Government Secrecy for the Birds
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaFrance ordered the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to make its entire bird strike database available to the public. "Public disclosure is our job," LaHood wrote on his official blog. "The sea change in government transparency is beginning, and we are... [read more]
More Flight Safety Measures Coming for EMS Choppers
A senior Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) air safety official says additional safety devices, pilot training and air safety procedures will be mandated as part of new rulemaking for helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) operations. A HEMS Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to be published in 2009/10...
More Super Puma Gearbox Checks Advised
The UK Air Accident Investigation Board (AAIB) has asked for further checks on the gearboxes of Super Puma helicopters. The advisory follows the loss of a Bond Offshore Helicopters AS332L2 Super Puma (G-RED), which crashed into the North Sea on April 1 as it returned to Aberdeen. All 16 passengers and crew...
NTSB Praised for Recommending Grounding of Zodiac
The urgent recommendation of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to ground the Zodiac CH-601XL Special Light Sport Aircraft was a "heroic decision that could save lives if the Federal Aviation Administration acts promptly," said Ladd Sanger, an air crash litigation attorney. "The...
NTSB Rules on Fatal Servant Air Crash in Alaska
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTDB) has released its final report on the January 5, 2008 Servant Air crash that killed six people and injured four others at Kodiak, Alaska. The Safety Board said the Piper PA-31-350 (N509FN) crash was caused by a faulty nose baggage door latching mechanism that...
Hero of the Hudson Visits Alma Mater
Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, who saved U.S. Airways Flight 1549 with a heroic water landing in January, returned to the Air Force Academy, in Colorado Springs, CO, to accept a coveted aviation award. Sullenberger, a 1973 graduate, received the 2009 Colonel James Jabara Award for Airmanship...
Jet Lag Disturbs Sleep by Upsetting Internal Clock
Jet lag is the bane of many travelers, including pilots, and similar fatigue can plague people who work in rotating shifts. Scientists know the problem results from disruption to the body's normal rhythms and are getting closer to a better understanding that might lead to more effective treatment. New...
Smart Car Technology Advances
Scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) are testing an innovative technological system in the Detroit area that ultimately could help protect drivers from being surprised by black ice, fog, and other hazardous weather conditions. Could a similar system protect aircraft in bad...
Safety and Technology Trends
Former FAA Chief Bobby Sturgell Joins Rockwell Collins Bobby Sturgell, who served as acting administrator of the FAA during the end of the Bush administration, has joined Rockwell Collins as senior vice president of its Washington Operations. In his new role, Sturgell will responsible for developing and...
Security Shortlines
Passenger Reconciliation System Enhances Security Recognizing the increased importance of security as airports transition to self-service and off-site check-ins, ARINC has introduced the VeriPax Passenger Reconciliation System. It combines automated security screening with passenger reconciliation in real...
Safety Rules & Regs
Qualification, Service, and Use of Crewmembers and Aircraft Dispatchers; Extension of Comment Period, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM); extension of comment period. SUMMARY: This action extends the comment period for an NPRM that was published on January 12, 2009...
Accidents & Incidents
Date Aircraft Type Narrative Death/Injury Remarks April 01, 2009 Kilshanchoe, Ireland SCHWEIZER 269C EI-CZL Schweizer 269C owned and operated by European Helicopter Academy, destroyed when impacted terrain following wire-strike near Kilshanchoe. Two fatalities Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at...
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