Category: Accidents and Incidents
Mid-air Collision of Wingsuit Flyer and Pilatus PC-6
On the 27th of July 2018, an experienced pilot departed with ten parachutists on board for a routine drop mission. It was the pilot’s fourth flight of the day in the Pilatus PC-6 Porter, a single-engine aircraft popular with parachuting and skydiving operations for its short take-off and landing capabilities and low maintenance requirements. The…
Read more… 8 Dec 23
Melting Windows
On the 4th of October 2023, an Airbus A321neo located in London Stansted was prepared for a multi-day charter flight in the US. There were three pilots and six cabin crew on board, as well as an engineer and a loadmaster. This first flight was repositioning the aircraft and crew from London to Orlando International…
Read more… 24 Nov 23
Unravelling the 2010 Widerøe incident at Svolvær
You may remember this 2010 incident from Aviation Herald’s great reporting which led to international attention to the case. I wrote about Aviation Herald’s work on this in: 83ft above the sea at night and no investigation?. Initially, the Norwegian authorities dismissed the idea that the incident required official attention. Only after significant pressure from…
Read more… 10 Nov 23
I am not OK: Horizon Air flight 2059
On Sunday, the 22nd of October, Horizon Air flight 2059 was on a scheduled passenger flight from Everett in Washington to San Francisco, California. The aircraft was a four-year-old Embraer ERJ-175. The flight was full, with eighty passengers, two flight crew and two cabin crew on board. One of the passengers was an off-duty pilot…
Read more… 27 Oct 23
The Illusion of a Perfect Landing
On the 6th of February 2010, at about half past four in the afternoon, an SAS flight took off from Copenhagen Airport for a short flight to France. Amazingly, everyone survived. The aircraft was a McDonnell Douglas MD-81. The MD-81 is the longer variant of the MD-80: a five-abreast single-aisle airliner designed as the second-generation…
Read more… 13 Oct 23
Final Report from the Contained Engine Failure of United flight 328
On the 20th of February 2021, United Airlines flight 328 made international headlines when a fan blade separated from the right engine shortly after take-off. Flight UA328 was a scheduled domestic flight from Denver International to Honolulu, Hawaii. The aircraft was a Boeing 777-200, registration N772UA, built in 1994 and powered by two Pratt &…
Read more… 29 Sep 23
Accident Reports
Low Altitude, High Risks: Fifteen minute flight turns fatal
It was an overcast day on the morning of the 8th of September 2011 when people in West Liberty, Ohio, heard the sounds of a low-flying aircraft approaching. The Cirrus…
Aircraft Collides with Lorry on Henstridge Approach
On the 2nd of March, 2023, a Vans RV-9A struck a vehicle while coming into land at Henstridge Airfield. The Vans RV-9A is a Van’s Aircraft kit plane, a kit…
Demystifying
Descending into Illusion: The Black Hole Effect
With no moon or city lights to guide you, the runway lights up ahead should be a beacon of safety. However, it might be a trap known as the black…
Sharing a Runway: Fed Ex vs Southwest at Austin
On Monday, two commercial aircraft had a near-miss on the runway at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas. The airport at Austin has two parallel concrete runways which run north-to-south: 18L/36R…
History
The Wright brothers and the dream of flying
I’ve lost most of the day to unexpected research and one of the fascinating items that I discovered was the Air Force Historical Research Agency and their amazing photo collection.…
The Tragic Story of Submarine M-200 Myest
On the 21st of November 1956, the M-200 Myest (Месть, meaning vengeance or revenge) collided with a Russian destroyer and sunk to the bottom of the Baltic. The M-200 Myest…
Fun Stuff
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…
Flying Fails and Airshow Considerations
Long-term readings of Fear of Landing know that my favourite aerobatics show of all time is Kyle Franklin’s Ben Whabnoski Comedy act. Just in case some of you haven’t seen…
bany on Mid-air Collision of Wingsuit Flyer and Pilatus PC-6I have a pic of the vertical stabilizer of out pc6 passing between my legs 
CHip on Mid-air Collision of Wingsuit Flyer and Pilatus PC-6When I was skydiving (and reading a lot about it), steep aircraft descents were common because the plane isn't making…
Uhtred on The Mysterious Disappearance of Foxtrot 94Good article (even with the North Sea described as a lake). The people the perpetrated the fake transcripts should take…
DAVID BRADLEY on Wheel Falls Off For Student Cross-Country SoloWhat Maggie did was amazing! 