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.
In compliance with the most recent FAA reauthorization, the agency has expanded the aircraft size and passenger load permitted under BasicMed. Those who use the self-reporting medical regime can now use it to operate aircraft with a maximum takeoff weight of up to 12,500 pounds (up from 6,000 pounds) and carry up to six passengers […]
On Thursday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced it has set a new record, overseeing 148 licensed space operations in Fiscal Year 2024—a 30% jump from last year. The agency also forecasted that the number of commercial space operations could more than double by 2028, signaling unprecedented growth in the sector. To keep pace with […]
The Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE) shortage is improving, according to officials from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). During this year’s 2024 annual Flight School Association of North America (FSANA) Designated Pilot Examiner Symposium, FAA leaders highlighted ongoing efforts to expand the DPE pool—noting that more than 100 DPEs have been added to the system. The […]
A flight attendant was grazed by a bullet when a Spirit Airlines A320 was hit by gunfire as it was about to land at Port-au-Prince Toussaint Louverture Airport in Haiti Monday morning. The flight originated in Fort Lauderdale and multiple bullets pierced the fuselage. It’s not clear where the flight attendant was hit but the […]
The two crew members aboard a Total Cargo Boeing 737-400 RS managed to get the burning aircraft on the ground in Sao Paulo, Brazil, early Saturday before rappelling to safety from a window using the emergency escape rope. The drama unfolded on a short flight from Vitoria. The crew declared an emergency on final and […]
Bloomberg reported that Jeppesen could top Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg’s list of non-core assets being sold to shore up the planemaker’s balance sheet. Bloomberg, quoting unnamed sources, said the company is looking for $6 billion for the world’s largest provider of aviation charts and air navigation materials to help whittle down its $58 billion in […]
Investigators released new details surrounding the fatal crash of a Beech 95-B55 at Catalina Airport on Oct. 8, revealing that the pilot ignored warnings not to take off after dark. The National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) preliminary report states that the incident unfolded after a flight instructor and two student pilots became stranded at Catalina […]
Five people died in the collision of a HondaJet with a car in Mesa, Arizona, about 4:40 p.m. on Tuesday. The plane was reportedly taking off from Falcon Field when it overran the runway and crashed into the car on a street bordering the airport. There were five people on the aircraft but it’s not […]
The Wall Street Journal is reporting Russia was behind a plot to start fires aboard cargo and passenger aircraft heading from Europe to Canada and the U.S. The publication said explosions at DHL hubs in Leipzig, Germany, and Birmingham, U.K., in July were dress rehearsals for the plot, which was apparently aimed at bringing down […]
The pilot of a Robinson R-44 that hit a radio tower in Houston on Oct. 20 was talking to ATC when it happened according to the NTSB’s preliminary report. The helicopter was on a commercial sightseeing flight when it struck the 1,003-foot tower about 900 feet. All four on the helicopter were killed and the […]
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