Flight Safety Information - February 18, 2021 No. 036 In This Issue : Incident: Logan AT42 near Shetland on Feb 18th 2021, engine problems : Incident: Azul A20N at Sao Paulo on Feb 11th 2021, smoke in cabin : Incident: Garuda B738 at Makassar on Feb 17th 2021, engine shut down in flight : American Airlines 787 Diverted To Jamaica With Cracked Windshield : Early power reduction caused C-130J hard landing at Ramstein Air Base : FAA orders inspection of 222 Boeing 787s : Boeing reminds pilots to monitor planes closely following Indonesia crash-bulletin : Man who attacked flight attendant will pay back nearly $50,000 for plane’s diversion to Anchorage : Gulfstream Is Using 7 Test Aircraft to Complete Its G700 Certification Program : Two veteran Boeing board directors to step down : The TSI Instructor Qualification & Excellence Course : ERAU - Research Study Incident: Logan AT42 near Shetland on Feb 18th 2021, engine problems A Loganair Avions de Transport Regional ATR-42-500, registration G-LMRB performing flight LM-901 from Aberdeen,SC to Shetland Islands Sumburgh,SC (UK), was enroute at FL170 about 25nm south of Sumburgh Airport when the crew descended the aircraft to FL110, turned around and returned to Aberdeen due to a problem with the right hand engine (PW127E). The aircraft landed safely on Aberdeen's runway 16 about 55 minutes after the decision to turn around. The airline confirmed the crew returned to Aberdeen due to a fault indication for the right hand engine. http://avherald.com/h?article=4e338bef&opt=0 Incident: Azul A20N at Sao Paulo on Feb 11th 2021, smoke in cabin An Azul Linhas Aereas Airbus A320-200N, registration PR-YRK performing flight AD-4372 from Sao Paulo Viracopos,SP to Savador,BA (Brazil) with 159 passengers and 6 crew, was climbing out of Viracopos' runway 15 when the crew stopped the climb at about 5500 feet after cabin crew reported smoke in the aft cabin with no smoke detector indication. The crew worked the related checklists and returned to Viracopos for a safe landing on runway 15 about 12 minutes after departure. Brazil's CENIPA reported cabin crew noticed the smell of followed by presence of smoke in the aft cabin during the initial climb. The crew declared PAN PAN and returned to Viracopos, the passengers disembarked uninjured after landing. CENIPA does not mention the source/cause of the smoke, the aircraft was released to service, the occurrence was rated an incident. http://avherald.com/h?article=4e331531&opt=0 Incident: Garuda B738 at Makassar on Feb 17th 2021, engine shut down in flight A Garuda Boeing 737-800, registration PK-GFF performing flight GA-642 from Makassar to Gorontalo (Indonesia) with 26 passengers, was climbing out of Makassar (also known as Ujung Pandang's) runway 21 when the right hand engine (CFM56) began to pull black smoke behind. The crew stopped the climb at 4000 feet, shut the engine down reporting the engine was damaged and returned to Makassar for a safe landing on runway 03 about 25 minutes after departure. Metallic particles were found in the engine's exhaust pipe after landing. The airport reported the right hand engine suffered a failure while the aircraft climbed through 200 feet AGL. A replacement Boeing 737-800 registration PK-GNS reached Gorontalo with a delay of 3 hours. http://avherald.com/h?article=4e330427&opt=0 American Airlines 787 Diverted To Jamaica With Cracked Windshield An American Airlines Boeing 787 diverted to Kingston, Jamaica, due to a cracked windshield. The flight was scheduled between Miami and Lima, Peru when it was forced to divert to a nearby airport. No injuries were reported and a replacement aircraft was deployed to continue the journey from Kingston to Lima. Diverted service The incident occurred on American Airlines flight AA917 from Miami to Lima on Tuesday, 16th February. The flight departed from Miami International Airport at 18:44 local time, 45 later than scheduled. After takeoff, the aircraft continued south, flying over Cuba and reaching its cruising altitude of 41,000 feet. However, an hour into the flight, at 19:52 local time, the aircraft quickly reduced its altitude from 41,000 feet to 21,000 feet in a matter of minutes. The plane continued reducing its altitude to under 10,000 feet as it requested emergency landing permission at Jamaica’s Kingston International Airport. The aircraft reduced altitude to just under 5,000 feet before finally landing in Kingston at 20:37 local time. There were no injuries reported among the 43 passengers and 12 crew members, with the flight landed safely 55 minutes after the pilots first detected the issue, according to The Aviation Herald. Cracked windshield The emergency landing was due to a cracked windshield on the 787. In such a case, planes opt to land as soon as possible to prevent the crack from further spreading and potentially shattering while inflight. The decision to reduce altitude quickly was also made to ensure that even if the windshield did shatter, the crew would be able to control the pressure change and continue flying. The low pressure and freezing temperatures can make it impossible to breathe at high altitudes, making reducing altitude critical early on. It’s currently unknown which one of the four window panels on the 787 suffered the crack. The plane will now undergo maintenance checks to find the source of the crack and have the damaged panel replaced. At the time of writing, the aircraft remains parked at Kingston since the incident. Windshield woes The aircraft involved in the incident is a 5.3-year-old Boeing 787-8, according to Planespotters.net. The smallest Dreamliner variant was delivered new to American Airlines in November 2015. However, the 787 has had issues with windshield cracks in the past too, with several airlines facing such issues. https://simpleflying.com/american-boeing-787-cracked-windshield/ Early power reduction caused C-130J hard landing at Ramstein Air Base Status: Final Date: Thursday 23 April 2020 Time: 17:24 Type: Lockheed C-130J-30 Super Hercules Operator: United States Air Force - USAF Registration: 11-5736 C/n / msn: 5736 First flight: 2013 Total airframe hrs: 4624 Engines: 4 Rolls-Royce AE2100D3 Crew: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 4 Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0 Total: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 4 Aircraft damage: Substantial Location: Ramstein AFB (RMS) ( Germany) Phase: Landing (LDG) Nature: Military Departure airport: Ramstein AFB (RMS/ETAR), Germany Destination airport: Ramstein AFB (RMS/ETAR), Germany Narrative: The C-130J-30, assigned to the 37th Airlift Squadron, 86th Airlift Wing at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, conducted a routine periodic evaluation flight for a pilot. The crew flew a maximum effort (assault) landing at Ramstein Air Base and experienced a hard landing with a vertical acceleration load factor (g-load) exceedance value of 3.62 times the force of gravity (g) and a landing sink rate of 834 feet per minute exceeding the aircraft’s maximum allowable landing limits of 540 fpm and g-load of 2.0g. Immediately upon touchdown, the crew executed a go-around and coordinated with Air Traffic Control for a visual approach, full-stop landing. The aircraft landed safely at 17:37. The landing g-load exceedance resulted in significant damage to the center wing, both outer wings, left and right main landing gear assemblies, and engines, to include mounting structures. The estimated damages are $20,917,089. The crew of this mission was scheduled to fly in a formation of three C-130J’s planning to conduct two training routes. The primary training objective for the local sortie was to complete the pilot’s evaluation. The crew planned to takeoff early as a single-ship, conduct a maximum effort takeoff followed by a maximum effort landing using the painted landing zone marked on the runway as required for the evaluation, full-stop, and then rejoin the formation in order to complete the remainder of the evaluation requirements in the formation. Preflight, engine start, taxi and the Ramstein AB visual traffic pattern procedures were executed within good flying standards and were procedurally correct. The mishap occurred during the maximum effort landing. Probable Cause: The Accident Investigation Board President found, by a preponderance of the evidence, the cause of this mishap was the pilot's early engine power reduction (power pull), beginning at 70 feet above ground level (AGL) and fully flight idle at 45 feet AGL. In addition, the board president found, by the preponderance of evidence, that the evaluated pilot and other pilot’s failure to identify the excessive sink rate and their failure to arrest the excessive sink rate or go-around in a timely manner were substantially contributing factors that resulted in the aircraft exceeding the C-130J-30 g-load and sink rate landing limits. Accident investigation: cover Investigating agency: USAF AIB Status: Investigation completed Duration: 300 days (10 months) Accident number: final report Download report: Final report https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20200423-0 FAA orders inspection of 222 Boeing 787s The US Federal Aviation Administration will publish an airworthiness directive on 19 February ordering the inspection of cargo compartments on Boeing 787 type aircraft, adding to the list of safety and maintenance complications for the aircraft. The FAA estimates that 222 787 aircraft will be impacted, according to a copy of the unpublished directive obtained by Cirium. The agency says it received “reports of multiple incidents”, so it will require “repetitive inspections” of the forward and aft cargo areas of 787s for disengaged or torn decompression panels, which should be reinstalled or replaced if necessary. The US FAA has ordered the inspection of cargo compartments on the 787. These decompression panels are a safety risk because “in the event of a cargo fire, significant leakage in the bilge area could result in insufficient Halon [fire extinguisher gas] concentrations to adequately control the fire”, the FAA says. The agency estimates that each inspection cycle will cost $56,610. The first inspections should be done by the end of March and should be repeated within 120 days. This safety fix is the latest in a growing list of maintenance defects and other quirks Boeing faces with its 787 family aircraft. Manufacturing errors reported by Boeing and the aircraft’s operators have included a problem that affects the aircraft’s horizontal stabilisers, troubles with its autopilot flight-director systems, and gaps in its fuselage. https://www.flightglobal.com/air-transport/faa-orders-inspection-of-222-boeing- 787s/142474.article Boeing reminds pilots to monitor planes closely following Indonesia crash-bulletin (Reuters) - Boeing Co issued a technical bulletin to airlines reminding them to ensure pilots closely monitor the airplane's state and flight path to prevent a loss of control in flight, according to a document seen by Reuters. The bulletin, dated Feb. 15., was sent after Indonesia issued a preliminary report into a Jan. 9 Sriwijaya Air crash that killed all 62 people on board a 737-500. It was not explicitly linked to that crash and covers all modern Boeing models but it addresses one of the potential areas of interest for investigators following the accident, pending the discovery of the cockpit voice recorder memory unit. "Continual crew awareness of airplane attitude, airspeed, flight control position and thrust settings is fundamental for airplane upset prevention and can reduce the effect of startle or surprise caused by rapid unexpected changes," the bulletin said. Manufacturers have periodically issued such reminders and Boeing said it regularly communicates with customers on how they can safely and confidently operate their airplanes. "In close coordination with investigative and regulatory authorities, these latest communications reinforce the importance of industry-wide and Boeing guidance and training materials on aircraft upset prevention and recovery," the U.S. planemaker said. Bloomberg first reported on the issuance of the bulletin. Boeing, which was criticised for blaming pilots over a 2018 737 MAX crash in Indonesia later tied to a faulty system, has not issued any comment on the causes of the Sriwijaya crash. According to an industry-wide safety analysis issued by Airbus SE last year, loss of control in-flight represents the largest category - or 33% - of all accidents since the start of the jet age. Safety experts caution it is too early to say what caused the Sriwijaya crash. Most accidents are caused by a chain of separate factors. The Sriwijaya preliminary report found the plane had an imbalance in engine thrust that eventually led it into a sharp roll and then a final dive into the sea. When the plane reached 8,150 feet (2,484 m) after take-off, the left engine throttle lever moved back while the right lever stayed in its original position. One of the pilots was speaking to air traffic control and there is no evidence in the report that they noticed a difference in thrust. At about 10,900 feet, the autopilot disengaged and the plane rolled to the left more than 45 degrees and started its dive, crashing around 25 seconds later, the report said. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/boeing-reminds-pilots-monitor-planes-001737031.html Man who attacked flight attendant will pay back nearly $50,000 for plane’s diversion to Anchorage A man who attacked and threatened to kill a flight attendant last year was ordered Tuesday in federal court to repay the nearly $50,000 it cost to divert the plane to Anchorage and accommodate more than 200 passengers on board. Seksan Kumtong — now 52 — had been acting strangely since boarding a United Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Narita, Japan, last February, Brenden Ryan, an FBI special agent in Anchorage, wrote in an affidavit supporting a criminal complaint. Crew members decided to cut him off from receiving alcoholic beverages and he fell asleep in his seat for a period of the flight, the affidavit said. After he awoke, he became agitated when he was denied another drink, according to the affidavit. The agitation gave way to violence and the affidavit said Kumtong struck a flight attendant in the face and pulled them to the ground. “I will kill you,” he shouted at the flight attendant, along with other obscenities, the affidavit said. Kumtong, who is from North Hollywood, California, has suffered from uncontrolled diabetes for years, his attorney, assistant federal defender Sam Eilers, said in a sentencing memorandum. When combined with alcohol consumption, that can lead to “severe hypoglycemia and consequent combativeness,” Eilers wrote. He said the reaction in this case was not an excuse, but does partially explain why Kumtong acted so violently. The flight was diverted to Anchorage and vouchers were provided for meals and hotel stays to the airplane staff and 214 passengers on board, according to a sentencing memorandum filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Charisse Arce. In total, the diversion cost $49,793. During a sentencing hearing Tuesday morning, Judge Timothy Burgess said that “this is more than just an expensive inconvenience to everybody on that flight, but there’s actually a real victim in this case that has suffered physical consequences for his conduct.” The flight attendant has lasting medical conditions as a result of the assault, he said. Kumtong pleaded guilty in November to a charge of interference with flight crew members and attendants. As Burgess sentenced Kumtong to the five years of probation, he acknowledged the role the pandemic played in the decision: Kumtong is especially vulnerable to COVID-19 because of his diabetes, and serving a sentence in a prison would put him at risk because the virus spreads rapidly in congregate facilities and Alaska’s correctional facilities have been hit hard by the pandemic. Kumtong will also pay back the $49,793 in restitution. https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/crime-courts/2021/02/17/man-who-attacked-flight- attendant-will-pay-back-nearly-50000-for-planes-diversion-to-anchorage/ Gulfstream Is Using 7 Test Aircraft to Complete Its G700 Certification Program Gulfstream’s G700 test fleet has gone through more than 1,100 hours of flight testing since the first aircraft took off on Valentine’s Day, 2020. The company yesterday provided an update for its flagship, which not only boasts the largest, most technically advanced cabin among business jets but faster and more fuel-efficient Royce Pearl 700 engines. “It’s truly a remarkable aircraft,” Colin Miller, senior vice president of innovation, engineering and flight, said on a media call. “The engines are performing flawlessly without missing a beat, and they’re quiet with a very high thrust. It performs well even beyond the normal operating envelope speed and altitude.” Despite Covid, This Weekend's Super Bowl Will Still Attract Plenty of Private Jets A New Book Details All the Painstaking Steps That Go Into Building a Rolls-Royce The G700 reached a top speed of Mach 0.99 and a maximum altitude of 54,000 feet. It will have a range of 7,500 nautical miles at Mach 0.85 and 6,400 nautical miles at M 0.90. It takes off within 6,250 feet and the typical landing is 2,500 feet. It cruises between 41,000 and 51,000 feet. The testing program, which will involve seven G700s, started about a year ago, with the first aircraft using sustainable aviation fuel. The tests for that aircraft involved envelope expansion, flying qualities, flutters and stalls as well as monitoring flight-control systems. Jake Howard, Gulfstream’s Master Development Test Pilot, said there were many months of preparation for the first flight. “As we moved to that final date, we’re also seeing all the work that went into preparing for it,” he added. “It’s not only a big moment for the flight test engineers, but also anyone who has worked on the project. We enjoyed coming back and sharing the moment with everyone who had been involved.” Howard praised the G700’s “excellent” handling qualities. “The aircraft is very predictable and a real pleasure to fly,” he said. The second aircraft, which took off on March 20, tested the winglet and wing-ice shape while performing stall testing and cold-weather testing. “We looked at the aircraft in minus 40 degrees conditions and it didn’t miss a beat,” says Miller. The third flight in May tested flight controls, engine and thrust reversers, climb performance and loads. The fourth flight in October tested avionics, flammable fuel drainage, and reliability. The fifth aircraft focused on lighting, crew workload, data concentration network and further avionics tests. “The Symmetry Flight Deck avionics testing was performed in Chicago, Van Nuys, San Jose and Oakland,” said Miller. “It included the pure predictive landing performance system, enhanced flight vision system, dual head-up displays and synthetic vision on HUD. This flight deck makes it a joy to fly this aircraft.” Two more aircraft with fully outfitted interiors will be added to the test program. Miller said development testing will continue, while “company and certification” tests will follow, as the G700 proceeds towards FAA certification. “In terms of the number of hours for testing, we’ll do whatever it takes,” says Miller. “We’re very thorough and robust with the testing and it will involve a few thousand hours total. But we don’t try to get to a certain number of hours. At the end of the day, it needs to be a safe and compliant airplane.” The fist G700s should be delivered to customers in the fourth quarter of 2022. https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/gulfstream-using-7-test-aircraft-143436644.html Two veteran Boeing board directors to step down SEATTLE/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two veteran Boeing Co directors will step down, the U.S. planemaker said on Wednesday, the latest high-profile departures from the board as it faces scrutiny over the 737 MAX grounding after fatal crashes. The moves also come as Boeing is fighting to stem the financial fallout from the overlapping coronavirus pandemic, which has rocked global aviation. Arthur Collins, a former chairman and chief executive officer at Medtronic and director on the Boeing board since 2007, and Susan Schwab, a former U.S. trade representative and director since 2010, are both retiring, Boeing said. "The board will continue to take steps to identify a pipeline of diverse candidates with appropriate expertise," Chairman Larry Kellner said in Boeing's announcement. Two other directors - former U.S. ambassadors Caroline Kennedy and Nikki Haley - stepped down in January 2021 and March 2020, respectively. Since 2019, the board has implemented changes to improve oversight of Boeing's engineering and industrial operations as the company navigated fallout over the grounding of its best-selling 737 MAX jetliner after crashes in Ethiopia and Indonesia killed 346 people in a span of five months. It separated the chairman and chief executive roles, before ousting previous CEO Dennis Muilenburg, created a new Aerospace Safety Committee, and added two new directors with experience in engineering and safety. In a complaint freshly unsealed earlier this month, New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, who heads the state pension fund, and other investors alleged Boeing's board breached its fiduciary duties and acted with gross negligence by failing "to monitor the safety of Boeing's 737 MAX airplanes." The board did not develop any tools to evaluate and monitor airplane safety until after both crashes and its fleet was grounded, according to the lawsuit, filed in Delaware Chancery Court. It also said the board "accepted Muilenburg's assertion that the 737 MAX was safe," and that Boeing was being unfairly maligned in the press, without demanding a safety briefing or a factual investigation, the lawsuit says. The board did not receive a briefing about the basics of airplane safety until the end of April 2019, several weeks after the jet's worldwide grounding. "Predictably, Plaintiff's lawsuit presents a distorted account of news interviews by Company leadership about the Board's oversight activities," a Boeing spokesman said. Senior management and board members engaged in "robust safety oversight," including extensive reviews of engineering processes, airplane development, and production, he said. "We believe the plaintiffs' claims lack merit, and will renew our motion to dismiss the lawsuit later this year," he added. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/two-veteran-boeing-board-directors-213109643.html ERAU - Research Study Dear Pilot, You are being asked to participate in a research study of your opinions on urban air mobility. This study is expected to take approximately 10 minutes of your time. In order to participate, you must be at least 18 years old, a resident of the U.S., a certified pilot, and have piloted with the last 5 year. Participation in this study is voluntary, and you may choose to opt out of the study at any time. If you choose to opt out, your data will be immediately destroyed. We appreciate your consideration and time to complete our study. Please click on or copy and paste the URL below: https://forms.gle/PMY7C4fh9LL3VWUa9 For more information, please contact: Dr. Scott R. Winter scott.winter@erau.edu We appreciate your interest and participation! Curt Lewis