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Simple Flying Aviation News Podcast
#277: British Airways Passenger Breaks Ankle Inflight, Boeing Marks 600 Deliveries In 2025
00:27:27
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A
Hello, my name is Tom Boone.
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B
And I'm Channing Reed.
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A
Welcome to a brand new episode of the Simple Flying Podcast where we'll give you the latest from the world of commercial aviation. Here's what we have for you this week.
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Coming up today, Tom will discuss an incident involving the Airbus A380 and two broken ankles before I take a look at the latest findings from the NTSB. As the investigation into the UPS MD11 crash continues.
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A
I'll then cover an incident that left an EasyJet A320 without pressurization, while Channing shares just how many new aircraft Boeing delivered last year.
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B
And finally, Tom will look at the return of Etihad's last A380.
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A
So now you know what's in store. Let's get on with the show. And I wanted to start with a story that serves as a bit of a reality check for anyone who thinks certain aircraft are just too big to be pushed around by the weather. We're looking at a recent incident involving a British Airways Airbus A380. And that means it's already time for
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B
Tom's A380 podcast.
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A
That's right. This week we're looking at registration Golf X Ray Lima Echo India, which was operating a standard transatlantic run from LAX to Heathrow. Now, usually when you're on the superjumbo, you feel a sense of insulation. It's a massive double decker and its sheer mass usually dampens out the bumps that would have a 737 or an A320 rattling like a tin can. But this particular flight, While cruising at 39,000ft south of Greenland, encountered a pocket of severe turbulence that proves the atmosphere just doesn't care how many engines or how big your aircraft is. Now, According to the UK's Air Accident Investigation Branch, or AAIB, they've got a report into this. They said the flight crew wasn't flying blind and in fact, they were using modern real time weather forecasting tools, which had caused them to already illuminate the seatbelt signs as a precaution. They knew the air over the North Atlantic was getting active. However, what they hit was a sudden, violent vertical displacement. The kind of clear air turbulence that remains the invisible ghost of aviation. Even with the signs on, the force was enough to throw occupants within the cabin. The result was unfortunately, serious. One passenger and one cabin crew member both sustained broken ankles. Now, I read in the report that the passenger had been asleep when the seatbelt sign went on, so they didn't notice and apparently they woke up and decided to go to the toilet at exactly the wrong moment. Now, you might be wondering how a bump leads to a break like that. It usually happens when the floor literally drops out from under you and then the aircraft catches the air again, sending you back down with multiple GS of force. For the cabin crew member, it's a bit of an occupational hazard we don't talk about enough. They're often the last ones to get to a jump seat because they're busy ensuring everyone else is buckled in. One thing I found quite interesting about this report was the discussion around the load factor. This aircraft, the A380, was carrying just 277passengers. So for an aircraft configured for 469, that's an incredibly light load, barely 60% capacity. And while the AAIB didn't blame the weight, it's a detail that some pilots might tell you makes a difference in how violent a vertical gust feels in the cockpit. Now, the aircraft continued to London without a diversion, which speaks to the structural integrity of modern aircraft. The plane itself was fine, but it highlights the limits of current forecasting. Despite having live weather apps and satellite based data, clear air turbulence remains notoriously difficult to pin down to a specific coordinate. The AAIB's conclusion was essentially a PSA for the industry. They noted that the seatbelt signs had been on and if they hadn't, the count would likely have been significantly. Reminder to all of us really, that the seatbelt sign isn't a suggestion, it's a data driven safety barrier. Even if the ride feels smooth, that invisible pocket of air is always a possibility and the captain will always have a reason for putting it on. Now, this incident also highlighted the importance of ground based medical advice services like Medlink, which the crew used to assess the injuries mid flight before deciding whether aid of aversion was necessary. It's a tough break literally for those involved, but a massive lesson in cabin safety for all of the rest of us.
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B
Yeah, absolutely. And you know, it is a little scary when you think about that sometimes, you know, especially in a long flight, you're not always thinking about, you know, there could be that chance of the clear air turbulence. And, you know, it does. Like you said, the atmosphere doesn't care about the aircraft, how big it is, how many engines it has, or how high the plane is flying. I know sometimes pilots will try to, you know, dodge the turbulence by changing altitudes and things like that. But yeah, that is a very unfortunate story. It actually reminds me of a story that we covered in 2024, where an American Airlines flight kind of similar hit a brief episode of turbulence and a passenger ended up fracturing their leg from that episode and they had to return. That flight was traveling from Sao Paulo, Brazil to Miami and it was at 38,000ft when that occurred too. So yes, it is definitely you have to make sure that your seatbelt is on at all times, even when you're seated and even when the seatbelt sign is off. Very unfortunate for that passenger getting up at just the wrong time there. But hopefully they will get better soon. And yeah, just serves as a great reminder to all of us we're gonna switch gears and talk about the latest in the investigation into the UPS MD11 crash that back in November. And that federal investigation is showing one of the key defects found on the plane's failed engine was a known issue among Boeing's service team, although Boeing didn't necessarily believe that it would lead to a, quote, safety of flight condition. Now in the NTSB's investigative update to its ongoing investigation of UPS Flight 2976, the agency said its team found a fatigue cracking and overstress failure across much of the bearing radio, which is inside the area that attached the plane's left engine to its wing. And in that now viral video, very hard to watch of that plane crashing, you can see the engine fully detaching from the aircraft. Investigators then went back into Boeing service data and confirmed the design of the bearing assembly was consistent with the original design of that part. Now, however, a Boeing service letter dated on February 7, 2011 told airlines that the company was aware of four previous bearing race failures on three different airplanes. Boeing had seen the fractures of the bearing race with the parts splitting in two and moving out of place. But Boeing told airlines its review of the bearing failure, quote, would not result in a safety of flight condition. Boeing said further regular inspections of the McDonnell Douglas MD11 airplanes would include a look at this bearing assembly, something that was scheduled for 60 month service intervals. And while the manufacturer used that service letter to discuss a new bearing assembly configuration, the installation of the parts was not prohibited. Now of course we do know some people might be a little confused that why is Boeing involved in this even though we're talking about a McDonnell Douglas airplane? Just some key facts about the MD11. It is the largest trijet in the world. It was launched by McDonnell Douglas in 1986 and was produced at a facility in Long Beach, Calif. It is also kind of a derivative of the DC10, although the MD11 is an updated version of that. Now, McDonnell Douglas merged with Boeing in 1997 to form the world's largest aerospace company. And then one year later, Boeing then announced that it would end MD11 production. So of course during that time and up until now, Boeing has been responsible for the MD11 since the company acquired McDonnell Douglas in the late and in a statement, Boeing representative said the company supports the NTSB's investigation and express condolences to the families of the victims. The manufacturer, as I said, one of the world's largest airplane manufacturers, has been under pressure in recent years over concerns about its quality control. We obviously know this from the Boeing 737 Max crashes. However, Boeing did not address the report's latest findings in its statement. Now, Boeing recommended that all MD11s would be grounded while the NTSB conducted its investigation. It's affected the operation of basically all the airlines that fly at the major carriers that fly the aircraft. UPS also announced that it would ground its fleet and the FAA issued a temporary ban on flying such planes, citing concerns that a similar engine detachment, quote, could result in a loss of continued safe flight and landing. Now, as the investigation continues and as a result of these findings, the NTSB said it will now review how the inspections of the Boeing assembly was incorporated, how UPS utilized the contents of the service letter into its regular maintenance, and what correspondence Boeing had with the FAA before and after the 2011 service letter was released. One other thing to note here, and this was in the preliminary findings and reports that we had pretty much right after this crash occurred, we did hear that this plane, specific plane that crashed was grounded for quite some time. It was going through a lot of maintenance and it had went through an engine replacement to my understanding, right before it crashed. So that's probably some information that the NTSB is also reviewing and of course it will be a major part of the investigation as it continues. But this major news, hearing this from the agency and who knows, we may not ever see the MD11 fly again. That's something that we have covered here. We're not sure yet, but it is definitely a development that we're going to have to continue to focus on as the days and months continue.
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A
Definitely, definitely. We'll definitely watch this space and keep our readers up to date. For my second story this week, I wanted to stay on the incident theme. And now we're looking at an incident that really highlights how the smallest oversight in a high pressure environment can lead to a serious situation. So this involves an EasyJet A320 Neo with the registration Golf Uniform Zulu Echo Foxtrot, which was operating a flight from Belfast International to Palma de ALLORCA back in April 2025. Now, the UK's AAIB recently closed its inquiry into this and it's a fascinating look at what happens when an aircraft is quite literally gasping for air. The flight was climbing towards its Cruise altitude of 39,000ft when the crew noticed something was wrong. The cabin wasn't pressurising. As the aircraft climbed, the cabin altitude began to rise steadily, which if left unchecked, leads to a hypoxic environment where there isn't enough oxygen for the passengers or crew to remain conscious. Now, here the crew followed protocol, initiating an emergency descent down to a flight level of 200. And that's when they found the culprit. It wasn't a mechanical failure or a leaky seal, it was a single button on the overhead panel, the ditching push button. Now, for those who aren't Familiar with the A320 cockpit, the ditching button is therefore exactly what it sounds like, an emergency water landing. When you press it, the aircraft closes all the openings below the flotation line, including the outflow valve, the emergency ram air inlet and the avionics ventilation valves. It basically tries to make the fuselage large as watertight as possible. But on the A320, selecting this button also inhibits the automatic pressurization system. So how did it end up on during a normal departure? Well, well, it all comes back to the de icing process. When an aircraft is being sprayed with de icing fluid, crews often select the ditching button to close the valves and prevent those de icing fumes from being sucked into the aircraft and potentially the cabin. It's a standard move to keep the air inside the plane clean while the trucks are working outside. In this specific case, the workload in the cockpit was high. They were dealing with the logistics of de icing taxi clearances, departure in cold weather and also running behind schedule. And I read in the report that it was was the co pilot's first time dealing with de icing. So somewhere in the shuffle of reconfiguring the cockpit after the de icing was complete, the ditching button was left engaged. Now, because this button was still pushed in, the aircraft's pressurization system was essentially locked out. It couldn't regulate the air. So as the plane climbed into the fin of the upper atmosphere, the cabin air just leaked out. Now, the AAIB classified this as a serious incident, not because anyone was hurt as the crew caught it in time and reset the system, but because of the potential risk it's A textbook example of checklist discipline versus situational awareness. When you're in a high workload phase like deicing, it's easy to miss a single light on a panel filled with buttons. Since the incident, both EasyJet and Airbus have taken safety actions looking at how to make that specific configuration error more obvious to crews before they reach the point of an emergency descent. It's a reminder that even in a neo, one of the most advanced narrow body jets in the sky, the human element is still the most critical part of the safety equation. It's not just about flying the plane, it's about making sure the plane is actually ready and configured for the environment it's about to enter.
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B
Yeah, absolutely. And like you said, the human element, those checklists are very important. It could just boil down to one switch in this case of the story. So, yeah, that's good thing that the passengers weren't impacted. But with the first officer, I have to say, maybe there's a first time for everything. Right? And I'm sure that that probably will never happen again. Lesson learned as we deal with that.
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Yeah, it's interesting because I was chatting to a pilot about this incident and they were basically saying, yeah, the checklist exists because somebody has made this mistake before you. Hopefully they'll see this has happened and it will be more in the front of their minds moving forwards.
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Yeah, there's a rule and the rule comes from experience. So, yeah, hopefully that won't ever happen again. And it could be a good reminder to pilots all around the world listening to the story. Oh, that's something that I need to check as well. Well, speaking of Airbus, they did a very wonderful job in 2025 in terms of aircraft deliveries. Boeing did the same as well. It actually bounced back in 2025 to deliver a total of 600 aircraft. Now, that is its highest annual jet delivery count since 2018. And it actually beat European rival Airbus. And it net orders for the first time in seven years. And this of course is a sign of turnaround for the US Planemaker, as after a series of incidents that I was mentioning earlier in the podcast. Now deliveries jumped by over 70% to 600 aircraft, as I said. And Boeing said earlier this week that it lagged the 793, although it lagged 793 aircraft that was delivered by Airbus. Boeing also booked 1,175 new orders, or a net total of 1,075 after cancellations. Now, this was Boeing's sixth highest annual total adjusted for cancellations, and topped Airbus 889 net order count. Now, Boeing has been trying to improve its image and win its race for narrow body plane orders with Airbus under its new CEO Kelly Ortberg. And we do know that the Boeing 737 series has been one of the best selling narrow body aircraft. It was reported earlier or late last year, I should say a few months ago that the A320neo had kind of taken that title in terms of the best selling narrow body aircraft. And of course since 2018 and those two 737 Max plane crashes and the COVID 19 pandemic, as well as factory strikes and a mid Air panel blowout on Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9. Boeing's production has been of course disrupted and its debt has increased by quite a lot. The company expects its positive cash flow this year lifted by higher deliveries of its commercial jets. And that's according to Boeing's finance chief. Now, the manufacturer delivered 63 jets in December. That's the most in a month since 2023. The total included 44 of its best selling 737 Max jets and 14 787s. In 2025, Boeing delivered 440737 Maxs and 88 787s. That's the most 787 Dreamliner deliveries since 2019 when Boeing handed over 158 of the Widebod. Now, demand for the aircraft has surged in recent years. Boeing booked 368 Dreamliner orders after cancellations last year, second only to the 369 orders it received back in 2007, which was the first year that it offered the aircraft. Now this momentum is continuing. Of course. We did cover that. Delta Air Lines made a major announcement with its order to buy 3078710 Dreamliners to strengthen its long haul fleet. It was not clear if those orders were placed this year or back in 2025. But I will say it is quite interesting because a lot of people have thought that Delta was kind of moving away from being a Boeing widebody jet operator. Of course we know that they operate the 767, 300er and 400er, which are aging in the aircraft in the airline's fleet and will soon face retirement. The 300ers first before the 400ers. That would mark the end of Delta's Boeing widebody operations. However, in the future, the airline will continue to operate Boeing widebody jets with its order of the 787 10S, which is exciting. I do think Also it is a little bit interesting though because you have the A330 A330 Neo. There's a little bit of commonality there for the pilots as well as the A350. So there will be some pilot training of course for the 78710 as the airline gets those aircraft in its fleet. Now let's talk about Airbus for just a minute here. Their deliveries rose 4% last year and it is on course to remain as the world's largest planemaker despite recent industrial snags and a new question over over engine supplies. Airbus did warn of a quote continued complex and dynamic operating environment as it posted deliveries edging past its revised goal of around 790 jets. Now that was lowered from 820 last month due to a problem at a Spanish fuselage panel's supplier, according to Reuters. Now Airbus of course did reach its goal. We did cover how the Airbus, their manufacturer was working very, very hard. Of course, one day they had 10 A321neos that were delivered, which was definitely worth noting. A great performance in terms of deliveries there. Airbus had 1,000 gross orders last year or a net total of 889 after cancellations, both higher than what was counted in 2024. Boeing, which is due to issue itself, had already issued its full year data in November. The manufacturer had delivered 537 jets and then of course with those additional jets in December reaching 600. Great performance among both manufacturers here. But it is worth noting that Boeing seems like a turnaround is in place and we'll have to continue to watch the manufacturer's performance this year in terms of deliveries. I'm sure that they're probably trying to get the 737 Max to reclaim its title as the best selling narrow body aircraft in the world.
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I'm just waiting to see when the 777X will start rolling off the line. But yeah, it'll be a Fun 1.
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The 777X and the 737 Max 10. Max 7.
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Yeah, I don't really care about the Max 10 so much. I'm here for the 777.
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Yeah. But you know, it's interesting, the airlines, all three legacy carriers here in the US seem to really care about the 737 Max 10. All of them have orders for it, which I think is interesting.
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Definitely. Well, for my final story today, I want to talk about a plane that the US carriers don't have orders for and it's making a comeback that nobody saw just five years ago. I'm talking about the Etihad Airways Airbus A380 fleet. And this week marked a major milestone as another one of these giants, Registration Alpha 6 Alpha Papa Charlie, finally took to the skies after more than five years in exile. Now, to give you some context on why this is such a big deal, back in 2020, at the height of the pandemic, Etihad's leadership was pretty vocal about the fact that the A380 likely had no future in their fleet. They grounded all 10 of them and essentially removed them from their website. It looked as though the end of the era for Etihad's ultra luxury residence and first apartment products. But as we've seen across the industry, the post pandemic travel combined with massive delivery delays for the Boeing 777X has forced airlines to rethink their maths. I had an opportunity to sit down with Captain Majid recently about the roadmap for these aircraft at Dubai's air show last year, and he gave me the inside track on how the math is changing for Etihad. He said, we have 10, A380s. Out of the 10 today, seven are operational and we're activating numbers eight and nine. Next year we're going to have the nine aircraft and the 10th will be used for parts. Now this quote really clarifies the strategy here. This particular aircraft, which just left storage, Papa Charlie had been sitting in long term deep storage at Tarbes Lord Pyrenees Airport in France since late 2020. Now if you've seen photos of the airport, it's essentially a high tech parking lot for some of the world's largest jets. Getting a plane like the A380 out of that kind of storage isn't as simple as checking the oil and turning the key. It requires thousands of man hours of reactivation, maintenance, checking seals, cycling hydraulic systems and ensuring those four massive engines are airworthy after years being wrapped in protective foil. Now, on January 15, APC finally made its ferry back to its home in Abu Dhabi. And we know from June 2026 the 380 is going to be the flagship for Etihad's route to Tokyo. Narita, Japan is seeing a massive boom in premium travel demand. And the 380 allows Etihad had to dump nearly 500 seats per flight into a slot constrained airport like Narita. But I think the most interesting part of that interview with Captain Majid was his confirmation regarding the 10th aircraft. It's essentially becoming an organ donor. Because the 380 is no longer in production, Spare Parts are becoming increasingly scarce. By sacrificing one airframe, which is currently being dismantled in Spain, Etihad is essentially guaranteeing the reliability of the other nine. They're cannibalizing one to keep the others alive for the rest of the decade. It's a bittersweet reality for A380 fans, but it's a brilliant tactical move. In a world of twin engine efficiency, there's still a massive four engine shaped hole that only the superjumbo can fill. Seeing APC back in the Abu Dhabi sun this week is a reminder that in aviation, as former Etihad CEO Tony Douglas would say, you should never say never. Especially when demand for luxury is this high.
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B
Yeah, of course. And especially when you. Tom, you're a big fan of the A380. Of course. So yes, that is very exciting. And it reminds me, wasn't there didn't we report on some Air A320neos that were grounded because they needed parts? Not Etihad, but other airlines, I think. Or maybe it was a 220s or scrapped or something like that. It's just very interesting to note how the strategies around airlines and how they, like you said, they'll sacrifice one to be able to support the life of the rest of the fleet. So that is some great news there. And I still need to get on an A380, so hopefully I can check that off my to do list for 2026. I'm not sure which airline, but at this point I would go on any airline. I would love to go on Emirates because that's what I hear is the best. But Etihad, of course, bringing back their last A380, some exciting news there and we'll be able to see it flying for the next couple of years, which is great for aviation geeks of course. And that is gonna do it for today's podcast. We hope you enjoyed it and we will welcome any feedback that you might have at editor@simpleflying.com for more great content,
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A
you can visit our website@simpleflying.com or find us on social media. Simply search for Simple Flying.
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B
And if you enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a rating on your favorite podcast player. Thanks for listening.
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A
Bye.