Flight Safety Information - March 6, 2024 No. 048 In This Issue : Incident: CAA A320 at Goma on Mar 5th 2024, hydraulic failure : Incident: United B739 at Houston on Mar 4th 2024, engine stall : Aircraft Cabin Air International Conference - 17 & 18 September - London : Accident: American A321 enroute on Mar 3rd 2024, turbulence injures 2 passengers : Accident: Jetblue A321 at Saint Lucia on Mar 2nd 2024, tail strike on go around : Jet pilot over the alcohol limit before transatlantic flight : US safety board needs more funding for rail, air safety probes, chair says : 62 more passengers sue Alaska Airlines and Boeing over fuselage blowout : BRITISH AIRWAYS ANNOUNCES £7 BILLION TRANSFORMATION PLAN : Ethiopian Airlines places order for eight Boeing 777X jets : American Plans 50-Seat Regional Jet Retirement : CALENDAR OF EVENTS Incident: CAA A320 at Goma on Mar 5th 2024, hydraulic failure A CAA Compagnie Africaine Aviation Airbus A320-200, registration 9S-ABI performing flight BU-633 from Kalemie to Goma (DR Congo), was on approach to Goma when the crew reported they had a hydraulic failure and entered a hold to work the related checklists. The aircraft subsequently continued for a safe landing on Goma's runway 35 but became disabled on the runway and needed to be towed off the runway. The aircraft is still on the ground in Goma about 10 hours after landing. https://avherald.com/h?article=515c5a26&opt=0 Incident: United B739 at Houston on Mar 4th 2024, engine stall A United Boeing 737-900, registration N31412 performing flight UA-1118 from Houston Intercontinental,TX to Fort Myers,FL (USA) with 167 people on board, was climbing through about 12,000 feet out of Houston when the crew stopped the climb after the left hand engine (CFM56) emitted a series of bangs and streaks of flames. The crew advised ATC the engine had encountered an engine stall, but was still kept running. The aircraft landed safely on Houston's runway 27 about 35 minutes after departure. A replacement Boeing 737-900 registration N30401 reached Fort Myers with a delay of about 3:15 hours. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground about 19 hours after landing back. https://avherald.com/h?article=515c5827&opt=0 Accident: American A321 enroute on Mar 3rd 2024, turbulence injures 2 passengers An American Airlines Airbus A321-200, registration N537UW performing flight AA-1192 from Cancun (Mexico) to Charlotte,NC (USA), was enroute when the aircraft encountered turbulence causing injuries to two passengers. The aircraft continued to Charlotte for a landing without further incident. The FAA reported: "AIRCRAFT ENCOUNTERED SEVERE TURBULENCE INJURYING TWO PASSENGERS, CHARLOTTE, NC.", the injuries were rated minor. https://avherald.com/h?article=515c54c7&opt=0 Accident: Jetblue A321 at Saint Lucia on Mar 2nd 2024, tail strike on go around A Jetblue Airbus A321-200, registration N991JT performing flight B6-1681 from New York JFK,NY (USA) to Saint Lucia (Saint Lucia), was on final approach to Saint Lucia's runway 10 when the crew went around from very low height, however, the tail contacted the runway surface. The aircraft climbed to about 2500 feet, positioned for another approach and landed on runway 10 without further incident. The aircraft is still on the ground in Saint Lucia 3 days later. The FAA reported: "AIRCRAFT INCURRED A TAIL STRIKE DURING GO-AROUND, ST LUCIA, VIRGIN ISLANDS.", the damage was "UNKNOWN". https://avherald.com/h?article=515c53bc&opt=0 Jet pilot over the alcohol limit before transatlantic flight Delta airlines pilot Lawrence Russell, 63, was found to be over the alcohol limit before flying a jet from Edinburgh to New York on 16 June last year. Worse, he was drinking Jägermeister. Russell, a captain with Delta Airlines, was later arrested following a failed breath test. The pilot was remanded in custody at Edinburgh Sheriff Court after pleading guilty to reporting for duty as a pilot while being impaired through drink or drugs. The court heard the alcohol level in the pilot's blood sample was "not less than 49mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood". The legal limit is just 20mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood If you're going to overdo it on some vile continental liqueur, at least make it Goldschläger. And stay put in the bar. https://boingboing.net/2024/03/05/jet-pilot-over-the-alcohol-limit-before-transatlantic-flight.html US safety board needs more funding for rail, air safety probes, chair says US safety board needs more funding for rail, air safety probes, chair says© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: The fuselage plug area of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 Boeing 737-9 MAX, which was forced to make an emergency landing with a gap in the fuselage, is seen during its investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in Portland. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The chair of the National Transportation Safety Board will tell the Senate Commerce Committee on Wednesday the agency needs more funding and warn cuts could put probes into aviation and rail accidents at risk. NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy will tell a committee hearing, in written testimony seen by Reuters, that funding levels in a Senate bill "would require us to reduce staffing levels and would degrade our mission readiness for critical safety investigations". Those probes include a February 2023 Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) train derailment in Ohio and another into the Jan. 5 mid-panel panel blowout of a new Alaska Airlines Boeing (NYSE:BA) 737 MAX 9 aircraft. "It is critical for the agency to have additional resources to respond to events," Homendy's testimony says. "We owe it to the families of those involved, to the communities where events occurred, and to the traveling public to find out what happened, why it happened, and to make recommendations to help ensure it never happens again." Homendy says she expects President Joe Biden next week to request $150 million for NTSB for the 2025 budget year, up from $145 million proposed for this year. A Senate bill would authorize $145 million for the NTSB next year, $5 million less than what Biden is expected to seek. Homendy says the NTSB, with 230 investigators currently, needs 50 additional employees for full staffing including 16 aviation investigators and 10 highway investigators as well as another $2.4 million to replace aging and obsolete equipment "critical to conducting robust and comprehensive investigations." Homendy's testimony noted the board has six open investigations from 2023 into runway incursion incidents and she has called for more technology to prevent near miss incidents. In February 2023, a FedEx (NYSE:FDX) cargo plane and a Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) Boeing 737 that came within about 115 feet (35 meters) of each other in Austin in poor visibility conditions could have been a "terrible tragedy," Homendy said last year. The NTSB has over 1,000 open safety recommendations across all investigations, Homendy's testimony says. "We meet the challenges that come with increasing growth and innovation in transportation," Homendy said. "It is critical for the agency to have additional resources to respond to events without affecting our timeliness, the quality of our work, or our independence." https://www.investing.com/news/stock-market-news/us-safety-board-needs-more-funding-for-rail-air-safety-probes-chair-says-3325778 62 more passengers sue Alaska Airlines and Boeing over fuselage blowout PORTLAND, Ore. — Two months after a door plug tore open the side of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 moments after it departed Portland International Airport, attorneys representing 62 passengers have filed suit against the airline and Boeing, the plane’s manufacturer. The third and latest suit was filed Feb. 20 in Multnomah County Circuit Court and is the first to seek a specified dollar amount: $1 billion in personal as well as punitive damages. Two other suits were filed in January in Washington but have not sought specific amounts of compensation. Those suits represent a total of 59 passengers. The latest lawsuit was filed by three Oregon residents — Kevin Kwok, Kyle Rinker and Amanda Strickland — who were among the 171 passengers and six crew onboard the Jan. 5 flight bound for Ontario, California. Six minutes into the flight, a 2-by-4 foot door plug blew off the plane in the 26th row, sucking seat parts, the shirt that a 15-year-old boy had been wearing, electronic devices such as phones and other personal items out of the plane. Kwok was seated near the front of the plane “but immediately became aware of the danger when the oxygen masks dropped from the ceiling,” according to the suit. Rinker and Strickland were seated diagonally behind and across the row from the missing door plug. “Screams of panic and horror filled the plane,” reads the lawsuit. “Mr. Kwok, Mr. Rinker, and Ms. Strickland prepared for the impending crash and certain death.” [Boeing’s safety culture falls short despite the company’s efforts to fix it, according to experts] The pilot, however, was able to turn back to Portland and make an emergency landing with, according to the airline, no serious injuries. But the suit states that the three plaintiffs in the latest lawsuit were so traumatized that they couldn’t continue on another flight to southern California. All three lawsuits fault Alaska Airlines and Boeing — saying they should have known there were problems with this particular type of aircraft, a Boeing 737 Max 9, and that Boeing has a troubled history with similar planes. That includes the 737 Max 8s that crashed in 2018 and 2019 in Ethiopia and Indonesia, killing all 346 onboard the two planes combined. Alaska Airlines and Boeing both declined Monday to comment on the pending litigation. Atlanta attorney Jonathan W. Johnson and Oregon attorney Justin Idiart filed the suit representing the three passengers. Tacoma attorney Mark Lindquist is representing 26 passengers in a suit he filed in January in King County Superior Court. The Stritmatter Firm in Seattle is representing 33 passengers in federal court in Washington. That suit plans to formally seek class-action status. Lawyers in all three of the lawsuits say they expect the number of plaintiffs they represent to grow. https://www.adn.com/business-economy/2024/03/05/62-more-passengers-sue-alaska-airlines-and-boeing-over-fuselage-blowout/ BRITISH AIRWAYS ANNOUNCES £7 BILLION TRANSFORMATION PLAN British Airways (BA) has unveiled a £7 billion transformation plan at its first ‘In the Skies’ showcase event in London. The British flag carrier has announced new seat designs for its narrow-body aircraft, new lounges, and upgrades to the Airbus A380. Around £5 billion will be reportedly invested in new aircraft and cabins. All widebody aircraft will feature the new Club Suite Business Class seat and the A380s will be retrofitted with a new First Class cabin. BA’s Chairman and CEO Sean Doyle outlined the transformation plan, committing to improving customer experience, modernizing IT, and focusing on sustainability, as well as driving improved on-time performance. “We’re on a journey to a better BA for our people and for our customers, underpinned by a transformation programme that will see us invest £7bn over the next two years to revolutionise our business. We’re going to take delivery of new aircraft, introduce new cabins, elevate our customer care, focus on operational performance and address our environmental impact by reducing our emissions and creating a culture of sustainability. ” New Cabins And Seats British Airways‘ upcoming fleet of Airbus A320neo and A321neo aircraft will feature new short-haul seating and cabin designs. Partnering with multiple British suppliers across England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, the airline aims to infuse a blend of modernity and British history into its Euro Traveller and Club Europe cabins. Eight of these A320neo family aircraft are slated for delivery starting in May this year. The revamped interiors will also feature larger overhead bins for added capacity. Distinguishing itself as the sole European carrier offering First Class between the UK and the US, British Airways also announced that it will introduce a brand-new and exclusive First Class Suite on its A380s. Anticipated to debut between late 2025 and early 2026 as part of its A380 aircraft refurbishment, this highlights that British Airways will continue to operate the A380s till mid-30s or even longer. New Lounge Design The British carrier has also announced the upcoming opening of a new lounge in Dubai, set to relocate to a larger space at Dubai International Airport later this year. This lounge will debut the airline’s fresh lounge design concept, ahead of the unveiling of its Miami lounge in 2025. Replacing the existing lounge at DXB, the new lounge will offer expanded space and enhanced amenities for customers. Additionally, lounge refreshes are planned for Lagos and Seattle, following recent refurbishments at Heathrow’s Terminals 5 and 3, as well as in Edinburgh. New Website, App, And IT Development British Airways is also heavily investing in the development of a new website and app. It has announced to revamp its digital platforms, including its website and mobile app, as part of its ongoing investment program. The redesigned ba.com website is currently undergoing BETA testing, featuring enhanced personalization options and a suite of new services. The new website aims to empower customers by enabling self-service capabilities, allowing them to manage and modify their travel plans online, thereby reducing reliance on customer care centres for such tasks. Initial updates are slated to be introduced by the end of the year. Moreover, British Airways is embarking on a £100 million investment in machine learning, automation, and AI technologies across its operations. This initiative spans from booking processes to baggage handling, aiming to improve operational efficiency, accelerate departures, and enhance responsiveness to disruptions. “Innovative new tools are helping to predict delays (prompting pre-emptive action to reduce disruption) and analyse real-time weather, aircraft capacity and customer connections data to help teams make better decisions. Since the introduction of the systems, alongside a number of new processes and ways of working, the airline has seen improvement to its on-time departures.” British Airways Spokesperson Furthermore, British Airways is creating approximately 350 new roles at Heathrow Airport to improve the customer experience at its primary hub. Investments in new equipment, such as baggage tugs and towing vehicles, are also underway to streamline operations. The airline is also committing £750 million to upgrade its IT infrastructure, with plans to transition 700 systems and thousands of servers to the cloud by early next year. Routes Update British Airways is reintroducing flights from London to Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur in October and November respectively. The airline will operate daily flights between London Heathrow and the Malaysian capital city using a Boeing 787-9 aircraft. Additionally, three weekly flights between London Gatwick and the Thai capital will be operated with a Boeing 777-200ER aircraft. In addition to these routes, British Airways is also resuming services to Abu Dhabi on April 20, welcoming Agadir in Morocco on March 31, and adding Izmir in Turkey to its network on May 18. https://samchui.com/2024/03/05/british-airways-announces-7-billion-transformation-plan/ Ethiopian Airlines places order for eight Boeing 777X jets March 5 (Reuters) - Ethiopian Airlines has agreed to purchase eight Boeing (BA.N), opens new tab 777-9 widebody jets, with potential for up to 12 additional aircraft orders, the companies said in a statement on Tuesday. Major airlines are in a race to place new orders for fuel-efficient widebody jets to keep operating costs down and to cater to booming international travel demand. The order from Ethiopian Airlines comes as Boeing faces increased scrutiny due to a Jan. 5 incident when a door plug blew off a brand new 737 MAX plane mid-flight. Boeing's 777X program, which has seen hundreds of jet orders from airlines across the world, has been plagued by five years of delays. Last week, Emirates president Tim Clark raised the prospect that first delivery of the 777X, the world's largest twin-engine jet, could slip into 2026 from late 2025. Emirates is the largest buyer of the plane. Ethiopian Airlines' selection of 777-9 jets makes the carrier the first 777X customer in Africa and is in addition to its 2023 order of 11 787 Dreamliner and 20 737 MAX jets. The 777-9 will support the East African airline's plans to grow and renew its fleet in size, range and passenger capacity to reach high-demand markets in Africa, Asia, Europe and North America, it said. https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/ethiopian-airlines-places-order-eight-boeing-777x-jets-2024-03-05/ American Plans 50-Seat Regional Jet Retirement The airline says it plans to phase out its remaining fleet of 50-seat regional aircraft by the end of the decade. American is firming up plans to phase out its remaining 50-seat regional jet aircraft. As part of an announcement on Monday, the Fort Worth-based airline detailed plans to retire its American Eagle-branded Embraer 145 and Bombardier CRJ-200 aircraft. By 2030, the carrier plans to retire all of its 50-seat regional jets in favor of two-class aircraft, including the Embraer 175 and CRJ-900. On Monday, American announced an order for 90 E175 aircraft along with 43 additional purchase rights. With the combined firm orders and purchase rights, the airline’s latest E175 deal is worth $7 billion at current list prices. American’s wholly-owned regional subsidiary Envoy Air is currently one of the largest E170 and E175 operators with roughly 146 in its fleet. Last year, the regional operator retired all of its 50-seat E145 aircraft. Another American subsidiary — Piedmont — only operates the E145 with 60 in its fleet. Air Wisconsin also operates the CRJ-200 on behalf of American from the airline’s Chicago O’Hare hub. The airline says it is “focused on bringing larger, dual-class regional aircraft into its fleet, which will continue to drive connectivity from smaller markets to the rest of [its] global network.” In a news release, American adds that the use of two-class aircraft benefits passengers with high-speed Wi-Fi, in-seat power outlets, and more spacious cabins. “The E175 is truly the backbone of the U.S. aviation network, connecting all corners of the country,” said Arjan Meijer, CEO of Embraer Commercial Aviation, in a press release. “One of the world’s most successful aircraft programs, the E175 was upgraded with a series of modifications that improved fuel burn by 6.5%. This modern, comfortable, reliable and efficient aircraft continues to deliver the connectivity the U.S. depends on day after day. This represents American’s largest-ever single order of E175s, and we thank American for its continued trust in our products and people.” 50-Seat Exodus Exasperated by the COVID-19 pandemic and pilot shortage, U.S. airlines shed much of their 50-seat regional jet fleets. In December 2023, Delta operated its last branded CRJ-200 flight. According to schedule data from Cirium Diio, the number of flights planned on 50-seat Embraer 145 and CRJ-200 series aircraft at American, Delta, and United are down nearly 70% between 2018 and 2023. On the other hand, planned flights on Embraer’s E175 are up nearly 14% during the same period. “The 50-seaters are beginning their retirement phase, and by the end of this decade there will be very few 50-seat regional jets still flying, at least for United,” United Chief Commercial Officer Andrew Nocella told FlightGlobal in 2021. “Connecting smaller communities to major hubs… is going to become an issue at the end of this decade.” United has yet to provide specifics on its next steps in removing 50-seat regional jets from service. The airline has United Express-branded CRJ-200 service via SkyWest and a 40% ownership stake in E145 operator CommuteAir. https://airlinegeeks.com/2024/03/05/american-plans-50-seat-regional-jet-retirement/ 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 • Aircraft Cabin Air International Conference - 17 & 18 September - London • 2024 ISASI - Lisbon, Portugal - September 30 to October 4, 2024 • 2024 NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition - Oct. 22-24 (Vegas) Curt Lewis