IATA/CIS Team to Improve Aviation Safety
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC) have agreed to improve aviation safety throughout the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The expanded pact adds specific points to IATA's existing cooperation partnership with the IAC including: Promotion of... [read more]
Light Sport Plane Can Break Apart in Flight
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is urging the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to ground a light sport plane that has broken apart in flight six times, killing ten people, since 2006. The Safety Board recommends that the FAA prohibit further flight of the Zodiac CH-601XL, a fixed-gear...
NTSB's Rosenker Talks Safety
National Transportation Safety Board Acting Chairman Mark V. Rosenker recently addressed the Wichita (Kansas) Aero Club, discussing NTSB actions and activities in the aviation safety arena. Rosenker highlighted some key issues of particular interest to the general aviation community, such as the recent...
ADS-B Operational in Northern Canada
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is working diligently to switch to a Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) by 2020 and the European Community plans to deploy its Single European Sky Air Traffic Management Research Program, or SESAR, five years sooner. But Canada has gotten a head...
ADS-B Up and Running in the Sunshine State
South Florida is the first region to adopt Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) technology under the FAA's Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) initiative. ADS-B is the cornerstone of the FAA-mandated NextGen initiative that is intended to increase safety and efficiency to meet...
PBN Spreads to China
Sichuan Airlines has formally signed an agreement with Naverus to provide tailored Performance Based Navigation (PBN) procedures for Lhasa Airport. Naverus also will assist Sichuan Airlines in obtaining regulatory approval to fly the procedures with its fleet of Airbus A319s. With this agreement, Sichuan...
Progress Made in Airline Performance
While government data show that flight delays have fallen recently, more can be done to improve airline service by accelerating the implementation of NextGen. "The Department of Transportation (DOT) Air Travel Consumer Report shows that customer service has improved, especially in getting passengers to...
Airline Safety Compromised by Executive Greed
In a new book entitled The Plane Truth From an American Airlines Flight Attendant, Alicia Lutz-Rolow charges that the nation's airline executives are putting passengers at risk for the sake of generating extra revenue. Lutz-Rolow, an American Air flight attendant for over 30 years, says she wrote the...
Gearbox Failure Causes Fatal Bond Chopper Crash
UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) investigators say an accident that bought down a Super Puma helicopter in the North Sea killing 16 was caused by a 'catastrophic' main gearbox failure. The Bond Offshore Helicopters AS332L2 Super Puma (G-RED) crashed into the sea on April 1 as it returned from a...
Chopper Ed 101 at S&T Summit
With the debut of their new GAT-II HELO flight training device at the Safety & Training Summit 2009 on April 27th and 28th in Denver, CO, the FAA officially extends its Airman Education Programs into the helicopter market. The GAT-II HELO is one of four such flight training devices used by the FAA's...
Astronauts Need to Work Out More
A new study in The Journal of Applied Physiology suggests that astronauts need to modify their workouts to avoid extensive muscle loss during missions onboard the International Space Station (ISS). The latest NASA-sponsored research from Ball State University's Human Performance Laboratory (HPL) suggests...
Safety & Technology Trends
Jail Time for Indonesian Pilot The pilot of an Garuda Indonesia airliner that crashed at an airport on Java island, killing 21 people, has been jailed for two years for criminal negligence. An inquiry found that Capt Marwoto Komar had approached the runway too fast and landed at too steep an angle. The...
Security Shortlines
Checked Baggage Screening Scrutinized Department of Transportation Inspector General staffers identified vulnerabilities in the security of checked baggage at eight U.S. airports where testing was conducted. Four recommendations were made. The Transporation Security Administration (TSA) concurred with three...
Safety Rules & Regs
Airworthiness Directives; MD Helicopters, Model MD900 (including the MD902 Configuration) Helicopters. Final rule. SUMMARY: This amendment adopts a new airworthiness directive (AD) for the specified MD Helicopters (MDHI) model helicopters that requires, within 30 days, reducing the current gross weight limit...
Accidents & Incidents
Date Aircraft Type Narrative Death/Injury Remarks April 01, 2009 Hungry Horse, MT MAULE M4-220C N2007U A/c impacted frozen surface of reservoir near Hungry Horse.. The personal local flight departed Glacier Park International Airport (KGPI). One fatality A/c climbed on a northeast course to 4,500 feet msl as...
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