Risk Management

The British Airways Airbus A319 that suffered an engine fire and lost cowlings off both engines on departure from Heathrow took off with its engine cowls unlatched, according to an early report. An Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) report discussed by Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said the right engine’s cowl door departed the aircraft, but […]

Eleven aviation advocacy groups Wednesday cosigned a letter to the House Appropriations Committee seeking financial support for the FAA contract tower program through 2014. Signatories included AOPA’s Craig Fuller, NBAA’s Ed Bolen, and leading members of the National Air Transport Association, Air Carrier Association of America, Regional Airline Association and others. Currently 251 airports participate […]

DGCA, the regulating authority for Indian aviation, has drafted strict rules under which airline pilots may be allowed to nap while on the flight deck. Pilots unions had sought changes to flight duty time limitations to combat fatigue associated with flight duty time limitation provisions. DGCA would allow controlled rest only under certain conditions and […]

In an open letter to the general aviation community sent just before the Memorial Day weekend, FAA Administrator Michael Huerta asked each pilot to “make sure you’re ready — really ready — to fly.” The letter (PDF) noted that GA accident rates have remained “stubbornly flat” in recent years and asked everyone in the GA […]

A Brazilian air force Boeing 707 went off the runway on its takeoff roll at Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Haiti Sunday but none of the 121 people onboard was injured. One of the engines reportedly caught fire and the aircraft left the runway. The aircraft was totaled. Details are sketchy but the airport was […]

A Piper PA-34 Seneca being flown for Angel Flight Northeast crashed in Garoga, N.Y., killing at least two of the occupants and likely the third. The aircraft took off from Hanscom Field in Bedford, Mass., bound for Rome, N.Y., and crashed about 60 miles from its destination. Witnesses reported seeing the aircraft, minus a wing, […]

Cirrus says it has made pilot safety its new top priority with a program designed to ensure the pilots of its aircraft know how, and perhaps more importantly when, to use the built-in safety features, including the parachute. In announcing Cirrus Approach, CEO Dale Klapmeier said the Cirrus safety record is “on par” with other […]

Cessna’s first production Turbo Skylane JT-A, running behind a Jet-A fueled diesel engine, Tuesday flew for 2.3 hours, the company announced Wednesday. The Safran-made 227-hp SMA engine is expected to use up to 40 percent less fuel than a comparable avgas engine, according to Cessna, burning 11 gallons per hour at 156 knots and delivering […]

Pilatus, best known for its PC-12 turboprop, on Tuesday released details of the PC-24, which will be the company’s first jet. At the European Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition in Geneva, Switzerland, board chairman Oscar Schwenk said the “super-versatile” jet will be able to use very short runways, paved or unpaved, and a cargo door […]

Cirrus Aircraft has sent an investigative team to Addison, Texas, to look into a report that a repacked Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS) failed to deploy when a pilot pulled the handle late last week. “We did have an incident in Texas at the end of last week that involved a repacked CAPS parachute,” Cirrus […]