Flight Safety Information - September 18, 2026 No. 184 In This Issue : Incident: KLM Cityhopper E295 at Amsterdam on Sep 15th 2026, rudder failure : Accident: Serve B733 at Kindu on Sep 17th 2026, main gear collapse on takeoff : Plane Passenger Caught with Knife Hidden in Carry-On Admits She Did It to Avoid Paying $100 Checked Bag Fee : Airliner narrowly misses gliders on approach to Luton : Over 7,000 Flight Delays Pile Up Thursday—Chicago And Boston Hit Hardest : FAA Order Lays Groundwork for Unified Agency SMS Order follows creation of Aviation Safety Management Office earlier this year : ICAO Secretary General to Keynote FSF Safety Summit : Lufthansa Places Its First Order for 737 MAX 10 : Almost-new Boeing and Airbus jets are being scrapped for parts : Calendar of Events Incident: KLM Cityhopper E295 at Amsterdam on Sep 15th 2026, rudder failure A KLM Cityhopper Embraer ERJ-195-E2, registration PH-NXH performing flight KL-1531 from Amsterdam (Netherlands) to Valencia,SP (Spain), was climbing out of Amsterdam's runway 18L when the crew stopped the climb at FL130 reporting their rudder had failed, they needed to return to Amsterdam and could accept only 3 knots of cross wind for landing. It was determined that the cross wind for runway 24 was only 2 knots, hence the crew opted for that runway and landed safely on runway 24 about 30 minutes after departure. A replacement ERJ-195-E2 registration PH-NXK reached Valencia with a delay of about 3.5 hours. The occurrence aircraft returned to service about 6 hours after landing. https://avherald.com/h?article=54118dd8&opt=0 Accident: Serve B733 at Kindu on Sep 17th 2026, main gear collapse on takeoff A Serve Air Boeing 737-300 freighter, registration 9S-AAI performing a flight from Kindu to Kinshasa (DR Congo), was departing Kindu's runway 36 when the right main gear collapsed causing the aircraft to veer right. The crew managed to keep the aircraft on the runway and stop it. The aircraft became disabled on the runway, the left inboard tyre was damaged as well. DR Congo's BPEA reported they have dispatched a team of investigators on site involving an occurrence with 9S-AAI on takeoff from Kindu to Kinshasa. The right main gear seen after the rejected takeoff: https://avherald.com/h?article=54118666&opt=0 Plane Passenger Caught with Knife Hidden in Carry-On Admits She Did It to Avoid Paying $100 Checked Bag Fee The traveler’s prohibited item was discovered by TSA officers at Dane County Regional Airport (MSN) in Madison, Wis., according to the agency A traveler admitted to hiding a knife in her carry-on to avoid a $100 checked bag fee TSA officers discovered the knife during screening and called law enforcement to handle the situation The passenger surrendered the knife and was cleared for travel but faced warnings about concealing prohibited items One traveler went to great lengths just to avoid paying a $100 checked bag fee ahead of a recent camping trip. TSA officers caught the passenger attempting to strategically hide a knife in her carry-on bag while going through security at Dane County Regional Airport (MSN) in Madison, Wis., the agency shared in one of its "Employee Stories" published on Monday, Sept. 14. Per the agency's website, knives are only allowed in checked bags and they must be "sheathed or securely wrapped to prevent injury to baggage handlers and inspectors." The traveler's knife was discovered by TSA Officer Callie Meis, who spotted the object on the X-ray machine and immediately called for a bag search. According to the TSA, the passenger used tape to keep the knife in place so that it would stay hidden. With 22 years of TSA experience, Meis knew to call on Property Search Officer Jim Kohn to inspect the bag. "I could tell it was positioned in the bottom of the bag, so when Officer Kohn came back and told me it was artfully concealed, it made sense due to its location. However, the honesty of the woman's answers shocked me the most," Meis recalled. Kohn then requested the help of Supervisory TSA Officer (STSO) Andrew Kasten, who questioned the passenger about the way she concealed the knife. "While I was looking over the knife in the bag, I told the passenger, 'I have encountered many knives over the years, but never in this position within a bag,' and asked what her reasoning was. Her response to me was, 'I was attempting to conceal this knife from TSA,' because she had a camping trip coming up," Kasten said. He added that the discovery of the item and the passenger's admission of wanting to keep it hidden prompted him to call on the Dane County Sheriff's Office and TSA Manager Annie Lu to help determine the next steps. Once law enforcement arrived, the passenger continued to confess more details about the situation, adding that she "didn't think TSA would see the knife" and she didn't want to check a bag to "avoid paying the $100 baggage fee," according to the TSA. While the passenger was eventually cleared for travel after surrendering the knife to TSA, Kasten says the incident is a reminder for travelers that officers will catch prohibited items even if they are hidden. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. "Our officers are trained to detect items concealed like this, and the machines we use provide clear imaging to provide any member of the screening workforce a clear visual image to inspect," the officer explained. "When contemplating the options of saving a few dollars or paying a federal civil penalty due to something hidden, I recommend being smart about it. For whatever reason you may be traveling, don't jeopardize your income or freedom just to save an item like this $5 knife," Kasten concluded. https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/plane-passenger-caught-knife-hidden-164219610.html Airliner narrowly misses gliders on approach to Luton Air traffic controllers were left shaken after the pilot of an approaching airliner said they had narrowly missed four gliders - one of which was clocked flying at 5,000ft. The incident happened on 27 April close to Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, as the Airbus A321 came in to land at Luton Airport. According to a report by UK Airprox Board the "gliders appeared to be operating in, or very close to, controlled airspace at the same level as their aircraft". The controllers "looked at one another in disbelief" when the pilot confirmed the one of the gliders was at the same height in the air, or "500ft higher than the delegated operating altitude". The report said the air traffic controllers "could not believe what [the pilot] had just said, and it took them a while to process". The controllers said they had had safety concerns for years concerning how gliders operated from Dunstable Downs without radios or transponders, often relying on the pilots of incoming airlines physically seeing them. They told investigators that "something needs to be done to aid the safe integration of gliding traffic if they are to operate so close to a busy London airport". The London Gliding Club, which operates from Dunstable Downs, said the aircraft seen by the reporting pilot was almost certainly a Schleicher ASK21 training glider. It said it was not infringing controlled airspace and there was no risk of collision. Investigators concluded that, although the airline pilot "had been concerned by their perceived proximity of the ASK21", they were "satisfied that normal safety margins had pertained" and "determined that there had not been a risk of collision". https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/airliner-narrowly-misses-gliders-approach-045250394.html Over 7,000 Flight Delays Pile Up Thursday—Chicago And Boston Hit Hardest Flight delays in the U.S. surpassed 7,000 on Thursday as of 7 p.m. EDT, impacting Chicago and Boston airports the hardest as the National Weather Service warned of flash flooding in the Midwest and Northern Plains. Trump Sends ICE Agents To Airports As DHS Remains Unfunded Inclement weather caused over 1,000 delays at Chicago O'Hare on Thursday. Flight delays numbered 7,097, according to FlightAware, with Chicago O'Hare International Airport alone accounting for well over 1,400 of the delays. Boston Logan International Airport reported nearly 500 flight delays and 26 cancellations, as the Federal Aviation Administration said runway construction has caused some arriving flights to be delayed an average of two hours and 16 minutes. Chicago experienced heavy rainfall Thursday morning, according to the NWS, which forecast scattered thunderstorms and rain Thursday night. Chicago Midway International Airport reported more than 260 delays. Nearly 800 flights were canceled nationwide, with almost 200 of those involving flights scheduled for into or out of O'Hare. WHAT OTHER AIRPORTS HAVE SIGNIFICANT DELAYS Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport had notched more than 420 delays as the city's temperatures neared the triple-digits. San Diego International Airport, despite enjoying favorable conditions and a forecast high of 74 degrees, logged nearly 300 delays. The Federal Aviation Administration said Thursday a traffic management program was in effect at the airport due to volume, causing some arriving flights to experience delays of 40 minutes on average. Indianapolis International Airport recorded more than 80 delays as Indianapolis faces a flood watch effective at 10 p.m. EDT. Tangent As the U.S. war against Iran has dragged on, oil prices have continued surging this month and set up travelers for higher airfares this holiday season. Katy Nastro, aviation and travel correspondent at Flighty, told Forbes, "The average traveler may be priced out of the holiday season," noting it is a "fool's errand" to believe flight prices will become affordable by the holidays. Key Background Delays at Chicago airports and others in the Midwest could continue into the weekend, as the NWS expects "waves of showers and storms" from Saturday morning to Monday. https://www.yahoo.com/travel/news/articles/over-5-000-flight-delays-193823993.html FAA Order Lays Groundwork for Unified Agency SMS Order follows creation of Aviation Safety Management Office earlier this year The FAA has worked closely with industry to re-register aircraft that were grounded. © AIN archives The FAA this week released an order implementing a unified safety management system (SMS) throughout the agency. Effective September 15, Order 1030.8 establishes safety management policy and the requirements for a single SMS under the Aviation Safety Management Office. In January, the agency announced a reorganization that included a new safety oversight office tasked with implementing a single safety management system and risk management strategy throughout the FAA. The agency said that instead of having individual offices monitor their own safety metrics, the new office would pull together and share safety data from across the agency. At the time, FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford had outlined a “Flight Plan” for the agency that called for streamlining its safety management activities. He explained to the Aero Club of Washington that there have been 14 lines of business at the FAA, and “We don’t collaborate well. We don’t share data across the silos. So we’re tearing those silos down, and we’re creating one FAA SMS and moving really more…to true risk management, risk identification, and threat assessment.” The order reiterated that the policy and requirements are designed to “improve the FAA’s ability to proactively identify hazards and manage risk at the enterprise level.” It outlines the roles and responsibilities of the Aviation Safety Management Office regarding SMS, as well as those of the agency’s executive leadership, Executive Safety Council, and other personnel. In addition, the order defines and standardizes safety management and facilitates information sharing, requiring a common approach to implementing and maturing a unified SMS that fosters a positive safety culture. Key in the order is that it applies to all FAA organizations: Everyone has a role in safety management activities in the FAA,” the agency said. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/air-transport/2026-09-17/faa-order-lays-groundwork-unified-agency-sms ICAO Secretary General to Keynote FSF Safety Summit ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 17, 2026 79th annual International Aviation Safety Summit scheduled for Nov. 10-12 in Montreal ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Secretary General Juan Carlos Salazar will deliver the opening keynote on Day 1 of Flight Safety Foundation's 79th annual International Aviation Safety Summit (IASS) on Nov. 10 in Montreal. In his remarks, Salazar will set the stage for the summit's theme: Is Aviation Really Ready to Scale Safely? Leadership for Growth, Complexity, and Disruption. "Secretary General Salazar's perspective will be especially timely as aviation confronts rapid growth and increasingly complex operational challenges," said Dr. Hassan Shahidi, president and CEO of Flight Safety Foundation. "His keynote will challenge leaders across the aviation ecosystem to think boldly about how we scale while keeping safety at the center of every decision." IASS 2026, which is scheduled for Nov. 10-12 at ICAO Headquarters in Montreal, is expected to bring together dozens of subject matter expert speakers and panelists and more than 350 attendees from across the global aviation ecosystem to explore what can be learned from the past and what needs to be reimagined for the future if aviation is to meet the challenges of rapid growth, increasing complexity, and frequent disruption. The opening keynote will be followed by an executive panel of industry leaders who will discuss how senior leaders build trust, reinforce accountability, and make safety credible when growth, cost, schedule, and disruption compete for attention. Other agenda highlights include panel discussions on scaling the workforce without shrinking safety margins, safely integrating advanced air mobility and uncrewed aircraft systems into the airspace, enhancing in-time safety management, and using artificial intelligence to detect weak signals and support faster safety-critical decisions without breaking the chain of accountability. Featured speakers will address subjects including how to turn data and information into trusted safety intelligence, how to manage the future airspace system, and how to coordinate more frequent commercial space operations in shared airspace. Day 2 will feature three breakout sessions that will include panel discussions on breaking the cycle of recurring safety events, developing infrastructure and capabilities for tomorrow's airspace, and building resilience for safe recovery. In each track, the panel discussions will be followed by interactive workshop-like audience engagement sessions in which attendees and panelists will work to identify priorities and barriers to progress. For more information on IASS 2026, including the latest agenda, speakers, and registration, please visit the IASS 2026 page on the Foundation's website. About Flight Safety Foundation (flightsafety.org) Flight Safety Foundation is an independent, nonprofit, international organization engaged in research, education, and communications to improve aviation safety. The Foundation's mission is to connect, influence, and lead global aviation safety. https://www.morningstar.com/news/pr-newswire/20260917dc50941/icao-secretary-general-to-keynote-fsf-safety-summit Lufthansa Places Its First Order for 737 MAX 10 Lufthansa Group is expanding its planned fleet of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft with its first order of the MAX 10. The airline group said Thursday that it has exercised options for 20 MAX 10 jets. The options were included in a 2023 order for 40 MAX 8s. The 20 aircraft have a combined list value of approximately $3.4 billion, Lufthansa officials said. The company's order book for the 737 MAX family now totals 60 aircraft. Deliveries of the MAX 10s are expected to begin in the early 2030s. Lufthansa Group said the new jets will gradually replace older Airbus A320-family aircraft across its subsidiary airlines. The long-delayed MAX 10 recently completed its final test flight and is believed to be very close to FAA certification. Boeing initially planned to have the variant certified by 2020, but the global grounding of all MAX variants in 2019, heightened regulatory scrutiny, and persistent problems with the model's anti-ice system caused repeated delays. Progress toward certification has picked up over the last two years. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/technology/articles/lufthansa-places-first-order-737-171653962.html Almost-new Boeing and Airbus jets are being scrapped for parts Aftermarket firms are scrapping nearly new A320neo and 737 MAX jets because the parts are worth more than the plane More than 10 Airbus A320neos and Boeing 737 MAXs are scheduled to be dismantled this year for spare parts by European aircraft storage company TARMAC Aerosave on behalf of AerFin, an aviation aftermarket firm. With order books at Airbus and Boeing full, a shortage of supplier capacity, and the disruptions that started during the pandemic having never cleared, delivery of a new aircraft is still roughly a decade or more away. And as the demand for used components such as engines, landing gear, avionics, and windows surges, more teardown projects are already lined up for 2027. Lightly used components, for instance, now sell at a premium. High enough that stripping a young aircraft beats paying to make it airworthy. "With more than 10 aircraft projects again this year for AerFin, this collaboration confirms our position as a leading player in the dismantling and recycling market," said Christian Ceruti, chief commercial officer at TARMAC Aerosave, in a statement. "Our dedicated organization allows us to respond with the responsiveness that this high-demand market requires today," Ceruti added. The two companies have worked together for about a decade. Four years old, torn down EirTrade Aviation bought two former Spirit Airlines A320neos in February for exactly this purpose. "The aircraft – MSN 10769 and MSN 10921 – are only 4 years and 3.5 years old, respectively and will be the youngest Airbus A320 NEO airframes ever to be torn down," the Dublin company said in a statement. Disassembly took place in Goodyear, Arizona, with the recovered parts shipped to EirTrade's Dallas hub for AOG (aircraft-on-ground) requests (emergency orders needed to get grounded planes flying again) across the Americas. "We are focused on newer vintage aircraft to ensure that our inventory contains the highest quality rotables, which ensure that our customers can be supported with the latest modification standard components," said Bill Thompson, vice president of origination and trading for the Americas. What comes out Four A320neos that AerFin dismantled with TARMAC Aerosave each yielded about 1,400 components, including engines, auxiliary power units, landing gear, and nacelles. The engines alone can be a large share of an aircraft's value. Young jets typically reach the teardown line with damage. So does long storage without engines, a maintenance dispute, or an ownership fight. Returning it to service, therefore, stops making financial sense, and the parts go to market instead. The crypto industry saw Trump as its savior. His crypto business just snagged a key bill Neither company has named the aircraft in this program or disclosed how many are A320neos versus 737 MAXs. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/markets/commodities/articles/almost-boeing-airbus-jets-being-200119648.html CALENDAR OF EVENTS . 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 . ISASI - BOSTON 2026 - September 28, 2026 – October 2, 2026 . Global Aviation Conference Frankfurt- 29-30SEP2026 - Frankfurt, Germany . Defence Aviation Safety Conference 2026 — October 5–6, 2026, United Kingdom. . European Aviation Training Summit 3 – 5 November 2026 • Estoril Congress Centre, Cascais, Portugal . 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 . Gulf Flight Safety Association (GFSA)conference Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on the 28th and 29th of October 2026 . Bombardier Safety Standdown (November 10–12, 2026 in Wichita, KS) . Aircraft Fire Hazards, Protection, and Investigation17 to 19 November 2026, Woburn MA . 2027 ACSF Safety Symposium - April 6-8, 2027 - ERAU Daytona Beach, FL Curt Lewis