Flight Safety Information - July 2, 2024 No. 131 In This Issue : Incident: Spirit A320 near Phoenix on Jun 30th 2024, burning odour on flight deck : Incident: Qantas B738 at Auckland on Jul 1st 2024, engine trouble : Accident: Europa B789 over Atlantic on Jul 1st 2024, severe turbulence injures 30 : Federal Agency Issues New Warning If You Use Airplane WiFi : Enough is enough: Japanese airlines clamp down on abusive travelers : Battery Maker Plans 16,000 Pound, 1500nm Aircraft For 2028 : Uzbekistan Launches New Aviation Safety Program with Support from ICAO and Partners : CALENDAR OF EVENTS Incident: Spirit A320 near Phoenix on Jun 30th 2024, burning odour on flight deck A Spirit Airlines Airbus A320-200, registration N637NK performing flight NK-816 from Los Angeles,CA to Kansas City,MO (USA), was enroute at FL350 about 90nm north of Phoenix,AZ when the crew decided to divert to Phoenix reporting a burning smell on the flight deck. The aircraft landed safely on Phoenix's runway 26 about 22 minutes later. The aircraft remained on the ground for about 5:20 hours, then continued the flight and reached Kansas City with a delay of about 6 hours. The FAA reported: "Spirit Airlines Flight 816 landed safely at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport around 4 p.m. local time on Sunday, June 30, after the crew reported a burning smell in the flight deck. The Airbus A320 was flying from Los Angeles International Airport to Kansas City International Airport. The FAA will investigate." https://avherald.com/h?article=51a983be&opt=0 Incident: Qantas B738 at Auckland on Jul 1st 2024, engine trouble A Qantas Boeing 737-800, registration VH-VZH performing flight QF-120 from Auckland (New Zealand) to Brisbane,QL (Australia), was enroute at FL360 over the Tasman Sea when the crew descended the aircraft to FL220 due to an engine (CFM56) problem and decided to return to Auckland. The aircraft burned off fuel and landed safely on Auckland's runway 05 about 3 hours after departure. The airline reported the crew received indication of an engine related issue. Maintenance checked the aircraft, fixed the issue and released the aircraft back to service. The aircraft took off again about 3 hours after landing back and reached Brisbane with a delay of about 6 hours. https://avherald.com/h?article=51a97fab&opt=0 Accident: Europa B789 over Atlantic on Jul 1st 2024, severe turbulence injures 30 An Air Europa Boeing 787-9, registration EC-MTI performing flight UX-45 (dep Jun 30th) from Madrid,SP (Spain) to Montevideo (Uruguay) with 345 people on board, was enroute at FL360 over the Atlantic Ocean when the aircraft encountered severe turbulence causing injuries to 30 people on board. The aircraft continued across the Atlantic and diverted to Natal,RN (Brazil) where the aircraft landed without further incident. There was damage to a number of ceiling panels as well as a broken seat's backrest. Natal's State Department of Public Health reported 30 people received injuries and were taken to local hospitals, 15 ambulances were dispatched to the airport. The airline reported 7 passengers were treated for injuries of varying degree, the rest had minor bruises. A replacement aircraft is being dispatched to take the passengers to Montevideo. https://avherald.com/h?article=51a96a28&opt=0 Federal Agency Issues New Warning If You Use Airplane WiFi For many travelers, the quality of airplane WiFi is now more critical than the quality of the food. But before you connect again, be mindful of a serious warning that has just been issued. Those WiFi connections may be more dangerous than you think. Most of us are now aware of the risks in connecting to public WiFi hotspots, especially when the provider of the service is unknown to us. VPN usage is soaring—as millions of users take precautions to protect their always-on fix. Airplane WiFi use is also soaring, so to speak. And connecting at 30,000 feet seems safer and more secure, and most of us don’t worry about VPN connections or other security risks when we’re closeted midair. But maybe we should. The Australian Federal Police has just charged a man with creating “free WiFi access points, which mimicked legitimate networks, to capture personal data from unsuspecting victims who mistakenly connected to them.” The catch this time—those free WiFi access points were on an airplane, while it was midair. According to AFP, when people tried to connect their devices, “they were taken to a fake webpage requiring them to sign in using their email or social media logins. Those details were then allegedly saved to the man’s devices. The email and password details harvested could be used to access more personal information, including a victim’s online communications, stored images and videos or bank details.” This type of “evil twin” WiFi attack works by creating a hotspot with a name that will trick users into connecting. On the ground this could be the name of a hotel, coffee shop or store, midair it could easily incorporate the airline’s name. There are some easy ways to stay safe from such an attack midair. If you’re not familiar with the airline’s WiFi identifier and there are multiple options then just ask. And there are usually details provided of the URL that will take your details or payment. You should never enter personal details into a webpage—such as social media credentials or payment information—unless you’re very sure it’s legitimate. It is also advisable to use a VPN on any public WiFi connection, even midair. And you should never have your iPhone or Android set to auto-connect to public hotspots or even to remember and auto-join hotspots you’ve used before. You can see all these options in the WiFi settings on your device. AFP’s advice goes even further: “When using a public network, disable file sharing, don’t do anything sensitive—such as banking—while connected to it and once you finish using it, change your device settings to ‘forget network’.” But realistically, most users want to access the same online services midair as on the ground, and if you stick to the rules you’ll be fine. Use a VPN. Assure yourself of the WiFi name and login page. Don’t share or enter login details for any other service. Use Apple or Google Pay or PayPal rather than entering credit card details. Don’t auto-join or auto-connect to hotspots, even those you’ve used before. If you do now recall any suspicious hotspots in the recent past—wherever that might be, then change any passwords you used directly with the service or while connected. https://www.forbes.com/sites/zakdoffman/2024/07/02/warning-for-iphone-and-android-users-connecting-to-in-flight-wifi/ Enough is enough: Japanese airlines clamp down on abusive travelers Japan’s two largest commercial airlines are toughening their stances against travelers who verbally or physically abuse airline staff. Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways updated their websites Friday with “customer harassment” policies, in the wake of rising instances of front-line worker abuse occurring across industries in Japan. Using similarly worded language, the two airlines cited nine behaviors that constitute “harassment” under the policies, including: • Abusive language, aggressive tone, insults, discrimination, slander • Threatening words or actions • Excessive or unreasonable demands • Assault • Deeds which disrupt business operations (prolonged detention, excessive repetition of requests or complaints) • Unpermitted entry to workplace • Deeds which deceive its employees • Slander against the company or its employees on social media and the internet • Sexual harassment • ANA’s customer harassment policy also includes voyeurism, stalking and indecent behavior — a jarring reminder of the situations that airline employees can face in an industry that often sees travelers behaving at their worst. The policies are meant to address a lack of clear standards which has made it difficult for employees to handle customer interactions, ANA’s Yoshiko Miyashita, vice president of CS promotion, customer experience management told Nikkei Asia. “This has placed a significant burden on our employees, leading to cases where some have been forced to take leave,” she said. Japan Airlines’ policy also mandates airline staff to undergo harassment training — employees will be provided manuals detailing how to quickly and appropriately respond to “malicious” behavior. “We have also established aftercare support for our staff’s physical and mental health,” according to the airline. Both airlines’ policies state that travelers who harass employers will be issued a warning, after which consequences can include denial of boarding and police involvement. Et tu, Japan? In the United States, air rage incidents skyrocketed from around 10 times per month before the pandemic to around 500 per month in 2021 — the majority of which involved face mask compliance, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Incidents have precipitously dropped since then, but “recent increases show there remains more work to do,” according to the FAA’s website. Here’s why people are still flipping out on airliners Viral “air rage” incidents haven’t occurred on Asian airlines at the same rate as their Western counterparts, where a continuous stream of inflight meltdowns continue to take place, albeit over crying babies and in-flight rules to a husband’s wandering eye. But that doesn’t mean that Asia-based carriers are immune from these passengers either — even in Japan, which has been called the most polite country in the world and one defined by the “Four Ps”: politeness, patience, punctuality and precision. On June 5, a Japanese passenger caused a 40-minute delay on an Eva Air flight departing from the city of Fukuoka after she berated China Airlines’ staff members for not speaking her native language. In January, an ANA flight returned to Tokyo after an intoxicated passenger bit a flight attendant, according to The Japan Times. The passenger, however, was reportedly a middle-aged American man. Amid rising instances of customer harassment in Japan, municipalities and companies are taking stricter measures to protect their employees. Some city and prefectural governments are removing employees’ names and photos from their name tags to prevent photographs and personal information of staff members from being leaked online, according to local media. https://www.cnbc.com/2024/07/02/japanese-airlines-issue-policies-on-customer-harrassment-and-abuse.html Battery Maker Plans 16,000 Pound, 1500nm Aircraft For 2028 Chinese lithium batter company Contemporary Amperex Technology Company Limited (CATL) says it will have a 16,000 pound electric aircraft with a range of up to 1500 nautical miles flying by 2028. NewAtlas reported the company, which supplies most of the electric car batteries in the world, said it flew an 8,000 pound plane powered by its so-called “condensed battery” recently but didn’t give any details on the flight or the airplane. CATL announced last year that its condensed batteries pack a whopping 500 watt hours per kilogram, about double the storage potential of the best car batteries. It says they’re light weight, safe and designed specifically for aircraft but it has been light on publicly releasing details. CATL is in partnership with the state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) and created an aircraft division to explore that market. https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/battery-maker-plans-16000-pound-1500nm-aircraft-for-2028/ Uzbekistan Launches New Aviation Safety Program with Support from ICAO and Partners A significant initiative to enhance Uzbekistan's aviation safety capabilities took a significant step forward on 18 June 2024, with the inaugural meeting of the Strategic Review Board (SRB) for Uzbekistan's Country Strategic Plan of Action (COSPA) pilot programme. This targeted initiative, developed by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), aims to improve aviation safety in this landlocked nation, which relies heavily on a safe and secure air transport network for its connectivity and economic development. The meeting held at the ICAO European and North Atlantic (EUR/NAT) Regional Office in Paris was chaired by ICAO Regional Director, Mr. Nicolas Rallo. It brought together Government officials from Uzbekistan and ICAO, along with representatives from key aviation stakeholders including: o France’s Direction Générale de l’Aviation Civile (DGAC) and the Bureau d’Enquêtes et d’Analyses (BEA) o United States’ Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) o Airports Council International Europe (ACI Europe) o International Air Transport Association (IATA) o Airbus o Boeing o World Bank Uzbekistan's COSPA is designed to significantly improve the State's performance in safety planning, oversight, accident and incident investigation, safety management, and operational safety. This tailored approach supports the sustainable socio-economic development of Uzbekistan by prioritizing aviation safety needs through a three-year plan. Mr. Rallo emphasized the programme's importance: "The COSPA initiative represents a new strategic and collaborative approach, in line with ICAO’s implementation support policy. By bringing together global expertise and resources, we are not just improving Uzbekistan's aviation sector – we are unlocking the potential of partnerships and are creating a model that can elevate aviation safety in other States." Key outcomes of the meeting included: 1. Acceptance of the initial version of the COSPA 2. Endorsement of several initial actions 3. A call for action addressed to Uzbekistan, including to make the best possible use of available industry programmes 4. Unanimous recognition of COSPA's potential to enhance convergence, effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability in capacity development activities. To implement the programme, a technical coordination team will be formed to manage activities under a Collaborative Implementation Support Roadmap (CISRO), an online tool overseen by ICAO and COSPA Partners. The COSPA programme welcomes additional partners, with similar initiatives expected for other States aiming to improve their aviation safety and capacity development frameworks. For more information on the COSPA programme, or to explore involvement opportunities, interested parties can contact their corresponding Regional Office. https://www.icao.int/Newsroom/Pages/Uzbekistan-Launches-New-Aviation-Safety-Program-with-Support-from-ICAO-and-Partners.aspx 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