Flight Safety Information - November 29, 2024 No. 238 In This Issue : Incident: Skywest CRJ9 near Albany on Nov 27th 2024, loss of cabin pressure : Incident: Avianca A320 at Pereira on Nov 27th 2024, rejected takeoff due to engine fire : Incident: Aegean A320 at Budapest on Nov 28th 2024, runway excursion during turn off : Accident: Canada B763 at San Juan on Nov 9th 2024, odour and smoke in cockpit : Airbus Wants to Install a Radio-Equipped Toilet in Airplane Cockpits to Eliminate the Need For Two Pilots : AOPA’s Annual Safety Report Shows Rise In Accidents, Decline In Fatalities : Largest all-electric aircraft in history will take off in 2025 : Southwest Airlines set to end cabin service earlier in safety push : Airbus delivers first A330neo for Malaysia Airlines : Sanctions: Plane Shortage Stings Airlines As More Russians Want To Fly On Holiday : Calendar of Events Incident: Skywest CRJ9 near Albany on Nov 27th 2024, loss of cabin pressure A Skywest Canadair CRJ-900 on behalf of Delta Airlines, registration N689CA performing flight DL-3831 from Providence,RI to Detroit,MI (USA), was enroute at FL300 about 30nm southeast of Albany,NY (USA) when the crew initiated an emergency descent to 10,000 feet levelling off 4.5 minutes later. The aircraft diverted to Albany for a safe landing on runway 19 about 35 minutes later. A replacement Embraer ERJ-175 registration N300SY reached Detroit with a delay of about 9.5 hours. The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground in Albany for about 11 hours, then continued to Detroit and is on the ground in Detroit since (about 35 hours after landing). https://avherald.com/h?article=520ec8d3&opt=0 Incident: Avianca A320 at Pereira on Nov 27th 2024, rejected takeoff due to engine fire An Avianca Airbus A320-200, registration HK-5407 performing flight AV-9418 from Pereira to Bogota (Colombia) with 164 passengers and 6 crew, was accelerating for takeoff from Pereira's runway 26 when the crew rejected takeoff at high speed (about 100 knots over ground) due to a fire in the left hand engine (CFM56). The aircraft slowed safely, stopped on the runway and was evacuated via right hand emergency slides. Emergency services put the fire out. There were no injuries. https://avherald.com/h?article=520e5208&opt=0 Incident: Aegean A320 at Budapest on Nov 28th 2024, runway excursion during turn off An Aegean Airlines Airbus A320-200, registration SX-DVV performing flight A3-876 from Athens (Greece) to Budapest (Hungary), landed on Budapest's runway 13R and slowed to taxi speed. During turn off onto last turn off taxiway A2 the aircraft skidded and became disabled with the nose gear on soft ground. The runway needed to be closed, the next arrival was instructed to go around. About 45 minutes later the aircraft was pushed back onto the paved surface and towed to the apron. The airport reported the crew noticed a brakes failure while taxiing. https://avherald.com/h?article=520e4522&opt=0 Accident: Canada B763 at San Juan on Nov 9th 2024, odour and smoke in cockpit An Air Canada Boeing 767-300, registration C-FXCA performing flight AC-7220 from Atlanta,GA (USA) to San Juan (Puerto Rico) with 2 crew, was on final approach to San Juan's runway 10 when the crew observed an odour and smoke in the cockpit. The aircraft continued for a landing without further incident, both flight crew were taken to a hospital. The Canadian TSB reported: "On final, the flight crew detected an odour and smoke appeared in the cockpit. The smoke began to intensify, and the flight crew immediately donned their oxygen masks and turned off the packs. A MAYDAY was declared and the flight landed without further incident. Emergency vehicles met aircraft on arrival, and flight crew was taken to the hospital. Maintenance initial finding identified a broken hydraulic line in the electronic bay." The aircraft remained on the ground in San Juan for a week, then flew to Vancouver and is still on the ground in Vancouver 12 days after landing there. https://avherald.com/h?article=520e19a1&opt=0 Airbus Wants to Install a Radio-Equipped Toilet in Airplane Cockpits to Eliminate the Need For Two Pilots European aircraft manufacturer Airbus wants to install a potty-style toilet right behind the Captain’s seat on its flagship A350 long-haul aircraft in an attempt to eliminate the need to have two pilots sitting at the controls of commercial passenger aircraft at any one time. The potty proposal by the European aerospace giant is part of ongoing work into what the aviation industry has dubbed Extended Minimum Crew Operations or eMCO for short. Extended Minimum Crew Operations is a euphemism for single-pilot operations in which just one pilot is at the controls of a packed widebody aircraft during the cruise phase of flight. The hope is that eMCO will result in attractive cost savings for airlines because on ultra-long-haul flights, there will no longer be a need to have three or four pilots operating on the same flight. At present, pilots take turns sleeping in a special crew rest compartment while two remain on the flight deck at any one time, but under eMCO, one pilot would remain alone in the cockpit for up to three hours at a time while the second pilot is sleeping. The proposal has, perhaps unsurprisingly, alarmed unions and organizations that represent pilots around the world, although advanced work on eMCO projects is going ahead undeterred and single-pilot operations could become a reality in less than five years. There are, however, still some pretty big hurdles to clear. One of which is dealing with the fact that pilots are human and, therefore, have physiological needs just as needing to use the toilet or deal with menstruation. The European Air Safety Agency (EASA) has been tasked with researching how to safely implement eMCO, which includes finding solutions to the fact that pilots might need to use the can. Suggestions considered by the pan-European agency included asking pilots to deliberately dehydrate themselves before starting a lone shift at the aircraft controls, as well as requiring them to eat a high-protein, low-residue diet to mitigate the risk of them needing to defecate. The agency also looked at other outlandish solutions like making pilots wear adult diapers, or equipping cockpits with disposable urine collectors. Thankfully, the authors of the EASA study discounted all of these potential solutions, coming to the conclusion that diapers, special diets and urine collectors were “not acceptable nor feasible.” Instead, EASA suggested that in the event a pilot desperately needed to use the toilet, they would need to wake up the second pilot, and at that point, the eMCO would be terminated. Ending the eMCO early, however, could result in a situation in which the pilots are fatigued. To address that issue, Airbus is now developing a proposal to install an open toilet in the flight deck. “They’re going to get rid of that second jumpseat behind the Captain and put a toilet; think about that for a minute; that’s no pilot ops,” pilots at the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) board of directors meeting were recently warned. “So when you have to relieve yourself, there’s no one at the controls. They are even proposing a comms panel at that toilet so that you can look forward at the control and instrumentation. If ATC calls, well, you can answer it while you’re resting on the can.” If Airbus gets its way, eMCO could be ready to test on its A350 model as early as 2027. Within the next five years, single-pilot operations could be introduced on freighter Airbus A320 aircraft. ALPA has joined forces with other pilot unions to oppose eMCO with the battle against Airbus, Boeing, and the airline industry stepping up a gear in recent months over fears that aircraft manufacturers are secretly pushing to become the first to bring eMCO to market. “ALPA, along with global pilot unions, are united in opposition to this concept and have made it a priority to maintain at least two pilots on the flight deck to ensure the safety and security of all airline flight operations,” the union commented earlier this month. “No one understands better than a pilot that when an issue arises in flight, it is the pilots who are responsible for achieving a safe outcome.” https://www.paddleyourownkanoo.com/2024/11/28/airbus-wants-to-install-a-radio-equipped-toilet-in-airplane-cockpits-to-eliminate-the-need-for-two-pilots/ AOPA’s Annual Safety Report Shows Rise In Accidents, Decline In Fatalities The annual report reveals an increase in total accidents and flight hours, while fatal accidents continued to decrease for calendar year 2022. The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) Air Safety Institute (ASI) released the 34th edition of its annual general aviation safety report, noting that flight hours and total accidents have increased while fatal accidents have decreased. The report, known as the Richard G. McSpadden Report, covers a comprehensive look at general aviation safety data for the calendar year 2022. According to AOPA, the updated analysis includes the most current accident statistics, which are updated on a rolling 30-day cycle for an ongoing snapshot of general aviation safety trends. The report is typically delayed two years as data relies on the completion of National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigations. This year’s report (calendar year 2022) shows an increase in total accidents from 1,120 in 2021 to 1,152 in 2022. However, a significant rise in flight activity, exceeding 500,000 hours, helped offset the increase in total accidents. While the overall accident rate saw a slight uptick from 4.26 to 4.30 per 100,000 flight hours, the fatal accident rate continued its downward trend, dropping from 0.76 to 0.68 per 100,000 hours. “Pilot-related accidents remain around 70 percent, with loss of control events continuing to be the leading causal factor, and weather-related accidents remaining highly lethal,” according to Robert Geske, AOPA Air Safety Institute manager of aviation safety analysis. The report also highlighted an upward trend in accidents for non-commercial fixed-wing aircraft including 965 total accidents, in which 157 were fatal. The full report is available on AOPA’s website. https://www.avweb.com/air-shows-events/aopas-annual-safety-report-shows-rise-in-accidents-decline-in-fatalities/ Largest all-electric aircraft in history will take off in 2025 The Heart X1's first experimental flight will put the company's electric propulsion tech to the test Swedish startup Heart Aerospace is gearing up for the first experimental flight of the X1 early next year, an electric demonstrator aircraft that's the same size as its upcoming 30-seater commercial plane. "The initial experimental flight of the Heart X1 demonstrator is designed to validate the capabilities of Heart’s innovative electric propulsion technology," the company says. It'll be a major milestone for the Gothenburg-based firm, which was founded in 2019 and has since raised US$145 million for its plans to reshape regional aviation. Heart unveiled the X1 back in September, noting that it was built to similar proportions as the ES-30, with a 32-meter (105 ft) wingspan. The test flight will take off from Plattsburgh International Airport in upstate New York, which the company found to be an ideal choice given its low air traffic density, and support for developing and testing transportation tech. Heart hasn't yet specified if the X1 will also match the ES-30's zero-emissions range of 124 miles (200 km), though. Heart Aerospace, Heart X1 - How We Made It The ES-30 commercial aircraft is designed to take off from runways as short as 1,100 m (3,609 ft), thanks to its high-torque electric motors and turbo propellers, and is going to feature a hybrid system to allow for a total range of nearly 250 miles (400 km). With that relatively short range and its limited seating capacity, Heart isn't looking to replace major airliners. Instead, the focus is on connecting smaller 'pocket airports' with roughly 2 acres of space in underserved communities. The Heart X1 is slated to take flight for the first time at upstate New York’s Plattsburgh International Airport in 2025 There are a few other ventures aiming to make emission-free commercial flight a reality. You've got Swiss outfit ZeroAvia working on a hydrogen-electric hybrid amphibious aircraft for use in island regions. Back in January, Elysian claimed its 1960s-inspired aircraft design with a small fuselage and long, low-mounted wings would work well enough to carry 90 passengers in a battery-powered plane. A few months ago, the Dutch startup noted that 10 critical bottlenecks like battery charging times and propeller-wing integrations would not prove to be "show-stoppers." If it's right about that and all the hard work to follow over the next several years, Elysian will take to the skies by 2033. For its part, Heart has its work work cut out for it ahead of its first X1 flight. The company noted the aircraft is "undergoing extensive tests of critical systems to ensure a safe and successful flight." We'll also see a Heart X2 incorporate learnings from the first demonstrator, and test the firm's "Independent Hybrid propulsion" system in 2026. That's a whole lot of stuff to get right before the company's commercial debut in 2028. The range per charge hasn't been confirmed for the all-electric X1 prototype, but the upcoming ES-30 commercial aircraft's hybrid system could fly for up to 250 miles per trip The range per charge hasn't been confirmed for the all-electric X1 prototype, but the upcoming ES-30 commercial aircraft's hybrid system could fly for up to 250 miles per tripHeart Aerospace If you can't wait that long to see what Heart's up to, grab a copy of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 and pilot the ES-30 from the comfort of your own home instead. Source: Heart Aerospace https://newatlas.com/aircraft/heart-aerospace-electric-x1-test-flight-2025/ Southwest Airlines set to end cabin service earlier in safety push Flight attendants will start preparing the cabin for landing at 18,000 feet rather than 10,000 feet. Southwest Airlines is set to end cabin service earlier in a bid to reduce the risk of turbulence-related injuries. The change will see cabin landing preparations begin at 18,000 feet rather than 10,000 feet. It comes amid increasing reports of turbulence-related injuries. Southwest Airlines is set to end cabin service earlier from December 4 in a move designed to help prevent injuries to its flight attendants and passengers. Flight attendants will begin landing preparations at 18,000 feet rather than 10,000 feet going forward, a Southwest spokesperson confirmed to Business Insider. In an internal memo seen by View From the Wing, the company said that an evaluation of data from reports by pilots and flight attendants and information from the Flight Data Analysis Program suggested that seating staff sooner should reduce injuries by at least 20%. "If we do not achieve the desired result, we will continue to find solutions," the memo said. "We are also committed to sharing updates on these findings periodically." For passengers, the change means the usual pre-landing checklist — carry-on luggage stowed, window shades up, and seats and tables upright — will need to be completed sooner. The memo says pilots will announce the beginning of the descent phase to the cabin before making a chime at 18,000 feet to signal the start of the sterile flight deck — a period when flight crew members should not be disturbed except for emergencies. "This chime serves as your cue to secure the cabin for landing and to be seated and secured in your jumpseats," it says. The World Economic Forum has said that from 2009 to 2023, 37 passengers and 146 crew members were seriously injured as a result of turbulence. In May, a 73-year-old passenger died on board a Singapore Airlines flight when the plane dropped 178 feet in around four seconds. Although serious turbulence-related injuries are rare, turbulence appears to be getting more common and increasingly severe. https://www.businessinsider.com/southwest-airlines-cabin-service-safety-precaution-turbulence-planes-2024-11 Airbus delivers first A330neo for Malaysia Airlines Toulouse, France, 29 November 2024 – Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), the parent company of Malaysia Airlines, has taken delivery of its first A330neo. The A330-900, is the first of 20 to be leased from Avolon by MAG, setting new standards for fuel efficiency and passenger experience. MAG’s A330neo is configured with a premium two-class layout, featuring 297 seats, with 28 fully-flat Business Class suites and an all-new Economy cabin accommodating 269 passengers. Passengers will enjoy more personal space throughout, with larger overhead storage, improved air quality and the latest in-flight entertainment and high-speed Wi-Fi connectivity. The airline will deploy the aircraft on routes across Asia and the Pacific, as well as on selected routes to the Middle East. MAG is the 20th to join a growing number of global airline operators of the modern fuel efficient A330neo. To date, Airbus has delivered more than 140 A330neo aircraft to airlines worldwide, with the model offering unmatched efficiency in its class. https://www.airbus.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2024-11-airbus-delivers-first-a330neo-for-malaysia-airlines Sanctions: Plane Shortage Stings Airlines As More Russians Want To Fly On Holiday Russia's commercial aviation industry is struggling to cope with demand from Russian travelers due to a lack of new aircraft driven by ongoing Western sanctions. While the country is attempting self-sufficiency with the development of home-produced aircraft, the majority of planes at Russian airlines are Western-made. Russian airlines struggle to meet demand According to a report from Reuters, Russian carriers have added just 11 new aircraft to their fleets in almost three years. In the year prior to its invasion of Ukraine, Russian airlines had taken delivery of 54 new aircraft, 30 of which were Boeing or Airbus and the remainder from Russian manufacturer Sukhoi. The country's domestic aircraft production industry had been hoping to plug the gap left by Airbus and Boeing but has so far failed to step up and looks a long way off reaching President Putin's goal of 1,000 domestic-made aircraft by 2030. It also can't look to China's domestic commercial aircraft as a solution, as these are equipped with Western-made engines. The lack of new aircraft has left Russian airlines unable to capitalize on a sharp increase in travel demand - driving this demand is Russia's war effort, which has given many Russians higher wages to spend on traveling abroad. Aviation expert Oleg Panteleev told Reuters, "Yesterday these people earned relatively little, now they have not just extra, but beyond extra, income relative to what they had, and many of them have ... used this for a fully-fledged summer holiday." While domestic traffic is approaching pre-pandemic levels, international capacity is still way behind. Data shows a strong recovery in Russians holidaying abroad, with Egypt, Thailand and Turkey proving particularly popular destinations. A Utair Boeing 737 Photo: UTair 296 | Wikimedia Commons Russia isn't just having trouble bringing new aircraft in; the country has struggled to maintain its existing Western fleet due to a lack of spare parts and other consequences of economic sanctions, including no technical support. The latest reports state that around half of Russia's Airbus A320-family fleet has been grounded, and many of those that are in service are experiencing a much higher rate of technical failure due to a lack of proper maintenance and parts. Russia Says It Can Keep Operating Foreign Aircraft Until 2030 Flight safety will be ensured through the "rearrangement" of serviceable spare parts, the head of Rosaviatsia says. According to data from ch-aviation, almost 80% of the Russian commercial fleet is Western-made, but the country is hoping to flip this and achieve 80% Russian-made by 2030. The government has shelled out approximately $13 billion in loans and subsidies to keep the industry afloat, and it isn't clear how long it can keep this up before airlines start going bankrupt. New MC-21 due by 2026 Russia is still confident in its ability to produce domestic-made commercial aircraft despite the crippling effect of Western sanctions. The flagship aircraft of its domestic industry will be the Yakovlev MC-21, a narrowbody program launched way back in 2007 and Russia's answer to the Boeing 737 or Airbus A320. The original design - the MC-21-300 - incorporated various Western parts, including Pratt & Whitney engines, but the sanctions forced Russia to switch to domestically produced parts. Its new variant, the MC-21-310, will use all domestic parts and is slated to enter production in 2026. https://simpleflying.com/plane-shortage-sting-airlines-russians-want-fly-holiday/ 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