Flight Safety Information - December 28, 2023 No. 249 In This Issue : Incident: Vietnam B789 enroute on Dec 26th 2023, cracked windshield : Incident: United B738 at Denver on Dec 26th 2023, bird strike : DHC-6 Twin Otter - forced landing (NWT, Canada) : Hercules aircraft on its way to help passengers and crew of Air Tindi crash in N.W.T. : Russian plane lands on frozen river by mistake : New York-Bound United Airlines Boeing 767 Returns To London Heathrow : 2 injured after helicopter rolls near Knik Glacier : Pakistan's PIA denies report of Rs17bn debt default : Air India And Airbus Could Set Up A Massive $420 Million Pilot Training Facility : Call for CFIs and Student pilots: Need your help to alleviate Pilot Fatigue! : GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY : CALENDAR OF EVENTS Incident: Vietnam B789 enroute on Dec 26th 2023, cracked windshield A Vietnam Airlines Boeing 787-9, registration VN-A867 performing flight VN-302 from Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) to Tokyo Narita (Japan) with 94 people on board, was enroute at FL410 about 90 minutes prior to estimated landing, when the left hand windshield developed cracks prompting the crew to descend to FL310. The aircraft continued to Tokyo for a safe landing on runway 16R about 90 minutes later. Japan's Ministry of Transport reported about 90 minutes prior to estimated landing a crack appeared in the windshield. The aircraft continued to destination. The runway was closed for about 3 minutes after landing. The return flight VN-303 was cancelled. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Tokyo about 40 hours after landing. https://avherald.com/h?article=512f19c0&opt=0 Incident: United B738 at Denver on Dec 26th 2023, bird strike A United Boeing 737-800, registration N25201 performing flight UA-1213 from Miami,FL to Denver,CO (USA), was on approach to Denver's runway 35L when a bird impacted the aircraft. The aircraft continued for a safe landing. The FAA reported: "AIRCRAFT EXPERIENCED BIRD STRIKE TO THE RIGHT ENGINE/COWLING AND OTHER PARTS OF AIRCRAFT, DENVER, COLORADO." The aircraft is still on the ground in Denver about 24 hours after landing. https://avherald.com/h?article=512efd3e&opt=0 DHC-6 Twin Otter - forced landing (NWT, Canada) Date: Wednesday 27 December 2023 Time: 12:45 Type: de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter Owner/operator: Air Tindi Registration: MSN: Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 8 Aircraft damage: Unknown Location: 300 km NW of Yellowknife - Canada Phase: En route Nature: Passenger - Non-Scheduled/charter/Air Taxi Departure airport: Destination airport: Confidence Rating: Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources Narrative: The ski-equipped DHC-6 Twin Otter is reported to have made a forced landing in poor weather a remote area some 300 km NW of Yellowknife , Canada. A Royal Canadian Air Force Hercules was dispatched to drop supplies and/or personnel. http://www.aviation-safety.net/wikibase/349408 Hercules aircraft on its way to help passengers and crew of Air Tindi crash in N.W.T. Search and rescue team dispatched to rescue those on board A Hercules aircraft is on its way to help with the rescue of 10 people about 300 kilometres northeast of Yellowknife, after a Twin Otter went down Wednesday afternoon. In an email, the public affairs officer of the 1 Canadian Air Division and Canadian NORAD Region Headquarters, David Lavallee, confirmed that a Royal Canadian Air Force CC-130H Hercules was on its way to the site from 17 Wing Winnipeg. At the time of the update, the aircraft was expected to arrive shortly, if it hadn't already. "The Hercules is equipped to air drop supplies and, if weather conditions allow, Search and Rescue Technicians to the site," Lavallee wrote. Lavallee added efforts are being made to reach the site by ground from Diavik, as well. Original story: A Twin Otter aircraft carrying eight passengers and two crew members has gone down about 300 kilometres northeast of Yellowknife. The privately chartered flight went down at 12:45 MT and crew are reporting only minor injuries, according to Chris Reynolds, president of Air Tindi, a small N.W.T.-based airline. Military search and rescue has been dispatched to the site where passengers and crew have taken shelter, Reynolds said, and the airline's own aircraft has also been working to get to the group. As of 7 p.m. MT, Reynolds confirmed that the military would be trying to parachute in two search and rescue personnel this evening. "We were taken by surprise. There was no warning that it was going to happen. So we're just not sure what happened," Reynolds said, adding that he's currently focused on getting everyone out safely. Air Tindi specializes in flying to remote parts of the North and has been in operation since 1988. Its fleet includes six Twin Otter planes and several others of different models. According to its website it operates daily scheduled flights, Air Ambulance services, and chartered flights catered to tourists or the needs of people working in mining and government. Reynolds said the plane, which was on skis, went down in the area of the Diavik diamond mine camp, but the plane was not carrying passengers either to or from the camp. Reynolds said those involved know exactly where the passengers and crew are sheltered thanks to satellite tracking and another plane that was able to fly over the area and spot them. "We're not sure at this time if they're gonna have to spend the night, but they're in a shelter there by the aircraft," he said. "The weather is quite poor and blowing snow. Winds are very strong up there, so it's hampering getting to the aircraft, but we're working on that right now," he said. Speaking to CBC News around 5:30 p.m. MT, Reynolds said he had not yet seen the crash site himself, and did not offer information on the condition of the plane or how it landed. Once the group is rescued from the site, they will be taken to Yellowknife where those with injuries will be treated. CBC News has reached out to the Department of National Defence and the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre for more information. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/minor-injuries-after-air-tindi-plane-carrying-10-goes-down-in-n-w-t-1.7070120 Russian plane lands on frozen river by mistake MOSCOW, Dec 28 (Reuters) - A Soviet-era Antonov-24 aircraft carrying 30 passengers landed on a frozen river near an airport in Russia's far east on Thursday because of pilot error, transport prosecutors said. The Polar Airlines An-24 landed safely on the Kolyma river near Zyryanka in the Yakutia region, the prosecutors said. "According to preliminary information, the cause of the aviation incident was an error by the crew in piloting the aircraft," a spokesperson for the Eastern Siberian transport prosecutor said in a statement. Prosecutors published pictures of the aircraft on a frozen river. The Izvestia newspaper published pictures of passengers disembarking. "The An-24 aircraft landed outside of the runway of the Zyryanka airport," Polar Airlines said in a short statement. "There were no casualties," it said. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russian-plane-lands-frozen-river-by-mistake-prosecutors-2023-12-28/ New York-Bound United Airlines Boeing 767 Returns To London Heathrow The incident took place on December 27. SUMMARY • United Airlines Boeing 767 flight between London and New York turned back due to an onboard failure. • The exact reason for the diversion has not been confirmed, but it is believed to be an electronics failure. • United Airlines has a diverse fleet of aircraft, including the Boeing 767, Boeing 777, and Boeing 787 Dreamliner, as well as Airbus A320s and Boeing 737s, among others. A United Airlines flight between London and New York had to return to its point of origin shortly into the flight due to an onboard failure. The flight was performed by a Boeing 767 aircraft, which is often seen on United’s transatlantic routes. Boeing 767 turns back On December 27, a United Airlines Boeing 767 aircraft flying between London Heathrow (LHR) and Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) had to turn back not too long into its journey. The aircraft was performing flight UA 921 with a scheduled departure time of 18:00 and arrival of 21:35. According to Flightradar24, the 767 headed west after departing from London Heathrow and had reached an altitude of 20,000 feet when it was seen turning back somewhere between the UK and Ireland. AviationSource News reports that an electronics failure onboard is likely the reason for the diversion. Simple Flying has contacted United for a statement and will update this article as and when we receive one. "Our team at London Heathrow Airport provided assistance to customers of United flight 921 (London - New York/Newark) yesterday, which returned to London Heathrow to address a mechanical issue. We arranged for another aircraft to take our customers to their destination and the flight arrived at New York/Newark at 1:36am today (local time)..." About the aircraft The aircraft involved in the incident is a 31-year-old Boeing 767-300ER registered N653UA and has a Star Alliance livery. Per ch-aviation, it was delivered to United Airlines in October 1992. As of August 31, 2023, it has accumulated more than 120,000 flight hours across 18,587 flight cycles. United Airlines has 37 Boeing 767-300ERs in its fleet, with an average age of almost 28 years. It also has 16 Boeing 767-400ERs with an average age of a little over 22 years. But the airline has a diverse fleet with several other airplane types. https://simpleflying.com/new-york-bound-united-airlines-boeing-767-returns-to-london-heathrow/ 2 injured after helicopter rolls near Knik Glacier Two people were injured when a helicopter rolled near the Knik Glacier on Tuesday, an official from the National Transportation Safety Board said. Six passengers and a pilot were in the Airbus AS350 B3 when it rolled during a flightseeing tour around 11 a.m., said Clint Johnson, chief of the safety board’s Alaska office. The helicopter was operated by Alpha Aviation, authorities said. Mike Neely, the company’s general manager, described the crash as the “best-case scenario in an unfortunate situation” and said that no one experienced major injuries. The crash happened during a “hard, unscheduled landing” in the southwest area of Lake George, Neely said. Alpha Aviation used another of their helicopters to pick up the seven people from the crash site, Neely said. Two were treated for minor injuries at Mat-Su Regional Medical Center and the others declined medical treatment, he said. The helicopter was substantially damaged, Johnson said. Officials with Alpha Aviation were working on recovering the wreckage Wednesday, Neely said. It was not immediately clear what caused the helicopter to roll, but Johnson said his agency is investigating. Knik Glacier is a popular place for flightseeing tours located about 50 miles east of Anchorage on the northern edge of the Chugach Mountains. https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/aviation/2023/12/27/2-injured-after-helicopter-rolls-near-knik-glacier/ Pakistan's PIA denies report of Rs17bn debt default PIA - Pakistan International Airlines (PK, Islamabad International) has refuted a media report of a PKR17 billion rupee (USD60.8 million) debt repayment default, calling it a misreporting of a balance sheet restructuring proposal that has been not be accepted by Pakistan's Ministry of Finance. Pakistan's NetMag portal recently reported that PIA failed to make repayments to seven commercial banks earlier in December, including the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP), JS Bank Limited, Al Baraka Bank, Bank of Punjab, and Habib Bank Limited. State-owned PIA owes its lenders approximately PKR263 billion (USD931 million). Typically, the government has provided last-minute financial bailouts to the airline. However, a more fiscally hardline approach by recent administrations has resulted in fewer bailouts, forcing the carrier to rely more on commercial banks. The government is attempting to partially-privatise the airline and wants to use the proceeds from that to settle PIA's debts. "PIA is on the verge of being privatized and while the transaction is in full flow, it requires the balance sheet restructuring effort as well," a PIA spokesman told ch-aviation. "One such proposal was to merge the government guaranteed loan in public debt which was not okayed by the caretaker government in Pakistan. However that is not the only solution, rather one of the options. The events reported are not a matter of default rather a balance sheet restructuring proposal that has been not be accepted by Ministry of Finance." The headline debt figure is owed to 12 banks, with the Bank of Punjab having the biggest exposure. In addition to the aforementioned institutions, other banks with PIA loans on their books include Askari Bank, Faysal Bank, Bank Islami Pakistan, Al Baraka Bank Pakistan, and Soneri Bank. Pakistan's Finance Ministry, which is overseeing the partial privatisation of the airline, is reportedly prepared to allocate three-quarters of the monies raised towards settling PIA's debts. However, the government has yet to publicise its target capital-raising figure. Separately, other outlets report that a consortium of six banks offered PKR15 billion (USD53.1 million) in fresh loans to PIA in exchange for sovereign guarantees, a letter of comfort, two aircraft as collateral, and a waiver from the central bank. Additionally, the consortium wanted to tie the new loan to a settlement plan for the existing PKR263 billion debt, revenues from certain routes, and requested that the laws of the United Kingdom and/or United Arab Emirates govern the new loans. Ahead of any partial privatisation, day-to-day funding of PIA remains a challenge and reliant on cooperation from Pakistan's financial institutions. However, the Finance Ministry declined the offer, with a spokesperson telling the Express Tribune outlet that it was a nice deal for the consortium but not so good for PIA. The consortium included Habib Bank, National Bank of Pakistan, and Meezan Bank, who would each stump up PKR3 billion (USD10.6 million), and Faysal Bank, Bank of Punjab, and Askari Bank, who would each contribute PKR2 billion (USD708,000). Five of these six banks are already owed PKR220 billion (USD778.8 million) by PIA, or 83.7% of the airline's total debts to its lenders. Reportedly, sovereign guarantees would have secured half the proposed loan amount, which was acceptable to the finance ministry. A Ministry of Finance issued letter of comfort and two aircraft would have secured the remainder of the amount (plus the interest). However, the ministry was not prepared to issue the letter of comfort, saying it ran contrary to the existing International Monetary Fund support program now underway in Pakistan and could lead the way to other entities demanding the same treatment. The consortium also reportedly wanted the ministry to arrange a waiver from prudential regulations from the central bank. It also wanted exclusive access to revenues from PIA's flights to its UAE ports to pay the principal and interest on the new debt. It also wanted guarantees that these flights would not be interrupted by fuel shortages and the like. None of these supplementary conditions were acceptable to the ministry. https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/135482-pakistans-pia-denies-report-of-rs17bn-debt-default Air India And Airbus Could Set Up A Massive $420 Million Pilot Training Facility • The facility has the potential to be the largest in the South Asian region. SUMMARY • Air India is reportedly in final talks with Airbus to set up a pilot training facility in India. • The facility will initially have six simulators for Airbus aircraft, but could eventually accommodate up to 20 simulators. • Air India is also considering a joint venture with L3 Harris to establish a facility for training pilots on Boeing aircraft. Air India’s new management has made some big decisions in the last two years. From big aircraft orders to upgrading its technological infrastructure, the airline has invested significant money in recent times. And now, a report says that it is in the final stages of signing a deal with Airbus for a huge pilot training facility in India. Largest pilot training facility in the South Asian region Air India is reportedly in final talks with Airbus for setting up a massive pilot simulator training facility in India. According to a report by The Economic Times (ET), the joint venture between the airline and the plane manufacturer would involve an investment of around $420 million. Sources have revealed that both Air India and Airbus will hold a 50% stake in the facility, which could start with six simulators for the Airbus A320 family and A350 family of jets. But the potential of this deal is quite promising as the facility will be large enough to eventually house up to 20 simulators, making it the largest facility of its kind in the South Asian region. But that’s not all. It has also been revealed that the carrier is also in talks with US-based L3 Harris for another joint venture to set up a facility to train pilots for Boeing 737, 777, and 787 aircraft. Open to other airlines, too Setting up large-scale in-house simulator facilities will help Air India manage the training of its pilots more effectively. But the airline will also be open to receiving business from other airlines. ET quotes a source as saying, “We understand the importance of developing self-reliance of human resources and have invested to build a pilot training facility as the airline caters for a huge need due to expansion of fleet and network. But consequently, this will also be open to other airlines and become a centre of excellence in the region.” Big plans From being underfunded and largely ignored as a state-run carrier, Air India is currently seeing a makeover like never before. With these new facilities, Air India will rival IndiGo’s joint venture with CAE Inc., which has eight simulators and could reportedly add five more in the future. But these developments shouldn’t come as a surprise, considering the kind of investments the Tata Group has made in the last year and a half in an attempt to make Air India a world-class airline. From rebranding and new IT infrastructure to mega aircraft orders, Air India is slated to look like a very different airline in the next five years if all goes according to plan. There are still several issues from its past that need to be resolved, but the new management has given itself a few more years to gradually overcome those obstacles as well under the extensive plan called Vihaan.AI, as detailed in the article below. https://simpleflying.com/air-india-airbus-massive-420-million-pilot-training-facility/ Call for CFIs and Student pilots: Need your help to alleviate Pilot Fatigue! CFIs and Flight Students, Greetings from Oklahoma State University! My name is Md Mijanur Rahman, and I am a graduate student working under the supervision of Dr. Nicoletta Fala at the Aviation Engineering Operations Analysis (ÆON) lab in the College of Engineering, Architecture, and Technology. We are conducting research to understand and alleviate the impact of fatigue on the quality and safety of flight training from a CFI and student perspective. This research could help the flight training industry improve the work environment of the CFI, improve safety, and raise the quality of training provided to student pilots. As a part of this research, we are seeking your voluntary participation in an online survey regarding work-induced fatigue in a flight training environment. This survey will take anywhere from 15 mins (Student Pilots) to 30 mins (CFIs) depending on your role. Your responses will allow us to elicit information and perceptions on the organization of work and the factors that contribute to fatigue and burnout at collegiate and independent flight schools. To compensate you for your time, you will be entered into a drawing to win one of ten $50 gift cards. We will ask you to provide your contact information in a second survey if you wish to participate in the drawing to maintain anonymity in your responses. If you are interested, please click here or copy and paste the following link in your browser’s address bar: https://okstate.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0wyWrqmHNsMJfy6 We would also like your help in recruiting qualified CFIs and Students as research participants. To help us in this effort, please forward this email to friends and colleagues. We appreciate your time and willingness to help. GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY I am a professional pilot with 16 years of experience, flying the B777 for a major Middle Eastern airline. Concurrently, I'm pursuing an MSc in Air Transport Management at City University, London. My journey in aviation has been defined by a commitment to excellence and a passion for continually exploring new horizons within the industry. My research: I am conducting research for my MSc final project titled "Policy Drivers for Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Adoption: Case Study India." The research aims to explore the policy mechanisms required for SAF adoption/deployment in the Indian aviation industry. Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) is an eco-friendly alternative aviation fuel derived from sustainable sources, proven to reduce carbon emissions by up to 80 percent over its lifecycle. However, these fuels cost 2-4 times more than conventional jet fuels. This survey investigates the public perceptions and attitudes towards SAF and its potential implications for air travel. Valuable insights gained from this study will advance the understanding of public attitudes and perceptions of SAF adoption in the aviation industry. The perspectives shared will contribute to developing effective policy mechanisms for SAF deployment, assisting policymakers in aligning the aviation industry with sustainable practices. This is an anonymous survey targeted at air travelers and is designed to be completed in about 10 to 12 minutes. Link to the survey: https://cityunilondon.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5cGRH3H5CPfX1HM Kind regards, Deepak Nalla CALENDAR OF EVENTS • SINGAPORE AIRSHOW 2024 - February 20 - 25 • HAI Heli-Expo 2024 - February 26 - 29 - Anaheim, CA • 2024 Women in Aviation International Conference - March 21-23 (Orlando) • 2024 ACSF Safety Symposium – Air Charter Safety Foundation - April 1-3, 2024 • 2024 ISASI - Lisbon, Portugal - September 30 to October 4, 2024 • 2024 NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition - Oct. 22-24 (Vegas) Curt Lewis