All Ops & safety articles – Page 92
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NewsParking-brake not applied before 777-300ER towbar accident
French investigators have found that an Air Canada Boeing 777-300ER’s parking-brake had not been applied before one of the individuals in a pushback tractor was injured as he worked to disconnect the towbar. The individual was a driver instructor and was training a tractor driver at the time of the ...
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NewsA320 close call at San Francisco highlighted NOTAM overload: ICAO forum
Overflight of a heavily-occupied taxiway by an Airbus A320 at San Francisco served as an illustration of the serious risks of overloading pilots with NOTAMs, an ICAO forum has heard, as the organisation initiates efforts to reduce unnecessary NOTAM information. The Air Canada jet’s crew, intending to land on runway ...
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NewsTUI 737 weight incident traced to ‘Miss’ interpretation of female passengers
Investigators have traced a take-off weight error on a TUI Airways Boeing 737-800 to a flaw introduced to a reservations system by international differences in the manner that female passengers are addressed. The reservations system had been upgraded during a period in which TUI Airways operations were suspended as a ...
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NewsMC-21 back in Moscow after completing natural icing tests
Source: United Aircraft Flight-test aircraft 73051 was transferred to Arkhangelsk for the natural icing tests
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NewsA380 caused conflicts after wrong turn during go-around
Pilots of a Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 incorrectly acted on a turn instruction during a go-around at Sydney, turning left instead of right and creating conflicts involving other traffic, investigators have determined. The aircraft (9V-SKQ) had aborted an ILS approach to runway 16R at about 1,000ft owing to windshear, as ...
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NewsAirbus switching A320neo family from mechanical to electronic rudder control
Airbus is aiming to replace the mechanical rudder controls on A320neo-family aircraft, switching to a full electric rudder system by early 2024. The modification will coincide with the entry into service of the long-range A321XLR which is being developed with the ‘E-rudder’ architecture in mind. While the initial delivery had ...
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NewsPilots back global campaign to cut excessive NOTAM burden
Cockpit crew representatives are backing efforts to overhaul of the NOTAM system this year, claiming that the repository of aeronautical information has become cluttered, inefficient and burdensome. Some 1.7 million NOTAMs were published in 2020. Even though this was a 5% reduction on the previous year, as a result of ...
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NewsUK signs up to co-operate with EU ramp inspection programme
Under a new post-Brexit agreement the UK Civil Aviation Authority is to be considered a full participating member of the European Union ramp inspection programme. The CAA had been part of the programme up to 31 December 2020, after which the UK completed its withdrawal from the EU. But it ...
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InterviewHow the RAF’s former chief intends to marshal a post-Brexit CAA
While the UK’s decision to leave EASA remains a source of contention, the CAA’s new chair Sir Stephen Hillier is determined that the agency can rise to the challenge and demonstrate its status as a “world-class regulator”.
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NewsAn-124 operators to conduct disc inspections after November engine failure
Ukrainian authorities have ordered detailed inspection of the fan discs on Ivchenko-Progress D-18T engines, following the destructive powerplant failure involving an Antonov An-124 last November. The state aviation administration says preliminary investigation results show the fan disc was the “source” of the failure at Novosibirsk, which resulted in multiple system ...
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NewsSwiss A220 engine shutdown traced to leak from unmodified oil cooler
Investigators have determined that a Swiss Airbus A220-100 engine shutdown during climb out of Paris was triggered by a faulty seal leading to a loss of oil pressure. The aircraft (HB-JBC) was en route to Zurich from Paris Charles de Gaulle and climbing through 22,000ft. Swiss investigation authority SUST says ...
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NewsEASA recommends 48-72h post-vaccination pause for aircrew
European safety regulators are advising aircrew to wait at least 48h, and up to 72h for single-crew operations, before engaging in flight-related tasks after being vaccinated against Covid-19. The precautionary measure arises from uncertainty as to whether in-flight conditions at cruise altitudes – including lower air pressure and the hypoxic ...
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NewsMC-21 transferred to northern Russia for natural icing test flights
One of the Irkut MC-21-300 test aircraft has been flown to Arkhangelsk in northern Russia to undergo natural icing certification tests. The aircraft, number 73051, is the same jet that was involved in a runway excursion at Moscow Zhukovsky in January while it was performing simulated single-engine approaches. Arkhangelsk is ...
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NewsPilot strike does not free SAS from compensation obligation: court
Scandinavian carrier SAS has lost a European court judgement over passenger compensation in the event of a strike by airline personnel, after a ruling that valid industrial action does not qualify as extraordinary circumstances. The European Court of Justice ruling contradicts a previous finding by Swedish consumer disputes board ARN ...
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NewsE195-E2 engine software upgrade ordered after A220 failure incidents
Operators of Embraer 195-E2 twinjets have been instructed to upgrade electronic engine-control software following inquiries into rotor disc failures on Airbus A220s. Both aircraft types use Pratt & Whitney geared-fan engines, and the architecture of the PW1900G powerplant on the E195-E2 is similar to that of the A220’s PW1500G. Investigators ...
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NewsSatcom radome vibrations prompt A220 ELT antenna checks
Airbus A220 operators are being instructed to check and replace emergency locator transmitter antennas, after incidents in which vortices from a communications radome generated vibrations resulting in antenna failure. One of the incidents resulted in the antenna separating from the aircraft and striking the vertical fin. Investigations have traced the ...
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NewsZig-zag microrelief on wings could reduce stall risk
Russian researchers are testing a wing surface modification with vortex generators aimed at reducing the risk of airflow separation and stall at high angles of attack. The work is being conducted at Moscow’s Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute and centres on surface microrelief featuring a zig-zag of vortex generators manufactured from polymer ...
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NewsEASA rejects Superjet door directive over ‘twisted slides’ concern
Sukhoi Superjet 100s will not be permitted to operate in Europe if power-assist systems for their exits have been de-activated, following concerns that evacuation could be hampered by flight attendants’ inability to open doors quickly. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency has chosen not to adopt a series of Russian ...
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NewsIcelandair unconcerned after volcano erupts near Keflavik hub
Icelandair believes a volcanic eruption which commenced near Reykjavik’s Keflavik airport will have only a limited effect on the flag-carrier’s operations. The eruption is close to the Fagradalsfjall peak some 20km south-east of the airport, which serves as Icelandair’s hub. According to the Icelandic Met Office it began on 19 ...
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NewsDid departure delays conspire to single-out shot-down 737?
One hazy aspect of last year’s fatal Iranian missile attack on a Boeing 737-800 centres on the circumstances through which the aircraft was singled out when other flights were also operating from Tehran’s Imam Khomeini airport. The Iranian Civil Aviation Organisation, which investigated the 8 January attack on Ukraine International ...