News

The number of fatal general aviation accidents in the U.S. increased slightly in 2014 to 253, from 222 the previous year, the NTSB said Thursday in its preliminary report of annual statistics. The fatality rate also climbed in 2014, with 1.4 accidents per 100,000 flight hours compared to 1.12 the previous year. Overall, the accident […]

A carburetor malfunction led to the loss of engine power in the Ryan PT-22 flown by Harrison Ford when he made a forced landing in March, the NTSB said Thursday in its probable cause report. The board also cited faulty shoulder harness hardware that contributed to Ford’s multiple injuries. The actor and pilot was hospitalized […]

More debris, possibly from the missing Malaysia Airlines jet, has washed up on Reunion Island, Malaysian officials said late Wednesday, although the French government did not confirm the findings. The island, a French territory in the Indian Ocean, is the where a flaperon found last week was confirmed by Malaysian officials to be from the […]

An uptick in business flight activity last month, particularly in turboprop aircraft, continued to mark an uphill trend so for this year, Aviation Research Group/US found in Wednesday’s report for the U.S. and Canada. The report, which tallies IFR departures and arrivals, shows that flights increased 3.7 by percent between June and July. Turboprop activity […]

A research team at the University of Bristol in the UK has successfully tested new technology that could be used to develop “self-healing” airplane surfaces, according to the BBC. The technology comprises tiny microspheres that contain a liquid, carbon-based “healing agent.” The spheres could be interspersed in the surface structure, and when they are damaged […]

Officials have confirmed that the flaperon found on Reunion Island off the coast of Africa last week originated from Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, which vanished in March 2014. That origin for the wreckage had already been widely assumed, since it was known to be from a Boeing 777, and only one of those has been […]

President Obama has nominated Beverly Scott, the former head of Boston’s public-transit system, to fill the fifth seat on the NTSB. The choice is expected to draw debate and opposition as it goes to the Senate for confirmation — Scott resigned her post abruptly in April, after a government report critiqued her agency’s performance when […]

The number of used business jets on the market continues to decline but older aircraft remain a tough sell, according to a report from JetNet released this week. The market analysis company said its figures show the total number of business jets available dropped from 11.8 percent of the fleet to 11.2 percent in the […]

Airbus has been granted a U.S. patent for an airplane that could fly commercial passengers at speeds up to Mach 4.5, according to various news reports this week. The plans show the hydrogen-fueled airplane would take off vertically, propelled by turbojets, then a rocket engine and wing-mounted ramjets would propel the aircraft as high as […]

Beacon, a new venture launched by the team behind Surf Air, plans to start offering a subscription-based private airplane service in the Northeast starting September 15, the company has announced. Beacon will offer unlimited access to its fleet for prices starting at $2,000 per month, with flights between Boston and New York, as well as […]