Flight Safety

AVweb’s Flight Safety section offers in-depth coverage of aviation safety topics, including accident analyses, risk management strategies, regulatory updates, and pilot training insights. Designed for pilots, instructors, and aviation professionals, this section provides timely information to enhance situational awareness and promote best practices in flight operations.

The Severe Storm

Strong thunderstorms are one of the places aviation and fear often intersect. And for good reason: severe storms have led to countless disasters, perhaps the most famous one being the Delta L-1011 crash at DFW Airport in 1985. That tragedy brought far-reaching consequences to flight training programs and ATC equipment, and led to advances in […]

Read More »

Accident Probe: Ice Isn’t Nice

Airframe icing can be found year-round, depending on geography and altitude. In North America, it’s the season when pilots of personal airplanes, which generally don’t fly high enough to worry about ice most of the year, need to factor it into their planning and execution. Even if you’re flying something with a form of ice […]

Read More »

AOPA High School STEM Program Earns FAA Grant

The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) announced on Monday that it has received a grant from the FAA for its You Can Fly High School initiative. The $498,000 grant will be used to train additional educators on the program’s free high school science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) curriculum, which offers an aviation-oriented course […]

Read More »

Fatality Reported In Turbulence Incident

CBS News Analyst Robert Sumwalt is reporting that one person died on a Bombardier Challenger 300 that encountered severe turbulence and diverted to Bradley Field in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, on Friday. Sumwalt, who was head of the NTSB before joining the network as its Transportation Safety Analyst, said the aircraft is registered to a Kansas […]

Read More »

FAA IACRA System Hit With Database Issues

The FAA’s Integrated Airman Certification and/or Rating Application (IACRA) system experienced several database issues on Monday, Feb. 27, resulting in a system restore and the loss of some user data, according to a notice issued by the FAA Safety Team (FAASTeam) on Thursday. The notice stated that the problem may have affected actions completed in […]

Read More »

FAA Nominee Quizzed On Aviation Knowledge

President Joe Biden’s pick for FAA Administrator Phil Washington faced a turbulent Senate confirmation hearing that included a Q and A from fellow non-pilot and staunch opponent of his confirmation Republican Sen. Ted Cruz. In what seemed to be an attempt to expose Washington’s lack of relevant experience for the job, Cruz asked Washington about […]

Read More »

General Aviation Accident Bulletin, February 27, 2023

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 […]

Read More »

PC-12 Medevac Broke Up, Five Killed (Updated)

The NTSB says a Pilatus PC-12 medevac aircraft broke up in flight shortly after taking off from Reno Airport on Friday night. All five people aboard the Care Flight aircraft were killed when the aircraft suddenly disappeared from radar as it was climbing on departure from Reno International Airport to Salt Lake City Friday evening. […]

Read More »

Regional Jet Aborts Landing To Avoid Departing Flight At Burbank

The NTSB and FAA are investigating yet another incursion in which the crew of an inbound aircraft had to abort a landing because there was an aircraft departing on the same runway. The Aviation Safety Network (ASN) is reporting a Skywest Airlines E175 (operating as United Express 5326) was cleared to take off from Runway […]

Read More »
Sign-up for newsletters & special offers!

Get the latest stories & special offers delivered directly to your inbox

SUBSCRIBE