Flight Safety Information - February 28, 2024 No. 043 In This Issue : Accident: Avion Express A320 at Vilnius on Feb 3rd 2024, temporary runway excursion : Incident: Delta A319 near Toronto on Feb 19th 2024, suspected fuel leak : Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner - Engine Shutdown (London) : NTSB: Engine oil warnings sounded moments before jet crash-landed on Florida highway, killing 2 : FAA had 'no presence' in Boeing's factory, despite its headquarters being 20 minutes away, former employee says : FAA announces new tool for pilots to avoid wrong runways : Delta Pilot's Stern Warning to Passengers: Comply with Respect or Face Consequences : Qantas Network Aviation Pilots Raise Safety Concerns And Lose Confidence In Bosses : National Guard orders aviation safety pause after Apache crashes : PASSENGER TRIES TO LEAP FROM AN AMERICAN AIRLINES AIRPLANE : PSA Airlines raises the stakes up to $32,500 in bonuses for aircraft maintenance technicians : At a growing list of airports, TSA PreCheck travelers no longer have to show physical IDs or boarding passes : Volcanic ash forces some airlines to suspend flights from Mexico City : Africa and the Middle East saw accident rate improve in 2023 : Four IAF test pilots to go on India’s first manned space mission : CALENDAR OF EVENTS Accident: Avion Express A320 at Vilnius on Feb 3rd 2024, temporary runway excursion An Avion Express Airbus A320-200, registration LY-NVL performing flight X9-8242 from Milan Bergamo (Italy) to Vilnius (Lithuania), landed on Vilnius' runway 19 at about 14:19L (12:19Z) but veered right off the runway onto soft ground, went across a turnoff and returned onto the runway centerline at about 5 knots over ground. The aircraft subsequently vacated the runway via the next turn off and taxied to the apron. The aircraft sustained substantial damage. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Vilnius about 6 hours after landing. On Feb 27th 2024 Lithuania's AIB reported they have oepened an investigation describing the occurrence as "After landing, the aircraft departed the paved surface into the grass area at the side of the runway. The aircraft returned to the runway after few hundred meters. The aircraft proceeded to taxi to the apron." https://avherald.com/h?article=5147d9d5&opt=0 Incident: Delta A319 near Toronto on Feb 19th 2024, suspected fuel leak A Delta Airlines Airbus A319-100, registration N345NB performing flight DL-1127 from Boston,MA to Minneapolis,MN (USA), was enroute at FL360 about 90nm out of Toronto,ON (Canada) when the crew declared emergency reporting a possible fuel leak. The aircraft diverted to Detroit for a safe landing on runway 21L about 30 minutes later. NAV Canada reported the crew declared emergency due to a possible fuel leak and diverted to Detroit. https://avherald.com/h?article=5156e893&opt=0 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner - Engine Shutdown (London) Date: Tuesday 27 February 2024 Time: 16:42 Type: Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner Owner/operator: British Airways Registration: G-ZBKC MSN: 38621/360 Year of manufacture: 2013 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: Aircraft damage: Unknown Location: South of Clacton-on-Sea - United Kingdom Phase: En route Nature: Passenger - Scheduled Departure airport: Beijing Daxing International Airport (PKX/ZBAD) Destination airport: London-Heathrow Airport (LHR/EGLL) Confidence Rating: Little or no information is available Narrative: British Airways flight BA38 reportedly declared an emergency during descent towards the destination, London-Heathrow Airport (LHR), after the flight crew had to shut down one engine. https://www.aviation-safety.net/wikibase/352032 NTSB: Engine oil warnings sounded moments before jet crash-landed on Florida highway, killing 2 ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Moments before the deadly crash of a charter jet on a Florida highway, three warnings about oil pressure problems in its two engines sounded, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a preliminary report Tuesday. The Bombardier aircraft flying from Ohio with five people aboard was cleared to land at Naples Municipal Airport at 3:08 p.m. on Feb. 9, the report says. It was about 6.5 miles (10.5 kilometers) north of the airport when what the NTSB called a “master warning” about oil pressure issues in the left engine took place. Seconds later, another oil warning sounded for the right engine, followed by a third that simply said “ENGINE.” These warnings include lights and a voice advisory including chimes in the cockpit, according to the report. At 3:10 p.m., the pilots announced they had “lost both engines” and were attempting to make an emergency landing on busy Interstate 75 in Naples, Florida. The control tower repeated the aircraft was cleared to land and one of the pilots responded, “We are cleared to land but we are not going to make the runway” because of the engine failures. The aircraft did manage to crash-land along the highway but slammed into a concrete sound barrier and burst into flames, killing both pilots. The flight attendant scrambled to open a rear door and led the two passengers to safety with only minor injuries, the report says. No one was seriously injured on the ground. Although there was some damage to the two engines, most of the components were recovered and no obvious problems that might have caused their failure were noted by NTSB investigators. A final report will be released in the coming months. The aircraft was built in 2004 and had its most recent airworthiness inspection on Jan. 5. It had more than 9,700 total hours of flight operation, according to the NTSB. The plane was operated by Hop-a-Jet Worldwide Charter based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It had flown from there to the Ohio State University airport in Columbus, picked up its two passengers and then headed to Naples. The dead pilots were identified as Edward Daniel Murphy, 50, and Ian Frederick Hofmann, 65, who each had thousands of hours of flight experience, including time on the Bombardier-type of airplane. The survivors were crew member Sydney Ann Bosmans, 23, and passengers Aaron Baker, 35, and Audra Green, 23, both of Columbus. https://apnews.com/article/plane-crash-florida-highway-ohio-ntsb-3fd58c7854b45b8484bf3d3030f802d2 FAA had 'no presence' in Boeing's factory, despite its headquarters being 20 minutes away, former employee says Former Boeing staffer Ed Pierson told Politico that the FAA had "no presence" at his factory. Two Boeing 737 Max crashes occurred after Pierson quit in 2018. Safety concerns were reignited in January after a door plug fell off a Boeing 737 Max 9 mid-flight. A Boeing whistleblower who quit over concerns about the company's 737 Max production told Politico that the FAA had "no presence" at the factory he worked in. Ed Pierson was an employee at Boeing for a decade and was a senior manager at the company's production facility in Renton, Washington before quitting in August 2018. Two months after Pierson's resignation, a Lion Air Boeing 737 Max crashed into the sea in October 2018, killing all 198 people on board. Then, in March 2019, an Ethiopian Airlines flight using the same model of plane crashed shortly after takeoff, killing a further 157 people. Pierson said that he raised concerns about the production of the aircraft to Boeing, the FAA, and three government agencies before the crashes but was ignored by all of them, The New York Times and NBC News reported in 2019. At the time, Boeing disputed that there was a connection between the production problems and the crashes. The company faced backlash again in January of this year after a door plug on an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 blew off mid-flight. No passengers or crew were harmed, and the door plug and two cellphones were later recovered. Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun told CNBC at the time that the Alaska Airlines blowout was caused by a "quality escape." Calhoun said the company was looking at what was missed in the inspection process and "what broke down in the original work that allowed for that escape to happen." The incident, however, reignited safety concerns over the aircraft, prompting Pierson to share issues he encountered as an employee. In the interview with Politico, published on Monday, Pierson said there was a "chaotic disarray" type of environment and it "was so bad" when he worked there in 2018. "We didn't have engines on many of the planes and so they put these big concrete blocks on the engine pylons so the plane wouldn't tip. Kind of an important part of the plane, right?" Pierson told the publication. "And by the way, where the hell is the FAA? FAA had no presence in the factory. And it really irritates you because right down the road, literally 20 minutes down the road, is the Northwest headquarters for the FAA," he said. "There's over 2,000 employees that work at that site and yet, in the busiest factory in the world 20 minutes down the road, there's four or five employees. That's not enough to monitor the restaurant operations at the site." In his current role as executive director for the Foundation for Aviation Safety, Pierson has spoken to several media outlets about the issues he said he noticed while at Boeing. The 737 Max was temporarily grounded in 2019 but was cleared to return to the air in 2020 after a safety review process involving several design changes was completed. Pierson told Politico that he still feels unsafe on Boeing Max planes — so much so that he refuses to fly on them. "Last year, I was flying from Seattle to New York, and I purposely scheduled myself on a non-Max airplane. I went to the gate. I walked in, sat down and looked straight ahead, and lo and behold, there was a 737-8/737-9 safety card. So I got up and I walked off," he said. Following the Alaska Airlines incident in January, the company announced it had grounded 171 Boeing 737 Max 9 jets with a door plug, and the FFA launched an investigation into the company's manufacturing practices. A spokesperson for the FAA told Business Insider that it has made "significant improvements" to its delegation and aircraft certification processes in recent years and that it took "immediate action" to address concerns after the Alaska Airlines incident. "The FAA informed Boeing it will not grant any production expansion of the 737 MAX and is conducting enhanced oversight of Boeing and its suppliers," the spokesperson said. "The agency is examining all aspects of Boeing's three manufacturing lines and Spirit AeroSystems' supplier activities. A dedicated team of approximately two dozen aviation safety inspectors is conducting these reviews at the Boeing 737 MAX facility in Renton, Washington, and at Spirit AeroSystems in Wichita, Kansas," they said. They added that the reviews will cover production, employee training and qualifications, and supplier transfers. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Boeing told Politico that it has made several changes since the two deadly crashes in 2018 and 2019, including investing in more engineers and manufacturers and an official designee for employees to raise concerns. It also increased its aerospace and safety expertise within its board of directors, the spokesperson said, although they didn't elaborate on what this involved. Representatives for Pierson and Boeing did not immediately respond to requests for comment. https://www.yahoo.com/news/faa-had-no-presence-boeings-145429514.html FAA announces new tool for pilots to avoid wrong runways Federal Aviation Administration officials are continuing to improve safety measures for airline passengers with the introduction of a new safety and awareness tool for pilots. According to an official FAA release, the new technology, called Arrival Alert Notice, is a planning tool to help pilots avoid lining up to land on a wrong taxiway, runway or airport. Multiple businesses in West Los Angeles broken into within hours As part of pre-flight planning, pilots can access the tool in addition to having a map of their destination airport and being able to see an aerial view of the airport’s surface. Other important safety information will also be included in the AAN, the FAA confirmed. “This add-on to our ‘From the Flight Deck’ series of one of many proactive steps we are taking to address runway safety and help pilots remain vigilant,” said Jeffrey Planty, who serves as the vice president for FAA Safety & General Training. Onlookers watch a Boeing 747 “Dreamlifter” as it sits on a runway Thursday, Nov. 21, 2013, the day after it mistakenly landed at Col. James Jabara Airport in Wichita, Kan. The jet landed Wednesday evening at the airport, about 8 miles (13 kilometers) … General aviation pilots account for 83% of wrong-surface events, the FAA says, with commercial pilots making up the remaining 17 percent. Which California city was named America’s happiest in new study? AAN testing began in 2022, federal aviation officials said, and it was found to be effective in mitigating risks associated with wrong-surface landings. https://ktla.com/news/faa-announces-new-tool-for-pilots-to-avoid-wrong-runways/ Delta Pilot's Stern Warning to Passengers: Comply with Respect or Face Consequences Discover how a Delta Air Lines captain asserted authority before takeoff, emphasizing safety and respect. Learn about the delicate balance between ensuring flight safety and respecting passenger rights, and reflect on the implications for the airline industry. On a recent Delta Air Lines flight destined for Atlanta, a significant event unfolded before takeoff, highlighting the authority pilots wield in maintaining safety and respect aboard their flights. Addressing the passengers with a firm tone, the captain made it clear that disobedience towards flight crew instructions would not be tolerated, emphasizing the importance of adhering to safety protocols and respecting one another throughout the journey. This incident showcases the challenges airline staff face in managing passenger behavior to ensure a safe and comfortable flight experience for all. Authority in the Skies: A Captain's Mandate Under 49 USC § 44902, pilots are granted broad authority to ensure the safety and security of their flights, a responsibility that Delta Air Lines' captain took seriously. In his address, he identified himself as a 'servant leader,' tasked with the safety of everyone on board. His message was clear: follow the instructions of the flight crew or face potential removal from the flight. This stance is not unique to this incident; there have been numerous cases where airline staff have had to directly address passenger behavior to maintain order and safety, from pilots reminding passengers of in-flight etiquette to gate agents managing complaints with professionalism and respect. The Balancing Act: Safety vs. Passenger Rights The incident has reopened discussions on the delicate balance between ensuring flight safety and respecting passenger rights. Airlines globally have faced challenges with unruly passengers, leading to hundreds being placed on no-fly lists for disruptive behavior, refusal to adhere to safety protocols, and involvement in illegal activities. In 2023 alone, 108 passengers were added to such lists, underscoring the ongoing struggle to maintain discipline while ensuring passenger comfort and rights are not infringed upon. Aviation experts agree that while safety is paramount, airlines must also consider the implications of their policies on passenger experience and rights. Reflections on Airline Authority and Passenger Conduct This recent event on a Delta Air Lines flight serves as a poignant reminder of the complexities involved in managing passenger behavior and ensuring safety in the skies. It also highlights the authority pilots and flight attendants have in enforcing these measures, a necessary power to prevent potentially dangerous situations. As airlines continue to navigate these challenges, the incident encourages passengers to reflect on their responsibilities towards fellow travelers and crew, promoting a safer and more respectful flying environment for everyone. The conversation around airline authority and passenger conduct is far from over, but incidents like these serve as critical moments for reflection and potential change in the industry. https://bnnbreaking.com/world/us/delta-pilots-stern-warning-to-passengers-comply-with-respect-or-face-consequences Qantas Network Aviation Pilots Raise Safety Concerns And Lose Confidence In Bosses Pilots at the Qantas subsidiary Network Aviation have claimed Qantas is not adequately addressing safety concerns and have informed CASA. SUMMARY • A majority of Network Aviation pilots do not have confidence in the Chief Pilot and raised concerns over fatigue management. • The Australian Federation of Air Pilots (AFAP) submitted survey results to Qantas and CASA, calling for action. • Turning a labor dispute into a safety issue may backfire, damaging the reputations of Qantas, QantasLink, and Network Aviation. The increasingly bitter dispute between Qantas subsidiary Network Aviation and its pilots shows no sign of settling any time soon, and today, it took on a more personal note. A survey completed by pilots raised concerns about fatigue risk management and expressed a vote of no confidence in the airline's Chief Pilot. Where is this going next? With more than 5,500 members, the Australian Federation of Air Pilots (AFAP) is the largest professional association and industrial organization for commercial pilots in Australia. It represents more than 93% of the 250 pilots employed by Network Aviation, a regular passenger transport and charter airline based in Western Australia and a member of the Qantas Group. Today, the AFAP released details of a survey it took recently of around 75% of its members flying for Network Aviation and QantasLink. The survey results revealed that pilots have raised concerns about the local management at Network Aviation (Network) with both Qantas Group CEO Vanessa Hudson and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), Australia's aviation regulator. AFAP focused on two results from the survey that it said are especially concerning: Almost 85% of respondents did not agree that Network management "actively and adequately address Fatigue Risk Management System (FRMS) issues." More than 75% of respondents did not have confidence in the Chief Pilot. These are potentially explosive claims, and to report a Qantas group airline to the safety regulator for not taking safety seriously is an extremely serious accusation for the pilots and the AFAP to make, as is personally attacking the integrity of the Chief Pilot in such a public way. Without fully understanding CASA's processes, it would seem the regulator would have to formally investigate the claims, which, even if not sustained, will cause enormous reputational damage to Qantas, QantasLink and Network Aviation. Explosive claims are now on the record The AFAP said that after many months of deteriorating confidence in Network management, its members asked the AFAP to undertake a short survey to gauge the level of confidence with the intention of detailing those results to both Qantas and CASA, as the federal agency with oversight of aviation safety. AFAP senior industrial officer Chris Aikens said: "For some time now the level of confidence the pilot group has in their local management in Western Australia has been very low, especially in relation to their governance and oversight of safety-related matters. "The purpose of forwarding these results directly to the Qantas CEO is to request that Ms Hudson take a more in-depth look into the malaise within Network that has seemingly been exacerbated by the actions - or inactions - of local Network management." The AFAP said that both Qantas and CASA confirmed they received the survey results yesterday and it said it will now "await some indication as to how Qantas intends to address these problems." Until now, this dispute has been mainly about negotiating a new Network Aviation Pilots Enterprise Agreement 2016 that expired on October 31st, 2020. The Network pilots who fly Airbus A320s and Foker F100s for QantasLink want to be employed under the same pay and conditions as other pilots in the Qantas Group, and the pay increase offered by Qantas is not acceptable, sparking a series of rolling strikes. Turning this so publicly into a safety issue that needs to be brought to the attention of CASA seemingly has nothing to do with a new employment agreement, and the pilots and the AFAP have taken this situation to a whole new level, which is potentially highly damaging to the airline groups they work for. Time will tell if this is a clever way to negotiate or a shot in the foot, but dragging airline safety into the public arena looks more like an act of desperation rather than an effective way to achieve the desired outcome. https://simpleflying.com/qantas-network-aviation-pilots-safety-lose-confidence/ National Guard orders aviation safety pause after Apache crashes The Army National Guard’s top officer ordered a component-wide pause on flight missions Monday after a pair of AH-64D Apache helicopter crashes this month, according to a release. Units across the Guard’s 54 states and territories will “review safety policies and procedures” following the deadly Feb. 23 crash of a Mississippi National Guard Apache helicopter and the Feb. 12 crash of a Utah National Guard Apache. Lt. Gen. Jon Jensen, the Army National Guard’s director, said the stand down aims to “ensure all of our crews are prepared as well as possible for whatever they’re asked to do.” The release did not specify how long the pause will last. The move comes less than a year after a rare Army-wide safety stand down in April 2023 ordered by then-chief Gen. James McConville after a pair of mid-air collisions killed 12 soldiers. Army officials have not revealed the causes of the respective crashes, though the service’s safety-focused Combat Readiness Center is probing the incidents. Mississippi officials identified the two pilots killed Friday as Chief Warrant Officer 4 Bryan Andrew Zemek and Chief Warrant Officer 4 Derek Joshua Abbott. The pair died west of Booneville, Mississippi, when their Apache went down in a rural wooded area during a “routine” training flight. Neither of the pilots involved in the Utah crash died. The incident occurred during the landing practice phase of a training event where Army National Guard pilots took Air Force Reserve personnel aloft in helicopter familiarization flights. Images from local media reports show the damaged helicopter on its side, but largely intact. https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2024/02/27/national-guard-orders-aviation-safety-pause-after-apache-crashes/ PASSENGER TRIES TO LEAP FROM AN AMERICAN AIRLINES AIRPLANE Quick-witted passengers on a recent Chicago-bound American Airlines Flight 1219 weren’t munching pretzels; they were asking for duct tape. It came in handy when a man decided he'd just had enough of the flight—and tried to open an airplane door and jump out. The airplane, which had taken off from Albuquerque International Sunport Airport, hung a quick U-turn to head back to the runway. Barstool Sports’ “Wonton Don” was on the flight and saw the whole thing—and then he moved into action: “Me and 5 other dudes had to wrestle him into the aisle, duct tape his legs, and throw flexi-cuffs on him. Just safely landed back in ABQ but HOLY S—T,” he tweeted. That’s the problem with flying commercial—too many strangers, increasingly in distress, with such incidents becoming more and more common. In March 2023, passenger Francisco Severo Torres tried to open an airplane door on a United Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Boston. He also stabbed a flight attendant with a broken metal spoon and said he’d "kill every man on this plane." He sounds nice. In May, an Asiana Airlines airplane was 700 feet from the ground and minutes from its landing in Daegu, South Korea when a passenger managed to open an emergency door. (An aircraft door actually can open midflight when it doesn't have to contend with the air pressure suction caused by higher altitudes.) After a quieter summer, incidents of this kind picked up again in the fall: in September, a passenger named Biswajit Debnath tried to force open an emergency door on a domestic flight in India. He, too, wanted to catch a cloud. In November, an unnamed woman on a Korean Air flight from New York to Incheon, South Korea also tried to open an emergency exit door in mid-air. She later tested positive for meth. That same month, a passenger of a Southwest Airlines aircraft parked at the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport hopped from the airplane’s emergency exit and onto a wing. These scares were different from a January 2024 incident, when a man took it upon himself to exit an AeroMexico airplane that had been stuck on the tarmac in Mexico City for hours. The airplane was sweltering, so that was totally normal. But dramatic gestures like these are exceedingly rare in the bizjet space. No one attempted to jump out of Taylor Swift’s Bombardier Global 6000, chartered from VistaJet, when she was racing to the Super Bowl earlier this month, for example. And it has been a full five years since a deranged disc jockey freaked out on a JetSmarter Gulfstream flight, screaming "Heads will be chopped off. Heads will be chopped off!” and, for good measure, “I’m a sick f---. I was just in a psych hospital. You have no idea.” More recently, the former Olympic athlete and YouTuber Trevor Jacob made headlines in 2021 when he parachuted from his 1940 Taylorcraft airplane, citing a technical malfunction. Given Jacob's daredevil reputation, his explanation felt dubious at the time, but the video of his descent—“I Crashed My Plane”—racked up more than 1.7 million views. When his story fell apart, Jacob was sentenced to six months in jail. Was it worth it, Trevor? That is a lot of views. https://www.bjtonline.com/business-jet-news/passenger-tries-to-leap-from-an-american-airlines-airplane PSA Airlines raises the stakes up to $32,500 in bonuses for aircraft maintenance technicians PSA Airlines, a prominent regional carrier and wholly owned subsidiary of American Airlines, has unveiled a comprehensive bonus package totaling up to ,500 for aircraft maintenance technicians who join the company at its Dayton, Ohio, or Savannah, Georgia, maintenance hubs by April 30, 2024. This enticing offer includes a $15,000 sign-on bonus for those assuming roles as aircraft maintenance technicians or leads in Dayton or Savannah. Alternatively, a $5,000 sign-on bonus awaits candidates joining at other PSA maintenance bases, spanning Canton/Akron, Ohio; Charlotte, N.C.; Cincinnati; Pensacola, Fla.; Norfolk, Va.; Greenville, S.C.; and Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas. Furthermore, PSA Airlines extends various bonuses applicable across all its maintenance bases: • Experienced technicians stand to gain substantial bonuses: • $12,500 for over three years of experience • $10,000 for two to three years of experience • $7,500 for one to two years of experience Additionally, technicians can opt for a $5,000 toolbox or cash-in alternative. Non-local hires can benefit from $7,500 in relocation assistance to facilitate their transition to PSA Airlines. “At PSA, we place safety above all. Adding more experience and depth to our maintenance team will not only ensure we remain among the safest airlines in the industry, but it will also further drive reliability and our ability to operate more planes, providing customers with greater access to air travel,” said Richard Ugarte, vice president, Maintenance and Engineering at PSA. “Anyone who loves working on iconic planes like our all-CRJ jet fleet and who wants to be part of a driven, reliable and caring culture that provides unlimited career growth opportunities should apply today to join PSA’s maintenance team.” Apart from the attractive sign-on and experience bonuses, PSA maintenance team members, like all PSA staff, enjoy flight privileges for themselves and their eligible family and friends across American Airlines’ extensive global network, recognized as the world’s largest. https://www.travelandtourworld.com/news/article/psa-airlines-raises-the-stakes-up-to-32500-in-bonuses-for-aircraft-maintenance-technicians/ At a growing list of airports, TSA PreCheck travelers no longer have to show physical IDs or boarding passes "Touchless" technology is coming online for United Airlines passengers at Chicago's O'Hare and Los Angeles international airports. If you're a TSA PreCheck member traveling on United Airlines via Chicago's O'Hare or Los Angeles international airports, life just got a bit easier. United recently updated its website to show that "Touchless ID" technology, which lets users go through security just by scanning their faces and without having to show physical IDs or boarding passes, is now available at those two major hubs for TSA PreCheck users. In addition, United passengers at O'Hare can use their faces at a new bag-drop shortcut. To enroll in United's Touchless ID, passengers need to scan their passports and add their Known Traveler Numbers in the United app. They then need to check in for their flights on the mobile app to opt in and give United permission to use their facial scans as IDs. Once at the airport, passengers would only need to scan their faces at new Touchless ID kiosks. For now, Touchless ID at United is available only for customers on single-passenger reservations who are at least 18 years old. And the bag-drop feature at O’Hare is still in a testing phase, meaning agents will still check IDs. United says it plans to continue rolling out Touchless ID to more bag-drop counters, security checkpoints and boarding gates. Kellogg CEO faces backlash for suggesting people eat 'cereal for dinner' to save money Delta Air Lines has already deployed similar technology at its hubs in Atlanta and Detroit and at New York's John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia international airports. Clint Henderson, the managing editor of The Points Guy travel website, there are already dedicated check-in lanes for touchless at those airports for Delta flyers. “The agents working at the TSA PreCheck and Clear lines told me to use a new special lane for biometrics that allowed me to skip ahead of both the regular PreCheck and the separate Clear lanes,” Henderson said in a TPG post. “After one minute, the TSA agent waved me over. I simply showed my face in front of a camera, and the agent told me to go ahead to the screening machines. There was no wait.” In November, the Department of Homeland Security, the TSA's parent agency, announced it hopes to roll out an entirely "self-service" screening option that bypasses TSA agents entirely. It involves the use of "pods" that combine facial screening and baggage scanning; the program is being tested at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas. On its website, TSA says it does not store images captured by facial recognition technology "except for a limited period of time for testing and evaluation purposes." It says it retains personal identifying information only for as long as is necessary to fulfill the specified purposes of its biometric technology pilots. https://www.nbcnews.com/business/travel/tsa-precheck-no-id-boarding-pass-required-which-airports-rcna140679 Volcanic ash forces some airlines to suspend flights from Mexico City MEXICO CITY, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Mexico City International Airport on Tuesday said airlines have canceled 22 domestic and international flights to carry out safety checks after planes encountered ash from the Popocatepetl volcano while flying toward the capital. In a post on X, the airport said it remains open and in operation. "Specialized teams and management remain on alert and are evaluating the ash conditions," the airport said. "At this time, the volcanic ash cloud is heading toward the Gulf of Mexico." The airport advised travelers to stay informed through their airlines and official airport channels. The government has issued a "yellow alert" for activity from the nearby volcano, whose name in the Aztec Nahuatl language means "Smoking Mountain." Authorities earlier on Tuesday said a column of smoke from the volcano was blowing to the north-northwest and could bring ash over the capital. https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/volcanic-ash-drives-some-airlines-suspend-flights-mexico-city-2024-02-28/ Africa and the Middle East saw accident rate improve in 2023 IATA has said aviation continues to make progress on safety with several 2023 parameters showing “best-ever” results. Willie Walsh, IATA’s director general. There were no hull losses or fatal accidents involving passenger jet aircraft in 2023. However, there was a single fatal accident involving a turboprop aircraft, resulting in 72 fatalities. There were 37 million aircraft movements in 2023 (jet and turboprop), an increase of 17% on the previous year. "2023 safety performance continues to demonstrate that flying is the safest mode of transport. Aviation places its highest priority on safety and that shows in the 2023 performance. Jet operations saw no hull losses or fatalities. 2023 also saw the lowest fatality risk and ‘all accident’ rate on record. A single fatal turboprop accident with 72 fatalities, however, reminds us that we can never take safety for granted. And two high profile accidents in the first month of 2024 show that, even if flying is among the safest activities a person can do, there is always room to improve. This is what we have done throughout our history. And we will continue to make flying ever safer,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s director general. Regional Safety Performance The 2023 all accident rate improved compared to 2022 for all regions with the exceptions of North America and Asia Pacific. No regions experienced a jet hull loss in 2023. Asia-Pacific recorded a fatal turboprop hull loss, a loss-of-control accident in Nepal in January 2023 with 72 fatalities. As a consequence, all regions except Asia-Pacific recorded a fatality risk of zero in 2023. Africa: The all accident rate improved from 10.88 per million sectors in 2022 to 6.38 in 2023, better than the 5-year average of 7.11. In 2023, there were no fatalities. This region has had no jet hull losses or fatal accidents since 2020. Additionally, 2023 marked the fifth occurrence of Africa reporting zero fatal turboprop accidents, with the first instance recorded in 2015. Under the Focus Africa initiative, IATA introduced CASIP to enhance aviation safety in Africa. CASIP efforts are continuing to partner with states to increase implementation of ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs). The Global Aviation Safety Plan (GASP) as well as AFI Regional Aviation Safety Plan for Effective Implementation (EI) of ICAO ISARPs have increased the minimum SARPs implementation threshold to 75% or greater (from 60%). Only 12 of Africa’s 54 states meet this new threshold indicating the need for significant improvements. Middle East and North Africa: The all accident rate improved from 1.30 accidents per million sectors in 2022 to 1.16 in 2023 and was also better than its 5-year average of 0.96. While no accidents were related to Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) interference, it has emerged as a critical area of concern in the region North America: The all accident rate rose from 0.53 per million sectors in 2022 to 1.14 in 2023, but remained better than its 5-year average for the region of 1.21. The largest proportion of accidents in 2023 were related to landing gear collapses. Asia-Pacific: The all accident rate increased from 0.56 per million sectors in 2022 to 0.78 in 2023, but was better than the 5-year average for the region of 1.06. The fatality risk rate per million sectors rose for Asia-Pacific operators from 0.00 in 2022 to 0.16, owing to the fatal accident in Nepal in January 2023, which was due to loss of control in flight. Commonwealth of Independent States: The all accident rate improved from 2.16 accidents per million sectors in 2022 to 1.09 in 2023. This rate is better than the region’s 5-year average of 3.19 accidents per million sectors. Note that CIS sectors may undergo larger revisions than normal once actual flown sectors become available. This will affect accident rate as well as fatality risk calculation. Europe: The all accident rate improved from 0.98 per million sectors in 2022 down to 0.48 accidents in 2023. This rate is better than the region’s 5-year average of 0.77 accidents per million sectors. The region has had a fatality risk of zero since 2018. The largest proportion of accidents were related to landing gear collapses. North Asia: The all accident rate improved from 0.45 accidents per million sectors in 2022 to 0.00 in 2023. This was better than the region’s 5-year average of 0.16 accidents per million sectors. The fatality risk rate improved from 0.23 in 2022 to 0.00 in 2023. Latin America and Caribbean: In 2023, the region reversed an increase in accidents from the previous year. The all accident rate per million sectors improved from 4.47 in 2022 to 0.37 in 2023, better than the 5-year average of 1.91. https://www.timesaerospace.aero/news/air-transport/africa-and-the-middle-east-saw-accident-rate-improve-in-2023 Four IAF test pilots to go on India’s first manned space mission NEW DELHI : The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) on Tuesday revealed the first four astronauts selected for India’s human spaceflight programme, Gaganyaan. The astronauts are test pilots with the Indian Air Force, and will be a part of the country’s first ever manned space mission that is scheduled for take-off by the end of next year. The astronauts—Group Captains Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair, Ajit Krishnan and Angad Pratap, and Wing Commander Subhanshu Shukla—were offered designatory astronaut-wing badges by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at an event at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram, Isro’s headquarters. The astronauts are the final four from a list of 12 candidates shortlisted for Gaganyaan. They underwent training in Russia between 2020 and 2021 before continuing to be trained via simulator facilities in Bengaluru. “India’s success in the space sector is sowing the seeds of scientific temperament in the country’s young generation," Modi said, addressing the event during his visit. He also unveiled the PSLV Integration Facility and the Semi-cryogenic Integrated Engine and Stage Test (SIEST) facility in Mahendragiri, Odisha, and a Trisonic Wind Tunnel at the Isro headquarters. This was Modi’s first visit to Isro’s primary facilities. The 47-year-old Nair is the senior-most of the four chosen astronauts, and is a Sword of Honour-recipient at the Air Force Academy. Nair was commissioned in 1998, and has over 3,000 hours of flying experience. Krishnan, 41, is a President’s gold medal awardee, and has over 2,900 hours of flying experience. Pratap (41) and Shukla (38) both have over 2,000 flying hours under their belts. The astronauts will fly to a low-earth orbit aboard a human capsule module as part of the Gaganyaan mission to showcase indigenous space technologies and their ability to sustain manned space missions that extend further into space. The quartet will be the first Indian citizens to fly to space after Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma flew to space aboard a Soyuz T-11 spacecraft as part of the Soviet Interkosmos programme in April 1984. Isro’s human spaceflight programme is expected to put India on the global map of human space-faring nations. Upon successful completion, India will join the US, Russia and China as nations that have active human spaceflight programmes. Unmanned trials for Gaganyaan are expected to commence later this year. By March next year, Isro is expected to complete seven trial launches under Gaganyaan. A senior industry official familiar with Isro’s plans said the selection of pilots was undertaken keeping in mind specific requirements of India’s first manned space mission. “Our first-generation astronauts were trained specifically with promptness of reactions in mind, as well as preparedness in extreme flight conditions. Group Captain Nair is a veteran in flight, and is expected to lead the mission," the official said, declining to be identified. India’s manned space mission is being handled purely by Isro, which is working with partner vendors for a fully indigenous technology stack for Gaganyaan’s space infrastructure. This marks a key differentiating factor between India and the US, which contracts private firms such as SpaceX, Northrop Grumman, and Lockheed Martin for a wide range of commercial as well as human spaceflight projects. Industry veterans say the opening up of central space projects, with the Indian government as a customer, will be key to offering a pivot of success for private space startups. However, prior to involving private space startups in manned missions, the former will be required to prove their reliability in space missions—a factor that typically takes multiple decades in the global space industry. India, in terms of the global space ecosystem, also joined the US, Russia (through the erstwhile Soviet Union) and China to become only the fourth nation to successfully land a rover on the moon, with the Chandrayaan-3 mission on 23 August last year. Isro’s Chandrayaan missions have so far made key observations that have quantified research into the presence of water on the lunar surface. Through Gaganyaan, India is expected to increase its stature in applied research projects in space. https://www.livemint.com/news/four-iaf-test-pilots-to-go-on-india-s-first-manned-space-mission-11709042599631.html CALENDAR OF EVENTS • 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