Flight Safety Information - September 24, 2024 No. 190 In This Issue : Incident: Jetblue A320 at New York on Sep 23rd 2024, electrical problems : Incident: Argentinas B738 at Buenos Aires on Sep 23rd 2024, dropped wheel on landing : Incident: Jinnah A320 near Lahore on Sep 23rd 2024, cargo smoke indication : Accident: United B752 enroute on Sep 19th 2024, TCAS resolution, two passengers injured : Incident: Sichuan A320 near Ningbo on Sep 22nd 2024, engine shut down in flight : FAA vows to hold Boeing accountable, revamp agency safety program : Lifetime ban for flyers who harassed jet passenger reclining her seat in front of them : Commercial pilots rattled by surge of GPS spoofing attacks sending them bogus signals : Air India derosters 3 cabin crew members for ‘lapse’ in opening aircraft door: Report : AirBaltic’s Bold Expansion Offers 200+ Job Opportunities For Cabin Crew, Pilots, And More In The Baltics : Australian man charged with sending false mayday messages to commercial aircraft close to Melbourne International Airport : Government Watchdog Calls F.A.A. Air Traffic Control Systems Critically Outdated : Graduate Research Survey : This September, let's end childhood cancer. Together. : Calendar of Events Incident: Jetblue A320 at New York on Sep 23rd 2024, electrical problems A Jetblue Airbus A320-200, registration N645JB performing flight B6-2201 from New York JFK,NY to Fort Lauderdale,FL (USA), had just reached the top of climb at FL320 when the crew decided to return to New York due to electrical problems. The aircraft landed safely back on JFK's runway 04L about 85 minutes after departure. The FAA reported: "JetBlue Flight 2201 returned safely to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York around 3:45 p.m. local time on Monday, Sept. 23, after the crew reported a possible generator issue. The Airbus A320 was headed to Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport. The FAA will investigate." https://avherald.com/h?article=51e15319&opt=0 Incident: Argentinas B738 at Buenos Aires on Sep 23rd 2024, dropped wheel on landing An Aerolineas Argentinas Boeing 737-800, registration LV-CXT performing flight AR-1881 from Ushuaia,TF to Buenos Aires Aeroparque,BA (Argentina), landed on Aeroparque's runway 13 and slowed, but dropped the outboard left hand main wheel. The aircraft taxied clear of the runway and stopped. Argentina's JST announced investigators were dispatched to Aeroparque airport to investigate a serious incident involving LV-CXT. The aircraft is still on the ground in Buenos Aires about 8 hours after landing. https://avherald.com/h?article=51e14a3f&opt=0 Incident: Jinnah A320 near Lahore on Sep 23rd 2024, cargo smoke indication A Fly Jinnah Airbus A320-200, registration AP-BOO performing flight 9P-846 from Karachi to Lahore (Pakistan) with 164 people on board, was descending towards Lahore when the crew received a cargo smoke indication. The aircraft continued for a safe landing in Lahore. The aircraft was evacuated via emergency slides. Attending emergency services found no trace of fire, heat or smoke. The aircraft is still on the ground in Lahore about 11 hours after landing. https://avherald.com/h?article=51e13e71&opt=0 Accident: United B752 enroute on Sep 19th 2024, TCAS resolution, two passengers injured A United Boeing 757-200, registration N12125 performing flight UA-2428 from Newark,NJ to San Francisco,CA (USA), was enroute when the crew responded to a TCAS resolution advisory. The aircraft continued to San Francisco for a safe landing on runway 28L. The FAA reported the aircraft was enroute when the crew responded to a TCAS resolution advisory. One passenger received serious, another minor injuries as result of the maneouver. The occurrence was rated an accident. The timestamp of 18:07Z provided by the FAA suggests, the aircraft was enroute at FL380 over Wyoming, however, no altitude deviation can be seen in FAA radar or ADS-B data at that time. https://avherald.com/h?article=51e1464d&opt=0 Incident: Sichuan A320 near Ningbo on Sep 22nd 2024, engine shut down in flight A Sichuan Airlines Airbus A320-200, registration B-1886 performing flight 3U-6960 from Zhoushan to Dazhou (China), was climbing out of Zhoushan when the crew stopped the climb at about 3000 meters (10,000 feet) due to the failure of one of their engines (CFM56). The crew shut the engine down and diverted to Ningbo for a safe landing on runway 31. A replacement Airbus A320-200 registration B-1820 reached Dazhou with a delay of about 5:15 hours. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Ningbo about 40 hours after landing. https://avherald.com/h?article=51e13ca3&opt=0 FAA vows to hold Boeing accountable, revamp agency safety program WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The head of the Federal Aviation Administration will tell Congress on Tuesday the agency will hold Boeing accountable to ensure the planemaker is building safe airplanes and will revamp its own safety management program, according to written testimony seen by Reuter. "As a result of systemic production quality issues, Boeing must make significant changes to transform its quality system and ensure the right layers of safety are in place," FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker will tell a U.S. House aviation subcommittee, which is holding a hearing on Boeing's quality improvement plan. "I am prepared to use the full range of my authority to ensure accountability whether from a manufacturer, an air carrier, or the FAA’s own operations." Boeing did not immediately comment. Whitaker will also appear Wednesday before a U.S. Senate committee on Boeing. In June, Whitaker said the agency was "too hands off" in oversight of Boeing before the January mid-air emergency in a new Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 and faulted its prior audits. Boeing faces Justice Department and FAA probes into the Alaska incident. Whitaker, who has said the agency has permanently boosted the use of in-person inspectors at Boeing, in January barred the planemaker from boosting production of its best-selling 737 MAX until it makes quality and safety improvements. The FAA is monitoring the health of Boeing’s production and quality system by reviewing key performance indicators that "provide real-time visibility into the production system with specific control limits that will trigger corrective action if needed," Whitaker said. Senate Commerce Committee chair Maria Cantwell wants the FAA to improve its safety management system, which are sets of policies and procedures to proactively identify and address potential operational hazards. Cantwell has asked the FAA to conduct a thorough review into its oversight of Boeing. Whitaker said the FAA is "reevaluating our current safety management initiatives and establishing a strategy to revamp our agency-wide safety management program." He said the FAA is also looks at ways to use the "vast internal and external data resources to become more predictive in identifying risks across the aviation system." https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/faa-vows-hold-boeing-accountable-184419432.html Lifetime ban for flyers who harassed jet passenger reclining her seat in front of them It’s the ultimate tension at the heart of air travel – how far can you recline your seat without irritating the passenger behind? For one couple, just one inch was far enough to cause a row that earned them a lifetime ban from Cathay Pacific. A young Chinese woman complained to the airline, saying she was harassed by the pair in the seats behind her. She then shared footage of the spat that took place on a flight from Hong Kong to London on Sept 17. “The lady sitting behind me asked me to put my seat up because it was blocking her husband’s view of the TV,” the passenger, who does not give her name, said in a video posted on Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book), China’s version of Instagram. “I politely declined, and she started stretching her feet on to my armrest, kicking my arm and cursing at me like crazy,” she continued. Attempting to mediate the situation, a flight attendant suggested that she raise her seat, but she said she refused. “I felt my personal space had been completely violated.” ‘Some nasty comments’ In the footage of the incident that she posted online, the dispute between the woman and the couple from Hong Kong then escalated into a full-blown argument and semi-tussle filled with xenophobic insults. “When [the other passenger] realised my Cantonese wasn’t so great, she started throwing around some nasty comments, calling me a ‘mainland girl’ and other derogatory stuff,” the woman said. Cantonese is mostly spoken in Hong Kong and in some southern Chinese regions, while Mandarin is the main language of mainland China. After she started filming, the husband of the woman behind joined in, putting his band on her armrest and “shaking it like crazy”, she said. At one point in the video, the other woman sticks her middle finger up to the camera, along with other rude hand gestures as she pulls the chair back and forth. Other passengers then got involved. A female voice can be heard asking in Mandarin, “You’re old enough – why are you bullying a young girl?” In Cantonese, others shouted: “You’re embarrassing us Hongkongers!” and “Stop saying you’re from Hong Kong!” The woman was eventually allowed to move seats – only, she said, because she had the support of other passengers. ‘We will deny future travel’ “What if no one had backed me up? Would I have just been left to deal with it on my own?” she asked, before addressing Cathay Pacific directly: “Shouldn’t treating passengers differently get some consequences?” On Saturday, Cathay Pacific said it wanted to “sincerely apologise” for the “unpleasant experience”, explaining that the airline had a “zero-tolerance policy” for bad behaviour. “We will deny future travel on any Cathay Group flights to the two customers involved in this incident,” it added. After gaining a snowballing amount of attention on the Chinese app, the woman later posted a follow-up video, saying it was an “isolated case” that did not need to be “blown out of proportion”. https://www.yahoo.com/news/lifetime-ban-pair-harassed-jet-193850935.html Commercial pilots rattled by surge of GPS spoofing attacks sending them bogus signals GPS spoofing refers to the deliberate transmission of fake signals aimed at manipulating the perceived location of a receiver Commercial pilots are reportedly concerned with an increasing number of GPS spoofing incidents, during which false signals are sent to them while in the air (REUTERS) Commercial pilots have raised concern over an increasing number of “GPS Spoofing” incidents, during which they are sent bogus signals while flying. Aviation officials and regulators have said that spoofed Global Positioning System signals are spreading beyond active conflict zones, and have seen a recent surge – resulting in more than 1,000 flights being affected every day in August. GPS spoofing refers to the deliberate transmission of fake signals aimed at manipulating the perceived location of a receiver, according to SkAI Data Services. Such manipulation causes the receiver to erroneously believe it is situated in a different location than its actual position. However, GPS spoofing differs from GPS jamming, which involves the disruption of GPS signals, thereby preventing the receiver from determining its location altogether. Confusing navigation and safety systems has been known to be used tactically in war zones including the Middle East and Ukraine to ward off drones and missiles. The number of commercial flights affected by GPS Spoofing has surged recently, with over 1,000 flights affected in August But, according to The Wall Street Journal – which cited pilots and aviation experts – attacks began affecting a large number of commercial flights about a year ago. The number of flights affected daily has surged from a few dozen in February to more than 1,100 in August, according to analyses from SkAI Data Services and the Zurich University of Applied Sciences. Christopher Behnam, a retired Boeing captain at United Airlines, said he frequently encountered GPS interference flying into the Middle East. “We are trained for these things, so you stay calm and you just follow the procedure,” Behnam told the WSJ. However he said that, in certain circumstances, such attacks could be “very, very alarming.” As a result of the increased attacks airlines and aircraft manufacturers are now working with regulators, including the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to develop short-term workarounds and longer-term fixes. There have been multiple instance of GPS Spoofing disrupting flights in Europe though none are yet thought to have been put in danger Equipment standards designed to protect civilian aircraft against spoofing won’t be issued until next year at the earliest, people familiar with the matter told WSJ. Carriers including United and American Airlines have since begun discussing new procedures that would allow pilots to reset cockpit circuit breakers when confronted with false GPS data. The airlines say their pilots are equipped with several ways to navigate precisely should they be confronted with GPS interference. The FAA also said earlier this year that it had found no proof of intentional interference and was continuing to examine the cause. Despite this the number of instances has grown globally, with flight operations in Europe disrupted by GPS Spoofing – though no flights have been endangered thus far, according to Florian Guillermet, executive director of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency. “The risk is growing in terms of the number of occurrences,” Guillermet said in June. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/gps-spoofing-flights-pilots-faa-b2617671.html Air India derosters 3 cabin crew members for ‘lapse’ in opening aircraft door: Report The incident occurred on September 15 on a flight from San Francisco that landed at Bengaluru airport. Air India has derostered three cabin crew members for their mishandling of a Boeing 777 aircraft door, which resulted in the accidental auto-deployment of the emergency slides, news agency PTI reported citing sources The incident occurred when the crew of flight 176 from San Francisco to Bengaluru encountered a technical issue with one of the aircraft's doors. (Pic used for representation) The incident occurred on September 15 on a flight from San Francisco that landed at Bengaluru airport. When approached, an Air India spokesperson confirmed that a technical issue was identified with one of the doors not opening correctly upon landing, and the matter was promptly addressed, the report added. What happened? In a statement issued by Air India, the spokesperson confirmed that on September 15, the crew of flight 176 from San Francisco to Bengaluru encountered a technical issue with one of the aircraft's doors, which did not open properly after landing, as reported by PTI. “The issue was promptly attended to, passengers disembarked, and the aircraft was subsequently cleared for operation,” the statement said. The airline also clarified that no damage occurred to the aerobridge, adding that “regulatory authorities have been informed as per procedure.” https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/air-india-derosters-3-cabin-crew-members-for-lapse-in-opening-aircraft-door-report-101727098954624.html AirBaltic’s Bold Expansion Offers 200+ Job Opportunities For Cabin Crew, Pilots, And More In The Baltics In line with the company’s ongoing expansion, Latvia’s national airline, airBaltic, is actively recruiting across multiple departments. Currently, the airline has over 200 job openings available, spanning Cabin Crew, Pilots, Technicians, Commercial roles, and more. Presently, there are 120 open positions for Cabin Crew, with 40 roles available in each of the Baltic capitals—Riga, Tallinn, and Vilnius. Additionally, airBaltic is seeking Captains (with ICAO and EASA ATPL licenses) and Senior First Officers (with fast-track to command) to fly the Airbus A220-300. Qualified pilots who join airBaltic between September 1, 2024, and May 31, 2025, will be eligible for sign-on bonuses, offering EUR 15,000 gross for Captains and EUR 10,000 gross for Senior First Officers. On the technical side, airBaltic has a variety of openings such as Aircraft Mechanic, Aircraft Certifying Technician (B1 or B2), Aircraft Interior Restoration Mechanic, among others. In addition, the airline is hiring for office roles, including positions in Revenue Management, Marketing, IT, Human Resources, Flight Operations, and more. For further details on job opportunities with airBaltic, visit their careers page. Alīna Aronberga, Senior Vice President Human Resources at airBaltic: “As airBaltic’s fleet grows, our network expands, and the scope of our operations increase, we are also expanding our team with over 200 new positions across multiple departments. Whether you are a recent graduate or an experienced professional considering a new career path, we invite you to apply and come under our wing at one of Europe’s fastest-growing airlines, where we offer excellent benefits and career growth opportunities.” Recently, airBaltic revealed plans to further strengthen its presence in the Baltic States by establishing new crew bases in Tallinn and Vilnius. In addition, starting January next year, the airline will introduce a pay increase and enhanced crew rosters, offering pilots and cabin crew more scheduled days off. Last month, airBaltic also launched its Technical Academy, where 57 students began specialized studies in three key programs: the RTU airBaltic Program, the LVT airBaltic Program, and the Mechanics Program. These programs are run in partnership with Riga Technical University, Liepaja State Technical School, and airBaltic’s exclusive Mechanics training initiative. At the same time, airBaltic’s renowned Pilot Academy continues to accept new applicants. Presently, 136 students are actively enrolled, primarily from the Baltic region, with some coming from other EU countries. Notably, more than 10% of the academy’s students are female. To date, 112 graduates have secured positions within the airline after completing their training. airBaltic employs over 2,600 professionals and is actively seeking to fill more than 200 roles, with 43 job openings currently available. The airline has consistently been recognized as a top employer, earning accolades in both national and global surveys. With over 130 routes, airBaltic connects Riga, Tallinn, Vilnius, Tampere, and seasonally Gran Canaria, to destinations across Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and the Caucasus. https://www.travelandtourworld.com/news/article/airbaltics-bold-expansion-offers-200-job-opportunities-for-cabin-crew-pilots-and-more-in-the-baltics/ Australian man charged with sending false mayday messages to commercial aircraft close to Melbourne International Airport An Australian man has been arrested and charged with radio interference at Melbourne Tullamarine International Airport after he was accused of illegally accessing aviation radio networks to transmit chants and false mayday messages. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) nabbed the 45-year-old suspect after executing a search warrant at his home in the Lower Plenty suburb of Melbourne on Saturday. Officers discovered four handheld radios, along with associated equipment which was used to transmit the interference. Two mobile phones seized during the raid were found to have recordings of the chants and Mayday messages on them. The AFP believes that the man had been interfering with radio networks at the airport since August, although the police were only brought in to investigate in September after receiving a report from the Australian Communications Media Authority (ACMA). “These offenses are extremely serious. Aviation security is critical, and appropriate procedures, processes, and systems are in place to ensure the safety of aviation operations across Australian airports,” commented AFP Detective Superintendent Simone Butcher. “Anyone who attempts to compromise the safety of the traveling public, through false or unauthorized access to its operations and equipment, will be caught and brought before the courts.” The man has been charged with one count of radio transmission capable of prejudicing the safe operation of an aircraft, one count of operating a radio communications device without a license, and one count of using a transmitter that interfered with radio communications in a way that was prejudicial to the safe operation of an aircraft. The maximum penalties for these three offenses are 20 years imprisonment, two years imprisonment and five years imprisonment, respectively. https://www.paddleyourownkanoo.com/2024/09/24/australian-man-charged-with-sending-false-mayday-messages-to-commercial-aircraft-close-to-melbourne-international-airport/ Government Watchdog Calls F.A.A. Air Traffic Control Systems Critically Outdated A report by the Government Accountability Office said that the agency’s heavy reliance on the systems could jeopardize the safety and efficiency of the nation’s airspace. A federal watchdog raised concerns about the Federal Aviation Administration’s air traffic controller systems, saying that many are critically outdated and that the agency’s heavy reliance on them could jeopardize the safety and efficiency of the nation’s airspace. A Government Accountability Office evaluation of the F.A.A.’s 138 air traffic controller systems found that 51 are considered unsustainable, while another 54 are deemed potentially unsustainable, according to a report released on Monday. The accountability office said many of those systems “have critical operational impacts” on air traffic safety and efficiency. Many of them are also facing “challenges that are historically problematic for aging systems,” according to the report. “These challenges,” it added, “include no longer meeting mission needs, difficulty finding spare parts and limited technical staff with expertise in repairing the aging system.” The F.A.A. did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The accountability office’s examination was prompted by a severe systems outage in January 2023 that resulted in thousands of flights across the country being grounded. The F.A.A.’s Notice to Air Missions system provides critical information to pilots about hazards like runway closures and airspace restrictions. The outage was determined to have been caused by contract personnel unintentionally deleting files while working on the system. While the F.A.A. is trying to update these systems, the report found that some could take more than 10 years to modernize. The agency has long faced criticism for not upgrading its technological systems quickly enough. More than two decades ago, Congress initiated a major overhaul of the national aviation system, known as the Next Generation Air Transportation System, or NextGen. This multibillion-dollar project aims to enable airlines to operate more flights and update some of the F.A.A.’s aging technology, but it has been plagued by problems and has taken longer than expected. The report follows similar findings in previous years regarding the agency’s ability to modernize the nation’s air traffic control system. Reports released in 2016 and 2019 raised concerns about the increasing number of aging F.A.A. systems, many of which rely on outdated software languages and unsupported hardware. The accountability office previously found that some F.A.A. systems contained components that were over 50 years old. Paul Rinaldi, the former president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, the controllers’ union, said the issues facing the F.A.A. stemmed from funding problems and poor project management on the agency’s part. As a result, he said, the United States is using outdated technology compared with other countries, resulting in increasing outages, delays and cancellations. The situation is frustrating because there seems to be a lack of willingness to address and fix the systemic problems, he said. “If it doesn’t get fixed, you end up with a system that’s slowly but surely becoming unreliable,” Mr. Rinaldi said. “It’s beyond frustrating to watch the system deteriorating right in front of us.” The F.A.A. has not outlined clear plans for urgently needed updates, especially for those systems deemed critical to safety, the report said. Starting in 2026, a new law will require the agency to report to Congress on its strategies for addressing those legacy systems. But until then, Congress may lack essential information about how the F.A.A. is managing those risks. Representative Mark DeSaulnier, a California Democrat who joined with other lawmakers in calling for a task force to examine the F.A.A. after last year’s outage, said nothing in the report surprised him. Mr. DeSaulnier, in an interview, said the F.A.A. had received billions in funding and had no excuse for operational problems. “I’m sick of hearing the F.A.A. and the airlines go, ‘We have the safest record in the world,’ and that’s true, but they’re resting on their laurels,” Mr. DeSaulnier said. “And all it takes is one big incident to change that.” https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/23/us/politics/faa-air-traffic-control.html Graduate Research Survey I am a former United States Air Force aviator with over 30 years of flying experience, now pursuing a Ph.D. in Aviation at Saint Louis University. My research focuses on Human Factors, particularly sleep and fatigue. My journey in aviation has been defined by a commitment to excellence, service before self, and integrity towards a greater good. For my dissertation, I am studying pilots' likelihood to report sleep disorders in Part 121 commercial aviation operations—a critical issue affecting both pilot health and aviation safety. My Research This anonymous survey is designed to be completed in 10-12 minutes and aims to build a predictive model to better understand situational factors influencing pilots' reporting behaviors. Your participation could contribute to long-term safety improvements in the aviation industry, including enhanced fatigue countermeasures and better sleep disorder screening. The survey is entirely confidential, with no way to trace responses back to individuals, and has been approved by the Saint Louis University Institutional Review Board (IRB). Thank you for considering taking part in this important research. Survey Link: https://slu.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_agHdxCbY0E1D3Ho CALENDAR OF EVENTS • 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