Flight Safety Information - June 22, 2026 No. 121 In This Issue : Incident: United B772 at Houston on Jun 19th 2026, engine shut down in flight : Incident: Delta A319 at Boston on Jun 20th 2026, go around to resolve ATC operational error : Incident: Swiss A333 over Romania on Jun 21st 2026, tyre damage on departure : Incident: Spring Japan B738 at Harbin on Jun 19th 2026, hard landing and suspected tail strike : Incident: Dolomiti E195 at Munich on Jun 15th 2026, gear problem on arrival : Incident: Piedmont E145 near Syracuse on Jun 14th 2026, fumes on board : Incident: KLM Cityhopper E175 near Amsterdam on Jun 19th 2026, eletrical failures, lost instruments : Incident: Westjet B737 at Denver on Jun 18th 2026, rejected takeoff : Jets were 300 feet apart in Boston close call that forced Delta flight to abort landing, expert says : Southwest jet struck by ground equipment vehicle at Memphis airport : Pilot Requests Cops After Passenger Bites Fellow Flyer on Plane : FAA and EASA pledge deeper cooperation on aviation safety amid rapid innovation : Gone West: Tommy McFall : Calendar of Events Incident: United B772 at Houston on Jun 19th 2026, engine shut down in flight A United Boeing 777-200, registration N78009 performing flight UA-102 from Houston Intercontinental,TX (USA) to Munich (Germany) with 267 passengers and 13 crew on board, was climbing out of Houston's runway 15L when the crew stopped the climb at 3000 feet after the right hand engine (GE90) had emitted a serious of streaks of flames and bangs, the crew advised there was no engine fire. Another crew observing the departure reported flames out of the right hand engine. The engine was shut down, the aircraft returned to Intercontinental Airport for a safe landing on runway 08R about 50 minutes after departure. Passengers reported the engine emitted 15 bangs. The FAA reported: "United Airlines Flight 102 returned safely to George Bush International Airport in Houston, Texas, around 7 p.m. local time on Friday, June 19, after the crew reported an engine issue. The Boeing 777 was traveling to Munich International Airport in Germany." A replacement Boeing 777-200 registration N798UA reached Munich with a delay of about 6 hours. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Houston about 42 hours after landing back. https://avherald.com/h?article=53addefa&opt=0 Incident: Delta A319 at Boston on Jun 20th 2026, go around to resolve ATC operational error A Delta Airlines Airbus A319-100, registration N328NB performing flight DL-2351 from Dallas Ft. Worth,TX to Boston,MA (USA), was on final approach to Boston's runway 33L cleared to land with the information that traffic was holding on (crossing) runway 27. About a minute after clearing DL-2351 to land on runway 33L tower cleared an American Airlines Boeing 737-800, registration N316PF performing flight AA-3161 from Boston,MA to Charlotte,NC (USA) for takeoff from runway 27. About a minute later the Delta crew reported going around (from very low height), tower at the same time queried the American where they were going, the crew responded they had been cleared for takeoff. The American continued the flight and reached Charlotte without further incident, the Delta A319 positioned for another approach to runway 33L and landed without further incident about 10 minutes later. The FAA reported they are investigating the close call. https://avherald.com/h?article=53add11f&opt=0 Incident: Swiss A333 over Romania on Jun 21st 2026, tyre damage on departure A Swiss International Airlines Airbus A330-300, registration HB-JHC performing flight LX-154 from Zurich (Switzerland) to Mumbai (India), was enroute at FL350 over Bucharest (Romania) when the crew requested to return to Zurich due to small technical reasons, the company requested them to return to Zurich, operations were normal. The aircraft descended to FL340 initially, later FL260 and entered a first hold at Zurich. The aircraft performed a low approach to runway 16 to have the nose wheels inspected from the ground. Following the low approach tower reported the left nose gear tyre appeared to be smaller/less inflated than the right hand tyre. The aircraft positioned for another approach to runway 16 and landed without further incident about 30 minutes after the low approach and stopped on the runway. The aircraft was towed off the runway about 20 minutes later. The airline reported following departure of the aircraft parts of tyres were found on the departure runway, that were identified to possibly belong to HB-JHC. The aircraft therefore returned to Zurich for inspection. https://avherald.com/h?article=53adcd13&opt=0 Incident: Spring Japan B738 at Harbin on Jun 19th 2026, hard landing and suspected tail strike A Spring Airlines Japan Boeing 737-800, registration JA03GR performing flight IJ-213 from Tokyo Narita (Japan) to Harbin (China), was on approach to Harbin's runway 23 but touched down hard, a tail scrape is being suspected, and initiated a go around. The aircraft positioned for another approach to runway and landed without further incident about 15 minutes later and taxied to the apron. The aircraft is still on the ground in Harbin about 43 hours after landing. https://avherald.com/h?article=53ad10ad&opt=0 Incident: Dolomiti E195 at Munich on Jun 15th 2026, gear problem on arrival An AIr Dolomiti Embraer ERJ-195, registration I-ADJK performing flight EN-8191 from Florence (Italy) to Munich (Germany), was on approach to Munich's runway 26L when the crew initiated a go around due to a gear problem. The aircraft entered a hold to troubleshoot, performed a second approach to runway 26L and landed safely about 20 minutes after the go around and stopped on the runway. Emergency services attended to the aircraft, which was towed off the runway about 40 minutes after landing. The airport reported the aircraft suffered a problem with its main landing gear. The aircraft returned to service about 12.5 hours after landing. https://avherald.com/h?article=53acf9ae&opt=0 Incident: Piedmont E145 near Syracuse on Jun 14th 2026, fumes on board A Piedmont Airlines Embraer ERJ-145 on behalf of American Airlines, registration N931AE performing flight AA-5907 from Rochester,NY to Philadelphia,PA (USA) with 62 people on board, was climbing through 17000 feet out of Rochester when the crew donned their oxygen masks and declared emergency reporting the odour of fumes on board. The crew advised they were having problems communicating with the cabin. The aircraft landed safely on Syracuse's runway 28 about 20 minutes later. The airport reported medical services were attending to a number of passengers and crew after an odour of fumes was reported on board. The aircraft remained on the ground in Syracuse over night for about 15 hours, then continued the journey to Philadelphia and reached the destination with a delay of about 19 hours. https://avherald.com/h?article=53acf7c5&opt=0 Incident: KLM Cityhopper E175 near Amsterdam on Jun 19th 2026, eletrical failures, lost instruments A KLM Cityhopper Embraer ERJ-175, registration PH-EXH performing flight KL-1765 from Amsterdam (Netherlands) to Bremen (Germany), was climbing out of Amsterdam when the crew stopped the climb at about FL230 declaring PAN PAN reporting electrical problems and further advising, they had lost their screens but were fully able to maneouver. The aircraft returned to Amsterdam for a safe landing on runway 27 about 40 minutes after departure. A replacement ERJ-175 registration PH-EXT reached Bremen with a delay of about 4.5 hours. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Amsterdam about 24 hours after landing back. https://avherald.com/h?article=53acf60e&opt=0 Incident: Westjet B737 at Denver on Jun 18th 2026, rejected takeoff A Westjet Boeing 737-700, registration C-FUWS performing flight WS-1571 from Denver,CO (USA) to Calgary,AB (Canada), was accelerating for takeoff from Denver's runway 08 when the crew rejected takeoff at high speed (about 100 knots over ground). The aircraft came to a stop on the runway, emergency services responded and reported both left main tyres were blown, the aircraft was on its rim. The passengers disembarked via stairs and were bussed to the terminal. The aircraft was towed off the runway about an hour later. The airline reported the crew safely rejected takeoff, the crew declared an emergency. The passengers are being re-accommodated. https://avherald.com/h?article=53abfc9c&opt=0 Jets were 300 feet apart in Boston close call that forced Delta flight to abort landing, expert says BOSTON (AP) — A Delta Air Lines jet was roughly 300 feet (90 meters) from an American Airlines plane during a close call at Boston's airport that forced the Delta aircraft to abort a weekend landing attempt, an aviation expert said Sunday. The Federal Aviation Administration said it was investigating the incident between two commercial flights that happened Saturday at Boston Logan International Airport. Todd Curtis, a former safety engineer at Boeing, estimated the distance between the two jetliners using Flightradar24, a website that tracks flights. Curtis now coproduces a podcast about flight safety issues. "This is a significant incident," Curtis said, adding that it was particularly concerning because it involved two professional airline crews. He said federal aviation officials have been concerned about such runway incursions for a while now and will scrutinize Saturday's close call. Near-misses and runway incursions at U.S. airports will be the subject of a hearing on Capitol Hill on Tuesday. The Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Aviation, Space, and Innovation will seek ways to strengthen safety across the national airspace system. The Delta flight from Dallas had to execute a go-around, or aborted landing, to avoid the American plane departing from an intersecting runway, according to the FAA and flight logs. The crew of Delta flight 2351 coordinated with air traffic control to perform the go-around, an airline spokesperson said. The plane, which had 129 passengers and six crew members on board, landed safely and deplaned normally, according to the spokesperson. Go-arounds are safe, routine procedures performed at the discretion of the pilot or air traffic controllers, according to the FAA. https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/jets-were-300-feet-apart-213456686.html Southwest jet struck by ground equipment vehicle at Memphis airport A ground equipment vehicle struck a Southwest Airlines plane as passengers were boarding on Sunday. The incident happened at Memphis International Airport in Tennessee, an airline spokesperson told Fox News Digital. Southwest said Flight 4013 was taken out of service following the contact. However, no injuries were reported. “Southwest Flight 4013 was contacted by a ground equipment vehicle during boarding today at Memphis International Airport,” the airline said. The airport confirmed the incident in a statement to Fox News Digital, describing it as an isolated matter. “Memphis Shelby County Airport Authority can confirm that an isolated incident occurred today at Memphis International Airport,” the airport said. Passengers were directed to board an alternate aircraft to reach their destination, Southwest said. While a spokesperson said the “alternate plane will operate the route to Dallas,” the company’s website listed Flight 4013 as resuming service to Harry Reid International Airport in the Las Vegas area. A ground equipment vehicle struck a Southwest Airlines plane as passengers were boarding at Memphis International Airport in Tennessee on Sunday afternoon. Passengers reportedly departed nearly four hours behind schedule, and the flight was scheduled to arrive around 5:30 p.m. instead of 1:50 p.m. Southwest said an investigation of the incident is underway. “The event will be investigated through our comprehensive Safety Management System,” the airline said. “Nothing is more important to Southwest than the Safety of its Customers and Employees.” https://nypost.com/2026/06/22/us-news/southwest-jet-struck-by-ground-equipment-vehicle-at-memphis-airport/ Pilot Requests Cops After Passenger Bites Fellow Flyer on Plane “I’ll be sure to tell my daughters about this one,” the pilot told an air traffic controller. An American Airlines pilot bound for Philadelphia made a surprising call to air traffic controllers before landing on Sunday, requesting law enforcement due to an unruly passenger who allegedly bit another passenger on board. “I don’t know if he’s hallucinating or whatever, but he just bit a passenger, and he’s trying to fight everybody,” the pilot is heard telling a controller in an audio recording obtained by CBS News before requesting emergency medical crews and law enforcement support as a precaution. “What a day, huh?” he added as the controller wished him a Happy Father’s Day. “I’ll be sure to tell my daughters about this one,” the pilot replied. In a statement to CBS, American Airlines said the passenger was experiencing a medical issue, and a medical professional on the plane assisted him before the flight landed. The Daily Beast has reached out to the airline for further comment. The incident comes amid a string of other cases involving unruly passengers this month, including a man who allegedly attempted to open an emergency exit mid-flight on a Frontier Airlines flight, and a Lufthansa flight that had to make an emergency landing after one female passenger attacked another passenger on board. https://www.thedailybeast.com/pilot-requests-cops-after-passenger-bites-fellow-flyer-on-plane/ FAA and EASA pledge deeper cooperation on aviation safety amid rapid innovation As the industry enters a period of rapid technological change, America’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) have pledged to deepen their collaboration on aviation safety. The commitment was made at the 2026 FAA and EASA International Safety Conference in Chantilly, Virginia, a three-day event from June 16-18, 2026 held under the theme ‘Safety Together: Innovation, Integration and Trust.’ Collaboration as technology evolves The FAA stressed that aviation technology is evolving quickly, from automated cockpit systems to new certification pathways for advanced aircraft. According to both regulators, cooperation is essential to keep pace with innovation while maintaining safety standards. For FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford, the moment calls for stronger international partnerships. “This is one of the most innovative moments in aviation, not just for America but also for our international partners,” Bedford said. “Sharing information and fostering conversations about safety allow us to strengthen our international partnerships and ensure aviation systems evolve safely and efficiently.” EASA Executive Director Florian Guillermet echoed the sentiment. “By working together, sharing expertise, and aligning our approaches, EASA and the FAA can support innovation while preserving public confidence in aviation,” Guillermet said. Where the two agencies will work together In tandem, the two agencies outlined a series of commitments, including: Strengthening information sharing on safety oversight and best practices Advancing safety management systems toward more data-driven decision-making Streamlining approval processes for new aviation technologies Accelerating the safe integration of automated cockpit systems Modernizing pilot training and simulator capabilities Improving coordination on emerging risks such as cyber threats, GPS interference, conflict zones and extreme weather FAA and EASA leadership have pledged to meet regularly to review progress and identify new priorities. Next stop: Cologne The conference brought together around 400 senior aviation professionals from regulators, manufacturers, airlines and industry associations worldwide. The event is held annually, alternating between the FAA and EASA as host. Next year’s conference will take place in Cologne, Germany, from June 22 to 24, 2027. https://www.aerotime.aero/articles/faa-and-easa-pledge-deeper-cooperation-on-aviation-safety-amid-rapid-innovation Gone West: Tommy McFall Tommy McFall passed away unexpectedly on June 1, 2026, following a brief hospitalization. He was a Naval Aviator who flew the A-7E Corsair, a pilot for Braniff, later served with the National Transportation Safety Board, American Airlines, and as an independent aviation safety consultant. Tommy lived in Southlake, Texas, for nearly 30 years. He will be remembered for his deep commitment to aviation, his professionalism, and the lasting impact he made on the people who worked with him and knew him. Gone West, Tommy. Fair winds and following seas. CALENDAR OF EVENTS . 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 . EAA AirVenture Oshkosh - July 20–26, 2026 . July 20-24, 2026 | Farnborough, UK - Farnborough Airshow 2026. . ICAO/EASA Third Global RSOO/RAIO Forum for Aviation Safety — September 29–30, 2026, in Georgetown, Guyana., https://www.icao.int/events : 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 . Global Aviation Conference Frankfurt- 29-30SEP2026 - Frankfurt, Germany . 79TH ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL AVIATION SAFETY SUMMIT MONTREAL | NOVEMBER 10-12, 2026. . 2026 NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE) Oct. 20-22, 2026 | Las Vegas, NV . 2027 ACSF Safety Symposium - April 6-8, 2027 - ERAU Daytona Beach, FL Curt Lewis