Accidents/NTSB

Transport Canada and the FAA have issued emergency airworthiness directives (ADs) grounding some Bell 212, 204B, 205A-1 and 205B helicopters pending replacement of certain outboard main rotor hub strap pins. The ADs stem from an investigation into the fatal crash of a Bell 212 helicopter in Edmonton, Canada, last week, which found that the outboard […]

Fly long enough, and you’ll eventually find yourself on top of a broken or solid undercast, wanting to be beneath it. To get there, you either need to obtain an instrument clearance, find a hole, wait for one to appear or divert, perhaps far out of your way, to an area with better weather. If […]

At least 50 people, including 42 combat soldiers, were killed in the crash of a Philippine Air Force C-130 in the southern part of the country on Sunday. Three of the dead were civilians on the ground. Initial reports suggest the aircraft, an ex-USAF Herc that was recently transferred to the Philippine military, overran the […]

Both pilots are reported to be safe, but seriously injured, after they ditched their Boeing 737 cargo plane off Honolulu early Friday. The FAA has confirmed that a Rhoades Express 737 (operating as Transair Flight 810) hit the water about 2:30 a.m. local time shortly after leaving Honolulu. “The pilots had reported engine trouble and […]

National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chairman Robert Sumwalt retired from government service on Wednesday after nearly 15 years with the Board. NTSB Member Jennifer Homendy has been nominated to succeed him in the position. Vice Chairman Bruce Landsberg will serve as the Board’s acting chairman pending Homendy’s confirmation by the U.S. Senate. “The NTSB’s role […]

This maze of hallways is the archives of aviation’s greats—not the Stupid Pilot Tricks Repository. We’re awed by images of the Montgolfier brothers and their good sense to launch the world’s first flyable aircraft with a sheep, rooster and duck before stocking its basket with humans (who weren’t themselves). While they were brilliant, Jacques-Etienne Montgolfier […]

AVweb’s General Aviation Accident Bulletin is taken from the pages of our sister publication, Aviation Safety magazine. All the reports listed here are preliminary and include only initial factual findings about crashes. You can learn more about the final probable cause on the NTSB’s website at www.ntsb.gov. Final reports appear about a year after the […]

The often-tortuous post-crash litigation process has been cut short in the Kobe Bryant accident aftermath after the families of the deceased passengers settled their suit against pilot Ara Zobayan and aircraft operator Island Express Helicopters. The families, including Bryant’s widow and mother of their teenage daughter who was killed in the crash, alleged it was […]

Four people died at the scene and a fifth died later in a hospital after a hot air balloon touched powerlines and crashed in Albuquerque early Saturday. Witnesses told local media the balloon brushed the powerlines about 7 a.m., knocking at least one down. An image taken by a bystander showed the envelope collapsed. The […]

AVweb’s General Aviation Accident Bulletin is taken from the pages of our sister publication, Aviation Safety magazine. All the reports listed here are preliminary and include only initial factual findings about crashes. You can learn more about the final probable cause on the NTSB’s website at www.ntsb.gov. Final reports appear about a year after the […]