Aviation News

United Airlines has found loose bolts on emergency exit door plugs on some of its Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft. The loose bolts were found as it inspects its fleet of 79 MAX 9s. The Air Current first reported the story, quoting unnamed sources as saying loose bolts were found on five aircraft. United has […]

Investigators now have the emergency exit door plug that separated from an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 over Oregon last Friday afternoon. NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy told reporters Sunday the plug, used in place of an exit door that’s not required, was found in the backyard of a schoolteacher identified only as Bob. “We […]

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has taken the unusual step of adopting the FAA’s emergency AD on the MAX 9 door plug inspection even though none of its carriers have any of the affected aircraft. The FAA’s AD was issued after a fuselage plug replacing an emergency exit in an Alaska Airlines MAX 9 […]

Flights over Hawaii Volcanoes National Park will be cut some 80% under new rules outlined by the Federal Aviation Administration and National Park Service Air Tour Management Plan (ATMP), which was finalized on Dec. 20.  The new regulations limit flights to 1,548 per year—a significant reduction compared to the more than 11,000 operating now. Air […]

The hunt is on for the piece of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 airliner that separated from the aircraft Friday as it flew over a rural area of Oregon. At a news conference in Portland Saturday evening, NTSB Chairman Jennifer Homendy pleaded for public help in delivering that crucial piece of evidence to […]

An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 had an explosive decompression shortly after takeoff on Friday, but the crew was able to land safely back at Portland International Airport. Alaska immediately grounded all 65 of its MAX 9s pending an inspection and on Saturday the FAA ordered the full U.S. fleet grounded for inspection. A […]

Jonathan J. Dunn, a former Delta Air Lines first officer who allegedly threatened to shoot his captain after suggesting to divert for a passenger’s medical emergency, called the incident a “misunderstanding” and joke, as reported by the Associated Press (AP).  According to the news agency, Dunn, who was charged with interfering with a flight crew, made his first court […]

The U.S. Army’s Aviation Learning Center (ALC) has a new tool to aid cadets in navigating the normal “speed bumps” associated with flight training—but miles away from the flight line. George Snyder, lead instructor at the ALC, urged students, “You can walk through the door and tell us what course you are in and what […]

Early reports out of Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota indicate all four members of the crew of a B1-B Lancer bomber are safe after ejecting from the aircraft. The accident occurred about 5:50 p.m. local time today (Jan. 4) as the aircraft was attempting to land at Ellsworth as part of a routine […]

The Financial Times reports from London that the composite structure of the Airbus A350 likely played a role in the survival of all 379 on board Japan Airlines Flight 516. The incident marks the first hull loss involving the 53% composite airframe A350-900 and preliminary evidence suggests the material performed to expectations, providing fire protection […]