Flight Safety Information - April 18, 2024 No. 079 In This Issue : Incident: Austrian E195 at Vienna on Apr 15th 2024, lightning strike : Piper PA-46-350P Malibu Mirage - Inflight Breakup (Missouri) : Aircraft Cabin Air International Conference - 17 & 18 September - London : Alaska Airlines grounded all planes in the US Wednesday morning : Fatal 2022 midair collision at Watsonville airport ruled pilot error in final report : Chilean report into LATAM Airlines flight plunge finds ‘involuntary movement forward’ from pilot’s seat : Boeing has ‘long way to go’ to fix safety culture after accident : United Airlines says FAA review places restrictions on flying new aircraft : Indonesian volcano eruption forces evacuations, airport closure : US airlines did better with mobility devices in 2023: Here's how each performed : Senators Question Boeing’s 2021 DOJ Deal—“Come Back To Accountability” : Asia Pacific Airlines on notice for $2.9 million FAA fine : Qantas Joins Group To Mine Boneyards For New Aircraft Materials : Ryanair expects to receive 40 Boeing planes by mid-July : PhD GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEYS Survey # 1 Survey # 2 : CALENDAR OF EVENTS Incident: Austrian E195 at Vienna on Apr 15th 2024, lightning strike An Austrian Airlines Embraer ERJ-195, registration OE-LWH performing flight OS-543 from Vienna (Austria) to Naples (Italy), was climbing out of Vienna's runway 29 when the aircraft received a lightning strike prompting the crew to stop the climb at FL220 and return to Vienna for a safe landing on runway 34 about 40 minutes after departure. The rotation was cancelled. The aircraft is still on the ground in Vienna about 50 hours after landing back. https://avherald.com/h?article=51789cc7&opt=0 Piper PA-46-350P Malibu Mirage - Inflight Breakup (Missouri) Date: Tuesday 16 April 2024 Time: c. 13:36 LT Type: Piper PA-46-350P Malibu Mirage Owner/operator: Upward Aviation LLC Registration: N451MA MSN: 4636541 Year of manufacture: 2012 Fatalities: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 Aircraft damage: Destroyed Category: Accident Location: near Hartsburg, MO - United States of America Phase: En route Nature: Private Departure airport: Madison-Dane County Regional Airport, WI (MSN/KMSN) Destination airport: Siloam Springs-Smith Field, AR (SLG/KSLG) Investigating agency: NTSB Confidence Rating: Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources Narrative: A Piper PA-46-350P Malibu Mirage experienced an in flight breakup and crashed near Hartsburg, Missouri, when diverting to Columbia Regional Airport (COU/KCOU). The pilot perished and the aircraft was destroyed. https://www.aviation-safety.net/wikibase/386694 Alaska Airlines grounded all planes in the US Wednesday morning PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Alaska Airlines grounded all flights in the U.S. early Wednesday morning, according to the air carrier. The aircrafts “experienced an issue while performing an upgrade to the system that calculates our weight and balance,” Alaska Airlines officials said in a statement to KOIN 6 News. ‘If something’s broken, you fix it’: Portland dad sees unemployment insurance delay due to typo “Out of an abundance of caution, we requested a ground stop for all Alaska and Horizon flights, which was instituted at approximately 7:30am PT. The issue was mitigated and the ground stop for Alaska and Horizon flights expired at 8:30am PT. We have begun releasing flights. Residual delays are expected throughout the day. We apologize for the inconvenience and encourage guests to check the status of their flights on alaskaair.com or the Alaska App prior to heading to the airport.“ The Port of Portland confirmed the decision to ground the planes was an “airline issue vs. PDX operations” and encouraged passengers to check for updated departures for their flights throughout the day. Portland International Airport reported zero cancellations and 20 delays for both Alaska and Horizon aircrafts around 8:50 a.m., according to FlightAware. Outreach team: 14% of people contacted downtown received same-day drug treatment The Federal Aviation Administration added that “operations are normal after Alaska Airlines asked the FAA to pause departures nationwide.” The Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop for all Alaska Airlines flights Wednesday morning, halting departures nationwide for both the Seattle-area company and Horizon Air, a subsidiary of Alaska Air Group. Alaska Airlines told HuffPost that a software upgrade was to blame. Though the issue was resolved by 8:30 a.m. Pacific time, the airline said that it expects flight delays to persist throughout the day. “This morning we experienced an issue while performing an upgrade to the system that calculates our weight and balance,” an Alaska Airlines spokesperson said in an emailed statement. “Out of an abundance of caution, we requested a ground stop for all Alaska and Horizon flights, which was instituted at approximately 7:30am PT. The issue was mitigated and the ground stop for Alaska and Horizon flights expired at 8:30am PT.” The airline encouraged travelers to check the status of their flights either online or in its app before they head to the airport.This article originally appeared on HuffPost. The Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop for all Alaska Airlines flights Wednesday morning, halting departures nationwide for both the Seattle-area company and Horizon Air, a subsidiary of Alaska Air Group. Alaska Airlines told HuffPost that a software upgrade was to blame. Though the issue was resolved by 8:30 a.m. Pacific time, the airline said that it expects flight delays to persist throughout the day. “This morning we experienced an issue while performing an upgrade to the system that calculates our weight and balance,” an Alaska Airlines spokesperson said in an emailed statement. “Out of an abundance of caution, we requested a ground stop for all Alaska and Horizon flights, which was instituted at approximately 7:30am PT. The issue was mitigated and the ground stop for Alaska and Horizon flights expired at 8:30am PT.” The airline encouraged travelers to check the status of their flights either online or in its app before they head to the airport. https://www.yahoo.com/news/alaska-airlines-grounded-planes-us-154509744.html Fatal 2022 midair collision at Watsonville airport ruled pilot error in final report Pilot error was likely the cause of a midair collision that killed three people at Watsonville Municipal Airport in August 2022, the National Transportation Safety Board has found. The agency released its report March 28. Pilot error was likely the cause of a midair collision that killed three people at Watsonville Municipal Airport in August 2022, the National Transportation Safety Board has found. On March 28, the federal agency released a 12-page final report into the cause of the collision between two aircraft that found that the pilot of a larger, multiengine Cessna 340 failed to spot and avoid a smaller, single-engine Cessna 152 as both planes were attempting to land at the airport. The report also noted that the larger Cessna was flying much faster than a typical landing speed and was not properly configured for landing. Investigators wrote that the pilot of the Cessna 340, Carl Kruppa, 75, and his wife, Nannette Plett-Kruppa, 67, had taken off from an airport in Turlock, near their home in Winton, California, on the afternoon of Aug. 18, 2022, and were preparing to land on the airport’s main runway. Victims of midair collision over Watsonville Municipal Airport identified The pilot of the Cessna 152, Stuart Camenson, 32, of Santa Cruz, had been doing “takeoffs and landings” at the airport and was also preparing to land on the same runway. His plane was registered to United Flight Services, a flight instruction, maintenance and aircraft rental operation based at the Watsonville airport. Both pilots were regularly sharing their position in the sky on the airport’s common communications network. Watsonville’s airport doesn’t have an air traffic control tower, requiring pilots to communicate regularly with each other to avoid collisions. Shortly before the crash, which occurred at 2:55 p.m., Camenson radioed that he saw Kruppa’s plane behind him. But, investigators found, 13 seconds later Camenson radioed that he was aborting his landing “because you’re coming at me pretty quick, man.” A witness told investigators that he saw Camenson’s plane turn toward the runway before aborting the landing. He then saw Kruppa’s plane try to turn right to avoid the smaller Cessna before its wing hit Camenson’s plane and both aircraft crashed to the ground. The Cessna 152 crashed short of the runway and broke apart while the larger plane crashed into a storage hanger room and caught fire. Camenson, Kruppa and Plett-Kruppa all died in the crash. Investigators attributed the accident to Kruppa failing to see Camenson’s plane. They also noted that Kruppa’s plane was flying at around 180 knots (about 207 mph), much faster than a typical landing speed. An examination of Kruppa’s plane found that both the flaps, which are used for landing, and the landing gear were retracted, meaning that the plane was not configured to land. The report found that there was no evidence of any mechanical issues that could have caused the collision. Watsonville Municipal Airport Director Rayvon Williams assisted in the investigation and report. He told Lookout he and NTSB officials started their investigation on the same day as the “tragic event.” “The impact here on the field has been just a heightened sensitivity of safety and trying to do those types of things that would prevent an accident like this in the future,” he said. Williams said that as a participant of the investigation, he prefers his comments about the probable cause to come from the report itself. However, he said a review of the accident from the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Air Safety Institute is “probably the best description of how this happened.” In the YouTube video from the institute, the institute’s senior vice president, Richard McSpadden, uses flight data to show an animated recreation of the planes’ flights and when and what the pilots were reporting of their positions at different points. “In general, we should just consider that we make our calls, we listen, and we establish deconfliction early and that’s probably the biggest lesson that will come out of this accident,” he said. “And that is, both pilots could see a conflict developing, and it appears that neither took action aggressively enough to avoid a collision.” McSpadden added that investigators would likely try to understand the speed of Kruppa’s plane. He was going about 179 knots all the way through the incident when standard speed should be around 90 to 95 knots, McSpadden said. McSpadden said “the lesson for all of us is that when you see any kind of conflict developing, take action early.” According to the NTSB report, both pilots had multiple substances in their systems at the time of the collision but the amounts were too low to be “considered causal to the accident.” A toxicology report for Camenson revealed THC and metabolites for cocaine and ketamine, while Kruppa’s toxicology report revealed THC, though investigators said in both cases the amounts of the drugs were too low to have contributed to the cause of the accident. https://lookout.co/fatal-midair-collision-at-watsonville-airport-ruled-pilot-error-in-final-report/ Aviation regulator monitoring Middle East conflict ‘very closely’ The UK’s aviation regulator said it is monitoring the conflict in the Middle East “very closely”. Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) chairman Sir Stephen Hillier told MPs it is working to ensure “we don’t put anybody at risk”. Many flights were diverted due to Iran’s missile and drone barrage aimed at Israel on Saturday night. EasyJet announced on Tuesday that it has extended its suspension of flights to and from Israel until at least late October. Asked by the Commons Transport Select Committee if he has concerns about flight safety in the region, Sir Stephen said: “The hard lessons of experience over recent years show the risks of flying in what are active combat areas. “The system in relation to what happened over the weekend in the region essentially worked as it should do. “Notams (Notices to Airmen) were issued to avoid the airspace. Aircraft were rerouted to avoid that airspace. “On occasions aircraft were diverted to different locations to avoid landing in those areas. “That caused clearly some disruption for passengers but, in the context of protecting passenger safety and the safety of the operation, then clearly that was the priority. “It’s a situation that we must continue to monitor very closely both as the Civil Aviation Authority working extremely closely with the Department for Transport, who are essentially the lead in this area. We are providing support. “We make sure that communication channels are there so that airlines and operators are getting the information that they need, and that they are working closely with the Department for Transport as well. “We maintain close contact internationally through Eurocontrol within this region and more widely just to make sure that we are sharing information and making sure that we don’t put anybody at risk as a result of the serious operations going on there.” In July 2014, Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 was shot down by a missile launched from an area of Ukraine controlled by pro-Russia separatists, killing all 298 people on board. https://uk.news.yahoo.com/aviation-regulator-monitoring-middle-east-093500665.html Chilean report into LATAM Airlines flight plunge finds ‘involuntary movement forward’ from pilot’s seat A preliminary report from Chile’s aviation authority on the LATAM Airlines plane that plunged mid-air on March 11 says that the captain’s seat experienced an “involuntary movement forward” midflight. LATAM Flight 800 was flying from Australia to New Zealand when the Boeing 787 Dreamliner descended 400 feet, and the cause of the sudden plunge is yet to be determined, according to the report. It says crews that worked on the plane during and before the flight have been interviewed, including maintenance personnel that “verified the condition of the captain’s seat.” Authorities are also studying any history related to the seats inside the plane’s cockpit. The LATAM Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner plane that suddenly lost altitude mid-flight a day earlier, dropping violently and injuring dozens of terrified travellers, is seen on the tarmac of the Auckland International Airport in Auckland on March 12, 2024. A source close to the investigation told CNN that both the black box and the seat that the report says shifted during the flight are currently in Chile but will eventually be sent to the United States. The black box will be handed over to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), and the captain’s seat will be inspected by the FAA and Boeing, the report said. The sudden drop injured 50 people. Days after the incident, Boeing sent an advisory to airlines that operate the Boeing 787 Dreamliner recommending they inspect cockpit seat switches on the planes. It has sent a similar notice to airlines in 2017. https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/17/americas/chile-aviation-report-pilot-seat-intl-latam/index.html Boeing has ‘long way to go’ to fix safety culture after accident Since a Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft suffered the loss of the fuselage section, the FAA has tightened oversight of Boeing, forcing the company to slow down production and sending staff into their factories to review processes. U.S. lawmakers challenged Boeing Co. to expend the necessary time and effort to reset its safety culture and criticized the planemaker’s relationship with regulators as too cozy. Aviation Safety Explainer A door plug area of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9, with paneling removed, is shown prior to inspection at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Jan. 10, in SeaTac, Wash. Lindsey Wasson/Associated Press In her opening remarks at the Senate Commerce Committee on Wednesday, Senator Tammy Duckworth said Boeing needs to be judged by what it does, not by what it says it’s doing. The Federal Aviation Administration, for its part, has been too soft at times policing the company. That, in turn, “sends an unmistakable message to both Boeing and its employees that bad behavior is acceptable,” Duckworth said. “There’s still a long way to go to bring an effective safety culture back to Boeing,” the Democratic Senator from Illinois said. The hearing is the first of two in Washington on Wednesday to explore Boeing’s safety record in the wake of a near-catastrophic accident in January, as well as two crashes of 737 Max aircraft a few years ago. The second panel will focus on claims by a Boeing engineer turned whistleblower, who alleges the company has cut corners in the production of its 787 airliner, placing profitability over safety. As a result, the aircraft might show premature signs of fatigue, he has alleged. Boeing defended the safety and manufacturing of its marquee 787 Dreamliner, saying it had found no evidence of airframe fatigue after extensive testing of its carbon-fiber fuselage and heavy maintenance checks of nearly 700 of the jets already flying commercially. “Under FAA oversight, we have painstakingly inspected and reworked airplanes and improved production quality to meet exacting standards that are measured in the one-hundreds of an inch,” the company said in a statement issued before the start of the hearings. “We are fully confident in the safety and durability of the 787 Dreamliner.” Since a Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft suffered the loss of the fuselage section, the FAA has tightened oversight of Boeing, forcing the company to slow down production and sending staff into their factories to review processes. The manufacturer has been given 90 days to come up with a comprehensive response and fix its production. Senator Maria Cantwell, the Washington Democrat whose state is home to Boeing’s 737 Max factory and who chairs the Senate Commerce Committee holding the first Boeing hearing, said she expects the company to comply with that timeline. Boeing executives aren’t present at either hearing, though the company has said it’s cooperating with the hearings. Senator Richard Blumenthal, the Connecticut Democrat who chairs the second session, said today he expects Chief Executive Officer David Calhoun to appear “as part of our ongoing inquiry.” “We expect Boeing’s full cooperation with our inquiry and look forward to this testimony,” he said. https://www.pressherald.com/2024/04/17/boeing-has-long-way-to-go-to-fix-safety-culture-after-accident/ United Airlines says FAA review places restrictions on flying new aircraft CHICAGO (Reuters) - United Airlines on Wednesday said it has been prevented from putting new aircraft into service due to an ongoing review of its operations by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The review was ordered following several safety emergencies involving the Chicago-based airline in recent weeks. A small number of aircraft previously scheduled to enter into service in the current quarter will be pushed into the quarter through September, the company said. The change is expected to have a minimal impact to its growth plans for this year, it added. United has delayed the start of two new international routes, citing a pause in some certification activities by the FAA. It also postponed its investor day, which was scheduled for early next month, due to the review. The FAA has said the formal evaluation is aimed at ensuring the airline's compliance with safety regulations, identifying hazards and mitigating risk, and effectively managing safety. United told its employees last month they would see more of an FAA presence in its operations over the next several weeks as part of the agency's review of the carrier's "work processes, manuals and facilities." On a call to discuss company results on Wednesday, United CEO Scott Kirby declined to predict when the review would conclude. He said the review does not stop the airline from promoting pilots to captain. "The main focus has been less about changing the policies and processes," he said, "but really making sure that everyone keeps safety as a top of mind awareness." Last month, an external panel was missing from a United aircraft when it landed in Oregon. Before that incident, a United Airlines-operated Boeing 737 MAX rolled onto the grass in Houston. A United-operated Boeing 777-200 bound for Japan also lost a tire after takeoff from San Francisco and was diverted to Los Angeles, where it landed safely. "Through the FAA review, I'm confident that we'll uncover opportunities to make our airline even safer," Kirby said. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/united-airlines-says-faa-review-183629299.html Indonesian volcano eruption forces evacuations, airport closure JAKARTA, April 18 (Reuters) - Indonesia shut a provincial airport and evacuated hundreds of people from the vicinity of the Ruang volcano after it belched explosive plumes of lava, rocks and ash for days, officials said on Thursday, declaring the highest alert on the situation. Wednesday's dramatic eruption of the volcano on a remote island in the province of North Sulawesi threw a fiery-red column of lava, incandescent rock and ash as much as three km (two miles) into the sky. Purple flashes of lightning rent the sky above the erupting volcano, videos on social media showed. "We're running, guys," said one witness who filmed the eruption while scrambling to evacuate. "We are escaping because the ash is coming close." More than 800 people were evacuated from the area, with authorities widening the evacuation zone further after the volcanology agency raised the alert status. "The potential for further eruption is still high, so we need to remain alert," agency official Heruningtyas Desi Purnamasari told reporters on Thursday, blaming a rapid escalation in volcanic activity. The agency had also received reports that falling rocks and ash damaged homes and forced a nearby hospital to evacuate, the official said. Transport authorities shut the airport in the provincial capital of Manado to protect against the showers of ash from the eruption. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/indonesian-volcano-eruption-forces-evacuations-airport-closure-2024-04-18/ US airlines did better with mobility devices in 2023: Here's how each performed U.S. airlines got a little bit better with mobility devices in 2023. The 10 major carriers transported 835,327 wheelchairs and other aids last year, and there were 11,527 reports of damage, according to the Department of Transportation. That’s a rate of 1.38 devices damaged per 100 carried, down from 1.41 per 100 in 2022. USA TODAY covered incidents of mobility device damage by airlines throughout 2023, and a recurring theme in the reporting was that when wheelchairs or other mobility devices are damaged in transit, it’s akin to broken legs for the person who uses the device. The DOT tracks these incidents and released full-year numbers in February. The data showed a slight improvement in wheelchair handling across the industry, but for advocates and regulators, it’s still not enough. “Any number greater than zero is not an acceptable number,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg previously told USA TODAY. “This not only affects your trip, it affects your life.” Airlines improved slightly in their handling of mobility devices in 2023 compared to 2022. How many mobility devices did the major U.S. airlines mishandle last year? Here’s are the rankings: • Allegiant Air carried 21,926 mobility devices in 2023, and there were 82 reports of mishandling – a rate of 0.37 per 100. • Delta Air Lines and its regional partners carried 189,263 mobility devices in 2023, and there were 1,292 reports of mishandling – a rate of 0.68 per 100. • United Airlines and its regional partners carried 152,549 mobility devices in 2023, and there were 1,761 reports of mishandling – a rate of 1.15 per 100. • Hawaiian Airlines carried 12,270 mobility devices in 2023, and there were 148 reports of mishandling – a rate of 1.21 per 100. • JetBlue carried 29,965 mobility devices in 2023, and there were 482 reports of mishandling – a rate of 1.61 per 100. • Southwest Airlines carried 212,721 mobility devices in 2023, and there were 3,460 reports of mishandling – a rate of 1.63 per 100. • American Airlines and its regional partners carried 146,061 mobility devices in 2023, and there were 2,589 reports of mishandling – a rate of 1.77 per 100. • Alaska Airlines and its regional partners carried 30,918 mobility devices in 2023, and there were 568 reports of mishandling – a rate of 1.84 per 100. • Frontier Airlines carried 28,125 mobility devices in 2023, and there were 528 reports of mishandling – a rate of 1.88 per 100. • Spirit Airlines carried 11,529 mobility devices in 2023, and there were 617 reports of mishandling – a rate of 5.35 per 100. Frontier Airlines did not provide comments about their performance. Still, Delta, United, Hawaiian, JetBlue, American, Alaska and Southwest all emphasized that they understand the importance of mobility devices to the travelers who rely on them and pointed out various investments and improvements they have made toward accessibility in recent years. Spirit Airlines, which had notably worse performance than its competitors, said it aims to improve but did not outline specific steps it was taking. “We are committed to safely transporting our guests and their mobility devices, and we are looking into this to ensure that the level of service being provided consistently meets our standards,” a statement from the airline said. https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/airline-news/2024/04/16/us-airline-2023-mobility-device-data-dot/73344760007/ Senators Question Boeing’s 2021 DOJ Deal—“Come Back To Accountability” Prompted by recent whistleblower claims of issues with the BoeingBA -0.2% 787 Dreamliner and 777 aircraft, U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations Chairman Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Ranking Member Ron Johnson (R-WI) held a hearing, Examining Boeing’s Broken Safety Culture: Firsthand Accounts. During the meeting the Senators heard testimony from whistleblower Sam Salehpour, current Quality Engineer at Boeing; Ed Pierson, Executive Director of the Foundation for Aviation Safety and a former Boeing engineer; Joe Jacobsen, Aerospace Engineer and Technical Advisor to the Foundation for Aviation Safety and a former FAA engineer; and Shawn Pruchnicki, PhD, Professional Practice Assistant Professor, Integrated Systems Engineering at the Ohio State University. The objective was to examine the safety culture at the aircraft manufacturer, which has recently come under close scrutiny following the Alaska AirlinesALK +4.7% door plug blowout and the findings of an Expert Panel review of Boeing’s Safety Management System. The scope of the hearing extended beyond the issues Salehour raised on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and 777 planes. It also went beyond the current issues with the 737 MAX program, reopening questions the failed design of the 737 MAX Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System which led to two separate crashes and grounded the global fleet. At issue, was the deal Boeing reached with the Department of Justice in 2021 on charges of fraud conspiracy related to information Boeing withheld during the certification of this MCAS system. MCAS Fraud Charges Back In Focus Boeing Hearing As part of the deferred prosecution agreement Boeing signed with the DOJ, Boeing admitted to deceiving the FAA Aircraft Evaluation Group about this critical flight control system of the Boeing 737 MAX withholding information about MCAS functions, and failing to include adequate information on airplane manuals and pilot-training materials. In 2021, U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox for the Northern District of Texas said of Boeing’s actions, “The misleading statements, half-truths, and omissions communicated by Boeing employees to the FAA impeded the government’s ability to ensure the safety of the flying public.” During today’s Senate hearing Senator Johnson said, “We come back to accountability. Yes. Has anybody been held accountable for concealing that from the FAA? I mean, 300 some lives were lost again, my condolences those family members of those lives were lost. This was beyond negligence. This is an overt act. And nobody has been held accountable in any way shape or form, financially losing their job, criminally held liable.” At the time of the agreement, Acting Assistant Attorney General David P. Burns of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division said, “Boeing’s employees chose the path of profit over candor by concealing material information from the FAA concerning the operation of its 737 Max airplane and engaging in an effort to cover up their deception. This resolution holds Boeing accountable for its employees’ criminal misconduct.” Boeing agreed to pay criminal penalties of over $2.5 billion, made up of criminal monetary penalty of $243.6 million, $1.77 billion in compensation to Boeing’s 737 MAX airline customers, and a $500 million fund to compensate the families of the 346 passengers killed in the Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashes. With New DOJ Investigation Launched, Did Boeing Break Terms Of 2021 Deal? The DOJ launched a new a criminal investigation into the Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-9 MAX mid-exit door plug blowout this March. The original deferred prosecution agreement required Boeing to “cooperate with the Fraud Section in any ongoing or future investigations and prosecutions.” Boeing was also required to “report any evidence or allegation” of any other fraudulent activities in future. Boeing also agreed “to strengthen its compliance program.” The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating why documents are missing for repair work performed on the Alaska Airlines door plug. NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy revealed last week that there were more repairs performed at Boeing which required removing and re-installing the door plug. She said it was unclear at the time whether those repairs had been documented. For Boeing, this news is a potential liability in terms of its original agreement with the DOJ. If other similar repairs were properly documented, it will raise questions of why the one for the Alaska Airlines plane was not. If none of these repairs were documented, it does not reflect well on the integrity of Boeing’s quality and compliance program. The Senator’s questions could put pressure on the DOJ to look more closely at these issues and examine whether Boeing has met the terms of its original agreement. The Question Of Pervasive Misconduct At Boeing During the 2021 agreement, the DOJ did not assign an independent compliance monitor to oversee Boeing’s progress because it considered that the “misconduct was neither pervasive across the organization, nor undertaken by a large number of employees, nor facilitated by senior management.” However, today’s testimony by whistleblower Sam Salehpour suggests otherwise. “I have raised these issues over three years. I was ignored. I was told not to create delays. I was told, frankly, to shut up. At one point Boeing management got sick of me raising these issues and moved me out of the 787 program into the 777 program. And at the 777 program I found problems,” he said. “Again, I raised concerns internally. I was sidelined I was told to shut up. I received physical threats. My boss said, ‘I would have killed someone who said what you said in the meeting.’ This is not safety culture, when you get threatened for bringing issues of safety concerns. I hope that your work on this issue signals the point that they must make real changes and get back to building the airplane safely.” Boeing disputes Salehpour’s claims of a lack of structural integrity in the 787 Dreamliner and 777 fuselages. The company also denies engaging in any retaliation against employees who speak up. However, Salehpour’s complaints are similar to those of other Boeing whistleblowers, including John Barnett, who worked as a quality manager at Boeing for 32 years, and who was found dead on what was should have been his fourth day of deposition in his AIR21 claim against the company. https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisagarcia/2024/04/17/senators-question-boeings-2021-doj-deal-come-back-to-accountability/?sh=2576bddd4eb7 Asia Pacific Airlines on notice for $2.9 million FAA fine • Pacific island cargo carrier cited for numerous safety violations • Asia Pacific Airlines operates a small fleet of Boeing 757-300 converted freighters. The Federal Aviation Administration has issued a preliminary fine of $2.9 million against Aeromicronesia Inc., a cargo airline based in Guam that does business as Asia Pacific Airlines, for safety violations related to pilot training and equipment. Asia Pacific Airlines provides scheduled and ad hoc charter service between Guam, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Palau and Honolulu. It has five Boeing 757-200 converted freighters on its registry, but two of them have been parked for more than three months, according to aircraft tracking sites. The FAA last week alleged the airline used unqualified pilots on 163 flights between late December 2022 and Feb. 1, 2023, and operated 121 flights without oversight by an authorized person. The airline also operated 30 flights that didn’t comply with conditions and limitations when certain equipment was out of order. The agency also faulted Asia Pacific Airlines for failing to document engine monitoring and continually assess engine reliability used in extended-range operations over water. Asia Pacific Airlines was grounded for three months early last year after the FAA revoked its operating authority. The company disputed allegations its pilots were not properly trained. Asia Pacific Airlines has 30 days to respond to the proposed fine. The company could not be reached for comment by time of publication. President Adam Ferguson told trade journal ch-aviation that the airline complies with all safety requirements and that the fine was a surprise after the company thought it had resolved all concerns. The airline is a subsidiary of Tan Holdings Corp. https://www.freightwaves.com/news/asia-pacific-airlines-on-notice-for-2-9-million-faa-fine Qantas Joins Group To Mine Boneyards For New Aircraft Materials • Qantas is part of a new alliance that wants to recycle valuable materials from retired aircraft into new aircraft materials. SUMMARY • The Aviation Circularity Consortium aims to turn retired aircraft into parts for new planes, reducing the overall carbon footprint of the supply chain. • Qantas is part of the alliance, which includes organizations like Nandina REM, working to accelerate net zero in aviation by recycling materials. • The alliance plans to develop a roadmap for using reclaimed materials in aviation products and engage with financial institutions to support sustainability. The race toward Net Zero 2050 is not only about sustainable aviation fuel, electric or hydrogen propulsion or single-use plastics in the cabin, it's about reducing the carbon footprint of an airline, airport or any other part of aviation's supply chain, including the thousands of retired aircraft gracing the world's deserts. The whole-of-life approach Reporting on sustainability often includes references to developing a circular economy where the whole-of-life carbon footprint is considered and managed. In aviation, this starts with building the aircraft, recycling 100% of it, and using the recycled materials to construct new planes. Yesterday, Australian carrier Qantas announced it had partnered with five other stakeholder groups worldwide to launch the Aviation Circularity Consortium (ACC), an alliance of organizations that wants to turn the 8,000 planes sitting in aircraft boneyards into parts for new aircraft. The circle will bridge the gap between unused materials from these retired aircraft and the ever-increasing demand from global manufacturing for high-quality resources, thereby reducing the overall carbon footprint of the supply chain. Apart from Qantas, the alliance members include Nandina REM, Jamco America, Sumitomo Corporation Asia & Oceania, Titan Leasing, and Vaupell as Founding Organisations. A key one is Nandina REM, which provides verifiable ultra-low emission advanced materials to accelerate net zero in the aviation and automotive industries by capturing highly engineered materials, such as carbon fiber and aluminum, reaching end-of-life. Qantas Chief Sustainability Officer Andrew Parker said that decarbonizing aviation and reducing the industry's environmental footprint is a challenge that requires innovative solutions and that Qantas is pleased to be part of this industry collaboration, which is an important step towards a more resilient and sustainable future for aviation. "As well as the significant commitments and investment towards reducing our emissions, we’re committed to sustainability across our entire operations and supply chain. There’s a lot of untapped potential in the high value materials from retired aircraft that could be recycled and used to create parts in future Qantas aircraft cabins." In very broad terms, the alliance sees an opportunity for retired aircraft to be a source of high-value materials that are in high demand from industries striving to reduce their own carbon footprint. It also wants to address the significant waste pollution challenges from the estimated 8,000 decommissioned aircraft it said "are parked in deserts, jungles and storage yards globally, with 11,000 estimated to come in the next ten years." A two-phase process The first phase is to develop an implementation roadmap for the certification of these reclaimed materials for use in aviation products and other critical industries in the green transition. To do that, member companies will work together and engage closely with OEMs and regulators to develop the roadmap they aim to publish later this year. In the second phase, Nandina REM will lead engagement with financial institutions to develop sustainability-linked financial products that will support the roadmap's supply chain adoption. Recently debuting at this year's Singapore Airshow, Nandina REM launched industry-grade carbon fiber material reclaimed from end-of-life aircraft and reprocessed to aviation specifications. Want to know more about sustainability in aviation ? Nandina CEO Karina Cady said the interest in circular aviation materials garnered during the Singapore Airshow demonstrates a huge opportunity to raise circularity as one of the key strategies to accelerate decarbonization in the global supply chain, adding: "Achieving this requires collaborative effort across industry stakeholders to bring their unique expertise and resources to the table. Today’s launch is crucial in building such a collaborative industry ecosystem working towards enabling high-value circularity in the global supply chain.” While achieving net zero emissions by 2050 has been discussed for many years, more concrete ideas and programs, such as this one, are emerging in 2024. The side benefit is that the more programs like this are announced and publicized, the more the general public will see that aviation is doing its part rather than being the big bad polluter some politicians paint it to be. https://simpleflying.com/qantas-mine-boneyards-new-aircraft-materials/ Ryanair expects to receive 40 Boeing planes by mid-July ROME (Reuters) - Ryanair expects Boeing to deliver 40 new jets by mid-July, Chief Executive Michael O'Leary said on Wednesday, broadly in line with a revised schedule it has previously announced. Speaking at a news conference in Rome, O'Leary said Ryanair plans to receive 35 plans from Boeing by the end of June and a further five in first two weeks of July. The company was initially due to receive 57 Boeing MAX 8200 planes by the end of April, but a deepening crisis at Boeing had meant it would deliver just 40 jets before the end of June, Ryanair said in March. O'Leary also said he thought a plan for Lufthansa to take a 41% stake in Italian carrier ITA should go ahead but with stronger competition remedies. Ryanair is also sticking with its plan to resume flights to Tel Aviv on June 3 but will reconsider if the situation is not safe, he added. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/ryanair-expects-receive-40-boeing-094023606.html PhD GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY My name is Michail Karyotakis. I am a Research student at Cranfield University in the UK. Currently, I am working on my Research project, which is focused on Developing a Dynamic Safety Management Framework for Advanced Air Mobility Operations. The following Questionnaires serve the main purpose of data collection since data on the Research field is limited. The surveys are not affiliated with any airline, training organisation, or any other. Participation in the surveys is voluntary and anonymous (if desired by the participant). Each survey will take about 10 minutes to be completed. Thank you in advance for your time and patience. Your participation is highly appreciated. Please click the link below to enter the survey: https://cranfielduniversity.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1M8LnQdhnjnu0Jg (1) https://cranfielduniversity.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_dmoQJRGyrp9PUEK (2) Student email: michail.k.karyotakis@cranfield.ac.uk CALENDAR OF EVENTS • Blazetech - Aircraft Fire Hazards, Protection, and Investigation Course June 4 - 7, 2024 • (APTSC) Asia and Pacific Turboprop Safety Conference - June 26 - 27, 2024 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia • 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 Ground Handling Safety Symposium (GHSS) - September 17-18, 2024 - Fort Worth, TX • 2024 ISASI - Lisbon, Portugal - September 30 to October 4, 2024 • International Congress of Aerospace Medicine ICAM 2024 in Lisbon, Portugal, 3 - 5 October 2024 • Aviation Health Conference back on Monday 7th and Tuesday 8th October 2024 • 2024 NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition - Oct. 22-24 (Vegas) Curt Lewis