Flight Safety Information March 20, 2018 - No. 057 In This Issue Incident: British Airways A388 near Paris on Mar 19th 2018, hot air leak in wing Incident: United B772 at Honolulu on Mar 19th 2018, engine reported smoking EVAS - Cockpit Smoke Protection Incident: Estelar B733 at Caracas on Mar 19th 2018, burst both right hand tyres on landing Incident: Southwest B737 at Baltimore on Mar 17th 2018, flock of geese Incident: Juneyao A320 at Okinawa on Mar 18th 2018, commenced takeoff without clearance SAHCOL equipment bumps into Arik aircraft at Lagos airport NTSB asks for ban on helicopter harnesses after fatal NYC crash Pipistrel Surges Electric Airplane Production American Airlines Will Retire Boeing 737 Aircraft By 2020 Amid engine trouble, IndiGo plans to add 35 aircraft to its fleet IAI to develop all-electric aircraft Emirates recruiting pilots in South Africa ISASI -2018 - CALL FOR PAPERS RESEARCH SURVEY POSITION AVAILABLE: AVIATION OPERATIONS SAFETY SPECIALIST Incident: British Airways A388 near Paris on Mar 19th 2018, hot air leak in wing A British Airways Airbus A380-800, registration G-XLEC performing flight BA-57 from London Heathrow,EN (UK) to Johannesburg (South Africa), was enroute at FL350 about 120nm southwest of Paris (France) when the crew decided to return to London Heathrow due to hot air leak in one of the wings. The crew advised on approach to London that the affected system had been isolated, a normal landing and taxi would occur. The aircraft entered a hold at FL080 to dump fuel and is estimated to land on Heathrow's runway 09R in about 30 minutes. The flight has been postponed to the next day to depart with a delay of about 20 hours. http://avherald.com/h?article=4b649fd5&opt=256 Back to Top Incident: United B772 at Honolulu on Mar 19th 2018, engine reported smoking A United Boeing 777-200, registration N768UA performing flight UA-372 from Honolulu,HI to San Francisco,CA (USA), was in the initial climb out of Honolulu's runway 08R when tower advised the crew the right hand engine appeared to be smoking more than usual. The crew responded they just did a check of their engine and everything appeared normal, but then queried whether they could get vectors for a downwind for a fly by. Tower agreed. The aircraft performed a low approach to runway 08L, when applying thrust for the go around the right hand engine "definitely emitted black smoke", tower reported. The crew advised they would burn off fuel and return to Honolulu. The aircraft entered a hold at 4000 feet for about 40 minutes, then positioned for a safe landing on runway 08L about 55 minutes after departure. The aircraft remained on the ground for 130 minutes, then departed again and is estimated to reach San Francisco with a delay of 2:45 hours. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/UAL372/history/20180319/1700Z/PHNL/KSFO http://avherald.com/h?article=4b649beb&opt=256 Back to Top Back to Top Incident: Estelar B733 at Caracas on Mar 19th 2018, burst both right hand tyres on landing An Estelar Latinoamerica Boeing 737-300, registration YV2918 performing flight E4-8352 from Maracaibo to Caracas (Venezuela) with 135 people on board, landed on Caracas' runway 10 but burst both right hand main tyres on landing. The aircraft rolled out without further incident, stopped on the runway and was disabled. The passengers disembarked onto the runway and were bussed to the terminal, the aircraft was towed to the apron. The blown tyres (Photo: Federico BlackB): http://avherald.com/h?article=4b6494df&opt=256 Back to Top Incident: Southwest B737 at Baltimore on Mar 17th 2018, flock of geese A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700, registration N407WN performing flight WN-3095 from Norfolk,VA to Baltimore,MD (USA), was on final approach to Baltimore's runway 33L when just upon contacting tower about 7nm before the runway threshold the crew reported they hit a flock of birds. The aircraft continued for a safe landing, noted down a phone number provided by tower to report the bird strike to, and taxied to the gate. The FAA reported the aircraft received damage when it flew through a flock of geese on approach to Baltimore. A replacement Boeing 737-700 registration N211WN continued the remaining sectors of flight WN-3095. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Baltimore 53 hours later. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/SWA3095/history/20180317/1510Z/KORF/KBWI http://avherald.com/h?article=4b649048&opt=256 Back to Top Incident: Juneyao A320 at Okinawa on Mar 18th 2018, commenced takeoff without clearance, high risk of collision on runway A Juneyao Airlines Airbus A320-200, registration B-8236 performing flight HO-1332 from Okinawa (Japan) to Shanghai Pudong (China) with 115 people on board, was cleared to line up runway 18 and wait. The crew read the instruction back correctly, lined up but commenced takeoff. At the time a Japanese Coast Guard aircraft with 5 occupants on board was still in the process of vacating the runway after landing. The A320 became airborne and continued to Shanghai for a safe landing. Japan's Transportation Safety Board (JTSB) rated the occurrence a serious incident involving a high risk of collision and dispatched four accident investigators on site. Metars: ROAH 181100Z 13005KT 9999 FEW025 21/16 Q1016= ROAH 181030Z 14006KT 9999 FEW025 21/16 Q1016= ROAH 181000Z 13006KT 080V160 9999 FEW025 22/16 Q1016= ROAH 180930Z 13008KT 9999 FEW025 22/15 Q1016= ROAH 180900Z 13009KT 080V160 9999 FEW027 23/15 Q1015= ROAH 180830Z 15009KT 9999 SCT027 23/16 Q1016= ROAH 180800Z 14008KT 090V170 9999 SCT028 23/16 Q1016= ROAH 180730Z 13008KT 090V170 9999 FEW030 23/15 Q1016= ROAH 180700Z 14009KT 060V170 9999 FEW030 23/15 Q1016= ROAH 180630Z 15009KT 9999 FEW030 24/15 Q1016= ROAH 180600Z 14009KT 090V180 9999 FEW035 24/15 Q1016= ROAH 180530Z 14010KT 110V180 9999 FEW035 24/15 Q1016= ROAH 180500Z 12010KT 9999 FEW035 24/15 Q1017= http://avherald.com/h?article=4b646b59&opt=256 Back to Top SAHCOL equipment bumps into Arik aircraft at Lagos airport An equipment belonging to Skyway Aviation Handling Company on Sunday bumped into an Arik Air aircraft at the Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal Two, Lagos. The aircraft was scheduled to operate the Lagos-Port Harcourt route before the incident occurred on the ramp. Arik Air recently announced the relocation of its Lagos-Port Harcourt flight operations from the General Aviation Terminal to the MMA2. The Public Relations and Communications Manager, Arik Air, Adebanji Ola, said in a statement on Monday that the airline had reported the incident to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority after providing an alternative for passengers. He said, "Arik Air has reported incidents involving two of its aircraft on Sunday, March 18, 2018 to the NCAA. This is in line with standard operating procedure and the airline's high safety standards. "The first incident involved a Boeing 737-700 marked 5N-MJJ, which was bumped into by the SAHCOL step on the ramp at the MMA2. The aircraft, which was scheduled to operate W3 744 (Lagos-Port Harcourt), had its left side leading edge of horizontal stabilizer damaged. Another aircraft was provided immediately for the Port Harcourt bound passengers. The airline's engineers later fixed the damaged aircraft, which has since returned to service." He added that the other incident involved the airline's Bombardier CRJ900 marked 5N-JEB, operating the Owerri-Lagos flight, which had been grounded at the Sam Mbakwe Airport, Owerri as a result of a technical issue during pre-departure procedure. According to him, a relief aircraft was immediately sent to Owerri to take the already checked-in passengers to Lagos with minimum delay. "We apologise to our customers on the flight for the inconveniences they might have experienced as a result of the incident. We remain committed to our safety policy, high operating standards and customer service," he added. http://punchng.com/sahcol-equipment-bumps-into-arik-aircraft-at-lagos-airport/ Back to Top NTSB asks for ban on helicopter harnesses after fatal NYC crash Five people who died in East River crash were unable to free themselves from safety restraints after helicopter flipped over, authorities say. Emily Gibson, a Survival Factors Investigator with the NTSB's Office of Aviation Safety, on March 13, 2018, documents the restraint systems within the cabin of the Liberty Helicopters' helicopter that crashed in the East River last week. Photo Credit: NTSB Photo by Chris O'Neil While its investigation of the fatal East River helicopter crash March 11 continues, the National Transportation Safety Board issued a strong recommendation Monday that aviation authorities ban the use of passenger safety harnesses that are difficult to release on commercial flights. The five passengers who died when the helicopter landed on the river and flipped over were held by the safety harnesses in addition to standard seat belts, the NTSB said. FDNY rescuers said they had to cut the passengers free of the harnesses to recover their bodies. The NTSB issued its recommendation to the Federal Aviation Administration, which Friday issued an interim order barring "open door" helicopter flights from using the safety restraints. The FAA said the ban order will remain in place until the agency evaluates the issue. In its news release Monday, the NTSB pointed out that the only survivor of the March 11 crash in the photo sightseeing flight was the pilot, Richard Vance, who was held in his seat with the standard seat belt system - part of the helicopter's original equipment. "While we applaud the FAA's intention to move forward on banning these types of doors-off flights, the FAA has not outlined how or when they plan to take action,'' said NTSB Chairman Robert L. Sumwalt in a prepared statement. "And definitive action needs to be taken." The standard restraint system in the AS350B2 helicopter that crashed had lap and over-the-shoulder belts that could be released by one hand motion, the NTSB stated. In addition, the aircraft had a harness system not installed by the helicopter manufacturer and comprised of off-the-shelf components provided to the passengers by FlyNYON, the company that ran the helicopter tour, the NTSB said. "Under normal circumstances at the conclusion of each flight, FlyNYON personnel would release a locking carabiner located on the back of the passengers' harnesses," explained the NTSB, adding that passengers were briefed on how to cut the harnesses, which were not evaluated by the FAA. A spokesman for FlyNYON didn't reply to requests for comment on Monday. https://www.amny.com/news/east-river-helicopter-crash-deaths-1.17518407 Back to Top Pipistrel Surges Electric Airplane Production Although electric airplanes still inhabit a regulatory backwater, Slovenian-based Pipistrel Aircraft is boosting its production of battery-powered trainers and reports a 50-50 split between gasoline and electric aircraft. In this exclusive podcast, the company told AVweb this week that a new production line is building five to six Alpha Electro trainers per month. "We reorganized our production floor space. We have three assembly lines and one of them, since late last year, is dedicated only to producing electric airplanes," says Pipistrel's Tine Tomazic. "Predominantly, this is the Alpha Electro, five to six a month, flanked by a smaller number of the Tauras Electro motorglider." Moreover, the company has brought production of motors, battery arrays and controllers entirely in house. Pipistrel has been a leading developer of electric aircraft and three years ago developed what became the battery-powered Alpha Electro from a similar Rotax-powered variant. The Electro has about one hour of endurance with reserve and can be equipped with quick-change batteries or, more popular, a fast-charge option to replenish the batteries in the airplane. Tomazic says fast charging is the overall trend for all battery systems, especially vehicles, and he foresees the day when charging may require as little as 15 minutes. While battery energy density has improved at 5 to 7 percent per year, Pipistrel says it can't use state-of-the-art batteries because of cycle and charging limits. The aircraft is designed to be flown for about an hour and then placed on the charger, with no resting time. "To do that, we cannot use the highest energy density batteries. The internal resistance cannot support this kind of an operation," Tomazic says. Pipistrel and other electric aircraft manufacturers still face what Tomazic calls a "bureaucratic mountain" to fit electric aircraft into the training ecosystem. In Canada, for example, the airplanes can be flown under the advanced ultralight category, but in the U.S., the regulatory definition of a light sport aircraft specifically calls for a reciprocating engine. A revised regulation is in the works, with an unknown timeline. Both Switzerland and France have approved pilot programs for electric trainers while Australia has in place a more formal program. Tomazic concedes the difficulty of blanket approvals. "Not all countries are acceptable to the idea of flying electrically, let alone training with electric airplanes," he says. He adds that certification efforts currently focus on collecting real-world data to see how the airplanes work, how people react to them and how the charging infrastructure functions. "It's a continuous development, not of the product, but how the product may be used and what specifics need to be taken care of so that safety is not compromised," Tomazic says. https://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/Pipistrel-Surges-Electric-Airplane-Production-230463-1.html Back to Top American Airlines Will Retire Boeing 737 Aircraft By 2020 Some big retirements are on the horizon at American Airlines. It won't be executives or employees doing the retiring this time around. It will actually be the airline's oldest Boeing 737 jets. American Airlines has announced plans to retire a total of 45 of its jets over the course of the next two years. The move will drastically reduce the average age of the airline's narrow-body fleet. How soon can passengers look forward to traveling on an updated fleet when flying with American Airlines? Customers of the airline won't have to wait long until American's planes offer a totally new experience. A Look at American's Retirement Plan for Older Boeing Jets How soon will American's aging fleet of Boeing jets be pulled from rotation? American Airlines has announced that it will be withdrawing a total of 12 of the planes from its existing fleet in 2019. The next batch of 33 will be retired at some point in 2020. However, American won't be pulling the plug on the fleet all at once. Either it follows gradual withdrawal of planes in the manner illustrated above or it will retire three planes every month. This will give the airline time to transition to its newer planes without dealing with an aircraft shortage that could disrupt operations. In fact, customers of the airline shouldn't expect to experience any disruptions or route changes as a result of the fleet swap. The bulk of the Boeing jets currently being used by American have been flying the skies for 19 years. However, some of them are part of more recent deliveries. American isn't retiring the planes because of any specific mechanical issues or safety concerns. The airline simply feels that the airplanes have served their purpose and should be replaced by newer models. Replacing the planes is also a cost-saving measure for the airline. The reality is that older planes require more maintenance than newer ones. Having a large percentage of an airline's total fleet made up of older planes becomes a very costly thing. What Will Be Replacing American's Retired Boeing Planes Next Year? What will future American passengers be traveling on when they book flights? The retirement of 45 planes from the American Airlines fleet will certainly leave a big gap for the airline. However, plans are already in place to add new aircraft to replace the retiring aircraft. American has revealed plans to add 50 Airbus A321neo jets to its fleet upon the retirement of its older aircraft. It will also add 40 Boeing 737 Max aircraft. The bump in aircraft numbers won't be permanent. Plans are in place to retire some additional aircraft and maintain a mainline fleet that totals somewhere around 950 aircraft. The additional planes to be retired are the remaining planes in the airline's aging fleet of MD-80s. The average age of the airline's current fleet of MD-80s is just over 21 years. https://news.get.com/american-airlines-will-retire-boeing-737-aircraft-2020/ Back to Top Amid engine trouble, IndiGo plans to add 35 aircraft to its fleet: Report The airline plans to add the expected 15 ATRs by the end of 2018, and is planning to add 20 A320ceo aircraft to its existing order with Airbus. IndiGo Airlines is looking to add 35 aircraft to its fleet, in an attempt to recover from grounding of 11 aircraft due to engine failures, a Financial Express report said. IndiGo plans to add 15 ATRs to its fleet by the end of 2018. The airline will also negotiate with Airbus to add 20 A320ceos to the existing order of 25 aircraft, sources told Financial Express. It expects a total of 45 A320ceos to be delivered by March 2019. "By the end of this year at least 15 ATRs will be joining the fleet and this will help add capacity to meet some part of the demand post the grounding of the aircraft by the DGCA, till the grounded aircraft are back to flying, along with other measures the airline is already undertaking,", a source told Financial Express. The DGCA last week ordered airlines to ground A320neo aircraft after multiple instances of mid-air engine failure. The PW engines used in some of the aircraft were found to be faulty. The move affected 8 IndiGo aircraft and 3 GoAir aircraft, leading to the airlines cancelling over 600 flights cumulatively this month. Of the 600 flights, 488 flights are IndiGo flights. Jet Airways, SpiceJet, and Air India have reported eight technical glitches in their aircrafts over the past two days, PTI reported. https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/amid-engine-trouble-indigo-plans-to-add-35-aircraft-to-its-fleet-report-2532033.html Back to Top IAI to develop all-electric aircraft Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) is to develop an all-electric aircraft, an initial prototype of which will fly in around three years' time. Few details have been revealed about the project, but IAI says the new aircraft will have a maximum take-off weight of 4,530-6,800kg (10,000-15,000lb) - or about the size of a Beechcraft King Air 350. Range will be about 500nm (926km), against 1,800nm for the King Air, and the aircraft will be used for inter-city operations. "The rapid development of electric power sources is accelerating in the cellular worlds and electric vehicles, along with a significant improvement in the reliability and efficiency of electric motors, making the electric plane the next thing in the world of aviation," says Moshe Medina, vice-president and director of IAI's engineering and development division. "There are quite a few technological challenges that must be dealt with during development and licensing, but IAI's many years of experience in these fields enable us to develop a kit that will successfully cope with the challenges and enable the construction of the most efficient aircraft of its kind in the world." IAI will shortly complete the project's definition phase, he says, but the manufacturer intends to focus "where we identify the broadest business potential". Initial development will be internally funded, although IAI "may partner with another company" to bring the aircraft to production, says Medina. IAI is already testing different electric energy sources and related control systems. In recent years, the Israeli firm has been investing heavily in research and development activities for electric propulsion systems, including engines and batteries. https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/iai-to-develop-all-electric-aircraft-446879/ Back to Top Emirates recruiting pilots in South Africa Being an Emirates pilot offers an excellent opportunity to fly with a fast-growing, award-winning airline Emirates, a global connector of people, places and economies, will be holding a pilot roadshow to recruit experienced and technically proficient commercial pilots in South Africa to fly its growing network of international routes. The roadshow offers a great opportunity for interested pilots to learn more about the recruitment process, and talk to Emirates' staff about the benefits of being an Emirates pilot, living and working in Dubai. Details of the roadshows The pilot roadshow sessions will be held in Johannesburg & Cape Town. The sessions in Johannesburg will be held at the DaVinci Hotel and Suites on Nelson Mandela Square on the 4th April at 10am and 2pm, and on the 5th at 10am at the same venue. The second roadshow will take place at the Protea Hotel Fire & Ice by Marriott Cape Town in Cape Town on April 6th at 10:00am and 2pm, with another session on the 7th at 10am at the same venue. Pilots only need to attend one of the sessions and prior registration is not required to participate. Interested candidates should arrive at the venue on time to attend the information session. In addition to passenger aircraft, Emirates now offers pilots the option to join the airline's dedicated Boeing 777 freighter pilot team. The freighter pilot contract offers a unique opportunity for pilots with a new 28 days on, 13 days off roster pattern. Being an Emirates pilot Being an Emirates pilot offers an excellent opportunity to fly with a fast-growing, award-winning airline. Emirates pilots enjoy a competitive tax free salary, medical and dental insurance, annual leave and company accommodation, whilst living in one of the world's leading cultural and business hubs - Dubai. Emirates also operates one of the largest fleets in the industry with 260 passenger aircraft, all of which are either Airbus A380 or Boeing 777 aircraft. With more than 200 aircraft on order, Emirates will continue to increase its fleet size and extend its network, which already stands at over 155 destinations in 84 countries and six continents. Emirates operates four daily flights between Dubai and Johannesburg, three to Cape Town and a daily flight between Dubai and Durban. For further details about the recruitment process and eligibility requirements please visit www.emirates.com/pilots https://www.iol.co.za/travel/travel-news/emirates-recruiting-pilots-in-south-africa-13920051 Position Reporting to the Executive Director, this individual works with air carriers to guide them through designing and implementing aviation safety management programs in accordance with Medallion standards under the Shield ProgramŽ. This specialist should have a broad working knowledge of part 121 and part 135 aviation practices and the general principles of aviation safety management system, a working knowledge of the FARs and good customer relation skills. The position is based in Alaska and requires some travel. The ideal candidate will also serve as the ASAP Facilitator. We manage all of the administrative aspects of the ASAP MOU with over 15 carriers. Applicants with previous part 119 credentials or recent FAA ASI background are strongly encouraged to apply Duties Guide development of documentation to support Medallion Shield programs Perform on-site visits to ensure basic compliance with an aviation operator's Medallion safety programs Interface with Medallion staff and Auditors on progress of programs and deficiencies Work with Medallion Auditors and operators to develop corrective action plans Develop and conduct classroom training in support of the Shield program Keep Medallion database up to date with customer information Other duties as assigned to support other Medallion programs and initiatives Job can be tailored to Part-time or Full-time Qualifications 10 Year Aviation preferred 5 years' experience in aviation safety Understand and apply general principles of aviation safety management systems Must have excellent communication skills and be able to interact with a wide variety of people Have basic computer skills Must have no travel restrictions Able to work with minimal supervision Must be able to lead people and accept responsibility Knowledge and understanding of the Federal Aviation Regulations Experience working with certificated aviation businesses Familiarity with Medallion Shield Program a plus Working knowledge of Safety Management System concepts Class Room Training as an Instructor Medallion is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. Contact - info@medallionfoundation.org Curt Lewis