Flight Safety

One of several safety-related issues that has emerged from the fatal engine failure on Southwest Flight 1380 is passenger response to safety briefings. Perhaps most striking in this instance is that in spite of the usual preflight run-down on the proper use of oxygen masks, video from the Southwest emergency shows several passengers with masks […]

According to a report from XinhuaNet, aerobatic pilot Elgin Wells was killed on Wednesday when his aircraft crashed during a practice flight before the Zhengzhou Air Show in China. The report states that the plane was 300 feet above the runway at Shangjie Airport when it “plummeted to the ground.” An investigation is underway to […]

Change and I have an uneasy relationship, the former claiming I’m slow to embrace technology, unwilling to “try something new.” Sheesh … Change can be so … you know … and so in your face, too. I submit that ADFs and VORs were working just fine—when you could receive them—and I saw no value to […]

I’ve amended the details a bit to preserve anonymity. The pilot and his family came to grief on a flight that was forecast to be VFR. There was a slow-moving warm front approaching, but it appeared the 150-nm trip could be completed before conditions worsened. Friends of the pilot indicated he had intended to launch […]

The NTSB hosted a roundtable discussion to examine available solutions for preventing loss of control accidents in general aviation and to identify a path to improving GA safety on April 24. According to the board, accidents involving loss of control still account for more GA accident deaths than any other single factor. The focus of […]

The last-minute amendment that Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa., added to the five-year FAA funding bill on Tuesday was quickly revised after a concerted and vehement response from GA advocacy groups. In response to calls for action, “pilots flooded the switchboard at the U.S. House of Representatives, urging their members of Congress to oppose Section 5 […]

A Piper Navajo carrying four passengers and two crew members made a successful emergency landing on a two-lane Calgary road after experiencing a loss of engine power early Wednesday morning. Although the aircraft sustained some damage to its wingtips, no injuries have been reported. Witnesses say they saw the plane fly under street and traffic […]

After GA advocates had breathed a sigh of relief, believing that the ATC privatization battle was won for this year, House Transportation Committee chairman Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa, introduced a last-minute amendment to the FAA funding bill on Tuesday that raised alarm. Section 5 of the amendment calls for moving the FAA Air Traffic Organization, […]

The Aero Expo in Friedrichshafen promotes itself as the pulse-meter of the European GA market and that often doesn’t come across in a factually balanced news release.By American standards, Aero is not a huge show, but it’s a busy one and a target-rich environment for new stuff. Yes, there was a clear dominance of electronics, […]