SAFETY MAGAZINE ISSUE 02/VJC-SQA . QUARTER III/2023

SAFETY MAGAZINE ISSUE 02/VJC-SQA . QUARTER III/2023

Chief Editor: Bui Thi Hang Translator: Nguyen Hoai Thu Designer: Ha Thi Kieu Chinh Website: vietjethome.com/van-hoa-an-toan

SAFETY IS EVERYONE’S RESPONSIBILITY

Email: safety@vietjetair.com

“INTERNAL ONLY”

CONTENTS 01.

05.

EDITORIAL NOTE

WHAT DOES THE CABIN CREW NOTICE WHEN WELCOMING PASSENGERS ONBOARD?

Hoang Hai Trinh SQA Director

02.

Nguyen Thi Thuy Trang Safety Executive

06.

TRAINING FOR UP-COMING VJGS ISAGO CERTIFICATION

SMOKING ONBOARD

Truong Hai Long

Flight Operation Safety Executive

Nguyen Tran Hue Tien

SSQA Manager of VJGS

03.

07.

ENHANCE FLIGHT OPERATION SAFETY

FATIGUE MANAGEMENT IN AVIATION OPERATIONS – GIVEN SOLUTIONS TO ADDRESS/IMPROVE

Captain Basel Taleb Al-Shahrour Deputy Director of Flight Operations/ Safety Pilot

Vu Anh Tuan OQA Deputy Manager

04.

08.

INTERMITTENT REPETITIVE DEFECT

SAFETY REWARD

Nguyen Quang Thanh Deputy Safety Manager

EDITORIAL NOTE Dear Aviation Colleagues, Vietjet Air is sailing safely through the peak operations season of 2023 summer with great commercial achievement. This evidenced through volume of our passengers increased 53% and Cargo increased 65% compared to same period of 2022 and international operations expansion to Australia, India, China…

This heartening return of passengers and Cargo to the skies showed the resilience of aviation sector and highlights why we must continue to always keep safety first, especially as the pace of the recovery accelerates to levels seen before pandemic.

With this recovery target at sight, aviation personnel from across the air transport system remain focused on raising the bar for safety. And to face this travel demand, it was necessary to go extra mile for safety together. Vietjet family’s collectively effort extended to our operational team of ground operations, pilots, cabin crew, technical personnel and back-office staff and everyone working for a safety and great customer experience of Vietjet company.

This constant changing of aviation industry poses great opportunity as well as risk exposure for VietJet operations and we must work together to manage and significantly reduce the risks by taking safety beyond compliance, managing risks, and implementing sound safety governance. Viet-

jet share the constant need to continuously develop our people in aviation, to get back to the basics, and to share safety lesson learned. This commitment demonstrated by several special projects implemented throughout our organization such as FAST (Final Approach Standardization Training), upgraded Airfase with Teledyne, Skywise, inhouse IATA Training courses…etc.

Even with the incident rate remained very low as today, we cannot afford to be complacent. It is our call to continuously enhance the safety of Vietjet operations, because at the end of the day, we all expect zero accidents and to arrive home safely with our family and loved ones.

Sincerely wish everyone successful and safe flying.

HOANG HAI TRINH SQA Director

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TRAINING FOR UP-COMING VJGS ISAGO CERTIFICATION Mr. Truong Hai Long SSQA Manager of VJGS With the target for ISAGO certification in Q1/2024, from 25 Jul 2023 to 10 Aug 2023, VJGS has organized 02 training courses about the system, ground operations audit standards instructed by experienced personnel of VJ SQA department and GO division.

ISAGO certification is a recognition that all management systems, processes, procedures are satisfied with ISAGO Standards and Recommended Practices (GOSARPs) stipulated in ISAGO Standards Manual – GOSM. Contents of ISAGO awareness includes General system, GOSARPs, document system requirements, preparation and conducting audit, root cause analysis and corrective/ preventive actions.

All participants are properly trained with a deep understanding of ISAGO program, GOSARPs in order to establish a clear and consistent management system that meets ISAGO requirements.

The course objective is to standardize ground operations in conformance with international standards; improve ground operation safety and reduce expenses raised by accidents/ incidents with an efficient quality/ safety/ risk management system.

In addition, ISAGO certification will: 

Improve VJGS’s competency in ground operation service supplying.



Identify VJGS’s image and trademark.



Support to VJGS’s integration process into the global ground operation services.

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ENHANCE FLIGHT OPERATION SAFETY

During Quarter 2 2023, we have experienced a very high number of flight during the peak season. We sincerely appreciate and congratulate all Flight Crew for their great efforts, continuous support and high safety standards.

In order to mitigate the risk, Flight Operations Division is continuing to enhance Flight Operation Safety. There will be an enhancement in monitoring and training Instructors for Final Approach Standardization Training (FAST). We will have a team of experts joining us for a few weeks to educate our instructors and pilots in Final approach and landing technique. This training is essential for overall improvement of our pilots.

Over the years, we are seeing the same issues related to Approach and Landing techniques that are listed below: Approach events: High speed  High rate of descend speed during approach  Late configuration  Bank High in approach  GPWS Caution (Sink rate and Glideslope) 

Common errors: Speed greater than 210kts at 3000’AAL and greater than 180kts 2000’AAL.  Not identifying tailwind during approach  Incorrect interception of glideslope (interception technique from above) leading to high vertical speed and high energy during the approach.  Incorrect Configuration management – Late flap setting Possible Undesired Aircraft State:  Flap above VFE and possible damage to flap/slat component or system. Also, over time it may lead to seal damage/missing 

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Captain Basel Taleb Al-Shahrour Deputy Director of Flight Operations/ Safety Pilot

Loss of control in flight.  High speed above safe regime.  Insufficient thrust during approach (engines not spooled up during approach). Low energy and low speed can be hazardous in case of windshear or go around.  Pitch low in approach – dive towards the ground. 

Possible outcome if not mitigated (accident scenario)

Runway overrun  Runway excursion  Controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) 

Mitigations:

Follow Airbus Golden rules. It can never be emphasized enough and many errors can be avoided if pilots follow these rules: 1. Fly, Navigate, Communicate – In that order with the appropriate task-sharing 2. Use appropriate level of automation at all times 3. Understand the FMA at all times 4. Take action if things do not go as expected. 

Briefings can help pilots to enhance their common goals and strategy during the flight.

Pilots should include in the arrival briefing; Airport Level, Stabilization height and speed restrictions during the approach which can greatly enhance pilot resilience and situational/environmental awareness.  PF and PM should continuously monitor flight parameters and trajectory and announce deviations and intentions. 

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

PF and PM should always monitor wind direction and wind velocity by receiving information from ATC, ATIS, Weather charts and most accurately through all phases of flight; Navigation Display (ND).



It can easily be recognized if the wind velocity is high during the approach and pilots may change the approach strategy for an early stabilization technique instead of decelerated approach.

Height and distance monitoring – especially during shortcuts. It is essential to continuously monitor your profile during arrival and approach. Pilots should plan ahead and advise each other in case the aircraft is too high on profile.

There are several options to avoid unnecessary dive and high rate of descents. If under radar control, the pilots may request delay vectoring to loose height or even plan for glideslope interception from above. There is no shame in advising “Unable” when vectored too high or discontinuing the approach.

When the flight is within the TMA; pilots should use drag devices instead of increasing speed to loose height. By increasing speed, the track miles are quickly shortened and it may be difficult to control the energy. It is not recommended to force the approach when the flight is too high above profile.

Landing events: Engine Reversers selected before touchdown Late flare  Pitch rate high at landing  Pitch low before touchdown  Early flare  Speed low before touchdown  Late thrust reduction  Long flare exceeding the touchdown zone (Passed the 900meter marker)  



Short flare before touch down point (before 300meters from beginning of the runway)

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Common errors and Mitigation: 

Incorrect hand position on the thrust lever during

the landing phase. Often the pilot moves the reverse lever up while retarding the thrust lever. This has no impact during flight, however this action is hazardous during touch down because the flight crew are committed to perform a full stop landing – and no rejected landing or go around may be performed. The corrective action is not to place the hand on the reverse lever during thrust retardation. Thrust reversers must be set only when the pilots has assured a safe landing. 

Early/Late flare due to pilot perception or illusion. Pilots may refer to OM part C and Jeppesen charts to understand about the common treats and runway information (lighting, slope etc). Also, early flare technique should be performed when landing on upslope runways, high airport elevation, steep approach slope or during tailwinds.



Insufficient Flight Path management during landing.

There are differences in CEO vs NEO in flight path management during landing. NEO aircraft are usually nose heavy after thrust reduction and requires the pilot to anticipate “the nose drop” towards the ground. There are no magic recipe to perform a landing. Each landing requires skill and understanding of environment and aircraft characteristics. For the A321 NEO, during flare, the aft sidestick input may be needed progressively and a bit more than the A321 CEO. 

Sidestick overcontrol

Too many sidestick inputs are unnecessary. Based on normal law, the sidestick controllers set the elevator and THS to maintain the load factor proportional to sidestick deflection and independent of speed.With the sidestick at neutral, wings level, the system maintains 1g in pitch (corrected for pitch attitude), and there is no need for the flight crew to trim by changing speed or configuration. Therefore, if the aircraft

deviates from the intended flight path, the flight crew only needs to perform small corrections on the sidestick. If the flight crew senses an overcontrol, the sidestick should be released. (ref. FCOM-DISC-Flight control system).

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

Poor scanning technique -focusing too much on Flight Directors.

A proper scanning technique is essential to perform a safe landing. Focusing too much inside on the Flight Directors are only useful during IMC and instrument flight. When the pilot has the runway insight during the final approach, the attention should be divided to inside references (FD bars, Vertical speed, Glideslope, Localizer etc.) and external references (PAPI/VASI, centerline etc.)

There are no specific guideline for how much attention to be made on inside/external references, however a proper scan a few seconds inside and a few seconds outside would ensure a proper scan.

Fixation on certain instruments will not ensure safe trajectory, as well as omitting crucial instru-

ments may result in an unsafe flight path. 

Wrong seating- and arm rest position leading to inadequate judgement and control inputs.

Adjusting the seat position may be sometimes seen as an inconsequential step in the SOP. However, a poorly adjusted seating position can have significant effect on the pilot’s capability to make appropriate control inputs when flying or taxiing the aircraft.

Adjusting the seat to be correctly positioned with the pilots’ eyes level aligned with the Eye Reference Point ensures that all of the aircraft flight controls and systems control panels can be reached and operated properly. It is also crucial to ensure full visibility of all the instruments or displays in the cockpit. Finally, it provides the optimum position for the pilot’s field of view from the aircraft to enhance their situational awareness and have a correct perception of the flight path angle

during approach.

Flight crew should keep in mind that a seating adjustment done at the right time ensures comfort and accurate aircraft handling in the critical phases of flight. (Ref. Airbus safety first magazine, Are you properly seated?)

Possible outcome (Incident/accident scenario): 

Engine stall during Go around leading to LOC-I or CFIT



Firm/hard landing



Tailstrike



Wingstrike



Runway excursion



Runway overrun

Overall most of the safety events are related to approach and landing phases. We can not eliminate those events, however we may reduce them to an acceptable tolerance. It is therefore important that our flight crew are aware of these issue and are proactively working towards an improvement. That is our common goal and we may be able to see better statistics throughout the years to come.

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INTERMITTENT REPETITIVE DEFECT Mr Nguyen Quang Thanh Deputy Safety Manager Identifying, analysing, then fixing a failure is the standard troubleshooting scenario. However, how can you ensure that an intermittent failure is adequately fixed, to prevent undesired consequences?

A case of reversion to alternate law A320 flight crew noted an ECAM warning F/CTL ELAC 1 PITCH FAULT. They informed the maintenance team who then investigated. However, the fault did not show up during any of the ground checks. The aircraft was systematically released back into service by using ELAC resets and without further troubleshooting. After several flights, the aircraft experienced a F/CTL ELAC 2 PITCH FAULT which when combined with the latent F/CTL ELAC 1 PITCH FAULT led to the loss of flight control normal law and to a reversion to alternate law* F/CTL ALTN LAW. The crew landed safely, although extra monitoring was required in addition to their standard tasks.

The case above is a typical example of a repetitive failure combined with another single failure leading to more severe consequences on the aircraft systems and handling in flight. Limiting repetitive failures is key to prevent potentially aggravating situations. That is why repetitive failures should not be ignored and require an efficient monitoring process.

Why spotting intermittent repetitive failures can be difficult An intermittent failure is one that the maintenance team may not confirm on the ground when performing the fault confirmation test from the troubleshooting manual (TSM). This may be because the failure is only triggered during certain flight conditions (flight phase, humidity, temperature, …).

An intermittent failure becomes repetitive if not identified and fixed. The notion of repetition applies to failures that appear on a particular aircraft during the same or on different flights, and not necessarily consecutively. This may be despite maintenance actions being carried out as rectification attempts.

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Maintenance teams may be tempted to try to « fix » a failure by resetting computers. However, this may only clear the indication, with the failure remaining latent.

Inappropriate system resets may seem to be a "quick-fix" on the ground to dispatch the aircraft. But they are not consistent with TSM recommendations and are outside the scope of the applicable published Instructions for Continued Airworthiness (ICA). These resets can lead to hidden deteriorating conditions of the system and to unexpected side effects.

A320 circuit breakers used for computer reset.

3 keys to addressing repetitive failures 1. Report failures A failure not recorded by flight crew and not properly investigated by maintenance teams may, over time, combine with other independent failure, leading to a possible NO GO situation or to severe operational consequences such as rejected take off, air turnback.

Any failure should be recorded by the flight crew or the maintenance personnel. This includes: - Failures not monitored by systems, like noises or vibrations, as they will not trigger any ECAM alert or PFR record allowing maintenance to identify a repetition.

- Any reset of any computer as repetitive resets could indicate a permanent failure.

Proper reporting associated with an accurate review of maintenance history will allow efficient monitoring for identification of those failures to be considered as repetitive.

Example of TL entry.

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VJC OMA 8.1.11 Aircraft Technical Log requires: “All irregularities should be recorded even though they may be regarded as items that are "always that way". Recording these items is necessary until flight crew members are advised by an insert in the appropriate aircraft operating manual that maintenance is aware of the problem and that no further recording of that particular defect is necessary”.

2. Adopt an efficient system for monitoring Setting the thresholds.

Depending on regulation and depending on local authorities’ requirements, airlines may be required to put in place a system for detecting and managing repetitive failures in order to fix them as early as possible to ensure safety objectives are met.

The repetition, and the timeframe of repetition are the two main drivers. The key for successful monitoring is to understand where to set the associated threshold. Several factors need to be considered and adapted to the context. Some examples are:  frequency of the failure compared to the number of flights  aircraft configuration (MOD embodied, open MMEL items, …)  affected aircraft systems  potential spurious indications using CMS filter, TFU, ISI, …  engineering experience VJC MME 2.1.3.2 defines Repetitive defect as defect that repetes after 10 flight cycles.

Using an adapted monitoring tool It is recommended that maintenance teams carry out daily monitoring by using the aircraft data, logbook entries and associated maintenance actions. However, for longer-term monitoring, an adapted tool connected to raw data is a key enabler, such as the Airbus Skywise Health Monitoring (SHM) or a maintenance information system as this will automate the identification of repetitions.

Finally, the monitoring system has to be constantly challenged to confirm the selected monitoring thresholds are still appropriate to identify the targeted repetitions.

This example shows how Skywire monitoring system monitor aircraft repetitive defect.

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3. Troubleshoot on the ground When a fault or a crew observation is reported, the first step of troubleshooting for the maintenance teams is to confirm the failure on the ground by testing the system or reproducing it. The risk is that, in some instances, intermittent failures might not be confirmed and may be perceived as a spurious or and not further investigated. This risk is even more present if there are time or operational constraints.

In all cases, after three occurrences of a failure, even if it is still not confirmed, the Airbus troubleshooting manual (TSM) recommends applying the fault isolation steps until the failure has been resolved.

It is also recommended that maintenance teams to review maintenance history related to the defect through available maitenannce information system such as AMOS to aid troubleshooting.

Example of AMOS maintenance information system.

Source: Airbus FAST magazine.

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WHAT DO CABIN CREW NOTICE WHEN WELCOMING PASSENGER ONBOARD? Mrs Nguyen Thi Thuy Trang Safety Executive Air transport has always had situations related to safety and security arising on flights, the Airline always has to pay attention to every little detail to ensure the safety of passengers and for the flights. When greeting passengers on board, for safety and security, cabin crew always notice about passengers. So, what are things about the passengers that the cabin crew needs to observe? What do

they want to know about the passengers?

Cabin crew will observe if you are sick: If the passenger looks pale, sick – abnormal physical condition, especially pregnant women...Cabin crew can deny boarding a passenger, because they do not want flu virus to spread in a confined space and to transmit to others or do not want to handle a medical emergency or baby delivery during long-haul flight. In fact, no one expects serious medical problems to happen mid-air. Handling issues on the ground is always preferred. Although cabin crew have been trained basic first aid, obviously, they do not have sufficient equipment or tool to diagnose or treat you as a professional and experienced doctor.

Cabin crew will notice about passengers on the signs of being drunk or under the influence of a narcotic drug or any other substance which may disturb other passengers? Such passengers can be refused to board, or handed over to the airport authorities in case of not voluntarily complying. Deciding whether boarding or denied boarding depends on the assessment of the extent to which the risk affects flight safety.

The risk from passengers who have difficulty controlling their own behavior while in a state of intoxication or under the influence of stimulants in an environment with little oxygen is high.

Cabin crew also want to see if passengers are nervous or anxious: For some passengers who have phobia with flying, the feeling of belching, anxiety or insecurity is inevitable. Cabin crew will pay attention to whether passengers fall into this situation, so that comfort and encouragement would be offered promptly.

In case of emergency case, passengers who know how to coordinate with cabin crew to handle such situations are very precious. Immediately, if the cabin crew remember the faces and know where the person they are looking for is sitting, they will come and ask for help.

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Cabin crew will notice about passengers with disability: If you are a person with a disability, cabin crew will not let you sit in emergency exit rows. Cabin crew needs to ensure that passengers sitting in exit rows are capable of lifting objects weighing nearly 30kg or opening a door heavier than that, to avoid unfortunate situations from occurring. In addition, cabin crew also need to know the physical conditions of passengers to promptly provide additional assistance in emergencies, helping them not to be left behind.

Cabin crew also assess if there was any passenger trying to do something illegal? Such situations in which passengers try to hide their pets or objects that are not allowed to be carried in their bags... have happened before, so cabin crew are always alert for prompt handling.

Cabin crew also want to know if the passenger is likely to be aviation staff? especially crew members who have been trained aircraft safety procedures. In case of emergencies, coordination with cabin crew to handle the situation is very valuable.

To ensure security, safety and provide the best quality of service for passengers in each flight is not only the responsibility of the Airline but also of the passengers on that flight. Regularly learning and complying with all aviation security and safety regulations will help all passengers have a safe, satisfactory and happy flight in every business trip, family visit or dream destination.

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SMOKING, INCLUDING E-CIGARETTES, IS PROHIBITED ON AIRPLANES

Ms. Nguyen Tran Hue Tien Flight Operation Safety Executive

Inflight smoking today can create a chain of events resulting in a lifetime ban from flying, a large fine, and potentially jail time.

Long time ago, smoking on airplane was legal. There was a passenger airplane crash, having killed

many people, and the investigation concluded that the cause of the fire was a cigarette butt. In order to keep the airlines safe, the ban on smoking on board aircraft began to be imposed. Nowadays, inflight smoking is not allowed on all airlines and in all parts of the world. VietJet prohibits passengers from smoking on all flights to comply with regulatory requirements, to ensure flight safety as well as to keep passengers healthy.

Why is smoking not allowed on a plane?

The most obvious danger of smoking is fire (heat source). An inflight fire is the most serious/ dangerous emergency encountered by the crew. Though trained for this scenario in simulators, a midair fire in a confined space can be catastrophic.

Passengers, especially women and children who experience passive smoking in a confined space will be imposed health effects. The smell of stale cigarette smoke would cause inconvenience to other passengers. During aircraft maintenance operations, mechanics must regularly clean the air filter and remove the dust to keep better air ventilation through the pressure relief valve.

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What happens when a passenger smokes on the plane?

There are many smoke/fire alarm detectors located in the passenger cabin and aircraft lavatories.

These detection devices will immediately send alert signals to the pilot in the cockpit if there is overheating, smoke, or fire somewhere. Flight crew members who have been trained and equipped with different types of fire extinguishers will handle fire situations in the passenger cabin. However, in a confined and smoke-filled cabin, isolating and containing the fire can be difficult or impossible to control, leading to unpredictable consequences.

Regulations on smoking ban on airplanes, including electronic cigarettes, have been conveyed to passengers right from the time they purchase tickets, when checking in, in the lounge, and through the public announcement made by cabin crew before every flight. Acts of violating smoking ban regulation on airplanes is a violation against Vietnam’s law. Legal consequences may vary but will most likely involve a large fine or even imprisonment for causing serious consequences.

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How to reduce the number of in-flight smoking cases?

This is the question that is always most concerned by airlines. With the aim of minimizing violations and ensuring flight safety, VietJet has implemented as follows:  At airport terminals, ground staffs will remind passengers at check-in counters and inform them by signposts that smoking on board is prohibited.  During the flight, the cabin crew will make public announcement on smoking prohibition to passengers several times, in Vietnamese, English and the destination language.  The cabin crew closely monitor the passenger cabin during the flight, coordinate with airport security forces and aviation authorities to handle smoking cases in all VietJet’s domestic and international flights in compliance with regulations.

Flight Operations Division always encourage all crew members to submit safety reports, including types of smoking, e-cigarettes, vaporizers, and are willing to receive suggestions from the crew to further improve this issue.

In 1973, a Boeing 707 crashed on landing near Paris, 123 people died from smoke inhalation and the plane was forced to make an emergency landing. The cause was determined to be a fire in the rear toi-

let started by a cigarette butt. The fire spread throughout then passenger cabin and smoke rose around, causing the passengers to be poisoned with carbon monoxide.

Article 8, Clause 2 of the Decree No. 162/2018/ND-CP November 30, 2018 regulates: A fine ranging from VND 3,000,000 to VND 5,000,000 shall be imposed for committing the following violations: Smoking on board the aircraft, including e-cigarettes.

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FATIGUE MANAGEMENT IN AVIATION OPERATIONS – GIVEN SOLUTIONS TO ADDRESS/IMPROVE

Vu Anh Tuan OQA Deputy Manager

Fatigue is a term that describes a feeling of lacking energy, of the body feeling exhausted, of having no motivation left, or of lacking energy to work. In contrast, “feeling good” and “being energized” are manifestations of a healthy person, often resulting from a process of proper work and rest.

Fatigue can be a common symptom of many diseases or can also be in consequence of lifestyle, working environment or job-specific factors, such as sedentary lifestyle, lack of oxygen, working at high altitudes where there is intense solar radiation, in an environment with higher-than-normal electromagnetic waves or inappropriate work/rest and nutrition regime. Feeling sleepy is a manifestation of fatigue, the body is asking for rest so that the body's functional organs, especially the central nervous system, can rest to regain the necessary balance in biological activities which helps to create the premise for functional activities in the next period.

In aviation operations, to ensure the safety of each flight, ICAO has defined fatigue as "a physiological state of reduced mental or physical performance capability resulting from sleep loss or extended wakefulness, circadian phase, or workload”.

Difficulty concentrating and remembering, inaccurate manipulation, delay in making decisions, failure to assess events, depression, unconscious/fainting, or accidents/incidents while working, etc. can be a symptom/cause of prolonged fatigue.

Fatigue poses a hight risk to pilots, cabin crew and passengers as it significantly increases the likelihood of pilot error.

Fatigue is particularly common among pilots because “unforeseen extended flight duty periods cause circadian disruption or sleep deprivation”. These factors can occur together to create a combination of sleep deprivation and fatigue when the circadian clock is “working on time.” Aviation authorities have tried to reduce fatigue by flight time limitations and adequate rest requirements for pilots at weekly, monthly and yearly intervals.

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According to Vietnam Aviation Regulation (VAR) - Part 15 and the IOSA Standards - FLT 3.4.3A/ FLT3.4.3B, to make contribution to flight safety assurance, all flight information, flight time limitations, flight duty periods, rest requirements and also regulations on extended fligh duty periods and/or reduced rest periods must be established for all flight and cabin crew members. Flight duty periods are calculated in detail including time for ground duties and SIM training for flight instructors and part-time instructors. The above regulations have already been specified in VietJet’s operations manuals. It is documented that when the flight duty periods of flight and cabin crew members exceed the prescribed requirements (inadequate rest), the crew shall report to be arranged compen-

satory rest subsequently. (VJC’s OMA - Chapter 7; VJC’s CSM – Chapter 5).

In order to optimize resources and reduce operating costs, each airline has different policies on flight and cabin crew schedules to ensure compliance with the law and also cost harmonization in accordance with the specific operations of each airline. For the

purpose of reducing fatigue and ensuring fitness for duty for flight and cabin crew members, the airlines often have duty rosters in compliance with flight time limitations, rest periods as regulated by authorities. Crew are paired and scheduled to avoid getting bored flying many times on certain routes. Some airlines specify in their

manuals that after a long-haul flight, deadheading crew are rested on First Class seat or in a separate compartment on the return flight. Indeed, there are also airlines who pays attention to arrange fullyequipped hotels at out base or a quiet lounge for crew to rest after flight time until returning their home base. Achieving the above implemtation requires each airline to create balance scales with costs to ensure flight safety on one side againts its profit on the other. The expenses for the rest of crew members are also valuable/necessary to create professional attraction and promote the image/ class of each airline. It is such beneficial expense for improving and maintaining the long-term health of flight and cabin crew.

The proper utilization of flight and cabin crew resources in aviation operations is an expression of the humanity and artistry of each leader. This resource is a specific type of labor that can be neither trained in one or two day nor easy to recruit that exploiting resources optimally, complied the regulations of Vietnam and international aviation authorities, still having a satisfactory remuneration regime to not only ensure flight safety but also maintain strength and efficient utilization in the longrun is always a “hard nut to crack”; however, the airlines still have to achieve the implementation.

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VAR 15.007 Operator Responsibilities An Operator shall: a. Publish duty rosters sufficiently in advance to provide the opportunity for crew members to plan adequate rest b. Ensure that flight duty periods are planned in a way that enables crew members to remain sufficiently free from fatigue so that they can operate to a satisfactory level of safety under all circumstances; c. Specify reporting times that allow sufficient time for ground duties; d. Take into account the relationship between the frequency and pattern of flight duty periods and rest periods and give consideration to the cumulative effects of undertaking long duty hours combined with

minimum rest periods; e. Allocate duty patterns which avoid practices that cause a serious disruption of an established sleep/ work pattern, such as alternating day/night duties; f.

Comply with the provisions concerning disruptive schedules in accordance with this Part;

g. Provide rest periods of sufficient time to enable crew members to overcome the effects of the previous duties and to be rested by the start of the following flight duty period; h. Plan recurrent extended recovery rest periods and notify crew members sufficiently in advance; i.

Plan flight duties in order to be completed within the allowable flight duty period taking into account the time necessary for pre-flight duties, the sector and turnaround times;

j.

Change a schedule and/or crew arrangements if the actual operation exceeds the maximum flight duty period on more than 33% of the flight duties in that schedule during a scheduled seasonal period.

A few fatigue-related accident/incidents:  AA808 - DC-8, on August 18, 1993 crashed in Cuba. The investigation results identified pilot fatigue as the main cause.  KE801 crashed in Guam, killing 228 passengers and crew. The results of the investigation determined

that the pilot flying was tired and did not brief with the pilot monitoring about the procedure of ap-

proaching and descending below the minimum descent altitude.  On May 22, 2010, the IX 812 crashed while landing in Mangalore, India, killing 158 people on board.

The captain, who had dozed off during the flight, woke up but not fully alert before landing.  Pilot fatigue was identified as a possible cause of the Afriqiyah Airways’s 8U 771 crash on 12 May 2010,

killing 103 passengers and 11 crew members.  The pilot of flight 1002, Go Airline, on October 2008, during a 36-minute flight from Honolulu to Hilo,

fell asleep and flew 30 nautical miles over the destination. Then they woke up and landed safely. The day of the incident was the third consecutive day that both pilots started duty at 5:40 a.m.

(Source: ICAO)  It has been estimated that 4-7% of civil aviation incidents and accidents can be attributed to fatigued

pilots.  Over the past 16 years, fatigue has been associated with 250 fatalities in air carrier accidents.  There was a case that the crew fell asleep while flying into the airspace of another country and could

not be contacted. That country had to send military aircraft for escorting.

(Robert Sumwalt, NTSB vice chairman, said at an FAA symposium in July 2016) SAFETY MAGAZINE | 18

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SAFETY REWARD

Thanks to the individuals who have actively submitted OSR reports to Safety Department in the second Quarter.

Your reports are highly appreciated and taken action in accordingly!

Congratulations to the following individuals:

TIRSO N. C. MOLINA

NGUYỄN MINH NHỰT

LÊ TRƯỜNG KHANH 18

TRẦN VĂN BÍNH

FIRST OFFICER

CRS B1

PURSER

GO STAFF STATION SGN

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ISSUE 02 | OCT-2023

Any comments, feedback from VietJet’s members are very welcome. Your valued comments inputs were greatly contribute to a continuous improving of our management systems.

If you have suggestion or comment, please contact Safety Department at Safety@vietjetair.com or visit us on 8th Floor, VietJet Plaza