Flight Safety Information - December 9, 2025 No. 244 In This Issue : A4A Statement on Brand New Air Traffic Control System Integrator Selection : Safety Using AI to Improve Aircraft Weight and Balance Safety : Incident: Edelweiss A343 near Jeddah on Nov 10th 2025, engine shut down in flight after fire indication : New accident tracking website launched : Senators announce deal on aviation safety legislation : Report: Virgin Australia B738 at Melbourne on Jul 2nd 2025, speedbrakes not armed for landing : Graduate Certificate in Aviation Safety Management : Aviation safety findings underline drum fuelling risks after crash : Incident: BAW A320 at Edinburgh on Dec 8th 2025, could not fully retract landing gear : Calendar of Event A4A Statement on Brand New Air Traffic Control System Integrator Selection NEWS UPDATE | December 04, 2025 WASHINGTON, December 4, 2025 — The following statement is attributable to Airlines for America (A4A) President and CEO Christopher T. Sununu: We are grateful to President Trump, Transportation Secretary Duffy and FAA Administrator Bedford for taking a critical step forward in modernizing our nation’s air traffic control system by selecting Peraton to be the Prime Integrator to build the Brand New Air Traffic Control System. Earlier this week in his Cabinet meeting, President Trump said that the United States of America is “going to have the best system anywhere in the world.” We applaud his dedication to ensuring that our country remains the world leader in aviation safety, and we look forward to working with the Trump Administration, Congress and Peraton to make long-overdue upgrades to our nation’s ATC technologies. It is past time to eradicate antiquated floppy disks, copper wires and paper strips and replace them with smarter, more efficient 21st-century equipment and technology. The $12.5 billion that Congress approved earlier this year for ATC modernization was a vital down payment, but sustained federal investment is essential to ensure the system is fully overhauled and appropriately staffed to ensure a resilient National Airspace System (NAS) today and to prepare for the evolving needs of tomorrow. The federal government’s primary responsibility is the safety and security of its citizens. During this time of record air travel and increased reliance on air cargo shipments, the time to act is now. U.S. airlines are deeply appreciative of President Trump’s leadership and vision. We look forward to working with the Administration as we continue to advocate for additional funding for staffing and technology to fulfill President Trump’s vision of a new golden age of air travel. A4A Statement on Brand New Air Traffic Control System Integrator Selection Using AI to Improve Aircraft Weight and Balance Safety Aircraft industry innovators are leveraging the power of artificial intelligence to develop new, on-aircraft, weight and balance (W&B) technology designed to increase safety by producing accurate, real-time measurements and reducing potential dangers from human error. Of course, weight and balance is critical to safe flight operations because it directly affects aircraft performance, stability and controllability. An overloaded aircraft may struggle to takeoff, climb or maintain altitude, while an improperly balanced aircraft can become dangerously unstable and difficult to control, especially during takeoff and landing. Texas-based Avix Aero’s Onboard Weight and Balance System (OBWBS) automates manual, assumption-based calculations with accurate, real-time measurements of aircraft weight and center of gravity (CG). “Weight and [center-of-gravity] errors are one of the most significant issues plaguing safe aircraft operations today [according to the European Union Aviation Safety Agency]. They are borne out of heavily manual, assumption-based calculations and loading processes.” Bill Tiffany CEO, Avix Aero CEO Bill Tiffany said one of the primary advantages of the Avix system is its ability to accurately measure the weight and CG of the aircraft, thereby eliminating any potential for human and process errors. “Weight and CG errors are one of the most significant issues plaguing safe aircraft operations today,” Tiffany said, citing the European Union Aviation Safety Agency. “They are borne out of heavily manual, assumption-based calculations and loading processes.” Abomis Innovations, a Canadian IT company specializing in airport software, uses an approach that differs fundamentally from traditional systems. Instead of manual calculations and fragmented workflows, Abomis uses what it calls an intelligent, AI-driven platform that automates and verifies key decisions, which it says significantly reduces the risk of human error. “A major strength of our solution is its seamless integration with BRS (baggage reconciliation systems),” said Abomis Product Owner Mike Masha. “This allows our weight-and-balance engine to access highly precise weight data for baggage and cargo in each compartment or ULD [Unit Load Device], based directly on inputs from airport scales.” Weight and Balance Innovations in Business Aircraft While most weight and balance systems have historically been aimed at commercial airliners, business aviation also requires solutions that positively and directly impact safe operations. According to Tiffany, business aircraft are a key market. “With the variation in passenger, cargo and fuel volumes in business aircraft, the benefit of confidently knowing aircraft weight and CG once the aircraft loading is complete is valuable for safety and a selling point for business aircraft operators,” Tiffany said. Because business aviation includes a wide range of aircraft types, each with unique characteristics and performance parameters, experts said adapting W&B systems for smaller, diverse aircraft types presents unique technical and operational challenges. “Customizing the W&B system to accommodate these variations requires significant effort in terms of software development and data modeling,” Albright said. Abomis’ platform has also been designed to support various aircraft types. “While our current focus has been on commercial and international operators, we also recognize significant potential within the business aviation segment,” Masha said. “We are actively exploring a tailored version of our platform for that market.” Beyond automation and integration, Abomis is also moving aviation tech toward a more paperless, environmentally conscious and cost-effective future. “We’ve developed a mobile application compatible with iOS and Android tablets that enables pilots to view, electronically sign and send the load sheet within their electronic flight folder,” Masha said. Making Critical Safety Weight and Balance Adjustments New weight and balance technology offers several advancements over traditional methods, providing significant improvements for operators. For example, the process of curtailment – adjusting or restricting an aircraft’s permissible weight and balance envelope to account for operational variables to ensure safe operations. This is done by reducing manufacturer limits to account for factors such as passenger weight variations as well as inflight movement of people and fluids aboard the aircraft. “By having a clear, integrated solution, pilots can quickly and accurately follow the necessary steps to ensure the aircraft remains within safe operational limits,” said Gene Albright, senior vice president of operations at Colorado-based Aircraft Performance Group (APG). Unlike traditional methods that apply fixed curtailment solutions based on worst-case conditions, APG said its technology calculates required curtailments in real time for the actual load on the airplane, resulting in greater loading flexibility and avoiding overly restrictive CG envelopes. The company also said its system can calculate required curtailments in real-time based on the actual load on the aircraft. “This real-time calculation ensures that the aircraft is always operated within safe CG limits, even as loading conditions change, while also helping prevent unsafe loading scenarios that could compromise flight safety,” said Albright. Weight and balance calculations in conventional systems rely heavily on load controllers, who must perform time-sensitive tasks with precision, but Avix’s OBWBS can accurately measure aircraft weight and center of gravity by effectively turning “landing gear struts into a set of scales that fold up and fly around with the aircraft,” according to Tiffany. The system accomplishes this “by integrating artificial intelligence to collect and process weight and balance data in real time,” he said. The system automates the process and performs intelligent validation using multiple data sources. Overall, these companies say their innovations improve safety measurably. As the industry continues to develop AI-driven weight-and-balance technology, the goal will be increasingly safer operations and more reliable aircraft performance. Safety Using AI to Improve Aircraft Weight and Balance Safety Incident: Edelweiss A343 near Jeddah on Nov 10th 2025, engine shut down in flight after fire indication By Simon Hradecky Created Wednesday, Nov 12th 2025 10:51Z, last updated Friday, Dec 5th 2025 16:41Z An Edelweiss Airbus A340-300, registration HB-JMF performing flight WK-44 from Zurich (Switzerland) to Muscat (Oman), was enroute at FL390 near Sakaka (Saudi Arabia) when the crew needed to shut one of the four engines (CFM56) down and drifted down to FL330. The aircraft continued the flight to Muscat, step climbed to FL350 later on and landed safely on Muscat's runway 08L about 2:20 hours later. A listener on frequency could not fully understand the communication with ATC in Jeddah FIR (Saudi Arabia) and remained unclear, whether it was a possible engine fire indication and/or an engine shut down. The aircraft is still on the ground in Muscat about 30 hours after landing and is awaiting an engine change. On Nov 13th 2025 The Aviation Herald received confirmation, that the crew had indeed received an engine fire warning, worked the related checklist and shut the engine down, and subsequently continued the flight to Muscat. On Dec 5th 2025 Switzerland's SUST reported the occurrence had been rated an incident and is being investigated by the SUST. SUST stated: "During the flight, malfunctions occurred in engine 1 and a fire broke out. The aircraft continued its flight to Muscat with three engines operational and landed without further incident." Incident: Edelweiss A343 near Jeddah on Nov 10th 2025, engine shut down in flight after fire indication New accident tracking website launched By General Aviation News Staff · February 7, 2025 A newly launched website tracks general aviation accidents “in real time,” according to its founders. Officials with DTSB.org, a non-profit operated by volunteers, note the goal of the new website is to keep accident data “updated in near real time as possible.” They add that the ultimate goal of the new organization is a “linear reduction in the U.S. general aviation fatal accident rate.” The website includes information on the latest accidents, as well as a way to sort through its dataset to find all accidents in a certain area, or accidents in a certain make and model, pilot certification, and more. For more information: Data.TheDTSB.org New accident tracking website launched Senators announce deal on aviation safety legislation Published Thu, Oct 16 20254:01 PM EDT WATCH LIVE An American Airlines Embraer ERJ-190AR airplane flies past the tower where air traffic controllers work despite not receiving their paychecks, on the 22nd day of a partial government shutdown at Reagan National Airport in Washington. Joshua Roberts | Reuters Two U.S. senators announced a deal on Thursday on aviation safety legislation after a fatal January collision involving an American Airlines regional jet and an Army helicopter that killed 67 people spurred calls for reform. Senate Commerce Committee chair Ted Cruz, a Republican, and the panel’s top Democrat, Maria Cantwell, unveiled a bipartisan agreement on legislation requiring aircraft operators to equip their fleets with an advanced aircraft-tracking technology known as ADS-B by the end of 2031 and other significant safety reforms, including boosting oversight of mixed jet and helicopter traffic and flight routes near commercial service airports. The agreement first reported by Reuters clears the way for a bipartisan vote by the committee Tuesday. It is unclear when the U.S. House of Representatives may take up the bill dubbed the ROTOR Act. Cruz cited the families of the victims of the Jan. 29 collision, which praised the agreement. “We owe it to them and every traveling American to make sure another accident never happens again,” Cruz said, calling the provisions “common-sense safety improvements that are long overdue.” The bill would require the use of ADS-B by military helicopters near civilian planes and the use of ADS-B for all civilian aircraft. The helicopter involved in the accident was not using ADS-B at the time of the January collision near Reagan Washington National Airport. ADS-B, or automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast, is an advanced surveillance technology that transmits an aircraft’s location. Cantwell said the language ensures the ADS-B requirements “are truly implemented after 17 years of delay with no FAA loopholes.” She added the bill on passage eliminates exemptions from ADS-B use by military helicopters for training flights, proficiency flights, and flights of federal officials below cabinet rank. Lawmakers from both parties and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy have questioned why the Federal Aviation Administration failed to act for years to address close calls involving military helicopters near Reagan. The bill would require comprehensive nationwide airport safety reviews at Reagan and other major airports to evaluate risks from military aircraft, helicopters, drones and flying air taxis to commercial flights. Lawmakers from both parties and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy have questioned why the FAA failed to act for years to address close calls involving military helicopters near Reagan. The bill also require the Army Inspector General’s Office to initiate a safety coordination audit after it declined to do so and requires binding memorandums between the FAA and all military services to share aviation safety information from military mishap reporting systems. The FAA in April said it would require ADS-B use near Reagan National by government helicopters, and in May it barred the Army from helicopter flights around the Pentagon after a close call. Senators announce deal on aviation safety legislation Report: Virgin Australia B738 at Melbourne on Jul 2nd 2025, speedbrakes not armed for landing By Simon Hradecky, created Monday, Dec 8th 2025 14:32Z, last updated Monday, Dec 8th 2025 14:32Z A Virgin Australia Airlines Boeing 737-800, registration VH-YFZ performing flight VA-882 from Sydney,NS to Melbourne,VI (Australia) with 170 passengers and 6 crew, was on approach to Melbourne's runway 16 when the crew extended the speed brakes for speed reduction and began to extend the flaps. The speed brakes were stowed but were not armed for the landing, the landing checklist was not read. The aircraft touched down with an otherwise normal landing configuration. The ATSB released their final report concluding the probable causes of the incident were: Contributing factors - The aircraft exceeded speed restrictions during the arrival and the crew did not take appropriate action to slow the aircraft in a timely manner. This resulted in the air traffic controller issuing instructions to reduce speed further and the crew subsequently not arming the speedbrake and performing the landing checks. - As the aircraft passed 1,000 ft above airfield elevation, neither flight crew recognised that the speedbrake was not armed and the landing checklist had not been completed, resulting in the approach continuing despite the stabilised approach criteria not being met. The ATSB analysed: The flight crew used the autopilot’s vertical navigation path (VNAV PTH) mode and auto throttle to manage the aircraft’s descent profile and airspeed for the arrival. On this occasion, and as per expected system performance, in a clean configuration, the autopilot was unable to sufficiently reduce speed such that it could simultaneously meet the descent profile and airspeed requirements of the arrival procedure. With no additional drag added by the flight crew, the aircraft continued to maintain an airspeed around 30 kt higher than the speed restrictions in the STAR, until the air traffic controller issued a speed reduction instruction and the flight crew modified the aircraft’s configuration. The crew perceived the ATC instruction to be urgent and advised that this increased their workload. It is likely the crew focused their attention on monitoring the airspeed and ensuring the flaps were extended promptly, but within their operational limits. Wickens (2021) describes attentional narrowing as a focus on a limited set of information at the expense of other sources. This focus can cause steps in the linear sequence of a procedure to be skipped. As the aircraft was decelerated to final approach speed and configured for landing earlier than normal, it is probable that the crew omitted to arm the speedbrake and call for the landing checks because their attention was focused on achieving the ATC-requested airspeed reduction. Compounding this, the captain perceived that their monitoring performance was modestly degraded due to a lack of recent flying experience. During the final segment of the approach, while the aircraft was on the approach path and the speed had reduced to the required approach speed, the aircraft did not meet all the stabilised approach criteria since the landing checklist had not been completed, and the speedbrake was not in the armed position. Report: Virgin Australia B738 at Melbourne on Jul 2nd 2025, speedbrakes not armed for landing Graduate Certificate in Aviation Safety Management Prepare for Leadership Roles in Aviation Safety If you’re looking to advance within the challenging, specialized world of aviation, Purdue’s Graduate Certificate in Aviation Safety Management will help you gain knowledge to develop, lead, and execute effective aviation safety programs. Taught by professors with distinguished educational backgrounds and work experience in civilian aviation, military aviation and governmental roles, our industry-specific courses will prepare you for numerous aviation roles. Economic forecasts suggest that a steady increase in traveling passenger and air cargo requirements will fuel a dramatic expansion of the aviation industry, and require a complete restructure of the existing air transportation system architecture. 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Graduate Certificate in Aviation Safety Management Aviation safety findings underline drum fuelling risks after crash Water contaminated fuel and missed checks turned routine drum fuelling into a dual engine failure Occurrence wreckage site near Bella Bella, B.C. (Source: RCMP) By Shane Mercer 05 Dec. 2025 The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) is warning of serious risks tied to fuelling aircraft from drums after a Grumman G 21A Goose suffered a dual engine failure and crashed shortly after takeoff from Bella Bella, B.C., in December 2023. The Board’s investigation concluded that water contaminated fuel, combined with gaps in storage, handling and inspection, led to a collision with terrain near the departure runway. Dual engine failure after drum fuelling On 18 December 2023, the Wilderness Seaplanes Ltd. amphibious aircraft departed Bella Bella on a flight to Port Hardy, B.C., with one pilot and four passengers on board. The aircraft had been refuelled from a drum before departure. Shortly after takeoff, “the aircraft experienced a dual engine failure and collided with terrain a short distance from the departure runway.” According to the TSB, “all occupants received minor injuries” and the aircraft was “substantially damaged” in the crash. Investigators determined that the loss of power in both engines was directly linked to fuel quality. The report found that “the dual engine failure and subsequent collision with terrain were caused by water contaminated fuel.” The contamination originated at the drum. The occurrence drum had been stored upright, which, according to the Board, “likely allowed water to enter, contaminating the fuel.” This practice deviated from Transport Canada guidance on fuel drum storage that is intended to reduce water ingress. Safeguards missing and checks normalized away Beyond storage practices, the investigation identified missing or weakened defences at several stages of the fuelling operation. The Board notes that “common safeguards such as filters and water detection paste were not used.” Training and documentation around drum fuelling were also limited. The TSB found that “because it was assumed that the task was simple and that pilots would have prior experience, training or clear procedures for drum fuelling were not provided.” Fuel sampling practices further weakened the safety net. According to the report, “fuel sampling was only required during daily inspections, and its omission had become normalized.” This meant that critical checks immediately after fuelling from a drum were not consistently carried out. Taken together, these factors created what the Board describes as “gaps in storage, handling, and inspection” that “created conditions for contaminated fuel to enter the aircraft’s system, ultimately leading to the loss of engine power and the forced landing.” For occupational safety professionals and operators, the case illustrates how assumptions about “simple” tasks can erode controls. When routine checks such as fuel sampling are treated as optional, and when storage practices drift away from established guidance, hazards like water contaminated fuel can remain undetected until an in flight emergency exposes them. Operator’s corrective actions after the crash Following the occurrence, Wilderness Seaplanes Ltd. introduced new measures aimed at strengthening fuel quality controls on its Goose fleet. The company “equipped its Grumman Goose aircraft with a clear container that simplified one person fuel sampling from the cockpit.” The operator also tightened its requirements for post fuelling checks. The TSB reports that it “made it mandatory to collect and inspect a fuel sample after fuelling aircraft from any source other than a fuel truck or fuel tanks at two specified locations.” These changes are intended to ensure that sampling happens at the point of greatest risk—immediately after fuelling from higher risk sources such as drums—rather than relying on once daily inspections. For organizations operating in remote or coastal environments where drum fuelling remains common, the Bella Bella occurrence underlines the importance of: • Adhering to recommended drum storage orientations to minimize water ingress. • Using filtration and water detection products during fuelling. • Embedding clear, mandatory sampling procedures into routine operations. By pinpointing how water contaminated fuel entered the aircraft and how existing practices allowed it to go undetected, the TSB’s findings provide a focused set of lessons for employers and operators aiming to reduce fuel related risks in their own operations. Aviation safety findings underline drum fuelling risks after crash Incident: BAW A320 at Edinburgh on Dec 8th 2025, could not fully retract landing gear By Simon Hradecky, created Monday, Dec 8th 2025 17:51Z, last updated Monday, Dec 8th 2025 17:51Z A BAW British Airways Airbus A320-200, registration G-EUUI performing flight BA-1443 from Edinburgh,SC to London Heathrow,EN (UK), was climbing out of Edinburgh's runway 24 when the crew stopped the climb at 4000 feet due to being unable to fully retract the landing gear and decided to return to Edinburgh. The aircraft entered a hold at 6000 feet to troubleshoot the problem and landed safely on Edinburgh's runway 24 about one hour after departure and stopped on the runway. The aircraft was towed off the runway about 40 minutes after landing. The aircraft is still on the ground in Edinburgh about 6 hours after landing. Incident: BAW A320 at Edinburgh on Dec 8th 2025, could not fully retract landing gear CALENDAR OF EVENTS . Singapore Airshow 2026 - FEBRUARY 3-6, 2026. . 60th Annual SMU Air Law Symposium - March 31 - April 1, 2026 (Irving, TX) . 2026 ACSF Safety Symposium; April 7-9, 2026; ERAU Daytona Beach, FL . 2026 NBAA Maintenance Conference; May 5-7, 2026; New Orleans, LA . BASS 2026 - 71st Business Aviation Safety Summit - May 5-6, 2026 | Provo, Utah . The African Aviation Safety & Operations Summit - May 19-20 | Johannesburg, South Africa . Safeskies Australia - Australia’s renowned Aviation Safety Conference - Canberra Australia 20 and 21 May 2026 . 2026 NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE) Oct. 20-22, 2026 | Las Vegas, NV Curt Lewis