Flight Safety

A hunter in Colorado was arrested for assault and menacing after allegedly shooting an ultralight pilot in flight. James Johnson, 50, was flying over his cornfield in the Byers area on Sept. 1 when he was reportedly hit with shotgun pellets, the Denver Post reported this week. Johnson’s injuries were minor and he was treated […]

Five aviation groups have submitted a letter (PDF) to the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs asking it to amend legislation that would cap benefits for veterans who take flight training. Under the bill, which is similar to one being taken up the House, veterans taking flying training would be limited to about $20,000 in […]

A DeHavilland DHC-3T turbine Otter floatplane with 10 people on board crashed about 6:30 a.m. Tuesday in Iliamna, Alaska, killing three people, according to local reports. All three were out-of-state residents, Alaska officials said. NTSB spokesman Clint Johnson said the Otter crashed shortly after takeoff from East Wind Lake. “They were headed to a fishing […]

A recent FAA report about a rapid increase in drone sightings near aircraft may have caused alarm, but according to an analysis by the Academy of Model Aeronautics, few of those sightings represented any threat. In a review of the 764 reports compiled by the FAA, the AMA found that only 27, or 3.5 percent, […]

In its final report last week on a fatal Gulfstream IV crash, the NTSB asked NBAA to conduct a study of flight-crew compliance with checklist procedures, and NBAA has responded that it “stands ready to deliver.” The NTSB asked NBAA to analyze existing data to check for compliance with manufacturer-required routine flight-control checks before takeoff, […]

A recent FAA Notam about the reliability of ADS-B and TCAS in the southeastern U.S. that raised many questions among pilots has been rescinded and replaced with updated information, according to EAA and AOPA. The original Notam, issued Sept. 1, said the services would be “unreliable” for the month of September, and offered few details. […]

I had dispatched a solo student on his cross-country trip. The route took him over some higher terrain — about 2,000 feet higher than his departure airport. As usual, I was listening on frequency to hear him clear the zone on route when he called flight service. Pilot:“The sky is falling, and I will be […]

When the investigators get around to completing their probe of the BA 777 fire and evacuation in Las Vegas last week, the look-see into the engine will be interesting enough. But I think I’m going to be just as interested in what they learn about how the evacuation was handled. Specifically, what role did the […]

A Louisville pilot was killed Saturday when his L-39 Albatros crashed during a routine at the Wings of the big South Fork Air and Car Show at Scott Municipal Airport near Oneida.Jay “Flash” Gordon has been identified as the only occupant of the Czech trainer. Blake Dunlap, the pilot’s nephew, said the aircraft failed to […]

A Piper Aerostar being used in the filming of a Tom Cruise movie in Colombia crashed Friday, killing a well-known Hollywood aerial helicopter stunt specialist. Alan Purwin, who has worked on dozens of high-profile movies, was a passenger in the Aerostar. Cruise was not aboard the aircraft, which crashed in bad weather while on its […]