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.

Car Headlights Prove Inadequate For Night Landing

A Cirrus pilot may have been confident that he could land safely on a private rural airstrip on a dark moonless night, with help from the headlights of a relative’s car pointed at the runway, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau said in its final report (PDF)last week, but the flight ended in a fatal crash. […]

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Flight Diverts After Evac Slide Inflates In Cabin

A United Airliners 737 en route from Chicago to Los Angeles landed in Wichita Sunday night after an emergency evacuation slide inadvertently inflated inside the cabin. The aircraft was in cruise flight at FL 380 when the incident occurred, according to Reuters. The aircraft, a 737-700, was carrying 96 passengers plus five crew members. “The […]

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Short Final

Heard on climb-out shortly after taking off behind a Bonanza A36: Bonanza:“Departure, this is Bonanza 12A. Ahh, we just got started here but need to come back.” Departure Control:“Bonanza 12A, understand you want to return to the field.” Bonanza:“Affirmative. 12A.” Departure Control:“Bonanza 12A, do you need any assistance?” Bonanza:“No. We just left the dog in […]

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Bench Replaces Harrier Nose Gear

A little ingenuity and precision borne of skilled repetition combined to save the Marines a hefty repair bill or worse on June 7. Marine Harrier pilot Capt. William Mahoney had a landing gear problem shortly after takeoff on a routine flight from the USS Bataan. The airplane’s nose gear wouldn’t deploy and because of the […]

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That Trick Harrier Landing: More to the Story

Im sure you saw the dramatic footage of the Marine AV8 Harrier landing on the deck of the U.S.S. Bataan with a stuck nosegear. If you didnt, here it is.My initial reaction was twofold. First, the pilot, Captain William Mahoney, was really on his game in hovering that airplane prior to committing to the landing, […]

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When ATC Says ‘Unable’

Judgment is the cornerstone of the air traffic control profession. This basic trait, common among thousands of successful air traffic controllers worldwide, allows controllers to face a variety of situations-including unusual pilot requests-and act appropriately. As with the folks in the cockpits, a controller relies on situational awareness. She takes a multitude of things into […]

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737 Damaged By Ramp Bricks

The engineer who signed off on the construction of the ramp at Pakistan’s Sialkot International Airport likely has some explaining to do after a Shaheen Air International Boeing 737-400 rearranged it some during a routine engine test. Engineers did a high power run-up of the No. 1 engine on June 19 and turned the parking […]

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Christopher Hart Nominated To Chair NTSB

President Obama has nominated Christopher Hart to be the next chair of the National Transportation Safety Board. He has been vice chair since October 2013 and has been a member of the NTSB since October 2009, along with other stints from 2009 through 2013 and 1990 through 1993. Hart faces confirmation by the Senate to […]

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FAA Proposes New Building Height Restrictions

The FAA wants to reduce the allowable height of buildings near hundreds of airports – a proposal that is drawing fire from real estate developers and members of Congress who say it will reduce property values. The proposal, supported by airports and airlines, is driven by encroaching development that limits safe flight paths for planes […]

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New This Week

AVwebs weekly dig into aviation developments uncovered news that two states passed laws that include aviation in recreational activity protections, Lightspeed launched its long-promised Zulu PFX headset, the Cessna TTx was approved for flight into known icing (FIKI) and Zenith Aircraft set the date for its annual Hangar Day. On June 25, California Governor Jerry […]

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