Flight Safety Information - July 29, 2024 No. 150 In This Issue : Incident: United B752 at Newark on Jul 27th 2024, limited engine : Incident: ACT B744 at Hong Kong on Jul 28th 2024, flaps problems on departure : Incident: Flybondi B738 at Bariloche on Jul 27th 2024, could not vacate the runway : Incident: Easyjet A320 near Lisbon on Jul 27th 2024, first officer incapacitated : “We Need to Get This Plane On the Ground ASAP”: United Airlines Jet Makes Emergency Diversion After Flight Attendant Biohazard : Top pilots’ union sounds alarm as regulators consider smaller crew sizes : https://kutv.com/news/local/delta-plane-clips-parked-aircraft-at-terminal-of-salt-lake-city-international-airport : Number of Western airliners in fleet of Russian airlines decreases : Former Rockwell Collins chief being considered for Boeing CEO, report says : Former FAA certification chief Lirio Liu to advise Skyryse : Calendar of Events Incident: United B752 at Newark on Jul 27th 2024, limited engine A United Boeing 757-200, registration N18112 performing flight UA-403 from Newark,NJ to Chicago O'Hare,IL (USA), was climbing out of Newark's runway 22R when the crew stopped the climb at 5000 feet reporting their left hand engine (RB211) had been power limited during takeoff even though they now had enough power for climb, max continuous etc. The aircraft returned to Newark for a safe landing on runway 22L about 30 minutes after departure. The aircraft is still on the ground about 22 hours after landing back. https://avherald.com/h?article=51bb4617&opt=0 Incident: ACT B744 at Hong Kong on Jul 28th 2024, flaps problems on departure An ACT Airlines Boeing 747-400 freighter on behalf of Emirates, registration TC-ACF performing flight EK-9887 from Hong Kong (China) to Dubai Al Maktoum (United Arab Emirates), was climbing out of Hong Kong's runway 07R when the crew stopped the climb at FL190 due to problems with the flaps. The aircraft dumped fuel and returned to Hong Kong for a safe landing on runway 07L about 100 minutes after departure. The aircraft is still on the ground about 11 hours after landing. https://avherald.com/h?article=51bb43f2&opt=0 Incident: Flybondi B738 at Bariloche on Jul 27th 2024, could not vacate the runway A Flybondi Boeing 737-800, registration LV-KJF performing flight FO-5276 from Buenos Aires Ezeiza,BA to San Carlos de Bariloche,RN (Argentina), landed on Bariloche's runway 29 at about 07:25L (10:25Z) and came to a stop abeam the last taxiway before the runway end but could not vacate the runway. Ground vehicles sprayed the run- and taxiway, then the aircraft was pushed back and towed off the runway. The airline reported: "Flybondi informs that due to the conditions of the runway at Bariloche airport, flight FO 5276 had to give up taxiing on its own and had to be towed due to the lack of directional control because the runway was frozen. All passengers were disembarked from the plane without incident. For this reason, flights FO 5278 and FO 5280 were instructed to land at Neuquén airport. Operations to and from Bariloche will be subject to the runway conditions reported by the airport manager." https://avherald.com/h?article=51bb0cb2&opt=0 Incident: Easyjet A320 near Lisbon on Jul 27th 2024, first officer incapacitated An Easyjet Airbus A320-200, registration G-EZOA performing flight U2-2459 from London Luton,EN (UK) to Lisbon (Portugal) with 193 people on board, was nearing Lisbon when the first officer fainted. The captain continued for a safe landing on Lisbon's runway 02 and taxied to a remote stand, where emergency services were already waiting for the aircraft. The first officer was taken to a hospital. The aircraft remained on the ground for about 4.5 hours, then departed for the return flight and reached London Luton with a delay of about 3 hours. https://avherald.com/h?article=51ba8f6f&opt=0 “We Need to Get This Plane On the Ground ASAP”: United Airlines Jet Makes Emergency Diversion After Flight Attendant Biohazard A United Airlines flight from Houston to Boston was forced to make an emergency diversion to Washington Dulles on Sunday morning after the pilots reported a flight attendant ‘biohazard’ onboard the Boeing 737MAX-8. Few details of what went down on United flight UA2477 are known save for a recording of live air traffic control communication between the pilot and ground controllers, as well as the airline confirming that a medical issue had occurred. The flight departed Houston Intercontinental ar around 10:00 am on July 28 but with an hour and 40 minutes of the flight to Boston still left to go, the pilots requested permission to divert the flight because a flight attendant was vomiting at the back of the plane. That ordinarily wouldn’t be cause to divert an entire planeload of passengers but the pilot explained that a doctor was talking to the crew and that “it sounds like its quite bad back there… it’s still really bad”. “The crew is vomiting and, uh, the passengers all around are asking for masks, etc”. The pilot went onto say that he wanted to get the plane on the ground ‘ASAP’ because of the ‘biohazard’ and that he’d rather not fly for nearly two more hours to Boston with the developing situation onboard. United initially reported that the flight had to divert due to an ‘urgent customer situation’ but a spokesperson later confirmed that a medical issue necesitated the diversion to Dulles. “The aircraft is currently undergoing a deep clean and we are working to get customers on their way to Boston soon,” the spokesperson added. In May, another United 737MAX-8 had to undergo a thorough deepclean after a group of up to 30 passengers fell sick during a four-hour flight from Vancouver, Canada, to Houston. The sickened passengers were part of a larger group of 75 cruise line passengers who had just finished a trip in British Colombia and were returning to Texas. Those who were taken sick reported fly-like symptoms and nausea. https://www.paddleyourownkanoo.com/2024/07/29/we-need-to-get-this-plane-on-the-ground-asap-united-airlines-jet-makes-emergency-diversion-after-flight-attendant-biohazard/ Top pilots’ union sounds alarm as regulators consider smaller crew sizes Firms accused of putting profits over safety as EU group weighs cutting minimum number of pilots from two to one Aerospace giants have been accused of putting profits ahead of safety as officials consider cutting the minimum number of pilots required on commercial flight decks from two to one. The move, which is currently being evaluated by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), would weaken standards to the “lowest common denominator”, the world’s largest union of airline pilots has warned. “This threat is not something that is 10, 15, 20 years away,” Capt James Ambrosi, president of the Air Line Pilots Association, which represents more than 78,000 pilots in the US and Canada, said. “It’s something that, quietly, Airbus, has been working on. It’s not what they are marketing it to be. “The US has the safest aviation record in the world. We need to improve the standard for everybody, not just go to the lowest common denominator.” EASA is looking at the safety of extended minimum crew operations (eMCO), where one pilot would leave the flight deck to rest during long flights, leaving one pilot at the helm. While many long-haul flights currently staff three pilots on the flight deck, so that pilots can alternate rest, eMCO would eliminate this standard. The reduction was proposed by aircraft manufacturers Airbus and Dassault. EASA is also investigating the safety of single-pilot operation for cargo flights. “Technologically, it is feasible,” Christian Scherer, CEO of the commercial aircraft business at Airbus, said in a February interview with the Sunday Times of London. “And bear in mind, 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 aeroplane has to take over. So one pilot or zero pilot is effectively the same thing.” The Air Line Pilots Association, which recently fended off efforts to raise the retirement age of pilots from 65 to 67, sees a potential reduction in the number of pilots on the flight deck as a big, emerging safety threat. The union published a report in June on the concerns over efforts to reduce the number of pilots on the flight deck of commercial aircraft, cautioning that there is “no replacement” for the safety benefits of having “at least” two pilots on the flight deck at all times. Workloads and fatigue would increase if single pilot flights were permitted, the report argues, adding that the risks posed by the incapacitation of a pilot would increase. In a statement, the European safety agency said: “For EASA, the overriding consideration is that safety must not be compromised. Operations must therefore be demonstrably at least as safe as the current two-pilot operations are today to gain approval.” The agency noted there is no firm timeline on introducing a pilot-reducing operation. The possibility of pilot reductions wouldn’t occur until at least 2027, but could have global implications and impact flights to and from Europe and the rest of the aviation industry. Airbus and Dassault did not respond to requests for comment. “Everything that’s being driven when you look at crew sizes and inspections, it’s really driven by profit motive, it is not driven by safety,” said Greg Regan, president of the AFL-CIO’s transportation trades department. “That’s been true in railroads. It’s true in aviation. It’s the reason why the oversight inspections of Boeing were so lacking. It was geared towards: ‘how do we maximize profit on this?’ And we’ve seen it go way too far.” Labor unions continue to push back against efforts by the railroad industry – which was rocked last year by an explosive fire from a derailed train carrying hazardous chemicals in East Palestine, Ohio – to reduce crew members on freight trains from two to one. The railroad industry is currently suing the US Department of Transportation after it finalized a rule in April 2024 first proposed under the Obama administration to mandate a minimum of two crew on railroad freight in the US. Should Donald Trump win the 2024 presidential election, the rule “is certainly something that could be subject to change”, added Regan, unless legislation is passed codifying the requirement into law. Under the Trump administration in 2019, regulators withdrew the two-person crew rule and nullified all state laws that mandated the two-person crew minimum. “East Palestine was a perfect example of why and how two crews are necessary because of how they worked together to make sure the disaster wasn’t worse,” said Regan. “There’s a reason why we have regulators and lawmakers who are putting safety legislation in place and there’s a reason why qualified and professional pilots, engineers, conductors are so vital to ensuring that we have safe operations of every transportation system in our country. “To take the profit motives into account as seriously as you do the safety motives, I think, would be really foolish.” https://www.theguardian.com/business/article/2024/jul/27/pilot-union-minimum-crew-size Delta plane clips wing of parked aircraft at Salt Lake City International Airport SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Two flights were delayed after a Delta plane clipped another parked near the terminal at Salt Lake City International Airport. Officials from Delta Airlines confirmed the incident happened Saturday evening. They said a Boeing 737 made contact with the parked Airbus A320. Delta issued a statement to KUTV, saying the issue led to overnight delays. “Delta teams worked to reaccommodate customers to their final destinations after the wingtip of Delta flight DL2046 made contact with a parked aircraft at SLC,” the statement read. “We sincerely apologize for the delay to their travels.” Flight DL2046 was scheduled for depart with 109 passengers to Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport in Montana. The A320 was scheduled to fly as DL2677 for Dallas Fort Worth International Airport with 131 customers. Officials did not say if any passengers were on either aircraft at the time. Both flights were rescheduled for Sunday. No other flights were impacted. https://kutv.com/news/local/delta-plane-clips-parked-aircraft-at-terminal-of-salt-lake-city-international-airport Number of Western airliners in fleet of Russian airlines decreases Western sanctions have been causing Russian airlines to lose planes. Source: The Moscow Times, citing data from the Russian Federal Air Transport Agency Details: Between the end of October 2023 and 26 June 2024, the number of airliners in the fleets of Russia’s 13 largest airlines fell by 3%, to 693 aircraft. According to the Federal Air Transport Agency, 12 planes belonging to the Aeroflot group were out of service during the reporting period. At the same time, 19 aircraft are currently on "conservation." In addition, S7 and Yamal companies lost five planes, while UTair and Aeroflot lost two more. The primary cause for the increase in the number of retired aircraft is the difficulty in maintaining and repairing foreign airliners. In 2023, Russian airlines transported 105 million people, which is 10% more than in 2022 but 22% less than in 2019. This year, the expected passenger traffic of airlines would decrease by 7%, reaching 98.1 million people. Background: Despite sanctions preventing the delivery of foreign aircraft, a business jet named Airbus A320neo valued over US$115 million arrived in Russia. Russia committed over US$12 billion in government subsidies and loans to keep its airline industry running after Western sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine cut off shipments of critical equipment and maintenance services to Russia. https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2024/07/29/7467913/ Former Rockwell Collins chief being considered for Boeing CEO, report says (Reuters) -Former Rockwell Collins chief Kelly Ortberg has joined the list of contenders under serious consideration by Boeing as the planemaker's next chief executive officer, The Air Current reported on Sunday, citing industry officials. Ortberg, Spirit AeroSystems CEO Pat Shanahan and Boeing Chief Operating Officer Stephanie Pope are among candidates for the Boeing job, the trade publication said. Reuters has reported Shanahan and Pope as contenders along with Boeing board Chair Steve Mollenkopf. Earlier in July, Boeing said it would buy back Spirit, its former subsidiary, in a stock deal worth $4.7 billion. RTX's Rockwell Collins produces aircraft communications, electronics and aviation systems for commercial and military customers. Ortberg retired in 2021 as an adviser to the CEO of RTX after heading Rockwell Collins and its successor entities for about eight years as it went through mergers, acquisitions and restructuring. Boeing did not immediately respond to a Reuters' request for comment outside regular business hours. Boeing has been looking for a new head after Dave Calhoun said in March he would step down by year-end, in a broad management shakeup following a January mid-air panel blowout on a 737 MAX plane. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/former-rockwell-collins-chief-being-220404879.html Former FAA certification chief Lirio Liu to advise Skyryse Skyryse, the creator of SkyOS, the universal operating system for flight, announced the appointment of Lirio Liu as an advisor to the company. In her advisory capacity, Liu will focus on the certification of Skyryse One, the company’s first aircraft featuring its SkyOS operating system, as well as future initiatives concerning regulatory considerations and future international growth. “We are incredibly honored to have Lirio join the team on our mission to make all aviation simpler and safer,” said Dr. Mark Groden, CEO of Skyryse. “Her extensive aviation certification and regulatory background will be invaluable as we continue to move quickly towards certification of Skyryse One and additional airplanes and helicopters.” Former FAA executive director of certification Lirio Liu and Skyryse CEO Dr. Mark Groden answer questions from Skyryse employees in a town hall at the company’s El Segundo, California, headquarters. Skyryse Photo During her 33-year career at the FAA, Ms. Liu played a pivotal role in shaping aviation safety and certification standards, most recently as the executive director of certification. July 2024 Her leadership and deep understanding of the regulatory landscape make her a leading expert in aviation safety. “I am excited to engage with Skyryse and contribute to their mission of making all aviation simpler and safer,” said Liu. “The potential of SkyOS to enhance flight safety and accessibility is groundbreaking and I look forward to working with a team that is clearly focused on a sound safety culture as it certifies safety-enhancing products domestically and abroad.” https://verticalmag.com/press-releases/former-faa-certification-chief-lirio-liu-to-advise-skyryse/ CALENDAR OF EVENTS • Airborne Public Safety Association, Inc. (APSCON 2024) - July 29 - August 3; Houston TX • 2024 FAA Drone and AAM Symposium, July 30-August 1 | Baltimore, MD • 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 • DEFENCE AVIATION SAFETY 2024 - 2 OCTOBER - 3 OCTOBER 2024 - LONDON • 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