Flight Safety Information - June 27, 2025 No. 128 In This Issue : Incident: Lauda Europe A320 at Malta on Jun 24th 2025, engine failure : Incident: Wideroe DH8D at Bodo on Jun 26th 2025, engine shut down in flight : Incident: BoA B737 at Santa Cruz on Jun 25th 2025, bird strike against passenger window : India denies entry to UN aviation investigator in Air India crash probe, say sources : Missing Bolts Were Thrown Away In Boeing 737 Max Door Plug Blowout, Says NTSB : Passenger Forcibly Dragged Off Plane by Arms and Belt After Alleged Tantrum Over Changing Seats : A mother thought her baby was blown out of a plane. The FAA still allows infants on laps : Flight Forced On 8-Hour Detour After Missing Munich Airport Curfew By 10 Seconds : India recovers data from crashed Air India flight recorders : Boeing hires former Northrop executive to lead Air Force One program, sources say : Calendar of Events Incident: Lauda Europe A320 at Malta on Jun 24th 2025, engine failure A Lauda Europe Airbus A320-200 on behalf of Ryanair, registration 9H-LAX performing flight FR-2185 from Zagreb (Croatia) to Malta (Malta), was on approach to Malta when the crew declared PAN PAN due to an engine (CFM56) failure and shut the engine down. The aircraft continued for a safe landing on Malta's runway 31. Passengers reported grinding noises and serious vibrations of the airframe, the captain announced they had a problem with one of the engines and emergency services would be awaiting the aircraft. The aircraft is still on the ground in Malta about 51 hours after landing. https://avherald.com/h?article=5298d75c&opt=0 Incident: Wideroe DH8D at Bodo on Jun 26th 2025, engine shut down in flight A Wideroe de Havilland Dash 8-400, registration LN-WDR performing flight WF-1324 from Bodo to Tromso (Norway) with 29 passengers and 4 crew, was climbing out of Bodo's runway 25 when the crew stopped the climb at about FL130 due to problems with one of the engines (PW150A) and shut the engine down. Smoke developed on board, the flight crew donned their oxygen masks. The aircraft returned to Bodo for a safe landing on runway 25 about 25 minutes after departure. Passengers reported a loud bang, subsequently gradually smoke entered the cabin, cabin crew instructed the passengers to take their brace positions, wet their clothes and breath through the clothes. The crew announced they were flying on one engine. After landing the crew explained the smoke inhaled by the passengers was not dangerous. The airline reported there were problems with one of the engines, the crew declared emergency. During the flight smoke entered the cockpit prompting the crew to don their oxygen masks. Some passengers may have seen this, it was entirely harmless however. https://avherald.com/h?article=5298ceca&opt=0 Incident: BoA B737 at Santa Cruz on Jun 25th 2025, bird strike against passenger window A BoA Boliviana de Aviacion Boeing 737-700, registration CP-2924 performing flight OB-660 from La Paz to Santa Cruz (Bolivia), was on approach to Santa Cruz, when the right hand passenger window abeam seat row 9 developed a crack. The aircraft continued for a safe landing at Santa Cruz. Passengers reported there had been a large impact breaking the window. Bolivia's Minister or Work stated, the window cracked due to a bird strike calling other reports as attempts to damage the image of the company. The airline reported a bird impacted the passenger window on approach to Santa Cruz's Viru Viru Airport fracturing only the outer of three panes of the window. The airline denies the falsehood and rejects malicious intent behind spreading false news. https://avherald.com/h?article=5298c384&opt=0 India denies entry to UN aviation investigator in Air India crash probe, say sources (Reuters) -India would not allow a UN investigator to join a probe of a crashed Air India jet that some safety experts had criticized for delays in analysis of crucial black box data, two senior sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. Earlier this week, the United Nations aviation agency took the unusual step of offering India one of its investigators to provide assistance following the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crash killing 260 people in Ahmedabad on June 12. Previously, the International Civil Aviation Organization has deployed investigators to help with certain probes, such as the downing of a Malaysian plane in 2014 and a Ukrainian jetliner in 2020, but those times the agency had been asked for assistance. ICAO had asked for the investigator who was in India to be given observer status, but Indian authorities refused the offer, the sources said. The news was first reported on Thursday by the Indian news channel Times Now. India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), which is leading the probe into the world's deadliest aviation accident in a decade, did not return a request for comment. ICAO was not immediately available for comment. India's civil aviation ministry said on Thursday that investigators downloaded flight recorder data around two weeks after the crash. Previously, safety experts had questioned a lack of information about the probe, including the status of the combined black box unit recovered on June 13, along with a second set that was found on June 16. Questions were also raised on whether the recorders would be read in India or in the U.S. since the National Transportation Safety Board is participating in the investigation. The Indian government held only one press conference on the incident, and no questions were taken. Under international rules known throughout the industry by their legal name "Annex 13," the decision of where to read flight recorders should be made immediately in case the evidence obtained could avert future tragedies. Earlier this week, an Indian aviation ministry official who declined to be named said the department has been "following all the ICAO protocols." The official added that media representatives have made updates on important events. Most air crashes are caused by multiple factors, with a preliminary report expected about 30 days after the accident. https://www.yahoo.com/news/india-denies-entry-un-aviation-191835571.html Missing Bolts Were Thrown Away In Boeing 737 Max Door Plug Blowout, Says NTSB While it feels like Boeing has been the subject of an endless stream of worrying quality control discoveries, it's been 18 months since a door plug blew out on a Boeing 737 Max at 14,830 feet over Portland, Oregon. The National Transportation Safety Board released its report on the incident on Tuesday. The agency didn't pull punches in laying blame on the aerospace giant and also noted the four missing bolts that were never found, likely thrown away. Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 was only six minutes into its flight after taking off from Portland International Airport when the door plug came loose and fell to the ground below. Luckily, no one was seated next to the hole in the fuselage. The plane safely returned to the airport and all 177 people onboard escaped injury. It took two days to find the plug and that's when it became apparent that the bolts were missing. The plug had been slowly moving upward during previous flights. During the incident, the plug reached a point where the bolts would've hit a dozen stop pads to hold it. If just one of the bolts had been fitted, it would have kept the door plug in place. The NTSB stated that the incident's probable cause was "Boeing's failure to provide adequate training, guidance, and oversight." The four missing bolts were removed during the manufacturing process to facilitate rework on the aircraft, but were never reinstalled. However, many unanswered questions remain due to the absence of proper documentation from Boeing. There's no record of who removed and reinstalled the door plug, meaning that the Boeing employee was never identified and questioned by investigators about the company's working conditions and procedures. The NTSB found that only one Boeing employee had prior experience removing door plugs out of the two dozen workers on the 737 Max door team, NPR reports. That one employee happened to be on vacation in September 2023 when the work on the incident's plane occurred. NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said: "The safety deficiencies that led to this accident should have been evident to Boeing and to the FAA — should have been preventable. This time, it was missing bolts securing the MED plug. But the same safety deficiencies that led to this accident could just as easily have led to other manufacturing quality escapes and, perhaps, other accidents." The report doesn't mark the end of the stiff regulatory scrutiny that Boeing is under. Investigations are still underway for the fatal crash of an Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner in Ahmedabad, India earlier this month. The wide-body airliner appeared to lose engine power while taking off and plummeted into the dining hall of a nearby medical college. The crash killed 241 people aboard the plane and 19 people on the ground. There was a sole survivor who walked away from the wreckage. https://autos.yahoo.com/missing-bolts-were-thrown-away-163804309.html Passenger Forcibly Dragged Off Plane by Arms and Belt After Alleged Tantrum Over Changing Seats The traveler allegedly threw a tantrum after his request to move to a bigger seat was denied by flight attendants Fellow passenger can be heard calling the man "f------ selfish" as he was removed Video footage shows a passenger forcibly dragged off a plane after throwing an alleged tantrum on board. On Wednesday, June 25, a Thai Lion Air flight departing Don Mueang Airport in Bangkok was delayed about an hour so authorities could remove a disruptive traveler. The man — shown in videos obtained by PEOPLE wearing an orange Garfield t-shirt and green cargo shorts — allegedly became upset after his request for a different seat from the one he was assigned was denied by flight attendants. “At first, I thought we couldn't take off because the man had fallen ill,” said one man who recorded video footage, according to Viral Press. “It turned out he just thought the economy seat was too crowded and insisted on moving to the emergency exit. The flight attendants had to call the police because he refused to cooperate." The denial allegedly resulted in an outburst, lasting nearly an hour. To put an end to the delay, authorities boarded the Boeing 737 to remove the traveler. Amid his ongoing refusal, two officers grabbed his arms and dragged him onto the ground and into the aisle. Then, the video shows the man grabbing his phone to record the incident himself. In another part of the video taken from a different angle, a female on board can be heard saying “he's f------ selfish,” as he’s pulled down the aisle. The removal required one officer to drag him by the arms and another dragging him by the belt. Another passenger is heard yelling “get out the plane.” Thai Lion Air did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment. This isn’t the first time footage of flyers removed off a flight went viral. Earlier this month, on June 17, a 32-year-old female New York resident was restrained and removed from a Southwest flight from LaGuardia to Kansas City. Footage showed her pulling the hair of and spitting on a fellow flyer. Following her outburst, the passenger was removed from the flight and subsequently charged with aggravated assault, according to a statement from the Port Authority Police obtained by PEOPLE. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Another clip filmed by a fellow passenger that surfaced online showed the woman finally being removed from the plane. Port Authority Police had to roll the woman out of the gate area strapped to a gurney. Several of her fellow passenger can be seen filming the scene in the background. “The suspect was transported to the hospital for evaluation and subsequently placed in the custody of the New York City Department of Correction,” a Port Authority PD representative said. https://www.yahoo.com/news/passenger-forcibly-dragged-off-plane-201719186.html A mother thought her baby was blown out of a plane. The FAA still allows infants on laps It was horrifying enough for anyone when a door plug popped off an Alaska Airlines flight at more than 16,000 feet last year, causing an explosive decompression. But one mother’s nightmare was particularly acute, as she thought she lost her baby out of the gaping hole in the side of the plane. It’s an unimaginable horror, and one that safety regulators could have prevented by requiring that parents secure infants on board planes in a car seat, as they must be when riding in a car. But despite years of calls for just such a rule, none exists. Testimony this week at the National Transportation Safety Board hearing into the incident, and transcripts of interviews with flight attendants conducted by NTSB investigators that were released this week, tell of the panic aboard the flight. Passengers’ clothing was ripped off, and their phones were blown out of their hands and sent hurtling into the night by the by the rush of air that accompanied the rapid decompression. The flight attendants weren’t sure whether they had lost any of the passengers until the plane had landed. Initially, they weren’t even sure if the pilots were conscious or in need of medical attention themselves due to problems communicating between the cabin and cockpit. But among the flight attendants’ most serious concerns were the three infants on the flight who were being held on their parents’ laps, not in a car seat. And one of those parents, a mother, told flight attendants during the incident that she had lost her son and believed he had been blown outside the plane. “I was holding her, I said, ‘What’s going on, what’s happening?’ and she just says, ‘I was holding my son and I think my son blew out the window,’” one of the flight attendants told NTSB investigators, according to a transcript of the interview. “And that’s when I lift up my head and saw the hole and I just started like shaking.” “I didn’t know at that point that that mom was freaking out because she thought her son went out the window,” another flight attendant told investigators. Fortunately, the child had not gone out the hole, although the transcripts from the NTSB did not detail where the child was during the incident or give the name of the mother involved. The plane was able to land within minutes without any serious physical injuries to the 177 people on aboard, including the three infants. Among the NTSB’s recommendations following the conclusion of its investigation this week was to once again suggest that the Federal Aviation Administration require passengers ages two and younger have their own seats to protect them. The NTSB does not have the power to make such a requirement. It has been asking the FAA, which is the federal regulator that sets such regulations, for such a rule for decades. Risks to infants Even if parts don’t often fall off planes mid-flight, infants on planes are at risk of being thrown from their parents’ arms by far more common turbulence, which can occur without warning. One NTSB investigator testified Tuesday about incidents in which infants were injured during severe turbulence, in one instance landing a few rows behind the child’s mother in an empty row. “I’ve long believed that parents of lap children do not fully realize the serious risk to which they’re exposing their young children,” NTSB board member Thomas Chapman said at the hearing. “The experts agree that the safest place for an infant is secured in their own seat. If there’s turbulence or worse, you may not be able to protect your baby in your arms.” Chapman said the NTSB has been pushing for a rule requiring infants be secured in a seat but that “we just have not been able to persuade FAA that this is an area where they should take action.” An advisory to airlines posted on the FAA’s website advises that the agency “does not require but, because of the safety benefits thereof, does encourage the use of approved child/infant seats aboard aircraft.” When CNN asked about the lack of a rule, the FAA said in a statement: “The FAA takes NTSB recommendations seriously and will carefully consider those issued yesterday.” The statement added: “The safest place for a child under age two is an approved child-restraint system or device, not an adult’s lap. This can go a long way in keeping children safe during a flight.” Life-saving math But there may be a more intricate calculus involved for the FAA. An agency spokesperson told CNN it is concerned that requiring parents to buy an extra seat for plane travel will lead more of them to drive to their destinations. And the agency believes that would create a greater risk to the children and parents, since flying is a much safer method of transportation than driving. Airlines also likely worry about lost revenue from more parents opting to drive instead. Airlines for America, the industry trade group, did not directly address whether or not there should be a rule requiring infants to have their own seat in a statement. “The safety of all passengers and crew members is always the top priority of U.S. airlines, which is why we follow federal laws and strictly comply with the guidance and rules established by our safety regulator, the FAA,” the group said. But one expert accused the FAA of putting airline profits over safety. “The NTSB has one job, and that’s to improve safety. They’re not concerned about the financial impact,” said Anthony Brickhouse, a crash investigator and US-based aerospace safety consultant. “The FAA looks at safety, but they also look at the financial impact. Safety and money have been in conflict since the beginning of time. And if you want to know the reasons for anything they do, follow the money.” Brickhouse said if the lap babies had been in or near row 26, where the door plug blew off, they likely would have be lost. “Why is it that you’re required to be buckled in a car, but mommy and daddy can hold you on a flight?” he said. “You would think this close call could move the needle. It’s frustrating to think we need to get tragedy to get change.” https://www.yahoo.com/news/mother-thought-her-baby-blown-202303380.html Flight Forced On 8-Hour Detour After Missing Munich Airport Curfew By 10 Seconds The passengers on Condor Flight 1513 earlier this month were mere seconds from touching down before their trip was suddenly extended by eight hours. The German airline's Airbus A321 was on final approach to Munich Airport with its landing gear down when the flight crew was denied permission to land. The flight had missed the last possible landing time after a midnight curfew by just ten seconds and was forced to land at a diversion airport 233 miles away. Admittedly, the debacle was sparked by the Condor flight running extremely late due to a prior delay with the plane, according to One Mile At A Time. Departure from Palma de Mallorca Airport in Spain was originally scheduled for 8:35 p.m. but didn't take off until 10:52 p.m., 12 minutes after its planned arrival. The flight received a 30-minute extension to allow for a 12:30 a.m. landing but fell just seconds short. Hahn Airport, 75 miles outside of Frankfurt, was the closest diversion without a curfew. Condor Flight 1513 finally landed at 1:13 a.m., where the passengers endured a lengthy deplaning process. By 3:00 a.m., they were loaded onto a bus for a 90-minute trip to Frankfurt Airport. Condor then booked the passengers on a 6:50 a.m. flight to Munich. The passengers of Condor Flight 1513 reached Bavaria's capital at 8:00 a.m. after traveling for the entire night. Surprisingly, Condor was able to get the diverted flight's Airbus A321 to Munich by 5:47 a.m., over two hours before the passengers made it there. While one can attribute a portion of the blame to German aviation regulations, Condor's operations didn't help itself in this scenario. With such a tight window to complete the flight, the airline should have just cancelled the service and put the passengers up in a hotel overnight. Poor airline scheduling isn't anything new. Southwest Airlines still holds the infamous crown in that category for its complete meltdown in December 2022. The Dallas-based carrier cancelled around 16,900 flights over the holiday season. The U.S. Department of Transportation levied a record $140 million fine against Southwest in the meltdown's aftermath. The penalty was in addition to nearly $600 million in refunds and reimbursements. The nationwide incident led the Biden administration to reform airline passenger protection laws, making refunds for cancellations and severe delays automatic. https://www.yahoo.com/autos/flight-forced-8-hour-detour-204038370.html India recovers data from crashed Air India flight recorders Investigators have recovered flight recorder data from the Air India crash earlier this month, the civil aviation ministry has confirmed, marking a key step in the probe. At least 270 people were killed when the London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed less than a minute after taking off on 12 June from Ahmedabad airport in western India. Investigators had earlier recovered both sets of Enhanced Airborne Flight Recorders (EAFRs) - the "black boxes" - from the Boeing 787 crash site on 13 and 16 June - one from a rooftop, the other from the debris. It could be several weeks before the federal government is able to release information gathered from the recorders. The particular aircraft model carries the two recorder sets to aid in thorough analysis. These combined units record flight data and cockpit audio. Data recorders track with high precision the position of gear and flap levers, thrust settings, engine performance, fuel flow and even fire handle activation. The data can be used to reconstruct the flight's final moments and determine the cause of the incident. The cockpit voice recorder (CVR) captures pilot radio calls, individual mic audio, and ambient cockpit sounds via an area microphone. The aviation ministry said data from the recorder was accessed on Wednesday by a team led by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), with the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). "The analysis of CVR and FDR [flight data recorder] data is underway. These efforts aim to reconstruct the sequence of events leading to the accident and identify contributing factors to enhance aviation safety and prevent future occurrences," the ministry said in a statement. Meanwhile, US National Transportation Safety Board chair Jennifer Homendy told Reuters news agency that she hopes the Indian government will be able to share details from the investigation into the crash in short order. "For aviation safety and for public safety and public awareness we hope that they will make their findings public swiftly," Homendy said on the sidelines of an aviation event. She said the NTSB team has been working diligently to provide assistance to India and "we have had excellent cooperation from the Indian government and the AAIB." India's decision to download and investigate data from the flight recorders comes nearly two weeks after the crash and has raised questions among aviation experts, some of whom described the delay as unusual. Air India Flight 171 was airborne for less than 40 seconds before it crashed into a crowded Ahmedabad neighbourhood, killing all but one of the 242 passengers on board, in one of India's most puzzling air disasters in recent memory. The London-bound Boeing 787, piloted by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and co-pilot Clive Kundar, took off at 13:39 local time, but issued a mayday call moments later - its final transmission. https://www.yahoo.com/news/india-recovers-data-crashed-air-071826622.html Boeing hires former Northrop executive to lead Air Force One program, sources say (Reuters) -Boeing has hired a former Northrop Grumman executive, Steve Sullivan, to lead its Air Force One program, according to two people briefed on the matter. Sullivan, who previously worked on key Northrop programs including the B-21 bomber, replaces Gregg Coffey, who is moving to another role at the U.S. planemaker. Boeing did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for a comment. The Air Force One program, which involves converting two 747-8 aircraft into VC-25B jets equipped with advanced communications and defense systems to serve as the next generation of U.S. presidential air transport, has faced chronic delays over the last decade. Delivery of the two new 747-8s is three years behind schedule and now expected in 2027. The news of the appointment comes after the U.S. military in May accepted a 747 jetliner as a gift from Qatar. The Air Force was tasked with evaluating options to quickly upgrade it for presidential use. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/boeing-hires-former-northrop-executive-192715216.html CALENDAR OF EVENTS . Airborne Public Safety Association -APSCON / APSCON Unmanned 2025 in Phoenix, AZ | July 14-18, 2025 . 3rd annual Asia Pacific Summit for Aviation Safety (AP-SAS), July 15-17, 2025, Singapore, organized by Flight Safety Foundation and CAAS. . Asia Pacific Aviation Safety Seminar 2025; 10-11 September 2025; Manila, Philippines . 2025 PROS IOSA SUMMIT - SEPT 10-11 - Denver, CO · ISASI ANNUAL SEMINAR 2025'September 29, 2025 – October 3, 2025, DENVER, COLORADO . Air Medical Transport Conference (AMTC™) - 2025 – October 27-29th (Omaha, Nebraska) . 29th annual Bombardier Safety Standdown, November 11-13, 2025; Wichita, Kansas · CHC Safety & Quality Summit, 11th – 13th November 2025, Vancouver, BC Canada Curt Lewis