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 Preliminary Reports On Two Airline Close Calls

This week, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) published a pair of preliminary reports on “close calls” involving airliners at Hollywood Burbank Airport in California and JFK Airport in New York. Unusually, the California incident occurred more than a year ago in February 2023. But the preliminary report—usually posted within weeks of the incident—was delayed […]

Read More »

Three Injured In Second Lockheed 12A Accident

For the second time in three days a relatively rare vintage Lockheed 12A Junior Electra has crashed, this time in Georgia and with no fatalities. Three people aboard the plane were seriously injured when the plane apparently went off the runway and hit a tree at Seven Lakes Airport in Jackson, Georgia. The airport has […]

Read More »

$81,950 Fine Proposed For In-Flight Violence

A San Antonio woman who was duct taped to a seat after a series of incidents aboard an American Airlines flight in 2021 has earned the highest ever FAA sanction for unruly behavior. Heather Wells, 34, is being sued by the agency for a total of $81,950 after an eventful flight from Dallas to Charlotte […]

Read More »

FAA Getting Ready To Rule On Public Charter Scheduled Service

The FAA says it will soon issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that will address safety issues in so-called public charter carriers that operate scheduled services under Part 135 rules. FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said in a statement that could ultimately result in a separate category for these types of carriers, commonly referred to as […]

Read More »

FAA Investigates After Southwest MAX Dives To 400 Feet Off Hawaii

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating an April incident involving a Southwest Airlines 737 MAX 8 that descended rapidly from 1,000 feet and came within about 400 feet of the ocean surface off the Hawaiian island of Kauai. Bloomberg was the first to report on the incident after obtaining an internal memo from Southwest to […]

Read More »

Counterfeit Titanium Found In Boeing And Airbus Jets

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Spirit AeroSystems, a supplier of fuselages for Boeing and wings for Airbus, are investigating counterfeit titanium found in recently manufactured jets. According to The New York Times, who first reported the news, falsified documents were used to verify the material’s authenticity—prompting concerns about the structural integrity of the airliners. […]

Read More »

Dutch Roll’ Incident Prompts FAA/NTSB Investigation

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are investigating yet another alarming incident in which a Boeing 737 MAX 8 experienced a “Dutch roll” at roughly 32,000 feet —a rare phenomenon when the aircraft rolls in one direction and yaws in the other.  The incident occurred May 25 during a Southwest […]

Read More »

A 53-Year-Old Tragic Mystery Appears To Be Solved In Vermont

A more-than-half-a-century-old aviation mystery has almost certainly been solved. On Jan. 27, 1971, Jet Commander N400CP departed from Burlington International Airport in Vermont bound for Providence, Rhode Island. The twinjet disappeared shortly after takeoff in snowy weather. Over the next several days, nearby Lake Champlain froze over, and despite several widespread searches over the years, […]

Read More »

Hail Damage Rattles A320 Passengers

The shattered radome and cracked windscreens of an Austrian Airlines A320 got viral coverage Sunday after the plane encountered hail from a cell on approach to Vienna-Scwechat Airport. The flight was on its way from Palma de Mallorca, Spain, when it hit the weather, which the airline said didn’t show up on the crew’s weather […]

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

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

SUBSCRIBE