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.

New Colorado Aviation Weather Cameras Operational

The Colorado Division of Aeronautics has announced that 52 new aviation weather cameras installed in partnership with the FAA’s Alaska Weather Camera Program are now operational. The cameras are located on 13 AWOS stations in Colorado and designed to provide a way for pilots to get a near-real-time visual picture of weather conditions in the […]

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Accident Probe: No Idea What’s Going On

No matter how successful we are in life, there’s always someone with a bigger house, a newer car and a better job to help keep us honest. That’s certainly true in aviation, where we’re often left to wonder how some pilots can get away with buying and flying more airplane than they can handle. You […]

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Airlines Cracking Down On Masks

Airlines are enforcing their individual mask mandates in the absence of any government mandates and several flights have been turned around in the last couple of weeks because passengers refused to wear them. The latest was a Delta flight that returned to Detroit Metro because two passengers “were non-compliant with crew instructions.” The rest of […]

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Pilots Facing Retests After Incompetent Examiner Revealed

AOPA is reporting that hundreds of pilots may have to take their practical tests over again after an FAA investigation revealed issues with the performance of a Cincinnati FAA examiner. Anyone who passed ride with Michael A. Puehler between 2008 and 2019 may have to take the test again. AOPA says the FAA said the […]

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Midair Kills Seven In Alaska

An Alaskan state representative was among seven people killed in the midair collision of his Piper PA-12 and a chartered Beaver near Soldotna, Alaska, on Friday. Rep. Gary Knopp, 67, was alone in the Super Cruiser while the Beaver had pilot-owner Greg Bell and five people heading out for a fishing trip on board. The […]

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Subjective Pilot Reports

Most everyone appreciates pilot reports. Two of the most important are turbulence and icing. But both require a degree of judgment with respect to the severity. It’s great to hear from a pilot 50 miles ahead of you that the ride is “smooth.” But what if he says that it’s moderate chop? Is his “moderate” […]

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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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COVID-19 Affects Airborne Weather Forecasting

If you’ve noticed the local forecast is a little shakier than usual, you can indirectly blame the pandemic. The drastic reduction in air traffic has curtailed the flow of information from weather sensors attached to 350 of airliners as part of their Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System or ACARS. The main role of ACARS […]

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Heat Turned Up For Pilot Database

Some congressional heavyweights are leaning on the Department of Transportation to finalize a Pilots Records Database they say would provide “one level of safety” for airline passengers. The database was included as part of the contentious 2010 FAA reauthorization bill and mandatory reporting requirements by those employing pilots has yet to be formalized as a […]

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Emergency AD Affects 2000 Stored 737s

The FAA issued an emergency AD affecting more than 2,000 second- and third-generation Boeing 737s that have been parked since the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in March. The AD requires immediate inspection of the fifth stage bleed air check valve to check for corrosion. The corroded valves don’t close after the engine is throttled back […]

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