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.

Bill Introduced To Digitalize Pilot Certificates

A new bill introduced in Congress aims to digitalize pilot certificates—eliminating the need for pilots to carry physical copies of their medical and airman certificates. Congressman Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., introduced the Pilot Certificate Accessibility Act earlier this month, aiming to improve efficiency by allowing pilots to store these documents on electronic devices or cloud platforms. […]

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29 Survive E190 Crash In Kazakhstan

Almost half the people aboard an Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 survived when the plane crashed on what appears to be the infield or an area outside of an airport in Aktau, Kazakhstan, on Christmas Day. The aircraft departed from Baku and was initially en route to Grozny in Russia but diverted to Aktau, Kazakhstan. Remarkable […]

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Malaysia Approves New MH370 Search

Malaysia has announced it will resume the search for Malaysian Airlines Flight 370, which disappeared on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014. The country is planning a “no find, no fee” contract with Texas robotics company Ocean Infinity to use its underwater search equipment in an undisclosed area of the […]

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Group Wants To Help Make FAA More Efficient

A consortium of 30 aviation groups representing the broad spectrum of the industry have written President-elect Donald Trump asking him to consider funding changes to the FAA that will give the agency the resources it needs to modernize. Specifically, the group is urging use of the Airport and Airway Trust Fund to “upgrade and modernize […]

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Cheyenne Crash Kills 10 In Brazil

Brazilian authorities say a prominent businessman and nine members of his family were killed when the Piper PA-42-1000 Cheyenne 400LS crashed shortly after takeoff from Canela Airport in Gramado in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul on Sunday. Seventeen people on the ground were injured. Luiz Claudio Galeazzi was flying the twin with […]

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Think Tank Urges DOGE To Make ATC ‘User-Funded’

Influential libertarian think tank the Reason Foundation has written an open letter to the incoming leaders of the Department of Government Efficiency to make air traffic control a “user-funded utility.” The foundation, which is credited with coining the term “privatization,” says most of the rest of the world (83 countries) has already distanced ATC from […]

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FAA Postpones Medical Certification Changes

The FAA has backtracked on a policy change regarding medical denials and deferrals after facing backlash from the industry. Five days after receiving a letter from 14 pilot organizations, the agency says it has deferred implementation of the policy pending further consultation. The new policy would have resulted in medical deferrals sent to the agency […]

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Border Patrol Helicopter Down In California, Pilot Killed

Yesterday (Dec. 16), a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) helicopter crashed on the U.S. side of the Mexican border near Tijuana, Mexico, while on a border security mission. According to a CBP statement, the pilot and sole occupant of the 2009 Eurocopter AS350B3+ Ecureuil was killed. The accident occurred around 10:30 a.m. PST. According […]

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Pilot Convicted Of Criminal Charges In Fatal Australian Crash

An Australian pilot has been convicted of criminal charges in a fatal crash after his forced landing attempt went wrong. According to the BBC, Leslie Woodall was flying a Cessna 172N with three passengers over the Great Barrier Reef in 2017 when the engine quit. He told court he tried to turn the plane around […]

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Pilot Groups Want FAA Denial Policy Stayed

A total of 14 groups representing a broad range of pilots is asking the FAA to defer a new medical certification policy that could dramatically increase the number of denials issued. As we reported earlier, effective Jan. 1 the agency will deny medicals to pilots whose deferrals are not accompanied by all the required examinations […]

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