Flight Safety

I was attending a Wings safety seminar recently and the 1995 American Airlines crash in Colombia was discussed, including the video American Airlines made two years after the fact. If you haven’t seen it, it’s worth a click. In this compelling video, the speaker says the words that I believe have subtly, but profoundly, influenced […]

Obstructions, sand, mud, wandering animals and other surprises like the end of the runway rushing up to meet you…these are just some of the hazards common to short and soft fields. We all think we’re trained for them, but there’s a big difference between training and reality. I’m not knocking what CFIs teach or what’s […]

Coast Guard boats and divers are searching the waters off Los Angeles this morning after two single-engine airplanes collided Friday afternoon. The Coast Guard said the collision occurred about 3:30 p.m. in clear skies, The Associated Press reported. Two men, ages 61 and 81, were on board a Beechcraft Bonanza, and a woman, 72, was […]

The FAA is looking at cutting its Contract Weather Observer staffing at 57 airports around the country, moving some duties to local ATC, according to an agency document and various media reports in recent weeks. Trained human weather observers contracted by the FAA supplement automated weather reports at towered airports, providing more discerning information including […]

The captain of the Airbus A321 that landed Tuesday with a hole blown out of its side believes a bomb exploded as the jet climbed out ofMogadishu, Somalia. Authorities haven’t confirmed the source of the blast, and one passenger is believed to be dead from falling out of the hole. “It was my first bomb; […]

Two congressmen in favor of privatizing the FAA’s Air Traffic Organization introduced their proposal Wednesday, just after receiving written opposition from others in the House and Senate. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster, R-Pa., and Aviation Subcommittee Chairman Frank LoBiondo, R-N.J., introduced the Aviation Innovation, Reform, and Reauthorization (AIRR) Act, H.R. 4441 (PDF), […]

The organizers of ModAero, a “next-generation aviation festival” set for March 16 to 19 near Houston, Texas, say they are offering a “fresh take” on the traditional aviation event, with the goal of attracting a younger demographic, especially pilots in the 16 to 39 “millennial” age range. “That’s where all the growth is happening, and […]

The House Appropriations Committee has added its opposition to the nascent debate over privatizing the FAA’s Air Traffic Organization (ATO). Chairman Harold Rogers, R-Ky., and other senior members of the committee wrote a letter (PDF) to the House leadership Monday saying air traffic management should remain a government function. “The annual oversight and funding role […]

A gaping hole opened in the side of an Airbus A321 jet operated by Daallo Airlines, shortly after it departed from the Mogadishu airport in Somalia this morning, headed for Djibouti. Early reports said there was a loud noise, just minutes after takeoff, and at least two passengers were injured. A third passenger appears to […]

A Cessna Citation 525 twin-engine jet broke up in flight while maneuvering near Cedar Fork, Utah, the NTSB says in a preliminary report now posted online. The pilot and passenger both were killed. The CJ3 took off from Salt Lake City International Airport about 9:50 in the morning on Jan. 18, headed for Tucson International […]