Flight Safety Information - January 16, 2026 No. 012 In This Issue : ATR 42-500 - Runway Excursion (Papua New Guinea) : Airbus A319-132 - Hydraulics Failure (California) : Investigation after Air India jet engine sucks in cargo container at Delhi airport : Boeing Warned Of MD-11 Part-Failure Risk In 2011, NTSB Finds : Turkish Airlines flight makes emergency landing in Barcelona after ‘threat’ alert : Navy and Marine aviation accidents doubled amid Red Sea fight : FAA orders PW1100G modifications following engine fires : Calendar of Events ATR 42-500 - Runway Excursion (Papua New Guinea) Date: Thursday 15 January 2026 Time: c. 16:30 Type: ATR 42-500 Owner/operator: Hevilift Aviation Ltd Registration: P2-KSA MSN: 639 Year of manufacture: 2005 Engine model: P&W Canada PW127 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 14 Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: Minor Category: Serious incident Location: Simberi Island Airport (NIS/AYSE) - Papua New Guinea Phase: Landing Nature: Passenger - Non-Scheduled/charter/Air Taxi Departure airport: Port Moresby-Jacksons International Airport (POM/AYPY) Destination airport: Simberi Island Airport (NIS/AYSE) Investigating agency: AIC PNG Confidence Rating: Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources Narrative: A chatered Hevilift Aviation Ltd PNG-operated ATR42 suffered a runway excursion from Runway 28 while landing at Simberi Airport, Papua New Guinea in wet and slippery conditions. All passengers and crew disembarked safely and no one was injured. The aircraft has sustained some damage. https://www.aviation-safety.net/wikibase/565600 Airbus A319-132 - Hydraulics Failure (California) Date: Thursday 15 January 2026 Time: 20:38 Type: Airbus A319-132 Owner/operator: American Airlines Registration: N816AW MSN: 1350 Year of manufacture: 2000 Engine model: IAE V2524-A5 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: Unknown Location: Monterey, CA - United States of America Phase: Landing Nature: Passenger - Scheduled Departure airport: Phoenix-Sky Harbor International Airport, AZ (PHX/KPHX) Destination airport: Monterey Regional Airport, CA (MRY/KMRY) Confidence Rating: Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources Narrative: AA1866 operated by N816AW experienced an in flight hydraulics failure. The aircraft was unable to extend the landing gear. Once necessary checklists were completed, they diverted to SFO. The crew was able to manually extend the landing gear prior to landing in SFO. Upon landing the aircraft had to get a tug to tow it to the gate as they had no nose wheel steering which fits the hydraulics failure narrative. https://www.aviation-safety.net/wikibase/565603 Investigation after Air India jet engine sucks in cargo container at Delhi airport Directorate General of Civil Aviation/X The Air India Airbus A350 in Delhi airport surrounded by ground crew after the engine damage on 15 January 2026Directorate General of Civil Aviation/X The Air India Airbus A350 suffered engine damage after the incident India's aviation watchdog has launched an investigation after an Air India plane's engine sucked in a cargo container while taxiing at the Delhi airport. No-one was hurt, but the aircraft's engine was damaged and it has been grounded for repairs. The New York-bound Airbus A350 had returned to Delhi shortly after take-off on Thursday after Iran temporarily closed its airspace, forcing airlines to reroute flights. After landing safely, the aircraft had left the runway and was taxiing to the parking bay with passengers on board when the cargo container was sucked into its right engine. Visibility was "marginal" due to dense fog at the time, the aviation regulator said. There were around 240 passengers in the aircraft when the container was sucked in, a source from Air India told the BBC. The exact number of crew members could not be ascertained but the source added it could be between six and eight people. According to India's ministry of civil aviation, the incident occurred on Thursday around 05:25 local time (23:55 GMT on Wednesday) as the aircraft was taxiing towards the apron area, where aircraft are parked, loaded, unloaded and refuelled. The cargo container had accidentally fallen from a ground vehicle "onto the taxiway intersection", it added. An Air India spokesperson added that the container fell after a wheel came off a cart that was being towed by a vehicle used to move luggage and cargo around the airport. The vehicle operator noticed the aircraft taxiing in and left the area with the remaining cargo. "However, the container which fell was left behind and it got ingested into the No. 2 engine of the aircraft," Air India added. Staff shortages threaten flight safety in India - report Air India watchdog audit reveals 51 safety violations The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said metal debris was later cleared from the taxiway, and the aircraft was towed and parked at a designated stand. It added that it has launched a detailed investigation into the incident. Photos shared by DGCA on X show damage to the aircraft's engine casing and fan blades, as well as debris lying on the taxiway. The incident adds to scrutiny around ground safety at India's busy airports. In June last year, the DGCA flagged significant safety lapses at major Indian airports and airlines, finding issues such as faded runway markings, faulty simulator training, crew fatigue, inadequate maintenance and unauthorised cockpit access. Air India has also warned of "potential disruptions on select A350 routes" as the aircraft is grounded. Air India operates six Airbus A350 aircraft on long-haul routes, including services to London and New York, Reuters reported. The airline hasn't specified which routes might be affected. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czx1y99xpqlo Boeing Warned Of MD-11 Part-Failure Risk In 2011, NTSB Finds Still images from airport security footage shows UPS Flight 2976's left engine separating and moving over the aircraft as the MD-11 rotates. The part that failed and triggered the engine separation at the heart of last November’s fatal crash of a UPS MD-11 was flagged for inspections by Boeing in 2011, but the manufacturer concluded that a worst-case failure scenario would not “result in a safety of flight condition,” the NTSB said Jan. 14. In a mid-investigation update, the board revealed that a February 2011 Boeing service letter targeted the part, a bearing race that is part of the MD-11 engine-to-pylon mounting assembly, for repetitive inspections. The service letter detailed four failures of the part, which is part of a spherical bearing assembly, on three different airplanes. In each case, the collar-like bearing race suffered fatigue cracking and split along its circumference. “Specifically, each failure had initiated at the design recess groove on the interior surface of the bearing race,” the NTSB update said. “According to the service letter, a review of the spherical bearing failure by Boeing determined it would not result in a safety-of-flight condition,” the NTSB said. But investigators found the same failure pattern on the McDonnell-Douglas-designed UPS MD-11’s No. 1 (left) engine bearing race, the report revealed. Boeing’s letter instructed operators to inspect the bearing as part of routine, repetitive pylon mount inspections, normally every 60 months. It also updated the MD-11 maintenance manual to reflect the new inspections. Boeing also recommended installing a different bearing that does not include a groove. But it does not caution against using an airworthy grooved bearing to replace an unserviceable one of the same design. “Investigators are reviewing” what if any steps UPS took as well as “the correspondence history” between Boeing and the FAA leading up to the 2011 letter. Boeing purchased McDonnell-Douglas in 1997 and assumed responsibility for the continued operational safety of the former manufacturer’s in-service fleet. It is not clear if UPS integrated the checks into its maintenance program, NTSB said. On Nov. 4, 2025, the UPS MD-11, operating as Flight 2976, had its No. 1 engine separate from the aircraft during its takeoff roll while departing on Louisville International Airport’s runway 17 Right. The severed engine passed over the MD-11’s left wing before the aircraft rotated. Once airborne, the MD-11 could not climb beyond about 100 ft. above ground level. It crashed about 0.5 nm from the runway end, into an industrial area. All three crewmembers and 11 people on the ground were killed. Boeing immediately urged operators to ground their MD-11s—a move the FAA mandated. https://aviationweek.com/air-transport/safety-ops-regulation/boeing-warned-md-11-part-failure-risk-2011-ntsb-finds Turkish Airlines flight makes emergency landing in Barcelona after ‘threat’ alert MADRID (AP) — A Turkish Airlines flight made an emergency landing Thursday at Barcelona’s international airport after a passenger created an in-flight wireless network whose name contained a bomb threat, an airlines spokesperson said. As the Turkish Airlines TK1853 flight from Istanbul was approaching its destination at Barcelona-El Prat Airport, “it was detected that a passenger established an in-flight internet access point and set the network name to include a bomb threat,” the spokesperson, Yahya Üstün, said. As a result, the plane, an Airbus 321, made an emergency landing. The airline said the return flight would operate normally. Spain’s Civil Guard police force said it had investigated the incident, and that no explosive was found on-board. It added that the airport was operating normally. https://apnews.com/article/turkish-airlines-emergency-landing-threat-barcelona-5ea2fedc73d06074e805de20e5b94dff Navy and Marine aviation accidents doubled amid Red Sea fight "There's no question that the extended deployment, the material degradations and so forth, are going to have that kind of impact," one expert said about mishaps amid sustained operations. Mishaps and accidents in Naval aviation nearly doubled in 2025 from the previous year. Several incidents came during combat operations in the Red Sea on the USS Truman aircraft carrier. Navy photo by Matthew A. Lawson. The number of major accidents in Navy and Marine aviation nearly doubled in 2025 from the previous year, though only two sailors were killed in a flying accident, according to fleet-wide safety statistics released this week. Accidents among sailors and Marines underway on warships dropped slightly. Naval Safety Command released its year-end data on accidents, deaths and injuries across both services this week, covering the 2025 fiscal year, from October 2024 to September 2025. The report cited 14 “Class-A” aviation accidents in 2025, up from eight in 2024. Mishaps aboard underway ships, which include warships, submarines, and sealift vessels, remained rare, dropping from nine to five. The military classifies a Class-A accident as any that involves a death or permanent disability, or damage to equipment worth more than $2.5 million. Of the 14 aviation mishaps, 12 were during flight and four appeared to be related to combat in the Red Sea. Another four onboard mishaps also appeared linked to the Red Sea, including a collision involving the USS Truman aircraft carrier. The Marines’ class-A mishaps also doubled in 2025 to six from three in 2024. All six incidents involving Marine aircraft appeared to be during typical training or maintenance, with no injuries. The only aviation deaths in either service were the pilot and weapons officer of a Navy EA-18G Growler that crashed on a training flight in October 2024. Lt. Cmdr. Lyndsay “Miley” Evans and Lt. Serena “Dug” Wileman, both 31, were killed in the Oct. 15 crash on Mount Rainier, about 180 miles from their home base of Naval Air Station Whidbey Island. Rescuers battled bad weather and steep terrain for several days to reach the crash site. USS Truman combat deployment saw increased risks The Navy’s class-A accidents include four mishaps that list the region as “location withheld” but with dates and descriptions that match known incidents from the USS Truman strike group’s combat deployment in the Red Sea. A December 2024 incident is described as an F/A-18F “struck by friendly fire, both aircrew ejected safely,” while a May 2025 note describes another F/A-18 lost when the crew overshot a carrier landing. Two others from the same time period were fairly minor in-flight or ground mishaps. Retired Navy Capt. Bradley Martin, now a senior policy researcher at the RAND Corporation, said the jump in mishaps was at least in part due to the demands of sustained combat. “I think it was the Truman Strike Group operating in a very high tempo,” Martin told Task & Purpose. “I think [this] is an indication that a ship and a strike group that’s been operated at a very high level for a long time is likely to experience more mishaps. Part of it is just because there’s more chance to have to have them, but also there’s no question that the extended deployment, the material degradations and so forth, are going to have that kind of impact.” Missing from the report, however, is any mention of an F/A-18 the Navy said was lost overboard from the Truman during heavy maneuvering in April while under attack from Houthi missiles. A question sent by Task & Purpose to Naval Safety Command about the reporting of that mishap was not returned. Martin said extended deployments like the Truman wear on every part of a ship and air wing, from tired pilots to worn non-slip coverings on deck. “There were a lot of fatigue conditions that were taking place, human and material,” he said. “And I think even though it’s not a huge number, I think that the Navy really needs to look at that and say we saw a direct and fairly obvious connection between the Truman’s long deployment and a series of accidents.” https://taskandpurpose.com/news/navy-safety-aviation-2025/ FAA orders PW1100G modifications following engine fires Federal Aviation Administration has responded to several Pratt & Whitney PW1100G engine fires by requiring airlines remove fuel hose clamps and replace mounts within hundreds of turbofans. The agency mandated the work in an airworthiness directive (AD) published on 12 January, giving airlines 30 days from the order’s 17 February effective date to complete initial maintenance tasks. PW1100Gs are one of two power options on Airbus A320neo-family jets, the other being CFM International Leap-1As. The FAA’s order responds to several engine fires following fan blade failures “This AD was prompted by multiple reports of fan-blade fracture events, three of which resulted in an engine under-cowl fire,” says the regulator. “The FAA is issuing this AD to prevent a fuel leak resulting from a fan blade fracture.” The action applies to 586 PW1100Gs on US registered jets. It comes as airlines muddle through a separate PW1000G recall stemming from a metallic-component manufacturing problem that can cause engine failures. That recall has forced airlines globally to ground hundreds of jets. The FAA’s 12 January AD notes that P&W already recommended airlines complete maintenance steps to address the fire-risk issue. The manufacturer issued those recommendations in service bulletins released in recent years. Asked to comment, the engine maker says, ”The AD is consistent with the actions published in Pratt & Whitney service bulletins previously released to operators and has been nearly completed across the fleet.” The FAA’s new AD mandates those actions, and soon. Within 30 days of 17 February, carriers must remove a “loop cushion clamp” associated with a fuel tube assembly. Then, during the next engine shop visit, they must replace “thermal management system clevis mounts” with redesigned mounts and replace the loop cushion clamp. P&W’s service bulletins provide more details about the problem. Fan-blade failures, such as those caused by bird strikes, can cause the thermal management system mounts to fracture in a way that cracks a fuel tube. Removing one of the clamps can as an interim measure “increase flexibility of the tube and prevent cracks”, it says. The FAA estimates that completing the maintenance work on each engine will require 125 work-hours. https://www.flightglobal.com/engines/faa-orders-pw1100g-modifications-following-engine-fires/165953.article CALENDAR OF EVENTS . Singapore Airshow 2026 - FEBRUARY 3-6, 2026. . VERTICON 2026 - Atlanta March 9-12 . 60th Annual SMU Air Law Symposium - March 31 - April 1, 2026 (Irving, TX) . 2026 ACSF Safety Symposium; April 7-9, 2026; ERAU Daytona Beach, FL . 2026 NBAA Maintenance Conference; May 5-7, 2026; New Orleans, LA . BASS 2026 - 71st Business Aviation Safety Summit - May 5-6, 2026 | Provo, Utah . The African Aviation Safety & Operations Summit - May 19-20 | Johannesburg, South Africa . Safeskies Australia - Australia’s renowned Aviation Safety Conference - Canberra Australia 20 and 21 May 2026 . IATA World Maintenance & Engineering Symposium (23-25 June, Madrid, Spain) . ISASI - 2026 (September/October 2026) - Dubai, UAE . 2026 NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE) Oct. 20-22, 2026 | Las Vegas, NV Curt Lewis