Flight Safety Information - April 19, 2024 No. 080 In This Issue : Accident: ANZ B789 over Timor Sea on Apr 16th 2024, turbulence injures passenger : Incident: Southwest B38M at Washington on Apr 18th 2024, runway incursion forces rejected takeoff : Navy jet trainer fleet operations remain paused after engine mishap : FAA investigating near collision of two jets at Reagan National Airport : A Russian airline that ditched an Airbus A320 in a Siberian wheat field last year is abandoning plans to rescue the jet : FAA Publishes New AD On 737 MAX 8 & MAX 9 Electrical Fault As Watchdog Calls For Fleet Grounding : Someone reportedly recorded sitting in United Airlines airplane cockpit during Colorado Rockies team trip : Indonesia extends closure of airport in Manado due to volcanic as : PhD GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEYS Survey # 1 Survey # 2 : CALENDAR OF EVENTS Accident: ANZ B789 over Timor Sea on Apr 16th 2024, turbulence injures passenger An ANZ Air New Zealand Boeing 787-9, registration ZK-NZC performing flight NZ-65 from Denpasar (Indonesia) to Auckland (New Zealand), had just levelled off at FL390 about 30 minutes into the flight, the crew had turned off the fasten seat belt signs, when the aircraft encountered turbulence causing a fractured leg to a passenger. The aircraft continued to Auckland for a safe landing about 6.5 hours later. A passenger reported after the fasten seat belt sign had been turned off, he went to the toilet. While returning from the toilet to his seat the aircraft encountered severe turbulence causing fractures of tibia and fibula of his left leg. A doctor on board assisted until landing in Auckland. The airline reported the aircraft encountered sudden clear air severe turbulence causing injuries to a passenger. https://avherald.com/h?article=51791c46&opt=0 Incident: Southwest B38M at Washington on Apr 18th 2024, runway incursion forces rejected takeoff A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-8 MAX, registration N8710M performing flight WN-2937 from Washington National,DC to Orlando,FL (USA), was taxiing for departure from runway 01 and taxied past the hold short line of runway 04. Ground Control shouted they should stop immediately, the crew complied and stopped the aircraft about 40 meters/130 feet past the hold short line and about 30 meters/100 feet short of the runway edge line. A Jetblue Embraer ERJ-190, registration N323JB performing flight B6-1554 from Washington National,DC to Boston,MA (USA), was cleared for takeoff from runway 04 and was accelerating for takeoff, when during a transmission by tower the voice of the ground controller shouting to WN-2937 could be heard, the Jetblue crew advised they were rejecting takeoff. The crew rejected takeoff at low speed and came to a stop about 240 meters/790 feet down the runway. The aircraft subsequently vacated the runway and returned to the apron. The Southwest Crew claimed they had been cleared to cross the runway and subsequently taxied to the runway 01, departed and continued to Orlando without further incident. According to ATC recordings by LiveATC ground control provided the following clearance to WN-2937 about 2 minutes prior to the runway incursion: "Southwest 2937, Washington Ground, give way to the American Airbus left to right, runway 01, taxi via Kilo, Charlie, cross 4 at Charlie, pull over to the right and call me the other side." The crew read back, without the controller intervening: "Alright, after American going to 1, Kilo, Charlie, cleared to cross 4 and stay to the right." According to ADS-B Data the aircraft were about 120 meters/400 feet apart when both aircraft had come to a stop. https://avherald.com/h?article=51791758&opt=0 Navy jet trainer fleet operations remain paused after engine mishap One week after the incident, a Navy spokesperson says the service is continuing to assess the fleet's ability to safely resume flight. WASHINGTON — The US Navy said today it is continuing to assess its trainer aircraft fleet nearly a week after one plane had an “in-flight engine malfunction,” prompting the service to pause “all T-45C Goshawk” operations. The aircraft, assigned to Training Air Wing One, executed a “precautionary landing” in Mississippi on April 12 following the engine malfunction. None of the crew reported injuries and damage to the aircraft is still being assessed. “Out of an abundance of caution, operations of all T-45C Goshawk aircraft have been paused while [the Chief of Naval Air Training] assesses the fleet’s ability to safely resume flying,” a Navy spokesperson told Breaking Defense today. USNI News first reported the mishap and subsequent grounding. The T-45 Goshawk is the Navy’s legacy fixed-wing, carrier-capable trainer aircraft, which has been in-service since 1991. If the service has its way, the fleet will be phased out for a newer jet in the coming years by a to-be-determined contractor. A request for information circulated last year indicated the Navy will look to buy at least 145 new training jets and award a contract for those planes in 2026. While there’s still time for new companies to consider submitting bids, at least three teams have already announced their intent to compete. A team from Textron and Leonardo are banking on their experience with the M-346 to win in a competition against Boeing’s T-7A and Lockheed Martin’s KAI T-50. https://breakingdefense.com/2024/04/navy-pauses-jet-trainer-fleet-operations-after-engine-mishap/ FAA investigating near collision of two jets at Reagan National Airport The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed to WTOP it is investigating a near collision that occurred Thursday morning at Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia. Two passenger jets came within 400 feet of each other before controllers took last-minute evasive action and immediately stopped the two planes. It’s not clear why the jets were authorized to be on the same runway at the same time. At 7:41 a.m., one controller frantically yelled, “JetBlue 1554 stop! 1554 stop!” This took place 30 seconds after JetBlue flight to Boston was cleared for takeoff and was on Runway 4, beginning its movement down the runway. The plane was gaining speed when a controller frantically radioed to the crew of nearby Southwest Airlines Flight 2937 to immediately stop its movement. The Southwest flight bound for Orlando was moving close to the runway, and it appears the two planes were on a collision course. “Southwest, stop! Southwest 2937, stop!” a controller yelled. Air traffic control audio can also be heard of the moment the JetBlue flight was cleared for takeoff. “JetBlue 1554, traffic holds off your right. Wind calm, Runway 4, cleared for takeoff,” another controller said. The JetBlue pilot acknowledged the air traffic controller and began the flight. “Cleared for takeoff, Runway 4, JetBlue 1554,” the pilot replied. Radio traffic then shows another unidentified voice urging an air traffic controller to stop the Southwest Airlines flight, after the JetBlue flight is moving and just before the controller issues her urgent call. “Tell Southwest to stop,” the transmission states. The Southwest flight had crossed what is called a “hold short line,” and the pilots stopped the plane before it crossed onto the runway. It ended up facing the oncoming JetBlue plane at an angle at the intersection. The Southwest pilot replied: “We stopped. We were cleared to cross Runway 4.” “We’re stopping, JetBlue 1554,” the pilots of that plane said. “An air traffic controller instructed Southwest Airlines Flight 2937 to cross Runway 4 at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport while JetBlue Flight 1554 was starting its takeoff roll on the same runway,” the FAA said in a statement emailed to WTOP. “The FAA will investigate.” “This is very worrisome” John Nance, an aviation analyst for ABC News and Good Morning America, joined WTOP to talk about what may have happened at DCA earlier Thursday “This is unacceptably close,” retired Alaska Airlines captain and aviation safety analyst John Nance told WTOP. “We have a dichotomy between two controllers who did not have situational awareness of exactly who was doing what. This is very unusual, because they usually coordinate as seamlessly as possible.” Nance said the JetBlue flight was moving at an estimated 34 knots, or 39 mph, before it stopped. The plane would become airborne at about 135 knots, about 45 seconds after first beginning its acceleration. “This one is going to take some study. We were out of options in this case. The crew had minimal time,” he said. Both the JetBlue and Southwest flights taxied back to different runways and, a short time later, departed to their respective destinations. Nance emphasized that the system worked in preventing a collision. However, there were several breakdowns. “There was no margin left, if there had been a failure to communicate to JetBlue and they were on a high-speed portion of their take off, they would not have been able to swerve, more than likely with someone entering the intersection at exactly that point,” Nance said. “Had the controller failed to issue the warning, you might have easily had a collision. We have backup systems, sometimes they’re human and sometimes they’re mechanical, but when you run out of backup systems and one more problem is going to give you the high likelihood of a major collision, this is very worrisome,” he added. https://wtop.com/dc-transit/2024/04/faa-investigating-near-collision-of-two-jets-at-reagan-national-airport/ 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 A Russian airline that ditched an Airbus A320 in a Siberian wheat field last year is abandoning plans to rescue the jet • A Ural Airlines A320 has been stranded in a Siberia wheat field since September 12. Alexey Malgavko/Reuters • Ural Airlines has abandoned plans to rescue its Airbus A320 stranded in a Siberian wheat field. • High costs, logistical challenges, and a lack of support from Airbus influenced the decision. • The loss could be a blow to Ural amid Western sanctions that limit Russia's aircraft supply. An Airbus A320 passenger jet operated by Russian carrier Ural Airlines has been sitting in a Siberian wheat field since September. A hydraulic failure caused a low-fuel situation, and the pilot made the decision to ditch the jet instead of continuing to the diversion airport. None of the nearly 170 people onboard were injured and customers were offered about $1,100 in compensation. Ural initially planned to retrieve and repair the stranded plane for re-entry to service — even posting progress updates on Telegram late last year — but money and logistics have forced the airline to jump ship, an airline representative told the Russian newspaper Izvestia on Thursday. "We assess all the risks and are inclined to not use this aircraft in commercial operation, taking into account the fact that in the current conditions there is no support from the manufacturer Airbus," Ural told the outlet. People injured on the Latam Boeing 787 that dropped midair last month are being offered up to $7,650 in compensation, law firm says Ural said it had considered several ways to fly the aircraft out, like taking off from a frozen runway available during the Russian winter or constructing a new one using slabs. The soil density, however, made the former nearly impossible, the airline told Izvestia. Ural further said the materials needed for the latter would be difficult to transport to the remote field from the south Russian city of Novosibirsk, some 120 miles away, The high cost associated with the plane's upkeep was also a driver in abandoning its rescue. Ural told Izvestia it has already spent 10.5 million rubles (about $112,000) on expenses like maintaining the A320, renting the land, putting up fencing, and hiring security. Law enforcement officers standing next to a Ural Airlines Airbus A320 passenger plane in September 2023. The plane had to make an emergency landing in an open Siberian field. Law enforcement officers standing next to a Ural Airlines Airbus A320 passenger plane in September 2023. The plane had to make an emergency landing in an open Siberian field. Vladimir Nikolayev/AFP via Getty Images Ural told Izvestia it still plans to remove the plane — but likely not in one piece, looking at options like disassembling the jet and taking it out in sections via helicopter. The loss of Ural's A320 leaves it with 25 of the Airbus narrowbodies in its fleet, according to Planespotters. The airline also operates four Airbus A319s and 22 Airbus A321s for a total of 51 planes. Russian carriers are already pulling from a low stock of airplanes amid Western sanctions preventing the country from receiving Boeing and Airbus jets, so losing one in the current climate could be a significant financial hit to Ural. However, it's likely the airline could salvage the much-needed parts to use on other aircraft as sanctions also prevent Russian carriers from receiving spare inventory. Since the invasion of Ukraine, Russian airlines have turned to seedy methods to build their maintenance stockpiles and keep passenger planes flying, like buying secondhand parts from China and Iran and "cannibalizing" their own fleets. https://www.businessinsider.com/ural-scraps-plan-to-rescue-a320-ditched-in-russian-field-2024-4 FAA Publishes New AD On 737 MAX 8 & MAX 9 Electrical Fault As Watchdog Calls For Fleet Grounding In The Foundation for Aviation Safety's opinion, the continuous electrical problems of the Boeing 737 MAX warrants the grounding of the type. SUMMARY • The FAA's latest airworthiness directive (AD) mandated the installation of two bonding jumpers on certain Boeing 737 MAX 8 and MAX 9 aircraft. • The directive only affects 79 aircraft in the US. • However, The Foundation for Aviation Safety, citing continuous electrical issues with the aircraft, called for another grounding of the type. While the latest Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airworthiness directive (AD) for the Boeing 737 MAX 8 and MAX 9 aircraft affects only a small portion of the United States-based fleet, one stakeholder once again called for a complete grounding of the whole fleet. Loss of flight crew instruments The directive, published on April 17 with an effective date of May 22, addressed a failure of the standby power control unit (SPCU) under certain conditions. According to the FAA, the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), issued in August 2023, was prompted by a determination that the loss of a ground through the P6 panel resulted in the failure of the SPCU. The FAA warned that a failure of the SPCU and ground through the P6 panel can potentially result in a significant loss of flight crew instrumentation and displays, leading to a safety risk. As a result, the regulator mandated that operators install two bonding jumpers from the P6 panel structure to the primary structure. However, the FAA estimated that only 79 Boeing 737 MAX 8 or MAX 9 aircraft in the US are affected by the directive. The estimated costs to adhere to the AD were $435 per aircraft, split between $255 labor and $180 part-related expenses. Changes to the background information of the AD Three companies, as well as a trio of individuals, commented on the directive. While United Airlines supported the NPRM without change, Boeing requested the FAA to change the background section of the proposed rulemaking. The planemaker asked the regulator to clarify two points, namely that a single point of failure condition would result in the failure of the SPCU. Furthermore, “[…] the loss of SPCU function, in combination with other lost P6 functions, could result in a potentially confusing combination of flight deck effects and lost functionality. Boeing stated that the additional information would clarify and add detail to expand to other additional equipment in the P6.” The FAA responded that while it agreed with the suggestions, the background section published in the NPRM was not repeated in the final rule AD. As such, it made no editorial changes to the directive, publishing it into the public domain on April 17. Calls to ground the Boeing 737 MAX However, the Foundation for Aviation Safety and three individuals pleaded with the FAA to ground the type. In a brief response, the FAA said that the corrective actions by the directive will address the unsafe condition, which does not warrant an order to prohibit further Boeing 737 MAX operations. In a separate filing, The Foundation for Aviation Safety, led by executive director Ed Pierson, said that the P6 circuit breaker panel provides circuit breakers for many of the 737 MAX’s most critical electrical systems. “Boeing leadership was made aware of the potential for electrical defects stemming from rushed production and engineering quality issues in the 737 factory as early as the spring of 2018, when chronic problems with electrical systems testing were reported to Boeing’s 737 General Manager in June 2018 and to Boeing’s CEO, General Counsel and Board of Directors in Feb 2019.” According to the foundation, another serious electrical bonding and grounding problem was found involving the P6 panel and the SPCU in April 2021. It prevented the engines from starting, with the issue coming to light just five months after the 737 MAX was ungrounded. Nevertheless, The Foundation for Aviation Safety questioned the fact that Steve Dickson, the then-FAA Administrator, called the 737 MAX “the most heavily scrutinized transport aircraft in aviation history.” The foundation rhetorically asked how exhaustive this process was if two serious electrical problems affecting flight instruments and engines were not discovered. “Since being ungrounded, MAX airplanes continue to exhibit large numbers of unexplained electrical malfunctions. This is a dangerous unresolved issue that will not be resolved by fixing this latest electrical problem with the MAX. The Foundation for Aviation Safety believes the MAX airplane needs to be grounded indefinitely.” Grounding issue affecting 737 MAX engine ice protection In April 2021, the FAA published another directive related to the P6 panel, the mounting tray for the SPCU, and the main instrument panel (MIP) assembly. At the time, the regulator explained that it had received a report about an electrical bonding and grounding issue on a Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft. The directive affected 71 aircraft in the US, with the regulator adopting the directive immediately, saying that Boeing had recommended operators to ground the affected 737 MAXs. The FAA said that an investigation identified insufficient bonding of specific metallic support panel assemblies installed in two areas of the flight deck, affecting the electrical grounding of installed equipment. The bonding issues cropped up after “design changes,” which were absent prior. As a result, while no in-service failures of the Boeing 737 MAX 8 or MAX 9 had been recorded, the FAA warned that without dedicated grounding paths, the existing uncontrolled ground paths could degrade or be lost completely, potentially affecting, “[…] the operation of certain systems, including engine ice protection, and result in loss of critical functions and/or multiple simultaneous flight deck effects, which may prevent continued safe flight and landing.” Ed Pierson was one of the four witnesses speaking in front of the US Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. The subcommittee launched an inquiry into Boeing after a whistleblower, Sam Salehpour, a current quality engineer at Boeing, alleged manufacturing deficiencies with the Boeing 777 and 787 programs. The planemaker denied the allegations, telling Simple Flying that the claims about any structural problems related to the 787 are “inaccurate” in a statement on April 15. https://simpleflying.com/faa-ad-737-max-electrical-fault-watchdog-calls-fleet-grounding/ Someone reportedly recorded sitting in United Airlines airplane cockpit during Colorado Rockies team trip The FAA and United Airlines are both investigating the report of someone other than a pilot sitting inside the cockpit of an airplane during a recent Colorado Rockies team flight. The Wall Street journal originally posted an article about this investigation. CBS News Colorado reached out to United Airlines on Thursday night to confirm there was an April 10 team flight to Toronto that is under investigation. The airline shared a statement and confirmed the pilots on that aircraft will not make further flights for United during this investigation. United Airlines statement We're deeply disturbed by what we see in that video, which appears to show an unauthorized person in the flight deck at cruise altitude while the autopilot was engaged. As a clear violation of our safety and operational policies, we've reported the incident to the FAA and have withheld the pilots from service while we conduct an investigation. It was unknown who was seen in the recording of someone sitting in the cockpit of the flight. WSJ reports it has been deleted since originally being posted online. CBS Colorado also reached out to the FAA and the Major League Baseball team, but did not receive a response on Thursday night. https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/colorado-rockies-united-airlines-airplane-flight-cockpit-pilot/ Indonesia extends closure of airport in Manado due to volcanic as JAKARTA, April 19 (Reuters) - Indonesia has extended the closure of the main international airport in North Sulawesi due to volcanic ash disruption from eruptions at Mount Ruang, the Transport Ministry said on Friday. The airport will be closed until 6 PM local time. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/indonesia-extends-closure-airport-manado-due-volcanic-ash-2024-04-19/ 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