Flight Safety Information - May 14, 2025 No. 096 In This Issue : Incident: THY B739 at Beirut on May 8th 2025, flaps problem : Incident: Jet2 B733 at Faro on May 12th 2025, hydraulic problem : Incident: Spirit A320 near Pensacola on May 10th 2025, autopilot failure : An unresponsive jet that crashed after flying over Washington had dozens of unresolved maintenance issues, NTSB report says : Whatever Happened To The Boeing 777X? : United Airlines Quietly Adds 40 New Aircraft From Boeing Rival : Passenger vows to never fly Spirit Airlines again over nightmare seatmate: ‘This is crazy’ : Boeing deliveries nearly double in April : Massachusetts man pleads guilty to attacking a flight attendant with a broken spoon : Southwest Airlines files for permit to fly more international routes : Air Force delay on separation and retirement orders isn’t ‘stop loss,’ defense official says : Saudi Arabian lessor AviLease places debut Boeing order for 30 737-8 aircraft : Qatar Airways to announce major purchase from Boeing during Trump’s visit : Four More HondaJet Runway Excursions : USI Announced as ASTM Approved Training Provider : Calendar of Events Incident: THY B739 at Beirut on May 8th 2025, flaps problem A THY Turkish Airlines Boeing 737-900, registration TC-JYL performing flight TK-824 from Istanbul (Turkey) to Beirut (Lebanon), was on approach to Beirut's runway 03 when the crew initiated a go around reporting problems with the flaps. The aircraft positioned for another approach to runway 03 and landed without further incident about 20 minutes later. The aircraft remained on the ground for about 2 hours, then was able to depart for the return flight. https://avherald.com/h?article=527ac4a1&opt=0 Incident: Jet2 B733 at Faro on May 12th 2025, hydraulic problem A Jet2.com Boeing 737-300, registration G-GDFN performing flight LS-251 from Leeds,EN (UK) to Faro (Portugal) with 24 people on board, was on approach to Faro's runway 28 when the crew reported a hydraulic failure affecting the flaps. The aircraft went around and entered a hold and landed safely on runway 28 at a normal speed about 20 minutes later. The aircraft remained on the ground for about 22.5 hours before returning to service. https://avherald.com/h?article=527abfe8&opt=0 Incident: Spirit A320 near Pensacola on May 10th 2025, autopilot failure A Spirit Airlines Airbus A320-200, registration N625NK performing flight NK-2166 from Houston Intercontinental,TX to Orlando,FL (USA) with 182 people on board, was enroute at FL370 about 40nm northnorthwest of Pensacola,FL (USA) when the crew decided to divert to Pensacola after the autopilot failed in a turbulence encounter causing the aircraft to deviate from its assigned flight level by about 500 feet. The aircraft landed safely on Pensacola's runway 17 about 35 minutes later. A replacement A320 registration N637NK reached Orlando with a delay of about 4.5 hours. The occurrence aircraft returned to service about 34 hours after landing. https://avherald.com/h?article=527abdf4&opt=0 An unresponsive jet that crashed after flying over Washington had dozens of unresolved maintenance issues, NTSB report says A business jet that flew over Washington with no response from the pilot – prompting a chase by F-16s which caused a sonic boom – likely lost pressure, causing everyone onboard to pass out, according to the final report from the National Transportation Safety Board. The pilot and three passengers died in the crash. On June 4, 2023, the Cessna Citation was flying from Elizabethton, in eastern Tennessee, to Long Island, New York when the pilot stopped responding to air traffic control. The jet rose to 34,000 feet and flew over Long Island and then turned back to the southwest, flying over Washington and into Virginia. When the US Air Force F-16s caught up with the plane, they could see someone motionless and slumped over in the cockpit and no movement in the cabin, CNN previously reported. Minutes later, the Citation crashed into the forest near Montebello, Virginia, leaving a crater in the ground. The NTSB found based on the lack of response to air traffic controllers, tracking data and the fighter jet pilots’ observations, it is “likely that the pilot of the accident airplane became incapacitated during the climb to cruise altitude.” The plane was then directed by the autopilot for another 300 miles until it was no longer able to maintain control. Five things on the plane were overdue for maintenance inspections at the time of the crash, including a co-pilot oxygen mask, the NTSB found. An additional 26 problems were noted on the aircraft a month earlier, “including several related to the pressurization and environmental control system,” but the owner chose not to address them, the board reported. Two days before the crash, maintenance workers also saw the pilot’s oxygen mask was missing and oxygen levels were so low that passenger masks would not have worked. The 69-year-old pilot, later identified as Jeff Hefner, was a retired commercial airline captain and had nearly 35,000 hours experience flying planes. He had some medical conditions, but the NTSB found no evidence of a high incapacitation risk or improper use of medications . The jet was owned by Encore Motors of Melbourne, Florida. The owner’s daughter and 2-year-old granddaughter were on the aircraft when it crashed. Hypoxia related to altitude likely explains the incapacitation of those on board, the NTSB’s report said. Hypoxia is a shortage of oxygen in the blood. “According to the FAA Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge, impairing effects from hypoxia are often vague and are experienced differently by different individuals; they include confusion, disorientation, diminished judgment and reactions, worsened motor coordination, difficulty communicating and performing simple tasks, a false sense of well-being, diminished consciousness, and, if conditions aren’t remedied or mitigated, death,” the report said. https://www.yahoo.com/news/unresponsive-jet-crashed-flying-over-211736622.html Whatever Happened To The Boeing 777X? Being the biggest commercial twinjet in the world, rocking the biggest commercial engines in the world, it was supposed to rule the air. The Boeing 777X (pronounced "triple-seven ex") is the next major aircraft design from America's premier planemaker, an updated variant of the venerable, but aging, 777. Given the company's troubles in the last few years, it really needed to be a winner. And yet, it hasn't been. First scheduled to go to airlines in 2020, here we are in 2025 and not a single one has been delivered yet. In fact, as of January, the latest estimate from Boeing doesn't have the plane going to customers until 2026. What happened? From the looks of it, Boeing's reach may have exceeded its grasp. The plane has been plagued with all sorts of component failures, which have delayed its FAA certification time and again. Worse, the numerous issues with the 737 MAX, including two deadly crashes and a mid-flight blown-out panel, have eroded regulators' trust in the company. The 777X is still expected to be flying passengers soon, but until these issues get resolved, it remains in the testing stage. What's New With The 777X The 777X is a major redesign of the old 777, first flown commercially in 1995. It's primary goals were to be both physically larger to carry more passengers and burn less fuel per flight. For both of those things to be possible at once, the first thing Boeing needed were upgraded engines. Those came in the form of the massive General Electric GE9X, the biggest engines ever fitted to a commercial jet. In this case, bigger was in fact smaller, since the new engine was 10% more fuel efficient than its predecessor. To push fuel efficiency even further, Boeing designed the 777X to reduce drag by having larger, curved wings. That wingspan, all 235 feet and 5 inches of it, turned out to be so big that it upped the plane from a Category E to a Category F. That's a major problem, since most airports are only Category E. So the 777X is designed with folding wingtips, so that the plane can save 23 feet worth of wingspan on the ground and be able to land at airports without a size problem. All in all, it's the biggest commercial airplane in the world, or it would be, if it was actually flying commercially. If the day finally comes when it does, it will be at the apex of the aviation world. The 777X Keeps Having Problems The 777X started having problems before it even flew. Its first test flight was supposed to be in 2019, but issues with the new (and massive) GE9X kept delaying it. The plane didn't get into the air until January of 2020, the year it was originally slated to be finalized and delivered to airliners. Once it did get airborne, however, it kept on having issues, including with the avionics, the Flight Control System, and an "uncommanded pitch event" (i.e., the pilots lost control of the plane). In 2021, a year after the original scheduled delivery date, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) wisely decided not to certify such a troubled aircraft while these issues were still unresolved. Then, in the time Boeing was supposed to be resolving them, even more problems emerged. In October 2022, yet another fault with the engines grounded the entire test fleet. Separately, a door panel blew out during a mid-air stress test. In August 2024, cracks were found in the mounting structure for the engines, once again grounding the entire test fleet. They were only recertified to fly in January 2025. Where does this all leave the 777X? As of this writing, Boeing believes it will be able to finally start deliveries in 2026 -- a full six years late. Whether or not that's true largely depends on whether Boeing can fix its plane and convince the FAA that it has done so. https://www.yahoo.com/autos/whatever-happened-boeing-777x-175500777.html United Airlines Quietly Adds 40 New Aircraft From Boeing Rival Earlier this week, an order for 40 A321neos jets emerged while being listed by Airbus for an undisclosed customer. The order form was published on May 10, 2025, but it wasn't until two days later that the customer for the jets was revealed. United Airlines strengthened its commitment to Airbus A321neo aircraft with the additional order of 40 more planes. As pointed out by Simple Flying, United already has an aircraft order of more than 150 A321neos and A321XLRs and currently flies more than 35 A321neos. The airline's affinity for the aircraft comes amid delays in the Boeing 737 MAX 10 program. In early 2024, United announced it was “in the market” for the type after removing the Boeing 737-10 from its plan. Just a few months later, CEO Scott Kirby admitted it was more bullish on the Boeing aircraft while citing progress from the aircraft manufacturer, but that clearly didn't stop United from making a major move for 40 new A321neos jets. Amid a backlog of the aircraft type, though, United will only start receiving jets from the newest order after 2030. However, the carrier previously signed an agreement for 60 A321neos in October 2023, building on earlier orders for 50 A321XLRs and 70 A321neos. While United is making a big push for Airbus aircraft, the manufacturer only makes up 20% of the airline's fleet of more than 960 aircraft, with Boeing accounting for the majority of its future total orders. The Airbus, however, scores well with customers. “It’s the first time in a really long time that we took an Airbus, and this airplane right here [A321neo] is our highest-scoring customer service satisfaction airplane that we have in our system," United Airlines’ Chief Global Operations Officer, Toby Enqvist, said in a statement. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/united-airlines-quietly-adds-40-162210815.html Passenger vows to never fly Spirit Airlines again over nightmare seatmate: ‘This is crazy’ She didn’t realize she’d be flying roach. A woman has sworn off flying Spirit Airlines after finding cockroaches in her seating area during a recent flight, as revealed in an X video with nearly 8 million views. “Never again will I fly @SpiritAirlines,” the passenger — who goes by @symonebeez — wrote in the caption while describing the bugged airplane. “I’ve flown over 500,000 miles on Delta and have never in my life seen roaches on a plane. This is crazy.” In the footage, which was reportedly taken on Mother’s Day, two separate roaches can be seen scuttling up the bulkhead in front of the horrified flyer. “I ended up in the big seat tickets, I did not think it was going to come with these big roaches as well,” the aghast traveler quipped in a TikTok video detailing her mile-high roach motel. And while she remained mum during the initial palmetto bug enc-roach-ment, the flyer finally spoke up after seeing her second six-legged seatmate. Unfortunately, the flight attendants didn’t seem to share her concern. “I started to talk to the flight attendant [and] say ‘hey, there’s roaches in here…is there something you can do to clean it up?” the TikTokker recalled. “And he was just like ‘ah’ and that was it and then he just went back to his seat. “He literally did not care,” recalled the content creator, who said this nonchalance inspired her to repost the video to Twitter. Never again will I fly @SpiritAirlines . I've flown over 500,000 miles on Delta and have never in my life seen roaches on a plane this is crazy. pic.twitter.com/gIIMHpsOG9 — Symoné B. Beez (@SymoneBeez) May 11, 2025 Viewers were horrified over the alleged infestation. “I would’ve screamed so loud they would’ve had no choice but to land that plane QUICK FAST,” wrote one appalled commenter, while another said, “at that point all my belongings gotta be burned to high heaven.” “You was in the Tubi Sequal to snakes on a plane,” quipped a third. “I’m sick of these MF Roaches on this MF plane” “They need follow up with free flight(s) because this is nasty work,” said another. According to a follow-up X post, Spirit addressed the situation in a message to the flyer, writing: “We sincerely apologize for what happened on your trip. We care about your satisfaction and want to make this right.” They offered her a $60 credit to use toward one of their flights, per the traveler, who said she refused as she “won’t be flying Spirit again.” While these creepy crawly stowaways might seem like a major oversight, some flight experts have pointed out that they likely originated from the passengers and not the aircraft. Gary Leff at flight blog One Mile At A Time shared a post by an entomology expert and corporate exec who was contracted by Delta Air Lines for an unspecified project. “The main area that causes fliers to see bugs on the plane [is] from the overhead luggage,” the expert read. “If a traveler has bed bugs or roaches in their carry-on, inevitably some may get out and potentially [be] seen by other travelers. They added, “The issue arises because of the clientele of the plane. The more individuals who live in roach-infested homes/apartments, the more likely they are to carry bugs on the plane and for a few of those insects to get out of their carry-on and scurry around for others to see.” However, they argued that the blame still lay with Spirit as they could’ve been lax with their pest control policies. They suggested that while Delta will “shut a plane down from flight if a major issue is found,” other airlines might not “allocate much money to pest control.” https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/passenger-vows-never-fly-spirit-150115129.html Boeing deliveries nearly double in April SEATTLE (Reuters) -Boeing said on Tuesday it delivered 45 commercial jets in April, nearly twice the 24 airplanes it delivered during the same month a year ago. Aircraft deliveries are closely tracked by Wall Street because planemakers collect the majority of their payment when they hand over jets to customers. Years of crises and production problems have left Boeing heavily saddled with debt, and it needs to increase deliveries to bring in more cash. The April deliveries included two for Chinese airlines before Beijing directed airlines to stop taking delivery of Boeing airplanes amid a trade war between China and the United States. The company delivered four more jets last month than the 41 it delivered in March. It delivered a 777 freighter to CES Leasing Corp., which is owned by China Eastern Airlines' parent company, and a 737 MAX to China Southern. When U.S. President Donald Trump announced stiff tariffs against China in April, four 737 MAX aircraft were at Boeing's finishing center in Zhoushan, China, where it installs interiors, paints on liveries and does other work before delivering the aircraft. After China stopped taking deliveries, the planes flew back to Seattle. They are currently parked in Moses Lake in central Washington State. Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said during the company's quarterly earnings call last month that it had planned to deliver about 50 aircraft to customers this year in China. Orders from Chinese carriers represent about 10% of the planemaker's commercial backlog. Boeing delivered 29 737 MAX planes, including eight for United Airlines, five for Ryanair and five for Southwest Airlines. The company also delivered eight 787s, four 777 freighters and three 767s. April was the fourth consecutive month in which Boeing delivered more than 40 jets. The company has focused on stabilizing the production rate of its bestselling 737 MAX, which was hamstrung by quality problems in 2024. Through the first four months of the year, Boeing has delivered 175 aircraft, including 133 737 MAX, 21 787s and 11 777 freighters. Boeing also booked eight gross new orders last month, one more than it recorded in April 2024. All orders were for 737 MAX jetliners by unidentified customers. It had no cancellations or conversions. Thirty-two orders placed earlier were added to the company's firm order book. They previously had not been included due to U.S. accounting rules. As of April 30, the planemaker has booked 249 gross orders and 212 net orders after cancellations and conversions. It had 6,282 unfilled orders, and its official backlog was 5,643 orders, after adjusting for accounting standards. United Airlines exec says it may not get Boeing 737 MAX 10s until 2027 or '28 The U.S. planemaker trailed its European rival Airbus, which delivered 56 jets and booked 11 new orders in April. Both have received substantial orders so far in May, including an order from IAG, which owns British Airways, for 32 Boeing 787-10 aircraft for British Airways, and 21 Airbus A330-900neo aircraft. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/boeing-deliveries-nearly-double-april-150804413.html Massachusetts man pleads guilty to attacking a flight attendant with a broken spoon BOSTON (AP) — A Massachusetts man pleaded guilty Tuesday to attacking a flight attendant with a broken metal spoon and attempting to open an airliner’s emergency door on a cross-country flight. Francisco Severo Torres, of Leominster, pleaded guilty to one count of interference and attempted interference with flight crew members and attendants using a dangerous weapon in the March 2023 disturbance on United Airlines Flight 2609 from Los Angeles to Boston. According to prosecutor and witness accounts, Torres went on a midair rant and tried to stab a crew member with a modified metal spoon. The plane was about 45 minutes from Boston when the crew received an alarm that a side door on the aircraft was disarmed, according to court documents. One flight attendant noticed the door’s locking handle had been moved. Another saw Torres near the door and believed he had moved the handle. Cabin pressure during flight prevents airplane doors from opening. Torres started loudly rambling that his father was Dracula, that he wanted to be shot so he could be reincarnated and that he would kill everyone on board, another passenger said. He punched a male flight attendant, who felt the metal spoon in Torres’ hand hit him on his shirt collar and tie three times, according to court documents. No one was injured. Torres was eventually subdued and restrained by other passengers. He was arrested when the flight landed at Boston Logan International Airport, authorities said. Torres could be sentenced up to life in prison. A lawyer for Torres could not be reached for comment. Torres has spent time in mental health facilities, according to court records. The police chief in his hometown said officers have dealt with him several times since 2014, mostly over family issues and mental health episodes. During one court appearance after his arrest, a federal judge ruled that Torres was not competent to stand trial and that he needed additional treatment. Magistrate Judge Judith Dein based her decision on a mental health evaluation of Torres and her own observations. https://www.yahoo.com/news/massachusetts-man-pleads-guilty-attacking-215605745.html Southwest Airlines files for permit to fly more international routes (Reuters) - Southwest Airlines on Tuesday filed with U.S. regulators asking for a permit to fly more international routes, including Europe, hinting at plans to expand its limited global network. The carrier's filing with the U.S. Department of Transport seeks permission to transport "persons, property and mail" to all countries with which the United States has an open skies agreements. Those include countries across Europe, Latin America and parts of Asia and Africa. Southwest currently flies within the U.S. and to some nearby destinations in Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America. It said in a statement the filing was "not necessarily indicative of anything forthcoming" and that it was taking advantage of the DOT's streamlined regulatory procedures for international authority. The filing comes at a time when Southwest has been cutting costs and looking to streamline its organizational structure. Southwest cut 15% of its corporate workforce in February, as a part of its plan to reduce costs. This included 11 senior leadership positions. The layoffs are estimated to save $210 million in 2025 and another $300 million in 2026. The Texas-based company had said in March it would begin charging customers for checked-in bags to lift earnings. It also ended its open seating policy last year. In April, Southwest joined peers such as Alaska Air Group and Delta Air Lines in withdrawing 2025 forecast as the ongoing trade war caused heightened macroeconomic uncertainty, denting Americans' ability to spend on discretionary items such as travel. Southwest is more vulnerable to a slowdown as it largely relies on price-sensitive leisure customers in the domestic market. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/southwest-airlines-seeks-permission-expand-204218725.html Air Force delay on separation and retirement orders isn’t ‘stop loss,’ defense official says Even though the Air Force has temporarily stopped issuing retirement and separation orders for next year, the pause does not require airmen to involuntarily remain in the service, an Air Force spokesperson told Task & Purpose. “The Air Force is not delaying the requested separation or retirement dates of members,” the spokesperson said. “They will prioritize orders processing for affected members, ensuring orders are issued no later than 90 days prior to separation and 180 days prior to retirement. This still allows time for members to make necessary preparations for their separation or retirement.” A defense official confirmed to Task & Purpose that these delays are not “stop loss.” Stop loss refers to the involuntary retention of service members on active duty beyond the end of their contract. The Air Force has paused issuing orders to airmen with an approved separation date on or after Jan. 1 and approved retirement dates on or after April 1, the spokesperson said. Airmen with earlier approved retirement or separation dates are not affected. “As mentioned, this action does not impact the separation or retirement dates; it only adjusts the timing of order issuance,” the spokesperson said. “Airmen will still retire or separate on their approved date.” Normally, airmen can receive their orders on leaving the service several months ahead of time, but now they will get them starting three months before their planned separation dates and six months prior to their retirements, the Air Force spokesperson said. An Air Force message recently posted on Reddit announced the pause in orders for separations and retirements. The Air Force confirmed the message is authentic. The Air Force is delaying issuing orders for separations and retirements to “ensure the solvency” of the fiscal year 2025 military personnel pay budget due to a shortfall in appropriations, the message says. When airmen separate or retire, the Air Force covers the costs of their final Permanent Change of Station, or PCS moves, the spokesperson said. By pausing the retirement and separation orders, the Air Force can better manage the costs of PCS moves. The message posted on Reddit advised airmen that the Air Force Personnel Center will tackle the backlog of orders as quickly as possible “but a delay at the restart should be anticipated.” “Service members will refrain from any financial obligations that would create expenses and/or a hardship associated with preparing for a move until they receive orders in hand,” the message says. In the meantime, airmen affected by the delays can request to be granted an exception to policy so they can leave the Air Force, the message says. “Orders will not be prioritized merely to accommodate terminal leave,” the message says. The language of the orders has led to commenters on Instagram and Reddit expressing their concerns that the Air Force had implemented stop loss again. The actions taken by the Air Force are different from stop loss, explained Katherine Kuzminski, director of the Military, Veterans, and Society Program at the Center for a New American Security think tank in Washington, D.C. “Stop loss tends to apply to a situation where operational requirements are driving the retention of personnel,” Kuzminski told Task & Purpose. “So, when we saw stop loss in the earlier years of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, it was: We need more people to deploy.” Between Sept, 11, 2001 and Sept. 30, 2009, an estimated 185,000 service members were involuntarily retained in the military through stop loss, according to the Army. The actions outlined in the memo posted are due to administrative and budgetary issues rather than operational needs, Kuzminksi said. “What this sounds like is a budget shortfall such that processing all of this paperwork and pays doesn’t quite fit into the Air Force’s budget for this year,” Kuzminski said. “Stop loss is operational, and this an administrative delay.” Similarly, the Air Force suspended reenlistment and retention bonuses and delayed permanent change of station moves in 2023 due to a shortfall in its personnel budget. The service received money from Congress 11 days later to address the issue. “This is the second time in three fiscal years where the Air Force failed to properly budget for necessary personnel outlays,” Kuzminski said. “It should be a priority of the incoming secretary of the Air Force to address the root causes of the failure to account for predictable personnel expenditures — and the issue should not reoccur in the future, as it affects the [U.S. Air Force’s] ability to drive trust among service members and their families.” https://www.yahoo.com/news/air-force-delay-separation-retirement-194716240.html Saudi Arabian lessor AviLease places debut Boeing order for 30 737-8 aircraft AviLease, a global aircraft lessor headquartered in Saudi Arabia, has made its first direct order for Boeing aircraft, securing 30 737-8 aircraft. The deal consists of a firm order for 20 737-8 jets and options for an additional 10. This initial order supports the lessor’s goal to be among the top 10 global aircraft lessors, AviLease announced in a statement on May 13, 2025. In a separate statement Boeing said the deal will enable AviLease to expand its portfolio and offer customers the “latest generation, fuel-efficient aircraft.” “The 737 MAX will diversify AviLease’s portfolio by delivering unrivalled fuel efficiency and market-leading versatility,” said Brad McMullen, Boeing Senior Vice President of Commercial Sales and Marketing. “It’s a powerful combination that will fuel AviLease’s profitable global expansion and support their airline customers’ business and sustainability goals.” The single-aisle aircraft order aligns with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s strategic plan to transform the country into a global aviation hub. The aircraft will support the country’s goal of serving 330 million passengers and attracting 150 million visitors annually by 2030. According to AviLease, this investment will allow the lessor to “provide its global customer base with new technology, fuel-efficient fleet solutions, while simultaneously fostering the growth of the Saudi Arabian aviation ecosystem.” “Building on our recently achieved investment grade ratings, this transaction proves our ability to transact across all market channels, including sale and lease-back, secondary trading, M&A and now direct OEM purchasing,” said Edward O’Byrne, CEO of AviLease. “These new aircraft will accelerate our growth and enable us to deliver the industry’s latest generation, fuel–efficient fleet solutions.” The lessor said it is set to receive the 30 Boeing 737-8 aircraft by 2032. AviLease currently owns and manages 200 aircraft on lease to 48 airlines. According to Boeing,the 737 aircraft accounts for approximately 30% of all commercial aircraft financed through leasing arrangements. https://www.aerotime.aero/articles/avilease-places-debut-boeing-order-for-30-737-8-aircraft Qatar Airways to announce major purchase from Boeing during Trump’s visit Qatar Airways is set to announce that it secured an agreement to purchase 150 aircraft from Boeing while President Trump is in Doha on Wednesday, a source familiar with the matter confirmed to NewsNation. The Qatari deal for Boeing wide-body jets will include an option to purchase more, Bloomberg reported earlier this month, and it aligns with the Trump administration’s push for nations such as Qatar to invest in U.S. manufacturing. Boeing told NewsNation it wouldn’t confirm the deal, and Qatar Airways did not respond to a request for comment on the announcement. A White House official told NewsNation they won’t get ahead of any announcements from the president. Trump on Tuesday secured $600 billion in investments from Saudi Arabia, which involve Saudi Arabian company DataVolt moving forward with plans to invest $20 billion in artificial intelligence data centers and energy infrastructure in the U.S. The $600 billion deal included a $142 billion defense and security agreement that equips Saudi Arabia with state-of-the-art war equipment provided by dozens of U.S. firms. https://www.newsnationnow.com/business/qatar-airways-boeing-aircraft-purchase/ Four More HondaJet Runway Excursions The runway excursions trend is a blemish on a jet with notable cruising performance and whose inflight safety record is laudable. But for these runway excursions, the HondaJet’s list of incidents and accidents in the Aviation Safety Network’s database would be remarkably small. Let us review the four most recent runway excursions. On March 4, 2025, a HondaJet landed on Runway 31L at San Antonio International Airport after originating at the Austin Executive Airport, Texas. Winds were from the west at 19 kt. gusting to 36 kt., resulting in a crosswind component of 12-23 kt. The ADS-B data reveals the aircraft began to veer to the left at a ground speed of 99 kt. and was traveling at 81 kt. when it departed the left side of the runway. The right landing gear was damaged. The sole occupant was not injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. On March 7, 2025, a HondaJet overran the end of Runway 05 at the North Bend Southwest Oregon Regional Airport in early morning darkness. The aircraft ended up about 100 ft. off the end of the runway in the water of Coos Bay. All five occupants were rescued. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The runway has a four-light PAPI with a 3-deg. glide path and is served by an ILS/DME. The runway surface is asphalt with grooves with a published landing distance of 5,320 ft. Video from that morning shows wet covered surfaces. A closer look at the AWOS reveals threats from a runway that was at least damp if not wet due to the light rain as well as a quartering tailwind which would have lengthened the aircraft’s landing distance. The NTSB’s preliminary report had not been published at the time of this writing, thus the aircraft’s speed at touchdown has not been officially stated. The aircraft flight manual (AFM) recommends increasing the landing distance by 30% on a wet runway. The Flight Safety Foundation’s Approach and Landing Accident Reduction (ALAR) Briefing Note 8.3 Landing Distances reminds pilots that landing distances increase when decrabbing an aircraft during a crosswind landing. AC 91-79A, Mitigating the Risks of a Runway Overrun Upon Landing (9/17/14), reminds pilots that the majority of runway excursions usually involved a combination of factors to include excess speed on final, insufficient consideration of the runway surface conditions, excess height over the threshold, landing long and adverse winds. These are important points that all pilots should keep in mind during a landing performance assessment. On April 9, 2025, a HondaJet veered off the left side of Runway 05 while landing at Naples Airport, Florida. No aircraft damage resulted, and the sole occupant was not injured. The latest METAR reported winds were 320 deg. at 10 kt., gusting to 19 kt. This was a direct crosswind. On April 13, 2025, a HondaJet landing on Runway 36 at Japan’s Nagoya/Chubu Centrair International Airport veered to the right. The amount of damage is listed as “unknown” at the time of this writing. The latest reported METAR recorded winds 300 deg. at 21 kt. with light rain showers and mist. This wind combination would produce a crosswind component of 18 kt. The occurrence has been rated as a serious incident by the Japan Transport Safety Board (JTSB). This same airframe was involved in a serious incident on March 13, 2021, when the aircraft deviated from the runway into the grass. The JTSB’s probable cause statement said that the tires skidded during the landing roll, making it impossible to control the direction of travel. Excessive corrective maneuvers caused the aircraft to tilt, which in turn caused the tires to skid, adversely affecting the steering controllability. David DeCurtis, safety chair of the HondaJet Owners and Pilots Association (HJOPA), produced a 37-min. video highlighting the important differences between landing a HondaJet by the AFM’s recommended procedures versus techniques that pilots may have learned from their previous experiences. DeCurtis advises viewers: “Whether you are coming from a single-engine prop working your way up to the HondaJet like I did, or you are coming from a Boeing 787 coming down to the HondaJet, it is important to understand that the HondaJet has a particular landing technique, and we get this technique from the AFM.” The HondaJet’s AFM contains the proper procedures for landing. This starts with utilizing Vref in ALL landing conditions. DeCurtis emphasizes in the video: “This is critical, and this is contrary to many of the sort of rules of thumb you hear out there like add half the gust factor ... We target Vref at all times.” HondaJet in the water of Coos Bay, Oregon A warning in the HondaJet’s AFM regarding crosswind landings states: “The approach and landing must be made using the crab technique. Using the wing-low method could result in a wingtip strike. The bank angle must be limited to 10 deg. in order to ensure wingtip clearance from the runway surface.” DeCurtis emphasizes this is a crab all the way to the runway. Perform the decrab maneuver by applying the rudder to align the aircraft fuselage with the runway. Ideally this is done just prior to the wheels touching down. Simultaneously apply aileron into the wind to minimize drift. If the crosswind is 15 kt. or more, it is important to input full aileron. Attempt to align the aircraft with the centerline prior to touchdown. A firm touchdown ensures full landing gear compression, which is important not only for positive contact of the tires with the runway, it also produces a timely spin-up of the tires to trigger the anti-skid operation. A firm touchdown also ensures activation of the air-to-ground sensors (often called “squat switches”) into the ground mode. DeCurtis’ video contains a good demonstration of the proper positioning of the feet prior to touchdown. It is important to position feet up on the brake pedals, so they can be applied after touchdown without having to make the transition while making pedal inputs to track centerline. It is also important to perform a prompt de-rotation without delay. DeCurtis emphasizes, “We’re not holding the nose off, not even for 1 sec. in the HondaJet.” Three tires are placed in solid contact with the runway by de-rotating promptly. Forward pressure on the yoke puts more weight onto the nosewheel’s contact with the runway, which will provide additional steering and resistance to sideways rotation. The nosewheel is free castering for the first 1.5 sec. after touchdown, thus still needs large rudder inputs. As the nosewheel logic comes in, progressively smaller rudder movements are required. Symmetric moderate to heavy braking should be applied after nosewheel touchdown as specified in the AFM. Rapidly applying both brakes symmetrically will reduce the likelihood of a directional disturbance caused by one brake being applied before the other. If the anti-lock system releases the brakes, unless you need to regain control of the airframe, it is critical to hold steady pressure on the brakes. If the brakes are pumped, the landing distance will increase. Not only does this video emphasize the key important steps in the specific procedure for landing a HondaJet, but DeCurtis also created a number of insightful visual aids to show the effects of immediately de-rotating the aircraft as well as landing at excessive airspeeds. These examples show simulated and actual landings in crosswind conditions at Ocean Reef, Orlando Executive and Teterboro, all of which highlight the importance of targeting Vref without adding any additional speed. This informative video is available on YouTube: “HJOPA Proficient Pilot Program-HondaJet Landing Technique.” Applicable to Other Jets Much of the information in the HondaJet Landing Technique video applies to other business jets, and indeed also to larger transport jets. Scores of swept-wing jets generally require using the “crab then kick out” method due to the risk of striking the runway with the engine pod (for underwing-mounted engines), the flaps or the wing tip. These aircraft have a maximum pitch/bank angle limitation for the touchdown published in their AFM. The Flight Safety Foundation’s ALAR Briefing Note 8.7 Crosswind Landings reminds pilots that wheel-braking forces and tire-cornering forces (i.e. steering effectiveness) are based on tire conditions, runway conditions and also on each other. The higher the braking force, the lower the cornering force. The briefing note also points out that distortion of the tire tread caused by the yawing movement of the wheel will negatively affect the tire’s cornering force, or in simpler words, lessen its steering effectiveness. A 10-deg. steering angle will reduce a tire’s cornering and wheel braking force by 55%, and gets markedly worse with higher steering angles. The briefing note informs pilots of a lesser-known ground handling dynamic in a crosswind. Be advised that placing into-the-wind aileron to keep the upwind wing down puts a higher load on the upwind wing’s landing gear. Higher loads placed on the upwind tires increases its braking force, and this creates an additional force rotating the aircraft into the wind. Remember the goal of a landing is to put the two main landing gear equidistant from the runway’s centerline. The main landing gear sits behind the cockpit, and if the pilot is aiming to put the nose of the aircraft on the centerline during a crosswind landing, this actually results in the main gear touching down to the side of the centerline. On a 150-ft.-wide runway, there is still plenty of margin from the runway edge, but on the narrower runways at many general aviation airports that margin is much smaller. Therefore, to set the main gear down on the centerline at touchdown the sight picture from the cockpit actually needs to place the nose slightly to the upwind side of the runway centerline. If you fly a jet with a longer distance between the cockpit and the main landing gear then your sight picture will require placing the cockpit even further displaced from the centerline. As you can imagine, the sight picture from the flight deck of a long-bodied transport during a crosswind landing requires putting the cockpit at a seemingly unnatural close proximity to the upwind edge of the runway. If this description does not convey this concept well or if you tend to be a visual learner (which most pilots are), search on YouTube for crosswind airliner landings, which will clearly demonstrate this concept. Many Questions Remain Many of the past HondaJet investigations have not revealed if the pilots involved in the accidents had closely followed the AFM landing procedures. Without flight data monitoring, we do not know how many pilots are accurately replicating the AFM’s landing procedure. Nor do we definitively know if pilots using the specific landing procedure are¬—or are not—experiencing landing abnormalities. If the data shows that pilots adhering strictly to the recommended landing procedure are still having problems with controllability and stop ability, then the search for answers needs to look at deeper causes. These are vital questions that need to be answered to develop data-based solutions to this recurring problem. The NTSB classified the March 4 accident in San Antonio as a Class 4 investigation. Class 4 investigations only examine the actions and conditions directly relating to the accident. After more than 30 runway excursions documented in the Aviation Safety Network, plus many more close calls contained in the NASA ASRS database, practical strategies to avoid future recurrences are needed. There are many important issues raised by this recurring trend of runway excursions that apply to all of business aviation. Is the training process sufficient to transition a pilot from a propeller-driven aircraft to a jet? What training and proficiency are needed to un-do the habits of flying previous aircraft with different ground handling characteristics to properly and consistently, even while fatigued or stressed, apply the specific landing procedures for this jet? Are the pilots, especially those coming from a general aviation background in propeller aircraft, given enough in-depth training and mentoring to conduct tasks important in jet operations such as landing performance assessments? How do operators, regulators, safety organizations and the manufacturers determine if pilots are following the proper procedures? Even if you are not a HondaJet pilot, there are important insights to be gained from these events. https://aviationweek.com/business-aviation/safety-ops-regulation/four-more-hondajet-runway-excursions USI Announced as ASTM Approved Training Provider The approval marks a milestone for USI as the first company in the Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) training and certification industry to receive this designation. Today, ASTM International announced that the Unmanned Safety Institute, Inc. (USI) has been named an ASTM Approved Training Provider. The approval marks a milestone for USI as the first company in the Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) training and certification industry to receive this designation. This approval reflects USI’s commitment to delivering high-quality training programs that meet rigorous industry standards. USI’s training programs are designed to enhance workforce development, equipping individuals and organizations with the standardized skills and knowledge required to thrive in the dynamic and growing UAS field. Josh Olds, President and CEO at the Unmanned Safety Institute, says the approval signifies USI’s dedication to providing exceptional educational experiences and resources within the drone sector. "We are thrilled to receive this recognition as an ASTM Approved Training Provider," says Olds. "This approval underscores our commitment to excellence in training and our mission to empower learners with the knowledge and tools they need to succeed in today's growing Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) marketplace. As an ASTM Approved Training Provider, we are proud to add this internationally recognized standard to USI course offerings that already have been recognized by numerous workforce development and educational certification bodies.” As organizations look to scale their drone operations, Olds notes, USI's training programs will serve as a vital resource for preparing personnel to meet new challenges with innovative solutions. For more information about USI's training programs and to explore our course offerings, please visit FlyUSI.org. Media Inquiries: Gavin O’Reilly, tel +1.610.832.9618; goreilly@astm.org for ASTM International Stephanie Holland, tel +1.407.499.2065; stephanie.holland@FlyUSI.org for USI https://www.flyusi.org/blog/usi-announced-as-astm-approved-training-provider CALENDAR OF EVENTS · Sixth Edition of International Accident Investigation Forum, 21 to 23 May 2025, Singapore · Flight Safety Foundation - Aviation Safety Forum June 5-6, 2025 - Brussels . 2025 EASA-FAA International Aviation Safety Conference, 10 Jun 2025 to 12 Jun 2025, Cologne, Germany · The 9th Shanghai International Aerospace Technology and Equipment Exposition 2025; June 11 to 13, 2025 . South Texas Business Aviation Association June 20th at the Galaxy FBO at Conroe Airport, Texas. . Airborne Public Safety Association -APSCON / APSCON Unmanned 2025 in Phoenix, AZ | July 14-18, 2025 . 3rd annual Asia Pacific Summit for Aviation Safety (AP-SAS), July 15-17, 2025, Singapore, organized by Flight Safety Foundation and CAAS. . Asia Pacific Aviation Safety Seminar 2025; 10-11 September 2025; Manila, Philippines · ISASI ANNUAL SEMINAR 2025'September 29, 2025 – October 3, 2025, DENVER, COLORADO . Air Medical Transport Conference (AMTC™) - 2025 – October 27-29th (Omaha, Nebraska) . 29th annual Bombardier Safety Standdown, November 11-13, 2025; Wichita, Kansas · CHC Safety & Quality Summit, 11th – 13th November 2025, Vancouver, BC Canada Curt Lewis