Flight Safety Information - February 3, 2025 No. 024 In This Issue : 31 January 2025 - Med Jets SA de CV dba Jet Rescue Learjet 55 accident 7 dead : Bombardier CRJ-701ER (CL-600-2C10) - Mid-Air Collision (Washington, DC) : Incident: Delta A321 near Dallas on Feb 1st 2025, smoke on board : Incident: United A319 at Houston on Feb 2nd 2025, rejected takeoff due to engine failure : Incident: PGA E190 at Manchester on Jan 31st 2025, unsafe gear on approach : Incident: France BCS3 at Hamburg on Jan 31st 2025, brake overheat : Bombardier CRJ-200LR - Ground Collision (Chicago) : A key lesson from the 2013 SFO crash could have prevented the tragedy in Washington : Investigation into DC plane and helicopter collision looking at potential mistakes in ‘no margin for error’ situation : United Airlines flight from Houston to New York evacuated after engine issue reported : What we know about the Learjet crash in Philadelphia : DC plane crash: NTSB on air traffic control tower staffing, last-second communications : Black box found from medical jet that crashed in Northeast Philadelphia, NTSB says : VAST Effort Explores Helicopter Safety Rating System : Another Flight Redirected To Avoid Hitting Aircraft At Reagan National Airport Hours Before Deadly Crash : No Indian airline makes in world's safest list; one makes it to low-cost rankings : Critical FAA warning system restored after outage : Calendar of Events 31 January 2025 - Med Jets SA de CV dba Jet Rescue Learjet 55 accident 7 dead Date: Friday 31 January 2025 Time: c. 18:06 LT Type: Learjet 55 Owner/operator: Med Jets SA de CV dba Jet Rescue Registration: XA-UCI MSN: 55-032 Year of manufacture: 1982 Fatalities: Fatalities: 6 / Occupants: 6 Other fatalities: 1 Aircraft damage: Destroyed Category: Accident Location: near North Philadelphia Airport (PNE/KPNE), Philadelphia, PA - United States of America Phase: Initial climb Nature: Ambulance Departure airport: Philadelphia-North Philadelphia Airport, PA (PNE/KPNE) Destination airport: Springfield-Branson National Airport, MO (SGF/KSGF) Investigating agency: NTSB Confidence Rating: Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources Narrative: A Learjet 55, Mexican-registry XA-UCI, operating as MTS56, was destroyed when it impacted terrain shortly after takeoff from North Philadelphia Airport (PNE/KPNE), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The two pilots, four passengers and one person on the ground sustained fatal injuries. In addition, nineteen people were injured on the ground. Preliminary ADS-B data indicates that, at about 1806:10, the airplane departed runway 24 at PNE and entered a climb to an altitude of 1650 ft. At about 1806:56, the airplane entered a rapid descent towards the ground. The last recorded data point showed an average rate of -11000 fpm and a ground speed of 247 knots. The 1754 recorded weather observation at KPNE included: 6 miles visibility, an overcast layer at 400 feet AGL, temperature 9°C, dewpoint 9°C, and an altimeter setting of 29.71 inches of mercury. The 1814 recorded weather observation at KPNE included: 7 miles visibility, an overcast layer at 600 ft AGL, a variable ceiling between 400 to 800 ft, temperature 9°C, dewpoint 9°C, and an altimeter setting of 29.72 inches of mercury. There were also reports of light rain and mist at the time of the event. METAR: Weather: METAR KPNE 312054Z 21010KT 4SM -RA BR OVC006 08/08 A2974 RMK AO2 SLP072 P0005 60005 T00780078 56036 METAR KPNE 312117Z 23010KT 3SM -RA BR SCT006 BKN012 OVC090 08/08 A2976 RMK AO2 P0002 T00830083 METAR KPNE 312130Z 27007KT 4SM -RA BR BKN006 BKN012 OVC075 08/08 A2976 RMK AO2 P0003 T00830083 METAR KPNE 312154Z 17005KT 2 1/2SM -RA BR OVC005 08/08 A2971 RMK AO2 CIG 005V009 PRESFR SLP062 P0007 T00780078 https://asn.flightsafety.org/wikibase/474764 Bombardier CRJ-701ER (CL-600-2C10) - Mid-Air Collision ( Washington, DC) Date: Wednesday 29 January 2025 Time: 20:48 LT Type: Bombardier CRJ-701ER (CL-600-2C10) Owner/operator: American Eagle, opb PSA Airlines Registration: N709PS MSN: 10165 Year of manufacture: 2004 Engine model: GE CF34-8C5 Fatalities: Fatalities: 64 / Occupants: 64 Other fatalities: 3 Aircraft damage: Destroyed Category: Accident Location: near Washington-Ronald Reagan National Airport, DC (DCA/KDCA) - United States of America Phase: Approach Nature: Passenger - Scheduled Departure airport: Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport, KS (ICT/KICT) Destination airport: Washington-Ronald Reagan National Airport, DC (DCA/KDCA) Investigating agency: NTSB Confidence Rating: Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources Narrative: American Eagle flight 5342, a Bombardier CRJ-701ER operated by PSA Airlines and a US Army Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, callsign PAT25, collided in midair and crashed into the Potomac River near Washington-Ronald Reagan National Airport, DC (DCA). All 64 occupants of the CRJ-701 and the three soldiers in the Army helicopter died in the accident. The Black Hawk helicopter was from the Bravo Company, 12th Aviation Battalion, Davison Army Airfield, Fort Belvoir, Virginia. It was flying at low altitude over the Potomac River from north to south while on a required annual night evaluation. They crew had night vision goggles. Flight 5342 took off from Wichita Airport, Kansas (ICT) at 17:38 local time (23:38 UTC). Prior to descent, the flight crew briefed the expected arrival procedure for an ILS approach to runway 01 at DCA. At 20:39 local time (01:39 UTC) the Potomac Approach controller cleared the flight for a Mount Vernon visual approach to runway 01. Four minutes later the crew contacted DCA Tower. The controller asked if the crew could switch to an approach to runway 33. After a brief discussion between the crew they agreed to runway 33. At 08:46:01 the Tower controller called the Black Hawk helicopter, PAT25, advising them that a CRJ was at 1200 feet just south over Wilson Bridge circling to runway 33. At 08:46:29 the crew of the CRJ-900 received a 1,000 ft automated call out. At 08:47:29 the crew of the CRJ-900 received a 500 ft automated call out. At 08:47:39 DCA tower called PAT25 asking them if they had the CRJ in sight At 08:47:40 the crew of the CRJ-900 received an automated Traffic Advisory call out ('Traffic, Traffic'). At 08:47:42 the tower directed PAT 25 to pass behind the CRJ At 08:47:58 the CRJ-900 increased its pitch and a second later a collision occurred. At the time of the collision the altitude of the CRJ-900 was 325 ft (plus or minus 25 ft). METAR: KDCA 300152Z 30014G23KT 270V330 10SM CLR 10/M07 A2990 RMK AO2 PK WND 30033/0108 SLP126 T01001072 KDCA 300052Z 29015G25KT 10SM CLR 11/M07 A2987 RMK AO2 SLP114 T01061072 https://asn.flightsafety.org/wikibase/474365 Incident: Delta A321 near Dallas on Feb 1st 2025, smoke on board A Delta Airlines Airbus A321-200, registration N356DN performing flight DL-401 from Dallas Ft. Worth,TX to Atlanta,GA (USA), was climbing through about FL240 out of Dallas when the crew donned their oxygen masks and decided to return to Dallas declaring emergency and reported smoke on board. The aircraft landed safely back on Dallas' runway 17R about 35 minutes after departure. A passenger reported that a few minutes after departure emergency lights illuminated in the cabin, the captain indicated they were returning to Dallas due to an electrical problem, later adding there were fumes in the cockpit. Fire engines checked the aircraft after landing and followed to the gate, two firefighter came on board and talked to the captain while passengers disembarked. The aircraft remained on the ground for about 7:45 hours, then departed again and reached Atlanta with a delay of about 8 hours. https://avherald.com/h?article=5239a07c&opt=0 Incident: United A319 at Houston on Feb 2nd 2025, rejected takeoff due to engine failure A United Airbus A319-100, registration N837UA performing flight UA-1382 from Houston Intercontinental,TX to New York La Guardia,NY (USA) with 104 passengers and 5 crew, was accelerating for takeoff from Houston's runway 15R when the crew rejected takeoff at high speed (about 115 knots over ground), slowed and stopped on the runway. The crew reported the failure of their right hand engine (V2522), about a minute later requested fire trucks to attend to the aircraft. Airport operations reported they had heard a pop-sound and requested a runway inspection, tower approved the vehicle to enter the runway for the inspection behind the aircraft. The crew subsequently reported they had some indications and were now evacuating the aircraft. The right hand engine was seen emitting smoke. The aircraft was evacuated via slides. There were no injuries. The FAA reported: "The crew of United Airlines Flight 1382 safely aborted its takeoff from the George Bush Intercontinental/Houston Airport in Texas due to a reported engine issue around 8:35 a.m. local time on Sunday, Feb. 2. Passengers deplaned on the runway and were bused to the terminal. The Airbus A319 was flying to LaGuardia Airport in New York. The FAA will investigate." https://avherald.com/h?article=5239938e&opt=0 Incident: PGA E190 at Manchester on Jan 31st 2025, unsafe gear on approach A PGA Portugalia Embraer ERJ-190 on behalf of TAP Air Portugal, registration CS-TPX performing flight TP-1310 from Lisbon (Portugal) to Manchester,EN (UK), was on final approach to Manchester's runway 23R when the crew initiated a go around due to an unsafe gear indication, while overflying the airfield during the go around it became clear, both main gear had extended, however, the nose gear had not extended and its doors were still closed. The aircraft positioned for another approach, the crew managed to lower all gear, and landed safely on runway 23R about 20 minutes after the go around. The return flight was cancelled. The aircraft is still on the ground in Manchester about 7 hours after landing. https://avherald.com/h?article=52385951&opt=0 Incident: France BCS3 at Hamburg on Jan 31st 2025, brake overheat An Air France Bombardier C-Series CS-300, registration F-HPNP performing flight AF-1410 from Paris Charles de Gaulle (France) to Hamburg (Germany), was on approach to Hamburg's runway 23 when the crew their left hand brakes had overheated. The aircraft continued for a safe landing, vacated the runway and stopped on the parallel taxiway for inspection by emergency services. The aircraft subsequently taxied to the apron about 40 minutes after stopping. The aircraft was able to depart for the return flight about 2 hours after landing and reached Paris with a delay of about one hour. https://avherald.com/h?article=523855fa&opt=0 Bombardier CRJ-200LR - Ground Collision (Chicago) Date: Saturday 1 February 2025 Time: Type: Bombardier CRJ-200LR Owner/operator: American Eagle, opb Air Wisconsin Registration: N420AW MSN: 7640 Year of manufacture: 2002 Engine model: GE CF34-3B1 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: Unknown Location: Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD/KORD) - United States of America Phase: Taxi Nature: Passenger - Scheduled Departure airport: Kalamazoo-Battle Creek International Airport, MI (AZO/AZO) Destination airport: Chicago-O'Hare International Airport, IL (ORD/KORD) Confidence Rating: Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources Narrative: American Eagle flight AA6181, a Bombardier CRJ-200LR operated by Air Wisconsin, was struck by a tug that attempted to cross a taxiway at Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD). The tug flipped over after colliding with the wing of the plane, seriously injuring the driver. The aircraft was taxiing along taxiway A when the collision occurred between taxiways A20 and A21. https://asn.flightsafety.org/wikibase/475037 A key lesson from the 2013 SFO crash could have prevented the tragedy in Washington • The D.C. area crash may look different than the July 6, 2013, SFO crash of Asiana Flight 214, but similar underlying factors led to both By Shem Malmquist, Roger Rapoport On Wednesday night, a PSA Airlines regional codeshare flight for American Airlines collided with a military helicopter near Washington, D.C. Tragically, all 67 people aboard both aircraft perished after the plane crashed into the Potomac River. Our hearts go out to those lost, their friends and loved ones. It’s now incumbent on air safety experts to figure out what happened and to apply lessons learned to prevent similar accidents. Investigators will no doubt focus on decisions made by the flight crews as well as air traffic control. But human error alone won’t teach us all we need to know about this crash. More and more, flight accidents are beginning to share common underlying factors even when they appear unrelated. Although the Washington crash may look different than the July 6, 2013, crash of Asiana Flight 214 at San Francisco International Airport — which killed three people — similar underlying factors led to both. These tragedies shared the unrelenting demand for our understaffed air traffic system to move more and more aircraft. This is particularly true for our nation’s capital, where political officials commuting nonstop into Reagan National Airport create additional pressure on the Federal Aviation Administration. There is a big push on controllers to reduce delays, especially at the airport named after the president who fired 11,359 of them on Aug. 5, 1981. This indirectly contributes to daily challenges across our nation’s vulnerable air traffic control system. One way air traffic controllers deal with the volume of planes they are expected to manage is that they will, when possible, clear aircraft for “visual approaches.” This means that during the critical landing phase of a flight, pilots are entirely responsible for their own vertical and arrival paths. Air traffic controllers ask if pilots have other nearby planes in sight and then expect them to maintain separation visually, without additional guidance. This FAA policy is nationwide and uniquely shifts flight path and traffic separation responsibility from controllers to pilots. While it gives controllers the ability to handle far more flights and reduces delays, it also reduces safety margins. Outside the U.S., airline flights are rarely given a visual approach. Air traffic controllers give them a defined route, built by procedure design specialists or within defined guidelines. Further, airline pilots operating abroad are virtually never asked to maintain visual separation from other aircraft. Other governments have decided the risk is too great. Exhibit A is the 2013 Asiana Boeing 777 flight, which was given a visual approach to SFO. Because this aircraft was fairly high, the pilots needed to manage their flight path aggressively. Was it possible? Absolutely. But for a tired trans-Pacific training flight crew unaccustomed to such a clearance it proved to be too much. If controllers at SFO had provided these pilots with the type of routine proscriptive guidance occurring in Asia, Europe or the Middle East, the accident would almost certainly never have occurred. The key operational benefit of using this procedure is that it reduces the burden on our nation’s air traffic controllers, enabling fewer people to manage more traffic. When this approach contributes to a crash, it is convenient for grandstanding politicians to quickly blame controllers while ignoring more critical factors. Wednesday’s crash occurred after controllers handed off responsibility for traffic separation to the military helicopter crew. It was their job to avoid the regional jet as it approached a secondary runway at one of our nation’s most overcrowded airports. Effective automation designed to prevent this crash did not prevent it. By design, an installed traffic collision avoidance system automatically inhibited warnings at the low altitude where this crash happened. This setting prevents distracting false warnings, especially from aircraft on the ground. It also may be one reason why the PSA flight crew was unable to avoid colliding with an Army Blackhawk helicopter at 400 feet. Of course, if both aircraft had been under direct air traffic controller supervision — as occurs in most other countries — it would have prevented the collision. Stopping future accidents requires understanding fundamental system pressures and constraints contributing to these crashes. The solution — maintaining positive control of all aircraft by adding more controls — potentially means hiring thousands of new controllers. The alternative is reducing flight schedules and increasing flight separation, an air traffic controller’s customary response during bad weather. It is no surprise that this accident waiting to happen took place in the Washington airspace saturated with a high density of military, corporate and civilian traffic. Special procedures mandated by a wide swath of prohibited airspace and noise reduction requirements add risk. It is the strategy to hand off control that keeps heavy traffic flowing. About Opinion Guest opinions in Open Forum and Insight are produced by writers with expertise, personal experience or original insights on a subject of interest to our readers. Their views do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Chronicle editorial board, which is committed to providing a diversity of ideas to our readership. These factors are central to today’s air traffic control system that took shape after aircraft collided over the Grand Canyon in 1956. Following years of debate, the federal government created a system designed to rule out the kind of collision that happened Tuesday. Yet that system is insufficient to handle today’s overcrowded airspace. Finding a way to add thousands of controllers is a critical job for our high-flying political leaders. Evasive political action and blamesmanship are no solutions. Veteran aviation accident investigator and Boeing 777 Capt. Shem Malmquist and investigative reporter Roger Rapoport are authors of the air safety books “Angle of Attack” and “Grounded.” https://tinyurl.com/3w2t9e8m Investigation into DC plane and helicopter collision looking at potential mistakes in ‘no margin for error’ situation Investigators are intensifying their search into what caused the collision between American Airlines Flight 5342 and an Army Black Hawk helicopter, with recovery crews still working to pull wreckage from the Potomac River and initial concerns already raised about the path of at least one of the aircraft. The helicopter was on a training mission when it collided Wednesday night with a commercial plane that was on approach to land at Washington’s Reagan National Airport, killing all 64 aboard the plane and the three soldiers in the helicopter, officials have said. The National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating the cause, will take about 30 days to release a preliminary report, and a final report, which will determine a probable cause, will take much longer, it said. Still, details about the collision’s circumstances and potential avenues for the investigation are emerging. Here’s what we know: Helicopter may have been flying too high The Black Hawk had been using specialized corridors utilized by law enforcement, medevac, military and government helicopters in the Washington area. Federal Aviation Administration charts show helicopters in the corridor must be at or below 200 feet above sea level. But flight tracking data from the moments before Wednesday’s fatal midair collision appear to show the Black Hawk flying 100 feet above its allowed altitude, and veering off the prescribed route along the Potomac River’s east side. The helicopter’s turns would have put the Black Hawk closer to the airport than the standard route. “Based on the data we’re able to see, I think that’s a fair assessment,” said Ian Petchenik, spokesperson for FlightRadar24, a flight tracking company. Petchenik cautioned that the flight tracking data for the Black Hawk is imperfect. The military helicopter was sending a Mode S signal, which transmits basic data about altitude and aircraft identification. The American Airlines flight was broadcasting an ADS-B signal, which provides far more information to air traffic control. “ADS-B is worlds beyond the standard Mode S data. Mode S data allows you to have just a few bits of information,” Petchenik told CNN. A full understanding of the moments before the midair collision will require a complete analysis of the data recorders on board the aircraft, but even an incomplete picture indicates the helicopter was not in the right position. Both President Donald Trump and the nation’s defense secretary raised the issue of altitude on Friday morning. “The Blackhawk helicopter was flying too high, by a lot. It was far above the 200 foot limit,” Trump said in a Truth Social post Friday. It was not immediately clear if the president was getting the information from official investigators or reiterating what he was seeing in news reports. “Someone was at the wrong altitude,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Fox News on Friday morning. “Was the Black Hawk too high? Was it on course? Right now, we don’t quite know.” At the point of the collision, only about 300 feet separate the approved paths of the jet and the helicopter, CNN aviation analyst and pilot Miles O’Brien said Thursday. “That’s a very tight, no-margin-for-error airspace arrangement and demands that everybody in that spot be completely on their toes and fly to complete perfection,” he said. Investigators now must determine whether a change of a couple of hundred feet might have been one thing that could have prevented the deadliest US aviation incident in two decades. With the probe underway, the FAA is indefinitely closing the low-altitude helicopter corridor that was being used when the crash happened, an official told CNN Friday. Informal discussions are also beginning in Washington about changing helicopter routes on the Potomac River, a source familiar with the investigation told CNN. The NTSB will look at the “human, machine and the environment” to determine the cause of the deadly collision, board Chair Jennifer Homendy said Thursday, in response to a question about whether diversity initiatives would be considered in the investigation after Trump raised the issue. The flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder — known as black boxes — from the American Airlines plane have been recovered, the NTSB told CNN. The helicopter’s black box voice recorder has also been recovered with no signs of exterior damage, according to NTSB member Todd Inman. A source familiar with the investigation told CNN investigators could provide “high-level readouts” from the recorders as soon as Saturday. The new details could provide key early clues about the altitude of both aircraft. Inman added that they have begun interviewing air traffic control personnel, which will continue for a few days. The interviews will be used to match with other data the NTSB is receiving. Video shows no sign of evasive action, though helicopter crew indicated it saw a plane Video obtained exclusively by CNN shows no sign of evasive action being taken by either aircraft, running directly into each other in a horrifying blast of light, their wreckage falling into the dark water of the Potomac. Yet before the crash, air traffic control operators directed the helicopter to pass behind the passenger plane, according to air traffic controller audio obtained by CNN from LiveATC.net. An air traffic controller addressed the helicopter: “PAT 2-5 do you have the CRJ in sight?” CRJ refers to the American Airlines plane, a Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet. The controller then said, “PAT 2-5 pass behind the CRJ.” Additional air traffic control audio shortly before the collision captures the helicopter pilot saying, “PAT 2-5 has aircraft in sight, request visual separation.” The crash raises questions about whether the helicopter crew was looking at different aircraft or whether the crew misjudged the position of the plane, mistaking other lights for the aircraft the helicopter crew had been instructed to track, as seen in video, according to Mary Schiavo, an aviation analyst and former inspector general of the Department of Transportation. “We do see other lights in the area, particularly one bright light from another aircraft, when the air traffic control tower asked the helicopter, ‘Do you have the plane in sight?’” Schiavo told CNN’s Kasie Hunt on Friday. The voice recorders from both aircraft could reveal information about what the pilots saw and what they were trying to do, according to Michael McCormick, a former FAA air traffic manager who’s also an associate professor in air traffic management at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. “If we could just know what the pilots thought they were looking at and what they thought they were avoiding, that would make a big difference in terms of this investigation,” McCormick told CNN Saturday. Former Black Hawk pilot says helicopter needed more crew Questions also are being raised about whether the helicopter was adequately staffed in the crowded airspace. The Black Hawk was on a routine training mission out of Fort Belvoir, Virginia, with an instructor, a captain in training and a crew chief, the Army said. Elizabeth McCormick, a former Black Hawk pilot, told CNN’s Jake Tapper Thursday that having a crew of three on the ill-fated flight was inadequate, asserting that such a crew couldn’t see in all directions. “You only have visibility from the front 180 degrees. Your crew chiefs clear the back,” McCormick said. “If you only have one crew chief, how much can you clear? I think that was a major issue.” Even if the helicopter were at a proper level, the crew still would have needed to be able to have visual contact with all nearby aircraft. “Obviously, ultimately the aircraft has to pass through this 200-foot altitude in order to land,” former commercial pilot Jeff Huddleston said. Two jobs being performed by one person at Reagan National tower On the night of the crash, one controller at Reagan National was performing duties than can be performed by two separate air traffic controllers – handling both local plane and helicopter traffic – an air traffic control source told CNN. The source described the set-up, which had one person handling both local and helicopter traffic, as not uncommon. However, a preliminary Federal Aviation Administration internal report said staffing was “not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic,” according to the New York Times. The union that represents air traffic controllers cautioned against assuming that the combined role would make conditions unsafe. “This is an extremely complex job that we do day in and day out with weather changes, with flow changes, and with airspace changes each and every day,” National Air Traffic Controllers Association president Nick Daniels told CNN’s Erin Burnett, “so, it’s not uncommon for positions to be combined or not combined at all.” Chronic staffing issues at its radar facilities have plagued the FAA. Following the pandemic, it has been scrambling to get more controllers trained and certified. The Trump Administration has offered a separation package to federal workers, including air traffic controllers, which could cause further staffing shortages. Officials warn against rush to judgment Even as more information comes to light, some officials who have been briefed on the disaster say there’s still much we don’t know. US Sen. Tammy Duckworth, a former Black Hawk pilot, spoke to investigators with the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board Thursday. “I asked them to provide me with some more information – which they will – including the transcripts of the air traffic control instructions back to the pilots,” she told CNN. The senator added that, despite the complexity of flying around Washington, DC, this seems to have started as a routine situation. “I flew out of (Chicago) Midway Airport for over a dozen years where I did routinely fly underneath commercial airliners landing there at Midway Airport,” said Duckworth. “This is not an abnormal flight profile to be in, although it is a very congested airspace.” https://www.yahoo.com/news/investigation-dc-plane-helicopter-collision-205022943.html United Airlines flight from Houston to New York evacuated after engine issue reported A United Airlines flight from Houston to New York was evacuated after an engine issue was reported before takeoff, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The Houston Fire Department said in an X statement that they are on the scene and assisted deboarding the plane, which was departing from George Bush Intercontinental Airport and heading to New York’s Laguardia Airport. No injuries have been reported, according to the fire department. A video taken by a passenger shows smoke and flames coming from the wing of the plane, CNN affiliate KRIV reported. A flight attendant can be heard in the video asking for passengers to stay in their seats. “No, it’s on fire!” one passenger replies. The 104 passengers and five crew members aboard the aircraft evacuated on the runway using slides and stairs and have been rebooked on an afternoon flight, a United Airlines spokesperson told CNN in a statement. https://www.yahoo.com/news/united-airlines-flight-houston-york-173833063.html What we know about the Learjet crash in Philadelphia A medical transport jet crashed in Philadelphia shortly after takeoff on Friday. Six people were on board the Learjet plane when it went down, authorities said. The aircraft had departed Northeast Philadelphia Airport and was headed to Springfield-Branson National Airport in Missouri. A medical transport jet crashed on Friday in northeast Philadelphia. The Learjet 55 had six people on board when it went down shortly after departing Northeast Philadelphia Airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Flight operator Jet Rescue Air Ambulance said in a statement that four crew members and two passengers — a pediatric patient and her mother — were on the flight. It said there were no survivors. Mexico's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on X that all six people on board were Mexican. In a press briefing on Saturday, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker said that at least one other person died as a result of the crash. The person was in a car when the plane went down, she said. Parker added that at least 19 others had been injured but that that number may change. Video footage of the incident circulating on social media seems to show the plane hurtling toward the ground followed by a large explosion. Data from Flightradar24 shows the aircraft, which was headed to Springfield-Branson National Airport in Missouri, had been in service for 43 years. It shows the plane took off shortly after 6 p.m. local time and crashed in less than a minute, "less than three miles from the end of the runway." The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have since launched an investigation into the incident. NTSB investigator Ralph Hicks said during a press conference on Saturday that the aircraft arrived at the Northeast Philadelphia Airport around 2:15 p.m. on Friday and was on the ground for a few hours before departing at around 6:06 p.m. The aircraft climbed to about 1,500 feet above the ground before the crash. Officials are classifying the incident as an "accident," Jennifer Homendy, NTSB chairman, said at the press conference. In a post on Truth Social, President Donald Trump said: "So sad to see the plane go down in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania." "More innocent souls lost. Our people are totally engaged. First Responders are already being given credit for doing a great job. More to follow. God Bless you all." The incident comes days after an American Airlines flight crashed into a military helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, killing 67 people. https://www.yahoo.com/news/know-learjet-crash-philadelphia-113658151.html DC plane crash: NTSB on air traffic control tower staffing, last-second communications The National Transportation Safety Board said there were five people in the air traffic control tower at Reagan Washington National Airport during the Jan. 29 collision of a passenger jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter that left 67 people dead. The agency also gave other updates on its investigation, including plans to have a complete transcription of the communications among the aircraft and traffic controllers available Sunday, NTSB member Todd Inman said Saturday during a press briefing. Breaking down the audio communications currently available, lead investigator Brice Banning said that after the air traffic control tower directed the Black Hawk helicopter to pass behind the plane at about 8:47 p.m. ET, seconds later there was a "verbal reaction" from the plane crew and flight data showed the plane begin to increase in pitch just before sounds of impact. Recovery efforts continue in the Potomac River near Alexandria, Va., on the morning of Jan. 30, the day after a passenger jet collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter above Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Va., on Jan. 29, 2025. The five personnel in the air traffic control tower included an operations supervisor with oversight of the tower and an operations supervisor in training, Inman said. When asked about the staffing in the control in the tower at the time of the accident and whether it was adequate or typical, Inman said, "Typical over time can change based on the day of the week, the time, the weather. So we will not categorize anything as typical right now until we can present it in a better fashion." The Washington Post had reported on Friday that according to a government report, tower staffing levels at the time was “not normal.” DC plane crash: Mapping the flight paths that put jet and helicopter on collision course https://www.yahoo.com/news/dc-plane-crash-ntsb-air-011942818.html Black box found from medical jet that crashed in Northeast Philadelphia, NTSB says A black box from the medical jet that crashed in Northeast Philadelphia has been found, sources told Action News on Sunday. PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The cockpit voice recorder, commonly known as a 'black box,' has been recovered from the medical jet that crashed in Northeast Philadelphia. The National Transportation Safety Board said Sunday evening that the box was found eight feet underground at the site of the impact. The crash left a crater in the street, but sources tell Action News the black box was in "decent shape." Black boxes are key pieces of evidence after a plane crash, since they can potentially hold crucial data to help investigators from the NTSB understand what went wrong. A small medical transport jet carrying a child and her mother along with four other people was in the air for less than a minute before coming down in a fiery crash. The NTSB also said it has recovered the plane's enhanced ground proximity warning system (EGPWS), which could also contain flight data. The components will be sent to the NTSB Vehicle Recorders Laboratory in Washington, D.C. for evaluation, officials said. NTSB investigators have also recovered both engines. Wreckage recovery will continue on Monday, and all of the wreckage will be sent to a secure location in Delaware for further examination. Investigators also continue to ask that videos or photos of Friday's crash be sent to witness@ntsb.gov to help in the investigation. Also on Sunday, the NTSB released new video of the scene where the jet hit the ground. It shows the scale of the crater left behind by the impact. It also shows the scene around the crash, including several burned-out cars. We've also now learned the names of all six people aboard the medical jet who perished when the plane crashed on Friday evening. All of the victims on board the plane were from Mexico. The NTSB says Learjet 55 was traveling to Missouri before headed to Mexico when it crashed less than a minute after take-off, causing a massive explosion. Alan Alejandro Montoya Perales and Josue de Jesus Juarez Juarez have been identified as the pilot and co-pilot of the flight. Paramedic Rodrigo Lopez Padilla and Dr. Raul Meza Arredondo were also aboard the plane. Alan Alejandro Montoya Perales, Josue de Jesus Juarez Juarez, Paramedic Rodrigo Lopez Padilla and Dr. Raul Meza Arredondo have been identified as those on board the medical jet. They were traveling with the pediatric patient, 11-year-old Valentina Guzman Murillo, and her mother, 31-year-old Lizaeth Murillo Osuna. Valentina Guzman Murillo was in Philadelphia to receive care fromShriners Children's Hospital in Philadelphia. A person inside a car was also killed. That person has not yet been identified. "Our city continues to mourn their loss and they are in our thoughts and prayers," said Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker. The city said Sunday the number of people injured rose to 22. Five of those people are still hospitalized, with another three in critical condition. But local leaders say there could be more victims, so they're urging residents to check on their neighbors. "If there is somebody who you think may have been in this area, and they're missing and they haven't checked in, and you can't reach them or they live there, call 911," said the city's managing director, Adam Thiel. He said he joint investigation team consisting of local, state and federal partners remain on the ground to assist people and assess the damage. A fireball that erupted into the sky after a plane crash on Friday night in Northeast Philadelphia was caught on video. At least 11 residential properties are impacted. "They have a lot of processing yet to do of the scene. We have not yet recovered everything we need to recover from the scene," Thiel said. Some lanes of the Roosevelt Boulevard have reopened in the area of the crash, with the roadway expected to be fully reopened by the morning rush on Monday. Mayor Cherelle Parker said there will be a town hall meeting on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. where residents can get more information. However, the location for that town hall has not yet been determined. https://6abc.com/post/black-box-found-medical-jet-crashed-northeast-philadelphia-sources/15858101/ VAST Effort Explores Helicopter Safety Rating System System would encourage operators to add equipment to prevent accidents A range of experts representing helicopter manufacturers worldwide as well as EASA and the FAA want to encourage use of helicopter safety equipment. A rating system that assesses the benefits of safety equipment could incentivize helicopter operators to add the equipment even in the absence of regulatory mandates, according to a report published by the Vertical Aviation Safety Team (VAST). The VAST Rotorcraft Safety Rating Concept Special Working Group created the “Investigation of a Rotorcraft Safety Rating Concept” report. The safety rating concept is gaining new interest, partly because the International Helicopter Safety Team established in 2005 hasn’t seen the same accident reduction success as the Commercial Aircraft Safety Team, which achieved a more than 80% reduction in fatalities in 10 years among U.S. airlines. According to the report, “The IHST effort did not have the same results, and the 80% target was not reached. The IHST efforts continued past the original 10-year mandate and a slow, continuous decrease in the accident rate has been noted over the years.” A rating system is not a new idea and was considered by EASA, then later the International Oil and Gas Producers-Aviation Sub Committee and HeliOffshore. The FAA proposed ratings for rotorcraft design and equipment in 2020. “The establishment of the Vertical Aviation Safety Team (VAST) in 2021 facilitated the opportunity to create a dedicated working group to study a proof of concept for a helicopter safety rating scheme,” according to the working group. There are significant challenges to developing and implementing a rating system for helicopters, and the working group contrasted new car assessment programs (NCAP) with a helicopter rating system that would have to address products that last for 40 to 50 years, across multiple generations. Cars have a much shorter life cycle, although the working group’s claim that this ranges from three to six years may be inaccurate. IHS Markit estimates average age of U.S. vehicles at 11.6 years. The car-helicopter comparison is also weakened because of their different operating environments. “Cars are driven on highways that are relatively homogeneous. Helicopters are flown in a wide variety of missions, in vastly differing conditions, with differing equipment installed,” according to the working group. “Rating a helicopter and any subsequent comparison thus requires knowledge of the mission, conditions, equipment, etc.” Helicopters are certified under two sets of regulations, Part 27 for lighter machines and Part 29 for larger, more complex rotorcraft. This could require two separate rating systems. There is also an implicit bias toward new aircraft, according to the working group, and this assumes that newer aircraft are safer. But this might not be the case since there could be unknown problems that aren’t revealed until a new aircraft operates in the field. Older aircraft have proven their reliability, and it doesn’t make sense to automatically rate them lower than new aircraft. Looking at automotive rating systems, the working group pointed out that the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration introduced its 5-Star rating system in 2010, but the overall vehicle score isn’t impacted by available advanced safety technologies. The European NCAP, however, does take into account safety-assist features and thus “shows good correlation” for a helicopter rating system. Yet, the working group explained, “The analysis of real-world fleet helicopter experience has yet to prove out the proposed helicopter rating system.” The overall benefit of a rating system would be to drive safety improvements in helicopters, both old and new. “A simple, transparent rating system would benefit operators/owners as they could easily identify those features that could be added to their current fleet to increase overall safety. And, if the insurance industry were to participate, it may also help decrease insurance costs.” An interesting aspect of the working group’s efforts is the focus on technical factors as opportunities for safety improvements, without considering human error, which is the predominant cause of helicopter accidents. Human factors expert Doug Shappell addressed this question, highlighting the fact that it is possible to design aircraft and their systems to take into account human behavior and decision-making, to reduce “the likelihood of human errors or [reduce] the accident severity if the system fails to prevent the error from occurring,” according to the working group. “Human error is inevitable, but by understanding human factors, we can design systems that reduce the likelihood of errors and improve safety in aviation,” Shappell explained. “This project utilized accident data to identify those systems that would directly counter the most prolific causal factors,” the working group added, “and introduce those systems and propose a concept for measuring potential derived benefits.” To categorize accident types that could benefit from enhanced technologies that would help prevent accidents or improve occupant survivability, the working group chose two higher-level accident categories that reduced the complexity of the accident-type analysis: loss of control and collisions. The five helicopter OEMs that participated in the working group provided statistics that showed loss of control accounting for 27% of accidents and collisions another 27%. “There was some variation from one OEM to another in percentages, but the overarching theme was that loss of control and collisions together accounted for at least 50% of accidents for four out of the five OEMs. This assessment gave the working group an assurance that a safety rating prototype could have the most impact if it focused on enhanced technologies installed on the helicopter that could potentially change the outcomes of accidents due to loss of control and collisions.” Loss of control includes: unintended flight into IMC and low-visibility scenarios; vortex ring state; turbulence; and handling deficiencies. Collisions include midair collisions with aircraft or wildlife; wire strikes; and striking other objects. The selected technologies to be rated need to help prevent the above or with survivability if an accident occurs due to the above causes. They must have a supplemental type certificate and also be available for retrofit or new aircraft installation. The working group showed examples of potential ratings that include weighting factors that favor certain types of added equipment. For example, an autopilot is weighted higher for loss of control prevention than a data collection system. The types of equipment and ratings also recognize the mission and what that mission requires. It doesn’t make sense to rate the benefits of floats for a helicopter that flies only over land. For now, the rating scheme “is offered as a proof of concept for further validation tailored to the unique requirements of various industry stakeholders,” according to the working group. “While several project participants tested the proposed safety rating scheme extensively in representative use cases, further testing and validation by OEMs, operators, and key stakeholders is essential. “The use of a rating system in the rotorcraft industry may be an extremely challenging but viable option. The process and effort to create this independent organization would require careful evaluation by the VAST and stakeholder organizations. The rotorcraft industry simply cannot test, certify, and integrate emerging technologies at the rapid pace routinely demonstrated in the automobile industry. The pace of integration and certification will, however, enable careful consideration of newly introduced safety technologies in future versions of a rotorcraft safety rating.” The working group acknowledged that it hasn’t considered who might administer the rating scheme, although it should be an independent entity. “There is potential for an industry group or the insurance industry to provide that function.” According to the working group, “The safety rating is at a proof-of-concept stage.” While it starts with addressing the needs of light helicopters as their accident rate is the highest, it should eventually address medium and heavy helicopters and multi-mission operations. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2025-01-03/vast-effort-explores-helicopter-safety-rating-system Another Flight Redirected To Avoid Hitting Aircraft At Reagan National Airport Hours Before Deadly Crash Only a day before the crash at Reagan National Airport that left all passengers dead, another flight was redirected minutes before touchdown. As American Airlines Flight 5210 made its final approach to Reagan National Airport, the passenger plane was told of its last-minute change to the landing. As the plane was only 1,100 meters above the runway, it was instructed to pull up to avoid a collision. A passenger on board, Marcus Webster, an experienced flier, told of the nerve-wracking experience. "We're approaching the ground and then man, all of a sudden, you just kind of felt it dip a little bit and then the nose just went right back up into the air," he said. As a seasoned flier, he knows how the approach should be performed. This one was very irregular. As the flight was redirected over Reagan National Airport, the pilot came over the tannoy. "Pilot gets on, and he's like, 'Yea, sorry folks, Air Traffic Control called and said we were getting a little too close to another aircraft so they diverted us back around,'" Webster said, looking back. "He was stuttering a little bit, So that would tell me that he was a little bit worked up." Passengers Won't Be Using Reagan National After Redirected Flight Marcus Webster said he wouldn't be using the Reagan National Airport again after his plane was redirected. The near miss their plane had was only hours before the fatal crash that killed all on board. The heavily populated airspace and understaffed airport are too much risk for him. When asked how he would be returning home he said he would be using another airport. A near miss, just hours before a disaster, is enough to put anyone off. The fatal crash was caused by busy airspace, and the airport clearly couldn't handle it. The plane that was redirected over Reagan National was the second in the 24 period before the crash. It is still unclear what went wrong leading up to the collision. However, the amount of rerouted planes coming into land signifies issues with air traffic control. Many people will be avoiding flying from or two there as a result. https://www.wideopencountry.com/another-flight-redirected-to-avoid-hitting-aircraft-at-reagan-national-airport-hours-before-deadly-crash/ No Indian airline makes in world's safest list; one makes it to low-cost rankings Airline Ratings' report evaluates the safety of low-cost carriers globally, with IndiGo ranking 19th this year. Five U.S. budget airlines made the top 25: Frontier (5), Southwest (9), Sun Country (15), JetBlue (17), and Allegiant Air (21). Spirit Airlines, previously a regular on the list, was excluded from the 2025 ranking due to its recent bankruptcy filing. For nervous fliers who grip their armrests at every bump, the reassurance that air travel is the safest mode of transportation often falls flat. While no ranking can eliminate in-flight jitters, the annual list of the world’s safest airlines from Airline Ratings offers a helpful guide for those seeking extra peace of mind in the skies. Annually, aviation experts from the site evaluate nearly 400 airlines based on various safety criteria, including serious incidents over the past two years, overall incident rates, recent fatal accidents, regulatory audits, fleet age and size, pilot training standards, and financial stability. That last category might sound irrelevant, but “financial instability within an airline can lead to significant operational challenges, automatically disqualifying it as a candidate” for the list, according to Airline Ratings CEO Sharon Petersen. 25 safest low-cost airlines Airline Ratings’ report analyzes the safety credentials of low-cost carriers around the world, an aviation category which gets its own annual list. This year, IndiGo secured the 19th spot on the list. Five budget carriers from the US were included in the top 25: Frontier (number 5), Southwest (9), Sun Country (15), JetBlue (17), and Allegiant Air (21), which made the list again after being cut in 2024. Spirit Airlines, which has consistently ranked on the list for several years, was left off of the 2025 edition due to its recent bankruptcy filing. The first place low-cost ranking went to Hong Kong Express, a newcomer debuting on this year’s list. The fast-growing airline, which is a subsidiary of Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific, hasn’t “had any serious incidents and maintains a relatively flawless safety record,” according to Airline Ratings. Other newbies joining the ranks this year are Japanese carrier Zipair (23), UK airline Jet2 (14), and Latvian carrier Air Baltic (25). Hong Kong Express Jetstar Group Ryanair easyJet Frontier Airlines AirAsia Wizz Air VietJet Air Southwest Airlines Volaris flydubai Norwegian Vueling Jet2 Sun Country Airlines WestJet JetBlue Airways Air Arabia IndiGo Eurowings Allegiant Air Cebu Pacific ZipAir SKY Airline Air Baltic Top 25 safest airlines in the world Air New Zealand Qantas Cathay Pacific; Qatar Airways; Emirates Virgin Australia Etihad Airways ANA EVA Air Korean Air Alaska Airlines Turkish Airlines (THY) TAP Portugal Hawaiian Airlines American Airlines SAS British Airways Iberia Finnair Lufthansa/Swiss JAL Air Canada Delta Airlines Vietnam Airlines United Airlines https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/nri/visit/indigo-safest-airlines-in-the-world-and-the-only-indian-airline-to-make-it-to-the-list/articleshow/117880256.cms?from=mdr Critical FAA warning system restored after outage NOTAM is a computer system that sends alerts to pilots about conditions that could affect the safety of their flights Critical FAA warning system restored after outage A critical aviation warning system that went down Saturday has been restored to working order, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Sunday. "It went down last night. A backup system was activated. As of right now, the lead system is online and working," Duffy told CNN. When the primary NOTAM system went down Saturday night, Duffy posted on X "there may be some residual delays" to flights Sunday morning. "This is the system where pilots download their information; their flight details before they fly. So, if the NOTAM system doesn't work, planes don't fly," Duffy said. "But there was minimal disruption." By shortly before noon ET Sunday, there were 1,313 delays and 80 cancellations to flights within, into or out of the US, according to flight tracker FlightAware. NOTAM, which stands for Notice to Air Missions, is a computer system that sends alerts to pilots about conditions that could affect the safety of their flights. That could include information about lights being out on a runway, a tower near an airport not having the required safety lights working - or an air show taking place in the air space nearby. It is separate from the air traffic control system that keeps planes a safe distance from each other, but it's another critical tool for air safety. The system has gone down before; an outage in January 2023 briefly halted all US flights. "There's a process in place right now to get this system fixed. We want to expedite that and get this new system in place," Duffy said. "This is an old system that needs to be upgraded." https://abc7chicago.com/post/critical-faa-notam-system-restored-outage/15859764/ CALENDAR OF EVENTS • · Sponsor the 2025 Fuzion Safety Conference! March 4 & 5, 2025 (Orlando) • · "Automation in Transportation: Lessons for Safe Implementation," on March 11-12, 2025, in Washington, DC. • · 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 • CHC Safety & Quality Summit, 11th – 13th November 2025, Vancouver, BC Canada Curt Lewis