Flight Safety Information - February 4, 2025 No. 025 In This Issue : Incident: Lufthansa B748 enroute on Jan 19th 2025, captain incapacitated : Incident: Easyjet Europe A20N at Sal on Feb 1st 2025, bird strike : Accident: Wisconsin CRJ2 at Chicago on Feb 1st 2025, aircraft topples tow truck over : Incident: Delta A333 at Minneapolis on Feb 2nd 2025, flaps problem on departure : Incident: PGA E190 at Hamburg on Feb 2nd 2025, nose gear steering problem : Airport Workers Accused of Leaking Plane Crash Footage to CNN Arrested : Delta flight from New York to Florida diverted to North Carolina due to 'odor in the cabin' : DC plane crash data show conflicting altitude readings from American Airlines jet and military helicopter : NTSB Recovers Black Box From Learjet 55 Medevac Crash : ‘Out of nowhere’: FAA investigating after 6-foot ice chunk falls from sky in Palm Coast : South Korea to rebuild aviation safety system 'from the ground up' after crash, plane fire : Southwest Airlines cancels all flights at Reno-Tahoe airport due to high winds : Calendar of Events Incident: Lufthansa B748 enroute on Jan 19th 2025, captain incapacitated A Lufthansa Boeing 747-8, registration D-ABYF performing flight LH-463 from Miami,FL (USA) to Frankfurt/Main (Germany), was enroute at FL350 about 140nm west of Gander,NL (Canada) when the crew decided to turn around and divert to Montreal,QC (Canada) reporting the captain had become incapacitated. The aircraft landed in Montreal about 2:20 hours later. The Canadian TSB reported the captain became ill in the crew rest area. The senior first officer assumed command, the first officer summoned to the cockpit. Two flight attendants provided first aid. Considering the weather the crew decided to divert to Montreal, the crew declared emergency, dumped fuel enroute to Montreal, the aircraft landed in Montreal without further incident. https://avherald.com/h?article=523a4b88&opt=0 Incident: Easyjet Europe A20N at Sal on Feb 1st 2025, bird strike An Easyjet Europe Airbus A320-200N, registration OE-LSR performing flight U2-7781 from Porto (Protugal) to Sal (Cape Verde), was on approach to Sal's runway 01 when a bird impacted the aircraft. The aircraft continued for a safe landing. The aircraft was unable to continue service and is still on the ground in Sal about 48 hours later. A replacement Airbus A320-200N registration OE-LSP was dispatched to Sal the following day with maintenance engineers on board and took the passengers to Porto with a delay of about 17.5 hours. https://avherald.com/h?article=523a3495&opt=0 Accident: Wisconsin CRJ2 at Chicago on Feb 1st 2025, aircraft topples tow truck over An Air Wisconsin Canadair CRJ-200 on behalf of American Airlines, registration N420AW performing flight AA-6181 from Kalamazoo,MI to Chicago O'Hare,IL (USA), landed safely in Chicago and taxied to the apron. While taxiing the wing of the aircraft toppled a tow tug over, who was attempting to cross the taxiway, trapping the driver (64) underneath the vehicle and causing critical injuries. The driver was taken to a hospital where he could be stabilized. Police reported the driver received critical injuries to his head and lower body, but could be stabilized in hospital. The airline reported the passengers and crew were bussed to the terminal following the accident. United reported the tug was one of theirs. https://avherald.com/h?article=523a3189&opt=0 Incident: Delta A333 at Minneapolis on Feb 2nd 2025, flaps problem on departure A Delta Airlines Airbus A330-300, registration N827NW performing flight DL-160 from Minneapolis,MN (USA) to Amsterdam (Netherlands) with 286 people on board, was climbing out of Minneapolis' runway 30L when the crew stopped the climb at 5000 feet reporting problems with the flaps. The aircraft entered a hold to troubleshoot and burn off fuel and landed safely on Minneapolis' runway 22 about 70 minutes after departure. The aircraft is still on the ground about 17 hours after landing. https://avherald.com/h?article=523a2f58&opt=0 Incident: PGA E190 at Hamburg on Feb 2nd 2025, nose gear steering problem A PGA Portugalia Embraer ERJ-190 on behalf of TAP Air Portugal, registration CS-TPY performing flight TP-564 from Lisbon (Portugal) to Hamburg (Germany), was on final approach to Hamburg's runway 15 when the crew initiated a go around due to a problem with the gear. The aircraft positioned for another approach to runway 15 and landed safely about 25 minutes after the go around. The aircraft was towed to the apron. Passengers reported the crew announced a problem with the steering. https://avherald.com/h?article=523a2dc3&opt=0 Airport Workers Accused of Leaking Plane Crash Footage to CNN Arrested Two Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority employees have been arrested and charged with leaking official airport records after apparent surveillance footage from Reagan National Airport showing last week’s collision between an American Airlines jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter was shown on CNN. Mohamed Lamine Mbengue, 21, of Rockville, Maryland, was charged Friday with computer trespass for “making an unauthorized copy of Airports Authority records,” authority spokeswoman Crystal Nosal said, according to The Washington Post. Two days later, 45-year-old Jonathan Savoy of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, was charged with the same crime. Both were booked and released. The security footage they are alleged to have provided to CNN was shown Friday morning on News Central. On the night of the collision, the network showed footage obtained from an EarthCam camera positioned on Washington, D.C.‘s Kennedy Center. EarthCam footage is available to the public. The collision remains under investigation by various agencies. https://www.yahoo.com/news/airport-workers-accused-leaking-plane-021612017.html Delta flight from New York to Florida diverted to North Carolina due to 'odor in the cabin' Passengers on board a Delta Air Lines flight from New York City to Orlando were diverted to Raleigh due to an "odor in the cabin," airline officials confirmed. A Delta Air Lines spokesperson told Fox News Digital that Delta Flight 2090 was traveling from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York to Orlando, Florida, on Saturday afternoon when it was diverted to Raleigh, North Carolina, for an issue. "Flight 2090 on February 1 from New York – John F. Kennedy (JFK) to Orlando (MCO) diverted to Raleigh (RDU) and landed safely after an odor was detected in the cabin," the statement from the airline read. "We apologize to our customers for their delay in travel." The airline said 158 passengers were on board the flight. Customers were moved to a new plane Saturday evening or reaccommodated on earlier flights to their final destinations, the airline official said. It was not immediately known what caused the mysterious odor. Another airline also experienced plane issues over the weekend, after a passenger on board a United Airlines flight from Houston to New York shared footage of the wing catching fire during takeoff. Flight Attendant Takes To Reddit For Passenger ‘Pet Peeves,’ Sparks Social Media Outpouring The FAA said they are conducting an investigation into the incident. The airline said passengers were deplaned on the runway via a combination of slides and stairs and were bused to the terminal. Officials said there were no injuries and all passengers were moved to another plane to continue to their destination. The FAA said they will investigate the incident. https://www.yahoo.com/news/delta-flight-york-florida-diverted-220011086.html DC plane crash data show conflicting altitude readings from American Airlines jet and military helicopter Readings have been compared from the black box recovered from American Eagle flight 5342 and the air traffic control tower about the Black Hawk helicopter Preliminary flight data from the deadly mid-air collision between an American Airlines jet and a U.S. military Black Hawk helicopter in Washington, DC has shown a significant discrepancy in altitude readings between the aircraft upon collision. Data from the flight recorder inside American Eagle flight 5342 suggested it was cruising at about 325ft, with a 25ft margin of error on either side, when the aircraft collided over the Potomac River, adjacent to Reagan National Airport at 8:53 p.m. last Wednesday, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. However, data gathered from the air traffic control tower read that the military helicopter was flying at an altitude of about 200ft upon colliding with the commercial plane. The approximate 100ft discrepancy has not yet been explained. Officials hope that flight data from the Black Hawk’s black box may reconcile the altitude differences. Investigators are working to extract moisture from the device which was retrieved from the Potomac River Thursday. Two black boxes from the American Airlines plane were also recovered with a cockpit voice recorder and a flight data recorder being taken for lab analysis, the NTSB said Friday. They also said they plan to refine the tower data, which could be less reliable. The agency’s investigator in charge of the case, Brice Banning, said the plane's “crew had a verbal reaction” with an increase in pitch – the upward movement of the aircraft’s nose – recorded, followed by the sounds of impact one second later. It is not immediately clear whether it meant the pilots were trying to avoid the crash. The Independent has contacted the NTSB for more information. Officials have not yet unveiled the cause of the collision that is believed to have taken the lives of 67 passengers and crew traveling on the two aircraft, with 55 bodies being recovered from the Potomac River’s icy waters by Saturday evening. However, President Donald Trump said Friday that the Black Hawk helicopter was flying “too high” and “far above its 200 foot limit.” He added: “That’s not really too complicated to understand, is it???” People with knowledge of the matter admitted that the helicopter was flying 100 feet above its maximum altitude, according to The New York Times. A preliminary report by the Federal Aviation Administration also found that staffing at the Ronald Reagan Airport air traffic control tower was “not normal” at the time of the deadly collision between the aircraft. An air traffic controller was given the job of two people after one worker clocked off early on the evening of the crash, a source told The Times. On Sunday, DC Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly said divers still need to find the bodies of 12 victims who are unaccounted for. Teenage figure skating stars, a civil rights attorney and a former beauty pageant winner were among those killed in the devastating crash. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was set to oversee crews begin lifting the rest of the American Airlines regional jet from the bottom of the Potomac River on Monday, Colonel Francis Pera told the Washington Post. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/dc-plane-crash-washington-altitude-data-b2691302.html NTSB Recovers Black Box From Learjet 55 Medevac Crash The National Transportation Safety Board ( NTSB ) has recovered the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and enhanced ground proximity warning system (EGPWS), with the latter potentially containing flight data, from the Jet Rescue Air Ambulance Learjet 55 that crashed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on January 31. Recovering recorders In a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, the NTSB said that it recovered the CVR, which was located at the site of initial impact, at a depth of 8 feet (2.4 meters). Further information on the board’s site indicated that the investigators also found the EGPWS of the Learjet 55 , which could contain flight data. “Investigators have recovered both engines. Wreckage recovery continues tomorrow, and all of the wreckage will be sent to a secure location in Delaware for further examination.” - NTSB While the NTSB said that it had obtained surveillance videos of the crash and received multiple witness statements, it has invited residents who have either videos or pictures of the event to send them to the investigative board. During a media briefing on February 1, Jennifer Homendy, the Chair of the NTSB, praised the board’s capabilities to repair and go through ‘black boxes,’ and stated that the CVR was critical to understanding what was going on in the cockpit of the Learjet 55. The media briefing was done before the investigators located the CVR. “It does not mean that we cannot continue our investigation and complete it. We can, it is just a piece of our investigation that gives us more information.” Losing radio contact The Jet Rescue Air Ambulance Learjet 55, registered as XA-UCI, crashed shortly after taking off from Northeast Philadelphia Airport (PNE), plunging into the ground around a minute after departing the airport in Pennsylvania on January 31. Air traffic control audio indicated that while the pilot of the private jet, which was heading to Springfield-Branson National Airport (SGF), responded to instructions to switch radio frequency to the departures of Philadelphia TRACON (Terminal Radar Approach Control)/ATCT (ATC Tower), the aircraft’s crew did not respond to subsequent inquiries from ATC. Flightradar24's data showed that the aircraft’s peak altitude was 1,650 ft (502.92 m) before it began losing altitude and eventually crashed into the ground. According to a statement shared by Cherelle Parker, the Mayor of Philadelphia, six people onboard the aircraft and one person on the ground perished in the crash. 19 other people have been treated at local hospitals. Steep descent into the ground During the same media briefing on February 1, Ralph Hicks, Senior Air Safety Investigator at the NTSB, disclosed that the Learjet 55 made a slight right and then a slight left turn before its steep descent toward the ground, with the total flight time being less than a minute. Homendy added that this was a high-impact crash, with the aircraft being highly fragmented, adding that there was a substantial impact on the entire community since the debris field extends four or five blocks. “I do want to stress that this is an active investigation scene. The debris is scattered everywhere, and it is very dangerous, so I encourage everyone to stay out of the accident site. It is very dangerous.” At the time, Homendy said that while the NTSB had located the two engines, it still could not locate the CVR, warning that the recorder was likely damaged or even fragmented. The Chair added that, despite the NTSB launching two major accident investigations, with the other being the accident involving a PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 and the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk that collided near Washington Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA), it is a “very highly skilled agency” and that it was not unusual for the board to handle two major accidents at once. https://simpleflying.com/ntsb-recovers-black-box-learjet-55-medevac-crash/ South Korea to rebuild aviation safety system 'from the ground up' after crash, plane fire SEOUL – South Korea aims to rebuild its aviation safety system from scratch, the transport ministry said on Tuesday, launching a new committee to improve air travel in the country that suffered two major aviation incidents a month apart. "In order to restore trust in our country's aviation safety system, the government will make a determined effort to rebuild the aviation safety system from the ground up," Deputy Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Baek Won-kuk will tell the committee, the ministry statement said. The government must address aviation safety as a top priority, he added. In the deadliest air disaster ever on South Korean soil, a plane belonging to budget airline Jeju Air crashed at the country's Muan airport on Dec. 29, killing all but two of the 181 passengers and crew members on board. Duck remains were found in both engines of the plane, a preliminary investigation report said, indicating bird strikes occurred before the crash. Air accidents are nearly always caused by a combination of factors, according to experts. The Boeing 737-800 was carrying 181 people from Thailand to South Korea when it crashed on arrival on December 29, killing everyone aboard -- save two flight attendants pulled from the twisted wreckage of the worst aviation disaster on South Korean soil. Last week, an Air Busan plane was engulfed in flames at Busan's international airport as the low-cost carrier's jet prepared to depart, with all on board evacuated safely. The fire was first detected by a flight attendant in an overhead luggage bin in the rear of the plane, Air Busan has said. Investigations into the causes of both incidents are ongoing. The 10-week committee will include private sector experts and will look at issues including maintenance and aircraft utilization rates at budget airlines, and airport construction and operation. In response to the Jeju Air crash, which saw the plane belly land but then plough into a concrete embankment supporting navigation equipment past the end of Muan's runway, authorities already said they would amend similar structures at seven airports around the country. https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/airline-news/2025/02/04/south-korea-rebuild-aviation-safety-system/78188603007/ Southwest Airlines cancels all flights at Reno-Tahoe airport due to high winds All Southwest Airlines flights at Reno-Tahoe International Airport were canceled Monday due to high winds from a winter storm system. Flight cancellations, diversions and delays were expected to continue Monday, according to Reno airport spokesperson Nicolle Staten. At least 30 flights were canceled Monday. Staten said the airport saw six diversions Monday and six Sunday. A high-wind warning remains in effect until 10 p.m. tonight, according to the National Weather Service. Most flights were redirected to Los Angeles, Sacramento or San Francisco, according to FlightAware. Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle. "Passengers should continue to check flight status updates directly with their airline before heading to the airport," Staten said. https://www.rgj.com/story/travel/2025/02/03/southwest-airlines-cancels-flights-reno-tahoe-airport/7819627 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 • ISASI ANNUAL SEMINAR 2025'September 29, 2025 – October 3, 2025, DENVER, COLORADO • CHC Safety & Quality Summit, 11th – 13th November 2025, Vancouver, BC Canada Curt Lewis