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.

NTSB Issues Preliminary Report On Halladay Crash

The last data point captured by the flight data recorder on Roy Halladay’s Icon A5 before his fatal crash shows the light sport at 200 feet above the water with a speed of 87 knots, says the NTSB. The preliminary report says a witness told investigators that “he saw the airplane perform a climb to […]

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Homebuilt Safety Record Improves

For the 2017 fiscal year, there were 27 fatal accidents involving experimental category aircraft, down 18% from the prior year and down 47% over the last four years, says EAA, which is celebrating the trend. “These are historic lows for fatal accidents in amateur-built aircraft and this continuing trend is a credit to everyone who […]

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Short Final

I had the following exchange with a tower controller immediately after takeoff. Me: Tower, I’d like to report a bird strike during takeoff. I don’t believe there’s any damage to the aircraft, but you’ll need to have someone check for any bird parts on the runway. Tower: Was it a small bird? Me: It is […]

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Caravan Hits Car On Takeoff

A Tropic Air Cessna Caravan carrying the acting Prime Minister of Belize, Patrick Faber, Agriculture Minister Godwin Hulse and five other passengers clipped a car on takeoff from Placencia Municipal Airport and ended up in the water at the end of the runway Friday. No one was hurt in the incident, which has sparked an […]

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Training Aircraft Collide, Four Dead

Three Britons and a man from Vietnam were killed in the midair collision of a small helicopter and a Cessna 152 on Friday. Authorities haven’t officially released any names but well-known helicopter instructor Capt. Mike Green was with a student aboard the Guimbal Cabri training helicopter when it and the 152 collided in Buckinghamshire. Both […]

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Guest Blog: Why Privatizing ATC Would Break The System

One of the most important conversations going on in aviation today has to do with the proposal to remove the air traffic control organization from the FAA and turn it into a privatized entity. Proponents claim that this would free the function from the bureaucracy and petty budgetary pressures of the FAA and lead to […]

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Pilots and the Law: Some Special Concerns

In the process of obtaining a private, light sport or recreational pilot certificate most pilots feel as if they have to absorb an entire library of arcane aviation legal instruction and want to repeat the phrase from the student in the Gary Larson cartoon, “May I be excused, my brain is full.” Despite what feels […]

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Airlander Deflates After Breaking Free

The Hybrid Air Vehicles Airlander broke free from its mooring mast at Cardington Airfield in England but a uniquely dramatic safety feature prevented it from running amok. Airlander reported on Saturday that after leaving its moorings, an onboard system ripped open the hull and deflated the enormous aircraft so it ended up crumpled on the […]

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Textron Continues Top Hawk University Program

Textron Aviation announced this week it will continue its Top Hawk program for 2018, providing a new Cessna Skyhawk 172 to five university programs for use in their flight training and recruiting efforts. “As the Top Hawk program enters its fourth year, we’re proud to build on a program that has allowed us to support […]

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Preparing for Your First Flight

As construction of your project nears its end and you start thinking seriously about your first flight, there are some important things to consider. Paperwork comes first. You just can’t do anything that involves a government approval without the proper paperwork. Next, the plane must be truly ready to fly. The question is, what does […]

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