Flight Safety Information - July 10, 2024 No. 136 In This Issue : Incident: Delta A320 at Atlanta on Jul 8th 2024, engine failure : Incident: Air Do B737 at Kushiro on Jul 7th 2024, hydraulic failure : Accident: LATAM Brasil B773 at Milan on Jul 9th 2024, tail strike on departure : Incident: Avianca B788 at Madrid on Jul 7th 2024, cracked windshield : Airbus A380-841 - Smoke in the Cabin (Canada) : Boeing Agrees To Plead Guilty To Defrauding Government Over 737 Max Crashes : A Southwest jet that did a ‘Dutch roll’ was parked outside during severe storm : How to stay safe during turbulence, according to pilots : U.N. aviation council launches audit of US air safety oversight : Extreme heat grounds rescue helicopters. When is it too hot to fly? : Hawaii airport evacuated after grenades found in man's carry-on luggage : Number of passenger complaints continues to soar at these 3 airlines : Southwest 737 Dutch-Roll Investigation Continues As NTSB Probes Rudder System Structural Damage : EASA Publishes Annual Safety Review 2024 : UK Regulator Gives Vertical Aerospace More Control over Certification Tasks : Calendar of Events Incident: Delta A320 at Atlanta on Jul 8th 2024, engine failure A Delta Airlines Airbus A320-200, registration N373NW performing flight DL-2097 from Atlanta,GA to Rochester,NY (USA) with 142 people on board, was climbing out of Atlanta's runway 08R when the crew declared emergency reporting they had a right hand engine (CFM56) failure. The crew positioned for a return to Atlanta's runway 08L and landed safely back about 15 minutes after departure and stopped briefly on the runway for an inspection by emergency services. A replacement Airbus A320-200 registration N319US reached Rochester with a delay of about 4.5 hours. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Atlanta about 29 hours after landing back. https://avherald.com/h?article=51aece3f&opt=0 Incident: Air Do B737 at Kushiro on Jul 7th 2024, hydraulic failure An Air Do Boeing 737-700, registration JA07AN performing flight HD-73 from Tokyo Haneda to Kushiro (Japan) with 143 passengers and 5 crew, was on approach to Kushiro when the crew received indication of a hydraulic failure. Due to fog at Kushiro the crew decided to divert to Memanbetsu (Japan) where the aircraft landed without further incident, vacated the runway and was disabled on the taxiway. The aircraft was towed to the apron. A hydraulic leak was discovered, runway and taxiway needed to be sweeped. The aircraft returned to service about 50 hours after landing. Japan's Ministry of Transport said the crew received an indication of dropping hydraulic pressure in one of the 3 hydraulic systems. After landing the aircraft stopped on the taxiway near the runway, an inspection revealed a hydraulic leak. The aircraft was subsequently towed to the apron, runway and taxiway were cleaned. https://avherald.com/h?article=51aec0ba&opt=0 Accident: LATAM Brasil B773 at Milan on Jul 9th 2024, tail strike on departure A LATAM Brasil Boeing 777-300, registration PT-MUG performing flight LA-8073 from Milan Malpensa (Italy) to Sao Paulo Guarulhos,SP (Brazil), departed Malpensa's runway 35L but struck its tail onto the runway surface during rotation. The aircraft climbed out to safety, stopped the climb at 5000 feet and entered a hold, later at 6000 feet while dumping fuel. The aircraft returned to Milan for a safe landing on runway 35R about 75 minutes after departure. https://avherald.com/h?article=51aeb68f&opt=0 Incident: Avianca B788 at Madrid on Jul 7th 2024, cracked windshield An Avianca Boeing 787-8, registration N785AV performing flight AV-17 from Madrid,SP (Spain) to Medellin (Colombia), was climbing through FL270 when the captain's windshield cracked prompting the crew to return to Madrid, where the aircraft landed on runway 18R without further incident about 80 minutes after departure. The flight was cancelled. The aircraft is still on the ground about 46 hours after landing back. https://avherald.com/h?article=51aeb1be&opt=0 Airbus A380-841 - Smoke in the Cabin (Canada) Date: Monday 8 July 2024 Time: 06:33 UTC Type: Airbus A380-841 Owner/operator: British Airways Registration: G-XLEC MSN: 124 Year of manufacture: 2013 Engine model: Rolls-Royce Trent 970-84 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: Unknown Location: S of St. John's - Canada Phase: En route Nature: Passenger - Scheduled Departure airport: Washington-Dulles International Airport, DC (IAD/KIAD) Destination airport: London-Heathrow Airport (LHR/EGLL) Confidence Rating: Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources Narrative: British Airways flight BA292, an Airbus A380-841, landed safely at Boston Logan International Airport around 05:10 local time after the crew reported smoke in the cabin. The aircraft had departed from Washington Dulles International Airport and was headed to London Heathrow International Airport when it turned around when south of St. John's, Canada. https://asn.flightsafety.org/wikibase/392423 Boeing Agrees To Plead Guilty To Defrauding Government Over 737 Max Crashes Key Takeaways • Boeing has agreed to a guilty plea over the 737 Max crashes in 2018 and 2019 that killed more than 300 people, the Justice Department said in a Sunday night court filing. • The airplane maker will pay another $243.6 million in fines, and be required to spend about $455 million on its safety and compliance programs over the next three years. • The company also faces a three-year probationary period where it will be monitored by a government-appointed compliance monitor. Boeing (BA) has agreed to plead guilty to a charge of defrauding the federal government over the 2018 and 2019 crashes of a pair of 737 Max planes that killed more than 300 people, the Justice Department said in a Sunday night court filing. The sides are working to finalize terms of the plea agreement, and asked the judge to postpone scheduling a trial as they expect to make the deal public by filing it with the court by July 19, according to the document filed in the Northern District Court of Texas. Boeing To Plead Guilty, Pay $243.6M Fine, Receive Probation The guilty plea will replace Boeing's previous settlement with the federal government, a deferred prosecution agreement that said the company would avoid criminal prosecution if it maintained certain safety standards. The government found that the company violated the agreement amid a number of investigations into Boeing's safety and production practices this year following a January incident in which a door plug detached in midair. Prosecutors presented their findings to Boeing last month, and the sides started to work on a guilty plea rather than take the case to trial. Families of the crash victims have opposed the deal, the DOJ said in the filing, and advocated for prosecuting Boeing for the maximum possible penalties. Terms of the Plea Deal Under the deal outlined Sunday, Boeing will plead guilty to one charge of conspiracy to defraud the United States, pay another $243.6 million fine, along with restitution payments to the families of the crash victims, with exact dollar amounts determined by the court. The restitution payments will not impact the families' ability to pursue civil suits against Boeing, as some of the lawsuits against Boeing are still pending while many others have been settled. An independent compliance monitor will be appointed who will oversee Boeing's probation for three years, providing updates to the court and the DOJ, along with an annual report made public through the court docket. Boeing's board members will also meet with families of the victims, some of which were in attendance when Chief Executive Officer (CEO) David Calhoun testified before Congress last month. The company will also be required to spend about $455 million over the course of its probation on improving its compliance and safety practices. Boeing shares rose nearly 1% to $186.21 an hour before the opening bell Monday, but are still down nearly 30% since the start of the year. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/boeing-agrees-plead-guilty-defrauding-123857574.html A Southwest jet that did a ‘Dutch roll’ was parked outside during severe storm DALLAS (AP) — Investigators say a Southwest Airlines jet that experienced an unusual “Dutch roll” in flight had been parked outside during a strong storm and then underwent routine maintenance, after which pilots noticed odd movements of the rudder pedals. After the May 25 incident, Southwest mechanics found “substantial” damage in the aircraft’s tail, where the rudder is located, but the National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday that it hasn’t determined when the damage occurred. The plane, a Boeing 737 Max, was grounded for more than a month but resumed flights last week, according to data from Flightradar24.com. Dutch roll is a swaying, rhythmic combination of yaw, or the tail sliding sideways, and the wingtips rocking up and down. The Southwest jet experienced the movement at 34,000 feet and again after descending to 32,000 feet while flying from Phoenix to Oakland, California. The condition can be dangerous, and modern planes have a “yaw damper” to stop the oscillations that characterize Dutch roll. After the plane landed, Southwest mechanics found fractures in the metal bracket and ribs that hold a backup power control unit to the rudder system. Investigators examined the damaged parts last week in Ogden, Utah. The NTSB said the plane was parked overnight at the New Orleans airport on May 16 during thunderstorms that packed gusting winds up to 84 mph, heavy rain and a tornado watch. On May 23, the plane underwent scheduled maintenance, and afterward pilots noticed the rudder pedals moving when the yaw damper was engaged. Pilots on the May 25 flight felt the pedals moving during the Dutch roll and even after landing, the NTSB said. John Cox, a former airline pilot and now a safety consultant, said the NTSB preliminary report indicates that the plane was most likely damaged during the storm. He said the near hurricane-force winds could have caused the rudder on the parked jet to slam back and forth. Cox said there was “absolutely no way in the world” the Dutch roll caused such severe damage, nor does he think it was related to the maintenance work. “I do not see this as a Max issue. I do not see this right now as a 737 issue,” he said. “I see this as a one-off.” Southwest inspected its 231 Max jets last month and found no other cases of damage around the rudder power units and no problems in new planes it has received since, according to the NTSB. Dallas-based Southwest declined to comment. It could be a year or longer before the NTSB determines a probable cause for the incident. https://apnews.com/article/southwest-airlines-dutch-roll-ntsb-fc0883c8a42270fcee9699b0fe231668 How to stay safe during turbulence, according to pilots The number one rule: Buckle up • Always buckle up • Pick the right seat • Do your research (with a caveat) • Take in-flight precautions • Understand pilots’ tools One minute, passengers may be sleeping, or eating, or enjoying an unremarkable flight. The next: chaos. That’s the scenario that unfolded in repeated high-profile incidents of turbulence in recent months. Last week, more than 30 people were treated for injuries after an Air Europa flight hit turbulence while traveling from Spain to Uruguay. In May, one person died and dozens were hospitalized after a Singapore Airlines jet encountered “sudden extreme turbulence” while flying near the coast of Myanmar. Patrick Smith, an airline pilot for three decades who runs the Ask the Pilot blog, said in an interview that he gets questions from the public about turbulence “every day, all the time.” He thinks there isn’t a good understanding of what turbulence is, what it can and can’t do, and how pilots deal with it. But he gets why travelers might be uneasy. “If you’re predisposed to flight anxiety, rough air is going to make the experience more nerve-racking,” he said. While extreme incidents can happen, experts say planes are built to withstand the forces of turbulence and that pilots are trained on how to respond to it. Passengers have little control about the conditions their planes are facing, but safety experts and current and retired pilots told The Washington Post that there are some safety tools fliers can take into their own hands. Always buckle up Experts agree: Seat belts are passengers’ main recourse for staying safe during turbulence. Flight attendants and regulators say children under 2 who could fly free as lap babies should instead be buckled into a seat approved for use on planes. Hassan Shahidi, CEO of the Flight Safety Foundation, said people who are not buckled up suffer most of the injuries caused by turbulence. “Every safety professional that I know, when we’re on an airplane, if I’m not up walking around for a reason, then my seat belt’s at least loosely fastened,” said John Cox, a retired airline pilot and an instructor at the University of Southern California. “The evidence is literally overwhelming that you can reduce the likelihood of injury.” He said there’s still some risk: Another passenger could fall onto a buckled person during turbulence, or a serving cart could get loose. “The higher number of passengers with their seat belts fastened reduces the likelihood of injury to everybody on the airplane,” said Cox, who also founded the aviation consulting firm Safety Operating Systems. Doug Moss, a retired airline pilot, aviation instructor and safety consultant, said in an email that passengers should stay buckled whenever seated, even if the seat-belt sign isn’t lit. But they should definitely take it seriously when it is lit. “Many times, the weather may actually be smooth and the sign is ON. More likely than not, that means that the pilot has reason to be expecting turbulence,” Moss said. “Just because the air is smooth at one moment doesn’t mean that turbulence isn’t only seconds ahead.” Pick the right seat The seat you pick won’t keep your plane from hitting rough patches, but it could determine how much motion you feel. Pilots say those in the back of the plane will bear the brunt of turbulence because the tail is designed to move, while the area over the wings or in front of them will feel more stable. Smith said the difference might only be mild, but the center would have the smoothest ride. Kathleen Bangs, a former airline pilot and a spokeswoman for the flight-tracking service FlightAware, said a window seat is a good option for fliers who are nervous about turbulence, because they can see obvious weather conditions out the window. They would also be more protected if the overhead bins open and items start flying around. Given how rare that level of turbulence is, however, Smith cautioned that choosing a window seat for turbulence-safety purposes might be “unnecessarily cautious.” Do your research (with a caveat) Several apps or websites, such as Turbli, Fly With Courage and Turbulence Forecast, provide travelers with weather forecasts and turbulence outlooks along a flight path. Bangs said she often uses those apps when she flies to test them out. But she also will check FlightAware to see what route the pilot has filed and whether there is a diversion to avoid bad weather. “People can kind of get their head in the game and feel a little more empowered about what’s going on,” she said. For some, knowledge might be power — but pilots also warn that checking forecasts can cause passengers to panic unnecessarily. Airlines have more information than those sites to work with, and pilots often will adjust to avoid areas where turbulence is expected. “Airplanes don’t always fly the route that you think they’re going to fly, the altitude that you think they’re going to fly,” he said. “These things are often decided on or revised on short notice to avoid the areas of roughest air.” Travelers may also reassure themselves that turbulence is not likely to hurt them: The Federal Aviation Administration says there were 184 serious injuries on U.S. airlines because of turbulence from 2009 to 2023. Most of those injured were crew. The FAA does not track incidents of turbulence more broadly. “There isn’t a one-stop shop if you will, a centralized database that captures these turbulences that occur,” Shahidi said. Take in-flight precautions Return to menu Once you’re on your flight, pay close attention to what the flight attendants and pilots are telling you. “It is important to follow the cabin crew instructions at all times,” Shahidi said. “They’re there for the safety of the passengers.” Bangs said to be “conscious” of what possessions you have out, especially if bumps are expected. If by some chance you had an empty seat next to you, she said, you wouldn’t want to place a laptop there in case you hit turbulence “and that thing goes flying.” In a safety video about turbulence posted in May, the FAA advises passengers to “make sure loose items are stowed properly.” Bangs was on a flight once when the pilots made an announcement in the middle of meal service about a rough patch ahead. They told everyone to put their meals on the floor and tray tables up. Bangs said the turbulence wasn’t that memorable, but the warning was. Cox said he would give passengers a heads-up if he knew there was turbulence ahead that the plane couldn’t get around. He said electronics can be pretty well stowed, but liquids are tougher to contain. “You probably don’t want a cup of hot coffee in your hands,” he said. Understand pilots’ tools Pilots have more information at their fingertips than passengers — and that includes reports from other pilots who are encountering turbulence in real time. Some forms of turbulence can come without warning when skies are clear, but many others relate to factors such as weather or nearby mountains. Moss said in his email that pilots review weather reports before departure to identify where shears in the winds might create turbulence, so that they can modify their routes or be prepared for rough air. They also use weather radar on board to identify conditions that could make for a bumpy ride. Air traffic controllers share reports of abnormal weather, often provided by other pilots. It all means pilots have better information now to warn them about potential problem areas. “This is the exciting part of the future, where pilots will be able to see, in real time, all the areas in the country where turbulence is being recorded, giving the pilots a greater ability to either avoid the area or at least to know when the seat-belt sign should go on,” Moss wrote. https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2024/07/09/flight-turbulence-safety-singapore-europa-forecast/ U.N. aviation council launches audit of US air safety oversight July 9 (Reuters) - The U.N. aviation council this week will launch the first audit of the U.S. civil aviation safety oversight system since 2007, a U.S. Federal Aviation Administration official told reporters on Tuesday. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) will conduct the two-week audit with 12 auditors from 10 countries, beginning on Wednesday. Results are due in January. It will review the FAA, the National Transportation Safety Board, the Defense Department, Federal Communications Commission and other U.S. agencies involved in aviation. There will be 790 questions covering eight areas including civil aviation legislation and regulation, aircraft accident and incidents investigations, air navigation services. Audits help the ICAO determine implementation of international standards. A good score would allow the U.S. to demonstrate leadership in meeting robust aviation safety standards and to encourage nations around the world to do the same, the FAA official said. The U.S. has the world's most complex airspace and has an impressive safety record with the last fatal U.S. passenger airline crash in February 2009. The last ICAO audit of the U.S. was in 2007 was under a different methodology. The FAA also audits other countries for compliance with ICAO safety standards. The FAA downgraded Mexico in May 2021 and restored Mexico's higher rating in September, which allowed Mexican carriers to expand U.S. routes and add new service. The FAA has struggled with a persistent shortage of air traffic controllers and a series of near-miss incidents, including some blamed on controller errors. At several facilities, controllers are working mandatory overtime and six-day work weeks to cover shortages. The FAA is short of staffing targets by about 3,000 controllers. Last month, the FAA said it was again extending cuts to minimum flight requirements at congested New York City-area airports through October 2025, citing air traffic controller staffing shortages. https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/un-aviation-council-launches-audit-us-air-safety-oversight-2024-07-09/ Extreme heat grounds rescue helicopters. When is it too hot to fly? Extreme heat can ground flights, including helicopter rescues and commercial aircraft. As the temperature in California's Death Valley National Park skyrocketed to a nearly world record-breaking high, a group of motorcyclists traveling through the park found themselves in trouble. But as the heat reached a record 128 degrees on Saturday, emergency medical helicopters were unable to respond to the scene because they can't safely fly in temperatures above 120 degrees, according to the National Park Service. One of the riders died of heat exposure near Badwater Basin, and another had to be hospitalized in Las Vegas for severe heat illness. The other four were treated in the park and released. Between 2007 and 2023, 76 people died from hyperthermia, or overheating, at one of the more than 400 sites managed by the National Parks Service, according to Backpacker Magazine. Research shows extreme heat fueled by climate change may only make these incidents more common in the future. The Earth has racked up more than 12 straight months of record heat, a bewildering climate change milestone. Among global warming and extreme heat impacts, the grounding of flights, whether helicopter rescues or commercial aircraft, is another life-or-death consequence to be grappled with. How high temperatures make it challenging to fly Hot air is less dense than cold air, meaning there are fewer air molecules to generate lift according to David Ryan, an assistant professor of safety science at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's Prescott campus. Ryan said this means an airplane may need a longer runway and to pick up more speed to get off the ground. "The hotter it is, the longer the takeoff length, and the heavier it is, the longer the takeoff length," he said. Ryan said most modern airliners are tested to operate in temperatures above 120 degrees and in some cases up to 130 degrees. Most mainline Airbus and Boeing jets can take off safely up to about 122 degrees, and smaller regional jets often have a lower threshold for safe operations. But Robert Thomas, an assistant professor in the aeronautical science department at Embry Riddle’s Daytona Beach campus, noted there's no set temperature where it becomes too hot to fly because pilots must take into account a range of factors including temperature, elevation and winds to determine if an aircraft can perform adequately or not. Thomas said "heavy duty" helicopters designed to do search and rescue missions or fight wildfires may be designed in a way that helps overcome performance issues brought on by high heat, for example being equipped with larger engines to help them carry extra weight. "If you had a helicopter trying to rescue people, maybe you could get there, but...they might not have been able to actually take on extra passengers because the extra weight would have ruined their performance to get back," he said, adding that physical obstacles like mountains can make it even more challenging. Thinner air also means fewer air molecules to mix with the aircraft's fuel, Thomas said. He said some airplanes also have turbine engines or turbocharges that artificially increase the density of the air. "When it gets that hot, that helps, but it doesn't solve everything," Thomas said. What happens when it's too hot for helicopters in Death Valley When a visitor is experiencing a medical emergency while the temperature is over 120 degrees at Death Valley National Park, staff including EMTs will transport them via ambulance to an elevation of 3,000 feet, according to park spokesperson Nichole Andler. At that elevation, the temperature is typically 5 to 10 degrees cooler, and the visitor can be airlifted to a nearby hospital, she said. If a visitor’s location is unknown, the California Highway Patrol or other local officials may use helicopters to conduct an aerial search in the park’s 3.4 million acres, though they may not be able to land or pick up any extra passengers. The heat has always been a draw at Death Valley and the park has never closed due to high temperatures, Andler said. She said climate models predict that the region’s extreme weather will likely get more severe in the future and, like the Grand Canyon, the park will likely see an increase in heat-related illnesses as a result. Increasing the temperature even by a few degrees will make it harder to get visitors in trouble out by helicopter, but Andler said staff have been working hard to educate visitors on how to prevent these emergencies in the first place. “It's fun and it's exciting to be here when it is really hot. We know that that happens, and it is a very real scenario for visitors,” she said. “But we just want to remind everyone to make those good choices.” https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/07/08/too-hot-to-fly/74327045007/ Hawaii airport evacuated after grenades found in man's carry-on luggage A Hawaii airport was briefly evacuated after what turned out to be two inert grenades were found by Transportation Security Administration agents in the carry-on luggage of a 41-year-old man, Hawaii Police said. Officers cleared the terminal early Tuesday while the bomb squad moved in to investigate the suspicious items, which were picked up during X-ray screening. These two inert grenades were found by TSA agents in the carry-on luggage of a man trying to board a flight at Hawaii's Hilo International Airport on July 9, 2024. Hawaii Police say. HAWAII POLICE "The Hilo International Airport experienced a brief halt in operations" for little over an hour, police said. The bomb squad "determined the items to be inert grenades," police reported, meaning they weren't dangerous. Akito Fukushima, of Kanazawa, Japan, was arrested on a charge of first-degree terroristic threatening, police said. The flight he was trying to board was to a destination outside the U.S., police noted, but they didn't say which country it was heading to or what his ultimate destination was. "Police remind the public that replicas of explosives, such as hand grenades, are prohibited in checked and carry-on baggage," they added. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hilo-hawaii-airport-evacuated-grenades-carry-on-luggage/ Number of passenger complaints continues to soar at these 3 airlines Three of the most budget-friendly airlines in the U.S. generated the highest rate of passenger complaints, an analysis from the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) finds. Researchers at PIRG examined airline passenger complaint data released by the U.S. Department of Transportation last Friday to tally how many grievances submitted to the federal government last year were directed toward each major airline. Researchers also ranked the airlines based on the ratio of complaints each received per 100,000 passengers. Frontier Airlines topped the list for the highest complaint ratio, with 33 grievances for every 100,000 passengers. Spirit Airlines placed second with about 15 complaints, and JetBlue Airlines came in third with 13. Those three airlines also received the highest rates of complaints in PIRG's 2022 analysis. Conversely, Alaska Airlines had the lowest complaint ratio last year with just 2 grievances filed per 100,000 passengers. Surge in complaints in 2023 U.S. travelers submitted nearly 97,000 complaints about airlines to the Transportation Department last year, up from roughly 86,000 total submissions, including complaints, inquiries and opinions in 2022. Passengers complained about everything from delays and cancellations to accommodations for disabled passengers and difficulties getting airfare refunds. On a positive note, airlines canceled fewer flights and lost fewer bags of luggage in 2023, compared with figures from 2022, PIRG's report shows. "Airline travel is getting better overall," Teresa Murray, PIRG's consumer watchdog director and the report's author, said in a statement Tuesday. "But there are still too many horror stories about passengers unexpectedly having to sit in a terminal for hours, getting lousy customer service or being treated like a seat number instead of a person going on a long-awaited vacation or important work trip." JetBlue and Spirit did not immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday. In a statement to CBS MoneyWatch, a Frontier spokesperson said the company is already starting to decrease its complaint numbers. "We have been disappointed in our historical complaints but are pleased to have seen a recent drop in complaints due to better operational reliability, the reopening of our call center, and the recent launch of the New Frontier which offers clear, upfront low-cost pricing, and no change fees," the spokesperson said. Closer attention to complaints To be sure, the Transportation Department has taken passenger complaints for decades, but according to Murray, federal lawmakers are paying much closer attention to the grievances these days. The evidence: a couple new airline industry rules the Biden administration enacted in recent months, Murray said. Under one rule, airlines are mandated to promptly refund customers when flights are meaningfully disrupted or delayed. Airlines will have to refund customers the full ticket price, including airline-imposed fees, as well as government taxes and fees. The second rule requires airlines to disclose so-called junk fees upfront. Still, consumer grievances over airline service are not losing any steam, judging from the number of complaints filed so far this year. Passengers submitted 15,365 complaints in March, according to the Transportation Department's most recent data, compared with 15,545 last year in March. Consumer frustrations, however, are not stopping them from flying, according to aviation industry experts. Indeed, a record 3 million passengers passed through TSA checkpoints Sunday, following the July 4th holiday. "Our research shows that travelers prioritize travel within their household budgets, meaning they're willing to cut back in some other areas like shopping, dining out and out-of-home entertainment in order to fund their vacations," Henry Harteveldt, an airlines industry analyst at Atmosphere Research, told CBS MoneyWatch. "This matters because against higher interest rates and the higher cost for everyday items, it would be understandable if we saw fewer people traveling. Instead, we saw a record number of people travel." https://www.cbsnews.com/news/airline-customer-complaints-2023-data-us/ Southwest 737 Dutch-Roll Investigation Continues As NTSB Probes Rudder System Structural Damage SUMMARY • The NTSB's ongoing investigation of a Southwest Airlines Dutch roll incident reveals a damaged rudder system on the Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft. • The incident involved a Dutch roll mid-flight, but the plane landed safely. • Multiple recent incidents are under investigation involving Southwest Airlines flights. • The ongoing investigation into the Southwest Boeing 737 Dutch roll incident has revealed structural damage to the rudder system on the airplane. The carrier is under investigation for multiple incidents this year, including two of its flights flying too low before landing at their destinations. Damaged rudder system The National Transportation Safety Board is currently investigating a Southwest Airlines Dutch roll incident in May and has revealed that the plane’s rudder system was found damaged. The aircraft had undergone “A Core Check” overnight after landing at Houston’s William P Hobby Airport (HOU) on May 23. No anomalies were found in the Boeing 737’s rudder during the checks. However, the NTSB, in its report, mentions that according to data, the anomalous behavior of the rudder system began on the first flight after that scheduled maintenance. After the aircraft experienced the Dutch roll mid-flight on May 25, it landed safely at its destination. The NTSB further details, “After arriving at the gate, the aircraft was met by SWA maintenance, and the airpoance was removed from service. Post-incident troubleshooting and inspection of the airplane was accomplished by SWA maintenance. The examination revealed damage to the vertical stabilizer trailing edge ribs above and below the standby rudder power control unit (PCU). The damage to the stabilizer ribs adversely affects the structural strength of the fitting and is considered substantial damage.” What happened during the flight? On May 25, Southwest Airlines flight 746 was flying from Phoenix, Arizona to Oakland, California. The captain was the pilot flying, and the first officer (FO) was the pilot monitoring. According to the NTSB, the captain recalls reviewing the logbook that recorded a yaw damper discrepancy described as “the yaw damper over-correcting in flight” What Is A Dutch Roll In Aviation & Why Are They Dangerous? A name with obscure origins, the Dutch roll has led to several accidents. When the aircraft was cleared for takeoff, the captain noticed momentary stiffness in the rudder pedals after switching to rudder pedal steering. The departure from Phoenix and the climb to cruise altitude of 34,000 was uneventful. But shortly after that, the 737 began experiencing “a small amount of Dutch roll,” which was stable, more noticeable in frequency, with only a slight amount of yaw. However, the autopilot remained engaged throughout the event. The first officer described it as a “strange movement of the tail of the airplane back and forth, coupled with very slight rudder movement left and right. The tail movement was noticeable, but not excessive, and I remember my first thought being this is some odd light chop.” The pilots informed the ATC and descended to 32,000 feet, where they faced similar flight conditions. Eventually, the 737 landed in Oakland without any incident. Other incidents Southwest is currently undergoing investigations for some other recent incidents as well, including one of its Boeing 737s descending to almost 500 feet nine miles away from Oklahoma City’s Will Rogers World Airport. Previous to that, another one of the carrier’s planes had come within 400 feet of the ocean while approaching Lihue Airport. Recently, Southwest was also in the news after one of its planes departed from a closed runway at Portland International Jetport. Thankfully, the aircraft was able to conduct a safe flight after that and landed safely at its destination. https://simpleflying.com/ntsb-probes-southwest-dutch-roll-737-rudder-system-structural-damage/ EASA Publishes Annual Safety Review 2024 In 2023, there were 7.3 million safe flights in Europe with no fatal accidents, involving a European operator both for complex and non-complex aircraft. While this is clearly positive news, this result was only achieved by the entire industry focusing on safety as a priority. The 2024 Annual Safety Review (ASR) of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is now online. The 2024 Edition looks at the safety performance of the European aviation system in 2023. This, and other analyses carried out by EASA in collaboration with national aviation authorities (NAAs) and industry, is used to support the safety risk management (SRM) process that drives the decision-making reflected in the European Plan for Aviation Safety (EPAS). Therefore, where risks are identified, further analysis is performed and when needed, mitigation actions are included in the EPAS. This year, there is a new chapter specifically looking at unmanned aircraft system (UAS) / drone safety performance. In 2023, traffic reached 95 % of 2019, pre-COVID levels. A total of 2.3 billion passengers were welcomed by Europe’s airports in 2023. Passenger traffic across the European airport network increased by 19 % compared with the previous year. At a global level, over recent years, there have been around 10 fatal accidents annually (between 2020-2022); in 2023 this dropped to two fatal accidents. From these two accidents, there were 77 fatalities, marking a decrease compared to 2022. It is the second-lowest fatality count in the decade, close to the record-lowest number set in 2017 (66 fatalities). In 2023, there were 7.3 million safe flights in Europe with no fatal accidents, involving a European operator both for complex and non-complex aeroplanes. While this is clearly positive news, this result was only achieved by the entire industry focusing on safety as a priority. There is no room for complacency in aviation safety. https://www.aviationpros.com/ground-handling/press-release/55123433/european-aviation-safety-agency-easa-easa-publishes-annual-safety-review-2024 UK Regulator Gives Vertical Aerospace More Control over Certification Tasks The UK Civil Aviation Authority and EASA have agreed on how to jointly certify the aircraft Vertical Aerospace VX4 eVTOL aircraft Vertical Aerospace is preparing to start flying a second eVTOL aircraft prototype featuring more advanced systems than the first example it flew last year. The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) this week expanded the scope of work that eVTOL aircraft developer Vertical Aerospace can do under the design organization approval (DOA) it received in March 2023. The UK-based company also announced on July 10 that an agreement has been reached between EASA and the CAA as to how the two regulators will collaborate over type certification activities for the four-passenger VX4 vehicle that Vertical wants to bring to market in 2026. The extension of DOA means Vertical’s engineers can sign off compliance for an increasing number of technical areas, including items relating to flight controls, avionics, and electrical systems. The company said this will increase its capacity to complete certification tasks and streamline the process. Vertical now hopes that further work with CAA officials will result in the expansion of these privileges. These might include approval for permits to fly for piloted test flights with the VX4. The DOA authorizes aircraft manufacturers to conduct design activities and issue design approvals within the scope of the document. This has now been expanded, with the DOA being a crucial prerequisite to achieving type certification. Last year, the CAA agreed to adopt EASA’s means of compliance for eVTOL aircraft under its special conditions VTOL standards. Officials from the two agencies have now agreed on how they will apply common standards to support concurrent certification and validation of the VX4 under the technical implementation procedures that took effect when the UK left the European Union. Vertical is also seeking type certification in the U.S., Brazil, and Japan. “This is another positive step forward in recognizing that Vertical has the engineering capability to obtain certification for the VX4 aircraft. Our world-class engineering and design teams, combined with our partnership with leading aerospace companies and our state-of-the-art facilities in the UK, set us up well to achieve certification to the highest safety standards in the world,” said Vertical Aerospace CEO Stuart Simpson. “At the same time, seeing regulators like the CAA and EASA working closely together paves the way for a more seamless, faster route to certification.” VX4 eVTOL Pulls Out of Farnborough Airshow As it prepares its second prototype aircraft to start flight testing, Vertical has decided not to bring the VX4 to the Farnborough International Airshow later this month, as had been planned. The company confirmed the decision on July 5, saying that it had chosen to focus on keeping the flight test program on track at Cotswold Airport in the west of England. This prototype features more hardware provided by key partners including Honeywell, Leonardo, and GKN Aerospace. It also has new propellers that Vertical has designed to rectify problems identified during the investigation into the Aug. 9, 2023 crash that destroyed its first prototype. It also uses new batteries produced by the company’s in-house Vertical Energy Centre at its Bristol headquarters. “While it was always going to be ambitious for a novel aircraft prototype program like ours, we had been aiming to demonstrate the new VX4 at Farnborough,” the company said in a written statement. “After careful consideration, we decided to prioritize progressing the flight test program this summer from our Flight Test Centre instead.” https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/futureflight/2024-07-10/uk-regulator-gives-vertical-aerospace-more-control-over 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