Ethiopian crew faced a near impossible task of getting Max 8 back in control 

A simulator session flown by a US-based Boeing 737 Max crew has shown that the crew of the crashed Ethiopian ET302 flight faced a near impossible task to get their Max 8 back under control once the aircraft entered its crash sequence. 

The simulation mimicked the key portion of the aircraft’s crash sequence, which resulted in the death of 157 people in March, reports ATW Online. 

The US crew tested the simulation by setting up a 737 – Next Generation simulator at 10,000ft., 250kt. and 2 deg. nose up stabiliser trim – a similar scenario to what the ET302 crew would have faced before the crash.

The US crew found the task 'eye-opening'. Keeping the aircraft level required significant aft-column pressure from the captain and aerodynamic forces prevented the first officer from moving the trim wheel a full turn. The crew resorted to a little-known procedure called 'the roller coaster' to try to regain control. 

“I don’t think the situation would be survivable at 350kt. and below 5,000ft,” one of the simulator pilots said. “This is the sort of simulator experience airline crews need to gain an understanding of how runaway trim can make the aircraft very difficult to control, and how important it is to rehearse use of manual trim inputs.” 

For the full story see HERE.

Intense competition from high-speed rail and low-cost rivals blamed for redundancies 

Air France has announced 400 job cuts and a large scaling back of its domestic network. 

It plans to reduce its domestic capacity by 15 percent by the end of 2021 – meaning jobs will go. 

The Financial Times reported the airline had lost 90 percent of its market share on routes where high-speed trains connect Paris to the provinces in less than two hours.

It also criticised low-cost carriers for not contributing “to developing employment in the regions where they operate, taking advantage of European mobility and basing employees in jurisdictions with lower labour costs.”

Air France’s domestic business reported a loss of €189M in 2018, taking cumulative losses since 2013 to €717M. 

The airline will need careful navigation through redundancies. Last year, strikes over pay cost the company €335M, and caused the former Air France–KLM chief executive Jean-Marc Jannaillac to resign, after the union rejected a pay deal. 

For the full story see HERE.

No fatalities after plane slides into river

A chartered Boeing 737, carrying 143 people skidded off a runway and into the St Johns River in Florida. 

Radio New Zealand reports the plane was trying to land at a military base in a thunderstorm. No fatalities or critical injuries were reported, and the local sheriff said on Twitter that the 21 people taken to the hospital were all in good condition. 

A passenger, Cheryl Bormann, told CNN that the plan made a “really hard landing”. 

“We came down, the plane literally hit the ground and bounced, it was clear the pilot did not have total control of the plane, it bounced again,” she said. 

A spokesman for Boeing said the company was aware of the incident and was gathering information. 

For the full story see HERE.

Five dead after mid-air collision 

Two sightseeing planes carrying tourists from a cruise ship collided in mid-air near the Alaskan town of Ketchikan.

The New Zealand Herald reports at least five people were killed and 10 injured, in the incident involving a single-engine de Havilland Otter DHC-3 and single-engine de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver. 

Representatives of the flightseeing company, Taquan Air, said they had suspended operations while federal authorities investigate the crash. The National Transportation Board sent an elite investigation team from Washington DC. 

The weather conditions on the day of the crash included high overcast skies with 14 kph southeast winds.

For the full story see HERE.

Redundancies possible at Norwegian Air 

Norwegian Air Shuttle (NAS) announced possible redundancies for pilots at its London Gatwick airport base. 

Simple Flying reports NAS had had a string of bad luck. When it made the decision years ago to expand its fleet with the 787 Dreamliner and 737 Max it could not have forecast the issues the Boeing planes would encounter with engine issues and the now infamous computer automation issues. NAS profits were also impacted by the Gatwick drone incident in December last year. 

The 787 engine troubles and problems involving the 737 have grounded a number of the NAS fleet, requiring the airline to consider other options such as wet leases to continue services and minimise customer disruption. The downside for NAS employees, is the wet leases (with pilots and cabin crew), leave NAS planes, pilots and cabin crew grounded. 

NAS told Simple Flying that redundancies are a last resort. The airline is currently discussing options for part-time and unpaid leave with their employees.

For the full story see HERE.