Helping Pilots Get Past Ocean Storms
Scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, CO, are working on a system that would provide pilots on transoceanic flights more precise information about violent storms and clear air turbulence in their flight path. The NCAR researchers are working in partnership with... [read more]
Alaska Air Going Green Over Seattle
This summer Alaska Airlines began testing next-generation flight procedures at Seattle-Tacoma (Sea-Tac) International that will allow the airline and its sister carrier, Horizon Air, to reduce their environmental impact during airport approaches. Dubbed "Greener Skies," the project in cooperation...
Making Alaskan Airfield Approaches Safer
Approaching Alaskan airfields can be an aerial obstacle course for aircraft making descents and landings. Often surrounded by challenging mountainous terrain, air corridors into and out of the airports may be hemmed in by pinnacles, towering conifers and even cell towers. Approach procedures, called Required...
House Bill Includes Cabin Security Provisions
In a little noticed action, the U.S. House of Representatives recently passed the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Authorization---with flight attendant security training included---by an overwhelming, bipartisan vote of 397-25. The bill---H.R. 2200---authorizes flight attendants to complete no...
FAA/NCOIC Team on NextGen
The FAA and the Network Centric Operations Industry Consortium (NCOIC) have entered into an agreement to advance the Enterprise Architecture of NextGen, the FAA's national airspace system (NAS) transformation program. NCOIC's FAA contract has a potential value of approximately $10 million and spans five...
Investigators Probe Hole in SW B737
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators are trying to determine how a foot-wide hole opened in the top of a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-300, forcing the crew to make an emergency landing in Charleston, West Virginia. The B-737 lost pressure in the passenger cabin about 30 minutes into the...
Obama Campaign Plane Incident
A probable cause report released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) shows that an inflated emergency slide may have pressed against critical control cables, forcing an emergency landing of Obama's presidential campaign plane on July 7, 2008 at Lambert-St. Louis International, St. Louis...
Older F/A-18 Hornets Inspected for Cracks
A U.S. Navy safety bulletin was issued July 10 to inspect all older-model Navy and Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornet strike aircraft for possible cracks in an internal support fitting after fractures were discovered in horizontal stabilator...
USAF Completes UAV Crash Probes
U.S. Air Force officials say a General Atomics ASI MQ-9 Reaper crashed March 20, 2009 at Fort Irwin, CA because of an improperly assembled oil system temperature control valve. The Air Combat Command Accident Investigation Board report released July 13, 2009 said the Reaper, assigned to the 42nd Attack...
Fossett Doomed by Downdrafts
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released its final report on the Sept. 3, 2007 aviation accident that claimed the life of Steve Fossett, saying that the famed aviator was downed by mountain downdrafts during a local pleasure flight. The Safety Board ruled that his aircraft, a Bellanca...
Safety & Technology Trends
IHST to Meet The International Helicopter Safety Team (IHST) will hold its Third International Helicopter Safety Symposium, September 29 - October 1, 2009, at the Hotel Hilton Montr�al Bonaventure, Montr�al, Qu�bec, Canada. The event comes as long-term worldwide helicopter accident data trends have...
General Aviation Security
On July 15, 2009, the Transportation Security and Infrastructure Protection Subcommittee conducted a hearing entitled General Aviation Security: Assessing Risks and the Road Ahead. Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS) said the hearing was called to highlight progress made by the...
Safety Rules & Regs
FAA Issues SAFO On Certain Lithium Batteries. The two types of batteries commonly used to power consumer PEDs (Personal Electronic Devices) brought on aircraft are lithium batteries (disposable) and lithium-ion batteries (rechargeable). Both these types are capable of ignition and subsequent explosion due to...
Accidents & Incidents
Date Aircraft Type Narrative Death/Injury Remarks May 29, 2009 Dublin Airport, Ireland Boeing 757 Plane carrying almost 200 passengers had a close shave with a tractor lawnmower as it landed on a foggy night Driver of riding mower not notice Boeing 757 until its wing passed over his head as he cut grass near...
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