Flight Safety Information
Flight Safety Information June 20, 2017 - No. 123
ARGUS 2017 TRAINING COURSES Incident: Cathay Pacific B744 at Hong Kong on Jun 19th 2017, gear problem after departure Incident: British Airways B772 at Kuwait on Jun 16th 2017, engine shut down in flight Incident: Atlasjet B738 at Istanbul on Jun 18th 2017, lightning strike Phoenix flights cancelled because it's too hot for planes Here's a Free Study Guide for Passing the FAA's Commercial Drone Test FAA Boss Outlines Brexit Safety Concerns for UK Aviation Global demand for airline service lifts airplane forecast to new high EasyJet to deploy aircraft fault prediction tech Dubai's flying taxi to soar by year-end Airline industry facing a massive shortfall of pilots, survey says Sharp-nosed Japanese jetliner could be game changer for U.S. flyers Boeing planning on hypersonic jets for commercial flights Boeing launches new jet with flurry of orders GE Tells Boeing It Won't Join Three-Way Race on 797 Plane Engine NATS and CAAi sign international cooperation agreement BOWTIE RISK MANAGEMENT WORKSHOP...July 18 - 19, 2017 Position Available:...Operations Manager Flight Data Connect Magnetic space tug could target dead satellites Graduate Research Survey Request ADVERTISE WITH FLIGHT SAFETY INFORMATION Today's Photo
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Incident: Cathay Pacific B744 at Hong Kong on Jun 19th 2017, gear problem after departure
A Cathay Pacific Boeing 747-400 freighter, registration B-LIA performing freight flight CX-3290 from Hong Kong (China) to Anchorage,AK (USA), was climbing out of Hong Kong's runway 07L when the crew requested to stop the climb at 7000 feet reporting a gear problem and advised they would need to dump fuel and return to Hong Kong. The crew further advised they wanted to check whether there is any smoke from the right hand side, if not, they would start their fuel dump. The crew reported about 5 minutes later that they were now ready for a fuel dump, commenced fuel dump and returned to Hong Kong for a safe landing on runway 07L about 85 minutes after departure.
The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground for about 18 hours, then departed again and is estimated to reach Anchorage with a delay of about 19 hours.
http://avherald.com/h?article=4aa8ceee&opt=0
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Incident: British Airways B772 at Kuwait on Jun 16th 2017, engine shut down in flight
A British Airways Boeing 777-200, registration G-VIIH performing flight BA156 from Kuwait (Kuwait) to London Heathrow,EN (UK), was climbing out of Kuwait when the crew stopped the climb at FL160 reporting an engine (GE90) failure. The crew shut the engine down and returned to Kuwait for a safe landing on runway 33R about 45 minutes after departure.
Passengers reported the captain announced they had needed to shut one engine down.
The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Kuwait about 87 hours after landing back.
http://avherald.com/h?article=4aa8ccc1&opt=0
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Incident: Atlasjet B738 at Istanbul on Jun 18th 2017, lightning strike
An Atlasjet Boeing 737-800, registration TC-SNT performing flight KK-9764 from Istanbul (Turkey) to Tbilisi (Georgia), was climbing out of Istanbul when the crew stopped the climb at FL180 following a lightning strike and decided to return to Istanbul for a safe landing on runway 35L about 50 minutes after departure.
The occurrence aircraft received damage and remained on the ground for 10.5 hours before returning to service.
http://avherald.com/h?article=4aa8cabf&opt=0
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Phoenix flights cancelled because it's too hot for planes
A plane is silhouetted against the sky as it takes off from Heathrow Airport 19 December 2002 in London, England.
Even for Arizona, the temperatures are high - hot enough to stop flights
As temperatures climb in Phoenix, Arizona, more than 40 flights have been cancelled - because it is too hot for the planes to fly.
The weather forecast for the US city suggests temperatures could reach 120F (49C) on Tuesday.
That is higher than the operating temperature of some planes.
American Airlines announced it was cancelling dozens of flights scheduled to take off from Sky Harbor airport during the hottest part of the day.
The local Fox News affiliate in Phoenix said the cancellations mostly affected regional flights on the smaller Bombardier CRJ airliners, which have a maximum operating temperature of about 118F (48C).
The all-time record for temperatures in Phoenix is just slightly higher, at 122F, which hit on 26 June 1990.
The cancelled flights were scheduled to take off between 15:00 and 18:00 local time.
Why can't planes fly?
At higher temperatures, air has a lower density - it is thinner. That lower air density reduces how much lift is generated on an aircraft's wings - a core principle in aeronautics.
That, in turn, means the aircraft's engines need to generate more thrust to get airborne.
It's a well-known problem - a 2016 report from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) even warned that higher temperatures caused by climate change could "have severe consequences for aircraft take-off performance, where high altitudes or short runways limit the payload or even the fuel-carrying capacity".
Those problems are why many countries in the Middle East, and some high-altitude airports in South America, tend to schedule long flights for the evening or night, when it is cooler.
Bigger aircraft like Boeing 747s and Airbus models have a slightly higher operating temperature, and have not been affected by the heat in Phoenix.
An American Airlines statement provided to The Arizona Republic newspaper said those jets should be fine up to 126-127F (53C) - just a little higher than what is expected.
Those temperatures, however, are forecast for the aptly named Furnace Creek in Death Valley, in California, with some areas expecting new temperature records on Tuesday.
The Death Valley National Parks Service has issued a warning to visitors to avoid hiking after 10am, and to "travel prepared to survive".
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-40339730