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Korean Air said Tuesday it "strictly manages" cosmic radiation exposure for its flight crew, after a landmark decision ruled an air steward's cancer death was akin to an industrial accident. The ruling by the state-run Korea Worker's Compensation and Welfare Service -- issued last month and sent to AFP Tuesday -- found the cancer death of a male flight attendant, who had flown for the flag-carrier for 25 years, resulted from cosmic radiation exposure. Flight crews are exposed to higher levels of naturally occurring cosmic radiation as the shielding effect of the Earth's atmosphere decreases at higher altitude. The attendant, identified by his surname Song, spent nearly 1,022 hours on board a plane each year with nearly half of his flights covering long-haul routes to the Americas and Europe. Such routes expose flight crews to more cosmic radiation because they involve flying over the North Pole, where such radiation is higher due to Earth's magnetic field. Song was diagnosed with stage four stomach cancer in April 2021 and died a month later. Korean Air declined comment on the panel's decision, but denied any wrongdoing. "Korean Air strictly manages individual data, and crew members can check their accumulated amount of cosmic radiation exposure, which is updated on a monthly basis," the company said in a statement to AFP. The company limits the radiation exposure to "less than 6mSv a year", it said, which is "a lot stricter than the legal maximum radiation exposure standard of up to 50mSv a year". While the panel was considering the case, Korean Air denied there was any correlation between the plaintiff's cancer and cosmic radiation, saying that it limited annual radiation exposure to under 6mSv for its crews. But the panel rejected the airline's claim, saying it was possible the plaintiff had been exposed to "more than 100mSv of accumulated radiation" and that the measuring method deployed by the Korean Air could have downplayed the actual amount of radiation.<br/>

Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC) has opened an investigation into a tail-strike incident involving a Garuda Indonesia Boeing 737-800. The aircraft (PK-GNM) was operating flight GA532 from Jakarta to Banjarmasin on 7 August when the incident occurred. At around 14:40 local time, as the aircraft passed the runway threshold just before touching down Banjarmasin airport, the pilots noticed that Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System alerts were sounding “faster than normal”. As the aircraft touched down it “bounced with high pitch”, and the crew called for a go-around. The tail-strike occurred as the aircraft rotated to perform the go-around. According to the NTSC, air traffic controllers at Banjarmasin’s Syamsudin Noor airport saw “sparks on the runway” from the tail-strike, and called for an inspection after the aircraft took off. The aircraft landed at the airport after checks found no objects on the runway. Inspections revealed that the aircraft’s aft-fuselage skin was scratched and its tail-skid damper was damaged. No injuries were reported among the 150 passengers and crew members. Investigations are ongoing, says the NTSC, which did not indicate a timeline to conclude its probe. Since the incident, Garuda has issued notices and safety bulletins to its employees about the causes of tail-strikes, and how to prevent them. According to Cirium fleets data, the 737 was delivered to Garuda in August 2014. The aircraft, which is powered by two CFM International CFM56-7B26E turbofans, is owned and managed by Air Lease Corporation. <br/>