Flight Safety Information - February 12, 2024 No. 031 In This Issue : Bombardier CL-600-2B16 Challenger 604 - Fatal Accident (Florida) : Incident: American B738 at Dallas on Feb 10th 2024, overran runway on landing : Accident: EAT A306 at Leipzig on Feb 9th 2024, tail strike on go around : Naples plane crash: NTSB investigators transport jet to secure facility, study 'black box' : NTSB says hot air balloon pilots need more oversight, why hasn’t it happened : Worried about how safe it is to fly? Here’s what the experts have to say : DGCA issues circular to prevent runway incursions post Tokyo Haneda accident (India) : Russia’s planes fall apart as Western sanctions block airline repairs : Japanese Airlines Say No To Pets In Cabin: 2 Died In JAL 516 Cargo : Brakes Issue Causes American Airlines Boeing 737-800 To Overrun Runway In Dallas : The climate crisis is putting private jet users on the defensive : How monumental is China’s challenge to build its own jet engine for the C919 as it seeks aviation self-reliance? : CALENDAR OF EVENTS Bombardier CL-600-2B16 Challenger 604 - Fatal Accident (Florida) Date: Friday 9 February 2024 Time: c. 15:10 LT Type: Bombardier CL-600-2B16 Challenger 604 Owner/operator: East Shore Aviation LLC Hop-A-Jet Registration: N823KD MSN: 5584 Year of manufacture: 2004 Engine model: GE CF34 Fatalities: Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 5 Aircraft damage: Destroyed Category: Accident Location: 5 km NE of Naples Airport (APF/KAPF), Naples, FL - United States of America Phase: Approach Nature: Passenger - Non-Scheduled/charter/Air Taxi Departure airport: Columbus-Ohio State University Airport, OH (OSU/KOSU) Destination airport: Naples Airport, FL (APF/KAPF) Investigating agency: NTSB Confidence Rating: Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources Narrative: Hop-A-Jet flight HPJ823, a Bombardier CL-600-2B16 Challenger 604, was destroyed in a forced landing on the I-75 at mile marker 107, 5km northeast of Naples Airport (APF/KAPF), Naples, Florida. Two of the five occupants perished. The aircraft was on approach to Naples Airport (APF/KAPF), Florida, when the crew radioed that they had lost both engines and were not able to make it to the runway. The aircraft struck a truck during the landing and burst into flames as it came to rest against a concrete wall at the side of the southbound lanes. https://www.aviation-safety.net/wikibase/351596 Incident: American B738 at Dallas on Feb 10th 2024, overran runway on landing An American Airlines Boeing 737-800, registration N991AN performing flight AA-1632 from Washington National,DC to Dallas Ft. Worth,TX (USA), landed on Fort Worth's runway 17L at 19:42L (01:42Z Feb 11th) but came to a stop only on the runway end safety area past the runway end. There were no injuries and no damage. The aircraft was towed to the apron about 90 minutes after landing. According to ADS-B data the aircraft touched down in the runway's touch down zone about 520 meters down the runway at 152 knots over ground and at 600 feet MSL (according to standard pressure, Dallas Ft. Worth runways' elevations are about 600 feet MSL) and began deceleration, the aircraft slowed through 132 knots over ground about 990 meters down the runway (at 600 feet MSL) and slowed through 90 knots about 1580 meters down the runway (at 600 feet MSL), only then the aircraft's transponder began to indicate the aircraft was on the ground. The aircraft slowed through 40 knots over ground about 2460 meters down the runway and about 110 meters before the runway end, crossed the runway end at 27 knots over ground and came to a stop about 23 meters past the runway end on the paved surface of the runway end safety area. According to local witnesses three main tyres deflated. https://avherald.com/h?article=514d2f9f&opt=0 Accident: EAT A306 at Leipzig on Feb 9th 2024, tail strike on go around An EAT Leipzig Airbus A300-600 freighter, registration D-AZMO performing flight QY-995 from Tel Aviv (Israel) to Leipzig (Germany), was landing on Leipzig's runway 26L at 17:54L (16:54Z) when the crew initiated a go around from very low height. The tail contacted the runway surface, the aircraft climbed out to safety and positioned for an approach to runway 26R where the aircraft landed without further incident about 20 minutes later. There were no injuries, the aircraft sustained substantial damage however. The operator had suffered another tailstrike of another A306 just two days earlier, see Incident: EAT A306 at Warsaw on Feb 7th 2024, tail strike on landing. https://avherald.com/h?article=514d0336&opt=0 Naples plane crash: NTSB investigators transport jet to secure facility, study 'black box' Emergency officials work the scene of plane crash on Interstate 75 in Naples near Exit 105 on Friday, Feb. 9, 2024. Two people were confirmed dead. The National Transportation Safety Board is moving the wreckage Sunday to a secure location for additional inquiry.. The National Transportation Safety Board said Sunday it plans to move the jet that crashed in Naples on Friday to an undisclosed, secure facility for further study. Separately, the black box, also known as the flight data recorder, and cockpit voice recorder will head to agency headquarters in Washington, D.C., this evening. The pilot and co-pilot died in the crash. While investigators continue to examine and document the scene and the aircraft, an email said, they are also recovering the craft. NTSB officials plan to move the jet to an "undisclosed secure facility in Jacksonville later today," the agency said in an email. The southbound side of Interstate 75 between Pine Ridge and Golden Gate near Exit 105 remains closed to traffic. Although debris is still being cleared off the highway, Florida Highway Patrol's Lt. Greg Bueno estimated that the portion of I-75 the plane landed on will be reopened later Sunday. Emergency officials investigate the scene of a plane crash on Interstate75 in Naples near Exit 105 on Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024. The plane carrying five people crashed on Friday, Feb. 9, 2023. The National Transportation Safety Board is moving the fuselage to a secure location for further investigation. Friday, the Bombardier Challenger 600-series jet crash-landed on the southbound side of I-75 outside of Naples, Florida, just north of the highway's eastern turn, which runs along the area known as Alligator Alley. The plane hit an SUV and a truck; the drivers and passengers survived. Five were onboard the jet: a pilot, copilot, a crew member and two passengers. The Collier County Sheriff's Office identified the dead as pilot Edward Daniel Murphy, 50, of Oakland Park, Fla., and Ian Fredrick Hoffman, 65, of Pompano Beach, Fla. Crew member Sydney Ann Bosmans, 23, of Jupiter, Fla. and passengers Aaron Baker, 35 and Audra Green, 23, of Columbus, Ohio, survived the crash. Survivors could not be reached Sunday. The plane was coming from Columbus, Ohio, to the Naples Airport and scheduled for departure to Fort Lauderdale, said Robin King, the director of communication with The Naples Airport Authority. In the moments before the explosive plane crash, Murphy radioed Air Traffic Control and told them that the plane had suffered dual engine failure, and he was attempting an emergency landing outside the airport. The plane crashed about 4 miles from the airport. According to FlightAware's flight tracker, the jet plunged from 1,800 feet to the ground in the last minute of its descent. King said the airport lost communication with the plane just before the crash. Emergency officials investigate the scene of a plane crash on Interstate 75 in Naples near Exit 105 on Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024. The plane carrying five people crashed on Friday, Feb. 9, 2023. The pilot and copilot died. Friday night, Hop-A-Jet released a statement acknowledging the crash and saying it planned to dispatch a team to the site. "Our immediate concern is for the well-being of our passengers, crew members, and their families," the statement said. The NTSB is investigating the crash. The agency investigates about 1,200 aviation accidents and incidents a year, and about 60 accidents in the other modes of transportation: rail, highway, marine, and pipeline. https://www.naplesnews.com/story/news/local/2024/02/11/ntsb-transports-jet-to-secure-facility-studies-black-box-naples-columbus-i75-interstate-two-dead/72562747007/ NTSB says hot air balloon pilots need more oversight, why hasn’t it happened • The National Transportation Safety Board, or NTSB, has been calling for more regulation and oversight of hot air balloons and their pilots for at least 17 years.(Arizona's Family) PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) — It’s been a month since four people were killed, a fifth seriously injured in a hot air balloon crash in Eloy. Hot air balloon rides have become increasingly popular in and around the Valley. But how safe are they? That’s the question Arizona’s Family Investigates has spent the last few weeks trying to answer. The National Transportation Safety Board, or NTSB, has been calling for more regulation and oversight of hot air balloons and their pilots for at least 17 years. But they only investigate crashes and recommend changes; it’s up to the FAA and Congress to act, and on most of these, they haven’t. Rosemarie Gregorio knows the dangers hot air balloons can pose all too well. Her husband was killed in the last fatal hot air balloon crash in Marana back in 2005. She and her husband had received the ride as an anniversary gift from their daughter. “We hit some cables, electrical cables, and the balloon caught fire and I passed out again… The next thing I remember is the balloon dragging on the ground. My face was in the dirt,” Rosemarie explained. She calls her husband, Thomas, the love of her life. Eleven people were on that balloon that April day in 2005. The NTSB’s final report found the basket hit several boulders along the side of mountains. “My whole body was black and blue for months,” Rosemarie said. Rosemarie was one of three people seriously injured in that crash. “I was screaming, my husband is dead… He was the nicest man you could imagine, right. Papa was good. Gentle, real Italian boy,” she explained. This crash in Marana was one of 30 the NTSB investigated in Arizona since 2000. You might remember one close call from December in North Phoenix where a balloon with nine people onboard came down on a light pole. The most recent accident was in Eloy back in January. “The standards, I’m not going to say they’re unsafe, but they’re a little lower than some of the other areas out there, and unfortunately, because of that, that’s led to challenges and sometimes accidents,” Anthony Brickhouse, an aviation expert and Associate Professor with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University said. He explained the NTSB has been calling for more oversight of this industry for nearly two decades. Hot air balloons fall under Part 91, which is known as Revenue Passenger-Carrying Operations. It took until 2016, with the deadliest hot air balloon crash in the U.S., for the issue to be put in the spotlight. Sixteen people were killed, including the pilot in Lockhart, Texas, when the balloon hit power lines. We’d later learn the pilot had served two prison sentences for drug and alcohol-related offenses and had several prescription drugs in his system at the time of the crash. “This is figure out what the gaps are in your oversight and address them,” Jennifer Homendy said during an NTSB board meeting in March 2021. The agency was so concerned they commissioned a report on the issue. It recommended closing loopholes, developing national safety standards, and a database for these operators. “This should be a matter of just taking action,” Homendy explained. Homendy has since become the chair of the NTSB, and she’s continued to call on the FAA and Congress to act. To date, only one recommendation from their report on the Lockhart crash has been adopted. It requires balloon pilots to have additional medical clearance or what’s known as a second-class medical. “If you have people onboard, you should definitely be of a certain level of health,” Brickhouse said. Arizona’s Family Investigates found records that show the pilot in the Eloy crash did have a medical certification. It’s a move the Balloon Federation of America or BFA, a trade group that advocates for the ballooning industry, remains opposed to. “We have people that have been flying safely for 20, 30, 40 years… Now they’re in their 50s and 60s in some cases, and they have to go for the very first time to get an FAA second-class medical, and that’s not an easy process. The applications are somewhat daunting,” said Pat Cannon, the President of the BFA. He argues more regulation isn’t the answer. “You cannot mandate attitude; you cannot mandate decision and judgment-making process,” Cannon said. “We should take this opportunity to strengthen safety for all passengers,” Homendy said to a Congress subcommittee last February. Arizona’s Family Investigates asked Brickhouse what he thought it would take for the FAA or Congress to act. “Well what we don’t want is to have to have more accidents,” he responded. “Why should people die for somebody’s mistake? That could probably be corrected or improved,” Rosemarie said. Arizona’s Family Investigates also reached out to the FAA for a response. A spokesman writes, “the FAA has identified Part 91 revenue passenger-carrying operations as a rulemaking goal in its Rulemaking Prioritization Plan and is currently developing rulemaking proposals for consideration that may address these safety recommendations.” https://www.azfamily.com/2024/02/12/ntsb-says-hot-air-balloon-pilots-need-more-oversight-why-hasnt-it-happened/ Worried about how safe it is to fly? Here’s what the experts have to say It wasn’t a great start of the year for aviation safety, with a runway collision at Tokyo’s Haneda airport and a door plug blowing out in mid-air from an Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 making headlines within days of each other, and with four more fatal accidents involving regional and business aircraft in the following weeks. Boeing, the maker of the 737, has been particularly under scrutiny once it emerged that the blowout was due to manufacturing problems, and some travelers are now actively choosing to avoid booking flights on Max 9 aircraft. Understandably, anxiety around flying is hitting a high – but is there any reason for concern? “I don’t believe that you should be worried,” says Geoffrey Thomas, an aviation safety expert and editor in chief of Airline Ratings, which publishes an annual list of the safest airlines. “Certainly Boeing has had some production problems, which they’re working their way through, and it’s not a good look. But the bottom line is that there are so many checks in place now that I don’t believe anybody should be concerned. “I would certainly not have any hesitation on getting on board a Boeing aircraft.” “And nobody would ever hesitate to get on board a 747,” he says. “One of the things about aviation, as time goes by, is that manufacturers and airlines learn from their mistakes, and put systems in place to ensure they don’t make them again. So statistically, over time, flying gets safer and safer and safer.” In a recent analysis, Airline Ratings identified a list of aircraft that can be considered the safest to fly on, having never suffered any accident with fatalities. Among them are the Boeing 787 and 777-300ER, and the Airbus A220, A320neo and A380. The list of the world’s safest airlines is topped by Air New Zealand, Qantas, Virgin Australia, Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways, Emirates, All Nippon Airways, Finnair and Cathay Pacific. Safer than driving The airline industry says overall safety performance has risen by 48% over the past 10 years. “Aviation is the safest mode of transportation,” says Anthony Brickhouse, a professor of aviation safety at Florida’s Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. “If you look at the numbers, you’re more at risk to have an accident driving to the airport than you are flying at 38,000 feet. I tell people, if you make it to your flight, the most hazardous part of your day is actually behind you.” Passengers, Brickhouse adds, should pay less attention to exactly what aircraft they’re flying on and focus on things they can control, like their personal safety when they get on board. “For example by paying attention during the safety briefing, and being aware of where emergency exits are, or not flying with children on their lap,” he says. The US Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board, Brickhouse notes, are investigating the Max 9 blowout and the fact that the aircraft is back in the air means they have completed whatever inspections were necessary to ensure it is as safe as possible. In this National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) handout, plastic covers the exterior of the fuselage plug area of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 Boeing 737-9 MAX on January 7, 2024 in Portland, Oregon. A door-sized section near the rear of the Boeing 737-9 MAX plane blew off 10 minutes after Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 took off from Portland, Oregon on January 5 on its way to Ontario, California. In the runway collision in Tokyo, a Japan Airlines Airbus A350 struck a Dash 8, a turboprop regional plane operated by the Tokyo Coast Guard, killing five of its six crew. Last year, a series of near-misses in US airports had prompted an investigation by the FAA. “If you have a certain trend that keeps occurring, unless you make pretty significant changes, that trend is unfortunately going to turn into an accident,” says Brickhouse. “And I think it’s really important that we’ve been doing what we’re doing, looking into all of these close calls in the airport environment, to learn as much as we can so that we can hopefully prevent that disaster that could be lurking. “Unfortunately, with the Japan Airlines accident, we did lose five people on the military aircraft, but everybody made it off of the civilian aircraft. From a safety perspective, we can still learn what went right and what didn’t.” Following the accident, Japan modified some procedures relating to air traffic control, such as having staff constantly monitor ground radar systems that alert of possible runway collisions. However, this has prompted calls for a significant staff increase, as the measure is believed to put even more strain on the already stretched personnel. Close to zero Safety concerns were heightened last month when a door plug blew out in mid-air on an Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9. The latest safety report from IATA, the trade association of the world’s airlines, states that in 2022 there were a total of 39 commercial aviation accidents in the world, with 158 on-board fatalities – equalling one accident every 0.83 million flights. “Accidents are rare in aviation,” Willie Walsh, IATA’s director general, said in a statement accompanying the report. “There were five fatal accidents among 32.2 million flights in 2022. That tells us that flying is among the safest activities in which a person can engage. But even though the risk of flying is exceptionally low, it is not risk-free. “Careful analysis of the trends that are emerging even at these very high levels of safety is what will make flying even safer. This year’s report, for example, tells us that we need to make some special efforts on turboprop operations in Africa and Latin America.” IATA says that in the last 10 years, the industry has improved its overall safety performance by 48%. A study by Arnold Barnett, a professor of statistics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, focuses exactly on aviation’s ever-improving safety record. The study, which is yet to be published, is a follow-up to one he released in 2020, but looks at more recent flight data, until 2022. The main takeaway is that in the period between 2018 and 2022, the worldwide death risk per boarding was one in 13.4 million - that means that if you picked a flight completely at random and just took it, your chance of dying in a plane crash or a terrorist act was about one in 13 million. To put that in context, there’s a much higher chance of being killed in a shark attack, or give birth to quadruplets, than die in a plane crash. That’s also a significant improvement on the 2008 to 2017 period, where the risk was one in 7.9 million, and a dramatic drop compared to the 1968 to 1977 period, where the risk was one death every 350,000 boardings. “In the past half-century, we’re now only about 1/38th as likely to die in a plane accident compared to the levels of the late 1960s and 1970s,” Barnett says. Remote in probability Despite concerns, the Boeing 737 has a better safety record than the 747, experts say. However, sharing IATA’s concerns, he warns that the world is not homogenous, and there are regions that suffer a higher rate of accidents, particularly developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. “They’re down to one death every 2 million boardings right now, which is higher than the world average of one in 13 million,” he adds. Conversely, in the countries where the study finds it safest to fly – including Australia, Canada, China, the European Union, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States – the risk drops to one death in around 80 million boardings. “I know people who are afraid to fly and that’s a very intense feeling for some of them, but I think that worrying about flying for the risk of death is similar to refusing to go into the supermarket because the ceiling could collapse,” Barnett adds. When the risk gets sufficiently close to zero, we should effectively treat it as zero, Barnett says. “I don’t think every moment you’re walking in the street, you assume death might be imminent because a meteor could suddenly hit you or something. These events are so remote in probability that we simply treat them as impossible. And I think flying, statistically, is in that category.” https://www.cnn.com/travel/worried-about-flying-heres-what-the-experts-have-to-say/index.html DGCA issues circular to prevent runway incursions post Tokyo Haneda accident (India) The DGCA issued an air safety circular after an accident at Tokyo Haneda involving a Japan Coast Guard DHC-8 aircraft and Japan Airlines Flight 516 due to runway incursion. The circular outlines steps for stakeholders to prevent runway incursions, including comprehensive training, adherence to procedures, technological interventions, recognizing human factors, and establishing Runway Safety Teams at aerodromes. The move follows the Jan 2, 2024, accident at Tokyo Haneda due to runway incursion by Japan Coast Guard DHC-8 aircraft while Japan Airlines Flight 516 was in the process of landing. NEW DELHI: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued an air safety circular that points out steps to be taken by various stakeholders to avoid runway incursions. The move follows the Jan 2, 2024, accident at Tokyo Haneda due to runway incursion by Japan Coast Guard DHC-8 aircraft while Japan Airlines Flight 516 was in the process of landing. Following this accident, the DGCA started a review of its existing requirements and safety measures in place for runway safety and prevention of runway incursions, said a senior official. "Consequently, DGCA has issued Air Safety Circular 2/2024 outlining mitigation strategies for runway incursion risk. This is based on the analysis of safety data and output of National Aviation Safety Plan India," he added. This circular emphasizes the following key actions: 1. Comprehensive training for Pilots, Air Traffic Controllers, Aircraft Maintenance Engineers (Clear to Taxi), and Drivers operating inside the airport. 2. Ensuring adherence to standard procedures by all involved personnel/ stakeholders. 3. Adoption of technological interventions to improve situational awareness, thereby assisting Air Traffic Control (ATC) and other stakeholders to identify the traffic within the manoeuvering area. 4. ATC should ensure that stop bars are switched on to signal a stop and switched off to indicate that traffic may proceed. In no case, aircraft or vehicles be instructed to cross illuminated red stop bars. Aerodrome, ATC and airlines should implement contingency measures to cater to unserviceable stop bars. 5. Recognizing the influence of human factors on performance, which may contribute to runway incursions. 6. Establishing a Runway Safety Team at all aerodromes and ensuring their effective functioning. "The rate of runway incursions is on a decreasing trend. However, by adhering to the actions specified in this circular and maintaining a proactive approach among all stakeholders, the risk of runway incursions may be reduced further," the official said. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/dgca-issues-circular-to-prevent-runway-incursions-post-tokyo-haneda-accident/articleshow/107622369.cms Russia’s planes fall apart as Western sanctions block airline repairs • On an unassuming piece of farmland next to a forest in Novosibirsk, Siberia, a Ural Airlines Airbus A320 carrying 165 people last September was forced to crash land in a field of wheat. • The plane was flying from Omsk to Sochi when its hydraulic systems failed, forcing the pilot to take drastic action as the plane started running out of fuel. • Six months later, the grounded plane is still there because Ural Airlines has been unable to fly it out. The farmer whose land is now home to the aircraft has reportedly been paid one million roubles (£8,700) by Ural Airlines for the privilege. It is just the latest example of a string of airline accidents to emerge in Russia since sanctions blocked the repair and maintenance of Western aircraft. In December, a Boeing 737 run by S7 Airlines had to make an emergency landing in Siberia after its engine started spurting flames. On the same day, an Airbus plane operated by Rossiya Airlines made an emergency landing in Mineralnye Vody after it began falling from the sky. In the same month, state airline Aeroflot grappled with landing gear and wing flap failures as the cabin in one of its Boeing 777s filled with smoke. Safety incidents on Russian planes more than doubled last year. In 2022, there were 37 cases, according to the Jet Airliner Crash Data Evaluation Centre (JACDEC). Last year, there were 81, more than half of which were linked to technical factors. The actual total could be significantly higher, says Jan-Arwed Richter, founder and chief executive of JACDEC. “These numbers only reflect cases that became public,” he says. “There is still a dark figure of unreported incidents. “Many aircraft are inoperable because they were parted out to keep the rest of the fleet in flying condition.” The Russian blogosphere has recently been set alight given the safety problems, with many people blaming the impact of Western sanctions. One post on the pro-government Telegram channel Nezygar called the restrictions a “crime against civilians”, as they called for multimillion-dollar lawsuits against manufacturers not providing parts. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has already made a stark warning about the safety of Russian jets. “EASA is seriously concerned about the safety situation of aviation in Russia, including safety critical related matters such as how aircraft are maintained or how the pilots and the maintenance staff are trained,” says Janet Northcote, of the agency. “We have seen reports that sub-standard practices are rampant in Russia, such as the use of parts from dubious provenance.” Sanctions introduced after Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine mean that Russian operators cannot access spare parts or technical updates for Western-made aircraft. “That is basically almost all types of aircraft used in Russian commercial aviation,” says aviation analyst Andrei Menshenin. Despite this, Russian planes are still flying. “The data shows that the commercial fleet is pretty much the same size as it was the same time last year,” says Rob Morris, global head of consultancy at aviation analytics firm Cirium. However, cracks are emerging. The number of aircraft flying daily on Russian domestic flights during the summer peak was down by about a tenth compared to 2022, according to data from Cirium. When sanctions first hit, Russian airlines quickly found ways to get around them. One such solution was enlisting help from overseas allies, such as Turkey, says Menshenin, which hasn’t imposed any sanctions against Russia. He says that if the engine of a Russian plane needs repairs, the airline can sell it to an airline in Turkey. That airline will then use Western parts to fix it before returning it to Russia. “Turkey can do the necessary maintenance according to all the flight safety procedures, and then it just sells this engine back,” he says. “I have been talking to people in Russia who are doing this.” Russian companies are also importing parts from central Asian countries, he says, such as Kazakhstan. “It is not forbidden for American or European companies to export anything to Kazakhstan,” says Menshenin. “But then inside Kazakhstan there are companies owned by Russian companies and they import it across the border.” But there is a catch, he adds: “A Russian airline now needs to pay twice or maybe three times more for the same thing as they did before the sanctions.” Commercial airlines around the world operate on slim profit margins of between 1pc and 2pc and in Russia these are being rapidly eroded. “If your engine repairs become three times more expensive then you are really struggling to make ends meet,” says Menshenin. Alongside financial pressures, sanctions mean Russian carriers are also no longer allowed to operate in the EU, restricting their travel through European airspace. This means some revenue sources have disappeared, while others have become uneconomical. A typical flight from Moscow to Havana in Cuba should be 5,200 nautical miles (5,984 miles). But now the planes must take a longer route says Menshinin, adding at least 800 nautical miles to the journey and more than two hours to the flight time. Russian charter airline Azur Air has since abandoned this route entirely. The impact of sanctions is bigger for smaller carriers. However, even S7, Russia’s largest private airline, has been forced to ground planes. Analysts fear that the number of accidents will only increase in the country even as the number of flights falls. Consultancy Oliver Wyman expects Russia’s total number of operational aircraft to more than halve by 2026. “The best case scenario is that Russian airlines will keep most of the fleet flying even though smaller airlines will no longer exist,” says Menshinin. “The worst case scenario is that Russian airlines will have to abandon most recent types of aircraft altogether.” Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency, S7, Aeroflot and Ural Airlines were all contacted for comment. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/russia-planes-fall-apart-western-050000794.html Japanese Airlines Say No To Pets In Cabin: 2 Died In JAL 516 Cargo A recent survey of Japanese airlines by Japan’s the Mainichi Shimbun shows that most will not reconsider the policy requiring pets to be checked-in as cargo rather than traveling with their human companions in the cabin. Although many airlines around the world allow travelers to bring their pets onboard, Japan’s airlines require pets to fly in the hold, largely due to passenger allergy concerns. The policy has been put into question following the death of two pets during the crash of JAL flight 516 on January 2. Still, the successful evacuation of all 379 passengers on board that plane has been attributed to the cabin crew enforcing regulations against passengers carrying any personal possessions during an emergency evacuation. JAL Passengers Leave All Belongings Behind On JAL flight 516, the airline has reported, “the aircraft’s announcement system malfunctioned during the evacuation, so cabin crew members conducted instructions using a megaphone and their voices. Cabin crew members determined safe exits for evacuation, and all passengers and crew members evacuated through three emergency exits.” Despite the fire affecting communications and disabling exits, all passengers had evacuated the plane within 18 minutes of landing. Cabin crew gave firm orders to passengers to leave all personal possessions on the plane. Trying to evacuate with luggage and other personal items can pose a significant risk, as individuals may block aisles reaching for bags and prevent others from escaping. Bags can also damage the emergency slides passengers must use to get out. In 2019, 41 of 78 people onboard were killed when an Aeroflot Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft crash landed and burst into flames in Moscow. Some passengers who managed to evacuate were seen carrying luggage. While it’s impossible to say whether more would have survived if everyone had evacuated empty handed, regulators around the world agree that the best chance of surviving a crash is to follow crew instructions and get out of the plane quickly, carrying nothing. Japan Airlines Says Pets Might Hamper Evacuations Only one of thirteen Japanese airlines the Mainchini surveyed said it would allow pets in the cabin. Star Flyer had previously established a policy allowing pets onboard, with certain restrictions. Ten other carriers dismissed the possibility outright. Japan Airlines, which did not entirely discount allowing pets in the cabin in the future, expressed concern it might prove difficult for pet owners to comply with regulations if it means leaving beloved pets behind. A JAL spokesperson told the Mainichi, "We have to consider whether pets brought on board will be a safety hazard during the smooth evacuation (of an aircraft), when human life is the highest priority." After the flight 516 crash, Japan Airlines apologized to its customers for the two pets who died in the hold as the A350 aircraft burned on the tarmac of Tokyo’s Haneda airport. “Regarding the checking in of pets, we take this responsibility with the understanding that we are taking care of a member of our customer’s family,” the airline stated. “We deeply apologize for the immense worry and inconvenience this incident has caused to our customers, their families, and all related parties.” Star Flyer Requires Pets Be Left Behind During Evacuations Japanese airline Star Flyer is the only airline allowing travelers to bring one pet onboard. When the service was announced in 2021, a Star Flyer representative said, “Many passengers have voiced concerns that they are worried about keeping their pets in the cargo hold, and so we devised the plan to let them board with their pets.” The service launched on limited flights in 2022 and is still more restrictive than other pet policies at airlines worldwide. Star Flyer passengers must book two reserved seats at the back of the plane. The pet travels in the carrier on the seat by the window, and only one passenger is allowed to fly with a pet on each flight. Star Flyer expressly tells pet owners they cannot evacuate the aircraft with their pets in an emergency. The airline asks pet owners to sign a waiver confirming the policy. An airline representative explained, “We can't allow customers to evacuate with their pets as the transport ministry's guidelines state that passengers are to evacuate without carrying their belongings.” https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisagarcia/2024/02/12/japanese-airlines-say-no-to-pets-in-cabin-2-died-in-jal-516-cargo/?sh=167972865ae9 Brakes Issue Causes American Airlines Boeing 737-800 To Overrun Runway In Dallas The aircraft is scheduled to re-enter service on Monday with five flights. SUMMARY • American Airlines Flight 1632 experienced a braking issue while landing at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. • The aircraft slowed down past the end of the runway, eventually stopping in the runway end safety area. • No injuries were reported, but the incident is under investigation. A Boeing 737-800 operated by American Airlines reportedly experienced a runway excursion while landing at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) over the weekend. The aircraft did not sustain any damage but suffered from deflated tires. An issue with the aircraft’s brakes is believed to be the cause, resulting in the plane coming to a halt past the runway’s end. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has opened an investigation. Flight details According to The Aviation Herald, the aircraft, registered as N991AN, was operating as AA1632 from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Saturday. Data from FlightAware shows that the aircraft left gate C33 at 17:07, which was eight minutes early from its original departure time of 17:15. Taxiing to Runway 19, it was airborne 14 minutes later at 17:21. Heading south over the Potomac River, the 737 then turned west and reached its cruising altitude of 26,000 feet 15 minutes later. The remainder of the flight was uneventful, although the aircraft gradually decreased its altitude throughout its three-hour journey. One hour and six minutes into the flight, the crew descended to 24,000 feet, only to descend another 2,000 feet to 22,000 feet about a half hour later. This was likely due to increased headwinds, as the flight data shows the aircraft was flying at around 375 miles per hour (mph). Confirming the incident Two hours and 40 minutes into the flight, the plane began its initial descent and was lined up for its final approach onto Runway 17L at DFW 25 minutes later. Landing at 19:42 local time, N991AN overran the runway’s end and stopped in the runway end safety area, according to The Aviation Herald. American Airlines won't be retiring any of its aircraft for the next six years. Much of what you see now is what you'll get through 2030. An American spokesperson confirmed the incident to Simple Flying on Sunday, citing an issue with the aircraft’s brakes. “On Feb. 10, American Airlines flight 1632 with service from Washington, D.C. (DCA) to Dallas Fort-Worth (DFW) experienced a braking issue on landing at DFW. The flight landed safely at 7:41 p.m. CT with 99 customers and 6 crew members onboard.” Over 70 feet past the runway The plane reportedly landed at a speed of 152 knots (174 mph) in the touchdown zone, which is about 1,706 feet (520 meters) down the runway. It began to slow down, decelerating through 132 knots (150 mph) when it was around 3,200 feet (990 meters) down the runway. At 5,180 feet (1,580 meters), the aircraft was still moving at about 90 knots (100 mph). It slowed to about 40 knots (46 mph), reaching 8,000 feet (2,460 meters) down the runway, which was reportedly only 360 feet (110 meters) from the end of the runway. Traveling at 27 knots (31 mph), the plane crossed the runway end and eventually stopped 75 feet (23 meters) further, in the runway end safety area. Although that area is a paved surface, three main tires were deflated, according to local witnesses. As a result, the aircraft had to be towed to the apron. It arrived at gate C2 at 21:11, one hour and 14 minutes after its scheduled arrival time of 19:57. No injuries were reported. “We are fully cooperating with the National Transportation Safety Board in its investigation,” the spokesperson explained. New tires and repairs to the aircraft’s braking system likely occurred on Sunday, as the aircraft is scheduled to re-enter service on Monday. According to FlightAware, N991AN is expected to perform five legs on Monday, performing turns at Raleigh–Durham and Colorado Springs, before it finishes its day with a flight to New Orleans. https://simpleflying.com/brakes-issue-american-airlines-boeing-737-800-overrun-runway-dallas/ The climate crisis is putting private jet users on the defensive "I'm allergic to the word luxury because I think corporate aircraft are a business tool. It's a time machine. 70% of all the passengers that occupy corporate jets are middle management. So it's really a utility. It's transportation." This week, in the hotel right next door, hundreds of people are gathering to get more money into this exclusive world and more people flying on private jets. It is unusual and fascinating to be among hundreds of people who want more of us to step aboard a highly polluting form of transport. Private jet conference "Apart from being an astronaut going up in a rocket, there is no way for one person's action to create so much carbon so quickly," says Todd Smith, former pilot and founder of Safe Landing which campaigns for greener flying, a just transition for aviation workers and a ban on private jets. "Private jet use represents the pinnacle of injustice, given that flying is the fastest way to fry the planet." It's this combination of emissions and exclusivity which makes private jet passengers a very popular target. Anyone who steps aboard - Rishi Sunak, King Charles, Bill Gates, Taylor Swift - stands accused of climate crimes and, if they've ever uttered a syllable of concern about global warming, hypocrisy too. But how big is the sector? There are an estimated 22,000 private jets in the world, with 70% of those being in America. In Europe, the UK is the biggest player. The total number of jets has more than doubled since the year 2000. Every man and woman I spoke to at the conference said they cared about climate change and they have got a plan to reach net zero by 2050. Their justification rests on three main pillars. Private jets are an essential tool for cash-rich but time-poor business leaders. Their sector emits just 2% of aviation's total greenhouse gases (itself 2% of total man-made carbon emissions) so it is being disproportionately vilified. They are leading the way in using more climate-friendly technologies like Sustainable Aviation Fuels derived from plants, waste materials or even hydrogen. The problem with sustainable aircraft fuel is that it only exists in tiny amounts compared to the demand from aeroplanes, and all attempts to scale it up are problematic. Private jet conference The land demand for plant-derived fuel is eye-watering: powering all the planes in America on biofuel would take all the cropped land of America. We don't have the waste volumes and many feedstocks, like waste fats, are more efficiently used to make truck diesel. Synthetic fuels made with green hydrogen would demand huge chunks of our renewable electricity production. Matt Finch is from the Europe-wide clean transport campaign group, Transport & Environment, one of the critics who, alongside Todd Smith and speakers from the Green Party, was invited to speak and challenge the delegates at this conference. He says business aviation is not yet doing enough to cut carbon and governments are getting impatient. "I think regulations will come down the line. If the sector doesn't move fast enough, it will be regulated out of existence." Holger Krahmer who runs the European Business Aviation Association scorns such regulation. "These decisions and discussions are completely irrational because corporate aviation is 2% of [total aircraft] emissions. So if governments ground business jets or eliminate business aviation, you simply will not measure that. "At the end of the day, every gram of CO2 counts for the same so, for the climate, it's more relevant to ask the question: what is the contribution of the sector as a whole?" Private jets are icons of wealth and power - the power to conquer distance on your own terms. But as the climate crisis is increasingly demanding tough choices from all of us, these super-polluting, super-rich jet-setters are on the defensive. https://news.sky.com/story/the-climate-crisis-is-putting-private-jet-users-on-the-defensive-13067899 How monumental is China’s challenge to build its own jet engine for the C919 as it seeks aviation self-reliance? Shanghai-based Aero Engine Corporation of China (AECC) is developing the CJ-1000 high-bypass turbofan jet engine to be used on the C919 passenger jet China’s first domestically developed narrowbody passenger jet is using an imported Leap engine since it entered commercial service since May 2023 A review of China’s first turbofan commercial engine for the home-grown C919 passenger jet is set to be given priority by the Chinese aviation regulator this year as the world’s second-largest economy strives to become self-reliant in aviation amid rising advanced technology export restrictions from the United States. The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has outlined its key tasks to promote “Made in China” this year, including the certification of the narrowbody C919 in Europe this year, as well as prioritising the review of CJ-1000 engine. What is the CJ-1000 engine? The CJ-1000 is a high-bypass turbofan jet engine being developed by the Aero Engine Corporation of China (AECC) at its base in Shanghai, which is also home to the C919. The CJ abbreviation comes from Chang Jiang, the Chinese name for the Yangtze River. The engine has been designed to replace the imported Leap engine produced by CFM International – a joint venture between American firm GE Aerospace and France’s Safran Aircraft Engines – which currently powers the C919. The C919, China’s first domestically developed narrowbody passenger jet, has been in commercial service since May 2023 after 15 years in development. Why it took China’s home-grown C919 plane 15 years to start flying passengers According to Liu Daxiang, deputy director of the science and technology committee at the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (Avic), China lacked experience in the research and development of an engine for commercial aviation. But after China decided to build the C919 in 2008, the Chinese government set up a company to develop parts and a jet engine for the narrowbody passenger jet that is designed to compete with Boeing’s 737 and Airbus’ A320. AECC was formally established in 2016, with Chinese defence contractor Avic and the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac) – the manufacturer of the C919 – among its stakeholders. What are the key challenges for the CJ-1000? While China has made significant progress in engine development in recent years, the design and production of a commercial jet engine is still lagging behind the leading manufacturers in the world. Avic’s Liu described the ability to make high-bypass turbofan engines as crucial to China’s success in aerospace manufacturing. But after making a late start to its research and development, Liu acknowledged China has had to catch up with the technology that has already been around for a few decades. “It’s like leaping from the first generation to the fifth generation [in one go],” Liu said in Shanghai in 2017. Mechanical failures are among the most common problems seen in Chinese made jet engines, according to research released in 2022 by the Hunan civil-military integration of public service platform, an information provider under the Military-Civilian Integration Development Committee of the Hunan provincial government. Poor design, a low level of manufacturing and a lack of experience in testing and assembly are also common problems, the research said. A look inside China’s home-grown civilian passenger jets, the ARJ21 and C919 Research by the China Construction Bank last year also suggested weakness in designing turbofan engines could slow China’s progress in making competitive products compared to its Western counterparts. “China’s aerospace engine industry, represented by AECC, basically has the development and production capabilities for various types of aero engines, but there is still a certain gap compared with [those produced by] advanced Western countries,” the state-owned bank said. What’s the outlook for China’s engine development? According to Chinese media reports, AECC has said that it expects the CJ-1000 engine to be certified between 2022 and 2025. But the US, which holds the lead in aviation technology, has stepped up its export controls on technologies that support the production of advanced semiconductors and gas turbine engines that it said are critical to its national security in the last two years. And these measures may restrict Chinese companies’ access to using such technology. China condemns new US law aimed at boosting domestic semiconductor manufacturing A number of AECC subsidiaries have been designated as military end users by the US Bureau of Industry of Security as Washington grows wary of China’s aerospace manufacturing ambitions, and its push for a civil-military fusion strategy. Exporters of US technology need a licence to sell to companies that have been classified as military end users. In the long term, competition between China and the US in advanced technology is likely to play a significant part in Beijing’s quest to reach aerospace self-reliance. The administration of former US president Donald Trump had considered blocking the sale of the Leap engine to Comac, according to a report by Wall Street Journal in 2020, citing unnamed sources, posing a major risk to the C919. Comac is cautious about shifting to domestic suppliers too early to avoid reputational damage Merics And the Berlin-based think tank, the Mercator Institute for China Studies (Merics), believes China’s “strongest efforts to displace foreign entities centre on engine development” to mitigate against the risks of foreign sanctions. The aviation supply chain has relied on an international division of labour, Merics argued in October, and as a result, it would be a “monumental challenge for China to master all technologies as well as production processes and build an economically efficient plane”. “Due to these industry features, Comac is cautious about shifting to domestic suppliers too early to avoid reputational damage as safety standards are far more stringent and the stakes higher for the commercial aircraft industry.” https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3251482/how-monumental-chinas-challenge-build-its-own-jet-engine-c919-it-seeks-aviation-self-reliance 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) • SMU Air Law Symposium - March 21-22, 2024 ( Dallas, TX) • 2024 ACSF Safety Symposium – Air Charter Safety Foundation - April 1-3, 2024 • Blazetech - Aircraft Fire Hazards, Protection, and Investigation Course June 4 - 7, 2024 • Airborne Public Safety Association, Inc. (APSCON 2024) - July 29 - August 3; Houston TX • Asia Pacific Airline Training Symposium - APATS 2024, 0-11 September, 2024, Singapore • • 2024 ISASI - Lisbon, Portugal - September 30 to October 4, 2024 • 2024 NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition - Oct. 22-24 (Vegas) Curt Lewis