Flight Safety Information - February 25, 2021 No. 041 In This Issue : Accident: Pobeda B738 at St. Petersburg on Feb 24th 2021, flashing of landing lights causes eye injuries to ground worker : Incident: Jazz DH8D at St. John's on Feb 12th 2021, fumes in cabin : Federal watchdog blasts FAA over certification of Boeing jet : Wreckage of TWA Flight 800 to be destroyed 25 years after crash : The TSI Instructor Qualification & Excellence Course : ERAU - Research Study : ISASI - 2021 ISASI Rudolf Kapustin Memorial Scholarship _________________________________________________________________ Accident: Pobeda B738 at St. Petersburg on Feb 24th 2021, flashing of landing lights causes eye injuries to ground worker A Pobeda Boeing 737-800, registration VP-BQQ performing flight DP-211 from Moscow Vnukovo to St. Petersburg (Russia), had safely landed in St. Peterburg and was taxiing to the gate. While moving into the stand the crew flashed the landing lights twice blinding a ground worker next to the lights, who was marshalling the aircraft. The worker was taken to an eye trauma center. The worker was diagnosed with light ophthalmia (burn of conjunctiva, cornea and retina due to the exposure to very bright light). With a treatment with eye drops it is anticipated that the worker's vision will be fully restored in a few weeks. Pulkovo Airport reported: "On the night of February 24, an employee of the enterprise was sent from Pulkovo airport to an eye trauma center. The reason for this was the man's appeal to the first-aid post after servicing the aircraft and eye contact with the plane's landing lights. At the Pulkovo airport, a check is carried out in accordance with the norms of the legislation." https://avherald.com/h?article=4e3868b8&opt=0 Incident: Jazz DH8D at St. John's on Feb 12th 2021, fumes in cabin A Jazz de Havilland Dash 8-400, registration C-GJZA performing flight QK-8991 from St. John's,NL to Halifax,NS (Canada) with 69 people on board, was climbing through 10,000 feet out of St. John's runway 34 when the flight attendants observed white smoke associated with an oily smell, that rose from the floor at the left hand seat row 19. The flight crew decided to return to St. John's, the smoke quickly dissipated a short time later. The aircraft landed safely on St. John's runway 34 about 20 minutes after departure. The Canadian TSB reported prior to departure the aircraft had been de-iced with type 4 de-icing fluid. The TSB wrote: "Maintenance inspected the aircraft APU and engine bleed system and determined that the fumes were from the de-ice fluid." There were no injuries. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/JZA8991/history/20210212/1230Z/CYYT/CYHZ https://avherald.com/h?article=4e384f9b&opt=0 Federal watchdog blasts FAA over certification of Boeing jet Federal auditors say U.S. regulators didn’t understand a flight-control system that played a role in two deadly crashes of a Boeing jet and must improve their process for certifying new planes. The Transportation Department’s inspector general said in a report released Wednesday that the Federal Aviation Administration hasn’t taken enough steps to focus its oversight on high-risk elements of new planes. The inspector general issued 14 recommendations to “restore confidence in FAA’s certification process and ensure the highest level of safety” in future passenger planes. The FAA said it agreed with the recommendations and is making changes to address them — although the agency doesn't expect to finish for nearly five years. Chicago-based Boeing said it too has made improvements, including more training and safety reporting, that are already producing results. The report is the latest of several to examine the FAA’s approval of the Boeing 737 Max —a new version of a plane that dates to the 1960s — before crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia killed 346 people. Crash investigators have focused on the role of a new automated flight-control system that pushed the nose of each plane down in the mistaken belief that the planes were about to go into aerodynamic stalls. Pilots were unable to regain control. The Transportation Department auditors said in a 63-page report that FAA’s approval process doesn’t adequately deal with integrating new technologies into existing planes, and that the federal overseers did not understand Boeing’s assessment of the new system until after the first crash. The auditors also said FAA suffered from weak management and oversight. While FAA test pilots knew about changes to the flight system, called MCAS, some key FAA personnel, including engineers, did not. It was only in January 2019 — three months after the Indonesian crash and nearly two years after the plane began flying — that FAA experts started to ask detailed questions about MCAS and how Boeing studied it for safety, according to the report. The report also highlighted the FAA’s policy of relying on aircraft manufacturers’ employees to perform key safety assessments. The auditors said the FAA needs to make sure those workers are independent and free of pressure from their employers. Last year, Congress approved legislation to reform the FAA certification process, but it did not make significant changes to the use of aircraft manufacturer employees. Advocates of the current system say the private-sector employees have more expertise and understanding of key systems than do FAA inspectors, and FAA doesn't have the resources to do the work. Congressional critics of the FAA praised the inspector general's findings. Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., chairman of the House Transportation Committee, said the report highlights the "multitude of problems within the current aviation regulatory structure.” DeFazio's committee investigated FAA and Boeing for 18 months. “I have been and remain seriously concerned that Boeing was able to put a fatally flawed aircraft into service under FAA’s certification process — a fundamental indictment of the shortcomings of that process,” he said. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said the report indicated concealment by Boeing and negligence by the FAA. The same inspector general’s office reported last year that Boeing failed to disclose to the FAA changes it made to MCAS. In January, Boeing agreed to a $2.5 billion settlement with the Justice Department to avoid prosecution for defrauding the FAA. The Max was Boeing's best-selling plane before it was grounded worldwide for 20 months until the FAA approved changes that the company made, including making MCAS easier for pilots to override. Airlines including those in the U.S. have resumed passenger flights with the Max or plan to do so in the next several weeks. https://www.yahoo.com/news/federal-watchdog-blasts-faa-over-002556893.html Wreckage of TWA Flight 800 to be destroyed 25 years after crash The National Transportation Safety Board said it will destroy the remaining wreckage of TWA Flight 800 after nearly 20 years as a training tool. TWA Flight 800 grabbed the world’s attention when shortly after takeoff from John F. Kennedy International Airport in July 1996, the Paris-bound Boeing 747 exploded, killing all 230 onboard. The NTSB investigation became the longest, most complicated and expensive investigation in aviation history, lasting more than four years and costing $40 million. For weeks, pieces of the wreckage were pulled from the water off the coast of Long Island and meticulously pieced back together. Housed for nearly two decades in a warehouse at the NTSB Training Center in Ashburn, Virginia, outside of Washington, D.C., the wreckage has been used to teach thousands of air crash investigators and transportation specialists from around the world. On Monday, the NTSB said in a news release it will decommission and destroy the wreckage as the lease on the 30,000-square foot warehouse is set to expire. "Advances in investigative techniques such as 3-D scanning and drone imagery lessen the relevance of the large-scale reconstruction in teaching modern investigative techniques," the NTSB added. In an agreement between the NTSB and family members of the crash victims, the NTSB promised the wreckage would never become an exhibit or public display. Students or visitors to the training center are strictly forbidden from taking photographs with the plane, and no photos are permitted inside the aircraft where seats remain in their numbered rows. “To honor this agreement made with the families of the victims of TWA Flight 800, the NTSB will work closely with a federal government contractor to dismantle the reconstruction and destroy the wreckage,” the NTSB said. While the wreckage is not open to the public, family members of the victims are allowed to visit as often as they like. In the years following the crash, loved ones would come and leave mementos in the seats of their family members. The probable cause of the TWA Flight 800 crash was an explosion in the center wing fuel tank. The final report indicated that faulty wiring ignited the flammable fuel/air mixture, causing the explosion 12 minutes after takeoff. The investigation and subsequent NTSB safety recommendations changed the course of aviation. “From that investigation we issued safety recommendations that fundamentally changed the way aircraft are designed," the NTSB said. "The investigation also led to a memorandum of understanding between the FBI and the NTSB regarding investigations of accidents resulting from intentional acts as well as evidence collection and preservation.” The NTSB said it will decommission the wreckage on July 7 -- 11 days before the 25th anniversary of the crash. “For several months thereafter, the NTSB will thoroughly document the reconstruction using various 3-D scanning techniques. The scanned data will be archived for historical purposes,” the NTSB said. https://www.yahoo.com/gma/wreckage-twa-flight-800-destroyed-100117937.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! ISASI - 2021 ISASI Rudolf Kapustin Memorial Scholarship Are you a full-time student in a collegiate aviation program? Do you know a full-time student in the aeronautical/aerospace engineering, aviation operations, aviation psychology, aviation safety and/or aircraft occurrence investigation fields? Applications are now being accepted for the 2021 ISASI Rudolf Kapustin Memorial Scholarship! This award includes funded attendance at the ISASI Annual Seminar. An award of $2,000 will be made to the student(s) who meets the eligibility criteria and is chosen by the Scholarship Fund Committee based on the contents of the application package including an essay submission. The 2021 annual scholarship award will function a bit differently than past awards. This year the award includes funded attendance at the ISASI Virtual Annual Seminar. Additionally, all remaining funds from the scholarship award will be used to cover costs for the seminar registration fees, travel, and accommodation expenses for either the 2022 or 2023 in-person seminar. Please see eligibility requirements and an application attached. We look forward to receiving your applications and reviewing your essays! Thank you, ISASI Scholarship Fund Committee Application Form: https://tinyurl.com/11hf7onq Curt Lewis