Mystery Remains on Fatal Air France Crash
The loss of Air France Flight 447, which disappeared over the South Atlantic on June 1 during a nasty lightning storm, taking 228 lives, will continue to baffle aviation safety investigators until the Airbus A330's flight data and cockpit voice recorders are hopefully recovered from the depths of the... [read more]
NextGen Love Fest Bodes Well for Progress
Industry associations, top-level federal officials, aviation union bosses and influential lawmakers appear united in their support of long-term FAA funding and the expeditious implementation of the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). Last year's contentious debate over NextGen was nowhere in...
TSA Nixes New Delta Flights to African Points
Delta Air Lines won't be allowed to provide flights from the U.S. to Nairobi, Kenya (via Dakar) and direct service to Monrovia, Liberia until the airports there beef up their security. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) called the...
ADS-B Can Reduce Runway Incursions
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Member Kitty Higgins believes Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) technology can play a major role in reducing the threat of runway incursions. She recently noted that such a system is already being evaluated in the U.S. and overseas, saying...
Runway Incursion Incident at CLT
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating a runway incursion that occurred May 29, 2009 at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) involving a general aviation aircraft and a regional jet. At about 10:17 a.m., a PSA Airlines CRJ-200 regional jet operated as US...
Full Disclosure at Safety Board
As of June 1, 2009, all accident investigation public dockets are available on the National Transportation Safety Board's (NTSB) public website (http://www.ntsb.gov) in accordance with the NTSB Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Improvement Plan. The NTSB said this effort brings the Safety Board into...
ERAU Creates Wildlife Risk Management Center
The Jan. 15, 2009 ditching of US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River vividly illustrated the dangers of midair collisions between birds and aircraft. But what led to the so-called "miracle on the Hudson" happens more often than the public realizes. Bird and wildlife strikes cause more than a...
Lightweight Wings
Tensairity elements made of air filled membrane assemblies, rods and cables have already made a name for themselves in the construction world as extremely light yet strong load-bearing structures. But is this new technology also suitable for use in the aerospace industry, for example to create novel wings...
C-130 Crew Survives Wind Shear
A USAF Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules transport crew rapidly and correctly analyzed a developing situation, applied emergency procedures and recovered an aircraft, its passengers and crew without incident after encountering unforeseen wind shear May 20 in Southwest Asia. The 737th Expeditionary Airlift...
Improving Airport Ground Safety
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has awarded Northrop Grumman a contract for the Low-Cost Ground Surveillance (LCGS) program to heighten situational awareness of airport surface traffic. The value of the reward was not disclosed. The contract calls for the installation of a LCGS system at the...
Safety & Technology Trends
Contract for Airspace Concept Evaluation NASA has selected Raytheon to receive an Airspace Concept Evaluation System, or ACES, follow-on contract valued at $29 million. This is a cost-plus-fixed-fee contract that begins June 1. The base contract lasts two years and has three one-year options. Under the terms...
Security Shortlines
Body Scan Vote Pending House lawmakers are taking up legislation that would prohibit the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) from using controversial whole-body imaging machines to screen airline passengers. The machines are being tested at 19 airports. They use millimeter-wave technology that shows...
Safety Rules & Regs
Airworthiness Directives; Boeing Model 747-100, 747-100B, 747-100B SUD, 747-200B, 747-200C, 747-200F, 747-300, 747-400, 747-400D, 747-400F, 747SR, and 747SP. Final rule; correction. SUMMARY: The FAA is correcting typographical errors in an existing airworthiness directive (AD) that was published previously...
Accidents & Incidents
Date Aircraft Type Narrative Death/Injury Remarks May 04, 2009 High Island 138 GM BELL 407 N164RL Pilot was approaching offshore oil platform and positioned a/c to land "into the wind." Intended flight path crossed over a crane with windsock on top. Having observed obstructions, pilot continued...
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