Flight Safety Information - July 10, 2025 No. 137 In This Issue : NTSB releases final report on Alaska Airlines flight 1282 in-flight mid exit door plug separation : Air India Crash Investigation Honing In On The Cockpit's Engine Fuel Control Switches : King Air Operator Plans Hybrid-electric Conversion with Dovetail : F-16 suffered hydraulic problem inflight. : U.S. Army Tasks Electra with Assessing Hybrid-electric Propulsion : A Eurocopter AS 355N Ecureuil II rashed into the waters near the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency jetty : Company Says New Seals, Gaskets Are Impervious to SAF : Can AI Replace Air Traffic Controllers? : “We Just Lit the Future on Fire”: Venus Aerospace Successfully Tests Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine in Groundbreaking US Trial : Calendar of Events NTSB releases final report on Alaska Airlines flight 1282 in-flight mid exit door plug separation On July 10, 2025, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued its final report on the Alaska Airlines flight 1282 in-flight mid exit door plug separation. The Board met on June 24, 2025, to adopt the final report. The accident involved a Boeing 737-9, which experienced an in-flight separation of the left mid exit door plug and rapid depressurization when climbing through about 14,830 ft after takeoff from Portland International Airport, Portland, Oregon. The investigation determined that the probable cause of this accident was the in-flight separation of the left MED plug due to Boeing’s failure to provide adequate training, guidance, and oversight necessary to ensure that manufacturing personnel could consistently and correctly comply with its parts removal process. As a result of this investigation, the NTSB issued new safety recommendations to the FAA and Boeing. Previously issued recommendations were reiterated to the FAA, Airlines for America, the National Air Carrier Association and Regional Airline Association. Visit the investigation page. Air India Crash Investigation Honing In On The Cockpit's Engine Fuel Control Switches BY RYAN ERIK KING JULY 9, 2025 5:52 PM EST Note: See photos in the original article. Matheus Obst/Shutterstock It's been nearly one month since Air India Flight 171 plunged into a medical college shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad Airport in India. The crash killed 241 people on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and 19 more on the ground, with a single survivor on the aircraft. India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau is expected to release the crash's preliminary report on Friday. Still, investigators have hinted that pilot error will likely be deemed the cause of the disaster, with a focus on the engine fuel control switches. As much as Boeing has been deservedly maligned for the persistent quality control issues that led to a door plug blowing out of a 737 Max over Portland, the American aviation giant probably won't be found at fault on this occasion. According to the Air Current, the data from the recovered black boxes revealed that no design or mechanical issues impacted the 787 or its pair of GE Aerospace GEnx-1B engines during the crash. Investigators also ruled out common theories such as fuel contamination or the flight crew improperly retracting the plane's flaps. Air India was accused of having lax safety standard before the crash Ritesh Shukla/Getty Images While it will be clear to see from the flight data recorder if the fuel control system was switched from run to cutoff, it will take months to determine why it happened. The pair of switches behind the throttle features a metal stop lock mechanism with the panel itself bounded by brackets. It's set up specifically to prevent the captain or first officer from accidentally clipping a switch with a hand or arm and starving the engine of fuel. The loss of thrust would happen quickly. The increased scrutiny put on Air India has already uncovered worrying practices at the company. Budget subsidiary Air India Express was accused of falsifying safety records by India's civil aviation authority. The carrier claimed to have made required updates to the engines on its Airbus A320neo planes. However, the information submitted to regulators is believed to be fake. The budget airline has also been accused of faking medical records after a pilot died of a heart attack in April after landing a plane. The pilot was found to have an underlying heart condition, something typically identified during a mandatory exam that would disqualify a commercial pilot from service. Tragically, lax standards might have killed hundreds of Air India passengers. Read More: https://www.jalopnik.com/1908230/air-india-crash-investigation-cockpit-engine-fuel-control-switches/ King Air Operator Plans Hybrid-electric Conversion with Dovetail Zeusch Aviation flies medical, surveillance, mapping, and broadcast missions Dovetail Electric Aviation plans to install a series hybrid-electric powertrain in King Air twin turboprop aircraft. By Charles Alcock • Managing Editor July 10, 2025 Dutch aerial services operator Zeusch Aviation is exploring plans to retrofit its Beechcraft King Air fleet with hybrid-electric propulsion systems being developed by Dovetail Electric Aviation. The companies announced their collaboration on July 10, having previously reached an agreement during the Paris Air Show last month. Their plans envision the King Air’s two Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A turboprops being replaced by Dovetail’s DovePack batteries and DovePower electric propulsion system. These would be combined with a range-extending turbogenerator in a series hybrid configuration that Dovetail said could reduce carbon emissions for the aircraft by up to 40%, as well as cutting noise by up to 30%. “Zeusch Aviation mainly operates missions that are for the common good, like [organ] transplant, medical repatriation, survey, and television broadcasting flights,” said the company’s technical director, Danny van Ieperen. “It is our ambition to do this as environmentally friendly as possible.” Based at Lelystad Airport (EHLE), the operator has a fleet of B200 and C90A King Airs. It is now working with Dovetail to “assess the technical and commercial viability” of the planned conversion project. Turbogenerator Choice Pending The partners are assessing options for partners that could provide the turbogenerator for the conversion. The DovePower motor has a power rating of 671 kilowatts. “Our electric drivetrain, including our highly innovative battery technology and proprietary electric propulsion system, has the potential to deliver the range required for many conventional missions while achieving superior economics and additional benefits,” said Dovetail’s CEO, David Doral. “The ability to operate in electric mode will be a key differentiator for some special missions where a low noise profile is a critical element. Zeusch’s input and collaboration will help us optimize the platform for multiple real-world missions.” Australia-based Dovetail is already working on various all-electric and hybrid-electric conversion projects for turboprop-powered aircraft that also include the Cessna Caravan, the DHC Twin Otter, and the Casa C212. It has ambitions to develop a 19-seat hybrid-electric regional airliner called the Dax 19. In June, Dovetail announced that it is working with cooling specialist Engineered Fluids to develop an immersion-cooled battery. These will use its partner’s proprietary AmpCool cooling fluid. F-16 suffered hydraulic problem inflight. Date:Thursday 10 July 2025Time:09:45Type: General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon Owner/operator: USAF Registration: MSN: Fatalities:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: Other fatalities:0 Aircraft damage:Minor Location:Misawa Air Base (MSJ/RJSM) - Japan Phase:Landing Nature:Military Departure airport: Destination airport:Misawa Airport (MSJ/RJSM) Narrative: An F-16 of USAF suffered hydraulic problem inflight. The fighter jet made a safe landing at Misawa Air Base, and the runway was closed for 45 minutes. A commercial departure flight delayed for 50 minutes due to runway closure. Sources: https://news.jp/i/1315987007493013569 https://newsdig.tbs.co.jp/articles/-/2038303?display=1 U.S. Army Tasks Electra with Assessing Hybrid-electric Propulsion Electra Aero has now won seven Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contracts from the Army Electra Aero is using its EL2 technology demonstrator to complete design work on its larger EL9 hybrid-electric aircraft. By Charles Alcock • Managing Editor July 1, 2025 The U.S. Army is going to explore the potential benefits of hybrid-electric propulsion under the scope of a $1.9 million Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract it awarded to Electra Aero on July 1. Under the agreement, the company will conduct a series of “technology maturation and risk reduction” activities aimed at understanding the mission capabilities that aircraft like its in-development EL9 model could deliver in terms of range and fuel use. “This work gives the Army a clear path forward in understanding how hybrid-electric technologies can support real operational demands, while enabling entirely new logistics capabilities,” said Donn Yates, vice president of government programs at Electra. “Electra’s hybrid-electric ultra-STOL aircraft redefines what is possible for Army aviation with its ability to operate from small, rugged sites, reduce fuel demand, and increase flexibility for the commander.” Electra has been flight-testing its EL2 technology demonstrator aircraft since last year, and that aircraft carried the NASA administrator on a flight in December 2024. The company is now completing the design of the nine-passenger EL9 aircraft, for which it already holds several provisional sales agreements. Over an 18-month period, the latest work for the U.S. Army will cover tasks including a trade study, operational analysis, modeling and simulation, flight tests, and evaluation of hybrid-electric powertrain, power, and propulsion systems. Electra has previously secured six other SBIR contracts from the Army. A Eurocopter AS 355N Ecureuil II rashed into the waters near the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency jetty Date:Thursday 10 July 2025Time:Type: Eurocopter AS 355N Ecureuil II Owner/operator:Royal Malaysian Police Air Wing UnitRegistration:9M-PHGMSN:5620Year of manufacture:1996 Fatalities:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 5Other fatalities:0 Aircraft damage:Substantial Category:Accident Location:near Sungai Pulai - Malaysia Phase:Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) Nature:Demo/Airshow/Display Departure airport:Tanjung Kupang police station Destination airport:Confidence Rating: Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources Narrative: A Eurocopter AS 355N Ecureuil II operated by the Royal Malaysian Police Air Wing Unit crashed into the waters near the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency jetty during an honour flypast held as part of the MITSATOM 2025 exercise involving Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Singapore. All five on board were rescued. Sources: https://www.bernama.com/en/crime_courts/news.php?id=2443654 Company Says New Seals, Gaskets Are Impervious to SAF Nitrile seals can leak when exposed to 100% SAF Greene Tweed says its new elastomer seals are fully compatible with sustainable aviation fuel. By Curt Epstein • Business Aviation Services Editor June 25, 2025 Greene Tweed believes it has solved one of the biggest hurdles in the widespread adoption of 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF): gasket and seal leakage. This problem arises due to the lack of aromatic compounds in neat SAF, which are necessary in legacy aircraft fuel systems for the proper function of synthetic rubber (nitrile) gaskets and seals in preventing leakage. “Since there may be nitrile seals in both the legacy aircraft fuel systems (and in the refueling systems) that have been exposed to aromatic-containing jet fuel, any ‘drop-in’ SAF will still need to be blended with aromatic containing fuels,” said Ronald Campbell, senior technical advisor for Pennsylvania-based materials developer Greene Tweed. According to the company, a recent study proves its elastomer seals made from FKM—a fluorinated, carbon-based synthetic rubber first developed in the 1950s for its ability to withstand high temperatures—could address that situation. Testing protocol simulated extreme aerospace environments, with temperatures up to 248 degrees F (120 degrees C) and prolonged exposure to SAF, both neat and blended. “All three of our FKM compounds show consistent and acceptable swell and hardness change in the three straight 100% [SAF] fuels tested,” Campbell told AIN, citing the results of a recent test study. “Our findings therefore suggest that these compounds—and FKM compounds in general—do not require the fuel to contain an aromatic content.” Can AI Replace Air Traffic Controllers? Tests in London and Singapore could reveal whether AI can improve the safety of air travel By Adrienne Bernhard edited by Mark Fischetti Airbus A340 at Heathrow airport. stonefaction photography/Getty Images Transportation On January 29 a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter collided midair with an American Airlines passenger jet near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, killing 67 people. Although air traffic controllers in the airport tower at the time saw warning signals flash across their screens at least 20 seconds beforehand and attempted to notify both aircraft, they weren’t able to prevent the accident. Crash investigations are ongoing, but aviation experts agree that some degree of human error played a role—maybe in the cockpits, maybe in the tower. Could this crash, and several other high-profile airplane accidents since then, have been avoided if artificial intelligence were running air traffic control (ATC) alongside human controllers? Researchers are testing systems right now to see how they might perform. Near misses and accidents have received particular scrutiny this year, as increasingly short-staffed and overworked ATC workers try to monitor thousands of flights each day. Their work relies on many systems that have remained virtually unchanged for decades: runway lights are supported by technology first rolled out in the 1980s, and controllers in some towers still use paper to track aircraft movements. But perhaps the most analog aspect of ATC is that human beings are needed to guide pilots at every stage of flight. As global air traffic increases and staffing shortages persist, the aviation industry is exploring whether artificial intelligence should play a larger role in ATC. Proponents argue that AI could reduce human error and improve efficiency, while skeptics point to its limitations in handling unpredictable scenarios. With trials underway at major airports, the question is not just whether AI will be integrated but how much responsibility it should assume. Given the meteoric rise of AI applications, the control tower may be ripe for full automation in the near future. Human intervention would be the exception, not the rule. Today controllers use a combination of radar and flight location data automatically transmitted by aircraft to track plane position, altitude and speed. They monitor data on digital displays, but they also scan runways with their eyes; since its inception in the 1920s, ATC has always involved such line-of-sight observations. Many key aspects of ATC have already been automated. Controllers and pilots make flight planning decisions based on live reports of weather, turbulence and air traffic from other pilots and control centers, not guesswork. Collision avoidance and altitude systems on planes prevent two aircraft from crashing midflight. Remote sensors that measure runway visibility and digital weather data are widely used in addition to advanced radar systems. Industry leaders say that although it’s hard to quantify the utility of these systems, they have arguably reduced collisions. Yet as recent news has shown, accidents still happen. Most airline accidents occur while planes are taxiing, taking off or landing. Controllers have to constantly plan ahead: they must balance flights in airspaces that can range from just a few cubic miles at the busiest airports, where planes must be lined up only minutes apart, to midflight (high-altitude) sectors spanning more than 30,000 cubic miles. Intense workload increases the risk a controller will fail to anticipate events. AI could help controllers detect potential airspace conflicts earlier and alert them to subtle anomalies they might miss, especially when controllers are fatigued. For instance, the U.K.’s air navigation service provider NATS is testing an advanced AI-based system at London’s Heathrow Airport. Called Artificial Intelligence for Managing Integrated Environmental Elements, or Aimee, the tech is meant to assist air traffic controllers at busy international hubs. Human controllers alternate their gaze to monitor different planes in different positions, but aviation technology company Searidge Technologies, which is owned by NATS, equipped Aimee with 360-degree panoramic vision. This way, the AI can monitor multiple aircraft positions continuously, flagging what it sees as a potential conflict and nudging a controller to focus on that issue. Either the controller or, someday, Aimee itself would make any decisions to alter a plane’s position or course. “Once we digitize what controllers monitor, we can hand that data to an AI engine,” says Andy Taylor, chief solutions officer at NATS and a former air traffic controller. Aimee analyzes multiple data sources—including live video feeds that capture arriving and departing flights, the ground environment around aircraft, and transcribed voice commands from pilots—to enhance monitoring of aircraft as they taxi, take off and land. “The system can be trained to look for exactly the same things that a controller is looking for,” Taylor says, such as checking that a plane’s tail has cleared a runway or scanning a 2.5-mile-long stretch of tarmac in real time. This digital tower, working from within existing analog towers, could have much more high-fidelity views of the entire ATC operation, relying in part on arrays of fixed cameras that provide immediate views of the entire airfield. Human controllers working these digital towers would no longer have to continuously scan airplanes in all directions, and they could also track objects great distances away or those obscured by cloud cover. AI could provide an audible warning to controllers about troubling plane movements on the taxiway, and it could give pilots a warning, too. Digital towers could someday also be used to enhance an aging tower to handle increased traffic without rebuilding the facility, and they could reduce maintenance costs. In tests at Heathrow and at Singapore Changi Airport, Aimee has helped manage ground traffic and aircraft clearance, signaling a path forward for a possible hybrid human-machine collaboration. In London, the U.K.’s Civil Aviation Authority could perhaps give the AI system control over more functions once it’s been proved safe, potentially improving the timeliness, efficiency, accuracy and safety of ATC. AI might also improve the Traffic Alert and Collision and Avoidance System (TCAS), a warning system used on aircraft throughout the world that tells pilots when to climb or descend. “TCAS is extremely successful but also very rigid,” says James Kuchar, an assistant head of the Homeland Protection and Air Traffic Control Division at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Lincoln Laboratory. “The system is safe but tends to give false alarms” to pilots and ATC workers when planes fly close together, Kuchar says, “which they do more often now than when it was designed in the 1980s.” Airborne Collision Avoidance System X (ACAS X), the upgraded system being tested at Lincoln, is informed by AI and has been run through millions of simulated near misses. One goal of ACAS X is in fact to reduce false alarms. It can also warn planes to move laterally in the sky; TCAS can only direct planes to descend or climb. AI control would raise legal and ethical questions. Could AI be blamed for an accident? How risk-averse would an automated ATC system be? How risk-averse should it be? Some of the aviation experts I spoke with think policymakers have a duty to the flying public to establish a legal framework surrounding this emergent technology. Assisted ATC also reveals the limits of AI and the risks that come with full automation. Aviation experts aren’t confident that the benefits would outweigh possible new problems resulting from increased automation in the tower. For one thing, AI currently lacks the creativity, intuition or adaptability needed to deftly handle any emergency that deviates from historical flight data. Automated technology adds another layer of unpredictability to a system already mired in uncertainty. Forcing pilots and controllers to become more dependent on technology could erode their ability to make quick decisions. And increased digitization of ATC systems could make them vulnerable to cybersecurity threats. “Automation is heralded as the solution, but it can actually make things worse,” says John Leahy, a former chief pilot at British Airways and a member of the Royal Aeronautical Society, an international membership organization of air safety experts. “The suggestion that computers can perform ATC tasks better than humans is a dangerous path.” Indeed, what happens if a human controller becomes over-reliant on a machine? “If you start depending on automation, you lower your guard,” says Shem Malmquist, an instructor at the Florida Institute of Technology’s College of Aeronautics and a Boeing 777 pilot. Malmquist is not against automation. He cites the controller-pilot data link communications system, which consists of text and audio technology that relays info from the ground to aircraft, as an example of a navigation tool that deftly combines human and machine intelligence. “This system is very useful for something routine because it lowers a controller’s workload,” Malmquist says. Although AI has the potential to speed up operations, relieve short-staffed control towers and lead to safer skies, Malmquist says creative decisions can’t be made with algorithms alone. For now, humans are still making the calls. “We Just Lit the Future on Fire”: Venus Aerospace Successfully Tests Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine in Groundbreaking US Trial In a historic breakthrough for aerospace technology, Venus Aerospace has successfully tested a Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine in the United States, paving the way for the future of hypersonic travel. Hina Dinoo July 8, 2025 at 8:05 AM10 Note: See illustrations in the original article. Illustration of Venus Aerospace's Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine test flight. Image generated by AI. • IN A NUTSHELL🚀 Venus Aerospace successfully tested a Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine in the US, marking a significant advancement in propulsion technology. • ⚡ The engine utilizes supersonic explosions for thrust, offering higher efficiency and thrust-to-weight ratios than traditional rocket engines. • ✈️ Combined with the VDR2 air-breathing detonation ramjet, this technology aims to enable hypersonic vehicles to take off and land like conventional aircraft. • 🌐 The ultimate goal is to revolutionize high-speed travel, making it more accessible, affordable, and sustainable for both civilian and military applications. In a groundbreaking development, Venus Aerospace has achieved a major milestone in the field of rocketry by successfully testing a Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine (RDRE) on May 14, 2025, at Spaceport America in New Mexico. This unprecedented test flight marks a significant step forward in the race to develop hypersonic vehicles capable of reaching speeds of up to Mach 6. The RDRE, which uses supersonic explosions to generate thrust, could revolutionize the way we approach high-speed travel, potentially making it more accessible and efficient. This article delves into the technological advancements and implications of this remarkable achievement. The Technology Behind Rotating Detonation Rocket Engines The Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine (RDRE) represents a significant leap in propulsion technology. Unlike traditional rocket engines that rely on continuous combustion, the RDRE utilizes supersonic explosions to create thrust. This is achieved through a continuous series of controlled detonations within a combustion chamber, generating a high-velocity exhaust that propels the vehicle forward. The principle behind this technology was first posited in the 1980s, but it is only recently that practical applications have begun to take shape. The engine consists of an empty cylinder with an opening at one end, into which a propellant mix of fuel and oxidizer is introduced. This mixture is detonated to produce a supersonic shock wave that travels in a circular path, continuously compressing and consuming the unburnt propellant. The result is a propulsion system with higher thrust-to-weight ratios and increased combustion efficiency compared to traditional rocket engines. Such advancements could pave the way for a new era of hypersonic travel, where vehicles can take off and land like conventional aircraft. The Role of the VDR2 Air-Breathing Detonation Ramjet Engine At the heart of Venus Aerospace’s hypersonic ambitions is the VDR2 air-breathing detonation ramjet engine. This innovative engine design enables test vehicles to achieve hypersonic speeds by utilizing the forward velocity of the craft to compress incoming air. The engine appears as an empty tube without moving parts, relying on a conical inner body to adjust shock waves and slow airflow to subsonic speeds. This design is crucial to prevent the engine from bursting or melting. One challenge with ramjets is their requirement for high initial speeds to start the engine cycle, typically necessitating a booster rocket or launch from a high-speed aircraft. This limitation is addressed by combining the RDRE with the ramjet, enabling a hybrid propulsion system capable of conventional runway takeoff and landing. The synergy between these technologies could redefine the capabilities of hypersonic vehicles, making them more versatile and practical for a variety of applications. Venus Aerospace’s Ambitious Goals for Hypersonic Travel The recent test of the RDRE is part of Venus Aerospace’s broader strategy to develop a hypersonic vehicle that can achieve speeds of up to Mach 6. The company’s vision extends beyond military applications, aiming to make high-speed flight accessible and sustainable for civilian use. The ultimate goal is to power the Stargazer M4, a Mach 4 reusable passenger aircraft, with an advanced version of the RDRE. While the May 14 test involved a near-vertical launch to simplify design and flight operations, future tests will incorporate the VDR2 engine into a drone. These tests will further validate the technology under real-world conditions, bringing Venus Aerospace closer to realizing its vision of revolutionizing air travel. CEO Sassie Duggleby expressed confidence in the technology, emphasizing the potential for making high-speed flight both affordable and environmentally friendly. The Implications of Hypersonic Propulsion Technology The successful test of the RDRE has far-reaching implications for the aerospace industry and the future of transportation. Hypersonic vehicles powered by such engines could significantly reduce travel times across the globe, transforming the way we think about air travel. Moreover, the ability to take off and land from conventional runways increases the practicality and accessibility of hypersonic vehicles for commercial use. Beyond civilian applications, hypersonic propulsion technology holds strategic importance for military operations, offering rapid response capabilities and enhanced maneuverability. As Venus Aerospace continues to develop its technology, questions remain about the broader adoption and regulatory challenges that such innovations will face. Nevertheless, the company’s achievements represent a promising step toward a future where high-speed travel is a reality. As Venus Aerospace moves closer to its goal of mainstreaming hypersonic travel, the implications for global connectivity and the aerospace industry are immense. What new horizons will this revolution in propulsion technology open, and how will it reshape our world? CALENDAR OF EVENTS . 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 . 2025 PROS IOSA SUMMIT - SEPT 10-11 - Denver, CO · 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