Flight Safety Information - November 28, 2024 No. 237 In This Issue : Accident: Nolinor B734 at Montreal on Nov 27th 2024, one main gear up landing : Incident: Easyjet Europe A320 at Amsterdam on Nov 26th 2024, burning odour in cabin : Incident: Swiss A320 at Zurich on Nov 26th 2024, unsafe gear : Incident: Jetstar B788 at Sydney on Nov 27th 2024, tyre damage on departure : Stowaway caught after getting aboard Delta flight from New York City to Paris : Kyrgyz air carriers expect to be removed from the Aviation Safety blacklist of the EASA next year : Which Regional Airlines Are Hiring First Officers? : Calendar of Events Accident: Nolinor B734 at Montreal on Nov 27th 2024, one main gear up landing A Nolinor Boeing 737-400, registration C-GGWX performing flight N5-662 from Quebec City,QC to La Baie,QC (Canada) with 87 people on board, was on approach to La Baie when the crew initiated a go around due to an unsafe gear indication. The crew decided to divert to Montreal Mirabel,QC (Canada), where the aircraft performed a landing on runway 24 with the left main gear not fully extended. The aircraft came to a stop on the runway and was evacuated. No injuries are being reported. The Canadian TSB dispatched investigators on site. The airline reported the aircraft suffered an incident on landing at Mirabel Airport, all 87 occupants of the aircraft are safe. The Transportation Safety Board have opened an investigation. https://avherald.com/h?article=520dc4df&opt=0 Incident: Easyjet Europe A320 at Amsterdam on Nov 26th 2024, burning odour in cabin An Easyjet Europe Airbus A320-200, registration OE-IJB performing flight U2-4071 from Venice (Italy) to Amsterdam (Netherlands), was descending towards Amsterdam when the crew reported smell of burning in the cabin. The aircraft landed safely on Amsterdam's runway 18R and taxied to the apron with emergency services in trail. The crew advised they still had a strong smell of burning, emergency services inspected the engines without identifying an anomaly. The aircraft remained on the ground in Amsterdam for about 17 hours. https://avherald.com/h?article=520dbe22&opt=0 Incident: Swiss A320 at Zurich on Nov 26th 2024, unsafe gear A Swiss International Airlines Airbus A320-200, registration HB-IJP performing flight LX-6039 from Athens (Greece) to Zurich (Switzerland), was on approach to Zurich's runway 14 when the crew reported they had an unsafe nose gear indication. Tower reported on short final that all gear appeared to be down. The aircraft continued for a safe landing on runway 14. The aircraft remained on the ground in Zurich for about 22 hours before returning to service. https://avherald.com/h?article=520dbb4d&opt=0 Incident: Jetstar B788 at Sydney on Nov 27th 2024, tyre damage on departure A Jetstar Boeing 787-8, registration VH-VKH performing flight JQ-27 from Sydney,NS (Australia) to Phuket (Thailand), was climbing out of Sydney's runway 34L when the crew requested to level off at 5000 feet advising of a possible nose wheel problem. The aircraft entered a hold while the crew was trouble shooting. Subsequently the crew positioned for an approach to runway 34L, on short final tower checked the aircraft and advised the crew all gear appeared to be down. The aircraft landed without further incident about 1.5 hours after departure. Emergency services found one of the main gear tyres damaged. The airline reported a mechanical failure explaining one of the 10 wheels of the aircraft was damaged upon takeoff from Sydney. https://avherald.com/h?article=520dba6d&opt=0 Stowaway caught after getting aboard Delta flight from New York City to Paris A stowaway somehow made it onto a Delta Air Lines flight Tuesday from New York City to Paris without a boarding pass, officials confirmed. The woman boarded Delta Flight No. 264 from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, CBS News learned. She was discovered while the plane was in midair and was taken into custody in Paris. In a social media video posted by a passenger, the captain can be heard over the plane's intercom — after the plane landed in Paris — telling flyers that "we're just waiting for the police to come on board, they may be here now, and they've directed us to keep everyone on the airplane until we sort out the extra passenger that's on the plane." The circumstances of how she was found were unclear, and her name was not immediately released. A Transportation Security Administration source told CBS News that the woman went through an advanced imaging technology body scanner at a checkpoint in JFK Airport after somehow appearing to evade the document and ID check portion of the TSA process. Her bags were also scanned for prohibited items before she went to the gate and snuck onto the flight, the source said. In a statement provided to CBS News, a TSA spokesperson said that it could "confirm that an individual without a boarding pass completed the airport security screening without any prohibited items. The individual bypassed two identity verification and boarding status stations and was able to board the aircraft." In order to be present at an airline departure gate for boarding, an individual must have cleared a TSA security checkpoint. After getting through TSA security, it's unclear how exactly the woman boarded the Boeing 767-400ER without showing a boarding pass or passport to Delta staff. "Nothing is of greater importance than matters of safety and security," Delta said in a statement. "That's why Delta is conducting an exhaustive investigation of what may have occurred and will work collaboratively with other aviation stakeholders and law enforcement to that end." French law enforcement and the TSA are separately investigating. The woman could be subject to a civil penalty or fine for bypassing the document check process. There is new technology known as e-gates that are being rolled out at airports which involves using biometrics to check travel documents as part of the international departure boarding process. Such technology would have caught the stowaway. https://www.yahoo.com/news/stowaway-caught-getting-aboard-delta-025756387.html Which Regional Airlines Are Hiring First Officers? Some regional carriers are still hiring. As travel rebounded after the COVID-19 pandemic, major airlines rushed to hire new pilots. This pulled pilots from regional airlines and led to a hiring spree that lasted over two years. However, with Boeing production delays and new issues involving engines on popular Airbus narrowbodies, hiring at major and regional airlines alike slowed to a near-halt. Recently, though, some mainline carriers have announced plans to restart pilot classes in early 2025, signaling a potential rebound in pilot hiring. Regional affiliates have announced plans to resume hiring with the expectation of higher pilot attrition. Other regionals are still hiring in the process of recovering to pre-pandemic operation levels. Though hiring is slow, some regional airlines do still have spots open for new first officer hopefuls. Picking Who to Fly For There are a number of factors that go into picking a regional. Many people decide based on flow agreements, or lack thereof, to their major airline of choice. Some wholly-owned regionals guarantee flows to their parent company airlines. Some applicants apply based on which bases a given airline has. Eliminating commutes can have significant benefits on quality of life and work/life balance and make it easier to pick up extra trips to build more time. Other factors include opportunities for growth into managerial, training, or line-check positions. Which Regional Airlines Are Hiring? Republic Airways, which operates flights on behalf of each legacy airline in the U.S., is currently hiring both first officers and captains. The airline operates one of the largest dedicated fleets of Embraer E175 aircraft in the country and offers guaranteed interviews with Delta and United. Bases include Boston, Chicago, Columbus, Indianapolis, Louisville, New York, Philadelphia, and the District of Columbia. SkyWest Airlines, the largest regional airline in the U.S., is also hiring new first officers. The company operates both the Bombardier CRJ series as well as the Embraer E175. With bases across the country, SkyWest has options for a variety of crewmembers. Like Republic, the airline operates for each major airline in the U.S. Wholly-owned American Airlines regionals can also be expected to restart first officer hiring shortly, as the carrier has plans to resume hiring in January 2025. This will provide more room at regionals as their most experienced pilots flow to mainline. Piedmont Airlines, notably, is already hiring again on the Embraer E145. PSA Airlines is also hiring new first officers again. Delta Air Lines’ wholly owned subsidiary, Endeavor Air, is also searching for new first officers, The carrier flies the Bombardier CRJ series out of Atlanta, New York, and Detroit. On the West Coast, Horizon Air is hiring new first officers for its partnership with Alaska Airlines. The company is particularly interested in hiring “Experienced First Officers” at each base. When Will Hiring Pick Up Again? Airline pilot hiring is cyclical. It varies greatly based on a number of factors such as external political, social, and health events. Delivery and maintenance issues with Boeing and Airbus airplanes are mostly to blame for slowing down major airline hiring and, therefore, regional hiring. However, hiring always picks back up. As major airline pilots continue to retire and aircraft deliveries pick up, hiring will likely increase back to higher levels. https://airlinegeeks.com/2024/11/27/regional-hiring-pilots/ CALENDAR OF EVENTS • Sponsor the 2025 Fuzion Safety Conference! March 4 & 5, 2025 (Orlando) • Annual Women in Aviation International Conference, Gaylord Rockies Resort & Conference Center | Denver Colorado, March 27-29, 2025 • 59th Annual SMU Air Law Symposium is scheduled March 31 - April 2, 2025 • Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF) Safety Symposium April 7-9, 2025 • AIA Conference: The Aviation Insurance Association's annual conference in Orlando, Florida from April 25–28, 2025 • Sixth Edition of International Accident Investigation Forum, 21 to 23 May 2025, Singapore • The 9th Shanghai International Aerospace Technology and Equipment Exposition 2025; June 11 to 13, 2025 Curt Lewis