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Dreamliner Crash in Ahmedabad: Air India flight 171

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Yesterday, the 12th of June 2025, Air India flight 171 crashed after departure from Ahmedabad Airport in India. Air India flight 171 was a scheduled passenger flight from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, UK which crashed just 45 seconds after departure, impacting a medical school dining hall in the Meghani area of the city. Ahmedabad Airport,…

Read more… 13 Jun 25

The Stowaway in Plain Sight

On the 4th of November 2023, Scandinavian Airlines flight 931 arrived at Los Angeles International Airport at Gate 156. A gentleman in his forties disembarked the aircraft and walked to the Customs and Border Protection checkpoint. There, he explained that he’d just arrived on SAS flight 931 but seemed to have left his passport on…

Read more… 6 Jun 25

No Masks, No Oxygen, No Chance

On the 4th of June 2023, a Cessna Citation 560 aircraft crashed in Montebello, Virginia, killing the pilot and three passengers. The NTSB released their report on the 14th of May, leading to a very Citation-heavy month this month on Fear of Landing! The Cessna Citation 560, also known as the Citation V, is a…

Read more… 30 May 25

Citation II Crashes in San Diego Residential Area During Low-Visibility Approach

Yesterday, the 22nd of May 2025, a Cessna S550 Citation II crashed in San Diego, on approach to the Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport. Some of the media have reported that a “small plane” crashed, so to be clear: this was a business jet about the size of a large lorry, not a single-engine Cessna 172. The…

Read more… 23 May 25

Hand on Thrust, Brain on Autopilot

On the 28th of June 2024 a Boeing 777-236, registered in the UK as G-VIIT, rejected a take-off after reaching V1 during the take-off roll on 26L at London Gatwick Airport. In order to understand what happened that day, we need to understand V-speeds: relative speeds which need to be calculated for every flight. The…

Read more… 16 May 25

Challenger 300 Fatal Upset Wasn’t Turbulence

On the 3rd of March 2023, a passenger in a private jet died after severe injuries in the cabin, which were originally reported as caused by severe turbulence. This was quickly picked up by the mainstream media and, for the next few weeks, news and oped articles focused on the ongoing issues of changing weather…

Read more… 9 May 25

Accident Reports

Fowl Play in South Africa

On the 19th of January 2025, a Robinson R44 Raven II helicopter registered as ZS-RJC departed Chief Dawid Stuurman Aerodrome (formerly Port Elizabeth Airport) in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province.…

Following the story of the Fokker F27

Last week I wrote about the Fokker F27 mk 500 Friendship that came off the runway at take-off at Bournemouth Airport. Rudy commented on his experience flying the F27 in…

Demystifying

How to tell a Russian Su-27 from a British Typhoon

This is not an article that I ever thought I would feel compelled to write! However, given the confusion over a photograph chosen in a regional English paper, apparently it’s…

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…

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

Friday Lightness: A Short Respite from Crash Reports

It seems a good time for something a bit more lighthearted. After weeks of analyzing serious incidents and technical failures, I thought I could a moment to appreciate aviation humuor…

Flights of Fantasy: Aviation April Fools Worth Celebrating

I’m going to admit that I’m not a great fan of April Fools’ pranks, especially not attempts to trick people into believing something and then pulling the rug out from…