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.

Medevac Learjet Down Off Fort Lauderdale

Two people are confirmed dead and two others are missing after a Learjet headed for Mexico from Fort Lauderdale went down off the coast of Florida late Tuesday. According to the Miami Herald, the aircraft was on a medevac flight from Cozumel to Fort Lauderdale and was on the return flight after dropping off a […]

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FAA Defends Sleep Apnea Rule (Corrected)

The FAA is showing no signs of backing off a controversial new policy to detect and treat obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). As we reported in an exclusive story on Monday, Federal Flight Surgeon Dr. Fred Tilton is ordering Aviation Medical Examiners to automatically refer pilots (and at some point in the future, controllers) with a […]

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Russian Officials Blame Crew In Fatal Crash

Just three days after 50 people died in the crash of a Boeing 737 in Russia, a government panel said the pilots climbed too steeply after their first missed landing attempt, then lowered the nose to try to gain speed, but they overcompensated and sent the airplane into a near-vertical dive. The Interstate Aviation Committee […]

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Reform the FAA? How Would You Do It?

If you woke up tomorrow and were suddenly King, to be challenged by no man or woman and could do as you please with, say, the FAA, what would you do? Sixty three percent of you would reform it from top to bottom if the results of last weeks pollquestion were accurate. Surmising that this […]

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Short Final

Background: In the C-141 at the time, there was a three-position switch on the right side of the yoke. Up was interphone, neutral was off, and down was transmit on the active radio. And in a USAF “crew-served” aircraft, you identify yourself by position when responding to a question or checklist item. (I.e., “Ready for […]

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Video Shows Steep Descent, Fireball In Russian Crash

In a video clip (below) broadcast by Russian TV on Monday, the 737 that crashed on Friday appears to descend quickly at a near-vertical angle to the runway, exploding into a fireball on impact. All 44 passengers and 6 crew died in the crash. The airplane was flying in from Moscow, about 500 miles away, […]

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AVmail: November 18, 2013

Letter of the Week:Investing in GA Regarding the “Question of the Week”: I’m not a person equipped to make financial investments in projects. But I believe in investing in GA and can do that with time and information. I have been going into the local schools to give talks about my 13 years as a […]

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Body Found After Fall From Airplane

Police may have solved one mystery surrounding a passenger’s fall from a Piper Malibu over Miami Thursday but they’re not saying much about other aspects of the strange mishap. Miami-Dade Police say they’ve found a body believed to be that of Gerardo Nales in a mangrove swamp in Miami’s Biscayne Bay. They’ve been looking since […]

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Russian Airliner Crash Kills 50

A Tatarstan Airlines Boeing 737 operated for Ak Bars Aero crashed in Kazan, the capital city of Tatarstan Sunday, killing all 44 passengers and six crew. Early reports out of Russia said the airliner, on a flight from Moscow, attempted to land two or three times and crashed on the final attempt. Weather was reported […]

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FAA Medical Chief Targets Fat Pilots And Controllers (Corrected)

Pilots and controllers who may be obese will have an extra hoop to jump for their medical certification to ensure they don’t have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Federal Air Surgeon Dr. Fred Tilton has notified(PDF) Air Medical Examiners (AMEs) that they will soon be required to measure the body mass index (BMI)of all pilots and […]

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