Flight Safety Information - July 17, 2026 No. 140 In This Issue : Fighter Pilot Who Sparked Chaos on Beach Learns Fate : Investigators lead probe into Ryanair flight where man was partly sucked out window : Pakistan cargo crash families push for international help to find black boxes : Measles warning issued after 2 infectious travelers passed through Bush Airport : Airlines warn adjusting to permanent daylight saving time could take up to 2 years : TCSAR earns FAA certificate for highest level of aviation safety standards : NYC helicopter that crashed and killed 6 last year shows signs of bird strike, NTSB says : United plans to retire 80 aircraft next year as it expects first Boeing 737 Max 10 deliveries : Air China, Shenzhen Airlines order 55 Airbus jets with list price of $12.4 billion : Calendar of Events Fighter Pilot Who Sparked Chaos on Beach Learns Fate “I literally thought we were going to be taken out by Blue Angels,” one spectator said. A fighter pilot who roared so low over a crowded beach that chairs and umbrellas were blown into the air will face no disciplinary action. On Thursday, Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao said on X that a flight debrief had concluded with “No reprimands. No firings. No problem” following Wednesday morning’s incident, in which one spectator said she feared she would be “taken out” by the aircraft. The Blue Angels jet was performing a flyby during a “Breakfast with the Blues” event at Florida’s Pensacola Beach, on the Gulf Coast barrier island of Santa Rosa, when footage showed it passing at an unusually low altitude. @SECNAV/ X The pilot who flew the plane on Wednesday will face no disciplinary action. @SECNAV/ X The squadron initially said in a statement that the safety of spectators, the community, and pilots remained its “highest priority” and that leadership was conducting “a thorough safety review.” “During an arrival maneuver, an aircraft flew lower than standard profiles, resulting in a disturbance on the beach that affected civilian chairs and umbrellas,” the Blue Angels said in a statement. Yet members of the Trump administration were quick to celebrate the flyover despite the safety concerns it sparked. Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell posted an image of the F/A-18 Super Hornet on Thursday with the message, “Carry on Patriots.” An official White House account also shared a photo taken during the low pass, captioning it, “It’s okay to love America.” Cao similarly struck a patriotic tone, captioning a video of the jet, “That’s the sound of Freedom!” as he announced that no one would face disciplinary action. “I would come back in and have words with that individual,” John “JV” Venable, a retired colonel who formerly commanded the Thunderbirds, the Air Force’s elite demonstration squadron, told The Washington Post, saying the viral video of the Blue Angels jet appeared to warrant an investigation. Pete Hegseth and the tribute to the scores of children who died in the Minab strike. “I would … say, ‘Hey, you need to bump up your altitudes. You need to be more cognizant of where you are,’” Venable said. He added that military flyovers are generally expected to remain 500 feet above people on the ground. The beach flyover is the latest in a string of incidents involving military aircraft that have sparked safety concerns, with those involved rarely facing consequences. On July 4, eight South Carolina National Guard Apache pilots were suspended after flying their helicopters at a low altitude just a few hundred feet from the shoreline during the “Salute to the Shore” flyover along the state’s coast. The suspensions were short-lived, however, after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth intervened on X, writing, “We’ll fix this,” and reversed the disciplinary action typically handled by military commanders. In April, the U.S. Army suspended the crew of two helicopters after they performed a flyover near MAGA rocker Kid Rock’s home, but Hegseth soon stepped in with a message nearly identical to Cao’s Thursday post. “No punishment. No investigation. Carry on, patriots,” Hegseth wrote on X, reversing the disciplinary action. “I’ve been coming for 10 years and I’ve never seen a pass like that in my life,” Ashley Korn, a spectator at Wednesday morning’s flyover, told North Florida ABC affiliate WEAR-TV. “I literally thought we were going to be taken out by Blue Angels, but it was amazing,” she added. https://www.thedailybeast.com/blue-angels-fighter-pilot-who-sparked-chaos-on-florida-beach-learns-fate/ Investigators lead probe into Ryanair flight where man was partly sucked out window U.S. aviation safety investigators have taken over the investigation into what caused a window to dislodge on a Ryanair flight from Greece to Germany on July 10 U.S. aviation safety investigators announced Thursday they are taking over the probe into a Ryanair flight from Greece that left passengers scrambling minutes after takeoff, when a window dislodged and a man was partially sucked out of the plane before being pulled back inside. The National Transportation Safety Board said that after taking a closer look at the plane's flight path, investigators determined the incident occurred in Greek airspace, and not over the Republic of North Macedonia as they initially believed. International aviation rules allow Greece’s Hellenic Air and Rail Safety Investigation Authority to hand the investigation over to the NTSB. The U.S. federal agency said it accepted and is now leading the probe, with Greece participating. The incident happened on July 10 on a morning flight from the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki to Memmingen, near Munich. The flight was operated by Malta Air, a subsidiary of Ryanair, Europe’s largest budget carrier. The 61-year-old passenger, who was not identified by name, suffered neck and shoulder injuries and friction burns, according to a Greek hospital official. It was not immediately clear Thursday if the injured passenger remained hospitalized. The NTSB previously said it was notified that the flight turned back because of “a right engine issue and cabin decompression.” Ryanair has not publicly addressed the engine issue disclosed by the NTSB. In response to an emailed request for comment about the engine issue on July 10, the airline reiterated its previous statement about the flight returning to Thessaloniki after a window became dislodged. Passengers told Greek media that they heard a loud bang, oxygen masks dropped and the plane began to lose altitude. A series of short videos recorded from inside the plane and shared by Radio Thessaloniki showed passengers wearing oxygen masks after the cabin lost pressure. Another appeared to show the blown-out window, with a man seated nearby wearing an oxygen mask. A third video, apparently filmed after the aircraft landed, showed first responders working in the aisle. Shye Gilad, a former airline captain who teaches at Georgetown University’s business school in the U.S., said the window blowing out would have caused rapid decompression — a sudden loss of cabin pressure that can create a brief but powerful suction effect near the opening before the pressure stabilizes. “The seat belt can help in those first few seconds. It’s a difference maker and people should keep their seat belts fastened at all times,” Gilad said, adding that events such as this one are “very rare” because “it takes a lot to breach a cabin.” Flight records show the aircraft — a Boeing 737-800 delivered new to Ryanair in 2008 — had been climbing past 15,000 feet (4,570 meters) about six minutes after departure before immediately descending to about 6,000 feet (1,830 meters). Flight-tracking site Flightradar24 said the aircraft remained at the lower altitude for roughly 30 minutes to burn fuel before returning to Thessaloniki about an hour after takeoff. Ryanair said in its statement that one passenger requested and received medical care after landing, and that a replacement aircraft later flew passengers to Germany. https://abcnews.com/Business/wireStory/us-investigators-lead-probe-ryanair-flight-man-partly-134834861 Pakistan cargo crash families push for international help to find black boxes Pakistan search team found parts of the wreckage last week Recovering black boxes requires international search, experts say A plane part was flown in from the US and replaced before the flight, family members say KARACHI, July 17 (Reuters) - Relatives of the five crew members aboard a Boeing (BA.N), opens new tab 737 cargo plane that crashed into the Arabian Sea off Pakistan last week are urging an international search effort to find the flight recorders to determine the cause. Debris from ‌the K2 Airways freighter was recovered shortly after the July 7 crash, but the water in the area is about 3,000 m (9,800 feet) deep. Make sense of global markets with the Trading Day newsletter. Sign up here. Finding the "black boxes" would require a costly underwater search likely to need foreign assistance, according to aviation experts familiar with deepwater crashes such as Air France 447 in 2009. The locator beacons on the 27-year-old plane were designed to transmit pings for only 30 days. Recovering the recorders could show whether a navigation system issue reported shortly before the crash was linked to a navigation component that relatives say was replaced before the flight. Pakistan has provided no public update on the search for a week, and an industrial company ⁠with underwater search expertise told Reuters it had not heard of any requests by Pakistan for assistance from foreign companies or navies. "The search has to continue, and whatever resources can be deployed, locally and internationally, should be deployed," Yashib Rizwan, the eldest son of Captain Rizwan Idris, told Reuters. "For us a transparent investigation is key." Engineer Muhammad Arif Siddiqui's son, Abdur Rafay Siddiqui, also called for international assistance if needed. Both families have held funeral prayers after losing hope the bodies would be recovered. Pakistan's government has not responded to questions about whether it will seek foreign assistance to search for the plane. K2, which lost its only plane in the crash, has not responded to requests for comment. NAVIGATIONAL SYSTEM ISSUE The pilots reported a navigational system issue at 9:18 p.m. Pakistan time while flying to Karachi from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan's airports authority said last week. Local air traffic control tried to guide it, but three minutes later radar systems showed the plane descending rapidly and communication was lost, the authority said. Flightradar24 data showed the plane plunged about 5,000 feet in less than ‌a minute, ⁠climbed about 6,000 feet in 30 seconds and then entered a catastrophic dive from 36,550 feet. The plane spent about 10 days in Sharjah before the flight while the pilots awaited a replacement part from the U.S. after a maintenance fault, said Ghulam Nabi, the father-in-law of co-pilot Faisal Jatoi. One of the plane's two inertial reference units (IRUs), which feed information on the aircraft's position, speed and orientation to the cockpit displays, was replaced in Sharjah, the captain's son Yashib Rizwan said. "If you have a problem with your IRU, you just can't rely upon the instruments," said John Goglia, a ⁠former U.S. National Transportation Safety Board member, adding that pilots flying at night over the ocean without visual references could struggle to determine the aircraft's orientation. Aircraft accidents are usually caused by multiple factors, and it remains unclear whether the replacement of the IRU is related to the crash. An inertial reference system malfunction contributed to the 2007 Adam Air crash in Indonesia, where investigators found the pilots became ⁠fixated on troubleshooting erroneous information, failed to notice a steep right bank and lost control before the aircraft plunged into the sea, killing all 102 people aboard. Pings from the Adam Air black boxes were detected about three weeks after the crash in a search aided by the U.S. Navy, but recovering the recorders from about 2,000 m of water took ⁠a months-long multimillion-dollar effort using a specialised remotely operated vehicle. U.S. aviation expert Todd Curtis said on the "Flight Safety Detectives" podcast that Pakistan was unlikely to mount a similar recovery operation unless there was a compelling reason given the K2 plane was an ageing cargo jet rather than a current-production passenger model. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/pakistan-cargo-crash-families-push-international-help-find-black-boxes-2026-07-17/ Measles warning issued after 2 infectious travelers passed through Bush Airport Healthcare providers were asked to watch for symptoms after two people with confirmed measles traveled through the airport while contagious. HOUSTON — Houston healthcare providers have been notified that two people with laboratory-confirmed measles traveled through George Bush Intercontinental Airport while they were infectious. The notice was shared by the Houston Health Department, according to a source that first shared the information with KHOU 11. Houston Methodist confirmed it received the information. The Houston Health Department would not comment to KHOU 11 on the cases or share any specific information, including the dates or times the people passed through the airport. The agency also would not explain why the information was not being shared with the general public. The notice, shared with KHOU 11, said that there have been no confirmed cases of measles in Houston residents. KHOU 11 has asked for more information and comment about the situation from the Houston Mayor’s Office, Harris County Public Health, and Houston Airport System but has not received any response. Why health experts are concerned about measles Dr. Pedro Piedra, an infectious disease expert with Baylor College of Medicine, said measles has become a growing concern as vaccination rates decline. Symptoms of measles can include: Fever Cough Runny nose Red eyes A rash that typically spreads from the face to the rest of the body “We’ve been having major measles outbreaks for the last two years — with decreasing vaccine coverage, things that were vaccine preventable become a concern — and measles is one of them,” Piedra said. Measles is one of the most contagious diseases and can spread through respiratory droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Health officials say the best way to protect against measles is to make sure vaccinations are up to date. They also recommend avoiding close contact with anyone showing possible symptoms and contacting a healthcare provider if you believe you may have been exposed. https://www.khou.com/article/news/health/measles-warning-infectious-travelers-bush-airport-houston-iah/285-a082f3e2-5822-418a-a33e-9692b07b5ec7 Airlines warn adjusting to permanent daylight saving time could take up to 2 years With a bill to make daylight saving time permanent moving through Congress, airlines are warning that permanently changing the nation's clocks could take years to implement and require costly operational changes. Daylight saving time is one step closer to becoming the year-round standard after the House voted in favor of a bill that would keep clocks permanently shifted ahead. The legislation now heads to the Senate, where it must pass before it would land on President Trump's desk for his signature. Its future remains up in the air. Advocates for the bill say making DST permanent would reduce energy use because the sun would set later in the winter, while detractors say it could create more cold, dark mornings and lead to negative health outcomes. The aviation industry says permanent DST would be very disruptive to the sector, requiring up to 24 months to adjust airlines' scheduling systems. The change would impact everything from "crew and aircraft positioning" to "domestic and international connectivity issues," according to Airlines for America, or A4A, the trade association representing leading carriers. "Airlines operate expansive interconnected domestic and global networks that are reliant on stability and predictability. Any changes would need an implementation timeline that reflects these global complications," the group said. Other businesses that depend on consistent scheduling, such as trucking and railroad companies, would also require time to adjust, experts say. In a statement to CBS News, A4A said that if the bill becomes law, lawmakers "should allow for a significant amount of time to adjust airline schedules, websites, reservation systems, crew scheduling, payroll and the implementation of IT fixes both at the air carriers and any impacted vendors prior to implementation of DST changes." Business challenges The aviation industry is unique given its reliance on complex scheduling, and for the fact that tickets can be reserved well in advance of the date of travel, said aviation industry analyst Henry Harteveldt, founder of Atmosphere Research Group. Trucking and railroad companies, which are also timetable dependent, will have to make significant operational changes if the bill becomes law, Harteveldt added. "They would all have to make changes to their software programs if we abandon the practice of daylight saving time," he said. But, he added, airlines may only require six months to a year to adjust, rather than up to two years. "There are a lot of different software systems that may need to be reprogrammed within an airline, including reservation, crew scheduling and maintenance, which will have to be adjusted," he said. "But I don't think it's going to be a two-year time frame. That seems extreme." He said the twice-yearly clock changes already illustrate how even minor disruptions can affect daily routines. "And though under normal circumstances airlines send out emails and text alerts, and make announcements, passengers show up for flights at the wrong time," he said. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/daylight-saving-time-airlines-business-impact/ TCSAR earns FAA certificate for highest level of aviation safety standards JACKSON, Wyo. — Teton County Search and Rescue (TCSAR) was recognized on Tuesday by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) after earning the second of two certifications for its helicopter program. According to a news release from TCSAR, two FAA officials — Denver Flight Standards District Office Manager Dale Ogden and Principal Operations Inspector Derek Smith — presented the TCSAR team with a Part 135 Air Carrier certificate at the TCSAR headquarters on July 14. “Our goal was to build trust by ensuring our aviation program is held to the same standards expected of commercial operators working for federal agencies,” TCSAR Director of Aviation Operations Jon Bourke said in a statement. “We wanted independent oversight from the FAA to demonstrate our commitment to safety, professionalism and operational excellence.” TCSAR completed the Part 133 External Load Operator certification over two years ago, which allows the agency to conduct external load operations safely and legally under FAA oversight. That capability ensures that the program performs under the same regulations as a commercial helicopter operator. TCSAR sought the two certifications voluntarily to demonstrate aviation safety and accountability, as public aircraft operators are not required to obtain these certifications “Together these certifications signify that TCSAR meets rigorous federal requirements for pilot training, aircraft maintenance, safety management, operational procedures, and organizational oversight,” reads the press release. TCSAR stated that this new certification required years of developing operating manuals, maintenance programs, pilot training, safety procedures and organizational systems. Comprehensive inspections of personnel, aircraft and facilities were also required. With the completed certifications, the search and rescue aviation program will be subject to ongoing FAA surveillance and oversight to ensure that the highest recognized federal safety standards are maintained. These credentials seek to strengthen TCSAR’s ability to support federal partners with whom the agency has existing cooperative agreements, including Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks and Bridger-Teton National Forest. TCSAR clarified that it is not entering the commercial aviation business. https://buckrail.com/tcsar-earns-faa-certificate-for-highest-level-of-aviation-safety-standards/ NYC helicopter that crashed and killed 6 last year shows signs of bird strike, NTSB says NYC chopper that crashed and killed 6 last year showed signs of bird strike: NTSB Anthony Carlo spoke to a woman who witnessed the crash, and was pivotal in the NTSB's investigation. NEW YORK (WABC) -- The remains of several geese were found on the wreckage of a sightseeing helicopter that crashed into the Hudson River last year in New York City and killed six people, investigators said Thursday. The National Transportation Safety Board reports released Thursday describe evidence and witness reports suggesting the helicopter struck several birds before it plummeted into the river on April 10, 2025. Kaily Furlot was one of the people who witnessed the chopper crash. She can never forget seeing the helicopter drop from the sky like a rock. She was one of the eyewitnesses interviewed by the NTSB, but before the Bell 206 broke apart midair, she noticed something. "Not looking like it was bits of the helicopter it looked like there was something else - and when I had given the statement I had said I thought it was a bird. It looked like there were feathers in the sky," she said. According to a bird expert from the Smithsonian Institute, a mixed species flock of Brant and Canada geese impacted the rotor blades and the horizontal stabilizer. And a great black-backed gull was hit by flying debris from the tail section at force enough to mangle the bird and cause the bird wing to separate and come to rest on the rooftop with other helicopter debris. The Federal Aviation Administration has said that helicopters are especially vulnerable to bird strikes because they fly at low altitudes. Helicopter bird strikes are unusual, but they can be devastating. For former Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, this adds to the reasons he's against helicopter tourism on the Hudson. "We are in one of the most densely populated areas in the country," he said. "Big buildings, a lot of people on the ground, and very busy air traffic control going on between Newark Airport, LaGuardia and JFK, and so you are only adding to it." The victims of last year's accident included a Siemens business executive from Spain, his family and the pilot. Passengers Agustin Escobar, 49; his wife, Mercè Camprubí Montal, 39; and their three children, Victor, 4; Mercedes, 8; and Agustin, 10, all died. The pilot was Seankese Johnson, 36, a U.S. Navy veteran who received his commercial pilot's license in 2023. Attorneys for the Camprubi-Montal family released a statement on Thursday night, saying, "We are reviewing the great deal of information released by the NTSB. It is important to remember that this is a docket of information and not conclusions about the cause of the crash. A careful analysis of all the facts and data will need to be undertaken to understand the complete picture surrounding this tragic crash." The crash renewed safety concerns about the popular sightseeing flights and prompted New Jersey's governor to ask for additional restrictions on nonessential helicopter flights. The information released Thursday by the NTSB is part of an ongoing investigation as authorities work to nail down a probable cause and all contributing factors. https://abc7ny.com/post/nyc-helicopter-crashed-hudson-river-killed-6-last-year-shows-signs-bird-strike-ntsb-says/19521379/ United plans to retire 80 aircraft next year as it expects first Boeing 737 Max 10 deliveries United Airlines expects to receive its first Boeing 737 Max 10s in 2027 Number of retirements a “step up” from previous years, says the US carrier. United Airlines plans to retire 80 older, less fuel-efficient aircraft in 2027 amid a fleetwide cabin refresh that should help cut costs and improve margins. The new number of retirements is a “step up” from previous years, United chief financial officer Mike Leskinen said during the carrier’s second-quarter earnings call on 16 July. This should help balance capacity with demand and help ensure the airline’s entire fleet is retrofitted with upgraded interiors more quickly. As new aircraft enter the fleet, they will bolster United’s “barbell approach”, which matches newer, fuel-efficient aircraft to high-demand, profitable routes. Older aircraft with more dated cabins and higher costs can be “sat down” and only used when necessary in peak times. “It maximises not only profits, but it maximises return on invested capital to have a larger amount of these younger, more fuel-efficient aircraft,” says Leskinen. United expects to take delivery of its first Boeing 737 Max 10 aircraft in 2027, with up to 20 expected next year and another 147 on order.. The more fuel-efficient new model will feature plenty of premium seats and will operate United’s most important routes. “The Max 10 will be superior in every way,” says the carrier’s chief commercial officer, Andrew Nocella. Earlier in July, Boeing said it had started producing Max 10s on a new factory line in Seattle as it works toward securing US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification for the narrowbody. Cabin upgrades across the fleet United reaffirmed its previous plan to add SpaceX’s Starlink satellite Wi-Fi to 1,000 aircraft by the end of the year. “As fast as Starlink can produce the antennas for us, we’re going to get them on the airplane,” says chief executive Scott Kirby. “For premium customers that really want to be able to make sure they’re connected with high speed, it is going to lead to big share gains for us.” Other cabin refresh work – including increased premium seat capacity, upgraded seatback entertainment screens and larger overhead bins – is also under way, United says, which should help increase margins. Getting those margins to where United wants them, in the “mid-teens” will require “more structural changes in the industry”, Kirby says, noting some competitors will lose money this year thanks to sharply higher fuel costs. “They have an awful lot of flying that loses money on an individual route basis. One way or another, that gets resolved over time,” he adds. https://www.flightglobal.com/archive/2026/07/united-plans-to-retire-80-aircraft-next-year-as-it-expects-first-boeing-737-max-10-deliveries/ Air China, Shenzhen Airlines order 55 Airbus jets with list price of $12.4 billion At the start of July, Air China, China Eastern, China Southern and Shenzhen Airlines placed an order for 292 single-aisle A320 family aircraft from Airbus. 55 aircraft for a total list price of $12.4 billion, as China's flag carrier moves to expand capacity and modernize its fleet with more fuel-efficient aircraft. Air China agreed to buy 15 A350-900 wide-body jets, while Shenzhen Airlines will separately purchase 40 narrow-body A320neo-family aircraft, according to a filing by Air China with the Shanghai stock exchange. The A350-900 jets, with a list value of about $6.09 billion based on Airbus's January 2025 list prices, are scheduled for delivery between 2030 and 2032. The 40 A320neo family aircraft, valued at about $6.35 billion based on January 2024 list prices, are slated for delivery between 2029 and 2032. Air China said in the filing that the actual transaction prices will be lower than the listed values, with Airbus offering significant discounts, a standard practice for sizeable aircraft orders. Both airlines will fund the purchases through a mix of their own funds, commercial bank loans and other financing arrangements. The order comes as Chinese carriers continue to rebuild and expand their fleets following the pandemic. Air China said the new aircraft would help optimize its fleet structure and route network, improve operational efficiency and reduce costs. The A320neo family competes with the medium-haul Boeing 737 MAX, while the A350-900 is widely used on long-haul international routes. https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/17/air-china-shenzhen-airlines-order-55-airbus-jets.html CALENDAR OF EVENTS . 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. . Airlines 2026 conference - November 11, 2026 (London) . 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