Flight Safety Information - January 23, 2024 No. 017 In This Issue : Incident: Swiss BCS1 at Dresden on Jan 21st 2024, steam in cockpit : Incident: LATAM B763 near Chiclayo on Jan 21st 2024, engine shut down in flight : Accident: France A359 at Toronto on Jan 21st 2024, tail strike on landing/go around : Another Boeing 737 jet needs door plug inspections, FAA says : Net Jets Adopts Mandatory Retirement At Age 70 For Pilots : Air Canada passenger tries to open aircraft door on London-Toronto flight : Flight Canceled After Alert Passenger Notices No Bolts on Airplane Wing : Oven fire causes American Airlines flight to divert to Houston : NTSB urges parents not to fly with children on lap after Alaska Airlines incident : Flight Ops Quality Assurance: Defining FOQA & Enhanced Flight Safety : Russia Bans 27 Of Its Aircraft From Flying To Egypt : Vistara To Hire More Pilots By June To Meet Duty Time Norms : ISASI 2024 Call for Papers : CALENDAR OF EVENTS Incident: Swiss BCS1 at Dresden on Jan 21st 2024, steam in cockpit A Swiss International Airlines Bombardier C-Series CS-100, registration HB-JBA performing flight LX-918 from Zurich (Switzerland) to Dresden (Germany), was descending towards Dresden when the crew declared emergency reporting steam in the cockpit. The aircraft continued for a safe landing on Dresden's runway 22 and taxied to the apron. The airline reported that steam developed in the cockpit, definitely not smoke, on descent towards Dresden, the aircraft was able to land safely nonetheless. The aircraft is now being checked. The return flight LX-919 was cancelled. The aircraft is still on the ground in Dresden about 33 hours after landing. https://avherald.com/h?article=51403e71&opt=0 Incident: LATAM B763 near Chiclayo on Jan 21st 2024, engine shut down in flight A LATAM Chile Boeing 767-300, registration CC-CXI performing flight LA-2480 from Lima (Peru) to Miami,FL (USA), was enroute at FL340 about 100nm northnortheast of Chiclayo (Peru) when the crew needed to shut one of the engines (CF6) down and diverted to Chiclayo for a safe landing on runway 19 about 25 minutes later. A passenger reported emergency services were on standby when they were landing. After landing they were kept on board for a number of hours before they finally disembarked and returned to Lima on a smaller airplane. Maintenance had opened one of the engine cowlings. Another passenger reported there had been a loud bang from an engine. After landing in Chiclayo they were kept on board for about 4 hours before being returned to Lima in batches. https://avherald.com/h?article=513fed6d&opt=0 Accident: France A359 at Toronto on Jan 21st 2024, tail strike on landing/go around An Air France Airbus A350-900, registration F-HTYH performing flight AF-356 from Paris Charles de Gaulle (France) to Toronto,ON (Canada), was landing on Toronto's runway 24L when the aircraft bounced, increased the pitch and contacted the runway surface with its tail before climbing out to safety. The aircraft positioned for another approach to runway 24L about 15 minutes later, landed without further incident and taxied to the apron. There were no injuries, the aircraft sustained substantial damage however. https://avherald.com/h?article=513fc722&opt=0 Another Boeing 737 jet needs door plug inspections, FAA says The Federal Aviation Administration is urging airlines to inspect door panels on another type of Boeing 737 jet, weeks after a door plug blew out mid-air on an Alaska Airlines flight. In a statement issued Sunday, the FAA said it is recommending that airlines that operate Boeing 737-900ER jets "visually inspect mid-exit door plugs to ensure the door is properly secured." While the Boeing 737-900ER has been in use for nearly two decades, the FAA said it has the same door plug design as the Boeing 737 Max 9 jet involved in the Alaska Airlines' mid-air incident. In the U.S., there are about 380 of the 737-900ER aircraft in service, primarily operated by Alaska Airlines, Delta and United. Alaska Airlines said it has already started inspecting its fleet of 737-900ER planes. "Our foundational value is safety. Accordingly and out of an abundance of caution, we began inspecting our Boeing 737-900ER aircraft several days ago," the carrier told CBS News. "We have had no findings to date and expect to complete the remainder of our -900ER fleet without disruption to our operations." United also said it is inspecting its jets, saying, "We started proactive inspections of our Boeing 737-900ER aircraft last week and expect them to be completed in the next few days without disruption to our customers." In a statement to CBS News, Boeing said, "We fully support the FAA and our customers in this action." The Alaska Airlines flight was a Boeing 737 Max 9 jet, part of a line of aircraft that was first introduced in 2016 and that has been plagued with safety issues. Door plugs are panels that cover unneeded exit doors, essentially turning them into another window. Following the incident, United Airlines and Alaska Airlines, which both operate Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft, said they found loose bolts on door plugs on several of their grounded jets. In response to the Alaska Airlines incident, U.S. regulators have grounded 171 jets from the 737 MAX 9 fleet with the same configuration as the plane involved in the incident. The FAA said it would return the 737-9 MAX to service once their safety was verified. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/boeing-737-900-er-faa-urges-door-inspections-alaska-airlines-united-airlines/ Net Jets Adopts Mandatory Retirement At Age 70 For Pilots NetJets has adopted a mandatory retirement age of 70 for pilots and let go about 100 earlier this month. Business Jet Traveler reported the pilots were terminated Jan. 10. Some of those pilots have launched a lawsuit against NetJets trying to overturn the age cap, but Congress gave Part 91K and Part 135 operators the right to set the retirement age in an omnibus bill in December of 2022. The NetJets Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots (NJASAP) fought the move, but an arbitrator rejected it and a federal court in Texas refused to issue an injunction against NetJets to stop the terminations. “Because the court concludes that the pilots failed to establish that any of their claims is likely to succeed on the merits, and this case does not warrant the exceptionally rare preliminary injunction under the [Railway Labor Act], the court denies the motion for preliminary injunction,” Business Jet Traveler reported the court’s decision as saying. NetJets was not required to set the retirement age, but it’s now permanent. https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/net-jets-adopts-mandatory-retirement-at-age-70-for-pilots/ Air Canada passenger tries to open aircraft door on London-Toronto flight A passenger on an Air Canada flight from London, England, to Toronto allegedly tried to open the aircraft doors midflight on Sunday, according to the airline and police. In a statement, Air Canada said there was an incident involving a “disruptive passenger” on the Toronto-bound flight from London’s Heathrow airport. Air Canada said their crews were able to manage the situation with the passenger, which allowed for the flight to continue normally to Toronto Pearson Airport. The flight landed in Toronto just after 3 p.m. Sunday. Get the latest National news. Sent to your email, every day. Peel Regional Police told Global News once the plane landed, officers entered the aircraft and found the passenger — an elderly man — “had been in a state of crisis and confusion.” “It does not appear that his actions were intentional,” police said. Passenger opens door, jumps off Air Canada plane Police also said the passenger had been restrained by Air Canada employees during the flight “as part of their flight and safety protocols.” No criminal charges were laid, police said. Air Canada noted for background that it is not possible to open aircraft doors at high altitude as the “doors are designed to act as a plug that takes advantage of the differences in internal and external air pressure to create a secure seal.” https://globalnews.ca/news/10241323/air-canada-flight-toronto-london-plane-doors/ Flight Canceled After Alert Passenger Notices No Bolts on Airplane Wing An alert passenger, perhaps just trying to be helpful and still having the memory of the January 5 incident in which a side panel on an airplane blew off in midflight due to a problem with the screws, noticed that there were missing bolts on the wing of his plane and told the cabin crew. The Virgin Atlantic flight was canceled moments before takeoff earlier this week. It was clearly a case of better safe than sorry, however. The airline erred on the side of caution and canceled the Manchester, England, flight to New York for further inspection. Both Virgin Atlantic and Airbus, the airplanes manufacturer, said that no passengers were at risk. An Airbus spokesperson said that the panel in question is used “to improve the aerodynamic performance of the aircraft.” They did not say that the bolts, or fasteners as they call them in England, were missing from the A330. The flight was canceled “to provide time for precautionary additional engineering maintenance checks.” Passengers were flown to New York on different flights. A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson said that the “safety of our customers and crew is always our top priority and this was not compromised at any point. … We always work well above industry safety standards and the aircraft is now back in service. We’d like to apologize to our customers for the delay to their journeys.” A previous Virgin Atlantic flight this month was forced to turn back to Manchester Airport en route to Barbados due to the cockpit reportedly filling with smoke. https://www.travelpulse.com/news/airlines-airports/flight-canceled-after-alert-passenger-notices-no-bolts-on-airplane-wing Oven fire causes American Airlines flight to divert to Houston No one was injured in the incident aboard the Boeing 737-800 aircraft An American Airlines Boeing 737-800 approaches to land at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington Virginia, on Aug. 11, 2023. An American Airlines flight from Texas to North Carolina was diverted Sunday afternoon after an oven fire was reported on board. Flight 885 diverted to George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston due to the “mechanical issue on board,” caused by the oven in the forward galley, the airline said in a statement. No one was injured in the incident aboard the Boeing 737-800 aircraft. The flight had taken off from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport just before 2 p.m. local time and arrived in Houston just after 3 p.m., according to FlightAware data. “The aircraft landed safely and without incident, and taxied to the gate under its own power. We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience and appreciate our team members for their professionalism,” American Airlines said. https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/national-international/oven-fire-causes-american-airlines-flight-to-divert-to-houston/3440890/ NTSB urges parents not to fly with children on lap after Alaska Airlines incident BOSTON - A terrifying incident on board an Alaska Airlines flight earlier this month has the NTSB urging parents to stop flying with children in their lap. "We would urge passengers to put their children under two in their own seat, in an FAA approved car seat, so they are secure and safe in case something like this happens," said NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy in a recent press conference. The NTSB says three infants were on board Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 when the door plug blew out at 16,000 feet in the air, leaving a gaping hole in the side of the plane. All three babies on board were sitting in their parent's lap. While "lap flying" is technically allowed and an extremely popular way to travel, it is highly frowned upon by the FAA and the NTSB. "A number of things could have happened, including the child being severely injured or worse result in a fatality," Dr. Hassan Shahidi, President and CEO of Flight Safety Foundation said. Currently the FAA allows children under the age of two to be held in an adult's lap. It does not require children to travel in a secure restraint, like a car seat, but they do encourage it. "The safest place for a child under age two is an approved child-restraint system or device, not an adult's lap," the FAA said in a statement to WBZ-TV. The NTSB also strongly discourages lap flying. In a recently issued safety alert, the board said travelers should buy a ticket for all children younger than two and restrain them in a certified child restraint system. The board has been asking the FAA since 1979 to require children under two be restrained in their own seat, citing concerns that parents cannot securely hold their child in an accident or during turbulence, which is the number one cause of pediatric injuries on airplanes. "In a turbulence occurrence, especially when it's severe, it's very difficult to hold onto an infant on your lap. They may be thrown about the airplane and injured." Dr. Shahidi explained. He believes it all comes down to families trying to save money. "I think this is probably a cost factor for travelers and parents to getting that extra seat. That's probably a big factor," Shahidi told WBZ. The American Academy of Pediatrics has also called on the FAA to make restraints a federal requirement on airplanes, saying current policies are, "inconsistent with all other national policies on safe transportation." The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, the largest flight attendant union in the United States, also wants to see lap flying go away. https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/ntsb-faa-alaska-airlines-child-on-lap-flying-traveling/ Flight Ops Quality Assurance: Defining FOQA & Enhanced Flight Safety Why airliners record countless data points on every flight. SUMMARY • FOQA is an airline-run data collection program that analyzes in-flight data to improve safety. • The data collected from FOQA programs is valuable for incident investigations, flight operations, training, and maintenance. • Despite not being mandated, every major US airline uses FOQA due to improved technology and the safety insights it provides. Anyone who consumes aviation news has undoubtedly heard about the importance of safety to the industry. Ultimately, a strong safety record is what makes an airline profitable, and everyone at the company, from the CEO to the pilots, understands the importance of maintaining the public's trust. In furtherance of this effort, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) strongly recommends that airlines collect in-flight data for analysis. This article will define and discuss this program, known as FOQA. Defining FOQA Flight Operations Quality Assurance, or FOQA, has been with the airline industry for nearly half a century. At it's core, FOQA is an airline-run data collection program that derives all of its information from quick-access recorders on airplanes. This data is crucial in order to understand how pilots are actually flying the planes in revenue operations. Safety and training departments care deeply about this information because it allows them to see strengths and weaknesses in their programs and identify topics of importance for recurrent training cycles. FOQA's introduction in a modern sense was in tandem with the introduction of Boeing 757/767 and Airbus A320 aircraft in the early 1980s. In comparison to older airliners, these planes had the ability to record more flight parameters, which is the lifeblood of FOQA programs. FOQA consists of countless in-flight data collection points that identify and flag countless parameters. Examples include flap overspeeds, excessive bank angles, high/low pitch attitudes at high altitude, high approach speeds below 1,000 feet, landing past the touchdown zone, and countless other events. Data use Information on The Airline Pilots notes that the data derived from a FOQA program is accessible to an airline when maintenance personnel download the data from a plane's quick access recorder. The FOQA managers are able to easily view flagged events and analyze the surrounding parameters. FOQA information is valuable for incident investigations, flight operations and standards, and training. Data derived from FOQA is also invaluable for maintenance since engine data is collected. High temperature values, higher or lower than normal thrust outputs, or irregular fuel consumption are parameters that FOQA can help maintenance departments identify and rectify before an incident occurs. Why overspeeds usually happen, and what comes of them. The implementation FOQA programs are mandated by many aviation authorities, including European regulator EASA. However, the FAA has yet to mandate FOQA for commercial operators in the US as pointed out in Advisory Circular 120-82, published in 2004. Despite this, every major airline in the US operates a FOQA program. Information gathered from a FOQA program is proprietary to that airline, but the airline can elect to share findings and data with the Federal Aviation Administration in the interest of safety. One of the barriers to early FOQA adoption was cost. Since then, technology has improved to allow for faster data transfer from the aircraft to the downloading unit, better storage, and wireless transfer. Cost is no longer considered preventative, and the safety insights gleaned from FOQA data are the driving reason why airlines have wholeheartedly adopted the program, even in countries where it isn't mandatory. The bottom line For pilots, FOQA data is discussed at every recurrent ground school session. The airline's safety and training departments present FOQA incidents to their pilots as opportunities for them to learn from real-life, relatable examples. This is the essence of data collection and reporting—to identify irregularities, present them as instructional examples, and train the scenarios in which they occur to prevent them in the future. The end result is a safer, more efficient operating environment for everyone. https://simpleflying.com/foqa-safety-guide/ Russia Bans 27 Of Its Aircraft From Flying To Egypt The move comes amid aircraft seizure concerns. Aeroflot Boeing 777-300ER InflightPhoto: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying For two years following the country's invasion of neighboring Ukraine, airlines and aircraft from Russia have been rather restricted in where they can fly, due to a raft of sanctions against the nation. Egpyt is one country where such planes have still been able to fly, but Russia has now placed restrictions on certain aircraft. Two carriers impacted As reported last week by RusTourismNews, Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency has requested via telegram that Russian flag carrier Aeroflot and its red-liveried subsidiary Rossiya Airlines cease flying 27 jets to Egypt. While this figure may seem arbitrary at first, there is a good reason why the number is so specific. Indeed, this is because these aircraft are owned by the State Transport Leasing Company (GTLK), 37 of whose planes are presently the subject of an ongoing dispute in the High Court of the Republic of Ireland. Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency has thus ordered that these aircraft do not fly to Egypt until further notice, due to the risk that they may be seized upon arrival in Egypt due to the dispute. The dispute actually concerns a grand total of 37 aircraft that the State Transport Leasing Company owns. These are operated by fellow Russian carriers Aurora, S7 Airlies, and Yamal Airlines. However, as these operators do not fly the affected aircraft on routes to and from Egypt, they are not part of the ban. A wide variety of aircraft RusTourismNews notes that Aeroflot has taken the biggest hit from this action, as it operates 24 of the 27 impacted aircraft. This figure comprises 10 Airbus A320-200s, four Airbus A321-200s, one Airbus A350-900, and nine Boeing 777-300ERs. Data from ch-aviation shows that Aeroflot's total fleet size is presently 291, meaning that approximately 8.25% of its fleet can no longer fly to Egypt. In terms of the aircraft types, the ban affects 16.7% of its 60 Airbus A320-200s, 12.5% of its 32 A321-200s, 14.3% of its seven A350-900s, and 34.6% of its 26 Boeing 777-300ERs. While these are not inconsiderable percentages, the Russian flag carrier will be hoping to work around the issues with diligent rostering. One Year Of Sanctions: The Aeroflot Fleet In 2023 With Russia invading Ukraine and having sanctions imposed by numerous countries, its flag carrier Aeroflot is now a completely different airline. Meanwhile, the remaining three aircraft that Russia has banned from flying to and from Egpyt until further notice are all Boeing 737-800s from Rossiya Airlines. This figure represents 2.2% of the carrier's 137-aircraft fleet as a whole, and 25% of its 12-strong Boeing 737-800 sub-fleet. According to RusTourismNews, Rossiya has already confirmed that its overall operational schedule will not be impacted. A snapshot of Aeroflot's Russia-Egypt operations A quick look at data made available by Cirium, an aviation analytics company, shows that Egypt is a key market for Aeroflot, with 486 flights scheduled to travel there from Russia in the first quarter of 2024 alone. Departing from Moscow Sheremetyevo, Sochi, and St Petersburg, these flights serve Cairo, Hurghada, and Sharm El Sheikh using aircraft from Airbus, Boeing, and even Sukhoi. https://simpleflying.com/russia-bans-27-aircraft-flying-egypt/ Vistara To Hire More Pilots By June To Meet Duty Time Norms The airline is doing this to comply with the revised Flight Duty Time Limitations. SUMMARY • Vistara plans to hire more pilots to comply with India's revised flight duty time limitations, aimed at reducing pilot fatigue. • The new rules include increased weekly rest periods and the implementation of fatigue risk management systems. • Vistara's CEO says the exact number of pilots to be hired is still being determined. • With the Indian authorities revising norms regarding flight duty timings for pilots, airlines in the country are also making adjustments to meet the new guidelines. Full-service airline Vistara is also looking to increase the number of its pilots by the middle of this year, its CEO recently revealed in an interview. Revised rules Vistara is planning to add more pilots in the next few months to comply with the Indian government’s revised rules regarding Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL). Earlier this month, Indian authorities made changes to FDTL in order to curb the growing incidents of pilot fatigue in the country. According to the new norms, the weekly rest period for flight crew has been increased from 36 hours to 48 hours to ensure “sufficient time for recovery from cumulative fatigue.” Indian airlines are expected to comply with this rule fully by June of this year. India’s aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), also mandated that airlines will have to submit quarterly fatigue reports, including the actions taken in such cases. India’s civil aviation minister, Jyotiraditya Scindia, also said that a new risk management method called Fatigue Risk Management System (FRMS) would be rolled out soon. FRMS is a data-driven approach to monitoring crew fatigue. Vistara is planning to hire more pilots Indian airlines said that the new duty time limitations would require them to hire more flight crew members, and Vistara is planning to do just that. In an interview with Moneycontrol, the airline’s CEO Vinod Kannan said it plans to increase its pilot strength by 15-20% from the current 800–900 pilots. Kannan added that Vistara will not be affected much by the new Flight Duty Time Limitations because its operations are not as big as other major airlines, such as the low-cost giant IndiGo. He said, “We don't operate so many flights in the midnight hours or the early morning. We do have a few but not as many perhaps as a low-cost airline. It (the number of pilots to be added) is very dependent on the network you have. If you don't have as many flights in the so-called early morning hours, your impact might be less. So, those are the numbers we are working out. I don't have the exact figures here.” Vistara is currently also in the process of merging operations with Air India – another Tata Group airline – and is busy getting all the necessary approvals this year. The merger is expected to be completed sometime in the middle of 2025. Pilot fatigue The issue of pilot fatigue came under the microscope last year when three pilots died within days of one another. Two of them were Indian, and one of them collapsed at the boarding gate before his flight. Detecting Fatigue: IndiGo Pilots To Use Wrist Device To Assess Alertness Levels The airline has collaborated with the French company Thales Group for this technology. Since then, the government and airlines have introduced some changes, including the latest revision of rules that will, hopefully, help address this issue effectively. https://simpleflying.com/vistara-to-hire-more-pilots-by-june-to-meet-duty-time-norms/ 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