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.

Accident Probe: The Unstretchable Glide

The thing about airborne emergencies is that there are not that many scenarios in which using the radio will help. Sure, getting lost or trying to find better weather come to mind, but most emergencies depend on the pilot or crew to resolve them without external help. Failure of a single-engine airplane’s powerplant is an […]

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Fatal Passenger Aircraft Accidents Drop, Fatalities Increase In 2020

There were five fatal accidents involving large passenger aircraft resulting in 299 fatalities last year, according Netherlands-based aviation consultancy To70’s 2020 worldwide civil aviation safety review. The group reported eight fatal accidents accounting for 257 fatalities in the category in 2019. TO70 also noted that the fatal accident rate for large commercial aircraft in 2020 […]

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Twin Otter Knocked Camera From Photographer’s Hands

France’s civil aviation investigations organization, the BEA, issued a report (French only) last Thursday saying a Twin Otter was a little low when it knocked the camera out of the hands of a photographer while landing at the Saint Barthélemy (St. Barts) Airport in January of 2014. St. Barts is a French island in the […]

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Drone Pilot Facing $182,000 In Fines

The FAA is proposing a total of $182,000 in fines to an unlicensed drone pilot who was warned three times to stop making illegal flights around Philadelphia. After a warning letter was sent in October of 2019, the FAA contacted him twice more in November of 2019 to explain the ways in which he was […]

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A319 Tangles With ‘Pyrotechnics Balloon’ Landing In Bogota

Colombian officials politely asked people to refrain from flying balloons, possibly packed with explosives, near airports just before a bizarre collision at Bogota Airport. A Bianca Airlines A319 had just touched down on a flight from Orlando on New Year’s Eve when it became entangled with yards of streamers and plastic from what authorities described […]

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FAA Establishes New Airport Grant Program For COVID Relief

The FAA has established the new Airport Coronavirus Response Grant Program to distribute $2 billion in funds designated to provide economic relief for airports impacted by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. According to the agency, grants will be offered to eligible U.S. airports to “prevent, prepare for, and respond to” COVID-19. The funds are part of […]

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Dude! You’re Busted!

AIRMET Tango for turbulence was spot on. You’re given “climb and maintain six thousand,” but with the bumps you accidentally enter 7000 in the altitude preselect. Passing through 6,300 feet, you hear your call sign and, “verify level at six.” You stop the climb and head back down. All seems good until 10 minutes later […]

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General Aviation Accident Bulletin

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 […]

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Nashville Blast Prompts ‘National Defense’ TFR

A TFR remains in place over downtown Nashville until Dec. 30 even though authorities have determined the man who blew himself up in a motorhome on Christmas morning likely acted alone. Police confirmed Sunday that Anthony Quinn Warner, 63, was inside the RV that exploded about 6:30 a.m. Friday, damaging buildings and injuring three people. […]

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Wipaire Engineers 206 Cargo Door Solution

Wipaire is engineering a fix for a long-standing issue with Cessna 206 aircraft in which emergency escape from the rear seats is hampered by deployed flaps. Wipaire VP of Engineering Brad Kutz said they’ve moved the latch for the rear cargo door to the inside from the door frame to make it accessible during an […]

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