Latest Posts
We’re Still Talking about the 737 Max 8
The entire aviation world is focused on the Boeing 737 Max 8, especially as the details from the Lion Air cockpit voice recorder files have been leaked. The truth is, I don’t have a lot to say about it at this stage (unlike me to keep quiet, I know!) and so instead, I’ve put together…
Read more… 22 Mar 19
What Is Going On With The Boeing 737 Max 8?
The news is dominated right now with the grounding of the Boeing 737 Max 8 after a second fatal crash of a passenger jet which could be related to the onboard systems. There’s a LOT of questionable information out there and many of the explanations presume a certain level of aviation knowledge. I’d like to…
Read more… 15 Mar 19
The Reckless Final Approach of US Bangla Flight 211
The crash of US Bangla flight 211 made international headlines when it occurred on the 12th of March 2018; however, it wasn’t until a month ago that the true sequence of events was made clear. Landing was completed in sheer desperation after sighting the runway. This is never a phrase you want to see in…
Read more… 8 Mar 19
Go Around at Gibraltar
Last week, this video of an Airbus A320 performing a frankly frightening looking approach followed by a go around was splashed all over social media. Here’s the original footage on Twitter with an apology for the swearing: @GibChronicle @RockRadio @GBCNewsroom this is the original version…. apologies for the swearing. pic.twitter.com/F7wtmwtVqi — MackeminGib (@mackemsin) February 25,…
Read more… 1 Mar 19
Ground Collision at Nairobi
Two regional jets collided at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi last Saturday (9 Feb 2019). Both passenger jets were Embraer 190 owned by flag carrier airline Kenya Airways and were scheduled for routine maintenance. Apparently, one of the aircraft was in the process of a technical engine maintenance check when it “jumped off” while…
Read more… 22 Feb 19
ATC and the Pilot Who Turned Back
Last week we looked at a general aviation crash in which the pilot reported a Mayday as a result of an engine failure. Eight minutes later, the pilot crashed into a forest near Colbert, Oklahoma. Today, I want to focus on what happened with the air traffic control centre who advised the pilot. The pilot…
Read more… 15 Feb 19
Accident Reports
The Pilot Turned Back: Engine Failure Leads to Fatal Crash
On the 26th of July a single-engine light aircraft crashed in the woods near Colbert, Oklahoma while attempting a forced landing. The pilot had reported his emergency ten minutes earlier…
Ever Left The Parking Brake On?
On the 22nd of December 2017, BMI Regional flight 1822, an Embraer ERJ-145EP (G-CKAG), was a scheduled flight from Frankfurt/Main in Germany to Bristol Airport in England. There were 22…
Demystifying
Thirty Years Since Air France Flight 296
Thirty years ago, on the 26th of June 1988, a brand new Airbus A320 crashed during a demonstration of its fly-by-wire capabilities, killing three passengers and demolishing the plane as…
Drone Killer
When I’m not obsessing about aviation, I write speculative fiction, including science fiction featuring near-future technology. So you can imagine I was pretty excited when I saw a headline last…
History
Building a B-29 Piece by Piece
I’m in Austria this week, giving a presentation about the representation of old women in science fiction. So it seemed only right to celebrate a woman in aviation who might…
The Odd Story of Richard Floyd McCoy Jr
I’ve been working hard on volume two of Without a Trace and, of course, I can’t resist a chapter on Dan Cooper, who successfully hijacked a Northwest Orient aircraft and…
Fun Stuff
For your amusement: weird and interesting NOTAMS
I was browsing around looking for interesting news when I saw that Reddit user justachamelion had posted a great question for /r/AskReddit: Pilots of Reddit, what are the weirdest or…
In case you were wondering what to get me for Christmas
There are lots of private jets up for sale but this one is special… It is a 1962 Lockheed JetStar 1329. The JetStar was a private project at Lockheed, originally…
@FearofLanding
colintd on We’re Still Talking about the 737 Max 8Rereading the linked articles, I think (as a non-pilot) these two lines are central to understanding the situation: "United Airlines,…
Rudy Jakma on We’re Still Talking about the 737 Max 8Chip, Spot-on. I suspect that this may be one reason why Garuda cancelled a big order. Whatg else did Boeing…
Armando Gotelli on Preliminary Report on Lion Air flight 610Sorry to say, but the crew failed to perform a basic emergency procedure called "runaway stabilizer" which is well known…
mendel on What Is Going On With The Boeing 737 Max 8?Yes, the 737max is grandfathered in on the old 737 rating, requiring only a differences training. That is basically the…