardia Airport. According to an arrest report obtained by the news station, at some point, Machiavelo told a flight attendant that he has panic attacks and wanted medication that was in a bag he checked. WTVJ reported the flight attendant told Machiavelo she couldn’t retrieve his medication. Then he told her he “took down planes with panic attacks in the past.” According to the report, a decision was made to escort Machiavelo off the plane. When an American Airlines manager approached him, he started to “scream and pushed the manager away from him.” As he was exiting the plane, Machiavelo punched the manager in her face several times and threw her to the floor, causing her to hit her head on the jetbridge. The attack left the woman with permanent scarring on her face and head, and she had to be hospitalized. Machiavelo pushed a gate agent when he ran off the plane, which caused her to fall to the floor and injure her hands, the report said. Officers were flagged down by American Airlines employees and arrived at the gate to find Marchiavelo kicking and screaming while several passengers held him down. Bradenton police search for suspects accused of robbing smoke shop at gunpoint The 29-year-old, who’s from Connecticut, was expected to be booked into jail after being cleared at the hospital. He was arrested on several charges including aggravated battery, battery, disorderly conduct and resisting an officer without violence. American Airlines released a statement to WTVJ regarding the incident that read: “Yesterday evening, law enforcement was requested at Miami International Airport due to a disturbance on the jetbridge where a customer physically assaulted a team member. Acts of violence against our colleagues are not tolerated by American Airlines and we are committed to working closely with law enforcement in their investigation. Our thoughts are with our team member, and we are ensuring they have the support they need at this time.” https://www.yahoo.com/news/american-airlines-employee-hospitalized-attack-203022111.html Questions and Answers: Commission adopts new EU Air Safety List What is the EU Air Safety List? The EU Air Safety List (ASL) is a list of air carriers, which do not fulfil international safety standards. The carriers on the ASL are banned from operating to, in and from the EU (including the overflight). Carriers that do not operate to the EU can also be put on the ASL, in order to warn the public travelling outside of the EU about safety concerns. If the safety authorities of a third country are not able to fulfil their international safety oversight obligations, all the carriers of that country can be put on the ASL. The ASL, has developed into a strong, and internationally recognised tool to help improve the safety of international aviation. This is the case both for flights to the EU, but also for aviation outside of the EU. ASL is also seen as a strong preventive tool, because when under scrutiny, countries tend to improve their safety oversight to avoid seeing their air carriers on the list. Which carriers are currently on the EU Air Safety List? After the 43rd update of November 2023, 129 air carriers are banned from EU skies: 101 airlines certified in 15 states[1], due to a lack of safety oversight by the aviation authorities in these states; 22 airlines certified in Russia, as well as 6 individual airlines from other States, based on serious safety deficiencies identified: Air Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe), Avior Airlines (Venezuela), Blue Wing Airlines (Suriname), Iran Aseman Airlines (Iran), Fly Baghdad (Iraq) and Iraqi Airways (Iraq). An additional two airlines are subject to operational restrictions and can only fly to the EU with specific aircraft types: Iran Air (Iran) and Air Koryo (North Korea). Who is responsible for the updates to the EU Air Safety List? In updating the list, the European Commission is assisted by the EU Air Safety Committee (ASC), which comprises aviation safety experts from all the EU Member States and is chaired by the European Commission, with support from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). Acting on a proposal by the European Commission, the ASC delivers its opinion by qualified majority. The resulting proposed measures are then submitted to the European Parliament and the EU Council before final adoption by the European Commission, and subsequent publication in the Official Journal. To date, all decisions taken by the European Commission to impose or to lift restrictions have been reached with unanimous support from the ASC members and by the European Parliament's Transport Committee. What is the procedure for updates to the EU Air Safety List? All EU Member States and EASA are obliged to communicate information that may be relevant for the update of the ASL to the European Commission. The European Commission and the ASC use a variety of information sources when assessing whether or not international safety standards are respected. These include sources like the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), the United States Federal Aviation Administration, EASA, SAFA[2] and TCO[3] reports, as well as information gathered by individual EU Member States and the European Commission itself. It is important to note that this assessment is made against international safety standards (and not the EU safety standards, which are sometimes more stringent), and notably the standards promulgated by the ICAO. To whom does it apply? The rules establishing the list of banned carriers apply to all air carriers, irrespective of their nationality – EU and non-EU. They apply only to commercial air transport, i.e. to the air transport of passengers and cargo for remuneration or hire. The rules do not apply to private and non-commercial flights (e.g. positioning flights for maintenance purposes). How often is the list updated and what is the timeframe for this? Is there not a risk that it will quickly become obsolete? The ASL may be updated whenever the European Commission deems it is necessary, or upon request of an EU Member State. The ASC normally meets two or three times every year, as necessary. For emergencies, a specific procedure is in place. How can an airline be cleared and taken off the list? If an airline considers that it should be taken off the list because it complies with the relevant safety standards, it can address a request to the European Commission, either directly or through its civil aviation authority. For a ban to be lifted, sufficient evidence must be provided to the EU, to prove that the capacity of the airline and of its oversight authority to implement international safety standards is of a sufficient level. The European Commission services will then assess the evidence presented by the airline and/or its oversight authority to substantiate its request. If the result of the assessment is positive, the European Commission will make a proposal to the ASC. Notwithstanding the case of individual air carriers, if the underlying reason for an air carrier being on the ASL is a poor level of compliance with ICAO standards by its safety oversight authorities, it will require the state to address the significant non-compliances before that air carrier can be removed from the list. In practical terms, this involves the air carrier and its state providing written information, attending meetings with the European Commission and EU Member States, sometimes being subject to an on-site visit led by the European Commission, and taking part in hearings in front of the ASC. How is an airline added to the list? If the European Commission or an EU Member State acquires and confirms evidence indicating serious safety deficiencies on the part of an airline or its oversight authority anywhere in the world, the list will be updated to include this airline or all the airlines of the country in question. Does the inclusion of an airline in the EU Air Safety List always mean that it is no longer allowed to fly in Europe? Yes. As long as the air carrier is subject to a total ban, neither its aircraft nor its personnel can operate in the European Union's airspace. The airline is included in Annex A to the regulation. Equally, as long as an air carrier is subject to a partial ban it can operate only with the aircraft stipulated in the Regulation. The airline is included in Annex B of the regulation. Banned airlines can, however, use the aircraft and personnel of other airlines, which are not on the ASL, on the basis of contracts called ‘wet-lease agreements'. In this way, passengers and cargo can still be transported on the basis of tickets sold by a banned airline, and the flight is operated by airlines that fully comply with the safety rules. Furthermore, aircraft used for government or state purposes (e.g. transport of the heads of state and/or government, humanitarian flights), do not fall under the safety requirements of ICAO. Such aircraft are considered to be operating ‘state flights' and can fly into the EU even if commercial flights are banned. However, such flights do need special authorisation (‘diplomatic clearance') from all the EU Member States that the state aircraft overflies, as well as from the state of destination. In essence, banned airlines cannot enter the sovereign airspace of any EU Member State and fly over their territory while they are banned (totally or partially). Does the list prevent EU Member States from taking individual safety measures at a national level? No. The general principle is that whatever measure is considered at national level must also be examined at European Union level. When an air carrier is considered unsafe and therefore banned in one EU Member State, there is an obligation to examine this measure at EU level with a view to applying it throughout the European Union. Nevertheless, even where a ban is not extended to the EU, there is scope for EU Member States to continue to act at national level in certain exceptional cases, particularly in emergencies or in response to a safety issue specifically affecting them. What are airlines' ‘rights of defence'? Airlines that have been banned, or that are being investigated in view of a potential ban, have the right to express their points of view, submit any documents that they consider appropriate for their defence, and make oral and written presentations to the ASC and the European Commission. This means that they can submit comments in writing, add new items to their file, and ask to be heard by the European Commission or to attend a hearing before the ASC, which then formulates its opinion based on these proceedings and the materials submitted prior to or during the hearing. Is the European Commission approach a punitive one? The European Commission's sole aim is to improve aviation safety, which is in everyone's interest, and in no way to affect a country's economic or social development. Countries affected can put in place technical assistance measures to help airlines achieve a satisfactory level of aviation safety. While in the past the focus has been to put countries and carriers on the ASL, the European Commission is now also working with affected states to help them improve their safety situation so that they may be released from the ASL once the necessary safety levels have been reached. How is the public informed about the EU Air Safety List? The latest version of the list is available to the public online at https://transport.ec.europa.eu/transport-themes/eu-air-safety-list_en. The European Commission also liaises closely with European and international travel agent associations each time that any changes are made to the list so that they are in the best possible position to assist their clients – the passengers – in making informed decisions when making travel arrangements. Moreover, the ASL Regulation also obliges national civil aviation authorities, EASA and airports in the territory of the EU Member States to bring the ASL to the attention of passengers, both via their websites and, where relevant, in their premises. In what way does the EU Air Safety List provide rights to European travellers? The ASL Regulation establishes the right of any passenger to know the identity of every airline they fly with throughout their trip. To this effect, the contracting carrier is required to inform passengers of the identity of the operating air carrier or carriers when making a reservation, however the booking is made. The passenger must also be kept informed of any change of operating carrier, either at check-in or, at the latest, when boarding. The Regulation also gives passengers the right to reimbursement or re-routing if a carrier with which a booking has been made is subsequently added to the ASL, resulting in the cancellation of the flight concerned. In what way does the publication of the EU Air Safety List help European citizens travelling beyond EU territory? The ASL does not only ban unsafe airlines from operating to, from and in the EU. The publication of the list also provides useful information to people wishing to travel outside the European Union, so that they may avoid flying with these airlines if they wish. The list also safeguards the rights of consumers who have bought a trip at a travel agent, which includes a flight operated by an airline on the ASL. What is the safety problem with Russian aircraft? With regard to the inclusion of Russian aircraft, in the aftermath of its war of aggression against Ukraine, more than 500 western built and owned aircraft under lease to Russian companies were not returned to their rightful owners, but were de facto seized and unlawfully re-registered on the Russian aircraft Registry. The airworthiness of these aircraft was guaranteed, through a Certificate of Airworthiness, by Bermuda and Ireland as States of Registry. The aircraft now no longer have a valid Certificate of Airworthiness, and the Russian authorities are not able to guarantee their airworthiness. Operating these aircraft is unsafe and therefore any Russian airline operating one or more of these aircraft is being put on the ASL. https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/qanda_23_6153 NTSB investigating aircraft crash that killed three San Antonio residents, including fifth-grader Federal officials are investigating a small plane crash that killed three San Antonians over the holiday weekend. A Piper PA28 aircraft crashed Saturday night near Mertzon, the Federal Aviation Administration reported. The crash occurred just 14 minutes and about 30 miles into the plane’s flight, according to Flight Aware. The plane was registered to Alyse Marie Sanchez. The crash killed the pilot and two passengers, according to the FAA. The Irion County coroner identified the victims as Jeremy, 36; Alyse, 35; and Katrina Sanchez, a fifth-grader, according to WOAI Radio. The FAA shows that Jeremy Sanchez was a licensed private pilot as of last month. Katrina was a student in the Comal Independent School District. Specht Elementary shared a post on Tuesday, honoring Katrina. “The faculty and staff of Specht Elementary and the entire Comal ISD family are deeply saddened to learn of the death of one of our fifth-grade students, Katrina Sanchez, and her parents,” wrote school officials. “Please join us as we extend our deepest and heartfelt sympathy to the Sanchez family as they mourn this loss and navigate their way through this difficult time.” School faculty and staff will wear her favorite color, purple, Friday in Katrina’s honor, officials wrote. Officials asked all “Specht Stars” to join them in donning the color. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating a small airplane crash that killed three San Antonians. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating a small airplane crash that killed three San Antonians. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash. https://www.expressnews.com/news/article/small-plane-crash-fatal-san-antonio-18521602.php Emergency response ongoing at Hamburg Airport (HAM) after Eurowing aircraft slides off runway evening of Nov. 29. As of the evening of Nov. 29, officials closed one runway at Hamburg Airport (HAM) after Eurowings (EW) flight 7045 from Stuttgart slid off the tarmac during landing; reports indicate black ice as the likely cause. Officials reported no injuries due to the incident and that one runway remains operational. Authorities are working to clear the aircraft from the impacted runway and have not provided an estimated timeframe for when the runway will be active. Heightened security is likely around the disabled tarmac even after response operations conclude as authorities investigate the incident. Due to its single runway limitation, HAM may experience air travel disruptions through at least early Nov. 30. https://crisis24.garda.com/alerts/2023/11/germany-airplane-slides-off-runway-at-hamburg-airport-ham-nov-29-update-1 PIA accounts frozen amid safety review by EU RAWALPINDI: The accounts of Pakistan Inter¬n¬ational Airlines were frozen by the Federal Board of Revenue on Wednesday at a time when a team from the European Union’s Avi¬ation Safety Agency (EAS¬A) is in Pakistan. Furth¬ermore, the Pakistan State Oil threatened to stop oil supply to the airline if outstanding dues were not settled by today (Thursday). A spokesman for PIA told Dawn it was unfortunate that the FBR decided to freeze its accounts at a time when a delegation from EASA is in the country to assess issues related to flight safety. The airline management, the spokesman added, was in touch with the FBR, which had frozen 28 PIA accounts so far. “The management is hopeful that the issue will be resolved soon.” In 2020, EASA barred PIA from operating flights to Europe after a plane crashed in Karachi on May 22, 2020. The restrictions were imposed in the light of a statement by former aviation minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan in parliament that 40 per cent of Pakistani pilots had questionable qualifications. The four-member EASA delegation carried out an inspection of PIA’s operation, apron, engineering area and flight safety tools in Karachi on Wednesday. The team reviewed measures taken by the Civil Aviation Authority regarding pilot licences and airworthiness on Tuesday. https://www.dawn.com/news/1793765/pia-accounts-frozen-amid-safety-review-by-eu Airbus' FlightLab flies itself while pilot rides shotgun with a tablet The autonomous system allows a pilot to intervene using a tablet interface Having shown off simplified copter controls, Airbus Helicopters' FlightLab has completed a fully automated flight testing a new simplified tablet-based human machine interface (HMI) designed to reduce pilot workloads and increase safety. Normally, flying a helicopter is so complicated that it requires both hands, both feet, and the third hand that you don't actually have. Since flying in general is already an attention-heavy task, it isn't surprising that Airbus Helicopters and others are looking for ways to simplify the job to make helicopters safer and reduce pilot workloads. As part of the Vertex project, the technology used in the flight tests from October 27 to November 22 at Airbus Helicopters’ facility in Marignane, France was developed by Airbus UpNext and is one of a number of systems being tested by FlightLab. Using vision-based sensors, situational awareness and obstacle detection algorithms, and fly-by-wire autonomous systems, plus an advanced human-machine interface, FlightLab was able to carry out all phases from mission preparation, preflight checks, powering up, taxiing, take off, cruising, approach, and landing during a one-hour test flight. Meanwhile, the pilot monitored the flight with a tablet interface and head-worn display and could intervene if the system failed to detect obstacles and recalculate an alternate safe course. The technology isn't intended to replace a human pilot, but to act as an assistant. However, it can also be transferred to robotic (e)VTOL platforms as well as other helicopters. "This successful demonstration of a fully autonomous flight from takeoff to landing is a great step towards the reduced pilot workload and simplified HMI that the Airbus Urban Air Mobility team intends to implement on CityAirbus NextGen. It could also have immediate applications for helicopters in low level flights close to obstacles thanks to the information provided by the lidars on board," said Michael Augello, CEO of Airbus UpNext. https://newatlas.com/aircraft/airbus-flightlab-autonomous-flight-pilot-rides-shotgun-tablet/ 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