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.

Missing the Point

Few situations require quick judgment like deciding to go missed with weather at minimums. Arriving at missed approach point or decision altitude, the pilot must determine if the runway environment is in sight and the required flight visibility is evident. If these conditions are met, is the aircraft in a position to land and is […]

Read More »

First Officer Lands Delta Jet As Captain Locked Out Of Cockpit

A jammed door in a Delta Air Lines jet left the captain locked out of the cockpit during a flight from Minneapolis to Las Vegas Thursday, leaving the first officer to complete the flight in the right seat.Delta 1651 otherwise landed uneventfully and on time at McCarran International Airport. However, since the first officer notified […]

Read More »

Investigators: AirAsia First Officer At Controls Before Crash

The first officer of the AirAsia jet that crashed into Java Sea in December was at the controls before the aircraft stalled into the ocean, investigators said Thursday. The Airbus A320 disappeared from radar en route to Singapore, killing all 162 people on board. Meanwhile, CNN reported this week that as the flight and data […]

Read More »

Malaysian Government Declares MH370 Disappearance An Accident

The disappearance of Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 was an accident, and all 239 people on board are presumed dead, the Malaysian government announced Thursday in a BBC report. Meanwhile, the investigation into the mystery and the search for the Boeing 777 continue. Four vessels are using sonar technology to search thesouthern Indian Ocean and have […]

Read More »

More on Cirrus Ditching and Insane Drone Video

Last Sunday’s Cirrus ditching off Hawaii was so well documented via video that it has raised some interesting questions about how the CAPS system performed. Not the least of these was that seemingly interminable nosedown moment after the initial deployment. Did that take longer than it was supposed to? Not really, according to Boris Popov […]

Read More »

Five Landing Fixes

Especially when looking at recent accidents involving scheduled airliners, it occurs that some people are still having problems with their landings. Yes, they can be difficult to master, especially when crosswinds or other factors complicate things and distract us. But this shouldn’t be so hard. If you’re having trouble, it may be you’re simply out […]

Read More »

FAA Issues No-Drone Reminder For Super Bowl

The FAA reminded drone operators on Wednesday that the perennial Super BowlTFR (PDF) applies to them too, not just pilots of manned aircraft. The NOTAM, published earlier this month for Sunday’s Super Bowl XLIX in Glendale, Arizona, includes the standard restrictions of GA operations such as flight training and sightseeing as well as “model aircraft […]

Read More »

Cirrus Ditching: Promotional Gold

I’m figuring at the very least, CPO Kurt Fredrickson and PO2 Tara Molle deserve a nice fruit basket and future Christmas cards from Cirrus. In the course of their normal duties, these two Coast Guard NCOs delivered promotional gold for Cirrus when they edited a stunning video of the Cirrus SR22 ditching off Maui on […]

Read More »

Podcast: FAA’s Second Look at Sleep Apnea

Dr. Brent Blue, a senior FAA medical examiner, was one of the many who critiqued the FAA’s proposed sleep-apnea policy for pilot medical exams when it was released in late 2013. AVweb’s Mary Grady asked for his take on the revised policy the FAA announced last week. Duration: 8:06 File Size: 7.4 MB download here

Read More »

Industry Welcomes Sleep Apnea Rule Change

The FAA’s revised policy on sleep-apnea screening in pilot medical exams is much better than the original proposal, aviation advocates said on Monday. The new policy, set to take effect on March 2, will not disqualify pilots from receiving a medical certificate based solely on body mass index (BMI), AOPA said. “The new policy combines […]

Read More »
Sign-up for newsletters & special offers!

Get the latest stories & special offers delivered directly to your inbox

SUBSCRIBE

Please support AVweb.

It looks like you’re using an ad blocker. Ads keep AVweb free and fund our reporting.
Please whitelist AVweb or continue with ads enabled.