Flight Safety

Canada has extended medical privileges for as much as four months for pilots whose medicals expire before June 1 and AOPA is asking for similar consideration and more for U.S. pilots. AOPA says it is now working with the FAA to figure out what to do about pilots whose medicals expire at the end of […]

At least 11 air traffic control facilities have been temporarily closed over the last few days because of coronavirus cases. In addition to well-publicized disruptions at Las Vegas, Chicago Midway and Indianapolis there was an hourlong groundstop for flights headed to airports served by the New York Air Route Traffic Control Center, also known as […]

Almost since its inception, creative pilots have used FlightAware’s graphics to trace artistic renderings over the map underlay (some not suitable for a family website) but not many have conveyed the sense of social responsibility evident in an Austrian pilot’s 24-minute track last week. In what looks like a freehand effort, the unidentified pilot took […]

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 FAA is asking for input from pilots and operators of Cessna 206s as it mulls following Canada’s lead in issuing an airworthiness directive that would, among other things, limit seating to five instead of the normal six. Transport Canada has proposed an AD that would require all 206s on its registry to have an […]

The Seattle Times is reporting that Boeing will rewire the stabilator control systems and avionics bays of all 800 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft rather than battle the FAA for an exemption. During the post-grounding review of the aircraft, Boeing discovered that the wire bundle going to the motor that moves the stabilator didn’t have the […]

The European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (EBACE) has been cancelled for 2020 and exhibitors and attendees will be getting full refunds. The show, sponsored by the European Business Aviation Association and the National Business Aviation Association, was scheduled for May 26-28 in Geneva but the uncertainty surrounding the staging of such events, recent actions […]

The FAA has updated guidance on expense sharing for private flights with an advisory circular that adds modern context to the 30-year-old rule. AC 61-142 was published at the end of February and is in response to the 2018 FAA reauthorization, which required the FAA to issue clearer guidance on flight sharing. Although not a […]

The runway lights were just coming on when I met Kary and Karver in the pilot’s lounge at the virtual airport. Kary is a longtime CFI and volunteer pilot with the Civil Air Patrol and I admire her judgment on safety matters. Karver is a young man who recently completed his instrument and commercial ratings […]

To the owner of an Experimental Amateur-Built (E/A-B) aircraft, any accident is a tragedy. However, the FAA monitors the homebuilt accident rate based on fatal accidents only. It’s understandable, in some ways. Unlike owners of production aircraft, builders of homebuilt aircraft are usually very familiar with disassembling and transporting a bent bird. A minor enough […]