Flight Safety Information - June 24, 2024 No. 125 In This Issue : Incident: Delta A21N at Boston on Jun 20th 2024, engine shut down in flight : Incident: Delta B752 near Salt Lake City on Jun 21st 2024, engine shut down in flight : Incident: Delta B763 enroute on Jun 21st 2024, anti-skid failure : Incident: Delta A320 at West Palm Beach on Jun 20th 2024, engine fire : Boeing should face criminal charges, prosecutors tell DOJ: Report : T'way Air, Air Premia, Korean Air face safety probes ahead of peak travel season : Inside the Korean Air Boeing plane that plummeted 25,000 feet after a pressurization fault : Passengers On Korean Air Boeing 737MAX Suffer Nose Bleeds and Ear Pain After Jet Experiences Pressurization Problem : Rio-bound Boeing 777 returns to Amsterdam over tech issue : American Airlines Doubles Down On “High-Speed WiFi” As Feasible Inflight Entertainment For Most Narrowbody Aircraft : Pilot Caught Secretly Working For Two Airlines : American Airlines halts training for new pilots for the rest of 2024 : CALENDAR OF EVENTS Incident: Delta A21N at Boston on Jun 20th 2024, engine shut down in flight A Delta Airlines Airbus A321-200N, registration N513DA performing flight DL-475 from Boston,MA to San Francisco,CA (USA), was in the initial climb out of Boston's runway 22R when the crew reported they needed to shut their left hand engine (PW1133G) down. The crew stopped the climb at 1500 feet MSL, later climbed to 2000 feet MSL and returned to Boston for a safe landing on runway 22R about 20 minutes after departure. The aircraft is still on the ground in Boston 3 days later. https://avherald.com/h?article=51a41ec3&opt=0 Incident: Delta B752 near Salt Lake City on Jun 21st 2024, engine shut down in flight A Delta Airlines Boeing 757-200, registration N6706Q performing flight DL-916 from Atlanta,GA to San Francisco,CA (USA), was enroute at FL360 about 220nm south of Salt Lake City,UT (USA) when the crew reported they had to shut their right hand engine (PW2037) down due to the loss of oil quantity and oil pressure. The aircraft diverted to Salt Lake City estimated to land on runway 16R, due to a wind change had to reposition for runway 34L, and continued for a safe landing on runway 34L about one hour after leaving FL360. A replacement Boeing 737-900 registration N823DN reached San Francisco with a delay of about 8 hours. The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground in Salt Lake City for about 46 hours, then positioned to Los Angeles but has not yet returned to service. https://avherald.com/h?article=51a41b66&opt=0 Incident: Delta B763 enroute on Jun 21st 2024, anti-skid failure A Delta Airlines Boeing 767-300, registration N195DN performing flight DL-92 (dep Jun 20th) from New York JFK,NY (USA) to Berlin (Germany) with 202 people on board, was enroute over England when the crew requested the longest available runway in Berlin (runway 07R) reporting an anti-skid failure. On approach to Berlin the crew declared PAN PAN and requested emergency services on standby. Runway 07R was kept sterile for the arrival, all other traffic was redirected for runway 07L. The crew advised they needed the full length of the runway and would probably vacate the runway at one of the last exits. The aircraft continued for a safe landing on runway 07R, vacated the runway and stopped for a check by emergency services. The aircraft was able to depart for the return flight about 5 hours later and reached New York with a delay of about one hour. https://avherald.com/h?article=51a40c80&opt=0 Incident: Delta A320 at West Palm Beach on Jun 20th 2024, engine fire A Delta Airlines Airbus A320-200, registration N373NW performing flight DL-1245 from West Palm Beach,FL to Boston,MA (USA) with 162 passengers and 6 crew, was in the initial climb out of West Palm Beach's runway 10L when the crew declared emergency reporting a left hand engine (CFM56) fire. The crew stopped the climb at 3000 feet and positioned for an approach to runway 10L. The aircraft landed without further incident and stopped on the runway. The FAA reported: "AIRCRAFT DEPARTED AND RETURNED TO AIRPORT DUE TO A FIRE IN THE #1 ENGINE AND WAS EXTINGUISHED, WEST PALM BEACH, FL." The aircraft was able to depart again about 10 hours after landing back and reached Boston with a delay of about 10 hours. https://avherald.com/h?article=51a2f49a&opt=0 Boeing should face criminal charges, prosecutors tell DOJ: Report Justice Department prosecutors are recommending that Boeing face criminal charges, claiming it violated a settlement related to two fatal crashes, Reuters reported Sunday. The department faces a July 7 deadline to determine whether to charge the airline giant. The 2021 settlement agreement came after a pair of fatal crashes related to defects in the Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft, killing nearly 350 people in 2018 and 2019. The agreement shielded the company from criminal liability for fraud in exchange for a promised overhaul of its compliance system, in addition to a $2.5 billion fine. The department found Boeing in violation of the agreement last month, which the company has contested. Boeing and the DOJ are in negotiations over next steps, and a final decision over charges has not been reached, according to Reuters. Justice Department prosecutor Glenn Leon said in court last month that Boeing violated the agreement “by failing to design, implement, and enforce a compliance and ethics program to prevent and detect violations of the U.S. fraud laws throughout its operations.” Boeing told The Hill in a statement last month that it believes it remains in compliance with the agreement. “We believe that we have honored the terms of that agreement, and look forward to the opportunity to respond to the Department on this issue,” the company said. Senators grilled Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun over the settlement and other safety concerns with the airline during a Homeland Security subcommittee hearing last week. In his testimony, Calhoun apologized to the families of those who died in the two crashes. “I want to personally apologize, on behalf of everyone at Boeing. We are deeply sorry for your losses. Nothing is more important than the safety of the people who step on board our airplanes. Every day, we seek to honor the memory of those lost through a steadfast commitment to safety and quality,” Calhoun said. The next day, a group of families of victims published a letter calling on the Department of Justice to bring “aggressive criminal prosecution” against Boeing. “Because Boeing’s crime is the deadliest corporate crime in U.S. history, a maximum fine of more than $24 billion is legally justified and clearly appropriate, although it might be partially suspended if funds that would otherwise be paid are devoted to appropriate quality control and safety measures,” attorney Paul Cassell wrote on behalf of some victims’ families. Cassell also said the families “believe that the Department should launch criminal prosecutions of the responsible corporate officials at Boeing at the time of the two crashes, including in particular former Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg.” The looming question of prosecution adds to an ongoing crisis at Boeing over aircraft safety. The company has been reeling since January, when a door blew out of a 737 Max 9 aircraft mid-flight. Nobody was injured, but the incident grounded all similar planes and sparked a massive Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) investigation. The investigation found lax safety checks and manufacturing errors in Boeing’s build process, and the company has since faced pressure from regulators and Congress to address the issues. “There are issues around the safety culture in Boeing. Their priorities have been focused on production and not on safety and quality,” FAA Administrator Michael Whittaker said in March. “And so, what we are really focused on now is shifting that focus from production to safety and quality.” The FAA said its six-week audit of Boeing found “multiple instances when the companies allegedly failed to comply with manufacturing quality control requirements.” The Hill has reached out to the DOJ for comment. https://www.yahoo.com/news/boeing-face-criminal-charges-prosecutors-015121181.html T'way Air, Air Premia, Korean Air face safety probes ahead of peak travel season T'way Air, Air Premia and Korean Air are facing safety probes from the transport ministry amid their repeated flight delays, which have caused massive inconveniences to hundreds of passengers, according to government officials and aviation industry watchers Monday. The latest in a series of such controversies was sparked by a Korean Air flight from Incheon to Taiwan's city of Taizhong on Saturday afternoon. The passenger jet carrying 125 passengers made an emergency return about halfway through its trip, after an equipment defect was detected. The airline ended up delaying the flight to the following day. Other airlines also caused discomfort to customers for their similar flight delays. T'way Air, a Seoul-based low-cost carrier (LCC), has particularly drawn a huge backlash for its frequent delays, raising doubts as to whether the company is qualified to launch four European routes soon. The carrier won the license as part of a precondition for Korean Air's takeover of Asiana Airlines. T'way Air came under fire for delaying a total of five flights only for the past two weeks. The airline's flight from Osaka to Incheon on June 13 was delayed for 11 hours due to a defect. Air Premia has also drawn criticism for its frequent flight delays. The LCC has rescheduled its overseas flights repeatedly for reasons — such as maintenance of its aircraft. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport issued a warning in response to their weak safety checks. "We ordered T'way Air to come up with special safety measures to ensure safe flights and report them to the land ministry, so it can implement them in July," an official from the transport authority said. The ministry also shared its plans to inspect the two LCCs for their frequent flight delays and slap them with relevant sanctions if they are found to have breached maintenance rules. "If T'way Air and Air Premia turned out to have violated their duty to protect customers, they will be fined," the official said. Officials from the aviation industry also said any carriers should come under scrutiny when causing inconveniences to customers for their weak safety monitoring. "Repeated aircraft defects can be interpreted that the carriers have not fulfilled their duty to protect customers," an official from an airline said. "Of particular concern is that a number of carriers are mired in such scandals too frequently. Competition from existing players gets tougher amid the peak travel season, but they should be reminded that temporary sales growth without proper safety checks means nothing if they lose customers' trust." According to the ministry, a survey — conducted among a group of 30,000 customers here — showed that T'way Air came in at ninth place out of 10 domestic carriers in terms of customer satisfaction in 2023. https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/tech/2024/06/129_377281.html Inside the Korean Air Boeing plane that plummeted 25,000 feet after a pressurization fault A Korean Air flight bound for Taiwan had to turn back and make an emergency landing after detecting a fault with the aircraft's pressurization system. The Boeing 737 Max 8 plane departed from Incheon International Airport at 4:45 p.m. local time on Saturday, Yonhap News Agency reported. A pressurization fault was detected while the plane was flying over South Korea's southern Jeju Island, per Yonhap. https://www.businessinsider.com/korean-air-boeing-plane-plummeted-13-people-in-hospital-2024-6 Passengers On Korean Air Boeing 737MAX Suffer Nose Bleeds and Ear Pain After Jet Experiences Pressurization Problem Passengers onboard a Korean Air Boeing 737MAX suffered nose bleeds and ear pain after the aircraft experienced pressurization problems around 50 minutes after departure from Seoul Incheon Airport on Saturday evening. The four-year-old Boeing 737MAX-8 was bound for Taichung in Taiwan, but the pilots were forced to enter a holding pattern over the South Korean island of Jeju as they tried to troubleshoot the issue before making a return to Seoul. As the pressure in the cabin suddenly dropped, at least two of the passengers suffered nosebleeds, while 15 complained of severe ear pain, and another person had to be seen by emergency medical responders due to pain caused by the drop in pressure. Video taken by a passenger onboard flight KE189 showed everyone wearing oxygen masks that had automatically dropped from the ceiling as the pilots quickly descended from the cruising altitude of more than 30,000 feet to 8,000 feet before returning to Seoul. The cause of the pressurization problem has not yet been established, but an official from South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport confirmed that the pilots had conducted a rapid descent due to oxygen issues inside the cabin after an ‘overpressure system’ warning was observed in the flight deck. There are a variety of reasons why an aircraft might suffer pressurization issues, which range from a major structural issue like the mid-cabin exit door blowout on Alaska Airlines Flight 1283 on January 26 to a faulty door seal that could prevent the aircraft from pressurizing correctly. There could also have been a fault with the pressurization system, such as a control valve malfunction, sensor failure, or even a problem with the built-in software designed to regulate the pressure inside the cabin. 16 people onboard Korean Air KE18 had to be transported to the hospital and two others elected to go to the hospital at a later date. https://www.paddleyourownkanoo.com/2024/06/23/passengers-on-korean-air-boeing-737max-suffer-nose-bleeds-and-ear-pain-after-jet-experiences-pressurization-problem/ Rio-bound Boeing 777 returns to Amsterdam over tech issue An unspecified technical problem forced the Rio-bound Boeing aircraft to turn back shortly after takeoff from Amsterdam. The US aviation giant is facing public pressure following a series of safety issues. A Boeing 777 aircraft, intended to reach Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, turned around and landed back in Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport shortly after takeoff on Sunday, reporting an unspecified technical issue. Flight KLM705, operated by Dutch airline KLM, landed safely. A spokesperson for Dutch air traffic control said the plane requested to land as a precaution and turned around over Belgium some 40 minutes after takeoff. The nature of the technical problem was undisclosed. The airline said the safety of passengers and crew were never at risk. The passengers would be flown to Rio de Janeiro on another aircraft on Sunday. Why is Boeing under scrutiny? The incident comes at a time when the US aviation giant Boeing is experiencing a series of safety issues, with its CEO Dave Calhoun announcing he will step down by the end of the year. The company has been particularly beset by safety issues involving its 737 Max-9 aircraft. In January, a door plug ripped off an Alaska Airlines 737 Max-9 flight about 16,000 feet above the ground. Boeing has since faced heavy scrutiny from US regulators, and authorities curbed production while the company attempts to fix safety and quality issues. This however, did not stop the US airplane producer from experiencing other safety issues mid-air. History of deadly mid-air emergencies In March, some 50 people were injured when a 787 suddenly dropped mid-flight. Last month, a Singapore-bound Boeing 777-300ER carrying 211 passengers from London hit sudden turbulence over the Irrawaddy basin, forcing the pilot to divert the flight to Bangkok. One passenger died as a result. But these and other mid-air emergencies pale in comparison to two Boeing MAX 8 aircraft which crashed in 2018 and 2019, killing 346 people and prompting a worldwide grounding of all MAX 8 and MAX 9 planes that lasted nearly two years. In 2018, a Lion Air Boeing 737 Max plane in Indonesia crashed, killing 189 people. A year later, the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max crashed soon after takeoff from Addis Ababa, killing 157 people. While multiple factors contributed to both tragedies, both of those crashes were linked to the plane's Manoeuvring Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), which is designed to automatically push the plane's nose down if it detects a danger of stalling. Multiple whilstleblowers have also come forward, alleging risks in the plane production process. Processing of these initiatives has been complicated by two recent deaths. In March, a Boeing former employee who had recently been giving evidence against the company in a whistleblower suit died of what police later said was a self-inflicted gunshot wound. In late April, another whistleblower passed away after a short illness, after coming down with a fast-spreading infection and developing pneumonia. https://www.dw.com/en/rio-bound-boeing-777-returns-to-amsterdam-over-tech-issue/a-69450949 American Airlines Doubles Down On “High-Speed WiFi” As Feasible Inflight Entertainment For Most Narrowbody Aircraft SUMMARY • American Airlines invests in high-speed WiFi for narrowbody aircraft with over 1,500 entertainment selections for passengers. • Passengers can stream on personal devices via the AA app for free, with options to pay for full internet access or redeem miles for WiFi. • American Airlines stands out for offering high-speed Wi-Fi and a wide range of entertainment options, including movies, podcasts, and videos. Dallas-based American Airlines continues investing in wireless inflight entertainment and connectivity for most of its single-aisle fleet. However, it remains unclear if Ad-Free WiFi will follow. Even though Delta and United Airlines have embraced this entertainment onboard, Americans continue to avoid in-flight entertainment in the seatback for most of its narrowbody aircraft. The carrier's New Airbus A321 variants have the latest AVANT IFE system; however, these are premium heavy and set to operate transcontinental and transatlantic routes. American and Intelsat have already started installing high-speed WiFi on nearly 500 dual-class regional aircraft this summer so their customers can stay connected across all routes. As reported by Runway Girl Network, The airline company's vice president for customer service, Kimberly Cisek, advised the media at the Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX): 'What we have invested in is having the most high-speed Wi-Fi on all of our narrowbody aircraft as well as entertainment for our customers so we’ll continue to invest in that space as we move forward.” Streaming to your device With inflight WiFi, passengers are expected to stream on their own devices via the American Airlines app, with restricted access to the rest of the internet for free. As a comparison, Delta and JetBlue do not charge passengers for WiFi, and United offers free messaging on social media platforms. More recently, passengers can also opt to pay for WiFi by redeeming their miles, and the carrier has stood firm on its WiFi ambitions. And when quizzed at AIX about free WiFi, Cisek said: “American Airlines does offer and operate the most high-speed Wi-Fi aircraft in the world actually. And so, as we continue to invest in this space with our customers, we are providing our customers then not only Wi-Fi which we know connectivity is important but also with free entertainment options, both from podcasts to videos to movies — over 1,500 selections for our customers to choose from. So, as we move forward, we’ve also launched miles as a form of payment on our aircraft for customers to select Wi-Fi and we’ve seen a great reaction from our customers for this new option.” Plenty of entertainment at your fingertips American offers streaming capabilities on its entire mainline fleet, allowing travelers to access one of the 1,500 pieces of regularly updated free content on inflight entertainment. The airline updates approximately 200 titles monthly inspired by current entertainment trends, such as award-winning films each year and other specially curated content. Since it was a novelty a few years ago, WiFi access has quickly become mainstream across all global carriers. https://simpleflying.com/american-airlines-high-speed-wifi-inflight-entertainment-narrowbody-aircraft/ Pilot Caught Secretly Working For Two Airlines I’d be impressed by this woman’s time management skills and hustle, if only her actions weren’t so reckless… Pilot reportedly worked at Virgin Atlantic & KM Malta Airlines Pilot reportedly worked at Virgin Atlantic & KM Malta Airlines Airline pilots have a lot of responsibility, given the number of lives they have in their hands. This is why aviation is so heavily regulated, to ensure that pilots only fly so many hours, and have a minimum amount of rest between trips. Well, The Shift reports on one “entrepreneurial” pilot who seemed to find a way to work for two airlines at once, without the other airline knowing about it. Specifically, the pilot reportedly worked for both KM Malta Airlines and Virgin Atlantic at the same time (with the former being Malta’s new state-owned airline, replacing Air Malta). The woman had reportedly been flying as a first officer for both airlines since at least December 2023, until she was caught in May 2024. She was caught “by chance” flying for Virgin Atlantic, while also being a pilot for KM Malta Airlines. So rather than observing the minimum required rest periods, the Malta-based pilot would fly to London on her days off, and work trips for Virgin Atlantic. Virgin Atlantic reportedly dismissed the pilot on the spot, when the company found out what she was doing. Meanwhile KM Malta Airlines initially suspended her, only to reinstate her a short while later, so she’s still flying at the airline. Many pilots at KM Malta Airlines are reportedly furious what she hasn’t been terminated, given her clear violation of safety guidelines. To state the obvious, pilots have a maximum number of hours that they can work for good reason, and pilots aren’t supposed to work for two airlines, since there’s no way to safely manage rest in a situation like that. A first officer worked for two airlines at once I wonder how the pilot managed her schedule The part of this story that surprises me the most is how this pilot was able to manage her schedule with each airline, so that there were no conflicting flights on her rosters. Presumably she wasn’t very senior with both airlines, since this can only go on for so long. Typically when you’re junior at an airline, you don’t have much control over your schedule, and can’t easily choose all your days off. So it seems to me like a miracle that she could for several months schedule her flying so that there was no overlap. Did she just do a lot of trip trading with other pilots, or how exactly did that work? I also can’t help but wonder if she was planning on sustaining this long term (which seems totally unrealistic), or if she was thinking of moving from one airline to the other, but was waiting on something before quitting at one of the airlines? Keep in mind that there were some major changes at Malta’s national carrier recently, as Air Malta was replaced by KM Malta Airlines. Maybe she applied to work at Virgin Atlantic when she wasn’t sure about the future of Malta’s national airline? But then when the airline launched operations, maybe she had second thoughts? Presumably the pilot first worked for Malta’s airline Bottom line Most pilots take their jobs very seriously. There will always be some bad apples, though in the case of one European pilot, she chose to violate rules in an unusual way. She held jobs at both KM Malta Airlines and Virgin Atlantic at the same time, in violation of rest rules. She shouldn’t put the safety of passengers at risk in this way, given the dangers of fatigue. However, the way she managed her schedule is rather impressive, and I’m amazed this went on for months. https://onemileatatime.com/news/pilot-caught-secretly-working-two-airlines/ American Airlines halts training for new pilots for the rest of 2024 Airlines have been pumping the brakes on hiring pilots for the last several months. American Airlines Group Inc. is suspending training for new pilots through the end of this year, the latest pullback by a major US carrier in the face of uneven travel demand and delayed aircraft. Classes for new hires have been canceled in September, October and November, the airline said in an emailed statement Friday. There is no training planned for December. Aviators with conditional job offers will be given new dates in 2025, American said. There is no impact to current pilots, including those in training, the airline said. The move adds to similar suspensions by rivals including United Airlines Holdings Inc., which will resume pilot hiring next month after pausing in May and June. Southwest Airlines Co. said in April that it was limiting hiring and would end the year with fewer employees than in 2023. Last month, American said it would slow capacity growth to 3.5% in the second half of the year from 8% in the first half due to an errant demand forecast. https://www.dallasnews.com/business/airlines/2024/06/21/american-airlines-halts-training-for-new-pilots-for-the-rest-of-2024/ CALENDAR OF EVENTS • (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 Summit for Aviation Safety (AP-SAS 2024), Aug. 13-15, Beijing, China. • 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 • Safeskies Australia Conference, Canberra Australia - 16th and 17th of October 2024 - www.safeskiesaustralia.org • 2024 NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition - Oct. 22-24 (Vegas) • Sixth Edition of International Accident Investigation Forum, 21 to 23 May 2025, Singapore Curt Lewis