Flight Safety Information - September 5, 2024 No. 177 In This Issue : Incident: TAP A321 at Lisbon on Sep 4th 2024, smoke in cabin : Incident: India Express B738 at Delhi on Sep 2nd 2024, engine problems, possibly dropped parts : Incident: India B788 near Moscow on Sep 4th 2024, technical problem : Airbus, Rolls to break silence to airlines on Cathay Pacific A350 engine incident, sources say : UPS plane makes emergency landing at Sacramento Mather Airport : Terrible Airplane Behavior Is Down 80 Percent. A Travel Industry Insider Offers 3 Reasons Why The end of pandemic craziness is only part of the reason for the welcome news for flyers. : Flight diverted to Pittsburgh International Airport over bomb threat written on bathroom door : Nigerian airlines barred from US after losing FAA safety certification : The Delta Air Lines Careers Website Keeps On Crashing Because So Many People Want to Become a Flight Attendant : Airbus A330neo Tops Widebody Orders With 57 New Aircraft Since July : Air Premia selects GE Aerospace software to improve safety and reduce emissions : KLM wants part-time pilots to fly more as shortage threatens to ground part of fleet : Evidence-Based Approach to Pilot Training : Calendar of Events Incident: TAP A321 at Lisbon on Sep 4th 2024, smoke in cabin A TAP Air Portugal Airbus A321-200, registration CS-TJH performing flight TP-430 from Lisbon (Portugal) to Paris Orly (France) with 192 people on board, was climbing out of Lisbon's runway 03 when the crew stopped the climb at 7500 feet due to smoke in the cabin. The aircraft returned to Lisbon for a safe landing on runway 03 about 15 minutes after departure. A replacement A321-200 registration CS-TJK reached Paris with a delay of about 5:45 hours. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Lisbon 12 hours after landing back. https://avherald.com/h?article=51d47fa0&opt=0 Incident: India Express B738 at Delhi on Sep 2nd 2024, engine problems, possibly dropped parts An Air India Express Boeing 737-800, registration VT-AXR performing flight IX-145 from Delhi (India) to Bahrain (Bahrain), was climbing out of Delhi's runway 09 when the crew stopped the climb at FL090 due to engine (CFM56) problems and decided to return to Delhi for a safe landing on Delhi's runway 10 about 30 minutes after departure. A resident living about 1.1nm from the runway 09 end reported that an aircraft flew over them, then metal pieces fell down onto their property. Responding police recovered some metal pieces, which are now being identified to determine whether they belong to the aircraft or not. India's DGCA is inspecting the aircraft to determine whether a part is missing from the aircraft. The airline reported the aircraft encountered an engine issue after takeoff, the crew followed procedures and returned to Delhi for a precautionary landing. They are aware of pieces of metal being found but at this time can not confirm whether they belong to the aircraft or not. https://avherald.com/h?article=51d465c1&opt=0 Incident: India B788 near Moscow on Sep 4th 2024, technical problem An Air India Boeing 787-8, registration VT-ANP performing flight AI-113 from Delhi (India) to Birmingham,EN (UK) with 258 passengers and 17 crew, was enroute at FL400 about 140nm westnorthwest of Moscow (Russia) when the crew decided to divert to Moscow Sheremetyevo reporting a technical problem. The aircraft landed safely at Sheremetyevo Airport. Sheremetyevo Airport reported the crew requested an unscheduled landing due to a technical problem. The aircraft is still on the ground in Moscow about 5 hours after landing. The transponder signals from the aircraft are not reliable due to the ongoing disruption of GPS signals in the area. https://avherald.com/h?article=51d4849b&opt=0 Airbus, Rolls to break silence to airlines on Cathay Pacific A350 engine incident, sources say PARIS (Reuters) -Airbus and Rolls-Royce are preparing to brief airlines on the fallout from an engine emergency that prompted Cathay Pacific to review its fleet of A350s as pressure from airlines mounts for clarity, two people familiar with the matter said. Barring fresh evidence as investigators examine the fuel system of a jet forced to return to Hong Kong on Monday, manufacturers have been leaning against recommending worldwide checks but the final word lies with regulators, the people said. Briefings could go ahead as early as Thursday, they said on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter. Some carriers including Singapore Airlines and Japan Airlines had been conducting precautionary checks of their entire A350 fleets after Cathay Pacific said it had found 15 of its 48 A350 jets needed repairs to fuel lines. Airbus declined comment and referred queries to Hong Kong investigators, who could not be reached. Rolls-Royce and Cathay Pacific did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Although the stance so far suggests there is no immediate discovery of a widespread flaw, it is too early to rule out further findings or analysis that may eventually require action by other airlines, the people said, asking not to be identified. It was not immediately clear whether the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) would endorse any decision to refrain from recommending fleet action, which threatens costly downtime as the industry wrestles with maintenance delays. "We have no further comment at this stage as we are still completing our assessment," an EASA spokesperson said. The A350-1000, the larger of two models in the Airbus A350 family, and its Rolls-Royce XWB-97 engines have been under the spotlight since a Zurich-bound jet was forced to return to Hong Kong after an engine problem, later traced to a fuel leak. Initial investigations have revealed that a flexible pipe feeding a fuel injection nozzle in the XWB-97 engine was pierced, the people said. Hong Kong investigators are now expected to focus on whether that hole was the origin of the fuel leak or was itself caused by a different problem, yet to be identified, they added. Hong Kong's Air Accident Investigation Authority did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Cathay Pacific said earlier it would return all Airbus A350s, including the smaller A350-900 version, to operation by Saturday following inspections and fuel line repairs on 15 jets, having cancelled dozens of flights to examine the planes. It did not say what criteria it had used to decide whether the lines should be replaced nor whether the changes had been approved by Rolls-Royce, which typically oversees maintenance under long-term engine service contracts. Neither company responded to a request for comment on the repairs. So far no other airline has reported damage to fuel lines. Some have carried out voluntary checks since the incident while others have said they are awaiting clarity from Rolls-Royce. In London, shares in Rolls-Royce rose 1.8% on Wednesday, extending a partial recovery after steep falls on Monday. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/airbus-rolls-brief-airlines-pressure-205045881.html UPS plane makes emergency landing at Sacramento Mather Airport A UPS plane made an emergency landing at Sacramento Mather Airport on Wednesday night, the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District said. Officials said around 9:19 p.m., the plane was forced to land due to a burning odor and smoke in the cockpit. The aircraft landed safely, and no one was injured, Sac Metro Fire said. Both the pilot and co-pilot were evaluated and released. Officials said the aircraft will be towed to a hanger for engineers to work on it. Mather Airport is closed to inbound aircraft, Sac Metro Fire said. Officials said the plane departed from Portland, Oregon and was heading to Ontario in Southern California before it diverted to Mather Field. https://www.kcra.com/article/plane-emergency-landing-sacramento-mather-airport-sept-4/62062170 Terrible Airplane Behavior Is Down 80 Percent. A Travel Industry Insider Offers 3 Reasons Why The end of pandemic craziness is only part of the reason for the welcome news for flyers. Everything seemed to go a little crazy deep into the pandemic, but people on airplanes particularly lost their minds. In 2021 alone, there were nearly 6,000 cases of behavior unruly enough for the airlines to refer them to the FAA, and the media was filled with stories of screaming matches, fist fights, and general obnoxiousness. The good news is that a new report just released from the FAA shows that referrals for air rage incidents are actually down 80 percent from their 2021 peak -- 1,240 cases so far have been reported in 2024. That means if you're an entrepreneur sneaking in a little late summer travel this holiday weekend, you're wildly less likely to encounter a belligerent fellow passenger delaying your flight or otherwise making the experience unbearable. But why have we returned to reasonable levels of sanity? Is it just that pandemic stir-craziness has slowly subsided and the end of mask mandates gave travelers far less to fight about? Not according to Gary Leff, a travel industry insider with 20 years of exerience who runs the "View From the Wing" blog about the aviation industry. Yes, the passing of the pandemic has been good for our collective mental health, Leff conceded. But he also offers three further reasons for the sharp -- and very welcome -- drop in bad airplane behavior. 1. Different people are flying now. The people who were flying during the height of the pandemic were very different from the veteran travelers filling planes now, Leff points out. In 2021 many passengers "were first-time flyers, taking advantage of very low fares," he explains. Now business travel has rebounded, and airlines' clientele are more likely to be seasoned flyers who understand the process and are less likely to get stressed and out of hand. Or, as Leff more bluntly puts it, "everyone's passengers were Spirit Airlines passengers" in 2021. 2. Alcohol returned to planes. This might seem counterintuitive, but when airlines banned in-flight drinks for safety reasons during the pandemic, they inadvertently encouraged more bad customer behavior. "You might think that when airlines stopped selling alcohol in coach during the pandemic, people would be less inebriated, and therefore better behaved. The opposite is true. Knowing there wouldn't be alcohol on board, they pregamed at the airport, bought alcohol 'to go,' and brought their own on the plane. Consumption wasn't being monitored, and there were more drunk incidents," Leff writes. 3. No more mask mandates. This is the least unexpected reason Leff cites, but for those who have willed themselves into blissful amnesia about pandemic-era arguments over mask mandates, Leff offers a reminder: "Masks became a political flashpoint during the pandemic. The Biden administration took rules that the airlines put in place, and made them a federal mandate." A series of court decisions eventually forced the administration to roll back the rules, but not before planes had become a new and very ugly culture war battlefield. Ending the mandates had a dramatic impact on bad passenger behavior. "Unruly passenger incidents dropped by more than half immediately in the week following the end of the mask mandate," Leff reports. The happy bottom line of all this, though, is that if you're flying home from a late summer getaway this week, you're far less likely to run into outrageous fellow passengers making your trip miserable. And that's something to celebrate. https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/terrible-airplane-behavior-down-80-percent-travel-industry-insider-offers-3-reasons-why.html Flight diverted to Pittsburgh International Airport over bomb threat written on bathroom door PITTSBURGH — A flight was diverted to Pittsburgh International Airport on Wednesday morning due to an alleged bomb threat. Airport officials tell Channel 11 that an American Airlines flight from Newark to Dallas Fort Worth was diverted to Pittsburgh due to a “possible security issue.” The plane landed safely and was immediately met by law enforcement. The FBI tells us that a flight attendant using the restroom saw a barely legible note written in pink pen on the door that said “There’s a bomb on board.” The pilot was notified of the note and made the decision to detour. The FBI says the last two people to use the bathroom were interviewed and searched for a pink pen -- which wasn’t found. K-9s also searched the plane. At this time, there are no suspects and no indication of when the note was written on the bathroom door. The FBI sent Channel 11 the following statement: “The FBI is aware of the incident involving American Airlines Flight 1603 from Newark to Dallas that was diverted to Pittsburgh International Airport this morning after a flight attendant noticed faint pink writing in the plane’s bathroom that mentioned a bomb on board. The pilot was notified and the plane safely diverted and was immediately met by FBI Pittsburgh agents, local law enforcement, and K-9s. The plane was completely swept and no threat was found. At this time, there is no indication of when the note was written. The flight was then cleared to continue to Dallas, and safely landed at its destination this afternoon.” https://www.wpxi.com/news/local/flight-diverted-pittsburgh-international-airport-over-bomb-threat-written-bathroom-door/PZPUFTV7DZHKDOYNL4NJFRP2J4/ Nigerian airlines barred from US after losing FAA safety certification Nigerian airlines have been banned from operating flights into the United States after failing to maintain Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Category One safety status. This is due to the failure of Nigeria’s airlines to operate direct flights to the US for over two years, as required by the International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) Program, published by the FAA on July 15, 2024. The Flight Standards Service recently adopted a procedure to remove a country from the IASA program summary listing when that country’s air carriers no longer provide air service to the US. A country is also removed when none of its air carriers participate in codeshare arrangements with US air carriers, and the country’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has ceased interacting with the FAA for a long time. “It is important to clarify here that the de-listing of Nigeria has absolutely nothing to do with any safety or security deficiency in our oversight system,” the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) said in a statement. “No Nigerian operator has provided service into the United States using a Nigerian registered aircraft within the 2-year period preceding September 2022 so it was expected that Nigeria would be de-listed.” Accordingly, the removal of Nigerian airlines will prevent carriers from flying directly to the US, meaning that no designated airline from Nigeria can now operate in the US unless through a third country. Carriers from Category One are permitted to operate into the US and/or codeshare with US air carriers in accordance with Department of Transportation (DOT) authorizations, according to the IASA program. To qualify for IASA Category One, a country must demonstrate compliance with eight ICAO standards. Egypt, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Morocco, and South Africa are currently the only African nations certified to have met International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards and their carriers can fly within the US. https://www.aerotime.aero/articles/nigerian-airlines-barred-from-us-over-faa-safety-status The Delta Air Lines Careers Website Keeps On Crashing Because So Many People Want to Become a Flight Attendant If you thought it was a struggle securing tickets from Taylor Swift’s wildly successful Eras Tour, then spare a thought for the tens of thousands of flight attendant hopefuls who have been trying to access the Delta Air Lines careers website on Wednesday after the application window opened for the first time in more than a year. It appears that Delta wasn’t quite prepared for the number of people who wanted to join the Atlanta-based airline as flight attendants and the careers website keeps crashing as people desperately try to submit their applications. In the run-up to Delta reopening its flight attendant hiring window on Wednesday, the airline has been heavily advertising the rare opportunity to join the airline’s inflight crew. However, the level of interest still appears to have taken the airline by surprise. Despite complaints that new-hire flight attendants struggle to make ends meet and, in some cases, even resort to living out of their cars, there seems to be no shortage of keen applicants wanting to join Delta. One of the reasons that Delta’s careers website has been so overwhelmingly inundated might have something to do with a recent flight attendant hiring event carried out by rival US carrier United Airlines. In late August, United also opened a flight attendant hiring event for the first time in more than a year, but the Chicago-headquartered carrier made little noise that keen flight attendant wannabes would soon be able to submit their application. As it turned out, United kept its hiring window open for less than 24 hours. By the time most prospective applicants heard that United was hiring flight attendants, the window had already been slammed shut. There was, however, one glimmer of hope…. There was news that Delta was due to open its flight attendant application window on September 4. Thankfully, Delta has moved to reassure frustrated applicants that it isn’t about to pull a United, and the application window will remain open for days at the very least. Unfortunately, that’s where the good news ends. After hiring a record number of flight attendants as the airline industry emerged from the pandemic, Delta is set to make the hiring process a lot more challenging this year and can afford to be very selective with who it hires. In fact, before the pandemic, Delta used to boast that, statistically speaking, at least, it was easier to get into an Ivy League school than it was to become one of its flight attendants. Delta no longer makes that claim, but what is pretty evident is the fact that competition is going to be fierce with so many people clamoring to submit an application. The airline is yet to announce how many flight attendants it plans to hire in this recruitment program but we can be pretty certain that its going to less than the thousands it recruited in 2022 and 2023. Delta’s beleaguered IT department (who struggled so badly to recover the airline’s computer systems following the CrowdStrike outage in July) appear to have got the careers website back up and running, although the airline admits that the process might take longer than applicants are expecting. Patience, it appears, is critical. As a point of reference, Delta says it was deluged with more than 35,000 applications in the first week of the recruitment window being opened in 2022 and this time around, it wouldn’t be surprising if that number was easily surpassed. Conclusion Delta has admitted that its careers website is struggling under the pressure of so many people apply to become a flight attendant after the recruitment window opened for the first time in more than a year. Part of the blame might be to do with United’s very short recruitment campaign that lasted for less than 24 hours last month, although it’s clear that there is no short supply of interested applicants eager to submit their resumes. Thankfully, Delta is reassuring applicants that they’ll have plenty of time to submit their resumes so keep on trying. https://www.paddleyourownkanoo.com/2024/09/04/the-delta-air-lines-careers-website-keeps-on-crashing-because-so-many-people-want-to-become-a-flight-attendant/ Airbus A330neo Tops Widebody Orders With 57 New Aircraft Since July Summary • The A330neo has become the most ordered widebody aircraft in recent weeks. • The type received nearly 60 firm orders and a further 60 options from four customers. • Airlines can receive new A330neo aircraft years ahead of a new Boeing 787 Dreamliner. • The re-engined A330 aircraft has seen a significant order uptick since the July Farnborough Airshow; with 57 firm orders and 60 options placed by four customers, the Airbus A330neo has become the most ordered widebody aircraft in recent weeks. This raises the question of whether the aircraft type is making a comeback. Gaining popularity While 51 airlines operated at least more than five of the original series of A330 aircraft (A330ceo) developed by Airbus , the updated Airbus A330Neo never gained the same traction when it came to popularity or aircraft orders. Data from Cirium shows that 21 of these operators chose to go with the Boeing 787 Dreamliners when it came time to replace the aging A330s. However, in recent weeks, the A330neo aircraft has gained 57 new firm orders and an additional 60 options from four customers, making it the most ordered widebody aircraft in recent weeks. Customer Flynas Virgin Atlantic Cathay Pacific VietJet Number of A330s ordered 15* 7 30 20 *The 15 A330neos ordered by Flynas are part of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which includes a further 75 A320neo aircraft as well. The order from Cathay Pacific is particularly important because the airline was the fifth-largest operator of the A330ceo. While a majority of its long-haul operations are carried out by the airline's fleet of Airbus A350s, the incoming fleet of A330neos will replace the aging fleets of A330ceos and Boeing 777s. Cathay Pacific Orders 30 Airbus A330neo Planes To Serve Regional Routes In Asia The airline has signed an agreement with Airbus for 30 firm orders and 30 options for the A330-900. Furthermore, with this order, Cathay Pacific will now be the second-largest operator of the A330neo aircraft after Delta Air Lines . Quicker to receive than a Dreamliner While a portion of the A330ceo customers opted for the Dreamliner when the type first entered the market (7 years before the A330neo), airlines that are now looking to replace their older A330s have the option to either go for the A330neo or the Dreamliners. Data reveals that since the A330neo has a lower order backlog than the Boeing 787s, customers can expect to receive their new A330neo aircraft more than two years earlier than a Dreamliner aircraft The Boeing 787 Dreamliners have a backlog of 780 aircraft, which, due to quality control issues at Boeing , has production limits placed by the FAA. The A330neo, on the other hand, only has a backlog of 200 aircraft, and though Airbus currently focuses on the production of the A320neo and A350 family aircraft, given sufficient demand, the A330neo production can be upped. The data shows that the current production rate of the A330neo is approximately a third of that of the A350 and 787s. Despite its lack of popularity compared to the A350, the A330neo is 33% cheaper than the A350 and more versatile in its operations. Commonality saves costs Another factor that makes the A330neo favorable for existing A330ceo (or Airbus customers, for that matter) is the assurance of commonality across all Airbus aircraft. With this feature, airlines will have significant cost savings when it comes to crew training to operate the new A330neo. Airbus states that A350 pilots can benefit from a reduced type rating program to be qualified to fly the A330neo, while the A330ceo pilots transitioning to fly the A330neo only require half a day of computer-based self-study. Cabin crew transitioning from the A330ceo to the A330neo, on the other hand, requires no additional training. Beyond the crew training, when it comes to maintenance and spare parts, the A330neo commonality will help an airline save a staggering $6 million per aircraft. https://simpleflying.com/airbus-a330-neo-aircraft-orders/ Air Premia selects GE Aerospace software to improve safety and reduce emissions The software package includes Fuel Insight, Safety Insight, and the FlightPulse app. SEOUL, South Korea - Hybrid airline Air Premia in Seoul, South Korea sought technology to improve operational efficiency, enhance safety, and reduce carbon emissions. They found their solution from GE Aerospace in Cincinnati, Ohio. The software package includes three main programs: Fuel Insight, Safety Insight, and the FlightPulse app. Fuel Insight utilizes GE Aerospace’s Event Measurement System (EMS) to optimize fuel efficiency across all phases of aircraft operation. According to the airline, this system can boost fuel efficiency by 1.4% annually, potentially reducing carbon emissions by 5,916 tons based on current operational levels. Safety Insight is a data-driven software solution that analyzes incoming aircraft data to help identify risks and improve overall flight safety. The FlightPulse app, part of an Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) system, provides pilots with fuel efficiency and safety data. It integrates information from Fuel Insight and Safety Insight, allowing pilots to access critical insights related to fuel usage and operational safety, while also familiarizing them with potential risks. “Air Premia is the first airline in South Korea to introduce GE Aerospace's integrated software solution with FlightPulse, Safety Insight, and Fuel Insight," said Haejihn Lim, head of Air Premia’s Flight Operations Engineering team. "Introducing this integrated solution will provide key insights to help reduce emissions and drive the airline's overall sustainability goals." https://www.militaryaerospace.com/commercial-aerospace/article/55137707/air-premia-selects-ge-aerospace-software-to-improve-safety-and-reduce-emissions KLM wants part-time pilots to fly more as shortage threatens to ground part of fleet KLM wants part-time pilots to fly full-time again. Due to sick leave and part-time work, the Dutch airline is at real risk of having to ground part of its fleet in 2027 because there are not enough pilots to staff the cockpit, Eimerd Bult, head of KLM’s flight service, said in a letter, the Telegraaf reports. KLM has more pilots than ever but is still facing a shortage, Bult said. “Sick leave and part-time work have increased in recent years. We lose around 50 full-time jobs a year due to all the part-time work. We are not fully utilizing the capacity of our long-distance flights while we earn the most from them.” The airline is also suffering under detours around Russia, which means longer flights and more pilots needed per flight due to working hours. “The problem is huge. We have made agreements with the pilots union VNV, but the naked truth is that it is not enough,” Bult said. “We have to make difficult choices. If we do nothing, aircraft will be grounded in 2027 because there are not enough pilots. We don’t want that to happen.” Part-time work is a legal right. Insiders told the Telegraaf that KLM can do little about pilots working part-time except make a friendly request to fly more. According to Bult, the increase in part-time work poses such a danger to the airline that it could put the new Airbus fleet of 10 billion euros in jeopardy if people do not work more. KLM wants to make new agreements with VNV so that pilots can be called up for more long-distance flights. But according to the pilots’ union, KLM already demands a lot from its pilots. “With the recent agreements, the pilots will work even more. We agree with KLM that there must be enough pilots quickly because they are crucial for meeting the demand for flying. Getting well-trained pilots in the right place takes time,” VNV chairman Camiel Verhagen told the newspaper. https://nltimes.nl/2024/09/05/klm-wants-part-time-pilots-fly-shortage-threatens-ground-part-fleet Evidence-Based Approach to Pilot Training DALLAS — Visiting the simulator is a regular part of any pilot's career. These fantastic devices enable pilots to receive training on a new aircraft type and undergo recurrent training throughout their careers. The aircraft of today have flight decks that are unrecognizable from decades ago. Much has been transformed, from enhanced automation to more sophisticated systems and precise information presentation to pilots. The simulators that are used today also bear a much closer resemblance to the flight deck and the external environment. Despite such advancements, one thing remained static for many years: how pilots were trained. Flight crews typically undergo recurrent training once every six months, generally performed in a simulator. The historical roots of recurrent training were focused on demonstrating tasks, such as critical maneuvers, attributed to aircraft incidents and accidents. Traditional Perspectives For some time, this training method proved to be successful. However, approximately 15 years ago, the industry began to question the relevance of this training methodology. A reassessment was made in the following years to redefine how today's pilots should be trained. Upgrading aircraft hardware undoubtedly enhances safety but also introduces additional possible malfunctions and failures due to increased complexity. Developing training scenarios for every fresh invention in each simulator session is not feasible. The result was that, over time, the effectiveness of pilot training was gradually diminishing. During the beginning of the last decade, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) played a crucial role in introducing an entirely new approach to training called Evidence-Based Training (EBT). Although IATA is a prominent global airline organization, it does not have regulatory authority from a training perspective. This is significant since the push to reform the training system stems from a grassroots approach, with airlines triggering change. The Concept So, what is EBT? It was created based on an industry consensus to reduce accidents by reviewing recurrent and initial training for airline pilots. Traditionally, pilot training requirements were primarily based on the evidence of how pilots' actions contributed to accidents involving early-generation aircraft. It was believed that routine exposure to "worst-case" events during training was considered sufficient to mitigate such risks. Adding additional events, which were gradually added, created a crowded list of training requirements, which amounted to a "tick box" approach to training. Rather than requiring pilots to prove that they can handle a series of tasks, this fresh approach involves evaluating crew performance during scenario-based events and using them to develop and assess crew across a range of defined competencies. International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) defines competency as "the combination of knowledge, skills, and attitudes which are required to perform a task to a prescribed standard under a certain condition.” Previous conventional approaches to training often only assessed technical skills and a pilot's knowledge. In another departure from tradition, EBT aims to reduce testing to only the necessary drills mandated by the regulatory bodies. During the remaining time in the simulator, the emphasis shifts to training. Under such circumstances, mistakes are not immediately considered failures, and further development training may be appropriate instead. The rationale behind this is to alleviate the anxiety that pilots may experience when they are scrutinized in test-like conditions. The aim of this programme is to identify, develop and evaluate the competencies required to operate safely, effectively and efficiently in a commercial air transport environment, whilst addressing the most relevant threats according to evidence collected in accidents, incidents, flight operations and training. ICAO Manual of Evidence Based Training - Doc 9995 Pilots are accustomed to adhering to procedural steps, such as checklists, but EBT breaks away from predictable task and procedure recall. The Nine Competencies Nine behavioral competencies make up the 'Pilot Competencies' framework. From ones that may be obvious, such as possessing sufficient knowledge and being able to communicate effectively, the framework also encompasses less apparent traits, such as workload management and leadership and teamwork skills. While a handful of emergency drills must be rehearsed regularly, such as the ubiquitous engine failure on takeoff, the core of EBT focuses less on what is being tested but rather on presenting crews with events to monitor and assess their performance concerning each competency. For example, a pilot may have exceptional communication abilities and impeccable manual flying skills, but a lack of knowledge will outweigh these advantages. Mastering all competencies is critical to becoming skilled and proficient. However, various problems will require different competencies to be prioritized. A minor flight control issue would not be appropriate if an assessor wanted to evaluate a pilot's workload management skills. However, testing this competency by simulating smoke on the flight deck would be more challenging. Competencies are believed to be transferable between different situations. If the pilot effectively manages the smoke on the flight deck, they will likely be able to apply the same skills to handle other high-pressure situations where time is critical. Managing Underperformance An airline can adapt training to address emerging trends, such as developing safety threats. These could, for example, be linked to a specific airport or a particular phase of flight. There are times when human pilots may not perform as well in the simulator as they were hoping for. How does EBT address this situation? In the past, the conventional approach to training included resetting the simulator and asking the crew members to reattempt what they had difficulty with. EBT first identifies the root cause of errors before taking any corrective action. Imagine a situation where a pilot experiences a loss of directional control while attempting to abort a takeoff, causing the aircraft to deviate from the runway centerline due to an engine failure. With EBT, the focus is now on discovering why this happened. Did the pilot apply a control input in the opposite direction needed to stay aligned with the runway? Maybe they were more concerned with the malfunctioning engine's instrumentation than monitoring the aircraft's position on the runway. In the former scenario, it may indicate a problem with the competency involving manual aircraft handling, while in the other, it could suggest an issue with the pilot's situational awareness. Regarding training, the methods for addressing these competencies may differ, but the main goal is to ensure the pilot can maintain alignment with the runway centerline during an aborted takeoff. EBT is gaining momentum, as Iberia became the inaugural European airline to introduce it in 2021. Getting training right is imperative to safety, and airlines and regulatory bodies have spent considerable time ensuring no stone was left unturned. After more than four years of research and development, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) approved the transition to the new process for European airlines in 2020. EBT offers a new and exciting approach to pilot training, but transitioning to it will not come without investment. It remains to be seen how many carriers will overlook the potential advantages because of the initial financial commitment involved. https://www.airwaysmag.com/new-post/evidence-based-approach-pilot-training CALENDAR OF EVENTS • Asia Pacific Airline Training Symposium - APATS 2024, 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 • Safety is not a Secret - September 27-28, 2024 - Seminar, JUNGLE AVIATION AND RELAY SERVICE • 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