Flight Safety Information - February 22, 2024 No. 039 In This Issue : Incident: Andes B738 at Buenos Aires on Feb 21st 2024, unreliable airspeed : Incident: United B764 at Washington on Feb 17th 2024, tail strike on departure : Accident: Delta B763 enroute on Feb 18th 2024, severe turbulence injures 5 : Incident: VivaAerobus A320 at Chicago on Feb 18th 2024, engine shut down in flight : Incident: Royal Philippines A320 near Hong Kong on Feb 19th 2024, battery thermal runaway : Boeing 747 Flies Across The Atlantic After Frankfurt Hahn Airport Tail Strike : Chicago-bound American jet diverted after man tries to open emergency door midflight : Transport Canada Reissues Shoulder Harness Exemption : Weaponized ATC Calls Threaten African Air Safety : Why have flight fatalities in Russia reached record highs? : United Flight Diverted After Bomb Threat in Airplane Bathroom, Passengers Say : Analysis: The Airlines & Months With The Most US Pilot Hires In 2023 : Embraer's Phenom 300 Is The World's Best-Selling Light Jet For 12 Years : Boeing's 737 Max program leader is leaving in the wake of Alaska Airlines incident : Ready for Takeoff: USC Viterbi Aviation Safety and Security Program Rolls Out New Course Based on Emotional Intelligence : CALENDAR OF EVENTS Incident: Andes B738 at Buenos Aires on Feb 21st 2024, unreliable airspeed An Andes Lineas Aereas Boeing 737-800 on behalf of Flybondi, registration LV-HKS performing flight FO-5106 from Buenos Aires Ezeiza,BA to Iguazu,MI (Argentina), was climbing out of Ezeiza's runway 35 when the crew stopped the climb at FL090 feet declaring emergency and reporting unreliable airspeed. The aircraft entered a hold and returned to Ezeiza for a safe landing on runway 35 about 40 minutes after departure. Argentina's JST reported they have opened an investigation into an incident by LV-HKS at Ministro Pistarini (Ezeiza) Airport. According to flight schedules flight FO-5106 is scheduled to depart Buenos Aires's Aeroparque,BA (Argentina) Airport for Iguazu. The occurrence aircraft had last flown on Jan 7th 2024 landing at Buenos Aires Ezeiza and was on its first departure from Ezeiza since. https://avherald.com/h?article=5154359e&opt=0 Incident: United B764 at Washington on Feb 17th 2024, tail strike on departure A United Boeing 767-400, registration N69059 performing flight UA-345 from Washington Dulles,DC to Honolulu,HI (USA), was departing Washington's runway 01C when the aircraft's tail contacted the runway surface. The crew stopped the climb at FL280 and returned to Washington for a safe landing on runway 01C about one hour after departure. A replacement Boeing 767-400 registration N77066 reached Honolulu with a delay of about 6 hours. The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground for about 11 hours before returning to service. The FAA reported: "AIRCRAFT ENCOUNTERED A TAIL STRIKE DURING DEPARTURE AND RETURNED TO IAD, CHANTILLY, VA." https://avherald.com/h?article=5153c3e0&opt=0 Accident: Delta B763 enroute on Feb 18th 2024, severe turbulence injures 5 A Delta Airlines Boeing 767-300, registration N176DZ performing flight DL-253 from New York JFK,NY (USA) to Bogota (Colombia), was enroute when the aircraft encountered severe turbulence. The aircraft continued to Bogota for a safe landing. The FAA reported: "AIRCRAFT EXPERIENCED SEVERE TURBULENCE INJURYING FLIGHT ATTENDANTS AND A PASSENGER, BOGOTA, COLOMBIA." and stated, 4 cabin crew and one passenger received injuries. https://avherald.com/h?article=5153c289&opt=0 Incident: VivaAerobus A320 at Chicago on Feb 18th 2024, engine shut down in flight A VivaAeroBus Airbus A320-200, registration XA-VAU performing flight VB-543 from Chicago O'Hare,IL (USA) to Guadalajara (Mexico) with 143 people on board, was climbing out of Chicago's runway 28R when the crew requested to level off at 5000 feet, they needed to work some checklists. Subsequently the crew advised they had a #1 engine failure (V2527, left hand) and would need to return to Chicago, requested runway 28C for an overweight landing. The aircraft subsequently burned off fuel however and returned to Chicago for a safe landing on runway 28R about 35 minutes after departure. The flight was cancelled. The aircraft is still on the ground in Chicago 3 days later. https://avherald.com/h?article=5153bc49&opt=0 Incident: Royal Philippines A320 near Hong Kong on Feb 19th 2024, battery thermal runaway A Royal Air Philippines Airbus A320-200, registration RP-C9799 performing flight RW-602 from Caticlan (Philippines) to Shanghai Pudong (China), was enroute at FL340 about 145nm east of Hong Kong (China) when the crew decided to divert to Hong Kong reporting a passenger's power bank had suffered a thermal runaway, there was smoke in the cabin. The aircraft landed safely on Hong Kong's runway 07L about 35 minutes after leaving FL340. The aircraft remained on the ground in Hong Kong for about 2:15 hours, then continued the flight and reached Shanghai with a delay of about 3:20 hours. https://avherald.com/h?article=5153b536&opt=0 Boeing 747 Flies Across The Atlantic After Frankfurt Hahn Airport Tail Strike After the tail strike, the aircraft was out of service for more than a month in the US. SUMMARY • German accident investigators disclosed that a Boeing 747-400F suffered a tail strike at Frankfurt Hahn Airport (HHN). • Despite the tail strike, the aircraft continued flying to the US, where it stayed for more than a month. • The Boeing 747-400F is now operating flights on behalf of SAUDIA Cargo. An Air Atlanta Icelandic Boeing 747-400F, registered as TF-AMK, suffered a tail strike at Frankfurt, Germany, and continued flying to its destination in the United States, according to a preliminary report by the German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation (Bundesstelle für Flugunfalluntersuchung, BFU). Tail strike at Hahn According to the latest safety bulletin published by the BFU, the incident was designated as serious, with the German investigators stating that it happened at Frankfurt Hahn Airport (HHN) on November 29, 2023. Then, Air Atlanta Icelandic was operating a cargo flight with the 747-400F between HHN and Greenville–Spartanburg International Airport (GSP), South Carolina, the US. The BFU detailed that the stall warning was triggered during the rotation phase, activating the stick shaker. Subsequently, the pilots reduced the pitch angle, continuing their climb out of HHN. Eventually, they landed at GSP more than eight hours later. According to the history of the flight provided by Flightradar24, apart from a brief dip in altitude during the initial stage of the flight, the Boeing 747-400F had climbed normally, reaching a maximum altitude of 34,000 feet (10,363 meters) before beginning its descent in the US. The BFU noted that after the aircraft had landed at the destination airport, it was discovered that the tail of the 747-400F contacted the runway during its takeoff roll at HHN, causing significant damage to the fuselage. While the German investigators did not detail the extent of the damage since this was a brief preliminary report about the incident, the aircraft was grounded for more than two weeks at GSP. Its subsequent flight was on December 12, when it departed to Marana Pinal Airport (MZJ), where it stayed until January 8, 2024, presumably for maintenance. Ascent Aviation Services is one of the companies based at MZJ, with the company’s page advertising that it was an Airbus and Boeing aircraft heavy maintenance specialist, being one of the only Class IV maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facilities in the US capable of performing a D-Check on a Boeing 747. As the Air Atlanta Icelandic Boeing 747-400F emerged from MZJ on January 8, the aircraft flew back to GSP, from where it operated a flight to Jeddah King Abdulaziz International Airport (JED), Saudi Arabia. It landed at the airport on January 9. After spending around two weeks at the Saudi Arabian airport, the Boeing 747-400F has begun operating flights on behalf of SAUDIA and its cargo subsidiary, SAUDIA Cargo, using the carrier’s flight code SV on a flight from JED to Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) on January 25. Since then, it has operated around 50 flights on behalf of SAUDIA Cargo, Flightradar24 records showed. Ch-aviation data showed that SAUDIA Cargo has wet leased in two Boeing 747-400F aircraft from Air Atlanta Europe, the Malta-based subsidiary of Air Atlanta Icelandic, registered as 9H-AKA and 9H-AKF. Meanwhile, planespotters.net indicated that Air Atlanta Icelandic and Air Atlanta Europe operate flights on behalf of the Saudi Arabian airline with six Boeing 747-400Fs, including the subject aircraft, TF-AMK. https://simpleflying.com/boeing-747-flies-across-atlantic-frankfurt-hahn-airport-tail-strike/ Chicago-bound American jet diverted after man tries to open emergency door midflight Passengers and crew members subdued a man and bound him with duct tape and flex cuffs. The plane returned to Albuquerque. No one was hurt. The man was taken into custody. A plane headed to O’Hare Airport on Tuesday was diverted after a man tried to open a plane door during the flight. AP A Boeing 737 headed to Chicago was diverted back to Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Tuesday when a passenger tried to open a door on the plane shortly after takeoff. American Airlines Flight 1219 returned safely to Albuquerque International Sunport about 2:40 p.m. after crew reported the disturbance, according to a statement from the Federal Aviation Administration. Several passengers shared videos and photos of the incident on social media. It began about 30 minutes into the flight. The posts shows several crew members and passengers helping to restrain the man. Albuquerque TV station KOAT interviewed several passengers, including Emma Ritz, who said the man tried to open an emergency door midflight. “He was sitting at the emergency exit, and he cracked open the window that was protecting the handle,” Ritz said. “He ripped down the handle where it exposed some of the emergency exit and all the wind came rushing down.” KOAT reported that six other passengers on the plane subdued the man and restrained him in the aisle until a flight attendant duct-taped his ankles and put flex cuffs on his wrists. “The guy was screaming ‘I want to get out’ when he was restrained,” Ritz told KOAT. American Airlines said Albuquerque police officers met the plane when it landed and took the man into custody. Police said the FBI is leading the investigation. Neither the FBI nor Albuquerque police have released any information yet about the man who caused the disturbance. The FAA is also conducting an investigation. https://chicago.suntimes.com/2024/02/21/chicago-bound-american-jet-diverted-man-subdued-disturbance-arrest-faa-fbi-investigation Transport Canada Reissues Shoulder Harness Exemption Pilots can fly without wearing shoulder harnesses above 10,000 feet Transport Canada recently issued regulatory exemption NCR-002-2024Re-R that replaces a previous exemption that continues to allow certain en route operations in which cockpit crew are not required to wear shoulder harnesses. The exemption allows flight crew members to remove their shoulder harnesses while in cruise at altitudes of 10,000 feet or more above msl. Without this exemption, Canadian civil aviation regulation Part 605.27(3) requires at least one pilot must have his or her shoulder harness on at all times during the flight. The exemption, valid until Jan. 31, 2029, is available to operators flying under private, charter, corporate, and airline CAR Parts 604, 702, 703, 704, and 705. To use the exemption, operators are required to establish procedures that ensure pilots are wearing a shoulder harness when they are not in cruise flight or anytime an aircraft is operated below 10,000 feet over msl. No letter of authorization is required. “This is a global exemption, and any qualified operator may make use of it, provided they comply with the conditions and restrictions of the exemption,” according to the Canadian Business Aviation Association. No similar exemption is needed for operations under U.S. federal aviation regulations. The FARs for private and commercial operators require pilots to wear shoulder harnesses only during takeoffs and landings. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2024-02-21/transport-canada-reissues-shoulder-harness-exemption Weaponized ATC Calls Threaten African Air Safety Aircraft receive conflicting transmissions as Somalia and Somaliland fight over airspace control OpsGroup members are reporting air traffic controller calls from unsanctioned sources. In a potential nightmare for civil aviation, it appears air traffic control over the busy Horn of Africa airspace has been politically weaponized. Over the weekend, OpsGroup shared news of at least 10 reports of fake controllers operating on Mogadishu flight information region (FIR) frequencies and issuing instructions contrary to those given by the authentic sector controller. They included bogus climb and descent clearances. The impacted area was confined mostly to the northern part of Mogadishu airspace. According to OpsGroup, the fake instructions emanated from Hargeisa in Somaliland on VHF frequency 132.5 and HF 11300. Somaliland is an internationally unrecognized state that is considered part of Somalia, but since 1991 it has functioned autonomously and sought independence. It is bordered to the south and west by Ethiopia. In January, Somaliland signed an agreement with Ethiopia that granted Red Sea port rights in exchange for official recognition. Somalia condemned the move and retaliated by selectively blocking aircraft movements in and out of Somaliland with Mogadishu Control, denying entry of this traffic into the Mogadishu FIR. Somaliland countered by asserting airspace control over its claimed territory, announced via an international aviation advisory and accompanying press release issued on February 13. The Somaliland Civil Aviation and Airports Authority said that “any problems and disruptions [that] occur…will be [the] responsible (sic) by (sic) the Mogadishu government.” The ATC transmissions from Hargeisa are designed to mimic official ones from Mogadishu Control and are not identified as separate or distinct from it, according to OpsGroup, and are designed to sow confusion as opposed to traffic deconfliction. The impacted airspace is one of the main and most direct routes between the Middle East and Asia into Africa. Several other countries in the area—Yemen and the Tigray region of Eritrea and Ethiopia—are designated no-fly areas. Somalia previously backed out of an agreement brokered by the United Nations that would have established joint management of the airspace with Somaliland and asserted unilateral authority in 2018, revoking flight permissions and imposing new regulations. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2024-02-19/weaponized-atc-calls-threaten-african-air-safety Why have flight fatalities in Russia reached record highs? Despite more than 180 incidents in Russia, last year saw the second lowest number of global aircraft fatalities on record. Moscow lodged a complaint with the International Civil Aviation Organisation that Western sanctions on spare airplane parts were endangering air safety. Sanctions, supply chain issues and manufacturing demand for war underpinned Russia’s record number of aircraft incidents in 2023, GlobalData analysts say, contrasting with a decrease in fatalities across the global aviation sector. There were at least 180 aviation accidents in Russia last year, more than double that of 2022, according to investigations by exiled Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta. Eleven of these incidents came in the first nine days of December alone. Russia has been designated with ‘red flag’ status by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), marking it as one of the four most dangerous countries to fly in globally along with Liberia, Bhutan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. “Russia’s entire aviation sector has been redirected to the war industry rather than civil aviation,” says Wilson Jones, aerospace and defence analyst at GlobalData. Russian aviation accidents rise despite downward global trend Despite a recent spate of high-profile malfunctions aboard Boeing jets, fatalities in air travel dipped to the second lowest number on record in 2023: 124 deaths aboard commercial jets, according to aviation safety consultants Jacdec. This compares to 40 in 2017, the lowest on record, and 1,200 in 2000 and 2001, the highest on record. https://www.airport-technology.com/analysis/why-have-flight-fatalities-in-russia-reached-record-highs/?cf-view United Flight Diverted After Bomb Threat in Airplane Bathroom, Passengers Say The airline told PEOPLE that flight 1533 was routed to O'Hare after a "potential security concern" A United Airlines flight from Newark, New Jersey, to Los Angeles carrying 202 passengers was diverted to Chicago on Wednesday morning due to a "potential security concern," according to a statement provided to PEOPLE by United. Several passengers on board Flight 1533 said the security concern was a bomb threat written in one of the plane's lavatories, but authorities did not immediately confirm the nature of the threat. "United flight 1533 diverted to Chicago this morning due to a potential security concern," United's statement read. "The flight landed safely, was met by local law enforcement and departed for Los Angeles again earlier this afternoon." "Early this morning, FBI-Chicago and local partners responded to an incident with an aircraft at O'Hare Airport. There is no indication that there is an imminent threat to public safety or the facility itself at this time," the FBI told PEOPLE in a separate statement. "Someone allegedly went into the bathroom and made a bomb threat on the bathroom window and now we’ve made an emergency landing in Chicago," passenger Rashad Robinson posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. "On United 1533 this morning from Newark to LAX, emergency landing in Chicago after a bomb threat was found in the plane bathroom. We were told in air only that a situation forced the diversion. The threat was revealed to us when the plane was parked and police and fire trucks started closing in," posted journalist Ian O'Connor, who was also on the flight. "As we were getting closer to Chicago, they were really adamant that everyone stay in their seats, like they were starting to shout at passengers if they started to get up. They said, 'we'll have authorities waiting to arrest you when we land," passenger Richard Fickling told ABC 7 Chicago. The plane was taxied to a remote area of O'Hare, where it was surrounded by first responders and law enforcement. An unnamed passenger told CBS 2 that the passengers were deplaned while their bags were checked. The outlet reported that a bomb-sniffing K-9 found one suspicious bag and a robot was deployed to move it away. Police questioned the passenger who checked that bag. The FBI did not immediately say what the contents of the bag were or if anyone was taken into custody. United told PEOPLE that the same flight and plane departed for Los Angeles later Wednesday afternoon. https://people.com/united-flight-1533-diverted-to-chicago-ohare-bomb-threat-8598408 Analysis: The Airlines & Months With The Most US Pilot Hires In 2023 Which carriers flew higher than the rest? Amid the re-surfacing concerns of pilot shortages worldwide in recent years, airlines are constantly trying various recruitment methods to attract more aspiring and veteran aviators to join them. Through mass recruitment drives, promising offers of financial and other benefits, and even promoting the airline's work culture and strong union ties, airlines have tried them all in recent years. But despite these efforts, some airlines, particularly those in the US, still struggled with the shortages as of early last year. While this certainly does mean that airlines weren't hiring enough for their pilot intakes, it also symbolizes that there is never a defined ceiling on how many hired pilots are enough. Still, it often begs the question of how many pilots have been hired so far, which will be explored today. Were airlines genuinely trying? Although shortages and consequential operational problems might suggest otherwise, US airlines are trying to increase their hired pilot numbers. Besides the methods mentioned above, airlines also use other techniques such as social media and career advisory groups such as Future & Active Pilot Advisors (FAPA). Since 1972, the organization has helped thousands of aspiring and current pilots with the Monthly Pilot Hiring Events. Through such events, pilots of all stages and experience levels seeking a job at a new or different airline are linked with airlines actively hiring. However, it's worth noting that this organization is more affiliated with some major US carriers, while similar organizations would be more closely linked to other airlines. For FAPA, airlines include Alaska Airlines, Allegiant Air, American Airlines, Atlas Air, Delta Air Lines, and FedEx. FAPA also has ties with Frontier Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines, UPS Airlines, and United Airlines. This means that pilots who try to get their aviation career off the grounds through FAPA are more likely to be hired by any of these airlines, depending on the credentials, experience levels, and other factors of the hiring process. But is such a method successful in helping the pilot numbers? What were the results? Success in this technique seems assured, as according to FAPA's tabulated data for 2023, there has been an impressive total of about 12,193 hired pilots across the 13 different airlines. Delta Air Lines took the lead of the many carriers, with an overwhelming total of 2,424 pilots taken last year; January was the busiest month, with 302 accepted. While the number might not seem as exaggerated, the difference is quite significant compared to FedEx's total year's hiring of just two pilots. Delta Air Lines has, like many commercial carriers, been struggling with post-pandemic pilot shortages and actively ramping up efforts to increase its numbers. On the other hand, FedEx has been suffering from too many pilots, which explains the mass difference in hired numbers, having hired the sole two in January as well. And following closely behind the Atlanta-based carrier are United Airlines and American Airlines. The Star Alliance carrier hired a total of 2,349 pilots last year and enjoyed a particularly busy October. On the other hand, the oneworld alliance member hired about 2,211 pilots and had May as its busiest month - further highlighting how aggressive the Big Three have been in hiring more flight crew. In another stark contrast, airlines like Alaska Airlines and JetBlue only engaged 379 and 498 pilots last year, respectively, while Hawaiian Airlines took in about 176 pilots for the whole year. https://simpleflying.com/us-pilot/hiring-analysis-2023/ Embraer's Phenom 300 Is The World's Best-Selling Light Jet For 12 Years Over 60 Phenom 300s were delivered in 2023. SUMMARY • Phenom 300 has remained the best-selling light jet for 12 years, excelling in performance, technology, comfort, and support. • Embraer has delivered over 730 aircraft to 40 countries, offering upgrades based on customer feedback and industry trends. • Phenom 300E features long-range, short runway takeoff, high speed, and lower acquisition cost, making it a top choice in business aviation. On Wednesday, February 21, Embraer announced that its Phenom 300 was once again the world's best-selling light jet - its 12th consecutive year for holding that title. This data has been provided by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA). Best-selling light jet During 2023, Embraer manufactured and delivered a total of 63 Phenom 300s to customers. Over the past ten years, Embraer has delivered more than 730 total aircraft. These aircraft are operating in 40 different countries and have accrued a total of over 2 million flight hours. Currently, the Phenom 300 is the most-flown business aircraft in the United States. Over the past year, it has logged more than 360,000 total flights. The President and Chief Executive Officer of Embraer Executive Jets, Michael Amalfitano, spoke about the success of the Phenom 300. Amalfitano stated, "The Phenom 300 series continues to demonstrate Embraer’s commitment to delivering the ultimate experience in business aviation. For more than a decade, the aircraft has earned well-deserved recognition and continues to excel in terms of performance, technology, comfort, and support." Embraer has also released new upgrades for its successful light jet. Amalfitano continued, saying, "With our ongoing dedication to our loyal customers, we will continue to develop the program based on customer feedback, industry trends, and new technologies." The South American-based manufacturer recently announced a new autothrottle upgrade that will be available on the Phenom 300E. The aircraft also features a redesigned interior and utilizes the Garmin G3000 flight deck, which are both upgrades to the original Phenom 300. The success of the Phenom 300 in the United States Between July 2022 and June 2023 specifically, the Embraer Phenom 300 had 360,790 flights. During this period, the light jet surpassed the Cessna Citation Excel as the business jet with the most operations, per the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Since then, the Embraer-built business jet continued its success over the next several months. It has stayed ahead of the Cessna Citation Excel in terms of flights over one-year periods since then. Several different features have propelled this aircraft to have success throughout the world. The currently produced aircraft, the Phenom 300E, has a long range of 2,010 nautical miles (2,313 miles) and has the ability to take off from a 914-meter (3,000-foot) runway. These features ensure the aircraft can take off and land at a wide range of airports across the United States. It also has a maximum speed of 464 knots (535 miles per hour) and can reach altitudes of up to 13,700 meters (45,000 feet). This performance is provided by its two Pratt & Whitney PW525E engines, which produce a combined 7,000 pounds of thrust. The aircraft can hold up to nine passengers, which is less than some of its competitors. Its range is slightly less as well. However, the Phenom 300 has a significantly lower acquisition cost compared to its competitors. This has propelled it to become the most popular light jet in the world. https://simpleflying.com/embraer-phenom-300-best-selling-light-jet-12-years/ Boeing's 737 Max program leader is leaving in the wake of Alaska Airlines incident Boeing announced the head of its 737 Max program is leaving the company. In a memo to employees that USA TODAY reviewed, CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes Stan Deal, said Ed Clark, who has overseen Max production since 2021, is exiting Boeing immediately. Katie Ringgold is succeeding Clark as vice president and general manager of the 737 program. The Max family of planes has been under intense scrutiny for years, and regulators took a renewed interest in the jet after a January episode during which an Alaska Airlines jet lost a door plug in an explosive decompression during a flight. No one was injured, but the incident grounded Max jets again as regulators probed what happened. The National Transportation Safety Board has not yet issued its final report, but preliminary findings suggest missing and improperly installed bolts were a primary cause of the problem. Subsequent inspections by maintenance personnel at United Airlines and Alaska Airlines found manufacturing defects on other 737 Max jets that were not involved in the incident, and the Federal Aviation Administration has stepped up oversight of Boeing’s Max production lines. Clark stepped into his position at the head of the Max program in 2021 after the plane’s first grounding. The planes were previously barred from flying following two crashes abroad that killed 346 people in total. The Max remains a popular jet with airlines, but the program is under intense scrutiny both internally at Boeing and from external regulators. https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/airline-news/2024/02/21/boeing-737-max-program-leadership/72687181007/ Ready for Takeoff: USC Viterbi Aviation Safety and Security Program Rolls Out New Course Based on Emotional Intelligence Students learn to promote safety and resilience in organizations through a mix of theoretical modules and hands-on exercises In 2022, John DeLeeuw, an instructor at the USC Viterbi Aviation Safety and Security Program, determined that the program needed new tools to advance the understanding of “human factors,” a term that refers to research on the harmony and friction between people and their work environment, both technical and human. Understanding human factors in aviation is key to preventing and managing mistakes and improving safety when dealing with technical systems. Little more than one year later, DeLeeuw’s dream became a reality. Between January 29 and February 2, the Viterbi School’s Aviation Safety and Security program launched a new multi-day class, Human Performance and Resilience (HPRL), which put emotional intelligence as a driver of a positive organizational culture at the forefront. Other human factors curricula focus mainly on physical issues, such as how fatigue and confirmation biases can impair human judgment. In doing so, they typically neglect how empathy and respect impact relationships and performance across all organizational levels: USC Viterbi’s Human Performance and Resilience class, or HPRL, fills that gap. The five-day class took place at USC’s Aircraft Accident Investigation lab in Alhambra. Much like other aviation safety and security courses at USC Viterbi, the HPRL students came from a wide range of organizations, including CalFire, the California state organization that maintains firefighting aircrafts, Southwest Airlines, Asiana Airlines in South Korea, the Singapore Army, and GE Aerospace, a world-leading provider of turbine engines. The new course is based on two well-established practices in aviation safety: crew resource management and threat error management. Crew resource management procedures were created to equip all members of an aircraft crew with the skills to communicate their concerns effectively; threat error management techniques were developed to help them deal with unforeseen situations and real complications. The emphasis on holistic healing separates this course from others related to human factors. While active listening can be faked, for instance, through nodding and mm-hmm sounds, a holistic listener needs to fixate on the speaker visually. To Thomas Anthony, director of the USC Viterbi Aviation Safety and Security Program, this “protocol” is extremely effective in establishing respect among parties because it leverages neurophysiological processes. “That sets up the relationship of, ‘if I respect you, then you will have the reaction of respecting me,’” he said. “This bilateral, symbiotic relationship of respect is the basic building block of our new course.” The notion of Holistic Listening evolved over the 18- month course development process by a stellar group of graduate students, instructors and professors, including NASA astronaut Dr. Anna Fisher. Fisher “the first mom in space” flew in 1984 on The Space Shuttle Discovery STS 51A, a mission to recover two satellites in wrong and useless orbits. Fisher and the other Discovery astronauts improvised an unprecedented recovery method after initial attempts proved unworkable. Fisher, working the robotic arm while two other astronauts wrestled with the satellites from outside the shuttle, successfully recovered the wayward satellites that were subsequently launched into their correct orbits. As part of the five-day course, Fisher brought her expertise to bear by teaching the importance of interpersonal skills in managing the safety and health of crews and vehicles a task she knows well from her NASA role as the Chief of Space Station development. Not every USC Viterbi Safety and Aviation instructor was immediately on board with the course. Flight surgeon Dr. Gregg Bendrick, for instance, initially had doubts about the premise, worrying that the emphasis on the emotional aspect of the perception lacked scientific rigor. He soon changed his mind. “When I had to review some of my neurophysiology and read up on some of the current aspects of the last 20 years, I realized this isn’t just touchy feely, kind of, I don’t know, poetry for physics or something,” he said. “This is actual, real neurophysiology, real neurobiology.” Bendrick, who is also an FAA medical officer, is now convinced that the human performance and resilience course is vital for pilots and safety managers, considering the prevalence of mental health struggles in aviation. Indeed, the aviation industry is no stranger to psychiatric issues. In August 2023, the Washington Post reported on an ongoing FAA investigation of over 4,500 pilots who failed to declare health issues that may disqualify them from flight duty. In this context, Bendrick wanted the course to teach students about the importance of mental health issues, both on the ground and in the skies. “I remember telling Tom that this stuff is real, this it is important, and this can kill you, either from disease or from accident or whatever,” Bendrick said. “And I realized that we really needed to put it in clear-cut terms that pilots and safety managers could understand that, in fact, it is real, it is important, and it can kill you.” The reviews of the first HPRL students echo their teachers’ opinions. Adrienne Sullivan, a human factors engineer at Bell Helicopter in Texas, found the course invaluable. “I would tell [everyone] they probably should have this course,” she said. HPRL student Zachary Funk, a safety program manager for Red Wing Aviation and a corporate pilot based in South Carolina, also believes that the course material is fundamental for people in aviation. He is eager to apply what he learned and build a productive safety culture where everyone feels comfortable and able to contribute to the company’s mission. “Coming from the corporate world, I think people in this line of work could need this kind of training,” he said. “Even if we conduct operations on the same scale as other pilots, the support structure is not comparable, so. Absolutely. I think anyone, and especially people flying private aircrafts, needs to take a course like this.” Over 70 years after the inception of USC’s Viterbi Aviation Safety Program, Anthony proudly calls the new human performance and resilience course “a pioneering look at the interrelationship between organizational culture and emotional intelligence, which is exactly what is needed for those organizations that have discounted the value of leadership and the necessity of communication.” https://viterbischool.usc.edu/news/2024/02/ready-for-takeoff-usc-viterbi-aviation-safety-and-security-program-rolls-out-new-course-based-on-emotional-intelligence/ CALENDAR OF EVENTS • 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 • Blazetech - Aircraft Fire Hazards, Protection, and Investigation Course June 4 - 7, 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