While most aviation safety sources have identified loss of control (LOC) as the leading cause of accidents in the past few years, controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) “is making a strong comeback,” according to Flight Safety Foundation fellow Jim Burin.
Disaster
April 15, 2013 - 1:05pm
A remotely controlled ATC tower constructed by Saab for Norway’s Avinor air navigation service has passed the site acceptance tests that will eventually allow for a smoother fit into the Sesar air traffic management system, Europe’s version of NextGen, once final testing of the facility’s operations is completed.
April 15, 2013 - 12:38pm
Two German police-operated helicopters returning from a training mission collided near the ground in Berlin while landing on March 21. Both were Eurocopter models, one an AS332L1 Super Puma and the other an EC155B1. The pilot of the Super Puma lost ground reference in blowing snow and struck the smaller helicopter, killing the pilot of the EC155. Seven people on the ground were also injured–four seriously–mostly by flying debris. The two helicopters were participating in a police exercise being held near Berlin’s downtown Olympic Stadium.
April 15, 2013 - 12:30pm
This video of the November 2011 gear-up landing of a LOT Airlines Boeing 767 demonstrates the teamwork of everyone on the ground and inside the aircraft, and makes a review of the incident worth five minutes of every pilot’s time.
April 15, 2013 - 4:25am
Bombardier Aerospace’s Safety Standdown Asia returned to Asia yesterday for a third time. It was held in conjunction with the ABACE show at the Shanghai Marriott Hotel Hongqiao. Free for participants, Safety Standdown Asia “provides pilots, aircrew and flight departments with insights into the factors that precipitate errors in judgment and highlights ways to mitigate them,” according to Bombardier (Chalet 380). The seminar combines both knowledge-based and skill-based training with a focus on human factors.
April 10, 2013 - 11:10am
Michelin and the FAA Safety Program (FAAST) have partnered to offer pilots and aircraft maintenance technicians a free online tire maintenance course titled The Impact of Tire Maintenance on Aircraft Safety. “Tire maintenance is often overlooked in aviation; this course will help reinforce this important part of aviation safety,” said Brad Beall, Michelin Aircraft Tire zone director for North and South America.
April 9, 2013 - 2:20pm
Bombardier’s popular Safety Standdown program will return to Asia for its third edition in conjunction with next week’s Asian Business Aviation Conference & Exhibition (ABACE). The seminar, to be held on April 15 at the Shanghai Marriott Hotel Hongqiao, is free to all participants but advance registration is required at www.safetystanddown.com. Topics to be examined include pilot fatigue and health, safety management system integration, safety culture, and criminalization in aviation. Among this year’s presenters will be U.S.
April 8, 2013 - 2:35pm
Just days before the stranglehold of U.S. government budget sequestration was set to douse the lights at the first 24 contract control towers this week, the FAA last Friday issued a temporary reprieve to any closures until June 15. The agency said it needs more time to address the mounting legal actions the imminent closings have triggered.
April 8, 2013 - 2:25pm
In the first quarter of this year, seven people died in two fatal accidents involving Part 91-operated U.S.-registered business jets compared with 14 fatalities in three Part 91 business jet accidents in the first quarter of last year, according to preliminary data gathered from various AIN sources. Both of the fatal U.S. business jet accidents in the first quarter befell privately operated Hawker Beechcraft Premier Is.
April 8, 2013 - 2:20pm
Pilots and flight attendants can now learn how to deal with fire and smoke in aircraft using a new training rig installed by TAG Global Training at the group’s London-area Farnborough Airport. The device represents a business jet cabin, including galley and lavatory, and can start controlled fires in a seat, the in-flight entertainment unit, the toilet or the microwave oven. The automated system, with pre-set training options, can also fill the cabin with realistic-looking smoke.
