Flight Safety Information - January 22, 2024 No. 016 In This Issue : Incident: Egypt B789 over Atlantic on Jan 20th 2024, cracked windshield : Incident: Transavia B738 at Las Palmas on Jan 20th 2024, cargo fire indication : Incident: KLM B739 enroute on Jan 20th 2024, de-icing system failed : Incident: Atlas B748 at Miami on Jan 18th 2024, engine fire : Dassault Falcon 10 - Fatal Accident (Afghanistan) : Four of six aboard private jet survive crash in Afghanistan : Flashlight damages $14 million F-35 fighter jet engine beyond repair, report says : United Airlines flight to Newark canceled after pilot arrested for taser found in luggage at Edinburgh airport : Delta Air Lines To Retire Its Boeing 767-300ER Aircraft By 2030 : China’s self-developed passenger aircraft C919 secures 1,200 orders : Air Belgium To Retire Airbus A330neo Aircraft Amid Engine Issues : Boeing 737-900ER: Second model to be inspected after 737 Max 9 blowout : ISASI 2024 Call for Papers : CALENDAR OF EVENTS Incident: Egypt B789 over Atlantic on Jan 20th 2024, cracked windshield An Egypt Air Boeing 787-9, registration SU-GEV performing flight MS-987 from Cairo (Egypt) to New York JFK,NY (USA), was enroute at FL360 over the Atlantic Ocean about 230nm northwest of Shannon (Ireland) when the crew decided to descend the aircraft to FL150 and divert to Ireland reporting a cracked windshield. Initially aiming to divert to Shannon the crew ultimately diverted the aircraft to Dublin (Ireland), about 280nm from their point of turning around, and landed safely on Dublin's runway 28R about 75 minutes after leaving FL360. A passenger complained their luggage never came onto the carousel, authorities have no clue where the bag is after their "riveted MS987 flight". A replacement B789 registration SU-GEW was dispatched from Cairo to Dublin, resumed the flight and reached New York with a delay of about 11 hours. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Dublin about 33 hours after landing. Incident: Transavia B738 at Las Palmas on Jan 20th 2024, cargo fire indication A Transavia Boeing 737-800, registration PH-HXL performing flight HV-6365 from Eindhoven (Netherlands) to Las Palmas,CI (Spain), was descending towards Las Palmas when the crew declared emergency reporting an indication of a possible fire in a cargo hold. The aircraft continued for a safe landing on Las Palmas' runway 03L, stopped on the runway for about 5 minutes for a check by emergency services, then vacated the runway and taxied to a remote stand. At the stand the aircraft was evacuated via slides. There are no injuries being reported. The return flight was cancelled. The aircraft is still on the ground in Las Palmas about 29 hours after landing. Incident: KLM B739 enroute on Jan 20th 2024, de-icing system failed A KLM Boeing 737-900, registration PH-BXR performing flight KL-1213 from Amsterdam (Netherlands) to Rovaniemi (Finland), was enroute at FL370 about 80nm northnortheast of Oslo (Norway) when the crew decided to return to Amsterdam. The aircraft descended to FL360 and landed safely back on Amsterdam's runway 18C about 2:50 hours after departure. A replacement Boeing 737-900 registration PH-BXO reached Rovaniemi with a delay of about 5.5 hours. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Amsterdam about 29 hours after landing. A passenger reported: "About 1.5 hr into the flight, the flight turned around and the captain announced that a deicing system had failed and that while the plane could continue to Rovaniemi, it wouldn't be able to fly back given the temperatures there. Captain also announced that it was decided to return to Amsterdam in cooperation with the dispatch.." About two hours after landing back in Amsterdam they boarded a replacement aircraft. (le lien a été supprimé !) Incident: Atlas B748 at Miami on Jan 18th 2024, engine fire An Atlas Air Boeing 747-8 Freighter, registration N859GT performing flight 5Y-95 from Miami,FL (USA) to San Juan (Puerto Rico) with 5 crew on board, was climbing through about 2000 feet out of Miami's runway 09 when the crew declared Mayday reporting a #2 engine (GEnx, inboard left hand) fire, the #2 engine emitted streaks of flames and sparks in regular intervals. The aircraft stopped the climb at 3000 feet and returned to Miami for a safe landing on runway 09 about 15 minutes after departure. The aircraft vacated the runway and stopped on taxiway T8 for checks by emergency services, following the checks the aircraft taxied to the apron. The FAA reported: "AIRCRAFT DEPARTED, EXPERIENCED #2 ENGINE FAILURE AND RETURNED TO LAND, POST FLIGHT INSPECTION REVEALED A SOFTBALL SIZE HOLE ABOVE #2 ENGINE, MIAMI, FL." The NTSB opened an investigation, Boeing and General Electric stated they are supporting the NTSB in their investigation. Dassault Falcon 10 - Fatal Accident (Afghanistan) Date: Saturday 20 January 2024 Time: c. 19:15 Type: Dassault Falcon 10 Owner/operator: Athletic Group LLC Registration: RA-09011 MSN: 128 Year of manufacture: 1978 Fatalities: Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 6 Aircraft damage: Destroyed Category: Accident Location: Topkana area, Kuran wa Munjan District, Badakkhshan province - Afghanistan Phase: En route Nature: Ambulance Departure airport: Gaya Airport (GAY/VEGY) Destination airport: Tashkent-Islam Karimov International Airport (TAS/UTTT) Confidence Rating: Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources Narrative: A Falcon 10 air ambulance has crashed in a mountainous area in Badakhshan province. At least four of the six occupants were found alive. The aircraft departed U-Tapao Airport (UTP), Thailand on January 20 at 06:20 UTC, bound for Moscow's Zhukovsky Airport, Russia.. A refuelling stop was made at Gaya Airport in India before it continued to Tashkent Airport, Uzbekistan, for another refueling stop. While en route to Tashkent the flight crew declared an emergency. Due to fuel shortage, they decided to divert to Kulob Airport (TJU) in Tajikistan. Subsequently, the crew reported the failure of the first engine, followed by the second engine. Four of six aboard private jet survive crash in Afghanistan Rescue teams find charter ambulance flight from Thailand to Moscow after it disappeared from radar screens Four people are reported to have survived after a private jet carrying out a medical evacuation from Thailand to Russia disappeared from radar screens and crashed in a remote and mountainous area of north-eastern Afghanistan on Saturday. Russian aviation authorities said two passengers and four crew members were onboard the charter ambulance flight, which was travelling from Utapao airport, near Pattaya, to Moscow via India and Uzbekistan. On Sunday, rescuers reached the crash site in Afghanistan’s Badakhshan province – about 150 miles (250km) north-east of the capital, Kabul – and found four survivors. “Of the six people onboard the aircraft, tentatively, four are alive,” Russia’s federal air transport agency said on Sunday, citing the Russian embassy in Afghanistan. “They have various injuries. The fate of two people is being clarified.” The Taliban’s transportation and civil aviation ministry issued a statement online on Sunday saying the plane and four survivors had been found in the Kuf Ab district of Badakhshan, near Aruz Koh mountain. “The investigative team of the Islamic Emirate continues their efforts to search for and provide assistance to the remaining individuals,” the Taliban administration’s top spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, said in a statement. According to the RIA news agency, the plane was carrying a Russian woman “in a serious condition” from a hospital in Pattaya to Russia. “She was accompanied by her husband, a private entrepreneur, also a Russian citizen, who paid for the flight,” the agency added. Several Russian media outlets said the passengers were a couple from Volgodonsk in southern Russia. A manifest list for the plane, published by the Shot news outlet, appeared to show the crew were Russian nationals too. Shot said the pilot of the jet – a Russian-registered, French-made Dassault Aviation Falcon 10 manufactured in 1978 – warned that fuel was running low and said the plane would try to land at an airport in Tajikistan. The pilot of the twin-engine jet reported that one engine had stopped, followed by the second one. Twenty-five minutes after the initial call, the plane vanished from radar screens. Tracking data from FlightRadar24, analysed by the Associated Press, showed the aircraft’s last position just south of the city of Peshawar, Pakistan, at about 1330GMT on Saturday. The Taliban-run Afghan aviation ministry, which is investigating the incident, said in a statement on X that the plane’s planned route did not include passing through Afghanistan’s airspace and that the jet’s deviation from its planned route was “probably due to technical issues”. Russia’s investigative committee said it had opened a criminal case to determine whether safety rules had been violated.. The plane’s reported owner, a small Russian company called Athletic Group LLC, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. International carriers have largely avoided Afghanistan since the Taliban’s 2021 takeover of the country. Those that briefly fly over rush through Afghan airspace for only a few minutes while over Badakhshan province’s Wakhan corridor, a narrow panhandle that juts out of the east of the country between Tajikistan and Pakistan. Typically, aircraft heading toward the corridor make a sharp turn north near Peshawar and follow the Pakistani border before briefly entering Afghanistan. Flashlight damages $14 million F-35 fighter jet engine beyond repair, report says GLENDALE, Ariz. (KPHO/Gray News) - Officials say a flashlight is responsible for causing irreparable damage to a multimillion-dollar military jet. According to a report by the Air Force Aircraft Accident Investigation Board, the incident happened on March 15, 2023, while a F-35 was undergoing maintenance work at Luke Air Force Base. The report states a three-member maintenance team removed a panel and inserted a metering plug into an engine fuel line. They prepared the aircraft for an engine run to test the installed metering plug for fuel leaks. The engine run was reportedly completed without a problem, but the damage was found after the engine was shut down following the engine test. The board’s president said that there was a preponderance of evidence that a handheld flashlight caused damage that cannot be repaired to the $14 million aircraft engine. According to Air Force officials, each member of the maintenance team was current and qualified to accomplish all the tasks. However, officials said an incomplete tool kit inventory along with a failure to comply with Joint-Service Technical Data guidance before starting the jet’s engine resulted in damage to the plane. United Airlines flight to Newark canceled after pilot arrested for taser found in luggage at Edinburgh airport A Newark, New Jersey-bound flight from Scottland was canceled Saturday when the pilot who was meant to fly the United Airlines plane was instead placed in handcuffs after airport security found a taser in his bag. The unidentified United employee, 56, was arrested and escorted out by Edinburg airport security by four armed police officers Saturday, a witness told Edinburgh Live. The pilot, who is from the US, was charged with a firearms offense, as it is illegal in the UK to possess a taser. His arrest left a lot of disgruntled passengers who were hoping to fly back to New Jersey that morning as the 9:25 a.m. flight was swiftly canceled. It is unclear how many people were scheduled to take off on the flight, but the scheduled Boeing 757 can seat roughly 170 passengers. United Airlines confirmed the pilot had been “removed from service.” “This employee was immediately removed from service and we are fully cooperating with local authorities,” the airline told The Post Saturday. The unidentified United Airlines employee, 56, was escorted out of security by four armed police officers Saturday. He was charged with a firearms offense, as it is illegal in the UK to possess a taser.. Scotland Police also confirmed the pilot’s arrest, saying a report will be “submitted to the Procurator Fiscal,” which is the country’s public prosecutor’s office. The pilot is scheduled to appear in Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Monday. Delta Air Lines To Retire Its Boeing 767-300ER Aircraft By 2030 There's still plenty of time to catch a ride on a Delta Air Lines 767, but the Airbus A350 is creeping up behind the aging stalwart. SUMMARY • Delta Air Lines plans to retire its fleet of Boeing 767 aircraft by the end of this decade and beyond, focusing on more fuel-efficient options like the Airbus A350-1000. • The retirement of the 767s is part of Delta's efforts to achieve long-term sustainability goals and move towards net zero-emission aviation. • Delta has a significant orderbook for new generation aircraft, with Airbus emerging as the dominant partner, indicating a shift in Delta's fleet renewal strategy. After decades of loyal and productive service, Delta Air Lines has finally called time on its fleet of Boeing 767 aircraft. The confirmation came during a January 19 earnings call, although it was also confirmed that the 767s will be operating until the end of this decade and beyond. A definitive end for the 767-300ERs While there has been much speculation for some time around when the aging 767s would actually be retired, it came to the fore when an analyst asked Delta Air Lines (Delta) Chief Financial Officer Dan Janki if the airline still intended to take the 767s out of service by 2025. Janki replied: "As we move through, you know, 2025, '24 through the back half of the decade, we expect to retire the 767-300s through that period of time on a pretty consistent basis as you step through while continuing to fly the 400s." The analyst followed up by asking if Delta intended to fly the 767-400s beyond 2035, to which President Glen Hauenstein replied that: "I don't think it was ever intended to have that fleet grounded by '25. It was our intent to have them out of international long haul by 2028 and retired by 2030." The interaction came during Delta's 4th Quarter 2023 Earnings Call, where most of the focus was on the financial results and Delta's successful end to 2023. The only direct mention of the 767s in the presentation came when CEO Ed Bastian noted the order for 20 Airbus A350-1000s, with options for 20 more, for delivery starting in 2026, describing the A350s as "over 20% more fuel efficient than the 767s that they'll be replacing." The retirement questions are relevant given that Delta's 45 Boeing 767-300ERs have an average age of 28 years, and the 767-400ERs are only marginally younger at 27 years. Apart from operational, passenger experience and reliability gains, moving the 767s out of the fleet will significantly impact Delta's long-term sustainability goals and its pathway to net zero-emission aviation. Time for widebody renewal According to fleet data from ch-aviation, Delta has 981 aircraft, with 524 planes from Boeing and 457 from Airbus, giving it a 53% - 47% split in favor of the US manufacturer. The Boeing fleet includes 90 717-200s, 77 737-800s, 163 737-900ERs, one 747-400, 111 757-200s, 16 757-300s and the 66 767s. The Airbus aircraft are heavily weighted in favor of single-aisle types, including 45 A220-100s, 23 A220-300s, 57 A319-100s, 60 A320-200s, 127 A321-200s, and 48 A321neos. The widebodies from Airbus are 11 A330-200s, 31 A330-300s, 27 A330-900neos and 28 A350-900s. The ch-aviation data also list a healthy orderbook from Delta for 330 new generation aircraft, with Airbus emerging as the dominant partner as Delta looks to renew its fleet. The outstanding Airbus orders listed include 77 A220-300s, 107 A321neos, 12 A330-900neos, 20 A350-1000s and six A350-900s, while Boeing is restricted to eight 717-200s and 100 737 MAX 10s. During the Q4 2023 Earnings Call, Bastian said that Delta carried a record nine million passengers in the December quarter and, on 60,000 mainline flights over the holiday period, recorded fewer than 40 cancellations. Recognizing the role of its people in its transformation, Bastain also said Delta will reward employees with $1.4 billion in well-earned profit sharing on Valentine's Day, equating to around 10% of eligible 2023 compensation. China’s self-developed passenger aircraft C919 secures 1,200 orders The domestically produced C919 aircraft has secured more than 1,200 orders, forming an industrial chain in China, according to state-owned media CCTV Finance. The C919 is a large passenger aircraft developed and produced by the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), a state-owned aerospace manufacturer. In May 2023, the C919 achieved its first commercial passenger flight in China, marking a significant milestone in China’s aerospace industry as it strives to reduce reliance on foreign aircraft for domestic air travel. In September 2023, China Eastern Airlines signed an agreement with COMAC to purchase 100 C919 aircraft, with delivery scheduled between 2024 and 2031. Earlier this month, China Eastern Airlines received its fourth C919 aircraft. Air Belgium To Retire Airbus A330neo Aircraft Amid Engine Issues One of Air Belgium's A330neos has been grounded since August 2023. SUMMARY • Air Belgium plans to retire its fleet of two Airbus A330neo aircraft due to engine issues and unsuccessful discussions with Airbus. • The airline faces operational constraints and financial difficulties, with debts and delayed passenger refunds. • Sichuan Airlines' parent company may no longer be investing in Air Belgium. Belgian media are reporting today that Air Belgium will retire its fleet of two A330neo aircraft due to engine issues and fruitless discussions with aircraft manufacturer Airbus. Belgium's debt-ridden Air Belgium recently made Belgian headlines after a local court extended its Judicial Reorganisation Procedure (PRJ) by another four months, delaying refunds for nearly 11,000 passengers. Now, it has emerged that the airline is facing operational constraints with both its Airbus A330neo fleet and its employees, according to a report published earlier this evening by L-Post. Airbus A330neo troubles Air Belgium is reportedly planning to retire its Airbus A330neo fleet. The airline has two examples in service, comprising OO-ABF and OO-ABG. OO-ABF has been grounded in Brussels since an incident occurred back last summer. On August 21, 2023, the aircraft was en route from Brussels to Johannesburg but had to divert back to the Belgian capital due to a hydraulic pump failure in flight. Upon landing, metal debris was found in the engine. Engine issues have reportedly plagued this aircraft ever since, and it has become a familiar and stable site among aviation enthusiasts and travelers at Brussels Airport. The airline's A330neo fleet is equipped with Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines. OO-ABG is leased to LOT Polish Airlines and has seemingly operated without significant issues. L-Post reports that the airline's discussions with Airbus have not been successful and have contributed to the airline's decision to retire the fleet. Meanwhile, the engine issues that plague OO-ABF remain unresolved. Financial difficulties As reported by Simple Flying in September, Air Belgium suspended all scheduled passenger flights on October 3. The airline racked up serious debts, posting a loss of €11 million (~$12 million) in 2021. The airline operated services from Brussels Airport (BRU) to Johannesburg (JNB) and Cape Town (CPT) in South Africa and Mauritius (MRU). The airline had said at the time: "After numerous studies, Air Belgium’s [board] reached the conclusion that turning a profit on this front would require substantial investments in addition to those already made in recent years, which has not been possible." Air Belgium's Airbus A330neo Connects Brussels To South Africa For 1st Time In 20 Years Brussels now has passenger flights to what were its two largest unserved African cities. Subsequently, the airline applied for court restructuring, which was granted. The deadline for this period of restructuring was slated for January 22, 2024. However, the airline has been unable to meet this deadline as it could not negotiate agreements with all its shareholders. In early January, it requested an extension. This extension has since been granted. The airline had said (translated from French): "However, some agreements still need to be negotiated or finalized. Given the remaining time and the lack of certainty on whether it's possible to finalize them before the deadline of 22 January 2024, Air Belgium finds itself constrained to introduce, on January 5, a request for the prolongation of the period." This extension has detrimental effects on its former passengers, who are still awaiting refunds for passenger flights after October 3, 2023. This, it is understood, totals approximately 11,000 people. According to a report by ch-aviation last week, Air Belgium raised nearly 10 million in loans. Sichuan Airlines may not rescue Air Belgium after all In September last year, Belgian newspaper De Tijd reported that Sichuan Airlines' parent company had submitted a binding investment offer to Air Belgium. The airline was considering investing in the airline, particularly for its landing rights in the country. Given the latest developments, it has since become clear that Sichuan Airlines' parent company may not be coming to the rescue after all. The deal proposed by Sichuan Airlines was already difficult to accept. Air Belgium is already 49% owned by the Chinese logistics organization Hongyang. The remainder is owned by the government of Wallonia (a region in Belgium) and the federal government. This allows the airline to maintain its status and landing rights as a Belgian airline. A focus on wet lease and cargo The airline currently operates a fleet of 9 aircraft, either for other airlines or grounded. Aside from the two Airbus A330neo aircraft, Air Belgium also operates a fleet of two Airbus A330-200s. Both aircraft recently joined Sri Lankan Airlines on wet lease, offering services to Dhaka, Dubai, Frankfurt, Paris, and Bangkok. The airline's two Airbus A330-200F aircraft are currently in operation for the Hongyuan Group, as are two of its Boeing 747-8F aircraft. The remaining 747-8F has not operated a revenue flight since October 2023. Aside from the concerns with its Airbus A330neo fleet, the airline is also losing employees to Brussels Airlines and Condor, according to L-Post. Boeing 737-900ER: Second model to be inspected after 737 Max 9 blowout Checks are to be carried out on a second Boeing aircraft model following the blowout of an unused door on one of its planes earlier this month. The US Federal Aviation Administration grounded more than 170 of the 737 Max 9 fleet after a cabin panel broke away thousands of feet above the ground. On Sunday, the agency said airlines should also inspect older 737-900ER models, which use the same door design. The FAA described the move as an "added layer of safety". It said there had been no reported issues with the 737-900ER, but that it uses the same style of panel to "plug" an unused door as the plane involved in the terrifying 5 January incident. An Alaska Airlines flight en route to California from Portland, Oregon was forced to make an emergency landing after the panel came away, leaving a gaping hole in the side of the aircraft. The incident prompted the FAA to ground all 737 Max 9s featuring that style of panel and sent Boeing's share price tumbling. The agency is investigating the firm's manufacturing practices and production lines, including those linked to subcontractor Spirit AeroSystems, which provided the panel. Earlier this week, the FAA said it had carried out inspections on 40 of the grounded planes but did not say when they would be able to fly again. In a statement on Sunday, the agency said: "The safety of the flying public, not speed, will determine the timeline for returning these aircraft to service." Boeing has said it will increase the quality of inspections in its manufacturing process in wake of the incident. The 737-900ER models have carried out 11 million hours of operations without similar incident to the newer 737 Max 9s. The FAA did not order the older model to be grounded while the visual inspections are carried out by operators. ISASI 2024 Call for Papers It is with great pleasure that the organising committee invites expressions of interest to present a paper at the ISASI 2024 seminar which will be held at the Marriott Hotel, Lisbon from 1 to 3 October 2024. Tutorial’s and the MASI meeting will take place on Wednesday 30 September 2024. Further details for the Call for Papers are available here: ISASI 2024 (esasi.eu) Further information on the tutorials, main programme, registration, and accommodation options will be provided in due course. We look forward to seeing you at ISASI 2024. 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) • SMU Air Law Symposium - March 21-22, 2024 ( Dallas, TX) • 2024 ACSF Safety Symposium – Air Charter Safety Foundation - April 1-3, 2024 • Airborne Public Safety Association, Inc. (APSCON 2024) - July 29 - August 3; Houston TX • Asia Pacific Airline Training Symposium - APATS 2024, 0-11 September, 2024, Singapore • • 2024 ISASI - Lisbon, Portugal - September 30 to October 4, 2024 • 2024 NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition - Oct. 22-24 (Vegas) Curt Lewis