Flight Safety Information - March 11, 2024 No. 051 In This Issue : Incident: United A320 near Chicago on Mar 9th 2024, oil warning : Incident: Lufthansa A319 near Hamburg on Mar 9th 2024, burnt water : Aircraft Cabin Air International Conference - 17 & 18 September - London : Accident: Bar C130 at Jowhar on Mar 9th 2024, runway excursion : Incident: United A320 near Los Angeles on Mar 8th 2024, hydraulic failure : Accident: United B38M at Houston on Mar 8th 2024, runway excursion and main gear collapse : IAI 1125 Astra SP - Fatal Accident/Impact with Ground (Hot Springs, VA) : False GPS Signal Surge Makes Life Hard for Pilots : Oops: Pilot Finds Delta Air Lines Boeing 737 Safety Cards On A 757 : At least 50 injured after 'technical problem' on LATAM flight to Auckland, NZ Herald reports : The DOJ has opened a criminal investigation into the Alaska Airlines 737 blowout, a report says : Aviation incidents seem to be proliferating, but experts say there's no reason for alarm : Safety Culture vs. Safety Systems in U.S. Transportation : Major airline faces Chapter 11 bankruptcy concerns : CALENDAR OF EVENTS Incident: United A320 near Chicago on Mar 9th 2024, oil warning A United Airbus A320-200, registration N421UA performing flight UA-2137 from Chicago O'Hare,IL to Salt Lake City,UT (USA) with 149 passengers and 5 crew, was enroute at FL340 about 200nm west of Chicago when the crew decided to turn around and return to Chicago due to oil warning indication. The aircraft landed safely back on Chicago's runway 27C about 45 minutes after turning around. The FAA reported: "United Airlines Flight 2137 returned safely to Chicago O’Hare International Airport around 11 a.m. local time on Saturday, March 9, after the crew reported a possible oil warning light issue. The Airbus A320 was headed to Salt Lake City International Airport in Utah. The FAA will investigate." A replacement A320-200 registration N412UA reached Salt Lake City with a delay of 5:15 hours. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Chicago about 26 hours after landing back. https://avherald.com/h?article=515fa972&opt=0 Incident: Lufthansa A319 near Hamburg on Mar 9th 2024, burnt water A Lufthansa Airbus A319-100, registration D-AILD performing flight LH-818 from Frankfurt/Main (Germany) to Gothenburg (Sweden), was climbing through FL330 out of Frankfurt when the crew stopped the climb and decided to divert to Hamburg (Germany) reporting smoke in the cabin. The aircraft landed safely on Hamburg's runway 05 about 14 minutes later. The airline reported the smoke originated in the forward galley, a defective coffee maker was identified. The passengers were taken to their destination by another aircraft. A replacement A320-200 registration D-AIZM reached Gothenburg with a delay of about 4.5 hours. The occurrence aircraft returned to service after about 13 hours on the ground in Hamburg. https://avherald.com/h?article=515fa0c9&opt=0 Accident: Bar C130 at Jowhar on Mar 9th 2024, runway excursion A Bar Aviation Lockheed L-100-30 Hercules, registration 5X-SBR performing a freight flight presumably from Entebbe (Uganda) to Jowhar (Somalia), veered right off Jowhar's runway on landing and came to a stop on rough soft terrain with the right hand main gear and nose gear collapsed, the outboard right hand propeller sheared off and damage to the right hand wing tip. There were no injuries. The aircraft sustained substantial damage. According to local media reports the aircraft originated in Uganda carrying supplies for ATMIS (African Transition Mission in Somalia). https://avherald.com/h?article=515f024d&opt=0 Incident: United A320 near Los Angeles on Mar 8th 2024, hydraulic failure A United Airbus A320-200, registration N485UA performing flight UA-821 from San Francisco,CA (USA) to Mexico City (Mexico) with 105 passengers and 5 crew, was enroute at FL370 about 460nm southeast of Los Angeles,CA (USA) in Mexican Airspace when the crew decided to turn around and divert to Los Angeles reporting a hydraulic failure. The aircraft descended to FL360 and landed safely on Los Angeles' runway 25L about 80 minutes after turning around. A replacement Airbus A320-200 registration N478UA reached Mexico City with a delay of about 5 hours. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Los Angeles about 16 hours after landing. The airline reported it was only an issue with one of the three hydraulic systems on board. https://avherald.com/h?article=515ee52b&opt=0 Accident: United B38M at Houston on Mar 8th 2024, runway excursion and main gear collapse A United Boeing 737-8 MAX, registration N27290 performing flight UA-2477 from Memphis,TN to Houston Intercontinental,TX (USA) with 160 passengers and 6 crew, landed on Houston's runway 27 and slowed to taxi speed (about 30 knots) prior to attempting to turn right off onto the last taxiway, however, skidded and went straight after turning about 45 degrees and came to a stop on soft ground off the runway at 07:58L (13:58Z) with the left main gear collapsed. A passenger reported the aircraft had landed normally and in normal attitude, when the crew attempted to turn off the aircraft was too fast, skidded, the gear collapsed and the aircraft went off onto soft ground. The passenger disembarked onto the runway via stairs. The FAA stated: "After landing at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, United Airlines Flight 2477 rolled onto the grass when exiting onto the taxiway around 8 a.m. local time on Friday, March 8. The passengers deplaned on the taxiway and were bused to the terminal. The Boeing 737 departed from Memphis International Airport. Please contact the airline for additional information. The FAA will investigate. " The NTSB announced they have dispatched an investigation team to Houston to investigate the runway excursion of a United Boeing 737 at Houston's Intercontinental Airport. https://avherald.com/h?article=515e3618&opt=0 IAI 1125 Astra SP - Fatal Accident/Impact with Ground (Hot Springs, VA) Date: Sunday 10 March 2024 Time: c. 14:57 LT Type: IAI 1125 Astra SP Owner/operator: Private Registration: N1125A MSN: 051 Year of manufacture: 1990 Fatalities: Fatalities: 5 / Occupants: 5 Aircraft damage: Destroyed Category: Accident Location: near Ingalls Field Airport (KHSP), Hot Springs, VA - United States of America Phase: Approach Nature: Executive Departure airport: Fort Lauderdale International Airport, FL (FLL/KFLL) Destination airport: Investigating agency: NTSB Confidence Rating: Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources Narrative: An IAI 1125 Astra SP jet, N1125A, was destroyed when it impacted trees and hillside terrain short of the runway during an emergency diversion to Ingalls Field Airport (KHSP), Hot Springs, Virginia. The two pilots and three passengers perished in the accident. KHSP is a unique airport since its located on top of a mountain. It features one asphalt runway (5600 x 100 ft), and it is known for its challenging winds. At the time of the accident, winds were 19 knots at 280 degrees, gusting 38 knots. https://www.aviation-safety.net/wikibase/354203 False GPS Signal Surge Makes Life Hard for Pilots Since the start of the war in Ukraine, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency warns of satellite navigation systems disruptions affecting remote regions beyond the conflict zone. False GPS signals that deceive on-board plane systems and complicate the work of airline pilots are surging near conflict zones, industry employees and officials told AFP. A ground collision alert sounds in the cockpit, for instance, even though the plane is flying at high altitude -- a phenomenon affecting several regions and apparently of military origin. This includes the vicinity of Ukraine following the Russian invasion two years ago, the eastern Mediterranean and the air corridor running above Iraq, according to pilots and officials interviewed by AFP. Disruptions which were previously limited to jamming preventing access to signals from geolocation satellites are now also taking a more dangerous form making it difficult to counter spoofing. This sees a plane receive false coordinates, times and altitudes. By comparing this data to the geographical maps in its memory banks, its systems can conclude there is imminent danger ahead, Thierry Oriol, a Boeing 777 pilot and member of the SNPL, the main French pilots' union, told AFP. "There were some untimely alarms ordering people to pull back as far as possible on the stick and apply full power to avoid an obstacle, while the plane was in cruise... and in any case no mountain reaches so high," explained Oriol. He also mentioned an incident "departing from Beirut where the plane thought it was at the level of the Alps, at 10,000 feet" (three kilometers/1.8 miles) above sea level. Risk management The problem, explained a manager at a European airline speaking on condition of anonymity, is that this adulterated information enters the navigation system and can cause false alerts hours afterwards as the flight nears its destination. "At first, crews quickly see that it is a false alarm. But as it is an alarm warning of immediate danger, we ask the crews to still carry out the emergency maneuver, to make a return and an analysis. "If the problem occurs a second time and the analysis has not revealed any danger, then the only way is to turn off this alarm, knowing other systems remain active to detect possible risk," the European airline manager added. The commonly used GPS actually only covers the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) managed by the US Department of Defense (DoD). Two others exist -- the European Galileo and Russia's GLONASS. On board airliners, GNSS are the main tools that pilots can use to determine their position, but they are not the only ones. Without needing to return to the sextants of bygone days, these devices are equipped with inertial orientation devices capturing movement to deduce an object's trajectory. But their precision deteriorates throughout the flight. 'Sharp rise' Since the start of the war in Ukraine, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has been warning that GNSS signal disruptions have intensified, affecting relatively remote regions beyond the conflict zone such as Finland and the Mediterranean. In certain cases, this can lead to a modified trajectory or even a changed destination as it was impossible to carry out a landing in secure conditions, the EASA says. The commission governing health and safety conditions for Air France pilots last month posted a warning of what it termed a "grave and imminent danger" of GPS spoofing, estimating the phenomenon was affecting as many as 3.7 flights in 1,000, according to an informed source. In late January the EASA made it a priority to act against such disruptions by unveiling a partnership with the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the world's main airline association with more than 300 carriers, to counter spoofing and jamming. "GNSS systems offer tremendous advantages to aviation in increasing the safety of operations in a busy shared airspace," said EASA acting executive director Luc Tytgat. "But we have seen a sharp rise in attacks on these systems, which poses a safety risk." Tytgat added that "in the medium term, we will need to adapt the certification requirements of the navigation and landing systems. For the longer term, we need to ensure we are involved in the design of future satellite navigation systems." For IATA director general Willie Walsh, "We need coordinated collection and sharing of GNSS safety data; universal procedural GNSS incident guidance from aircraft manufacturers; a commitment from [countries] to retain traditional navigation systems as a backup in cases where GNSS are spoofed or jammed." https://www.kyivpost.com/post/29275 Oops: Pilot Finds Delta Air Lines Boeing 737 Safety Cards On A 757 The airline has been accused of similar mishaps in the past. SUMMARY • A safety card mix-up on a Delta Air Lines flight was recently discovered by a pilot of a different airline. • Attention to detail is crucial as each aircraft model has specific emergency exit layouts that passengers must know. • Similar incidents of incorrect safety cards have occurred on Delta flights. Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines is investigating after a passenger reportedly discovered several safety cards on the wrong aircraft. The passenger, a pilot from a different airline, allegedly told the flight's captain after finding the cards. The reported incident is not the first time Delta has been accused of switching out safety cards on the wrong aircraft. As required by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), incorrect cards can lead airlines to ground their aircraft and be subject to regulatory violations. 737 on a 757 Karlene Petitt, a retired airline pilot, shared the development on X over the weekend, saying that a pilot from another airline found 10 safety cards for a Boeing 737-800 while on a flight operated by a 757. Hope @Delta doesn't have emergency evacuation. #Pilot from an other airline found 10 "B737" emergency cards on the "B757" Told the #Captain. Captain pissed. Had to ground plane in #Atlanta or fix it...did they? #Travelers @FAANews #SafetyFirst #avgeeks @CBSNews @abcnews pic.twitter.com/uPpl68kmzK — Karlene Petitt (@KarlenePetitt) March 9, 2024 It is unclear whether the pilot was on a 757-200 or 757-300 series, but Petitt said after the pilot informed the captain of the flight, he was “pissed.” The flight reportedly originated at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), but its destination is unknown. Petitt explained that the plane would have had to be grounded at ATL unless Delta replaced the incorrect placards with the correct ones. How a small piece of paper can cause big problems. Simple Flying contacted Delta on Sunday for comment on the matter, and a spokesperson said the carrier was looking into the incident. It is unclear when the flight occurred. Additionally, Simple Flying has not independently verified the alleged grounding. Other similar mishaps The mistake is, unfortunately, not the first time passengers have complained about finding the wrong safety cards on a Delta flight. In a reply to Petitt’s post, another X user said they found an incorrect card while on a long-haul flight. “I once boarded an A330 in Amsterdam headed to Minneapolis and my card was for a B767-300!” they explained. “That was an exciting find.” In a forum on Flyertalk, one person said they discovered safety cards for a 757-200 while on a 717-200 in 2018. “Just an amusing observation. Today on my morning flight all the seat back safety cards were for a 757-200 even though we were flying a 717. Attention to detail is usually an important part of any safety protocol.” In that scenario, the person explained they noticed multiple rows of seats had the wrong cards during a flight from Seattle Tacoma International Airport (SEA) to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX). As a result, the person contacted Delta while enroute to PHX, and the airline was quick to respond. “I sent a private message to DL via twitter while in flight and there were already staff on the jet bridge in Phoenix with new safety cards waiting for passengers to disembark,” they said. Attention to detail The correct safety card on each aircraft type is crucial, considering each has a specific number of exits that passengers must be aware of in the case of an emergency. According to the FAA, safety cards also need to be specific to the aircraft of the same model if the safety-related procedures are different. “When the safety-related aspects of aircraft equipment are different, even within the same model of aircraft, the air carrier must provide safety information briefing cards specific to that aircraft. Merely labeling exits, liferafts, or other safety-related equipment with the type and model of aircraft is not sufficient. Safety information briefing cards must show the most common method used to operate the emergency exits in an emergency.” Delta’s 757-200 fleet perfectly explains why ground crews must pay closer attention to detail when replacing safety cards. There are five models of the variant with different amounts of emergency exits: the 75D, 75G, 75H, 75C, and 75C. The 75D and 75H have a total of 10 exits, including four over-wing window exits, while the 75G and 75C have eight exits, four on each side. The 75C is reserved for the carrier’s charter operations. https://simpleflying.com/pilot-finds-delta-air-lines-boeing-737-safety-cards-on-757/ At least 50 injured after 'technical problem' on LATAM flight to Auckland, NZ Herald reports March 11 (Reuters) - At least 50 people were hurt on Monday, mostly with minor injuries, after LATAM Airlines (LTM.SN), opens new tab told the New Zealand Herald that a "technical problem" had caused a "strong movement" during a flight from Sydney to Auckland. LATAM Airlines flight LA800, a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, landed at Auckland airport as scheduled on Monday afternoon, according to FlightAware. The flight normally stops in Auckland on its way to Santiago, Chile. A spokesman for the South American airline told the Herald there had been a "technical problem" on the flight that affected some crew and passengers, without providing further details. Hato Hone St John ambulance treated roughly 50 people at the airport, a spokesperson told Reuters. One patient is in a serious condition, and the remainder had suffered mild to moderate injuries, they added. The NZ Herald quoted a passenger who said she experienced a "quick little drop" during the flight. Boeing and LATAM did not immediately respond to questions from Reuters about the cause and nature of the incident. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/24-injured-after-technical-problem-latam-sydney-auckland-flight-nz-herald-2024-03-11/ The DOJ has opened a criminal investigation into the Alaska Airlines 737 blowout, a report says SEATTLE (AP) — The Department of Justice has launched a criminal investigation into the Boeing jetliner blowout that left a gaping hole on an Alaska Airlines plane this January, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday. Citing documents and people familiar with the matter, the newspaper said investigators have contacted some passengers and crew — including pilots and flight attendants — who were on the Jan. 5th flight. The Boeing plane used by Alaska Airlines suffered the blowout seven minutes after takeoff from Portland, Oregon, forcing the pilots to make an emergency landing. Boeing has been under increased scrutiny since the incident, when a panel that plugged a space left for an extra emergency door blew off a Max 9 jet. There were no serious injuries. “In an event like this, it’s normal for the DOJ to be conducting an investigation,” Alaska Airlines said in a prepared statement. “We are fully cooperating and do not believe we are a target of the investigation.” Boeing declined to comment. DOJ did not immediately reply to a request for comment. The Journal reported that the investigation would assist the Department’s review of whether Boeing complied with a previous settlement that resolved a federal investigation into the safety of its 737 Max aircraft following two deadly crashes in 2018 and 2019. In 2021, Boeing had agreed to pay $2.5 billion, including a $244 million fine, to settle an investigation into the crashes of flights operated by Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines. The company also blamed two employees for deceiving regulators about flaws in the flight-control system. Boeing has acknowledged in a letter to Congress that it cannot find records for work done on the door panel of the Alaska Airlines plane. “We have looked extensively and have not found any such documentation,” Ziad Ojakli, Boeing executive vice president and chief government lobbyist, wrote to Sen. Maria Cantwell on Friday. The company said its “working hypothesis” was that the records about the panel’s removal and reinstallation on the 737 MAX final assembly line in Renton, Washington, were never created, even though Boeing’s systems required it. FILE - A U.S. Department of Justice sign is seen, Nov. 18, 2022, in Washington. The DOJ has launched a criminal investigation into the Boeing jetliner blowout that left a gaping hole on an Alaska Airlines plane this January, the Wall Street Journal reported Saturday, March 9, 2024. The letter, reported earlier by The Seattle Times, followed a contentious Senate committee hearing Wednesday in which Boeing and the National Transportation Safety Board argued over whether the company had cooperated with investigators. The safety board’s chair, Jennifer Homendy, testified that for two months Boeing repeatedly refused to identify employees who work on door panels on Boeing 737s and failed to provide documentation about a repair job that included removing and reinstalling the door panel. “It’s absurd that two months later we don’t have that,” Homendy said. “Without that information, that raises concerns about quality assurance, quality management, safety management systems” at Boeing. Cantwell, a Democrat from Washington, demanded a response from Boeing within 48 hours. Boeing has acknowledged in a letter to Congress that it cannot find records for work done on a door panel that blew out on an Alaska Airlines flight over Oregon two months ago. Ziad Ojakli, Boeing executive vice president and chief government lobbyist, wrote to Sen. Maria Cantwell on Friday, March 8 saying, “We have looked extensively and have not found any such documentation.” Shortly after the Senate hearing, Boeing said it had given the NTSB the names of all employees who work on 737 doors — and had previously shared some of them with investigators. In the letter, Boeing said it had already made clear to the safety board that it couldn’t find the documentation. Until the hearing, it said, “Boeing was not aware of any complaints or concerns about a lack of collaboration.” In a preliminary report last month, the NTSB said four bolts that help keep the door plug in place were missing after the panel was removed so workers could repair nearby damaged rivets last September. The rivet repairs were done by contractors working for Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems, but the NTSB still does not know who removed and replaced the door panel, Homendy said Wednesday. The Federal Aviation Administration recently gave Boeing 90 days to say how it will respond to quality-control issues raised by the agency and a panel of industry and government experts. The panel found problems in Boeing’s safety culture despite improvements made after two Max 8 jets crashed in 2018 and 2019, killing 346 people. https://apnews.com/article/boeing-ntsb-door-plug-emergency-landing-2d23408a25eff999579c88071836dbec Aviation incidents seem to be proliferating, but experts say there's no reason for alarm A flying tire. A runway roll-off. Multiple emergency landings. It may seem like mishaps involving planes have been growing in frequency. But experts say there is no cause for major alarm, as the aviation industry’s safety record remains better than it’s ever been when measured by lives lost. “This is not a safety trend,” said John Cox, a pilot and the president and CEO of Safety Operating Systems LLC, of the recent spate of high-profile incidents. According to the aviation industry publication FlightGlobal, there were just six recorded fatal commercial aviation accidents worldwide in 2023, resulting in 115 deaths — the fewest on record. National Transportation Safety Board data confirms the downward trend: Compared with 27 major accidents involving large U.S. carriers in 2008, there were just 20 in 2022, the most recent year for which data is available. The rate of accidents involving injury or death to a passenger or substantial damage to a plane has also declined — from 0.141 per 100,000 flight hours to 0.112 in 2022. In other words, the data shows flying has rarely been safer. “There’s not anything unusual about the recent spate of incidents — these kinds of things happen every day in the industry,” said Jeff Guzzetti, a pilot and the president of Guzzetti Aviation Risk Discovery LLC. Still, the flying public is now especially attuned to such reports — perhaps most notably because of January’s midair blowout incident on an Alaska Airlines flight involving a Boeing 737 Max 9 jet. Among the latest high-profile events: On Friday, a United Airlines flight on a Boeing 737-800 rolled off the runway in Houston while taxiing to its gate. No one was injured. United noted the plane was operating in rainy conditions at the time. On Thursday, a tire fell off a United Airlines flight on a Boeing 777-200 that had just taken off from San Francisco, forcing an emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport. No one was injured in that incident either. Cox told The Associated Press tire incidents are usually a maintenance issue and not linked to the manufacturer. United said the plane, built in 2002, was designed to land safely without all tires in operation. On Monday, a United Airlines flight on a Boeing 737-900 from Houston to Fort Myers, Florida, had to make an emergency landing after flames started shooting out of the engine. United said in a statement that it appeared bubble wrap entered the airfield and was ingested by the plane’s engine. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating these incidents. The NTSB also revealed this week it was investigating a United flight on a Boeing 737 Max in February that had potentially faulty rudder pedals. In a statement, United said it is also looking at each of the incidents, though they all appear to be unique. “Each of these events is distinct and unrelated to one another,” the airline said. “Safety is our top priority, and we’ll continue to do everything we can to keep our customers and employees safe.” Boeing also said it was assisting with investigations of the incidents. No likely connection to any one airline or plane manufacturer Experts pointed out that each incident is unique and may not be related to United or Boeing. Even as he acknowledged the commonality of United and Boeing as the players in each of these incidents, Guzzetti said such cases were still fairly common in the regular course of flying. “If you look at the big picture, there hasn’t been an increase in the number of incidents,” Guzzetti said. “There’s just a lot of scrutiny now because of the door-plug event, so you have a jittery public and the news media picking up all these things.” Because consumers can use their phone cameras to immediately broadcast these mishaps over vast social media networks as they happen, that makes the public more aware of them, even if their frequency has not actually increased, Cox said. Still, while experts say there is little cause for alarm, they acknowledge a crucial part of the air travel industry has changed in recent years — namely, that aviation personnel on average now have less experience than previous generations of pilots and maintenance crews. “I think it’s a possibility that the lack of super-experienced and qualified pilots and mechanics could play a role in decreasing aviation safety,” Guzzetti said. “But it’s hard to quantify. I don’t think the decrease is alarming — you can’t quantify that — or even correlate it. But it’s worthy of consideration.” Another factor that could be at play is newer airplanes. In fact, older planes were in some ways easier to manage because they were less technologically sophisticated, experts say. But newer planes have more automatic or computerized features that may make flying easier for a pilot, but which are harder to deal with when something goes wrong. “The evolution of airplanes is requiring changes in how we train pilots, where there’s a focus not only on understanding the systems of an airplane, but also managing that automation while keeping manual flying skills sharp,” said Cox. Yet the reduced accident count is proof that, overall, these newer planes have made flying safer, he said. Boeing and its 737 Max line of planes remain under investigation by the NTSB in the wake of the January blowout incident. Earlier this week, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy blasted Boeing for failing to turn over information related to its 737 Max manufacturing process; a day later, Boeing provided the names of 737 Max employees, according to Reuters. The news wire service also reported the NTSB now plans to hold a multiple-day investigative hearing into the Max 9, likely in late summer. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/aviation-incidents-seem-proliferating-experts-144200932.html Safety Culture vs. Safety Systems in U.S. Transportation Roslyn Layton Regulators should focus on forging a safety culture to reduce automotive accidents and fatalities. Transportation safety is a critical topic of policy research. As a function of population growth and miles traveled, U.S. transportation safety demonstrates a significant reduction in the number of fatalities during the last 30 years. This progress likely reflects “safety culture,” or the set of beliefs, practices, norms, and rules which mediate transportation. For example, air travel deaths have plummeted by two-thirds, even though total miles traveled have increased by 42 percent over the last 30 years. Today, the few aviation-related deaths that occur each year happen on private, not scheduled commercial, flights. Some scholars attribute the gains in air safety to the confidential, voluntary, and non-punitive Aviation Safety Reporting System, although the relationship between reporting and reduced accidents is unclear. But research suggests more clearly that these gains from learned practices as a psychological or social concept can improve safety, particularly in workplaces facilitated by manager commitment and employee involvement. Such safety culture dynamics underpin the operation of railroads and are credited with reducing risk of accidents in the Swedish rail sector by 81 percent. The Bureau of Transportation Statistics observes that most rail fatalities are related to trespassing, something beyond the control of rail operators. Although air travel and rail transport are increasingly and impressively safe, a disturbing trend of increasing fatalities, both for pedestrians and motorists, has emerged on roadways. As data compiled by the U.S. Department of Transportation demonstrates, the United States has experienced a significant long-term improvement for air and rail fatalities, but stasis for highway travel. The trend shows that transport deaths have held constant, even though the U.S. population has increased by one-third. However, highway deaths still account for the overwhelming total: 94 percent in 1991, and 95 percent in 2021. It could be argued that the number of highway deaths is lower because population and miles traveled have increased by one-third. But the data suggest a bleak picture when it comes to motorcycles and light trucks. The death levels associated with these vehicles have increased in real numbers. According to a 2022 U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study, the United States has the worst performance among developed nations as measured in traffic deaths per 100,000 people. Further data on motorcycles from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows that there are typically about 8.5 million registered motorcycles in the United States. 2021 was the worst year in recorded U.S. history for motorcycle safety: 5,932 deaths, and some 82,000 injuries. A variety of explanations for this increase in fatalities and injuries are possible. NHTSA notes that alcohol impairment remains a problem across the board for motor vehicle death, with the presence of higher blood alcohol noted in 27 percent of motorcycle deaths, with a whopping 41 percent of motorcyclists in single-vehicle crashes being alcohol impaired. By contrast, increased blood alcohol levels are noted in 23 percent of passenger cars deaths, 19 percent of light trucks, and 3 percent of large truck deaths. NHTSA also reports that 36 percent of motorcyclists in fatal accidents lack a valid drivers’ license. Furthermore, there is no federal helmet law, so each state sets its own requirement. A National Institutes of Health model suggests that marijuana legalization across the United States is associated with an 18 percent increase in automobile injuries and a 4 percent increase in fatalities depending on the state. Another explanation is that the growing number of motor vehicles is associated with pedestrian death. Building a safety culture relies on learned behaviors, enforcement, monitoring, and responsibility. It requires aligning public policy with the operations of America’s industrial sectors for air, rail, and public transit, so policymakers can oversee objectives and hold individuals accountable. Outside of commercial truck drivers, U.S. motorists are not part of a workforce safety culture. Drivers are not employees conforming to standards set by bosses. U.S. roadways are governed effectively under what the Transportation Department calls a “safe system approach.” This is a risk management paradigm which attempts to prevent and minimize adverse outcomes through protective and preventative measures. Rather than hold humans accountable, this approach accepts that people are flawed and attempts to design systems to compensate for their inevitable errors. One example of the safe systems approach is reflected in the Honoring Abbas Family Legacy to Terminate Drunk Driving Act, which requires cars to be equipped with sensors that disable the car in the event of a driver with excessive alcohol levels. An example of safety culture in motoring, by contrast, could include drivers’ licensing and training requirements which attempt to regulate behavior for preferred outcomes. In these respects, the United States has lower age minimums and fewer training requirements than most countries and the highest acceptable legal level for blood alcohol. Of course, there are likely elements of culture and systems approaches in any sector. The troubling, increasing rate of motor vehicle death receives relatively little focus, whereas discrete transport mishaps—such as air door blowouts mid-flight—garner more policy and press attention, even though no deaths occurred. This is not to dismiss fear or injury, but focus does matter in reducing fatality. A case in point is the Ohio train derailment in 2023, which prompted the Railway Safety Act of 2023, even though no one died. The bill’s provisions for minimum crew size, maximum life of tank cars, and fees for rail carriers have nothing to do with the cause of the derailment: a faulty wheel bearing. In any event, the rail industry has committed to continue to foster safety culture which is more likely to ensure that derailments are reduced and eliminated in the future. https://www.theregreview.org/2024/03/11/layton-safety-culture-vs-safety-systems-in-u-s-transportation/ Major airline faces Chapter 11 bankruptcy concerns Creditors of the airline are bracing for the worst as over $1 billion in debt looms. Spirit Airlines faces a fight for its survival. The company had bet its future on merging with JetBlue, a deal that would have ended Spirit's low-cost business model. Like Frontier Airlines, Spirit Airlines (SAVE) operates using a full a la carte model. Customers pay a low price to get a ticket on the plane. Anything else they want including a seat assignment, carry-on bag, checked baggage, and even water, tea, or coffee costs extra. Had the merger with JetBlue gone through, Spirit likely would have adopted its new partners' model. JetBlue offers low fares with seat assignments and carryons included while checked bags still cost extra. Now that federal regulators blocked that merger, Spirit faces a heavy debt load and continuing losses. The company lost $214 million in the fourth quarter and $495 million for the year, That followed a $598 million loss in 2022. Spirit has maintained a defiant stance, and CEO Ted Christie believes the company has a path forward. "The Spirit team is 100% clear and focused on the adjustments we are currently deploying and will continue to make throughout 2024 to drive us back to cash flow generation and profitability,” he said in the company's fourth-quarter earnings release. Spirit has debts coming due The end of Spirit's attempted merger with JetBlue (JBLU) has led to significant questions about the company's ongoing viability. Christie attempted to assuage those fears in his remarks. And so did his CFO. “Regarding liquidity, we believe our $1.3 billion in total liquidity at year-end 2023 should be more than adequate to get us to our primary goal of getting the business to generate cash," CFO Scott Haralso said. "...And, while we have confidence in our ability to return to positive cash generation, we will continue to look at other opportunities to further shore up our liquidity resources as we progress through the year." Haralso did note that the company has significant debt maturities coming up. "The company is aware of its 2025 and 2026 debt maturities and is assessing options to address those maturities when the time is appropriate," he said. That may not be enough for the company's creditors, according to a report from Quartz. "Spirit has more than $1 billion debt that it has to repay, and soon, but some of that debt is trading for less than par value on public markets, suggesting some market doubt about whether the notes are worth what the company says they are. One issuance, due 2026, is trading at 74 cents on the dollar. Another set of notes, due in 2025, are going for 76 cents on the dollar," the website shared. Analysts see bankruptcy risk for Spirit Fitch Ratings has downgraded Spirit's credit rating and shared that the airline "faces serious headwinds toward improving its profitability including engine availability issues, overcapacity in certain leisure markets, and intense competition." "Fitch expects JetBlue's profit margins to remain well below historical averages at least through 2024 driven by a number of near-term headwinds. JetBlue is faced with outsized impacts from air traffic control delays due to its concentration in the Northeast. Industry capacity is also outpacing demand, particularly during off-peak periods," the credit ratings service shared. In addition, Bloomberg reported that Spirit's creditors are preparing for a possible bankruptcy filing. Rapid Ratings, which tracks the financial health of companies, has warned the company's vendors that Spirit has a "high default risk" and has warned its vendors to "begin risk mitigation." "Spirit Airlines Inc. is situated in our High-Risk group, displays weakness in five of our seven performance categories, demonstrates significant underperformance in ROCE (return on capital employed), and was downgraded in the most recent period. If current trends persist it would be logical to expect that Spirit Airlines Inc. will face serious default risk this coming year," Rapid Ratings shared. Spirit stock closed on March 8 at $4.85, a huge drop from its 52-week high of $19.69. Shares lost roughly two-thirds of their value when the federal government blocked the airline's merger with JetBlue. https://www.thestreet.com/travel/spirit-airlines-faces-chapter-11-bankruptcy-fears CALENDAR OF EVENTS • 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 • Aircraft Cabin Air International Conference - 17 & 18 September - London • 2024 ISASI - Lisbon, Portugal - September 30 to October 4, 2024 • 2024 NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition - Oct. 22-24 (Vegas) Curt Lewis