Flight Safety Information - February 24, 2025 No. 039 In This Issue : Accident: Wideroe DH8D near Molde on Feb 21st 2025, turbulence causes injuries : Accident: Delta A333 near Dublin on Feb 22nd 2025, smell of smoke and fumes : Incident: Eurowings A321 near Lisbon on Feb 22nd 2025, smoke in cabin : Incident: Delta A359 at Los Angeles on Feb 22nd 2025, unruly galley : Incident: Arabia Maroc A320 at Tangier on Feb 21st 2025, flaps failure : Incident: France A332 over Atlantic on Feb 21st 2025, suspected fuel leak : Boeing 747-467F (ER) - Engine Failure (Hong Kong) : Boeing 777-212ER - Engine Failure (Atlantic Ocean) : Diverted American Airlines flight escorted by Italian fighter jets after 'bomb threat' : US FAA advises 757 cargo-door tests and cleaning after in-flight opening incidents : Frontier Airlines Describes Jet Bridges As The "Kiss Of Death" For Efficiency : Calendar of Events Accident: Wideroe DH8D near Molde on Feb 21st 2025, turbulence causes injuries A Wideroe de Havilland Dash 8-400, registration LN-WDP performing flight WF-516 from Bergen to Molde (Norway) with 62 people on board, was decending through about FL130 towards Molde when the aircraft encountered turbulence. The crew subsequently decided to return to Bergen, climbed the aircraft to FL200 and landed in Bergen without further incident about 50 minutes later. The aircraft returned to service about 15 hours after landing. Passengers reported a number of passengers, not wearing seat belts, were lifted out of their seats and impacted the cabin ceiling. A number of passengers became nauseous and some vomitted. Local police reported two people received minor injuries. Police have opened an investigation into the occurrence. The airline reported the aircraft experienced severe turbulence causing minor injuries to a passenger and one member of the crew. https://avherald.com/h?article=52477e7f&opt=0 Accident: Delta A333 near Dublin on Feb 22nd 2025, smell of smoke and fumes A Delta Airlines Airbus A330-300, registration N819NW performing flight DL-135 from Amsterdam (Netherlands) to Detroit,MI (USA), was enroute at FL350 about 320nm northnorthwest of Dublin (Ireland) when the crew decided to divert to Dublin reporting there had been a strange odour on board that made a number of flight attendants feel unwell. The aircraft landed safely on Dublin's runway 28L about 65 minutes later and taxied to the gate advising their brakes just got a bit warm. Passengers reported there was a smell on board which made flight attendants feel unwell. The aircraft remained on the ground in Dublin for about 25 hours, then departed Dublin as flight DL-9935 to Detroit. https://avherald.com/h?article=52477ba5&opt=0 Incident: Eurowings A321 near Lisbon on Feb 22nd 2025, smoke in cabin An Eurowings Airbus A321-200, registration D-AIDP performing flight EW-7526 from Hamburg (Germany) to Fuerteventura,CI (Spain), was enroute at FL350 about 60nm northeast of Lisbon (Portugal) when the crew donned their oxygen masks, declared Mayday reporting smoke in the cabin and decided to divert to Lisbon, where the aircraft landed safely 20 about 17 minutes later. The aircraft is still on the ground in Lisbon about 32 hours after landing. https://avherald.com/h?article=524777bb&opt=0 Incident: Delta A359 at Los Angeles on Feb 22nd 2025, unruly galley A Delta Airlines Airbus A350-900, registration N514DN performing flight DL-43 from Los Angeles,CA (USA) to Sydney,NS (Australia) with 162 passengers and 15 crew, was climbing out of Los Angeles' runway 25R when the crew stopped the climb at 10,000 feet reporting smoke in a galley and decided to return to Los Angeles. The aircraft landed safely back on Los Angeles' runway 25L about 30 minutes after departure. After landing the crew advised they did no longer have any smoke condition on board, there had not been any smoke in the cockpit, however, just in case the crew requested medical services available at the gate in case of any smoke inhalation. The crew was advised that their gate 30 was still occupied and stated, they had smoke and fumes on board and needed to go to a gate. The crew was told that aircraft would push back within 2 minutes, the crew replied they started rolling. The aircraft taxied to the apron with emergency services in trail. The airline reported smoke was detected in one of the galleys prompting the return. The flight was cancelled. https://avherald.com/h?article=52477254&opt=0 Incident: Arabia Maroc A320 at Tangier on Feb 21st 2025, flaps failure An Air Arabia Maroc Airbus A320-200, registration CN-NMR performing flight 3O-114 from Brussels (Belgium) to Tangier (Morocco), was on approach to Tangier's runway 28 when the crew initiated a go around due to the flaps becoming stuck when being deployed to position 1. The aircraft positioned for another approach to runway 28 and landed safely at a higher speed than normal (about 160 knots over ground). The aircraft remained on the ground in Tangier for about 24 hours before returning to service. https://avherald.com/h?article=5247676d&opt=0 Incident: France A332 over Atlantic on Feb 21st 2025, suspected fuel leak An Air France Airbus A330-200, registration F-GZCM performing flight AF-446 from Paris Charles de Gaulle (France) to Sint Maarten (Sint Maarten), was enroute at FL400 about 1200nm southsoutheast of Gander,NL (Canada) when the crew decided to divert to Gander. The aircraft landed safely on Gander's runway 03 about 3 hours later. The airline reported the crew diverted to Gander as a precaution suspecting a fuel leak. A replacement aircraft is being dispatched to Gander. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Gander about 18 hours after landing. https://avherald.com/h?article=5246a5e7&opt=0 Boeing 747-467F (ER) - Engine Failure (Hong Kong) Date: Sunday 23 February 2025 Time: Type: Boeing 747-467F (ER) Owner/operator: Cathay Pacific Airways Registration: B-LIF MSN: 36871/1417 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: Unknown Category: Incident Location: near Hong Kong - Hong Kong Phase: Unknown Nature: Cargo Departure airport: Hong Kong-Chek Lap Kok International Airport (HKG/VHHH) Destination airport: Singapore-Changi International Airport (SIN/WSSS) Confidence Rating: Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources Narrative: Cathay Pacific flight CX3179, a Boeing 747-467F(ER), suffered an engine failure after departure from HKG. The aircraft returned and landed back at HKG, about 50 minutes after takeoff. https://asn.flightsafety.org/wikibase/479908 Boeing 777-212ER - Engine Failure (Atlantic Ocean) Date: Sunday 23 February 2025 Time: c. 08:00 UTC Type: Boeing 777-212ER Owner/operator: Nordwind Registration: RA-73341 MSN: 28533/471 Year of manufacture: 2004 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: Unknown Category: Incident Location: over Norwegian Sea - Atlantic Ocean Phase: En route Nature: Passenger Departure airport: Moskva-Sheremetyevo Airport (SVO/UUEE) Destination airport: Cayo Coco/Jardines del Rey Airport (CCC/MUCC) Confidence Rating: Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources Narrative: Nordwind flight N4551, a Boeing 777-212ER, suffered an engine failure while en route over the Norwegian Sea. The flight turned around and diverted to St. Petersburg Airport (LED). https://asn.flightsafety.org/wikibase/479922 Diverted American Airlines flight escorted by Italian fighter jets after 'bomb threat' Flight 292 landed at Rome's Leonardo da Vinci Rome Fiumicino Airport "due to a possible security issue". The airline later said the threat "was determined to be non-credible". An American Airlines flight travelling from New York to New Delhi was diverted midair due to a "bomb threat". Flight 292 landed at Rome's Leonardo da Vinci Rome Fiumicino Airport "due to a possible security issue," the airline said in a statement on Sunday, adding later the threat "was determined to be non-credible". The airline did not clarify what the security issue was, but a source familiar with the situation told Sky News' US partner network NBC News it was a bomb threat sent via email. The Federal Aviation Administration said the crew reported the security issue. "Safety and security are our top priorities, and we apologise to our customers for the inconvenience," the airline said in a statement. The flight requested a diversion to Rome's Leonardo da Vinci Rome Fiumicino Airport at around 2pm local time, Roberto Rao, a spokesperson for the airport. "We immediately agreed and organised a safe landing," Mr Rao told NBC News. "We don't know what the security concern was, but my opinion is that it was serious enough to divert the plane, but not urgent, because we received the alert when the plane was over the Caspian Sea, a three hours' flight from Rome." Once in Italian airspace, the plane was escorted by two Italian air force fighter jets and landed in Rome at around 5.30pm local time. The flight on the ground in Rome. Pic: AP 'What's going on here?' Neeraj Chopra, one of the 199 passengers on board, said the captain announced the plane had to turn around about three hours before it was supposed to land in New Delhi because of a change in "security status". Mr Chopra, who was traveling to India to visit family, described the mood on board as calm until the captain later announced that fighter jets would be escorting their plane to Rome. "I felt a little panic of, okay, what's going on here?" Mr Chopra told the Associated Press. "There's got to be like something bigger going on here." Jonathan Bacon, 22, added that once on the ground, all passengers were loaded on to buses and taken to the terminal, where each passenger and their personal items underwent additional security screenings that were time-consuming and felt "slightly heightened". More than two hours after landing, Mr Bacon and his friend said they were still waiting for their checked baggage. "It was definitely the longest flight to Europe I've ever taken," he said. American Airlines said the plane was inspected and cleared to depart again for New Delhi "as soon as possible" on Monday, after the crew gets some rest. https://news.sky.com/story/diverted-american-airlines-flight-escorted-by-italian-fighter-jets-after-bomb-threat-13316127 US FAA advises 757 cargo-door tests and cleaning after in-flight opening incidents US safety regulators are recommending a series of check on certain Boeing 757-200 converted freighters, after an incident in which the main cargo door opened during flight. The US FAA has stopped short of issuing an airworthiness directive but, in a safety information bulletin, highlights the occurrence in February 2021 during which the main door opened while the DHL Air aircraft was climbing out of Leipzig. While the crew observed a sudden cabin pressure problem, there was no instrument indication that the door had malfunctioned or opened. The aircraft had been modified by Precision Conversions, including installation of the hydraulically-operated main cargo door, plus mechanical latches and locking hooks to secure it shut during flight. Proximity sensors provide signals to confirm the door is locked and latched, and a warning system is supposed to alert the crew to potential anomalies. This 757 suffered an in-flight opening of its main cargo door while climbing out of Leipzig Precision Conversions’ most recent revision of its 757 operations manual is supplemented with specific procedures for opening and closing the main door. Its maintenance manual also contains particular servicing and testing processes including cleaning of view-port mirrors and windows, and painting of latches and lock pins. The FAA bulletin recommends that operators perform ‘door-open’, ‘door-closed’ and ‘latched and locked’ test procedures, detailed in the Precision Conversions documents, every 5,000 cycles. Operators should inspect view-port mirrors and windows for “smudges, debris and other contaminants”, it adds, and check the latches and lock pins for “paint defects” – carrying out the documented cleaning and painting procedures if required. Crews should also follow procedures for operating in cold weather, including removal of snow or ice around the cargo door and its mechanisms, and consider the need for additional inspections in freezing fog or icing conditions. Although the bulletin only mentions the Leipzig incident, Russian federal air transport regulator Rosaviatsia referenced a similar occurrence to a Precision Conversions 757-200 freighter operated by Yakutia, as part of a notification on a series of in-flight door events in December 2014. While the jet was being unloaded at Magadan on 5 December 2014, the main cargo door was periodically opened and closed over a period of 8h in snow, gusting winds, and temperatures of around minus 20-25°C. The aircraft took off for Shijiazhuang in China the following day, with no freight on board, but the crew received a warning that the cargo door was not secure, followed by the door’s lifting to its fully-open position. It subsequently returned to Magadan where its landed safely. Inspection of the jet found compacted ice and snow in the vicinity of the door locking mechanisms and proximity switches. https://www.flightglobal.com/safety/us-faa-advises-757-cargo-door-tests-and-cleaning-after-in-flight-opening-incidents/161928.article CALENDAR OF EVENTS · · Sponsor the 2025 Fuzion Safety Conference! 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