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 Releases New Data On AUS Near-Collision

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released new details in its ongoing investigation of a near-collision between a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 and a FedEx Boeing 767 cargo plane at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS), Texas, earlier this year. The agency collected roughly 3,000 pages of transcripts from interviews with the involved pilots and controllers and other factual […]

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FAA Wants To Increase Recording Times On CVRs To 25 Hours

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is proposing to extend cockpit voice recorders (CVRs) recording time to 25 hours for all newly manufactured aircraft that require them, according to a press release issued today (Nov. 30). Existing regulations require CVRs, commonly known as black boxes, to record a minimum of two hours before new data begins to overwrite […]

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FAA Approves Testing Landmark For Unleaded Avgas Contender

The Eliminate Aviation Gasoline Lead Emissions (EAGLE) team announced today (Nov. 29) that the first high-octane unleaded aviation fuel has reached an FAA milestone. According to an FAA announcement today, the agency “has approved the advancement to full-scale engine and flight testing of unleaded UL100E aviation fuel for piston-engine aircraft developed by LyondellBasell Industries/VP Racing. […]

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Breakthrough Reported In FAA Reauthorization Impasse

Republican Sen. John Thune told Reuters on Tuesday there’s been a breakthrough that may allow the FAA Reauthorization Bill to be taken up by the Senate. The House passed its version of the bill in the summer but there’s been a logjam in the Senate over relaxing airline pilot training, specifically a proposal to increase […]

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Piper Club Says Rudder AD Needs Work

The Short Wing Piper Club says a proposed AD to replace rudders on almost 31,000 Piper aircraft built before 1974 is a huge overreach and the process itself is deeply flawed. Last week the FAA issued a notice that the comment period for the AD would be extended 90 days until late February. The Short […]

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87-Year-Old Pilot Killed In Go-Around Attempt

A Mooney M20C that crashed Tuesday outside of a strip mall in Plano, Texas, killing the 87-year-old pilot, was reportedly attempting a go-around, according to a newly released incident report. The aircraft crashed within a mile of Air-Park Dallas Airport—a nearby uncontrolled field. Witnesses told the Dallas Morning News they heard a loud boom and also saw the […]

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MAX 10 Gets Certification Flight Test Nod

The FAA says Boeing can start certification flight testing of its MAX 10, the flagship of the latest generation 737 and a key part of the overall business plan for the brand. The 10 hadn’t been certified when the MAX 8 and MAX 9 fleet was grounded in 2019 and that, combined with a rule […]

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Piper Rudder AD Comment Period Extended

The FAA has extended the comment period on an AD that would require the replacement of rudders on almost 31,000 Piper aircraft made before 1974.  In a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in October, the agency ordered every rudder equipped with a rudder post made of 1025 carbon steel be replaced with rudders that have posts […]

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Textron Signs Deal For 48 Skyhawks With Lithuania-Based BAA Training

The seemingly insatiable appetite for pilot training continues to grow unabated, as Textron Aviation announced today (Nov. 22) it recently signed an agreement with Lithuania-based Baltic Air Academy (dba BAA Training) for 48 Cessna 172 Skyhawks. The piston trainers are to be delivered in 2026. BAA Training is a member of the Avia Solutions Group, […]

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FAA-Appointed Panel Lays Blame On Congress For Safety Issues

The National Airspace System Safety Review Team (SRT), an FAA-appointed panel of experts, blames Congress’ “shutdown politics” and inadequate FAA funding for increases in close calls involving air safety. In a report released yesterday (Nov. 15), the panel addressed what it describes as recurring gridlock: “This stop-and-start process in Congress has resulted in the disruption […]

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