Flight Safety Information - December 29, 2023 No. 250 In This Issue : Incident: Southwest B737 at Fort Lauderdale on Dec 27th 2023, bird strike : Incident: Jetblue A320 at New York on Dec 23rd 2023, perfume odour in cockpit and cabin : Boeing 737-524 (WL) - Engine Failure - (Russia) : Stowaway found alive in landing gear of flight to Paris : Boeing urges 737 MAX inspections for possible loose bolt : Pilots mistakenly cutting power caused Nepal plane crash, says report : Analysis: FAA 2023 safety initiatives in review : Airline Passenger Makes Bomb Threat in Desperate Attempt to Get His Lost Wallet Back : Geopolitical risk forces aircraft leasing companies to rethink exposure to China : Call for CFIs and Student pilots: Need your help to alleviate Pilot Fatigue! : GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY : CALENDAR OF EVENTS Incident: Southwest B737 at Fort Lauderdale on Dec 27th 2023, bird strike A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700, registration N232WN performing flight WN-1416 from Fort Lauderdale,FL to Austin,TX (USA) with 145 people on board, was climbing out of Fort Lauderdale's runway 28L when the crew reported they flew through a flock of birds and may have received a bird strike, there was some damage. The aircraft stopped the climb at 5000 feet and returned to Fort Lauderdale for a safe landing on runway 28R about 35 minutes after departure. A replacement Boieng 737-700 registration N418WN reached Austin with a delay of about 8:20 hours. The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground in Fort Lauderdale for about 28 hours before returning to service. https://avherald.com/h?article=512fc1e0&opt=0 Incident: Jetblue A320 at New York on Dec 23rd 2023, perfume odour in cockpit and cabin A Jetblue Airbus A320-200, registration N806JB performing flight B6-209 from New York JFK,NY (USA) to Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic), was climbing out of New York when the crew reported they had perfume odour in cockpit and cabin and needed to return to JFK as quickly as possible. The aircraft stopped the climb at about 11,000 feet and landed safely back on New York's runway 04L about 20 minutes after departure. A replacement Airbus A321-200N registration N2102J reached Santo Domingo with a delay of about 4.5 hours. The FAA reported the crew returned reporting smoke in cockpit and cabin. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in New York about 75 hours (3 days 3 hours) after landing back. https://avherald.com/h?article=512e55c8&opt=0 Boeing 737-524 (WL) - Engine Failure - (Russia) Date: Friday 29 December 2023 Time: 7:15 LT Type: Boeing 737-524 (WL) Owner/operator: UTair Airlines Registration: RA-73036 MSN: 27316/2573 Engine model: CFMI CFM56-3B1 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 96 Aircraft damage: Unknown Location: near Surgut Airport (SGC/USRR) - Russia Phase: En route Nature: Passenger - Scheduled Departure airport: Moskva-Vnukovo Airport (VKO/UUWW) Destination airport: Kogalym International Airport (KGP/USRK) Confidence Rating: Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources Narrative: Utair flight UTA 445, a Boeing 737-500 (RA-73036), suffered a failure of engine no.2 some two hours after departure from Moscow's Vnukovo Airport. The captain decided to divert to Surgut Airport, where half an hour later the plane landed safely. https://www.aviation-safety.net/wikibase/349433 Stowaway found alive in landing gear of flight to Paris A man has been found alive in the landing gear of a flight from Algeria to Paris but is in a serious and life-threatening condition. The mortality rate for stowaways is 77%, according to official figures. The mortality rate for plane stowaways is 77%, according to official figures.Image: Markus A man has been discovered hidden in the landing gear compartment of a commercial aircraft that flew into Paris from Algeria. The man was found alive in the undercarriage bay during technical checks after the Air Algerie flight from Oran, Algeria, landed at Paris Orly airport on Thursday. An airport source told French news agency AFP that the man "was alive but in a life-threatening condition because of severe hypothermia" after the two-and-a-half-hour flight. He is believed to be in his 20s but had no ID on him, and was taken to a nearby hospital in a serious condition, the source added. Commercial aircraft cruise at 30,000 to 40,000 feet (9,000 to 12,000 meters) altitude where temperatures typically drop to around -50 degrees Celsius (-58F), and a lack of oxygen makes survival unlikely for anyone traveling in a landing gear compartment which is neither heated nor pressurized. According to US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) data, 132 people tried to travel in the landing gear compartments of commercial aircraft between 1947 and 2021. The mortality rate for people attempting to travel this way is 77%, according to the FAA figures. In April of this year, the body of a man was discovered in the landing gear of an aircraft in Amsterdam's Schiphol airport that had flown in from Toronto, but previously took off from Nigeria. In 2015, the body of a stowaway on a British Airways flight from Johannesburg to Heathrow landed on a shop in Richmond, southwest London. A second stowaway survived the 10-hour flight and was found in the undercarriage of the plane. https://www.dw.com/en/stowaway-found-alive-in-landing-gear-of-flight-to-paris/a-67846098 Boeing urges 737 MAX inspections for possible loose bolt WASHINGTON, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Airplane maker Boeing (BA.N) is urging airlines to inspect 737 MAX airplanes for a possible loose bolt in the rudder control system, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said on Thursday. The FAA said it was closely monitoring Boeing 737 MAX targeted inspections and will consider additional action based on any further discovery of loose or missing hardware. Boeing recommended inspections after an international operator discovered a bolt with a missing nut while performing routine maintenance on a mechanism in the rudder-control linkage, the FAA said. Boeing discovered an additional undelivered aircraft with a nut not properly tightened, the agency said. "The issue identified on the particular airplane has been remedied," Boeing said. "Out of an abundance of caution, we are recommending operators inspect their 737 MAX airplanes and inform us of any findings. We informed the FAA and our customers and will continue to keep them aware of the progress." The planemaker has recommended that airlines inspect their MAXs within two weeks, but delivered 737 MAX planes can continue to fly safely, Boeing said. Production and delivery of the MAX will continue. The issue does not affect older-model 737 Next Generation planes, Boeing said. United Airlines (UAL.O) American Airlines (AAL.O), two major domestic customers of the MAX, each said it did not expect inspections to have an impact on operations. Southwest Airlines (LUV.N), a U.S. carrier that solely flies the 737 NG and MAX, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The FAA said Boeing had issued a message urging operators of newer single-aisle airplanes to inspect specific tie rods that control rudder movement for possible loose hardware. The rudder controls the position of an aircraft's nose while in flight. The inspections involve taking off an access panel and validating that the hardware had been properly installed, Boeing said. The process should take two hours, and Boeing is inspecting undelivered 737 MAX aircraft before handing them over to customers. "The FAA will remain in contact with Boeing and the airlines while the inspections are under way," the agency said, asking airlines to answer if any loose hardware has been detected previously and provide details on how quickly these inspections can be completed. Any issue involving a rudder that is not working properly would likely be identified in a pre-flight check, as flight crews routinely examine the rudder system before an aircraft pushes back from the gate, Boeing said. The inspections will help the FAA determine how prevalent the problem is and whether it is a sign of a larger lapse in production quality that requires the regulator to take further action, said Anthony Brickhouse, an air safety expert at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. "Airlines need to take it seriously," he said. "But as a member of the flying public, I don't see this as an issue to be concerned about." The 737 MAX was grounded for 20 months worldwide after two fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019 killed 346 people in Ethiopia and Indonesia. Boeing is still awaiting certification of its smaller 737 MAX 7 and larger MAX 10. The FAA has carefully scrutinized the MAX. The FAA in 2021 said it was tracking all 737 MAX airplanes using satellite data. https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/boeing-urges-737-max-inspections-possible-loose-bolt-faa-2023-12-28/ Pilots mistakenly cutting power caused Nepal plane crash, says report The Yeti Airlines service was flying from Kathmandu to Pokhara, a gateway for religious pilgrims and trekkers, when it crashed on descent. A Yeti Airlines crash in Nepal that claimed the lives of 72 people almost a year ago was caused by a combination of human error and a lack of awareness, as revealed by a government-appointed investigation panel's report on Thursday. The report suggested that the pilots mistakenly cut power leading to an aerodynamic stall and subsequent crash. The crash occurred just before landing in the tourist city of Pokhara on January 15, marking one of Nepal's worst airplane accidents in three decades. Among the 72 individuals on board were two infants, four crew members, and 15 foreign nationals, with no survivors. Five Indian nationals were also among the crash victims. “The most probable cause of the accident is determined to be the inadvertent movement of both condition levers to the feathered position in flight, which resulted in feathering of both propellers and subsequent loss of thrust, leading to an aerodynamic stall and collision with terrain,” the report submitted by a five-member Investigation Commission stated. Dipak Prasad Bastola, an aeronautical engineer and a member of the investigating panel, explained that the pilots mistakenly placed the condition levers, controlling power, in the feathering position instead of selecting the flap lever. This led the engine to "run idle and not produce thrust", Bastola told Reuters. "But due to its momentum, the aircraft flew for up to 49 seconds before hitting the ground.” Buddhi Sagar Lamichhane, a member of the investigating commission, told AFP that the probe had concluded that the "wrong lever" was pulled in the cockpit. "Technically, the plane was fine but it seems wrong human input caused it to stall and crash," he said. The investigation also highlighted the broader issue of a lack of standard operating procedures and awareness among the pilots. The aircraft, operated by privately owned Yeti Airlines, was an ATR 72, with engines manufactured in Canada by Pratt & Whitney Canada. The European Union had banned Nepali airlines from its airspace since 2013, citing safety concerns. The Investigation Commission submitted the report to the Minister for Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation, Sudan Kirati, after eight months and three days of investigation. The tragic incident involving Yeti Airlines in Pokhara marked the 104th crash in Nepali skies and ranked as the third biggest in terms of casualties. Minister Kirati directed subordinate bodies to strictly implement the Probe Commission's suggestions to prevent future accidents caused by human error and operational deficiencies. https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/pilots-mistakenly-cutting-power-caused-nepal-plane-crash-says-report-101703826481518.html Analysis: FAA 2023 safety initiatives in review Continuing its work to improve aviation safety, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) tasked a panel of fatigue experts to identify new ways to address air traffic controller fatigue. This crucial initiative, which becomes the latest FAA safety initiative in what has been a busy year, involves a three-member panel of fatigue experts tasked with exploring innovative solutions to enhance the well-being of air traffic controllers. Let’s delve into the FAA’s latest efforts and the broader scope of actions undertaken in 2023 to fortify the nation’s aviation safety. The Expert Panel The expert panel, set to commence its work in early January, comprises distinguished professionals in the field. Chaired by safety and sleep/fatigue expert Mark Rosekind, the panel also includes Charles Czeisler and Dr. Erin Flynn-Evans, both renowned authorities in sleep and circadian disorders. Their collective expertise is poised to bring about groundbreaking insights into addressing controller fatigue. 2023 in Review: Safety Initiatives Unveiled “We are experiencing the safest period in aviation history, but we cannot take this for granted. Recent events remind us that we must not become complacent. Now is the time to stare into the data and ask hard questions,” Billy Nolen, former Acting FAA Administrator stated earlier this year. In February 2023 former FAA Acting Administrator Billy Nolen issued a Safety Call to Action with the goal of ensuring that infrastructure was fit for purpose for the U.S. aerospace system both now and into the future. As we reflect on the year 2023, the FAA has unfolded a series of initiatives geared towards elevating aviation safety standards. Let’s explore some notable actions taken by the FAA: 1. Cockpit Voice-Recording Extension One significant proposal involves extending the cockpit voice-recording requirement. The current two-hour data retention regulation may be extended to 25 hours for all newly manufactured aircraft. This move aims to enhance incident identification, prevention, and align more closely with international standards. 2. Independent Aviation Safety Review Team Established in April 2023, the Independent Aviation Safety Review Team diligently examined ways to boost safety and reliability in the air traffic system. Their comprehensive assessment, presented in November 2023, outlined concrete recommendations to advance air traffic safety. 3. Runway Safety Measures The FAA took proactive steps to improve runway safety, scheduling 16 additional runway safety meetings for 2023 and investing over $200 million in enhanced lighting at airports. This includes fast-tracking initiatives to address specific safety concerns on airport surfaces and forming a new advisory committee to explore advanced technologies like cockpit-alerting systems. 4. Controller “Stand Up for Safety” Campaign In an effort to ensure the well-being of its controller workforce, the FAA launched the “Stand Up for Safety” campaign. This series mandates special emphasis training for controllers, focusing on their safety in diverse operational scenarios. 5. Surface Safety Industry Day On June 6, 2023, the FAA hosted the Surface Safety Industry Day, seeking innovative solutions for surface situational awareness. The event aimed to identify cost-effective technological solutions to enhance awareness in environments lacking surface surveillance capabilities. 6. Air Traffic Organization Commitments The FAA’s Air Traffic Organization pledged to enhance safety by ensuring supervisors focus on operations during peak traffic periods, providing specialized training for unusual circumstances, and issuing safety alerts with specific recommendations. https://aviationsourcenews.com/analysis/analysis-faa-2023-safety-initiatives-in-review/ Airline Passenger Makes Bomb Threat in Desperate Attempt to Get His Lost Wallet Back An airline passenger in India has been arrested on suspicion of making a bomb threat against the low-cost carrier Spicejet as part of a desperate attempt to get back his lost wallet. Shreyansh Chamaria had flown with Spicejet from Delhi to Bengaluru on December 26, but just as he was about to leave the airport, he realised he had left his wallet onboard the aircraft. Chamaria immediately contacted the Spicejet customer service telephone line, hoping that the agent would be able to quickly relay a message to the cabin crew on the plane so that they could retrieve his wallet and return it to him before he left the airport. But as the call dragged on, Chamaria allegedly didn’t feel like his request was being taken seriously, so, the New India Express reports, he claimed there was a bomb in the wallet. The threat did, at least, get the cabin crew to go hunting for the wallet without delay. It also got the attention of the airport police, who were forced to set up a Special Bomb Detection Assessment Committee, prompting a full-scale security response. In the end, the threat was deemed a hoax, and officers quickly tracked down Chamaria, who was still hanging around the Spicejet counter in the terminal. Chamaria was arrested and has been charged with public mischief and criminal intimidation. Earlier this year, a man called in a bomb threat against a JetBlue plane flying to Las Vegas because he turned up late at the gate and missed the flight. Upset with the fact that not only had he missed the flight but that his luggage was still onboard, the man claimed there was a bomb in his bag. The threat was taken so seriously that the aircraft was evacuated shortly after it landed in Las Vegas, and the all-clear was only given more than two hours later after sniffer dogs were sent onboard the plane. In 2021, a woman also claimed there was a bomb in her luggage on a JetBlue flight from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Airport after she got to the gate only to find the plane already taxiing for takeoff. The woman hoped the threat would get the plane to return to the gate. https://www.paddleyourownkanoo.com/2023/12/29/airline-passenger-makes-bomb-threat-in-desperate-attempt-to-get-his-lost-wallet-back/ Geopolitical risk forces aircraft leasing companies to rethink exposure to China Lessors badly hit by losses in Russia cut back presence in one of world’s biggest markets Some international lessors have begun to reduce their exposure to China, according to industry executives Global aircraft leasing companies are reassessing their risk appetite for China amid heightened tensions with the US and in the wake of big losses following the grounding of planes in sanctions-hit Russia. Some international lessors have begun to reduce their exposure to the country, industry executives and analysts said. Friction between the US and China, coupled with uncertainty over war risks surrounding Taiwan, were adding to wider concerns over geopolitical risk, they added. China is the world’s single largest market for airline lessors, according to aviation consultancy Cirium, with almost 20 per cent of their global portfolio leased to operators within the country, and it is forecast to remain a critical market for the aviation industry. But western lessors “may be at the start of a trend to de-risk” from China, said Eddy Pieniazek, head of advisory at aviation consultancy Ishka. “The major risk is about whether there would be war in [the] coming few years” across the Taiwan Strait, which could put many aircraft assets at risk, said an executive from a major aviation leasing company. “If you look at Russia, the aircraft got detained in Russia . . . that could also happen in China if the same sanctions [are] imposed on China.” Hundreds of planes owned by western aircraft leasing companies were stranded in Russia after its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Many lessors are still embroiled in legal disputes with insurers over billions of dollars of claims. Aircraft leasing companies’ experience in Russia “probably alerted some lessors to review or reconsider their exposure concentrations”, including that of China, Pieniazek added. Los Angeles-based Air Lease Corporation, one of the world’s biggest aircraft lessors, owning about 448 planes and with a fleet net book value of $25.6bn, said it has over the past five years reduced the share of its portfolio in China from about 20 per cent to about 7 per cent as of September this year. The lessor last year was forced to write off more than two dozen aircraft detained in sanctions-hit Russia at a cost of $802mn. It said it was still looking for ways to recover losses including through insurance claims and litigation. Steven Udvar-Házy, Air Lease executive chair, told an investor conference in September that the company watches China “very closely”. “We’re in the process of selling a number of our Chinese assets to other Chinese leasing companies,” he said. Air Lease, he added, aimed to have “about 4-5 per cent” of its total portfolio in China. Another major aviation lessor, Dublin-based Avolon, which owns a fleet of more than 520 jets, has reduced its China exposure from 13.4 per cent of its total portfolio at the end of 2019 to 9.5 per cent in September this year. The lessor, which counts China’s Bohai Leasing and Japanese financial services group Orix as its owners, had to write off $304mn last year as 10 of its planes were stuck in Russia. Avolon declined to comment on the reasons behind its decision to lower its China exposure. However others, including Dublin-based AerCap and SMBC Aviation Capital, have in recent years expanded their portfolios in China, according to Cirium data. AerCap, which owns more than 1,800 aircraft, grew its Chinese exposure from about 13 per cent of its portfolio in 2019 to nearly 17 per cent last month, Ishka data showed. AerCap declined to comment. BOC Aviation, a state-backed lessor majority owned by the Bank of China, which owns more than 400 planes, said it still hopes to grow its market share in China. The Singapore-based lessor added that although the proportion of its fleet leased to Chinese airlines over the past five years was down, it was “largely due to the fact that the Chinese market was closed and shrank . . . while other jurisdictions grew”. As some western lessors reassess their presence in China, the market share from Chinese aircraft lessors has increased and now stands at around 52 per cent of a total of 922 leased planes in China, compared to 48 per cent of 690 planes in 2020, according to Cirium’s analysis. China’s domestic flight demand has remained strong this year despite the economic slowdown, but the resumption of international routes still lags behind many peers. China has not yet been “firing on all cylinders with respect to traffic recovery” after the reopening, said Ishka’s Pieniazek. But analysts still believe that the long-term opportunity in China for aircraft lessors remains optimistic. “The demand for aircraft in China remains strong and cannot be solely met by Chinese lessors,” said Herman Tse, valuations manager at Cirium. “This creates opportunities for foreign lessors, leveraging their extensive experience in aircraft leasing.” https://www.ft.com/content/8f125cf9-189b-43f3-8843-df2e39d9fd3f Call for CFIs and Student pilots: Need your help to alleviate Pilot Fatigue! CFIs and Flight Students, Greetings from Oklahoma State University! My name is Md Mijanur Rahman, and I am a graduate student working under the supervision of Dr. Nicoletta Fala at the Aviation Engineering Operations Analysis (ÆON) lab in the College of Engineering, Architecture, and Technology. We are conducting research to understand and alleviate the impact of fatigue on the quality and safety of flight training from a CFI and student perspective. This research could help the flight training industry improve the work environment of the CFI, improve safety, and raise the quality of training provided to student pilots. As a part of this research, we are seeking your voluntary participation in an online survey regarding work-induced fatigue in a flight training environment. This survey will take anywhere from 15 mins (Student Pilots) to 30 mins (CFIs) depending on your role. Your responses will allow us to elicit information and perceptions on the organization of work and the factors that contribute to fatigue and burnout at collegiate and independent flight schools. To compensate you for your time, you will be entered into a drawing to win one of ten $50 gift cards. We will ask you to provide your contact information in a second survey if you wish to participate in the drawing to maintain anonymity in your responses. If you are interested, please click here or copy and paste the following link in your browser’s address bar: https://okstate.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0wyWrqmHNsMJfy6 We would also like your help in recruiting qualified CFIs and Students as research participants. To help us in this effort, please forward this email to friends and colleagues. We appreciate your time and willingness to help. 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