Flight Safety Information - April 13, 2026 No. 072 In This Issue : Incident: KLM B737 near Amsterdam on Apr 8th 2026, engine problem : Incident: Qantas B738 enroute on Apr 10th 2026, fumes on board : Aircraft Cabin Air International Conference - 22-23 September 2026 (London) : Incident: Eurowings A319 near Hamburg on Apr 10th 2026, engine indication : Incident: Starlux A21N near Taipei on Apr 10th 2026, hydraulic fault : Incident: India A20N at Mumbai on Apr 9th 2026, engine stall on departure : Incident: France B773 at Los Angeles on Apr 8th 2026, rejected takeoff due to runway incursion : Incident: Ryanair B738 at Brussels on Apr 10th 2026, flaps problem : Air France Jet aborts takeoff at LAX after another aircraft enters runway : What FAA Data Shows About Student Pilots and a Younger Pilot Population : The US Air Force Is Buying Up Used Jumbo Jets, And It's Not Hard To See Why : Calendar of Events Incident: KLM B737 near Amsterdam on Apr 8th 2026, engine problem A KLM Boeing 737-700, registration PH-BGH performing flight KL-1216 from Stockholm (Sweden) to Amsterdam (Netherlands), was descending towards Amsterdam when the crew advised they had technical problems with one of their engines (CFM56) and might lose oil on landing. The crew declined runway 22 and asked for runway 27 or 18C, subsequently was cleared for an approach to runway 27. The aircraft landed safely on runway 27. The aircraft remained on the ground for about 21 hours before returning to service. https://avherald.com/h?article=537b7aa3&opt=0 Incident: Qantas B738 enroute on Apr 10th 2026, fumes on board A Qantas Boeing 737-800, registration VH-VZC performing flight QF-857 from Canberra,AC to Perth,WA (Australia), was enroute at FL380 about 500nm west of Adelaide,SA (Australia) when the crew decided to turn around and divert to Adelaide due to fumes on board, that caused a number of passengers to complain about feeling unwell. The aircraft landed safely on Adelaide's runway 23 about 75 minutes later. 15 passengers were examined for possible Carbon Monoxide inhalation and were found okay. The passengers were rebooked onto other flights to Perth. The aircraft returned to service about 9 hours after landing. https://avherald.com/h?article=537b5fa8&opt=0 Incident: Eurowings A319 near Hamburg on Apr 10th 2026, engine indication A Eurowings Airbus A319-100, registration D-AGWF performing flight EW-7462 from Hamburg (Germany) to London Heathrow,EN (UK) with about 130 people on board, was climbing through FL310 out of Hamburg when the crew decided to return to Hamburg due to some engine (V2524) indication. The aircraft landed safely on Hamburg's runway 23 about 35 minutes after stopping the climb. The airline reported an indication of a technical defect on one of the engines. The aircraft returned safely. The aircraft is still on the ground in Hamburg about 23 hours after landing. https://avherald.com/h?article=537b4c71&opt=0 Incident: Starlux A21N near Taipei on Apr 10th 2026, hydraulic fault A Starlux Airlines Airbus A321-200N, registration B-58202 performing flight JX-783 from Taipei (Taiwan) to Cebu (Philippines), was enroute at FL340 about 120nm south of Taipei when the crew decided to return to Taipei after receiving indication of a hydraulic fault. The aircraft landed safely back on runway 23L about 70 minutes after departure. The airline reported "maintenance issues", another aircraft was dispatched. A replacement Airbus A321-200N registration B-58213 reached Cebu with a delay of about 3.5 hours. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground about 10 hours after landing. https://avherald.com/h?article=537ac35d&opt=0 Incident: India A20N at Mumbai on Apr 9th 2026, engine stall on departure An Air India Airbus A320-200N, registration VT-TNK performing flight AI-2812 from Mumbai to Bangalore (India) with 47 people on board, was climbing out of Mumbai's runway 27 when the crew stopped the climb at FL100 due to the stall of the right hand engine (LEAP). The aircraft returned to Mumbai for a safe landing on runway 27 about 30 minutes after departure. Passengers reported hearing loud sounds from the engine and seeing sparks. A replacement A320-200N registration VT-ATV reached Bangalore with a delay of about 2:15 hours. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground about 46 hours after landing. https://avherald.com/h?article=537abfe9&opt=0 Incident: France B773 at Los Angeles on Apr 8th 2026, rejected takeoff due to runway incursion An Air France Boeing 777-300, registration F-GZNP performing flight AF-25 from Los Angeles,CA (USA) to Paris Charles de Gaulle (France), was cleared for takeoff and accelerated for takeoff from runway 24L when the crew rejected takeoff at low speed (about 60 knots over ground) after a previously landed Gulfstream went past the hold short line, the runway warning lights turned red alerting the B773 crew of the runway incursion. The B773 slowed safely, vacated the runway and waited for about 10 minutes before taxiing to the hold short line again and departing about 15 minutes after the rejected takeoff. The aircraft reached Paris on schedule. https://avherald.com/h?article=537aade7&opt=0 Incident: Ryanair B738 at Brussels on Apr 10th 2026, flaps problem A Ryanair Boeing 737-800, registration EI-GXK performing flight FR-4523 from Milan Bergamo (Italy) to Brussels Charleroi (Belgium) with 189 people on board, was on approach to Charleroi Airport's runway 24 when the crew initiated a go around due to problems with the flaps. The aircraft entered a hold at 4000 feet MSL, then positioned for another approach to runway 24 and landed safely at a higher than normal speed about 25 minutes after the go around. The airport reported the aircraft arriving from Bergamo reported problems with the trailing flaps. The aircraft is still on the ground in Brussels about 6.5 hours after landing. https://avherald.com/h?article=537aa0ec&opt=0 Air France Jet aborts takeoff at LAX after another aircraft enters runway According to the FAA, controllers canceled the takeoff clearance after another aircraft turned onto the runway without authorization. Air traffic control canceled the takeoff clearance for an Air France flight at Los Angeles International Airport after another aircraft entered the runway without authorization, said the FAA. A runway incursion is under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) after air traffic controllers canceled the takeoff clearance for an Air France flight at Los Angeles International Airport Wednesday evening. The FAA said the incident involving Air France Flight 25 occurred around 6:15 p.m. Wednesday. According to the federal agency, controllers canceled the takeoff clearance for the Air France Boeing 777-300ER after another aircraft turned onto the runway without authorization. The Air France Boeing jet was operating Air France Flight 25 heading to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris. The Air France pilot could be heard on air traffic control audio recordings reviewed by NBC4 rejecting its takeoff while under power on the runway after being alerted to an incursion by runway warning lights. According to those same recordings, air traffic controllers in the LAX control tower could be heard explaining to the pilot of the Air France flight that a Gulfstream jet crossed past the hold short line, onto the runway and into the path of the B777. The Gulfstream G650ER had just landed at LAX after a short flight from San Francisco International airport. After landing, air traffic controllers instructed the pilot to hold short of runway 24L, to which the Gulfstream pilot is heard on recordings acknowledging. According to Air France's website, a Boeing 777-300ER is configured for the airline with a seating capacity of as many as 369 passengers in addition to crew. The jet slowed safely, departed with a slight delay, and continued its flight without further incident, according to the background information provided. Just hours later, a Frontier Airlines flight also had a close call at LAX, when the pilot of the Airbus A321 plane in that incident found himself slamming on the brakes to avoid hitting two service trucks on the runway. No injuries were reported in either incident. The FAA is investigating both cases. NBC4 has reached out to Air France and the reported owner of the Gulfstream involved in the early Wednesday evening incident but has yet to receive a response. https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/air-france-jet-aborts-takeoff-at-lax-after-another-aircraft-enters-runway/3874619/ What FAA Data Shows About Student Pilots and a Younger Pilot Population New 2025 figures show continued growth in the training pipeline and a milestone for women in aviation. MOSAIC defines light sport aircraft by stall speed, not gross weight, making it possible for legacy single-engine trainers like the Cessna 150 to be flown by sport pilots. [Credit: Meg Godlewski] Cessna aircraft The U.S. student pilot population continued to grow in 2025, according to newly released FAA airmen data, while the overall pilot population trended younger and the number of women pilots continued to increase. The FAA counted 370,286 active student pilots at the end of 2025, up from 345,495 in 2024 and 222,629 in 2020. Total active pilots also rose to 887,519, compared with 848,770 a year earlier. At the same time, the average age of active pilots fell to 42.1 in 2025 from 42.5 in 2024 and 43.9 in 2020. The average age of student pilots, however, edged up to 35.8, indicating growth in the training pipeline is coming from both younger entrants and older newcomers. Women Pilot Growth Reaches Six Figures Women also made up a larger share of the pilot population. The FAA reported 100,704 active women pilots in 2025, up from 91,694 in 2024 and 58,541 in 2020. Among student pilots, women totaled 60,764, or 16.4 percent of the category. Elsewhere, the FAA reported 118,314 active commercial pilots in 2025, up from 109,727 a year earlier, while the number of instrument-rated pilots increased to 355,473 from 342,400. Certificate issuance data showed a mixed picture. Original private and commercial certificates both increased in 2025, but student pilot certificates issued declined to 58,761 from 61,353, even as the active student pilot population continued to expand. https://www.flyingmag.com/what-faa-data-shows-about-student-pilots-and-a-younger-pilot-population/ The US Air Force Is Buying Up Used Jumbo Jets, And It's Not Hard To See Why If you thought that the US Air Force had enough planes to ensure it didn't have to venture into the used airliner market, then think again. It turns out that the USAF is buying Boeing 747s from German airline Lufthansa. However, this isn't the Air Force "spreading its wings" and opening up a transatlantic air route; the reason for the purchase is to help the USAF make the long-delayed transition to a new presidential aircraft. The replacement aircraft are officially the VC-25B, but for all intents and purposes, these are modified Boeing 747-8 aircraft, and are now expected to enter service by mid-2028. The current plane filling the role is the Boeing VC-25A. These have been in the role since 1990, and are based on the much older Boeing 747-200 platform. Therein lies the problem. The newer jet introduces different systems, more advanced avionics, upgraded engines, and differing maintenance requirements. What this means is that it's unrealistic to turn up at Edwards Air Force Base with an entirely new aircraft, present it to the crew and maintenance teams, and say, "Sign here and she's all yours." All these teams need to be trained beforehand, and this is tricky given that all this training needs to be done on an aircraft that isn't operational. Looking further ahead, there's also the matter of spare parts to consider. This is where Lufthansa and its fleet of 747-8s comes in. Let's have a closer look at why the USAF is buying a pair of commercial jumbo jets from Germany's flag-carrying airline. There was once a time when the Boeing 747 was a mainstay of commercial long-haul aviation. However, those glory days are long gone. The last 747 rolled off the production line in December 2022, and, as of 2025, there were only 39 active passenger 747s still in service. For the USAF, this is more than a history lesson — it's something of a headache. Essentially, the Air Force's spanking new presidential jet is a model that's no longer in production, and passenger operators across the globe are dropping like hot cakes. This is ultimately why the USAF decided to splash out $400 million on two passenger 747-8s from Lufthansa. As an interesting side note, the original 747-8 airframes purchased for the VC-25Bs were originally intended for a Russian airline but were never delivered. According to a USAF announcement, the purchase of the two aircraft is essential to maintain the future capability of the aircraft. As reported in Air & Space Forces Magazine, the USAF has been explicit about the reason for the purchase – stating, "Given the 747-8i is no longer in active production, and is a very different aircraft than the 747-200, it is important for the Air Force to establish an overall training and sustainment strategy for the future." https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/us-air-force-buying-used-134500833.html CALENDAR OF EVENTS . 2026 NBAA Maintenance Conference; May 5-7, 2026; New Orleans, LA . World Aviation Training Summit - 5-7 May 2026 - Orlando . 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 . ESASI 2026, 20-21 May, Dubrovnik . Safeskies Australia - Australia’s renowned Aviation Safety Conference - Canberra Australia 20 and 21 May 2026 . Aircraft Fire Hazards, Protection, and Investigation Course 7 to 9 July 2026; Woburn MA 01801 USA : APSCON/APSCON Unmanned 2026 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL - July 13-17, 2026 : Aircraft Cabin Air International Conference - 22-23 September 2026 . IATA World Maintenance & Engineering Symposium (23-25 June, Madrid, Spain) . ISASI - BOSTON 2026 - September 28, 2026 – October 2, 2026 . 2026 NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE) Oct. 20-22, 2026 | Las Vegas, NV Curt Lewis