Latest Posts  

A Side-by-Side Analysis of the Fatal Extra E300L Crash at Las Cruces

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A local pilot’s side-by-side video comparison shows the same aerobatic sequence performed at an airshow in New Mexico on two consecutive days: a successful performance on Saturday synchronised to Sunday’s fatal crash. The Las Cruces Air & Space Expo ended early on Sunday, the 20th of October, after a heartbreaking crash during a solo aerobatic…

Read more… 25 Oct 24

Night Flight from Catalina: Beechcraft Baron Incident

On the 8th of October 2024, a Piper Arrow departed from Santa Monica Airport in Southern California, landing at Catalina Airport, the small airport in the centre of Santa Catalina Island. Catalina Island is a small rocky island with rough terrain about 25 miles off of the coast of Los Angeles. The islands there are…

Read more… 18 Oct 24

Aviation Tales from the Fringes

This week, I have a collection of flying stories that aren’t really about the flying part of the flight. They are all stories that reminded me that aviation isn’t just about getting from A to B and I couldn’t resist sharing them. I hope you find them interesting as well! A Communication Breakdown at Oslo…

Read more… 11 Oct 24

Overrun in Ireland

On the 19th of February 2023, a private pilot arranged to meet with a flight instructor at Birr Airfield to fly a Cessna 172 Skyhawk. That morning, the flight instructor arrived early. He was rostered to do a local flight with a new club member. He held his commercial licence but was presumably new to…

Read more… 4 Oct 24

Rotation Gone Wrong: The Critical Error Behind LATAM’s Milan Tail Strike

On the 9th of July 2024, flight LA8073, operated by the Chilean airline LATAM, departed from Milano Malpensa for a passenger flight to São Paulo, Brazil. However, during the take-off run the “back end suddenly dropped after an apparent malfunction”, as Italian newspaper Corriere delle Serra described it. I still can’t watch the video without…

Read more… 27 Sep 24

Icing, Systems, and Human Factors: Preliminary Findings on Voepass flight 2283

On the 9th of August 2024 at 16:22, Voepass flight 2283, a scheduled flight from Cascavel, Paraná, to Guarulhos, São Paulo entered a flat spin and crashed into a residential district, killing everyone on board. CENIPA (CENtro de Investigação e Prevenção de Acidentes Aeronáuticos), the Brazilian Aeronautical Accidents Investigation and Prevention Centre, is charged with…

Read more… 20 Sep 24

Accident Reports

A Perfect Day to Fly: The Tragic Story of the EAA AirVenture 2023 Midair Collision

In 2023, the annual EAA AirVenture airshow in Oshkosh, Wisconsin was marred by a tragic mid-air collision. The EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association) is an aviation organisation which has hosted fly-ins…

The Fenestron Factor: Cabri G2 Crash in Gruyéres

The Swiss Transportation Safety Investigation Board (STSB) has released the final report for the Cabri G2 light helicopter crash in Gruyères, Switzerland in 2022. I wrote about it at the…

Demystifying

How to tell an F-16 Fighting Falcon from a Eurofighter Typhoon

There are a number of reasons why you might need to quickly point out the differences between a General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon and a Eurofighter EF2000 Typhoon. You might…

Extreme Turbulence in Singapore Airlines flight 321

A few days ago (21st of May 2024), Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 encountered heavy turbulence on a passenger flight from London-Heathrow to Singapore. There were 229 on board, including eighteen…

History

Gladys Ingle Inflight Wheel Change: Emergency Action or Stunt?

This video of a mid-air wheel exchange goes viral once a year or so, but I never get tired of watching it. Last week, it showed up on Reddit and…

The Disappearance of the Hawaii Clipper May Not Be as Mysterious as Was Thought

This week, we have a guest post by J.B. Rivard who wrote an article for the American Aviation Historical Society (AAHS) and used one of my articles as a reference.…

Fun Stuff

Terminally Early: The Berlin Viewing Platform

Mistakes were made. All of them were mine. Before I left for Dresden, I planned out my full itinerary. Berlin is a much busier airport than Tallinn, so I needed…

A Few Good Stories

I’m in Dresden at the moment and I’m afraid I haven’t had a free moment to write you a new article. Luckily, lots of other people are on the internet…