Latest Posts
Why KLM Cut the Steering Cables on Two Perfectly Functional Boeing 737s
Last month, we looked at the night of 28th of November 2004 at Barcelona Airport. KLM 1673 ran off the runway at high speed, stopping just short of a canal. We focused there on the experience on the runway and the evacuation. This week, I want to consider the events leading up to the runway…
Read more… 9 Oct 26
An Altercation in the Cockpit
Flydubai flight FZ1073, callsign SKYDUBAI 1073, was a scheduled passenger flight from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to Tel Aviv, Israel, also sold under the codeshare Emirates flight EK2120. On the 30th of September, the flight was scheduled to depart Dubai International Airport at 02:45 UTC (06:45 Gulf Standard Time) for the three and a half…
Read more… 1 Oct 26
Hawk T2 Ejection and Crash at RAF Valley
On the 23rd of September 2026, a Royal Air Force Hawk T2 jet trainer crashed near Pencarnisiog, Anglesey. The Hawk T2 is the RAF’s designation for the BAE Systems Hawk 128: an aerobatic two-seat trainer with a glass cockpit whose controls are designed to resemble the Typhoon’s. The Hawk, based on a design from Hawker…
Read more… 25 Sep 26
KLM 1673 Veers Off the Runway with Full Right Rudder
On the 28th of November 2004, a Boeing B737 ran off the runway at Barcelona Airport. The weather had been good at Barcelona that evening. The flight crew agreed to land with flaps set to 30°, autobrakes setting 2 and standard reverse thrust, all within standard operational procedures. As they approached, the landing gear lowered and…
Read more… 18 Sep 26
Amazon Cargo 767 Overrun at Miami
On the 6th of September 2026, 21 Air flight 7598 landing at Miami International Airport overran the runway, killing five people. The aircraft was a 32-year-old Boeing 767-300 wide-body airliner converted for cargo, registered in the US as N1997A. That day, the aircraft had flown Cincinnati-Miami-San Juan with two flight crew aboard. I have not…
Read more… 11 Sep 26
How Low Is Too Low? Airlink Flypast at Cape Town DHL Stadium.
On Saturday the 29th of August 2026, South Africa’s Springboks faced off against New Zealand’s All Blacks in the second test of the four-match “Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry” series. The match opening at Cape Town’s DHL Stadium drew international attention last week. Let’s skip to the chase: South Africa won 33-26. But that’s not what made…
Read more… 4 Sep 26
Accident Analysis
Social Media Influencers Weigh Down Aircraft
The fatal crash at Scottsdale Arizona took place directly after take-off. The passengers were a self-proclaimed crowd of social media influencers. The jet-setting influencer who had organised the flight, had…
Fatal SR22 Stall on Final at Barwick LaFayette
On the 20th of March, 2025, a Cirrus SR22 crashed in LaFayette, Georgia during an instructional flight, killing both the pilot and the flight instructor. It was a good flying…
Demystifying
Someone has to write the TAF
It turns out that there a person sitting there deciding what the weather is going to do. Which seems obvious, except that I had somehow never asked msyelf who “someone”…
The Pilots, the Probes, and the AF447 Verdict
On the 21st of May 2026, the Paris Court of Appeal convicted Airbus and Air France of involuntary manslaughter for their roles in the crash of Air France flight 447,…
History
The CIA's Shark Screen
Today we have a guest post from the CIA! In their archives, researching something completely different, I found the answer to a question I never thought to ask. I immediately…
The First Jet to Land on an Aircraft Carrier (Deliberately)
“The Vampire was the first jet to land on a moving aircraft carrier deliberately.” This quote from Airshow Luke, our MC at the Legacy of Liberty airshow, made me almost…
Fun Stuff
Petrified, Petrified, Petrified
There’s been some interesting reporting in the UK media about a “near disaster” over Canary Wharf involving the captain having to intervene (the horror!) after air data systems failed on…
Aviation Stories You Might Have Missed
I hope you all are having a wonderful holiday season. This week, I’ve put together a compilation of interesting items in the press that you might have missed while enjoying…
