Flight Safety Information - July 1, 2024 No. 130 In This Issue : Incident: Arabia Maroc A320 at Tangier on Jun 29th 2024, hydraulic failure : Incident: PIA A320 at Faisalabad on Jun 27th 2024, rejected takeoff due to bird strike : Incident: Southwest B737 at Portland on Jun 25th 2024, took off from closed occupied runway : Incident: BAW B772 at London on Jun 28th 2024, rejected takeoff : DOJ to offer Boeing plea agreement for fatal crashes; relatives of victims slam 'sweetheart deal' : ALPA President Blasts Airbus-Driven Single-Pilot Initiative : The FAA Is Open To Using AI To Improve Aviation Safety : Turkish airport workers refuse to refuel El Al plane after emergency landing : Mesa Airlines to Furlough 53 Pilots : Boeing agrees to deal to buy Spirit Aero for $4.7 billion: Sources : TAP Airbus forced to make emergency landing in Porto : CALENDAR OF EVENTS Incident: Arabia Maroc A320 at Tangier on Jun 29th 2024, hydraulic failure An Air Arabia Maroc Airbus A320-200, registration CN-NMQ performing flight 3O-364 from Paris Charles de Gaulle (France) to Tangier (Morocco), was on approach to Tangier's runway 28 when the crew initiated a go around at about 800 feet MSL due to a hydraulic failure, the aircraft entered a hold to work the related checklists and landed safely on runway 28 about 20 minutes after the go around. The aircraft remained on the ground in Tangier for about 15 hours before returning to service. https://avherald.com/h?article=51a8cc66&opt=0 Incident: PIA A320 at Faisalabad on Jun 27th 2024, rejected takeoff due to bird strike A PIA Pakistan International Airlines Airbus A320-200, registration AP-BOM performing flight PK-223 from Faisalabad (Pakistan) to Dubai (United Arab Emirates) with 145 passengers and 7 crew, was accelerating for takeoff from Faisalabad's runway 03R when a bird was ingested by the right hand engine (CFM56) prompting the crew to reject takeoff at high speed (about 135 knots over ground). The aircraft slowed safely and became disabled on the runway with both left hand tyres deflated. The right hand engine received a number of bent fan blades. The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground in Faisalabad for about 56 hours before returning to service performing the next scheduled flight PK-223. https://avherald.com/h?article=51a81127&opt=0 Incident: Southwest B737 at Portland on Jun 25th 2024, took off from closed occupied runway A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700, registration N7861J performing flight WN-4805 from Portland,ME to Baltimore,MD (USA), departed Portland's runway 29 at 05:43L (09:43Z) when both runway and tower were still closed (to be opened by 05:45L/09:45Z). The aircraft continued to Baltimore for a landing without further incident. Airport Operations can be heard on tower frequency opening the runway about two minutes after Southwest's departure and asking tower whether they could get hold of the Southwest Airplane that had just taken off over them while they were doing a runway inspection. Tower responded they never talked to them, they weren't yet open. According to NOTAMs only Portland's runway 18/36 would have been available at that time (Tuesday, Jun 25th 2024, 09:43Z). The FAA released a statement on Jun 29th 2024: "Southwest Airlines Flight 4805 departed from a temporarily closed runway at the Portland International Jetport on Tuesday, June 25. An airport vehicle exited the runway before the plane began its takeoff roll. The FAA and NTSB are investigating the event, which occurred around 5:45 a.m. local time." https://avherald.com/h?article=51a74085&opt=0 Incident: BAW B772 at London on Jun 28th 2024, rejected takeoff A BAW British Airways Boeing 777-200, registration G-VIIT performing flight BA-2279 from London Gatwick,EN (UK) to Vancouver,BC (Canada), was accelerating for takeoff from Gatwick's runway 26L when the crew rejected takeoff at high speed (about 140 knots over ground). The aircraft slowed safely and stopped on the runway about 2620 meters/8600 feet down the runway. Emergency services responded and cooled the brakes of the aircraft. The aircraft vacated the runway about 40 minutes later. The airport reported their only available runway needed to be closed for about 50 minutes due to the occurrence. A passenger reported the crew told them there had been a problem on the flight deck. https://avherald.com/h?article=51a75e77&opt=0 DOJ to offer Boeing plea agreement for fatal crashes; relatives of victims slam 'sweetheart deal' WASHINGTON – The Justice Department was poised Sunday to offer Boeing a plea agreement to resolve a criminal charge over two fatal 737 MAX crashes that killed 346 people overseas, but relatives of the victims slammed the proposal − and are urging a federal judge to reject it as “a sweetheart deal.” The department briefed relatives of the victims about the proposed settlement earlier on Sunday. The department was expected to give Boeing the end of the week to respond to the offer, according to Reuters. The Justice Department and Boeing each declined to comment. The proposal comes at a time when Boeing, the world’s largest commercial plane manufacturer, is under fire for lax safety standards, including at a critical hearing before Congress. The National Transportation Safety Board scolded the company for briefing reporters about its safety improvements. Besides the fatal crashes of Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines in 2018 and 2019, a door plug blew out of an Alaska Airlines plane in flight in January. If Boeing agrees to the plea offer, U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor in Texas will have to decide whether to accept the plea agreement in the public interest. Relatives of the victims plan to fly in from around the world to attend the judge’s next hearing in the case, according to Paul Cassell, a lawyer representing families of victims in the criminal case. "The Justice Department is preparing to offer to Boeing another sweetheart plea deal,” said Cassell, a law professor at the University of Utah. “The families will strenuously object to this plea deal.” Robert Clifford, a lawyer representing the families in pending civil litigation in federal court in Chicago, said the relatives would ask O’Connor to reject the plea deal if Boeing accepts it. "I can tell you that the families are very unhappy and angered with DOJ’s decisions and proposal,” Clifford said. Javier de Luis, whose sister died in the Ethiopian Airlines crash of a 737 MAX 8, criticized the plea proposal. “The issue is that the penalties being proposed by the DOJ are totally inadequate both from the perspective of accountability for the crimes committed, and from the perspective of acting in the public interest by ensuring a change in Boeing’s behavior,” said de Luis, who served on the FAA’s expert review panel on Boeing’s safety culture. The plea agreement revealed to relatives of victims would require Boeing to plead guilty to conspiring to defraud the Federal Aviation Administration in connection with the fatal crashes, according to Reuters. The settlement included a $487.2 million financial penalty, only half of which Boeing would be required to pay because prosecutors are giving the company credit for a previous settlement to the plane crashes, according to Reuters. The plea deal would also require Boeing’s board to meet with relatives of victims and impose an independent monitor to audit the company’s safety practices for three years. Boeing previously paid $2.5 billion as part of a deal with prosecutors that granted the company immunity from criminal prosecution over the 737 MAX’s flawed design. Boeing had to abide by the terms of the deal through a three-year period that ended Jan. 7. Prosecutors were poised to dismiss the conspiracy charge. Two days before the deferred prosecution agreement expired, a door plug blew out of an Alaska Airlines’ Boeing 737 MAX 9. In May the Justice Department found Boeing breached the deferred prosecution agreement, which opened it to the potential charges behind the plea agreement revealed Sunday. https://www.yahoo.com/news/doj-offer-boeing-plea-agreement-014458308.html ALPA President Blasts Airbus-Driven Single-Pilot Initiative Air Line Pilots Association President Jason Ambrosi. Last week, Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) President Jason Ambrosi took on an Airbus-driven initiative to promote single-pilot operations. He addressed the International Aviation Club of Washington as leader of the organization that represents 78,000 pilots flying for 41 airlines in the U.S. and Canada. In his address, reported by Forbes, Ambrosi noted the near-disaster in Austin, Texas, in which a landing FedEx crew narrowly avoided a collision with a Southwest Boeing 737 in foggy conditions. The FedEx first officer made the quick decision to abort the landing, and the two pilots worked together to effect a safe response to the near-tragedy. Ambrosi told his audience, “Some manufacturers and foreign airlines are actually working to design flight decks that replace the very safety features that averted these disasters. They plan to replace pilots with automation. Of course, that’s insane.” Ambrosi told the listeners that the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is working with Airbus on hammering out criteria for the manufacturer’s extended Minimum Crew Operations (eMCO). He called the plans “a gamble with safety; and a gamble with people’s lives.” “To prevent this risk to safety from reaching our country,” he continued, “we must work together with aviation regulators and stakeholders to discourage it across the globe. We cannot allow foreign regulators to grease the skids for their manufacturers, trying to force our hand to undermine safety in our country.” Airbus’s new commercial aircraft CEO Christian Scherer, who assumed his position in January, told The Sunday Times of London that single-pilot airline operations are “technologically feasible.” “And bear in mind,” he continued, “if you go to a one-man cockpit, you might as well go to a zero-man cockpit. Because it all needs to cater for the eventuality that this one guy just ate a bad oyster and is incapacitated and the airplane has to take over. So, one pilot or zero pilot is effectively the same thing.” https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/alpa-president-blasts-airbus-driven-single-pilot-initiative/ The FAA Is Open To Using AI To Improve Aviation Safety SUMMARY • FAA seeks AI capabilities for aviation safety improvements. • Current ASIAS system capabilities will look to be expanded with AI. • Interested vendors must submit applications by July 2nd, 2024. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has requested information to look into advanced analytics through artificial intelligence capabilities to improve overall aviation safety and meet the FAA's requirements for understanding factors for safety events in the National Airspace System (NAS). Market research will identify the existing capabilities and areas for growth in aviation safety and obtain industry feedback. Further information from this period will gauge market interest, the industry's ability, and the level of customization needed to deploy the AI capabilities into FAA infrastructure Currently pesent, the FAA has several capabilities within the Aviation Safety Information Analysis and Sharing (ASIAS) system. These capabilities work with several connected and disconnected systems. They are utilized for information analysis and cross-sharing of information with multiple stakeholders. Get the latest aviation news straight to your inbox: Sign up for our newsletters today. Expanding insights The FAA presumes a new safety AI system will expand the insights from its current sources and use the data to provide a comprehensive understanding of the factors that lead to high-risk operations and to which environment. The end product will be a custom-built analytics tool that can be widely used by direct and indirect stakeholders who work within or for the aviation industry. Goals for the FAA have been outlined, as per SAM.GOV, which identified these key points: Enhance predictive analytics capabilities to identify and mitigate potential safety risks proactively. Leverage AI and machine learning to analyze safety data and derive actionable insights. Integrate various data sources to provide a comprehensive view of aviation safety factors. Improve the overall safety of the NAS through advanced analytics and rapid response to identified risks. AI will face several safety and security constraints and challenges for its integration, including data sensitivity, data variety, time, and overall integration process. So, as part of this process, the FAA has asked for interested vendors to commit to their overall capability, current solutions and how they can be integrated, required changes to their solutions, and ability to leverage the shelf software to satisfy the FAA's need, and how they can manage sensitive data (among several other requirements). Interested vendors will be required to submit their applications in writing, and those chosen to proceed to the next stage may be requested to have one-on-one discussions with the FAA. Submissions must be received electronically before 17:00 on July 2nd, 2024, to the Contracting Officer at SafetyDataChallenge@faa.gov. https://simpleflying.com/faa-open-to-ai-improve-aviation-safety/ Turkish airport workers refuse to refuel El Al plane after emergency landing Flight makes emergency landing in Antalya to get passenger medical attention, is forced to fly to Rhodes to refuel before heading to Tel Aviv An El Al flight from Warsaw en route to Tel Aviv was not allowed to refuel after making an emergency landing in Antalya, Turkey, on Sunday to evacuate a passenger in need of medical attention. Turkish workers at Antalya airport refused to refuel flight LY5102 before it could take off for Israel, El Al said in a statement. “Local workers refused to refuel the company’s plane, even though it was a medical case,” it said, adding that the passenger was evacuated. The plane then took off to Rhodes in Greece, where “it will refuel before taking off to Israel,” the airline said. Turkish diplomatic sources confirmed the plane was allowed to make an emergency landing to evacuate a sick passenger. “Fuel was to be provided to the plane due to humanitarian considerations, but as the relevant procedure was about to be completed, the captain decided to leave of his own accord,” a Turkish diplomatic source said. Hebrew media reports said the Foreign Ministry had been assured by the Turkish authorities that the plane would be allowed to refuel, but in practice, it did not happen. Since the plane was burning fuel on the tarmac to keep air conditioning and other systems functioning, it was decided to take off for Rhodes, a 40-minute flight away, and refuel there, before even that short flight became impossible. The plane was expected to land at Ben-Gurion Airport later Sunday. Passengers were told that they were expected to spend several hours on the ground in Turkey, without permission to leave the plane, according to Hebrew media reports. All direct flights between Israel and Turkey were canceled shortly after the war against the Hamas terror group broke out on October 7, when thousands of terrorists invaded southern Israel from the Gaza Strip, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has backed Hamas in the war, in which Israel has sought to topple Hamas as Gaza’s de facto government, to secure the release of the hostages taken on October 7, and to prevent the Gaza Strip from posing a security threat to Israel going forward. Erdogan hosted Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Istanbul in April, and in May, he said that more than 1,000 members of Hamas were being treated in Turkish hospitals. In May, Turkey cut off all trade with Israel — a dramatic move for Israel’s fifth-largest source of imported goods, and one that was expected to result in price increases in Israel, at least in the short term. https://www.timesofisrael.com/turkish-airport-workers-refuse-to-refuel-el-al-plane-after-emergency-landing/ Mesa Airlines to Furlough 53 Pilots The regional airline announced the furloughs in an email to pilots on Friday. Mesa is the latest airline to trim its pilot workforce, citing “a significant and unexpected reduction in pilot attrition levels” among the reasons for 53 furloughs. The move comes despite the carrier’s recent positive quarter, which saw $6.3 million in reported net profit. According to various sources familiar with the furloughs, an announcement was sent to more junior first officers via email on Friday. In addition to the mentioned pilot attrition levels, the Phoenix-based airline said United also made recent changes to its fleet plan. Mesa has 69 active aircraft in its fleet, including 17 CRJ-900s and 52 Embraer E175s. After ending its contract with American in early 2023, the regional carrier exclusively flies under the United Express brand. Recently, the carrier has been selling several of its CRJ-900s as part of an effort to reduce surplus aircraft. It recently completed the sale of six CRJ-900 jets in early June. In late May, Mesa announced that it would wind down a capacity agreement with DHL, citing a lull in cargo demand. The carrier operated four 737-400 cargo jets since entering into the agreement in 2020. During a Q1 2024 earnings call, fellow regional operator SkyWest announced that it would receive 20 additional E175s owned by United. The carrier’s commercial chief Wade Steel said these jets would come from another United Express carrier, but did not provide any specific details. “During the quarter, we announced a new flying agreement for 20 United-owned E175s to replace 20 CRJ200s under our United contract. These aircraft are coming from another United Express carrier,” Steel said. Data from Cirium Fleet Analyzer reveals that these aircraft appear to be coming from Mesa. So far, 11 E175s have been transitioned from Mesa to SkyWest. “Given the current level of attrition and ongoing discussions with United to increase utilization, we are hopeful to begin recalling pilots prior to the end of the year,” Mesa CEO Jonathan Ornstein said as part of a statement on Friday. https://airlinegeeks.com/2024/06/28/mesa-airlines-to-furlough-53-pilots/ Boeing agrees to deal to buy Spirit Aero for $4.7 billion: Sources WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Boeing (BA) agreed on Sunday to acquire Spirit AeroSystems (SPR) for more than $4 billion, two people familiar with the matter said, ending months of talks over a deal the U.S. planemaker hopes will help ease a spiralling safety crisis. Boeing will pay $37.25 per share for Spirit Aero, in an all-stock deal, the two people said. The boards of Boeing and Spirit met on Sunday and agreed to terms, and an official announcement is likely early on Monday, they said. The acquisition values Spirit at around $4.7 billion, according to one of the sources. The deal, which is subject to regulatory approvals, would result in the breakup of Spirit, with some of the Kansas-based supplier's assets going to French planemaker Airbus. Airbus, Spirit and Boeing declined to comment. Boeing is trying to move past a year of difficulties sparked by a Jan. 5 mid-air blowout of a door plug on a new 737 MAX 9 jet that exposed myriad safety and quality problems. Those issues have led to a substantial slowdown in output at Boeing - rippling across the global commercial aviation industry. Spirit, the manufacturer of the door plug, was spun off from Boeing in 2005 in one of a series of moves that critics say were emblematic of a focus on cost-cutting over quality. Boeing made the decision to buy back Spirit in the aftermath of the Jan. 5 incident, which took place on an Alaska Airlines-operated flight, as part of an effort to reform its safety problems and shore up its production line. Boeing had earlier discussed paying $35.50 per share in cash for Spirit, but this was raised to $37.25 when the agreement shifted to stock, one of the sources said. The terms of a parallel deal for Spirit to sell its Europe-focused operations to Airbus were not immediately clear. People familiar said both deals were set to be announced in tandem early on Monday. The twin moves amount to a transatlantic breakup of the world's largest independent aerostructures maker, which has branched out to make parts for Airbus and others since being spun off by Boeing nearly two decades ago. Buying Spirit Aero will not immediately resolve Boeing's problems. Following the January door plug incident, the Federal Aviation Administration imposed a cap on production of Boeing's best-selling MAX jets. On Sunday, Reuters reported that the U.S. Justice Department will criminally charge Boeing with fraud over two fatal crashes and ask the planemaker to plead guilty or face a trial. The iconic U.S. company has been losing market share to Airbus for years, and it is still dealing with the aftermath of twin crashes that killed nearly 350 people and forced a grounding of the 737 MAX. Those crashes led to the appointment of current CEO Dave Calhoun, who was brought in to resolve the problems at the manufacturer, but who will leave later this year with the company under greater regulatory scrutiny and with a reputation that has taken a beating. U.S. senators on June 18 sharply criticized Calhoun for the planemaker's safety issues and repeatedly questioned him about his salary. Some airlines have vented their frustration with Boeing publicly and privately due to delivery delays and the company's ongoing issues. Boeing recently submitted a comprehensive plan to the FAA addressing "systemic quality-control issues" at the company. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/exclusive-boeing-agrees-deal-buy-212125120.html TAP Airbus forced to make emergency landing in Porto Loses altitude – but no damage or injuries reported The ‘official story’ today about a TAP Airbus 320 forced to make an emergency landing at Porto’s Francisco Sá Carneiro airport is that the aircraft suffered “a loss of pressure inside (…) and loss of altitude”. Early reports did not specify what kind of plane was involved – this detail came later. It is still unclear how many passengers were onboard. According to Jornal de Notícias, the TAP Airbus 320 was en-route from Lisbon to Oslo (Norway). It left Lisbon at 1.10pm, suffering a “loss of pressure inside the aircraft and loss of altitude” at 2.07pm, by which time (according to FlightRadar24) it was almost clear of the Iberian Peninsula. An alert level 1 was actioned at Porto airport while the plane doubled-back. According to a source at Civil Protection, the plane “managed to land safely, without any damage or injuries”. The way the story has been presented does not sound like this is another incident of an aircraft suddenly ‘losing altitude’ due to increasing incidences of air turbulence – but the details are still sketchy at this point. Jornal de Notícias concludes that “depressurisation of an aircraft is a rare occurrence and can happen as a result of a leak in a window or door, or due to structural damage to the aircraft or a fault in the pressurisation system“. Most important is the fact that there was ‘no damage or injuries’. Other recent incidences of planes suffering losses of altitude did indeed see injuries, and a great deal of panic. https://www.portugalresident.com/tap-airbus-forced-to-make-emergency-landing-in-porto/ CALENDAR OF EVENTS • 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