Flight Safety Information - December 15, 2023 No. 240 In This Issue : Incident: United A319 near Wichita on Dec 13th 2023, burning odour on board : Incident: Piedmont E145 at Richlands on Dec 13th 2023, gear problem on departure : Incident: Cathay Pacific A35K enroute on Dec 11th 2023, captain felt unwell : United flight diverts to Wichita airport due to engine issues : NTSB’s ‘Most Wanted’ List Of Safety Issues To Be Retired : Bonza Airline cancels flights after trying to lease Canadian aircraft and crew before approval : GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY : CALENDAR OF EVENTS Incident: United A319 near Wichita on Dec 13th 2023, burning odour on board A United Airbus A319-100, registration N809UA performing flight UA-531 from Chicago O'Hare,IL to Tucson,AZ (USA) with 51 people on board, was enroute at FL380 about 110nm west of Wichita,KS (USA) when the crew decided to divert to Wichita due to a burning odour on board. The aircraft landed safely on Wichita's runway 19R about 25 minutes after leaving FL380. A replacement A319-100 registration N891UA reached Tucson with a delay of about 4.5 hours. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Wichita about 25 hours after landing. https://www.avherald.com/h?article=5126726f&opt=0 Incident: Piedmont E145 at Richlands on Dec 13th 2023, gear problem on departure A Piedmont Airlines Embraer ERJ-145 on behalf of American Airlines, registration N637AE performing flight AA-5977 from Richlands,NC to Charlotte,NC (USA) with 53 people on board, was climbing out of Richlands' runway 05 when tower instead of handing the aircraft off to departure advised the crew, that it appeared the right hand main gear had not retracted. The crew confirmed they had a gear problem, levelled off at about 2500 feet and was vectored around the airport while the crew worked the checklists. The crew managed to received three greens again, tower advised that it appeared all gear was down, and the aircraft returned to Richlands for a safe landing on runway 05 about 35 minutes after departure. A replacement Embraer ERJ-145 registration N653AE reached Charlotte with a delay of about 5 hours. The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground in Richlands for about 5 hours, then positioned to Richmond,VA (USA) and is currently still on the ground in Richmond about 10.5 hours after landing there. https://www.avherald.com/h?article=51264993&opt=0 Incident: Cathay Pacific A35K enroute on Dec 11th 2023, captain felt unwell A Cathay Pacific Airbus A350-1000, registration B-LXM performing flight CX-101 from Hong Kong (China) to Sydney,NS (Australia), was enroute at FL390 about 80nm northnortheast of Manado (Indonesia) and about 710nm southsoutheast of Hong Kong, just having completed a step climb from FL370 to FL390, when the crew decided to turn around and return to Hong Kong due to the captain feeling unwell. The aircraft descended to FL380 and landed safely back in Hong Kong about 3:07 hours after the decision to turn around. The airline reported the captain felt unwell prompting the return to Hong Kong. Another crew took over upon landing and brought the passengers to Sydney. The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground in Hong Kong for about 3 hours, then departed again and reached Sydney with a delay of about 9 hours. https://www.avherald.com/h?article=51267922&opt=0 United flight diverts to Wichita airport due to engine issues WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — A United Airlines flight was diverted to Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport Thursday. The flight was headed to Denver, Colo., from Newark, N.J. According to Chief Roger Xanders, Airport Police and Fire responded around 4:45 p.m. to “an Alert 2 on a commercial Aviation Aircraft reporting engine issues.” An Alert 2 indicates that an aircraft is having major difficulties. UAL says that there was a mechanical issue with the right engine. Chief Xanders says the aircraft, with 199 people on board, did land safely, but there was a post-landing fire. “Upon landing Aircraft Rescue Fire Fighters located a fire on engine #2,” said Chief Xanders. “The fire was extinguished.” No injuries were reported. “Passengers deplaned normally at the gate,” said UAL. “A recovery flight will be set up to get our customers safely to their destination.” https://www.ksn.com/news/local/commercial-airplane-diverts-to-wichita-airport-due-to-engine-issues/ NTSB’s ‘Most Wanted’ List Of Safety Issues To Be Retired The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced today it will discontinue its “Most Wanted” list of transportation safety improvements at year-end. Begun in 1990, the list has highlighted safety issues the board viewed as priorities for attention from related government agencies, such as the Federal Aviation Administration, as well as industry stakeholders. Aviation-specific items on the most recent list include requiring and verifying the effectiveness of Safety Management Systems in all revenue-passenger-carrying operations, installing crash-resistant recorders, and establishing flight-data monitoring programs. NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said, “The Most Wanted List has served the NTSB well as an advocacy tool, especially in the days before social media, but our advocacy efforts must advance. Freed from the structure of a formal list, the NTSB can more nimbly advocate for our recommendations and emerging safety issues.” https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/ntsbs-most-wanted-list-of-safety-issues-to-be-retired/ Bonza Airline cancels flights after trying to lease Canadian aircraft and crew before approval Bonza Airline has been cancelling flights as it waits for CASA approval for two Canadian aircraft.(ABC Mildura-Swan Hill: Peter Sanders) Copy linkLink copied In short: Launceston local Su Couper was booked on a Bonza flight to the Gold Coast to see family for Christmas but it's been cancelled. It's the latest in a series of route issues for the budget airline, due to its failure to get regulatory approval to fly two Canadian aircraft. What's next? Bonza is confident of getting approval for the Flair Airlines aircraft and crew, but in the meantime, routes will be affected. An Australian budget airline's attempt to lease two Canadian aircraft and crew to help manage the busy holiday period has resulted in a series of flight cancellations to and from the Gold Coast. Bonza Airline planned to use two aircraft from Canadian budget carrier Flair Airlines and took airfares from passengers – but the airline had not gained approval from the regulator Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA). Passengers have been promised refunds. Launceston's Su Couper had her check-in email and boarding pass, and was busy preparing to fly to see her family on the Gold Coast in two days when she received a text message from Bonza. "G'day Susan, your Bonza flight is cancelled due to a delay in obtaining regulatory approval, deferring the start of this route. We're sorry for the impact this will have on your travel plans." It left her devastated. "I paid more to select my seat as well and to have check-in luggage, which was all their Christmas presents. Bonza sent all the check-in emails and then a few hours later, it's cancelled," Ms Couper said. "And since I had no other option, I had to go to the post office and pay for express post to post the parcels to ensure that they'd get to my kids and grandchildren on time." Bonza has since offered Ms Couper a seat on a Sunday flight after her issue was raised by the ABC, but it's unclear how many passengers on the Launceston to Gold Coast service have been affected. Bonza route headache spans multiple states It was the latest cancellation in a series of route issues for Bonza. The airline cancelled all flights between Darwin and Gold Coast for December, just hours before the maiden voyage on the new route. Bonza also deferred flights on the Gold Coast to Bundaberg, Gladstone, Melbourne Avalon, Cairns, Proserpine and Mildura routes. The airline had been attempting to get approval from CASA for the lease of two Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft and crew from Canadian budget carrier Flair. Bonza had planned to use two aircraft and crew from Canadian budget carrier Flair Airlines, but is yet to receive approval from CASA.( One of the aircraft sits at Gold Coast Airport, the other is still in Calgary, Canada. A CASA spokesperson said the approval process had to run its course. "Flair does not hold any Australian approvals," the spokesperson said. "Bonza needs to demonstrate how they will integrate these Canadian-registered aircraft and crew members into their operation. "This is an important part of Australian aviation safety regulations." Bonza chief executive officer Tim Jordan said it was continuing to work with CASA to get the approvals needed for its additional flights out of the Gold Coast. "Whilst this is progressing, it is not yet complete and as a result we've regrettably had to defer some flights to/from the Gold Coast and also make some additional cancellations to other routes over the coming days," he said. "We're currently working through when the affected routes will commence flying and we're deeply sorry for the impact to customers, especially at this busy time of year." https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-12-15/bonza-flight-cancellations-in-weeks-before-christmas/103230700 GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY I am a professional pilot with 16 years of experience, flying the B777 for a major Middle Eastern airline. Concurrently, I'm pursuing an MSc in Air Transport Management at City University, London. My journey in aviation has been defined by a commitment to excellence and a passion for continually exploring new horizons within the industry. My research: I am conducting research for my MSc final project titled "Policy Drivers for Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Adoption: Case Study India." The research aims to explore the policy mechanisms required for SAF adoption/deployment in the Indian aviation industry. Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) is an eco-friendly alternative aviation fuel derived from sustainable sources, proven to reduce carbon emissions by up to 80 percent over its lifecycle. However, these fuels cost 2-4 times more than conventional jet fuels. This survey investigates the public perceptions and attitudes towards SAF and its potential implications for air travel. Valuable insights gained from this study will advance the understanding of public attitudes and perceptions of SAF adoption in the aviation industry. The perspectives shared will contribute to developing effective policy mechanisms for SAF deployment, assisting policymakers in aligning the aviation industry with sustainable practices. This is an anonymous survey targeted at air travelers and is designed to be completed in about 10 to 12 minutes. Link to the survey: https://cityunilondon.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5cGRH3H5CPfX1HM Kind regards, Deepak Nalla CALENDAR OF EVENTS • SINGAPORE AIRSHOW 2024 - February 20 - 25 • HAI Heli-Expo 2024 - February 26 - 29 - Anaheim, CA • 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