Category: Accidents and Incidents –  Page 30

Boeing’s Updated MCAS Software

Yesterday, Boeing announced that it had completed its update of the MCAS software which was now with the FAA for certification. This seems like a good time to bump the conversation back to the front page, as there’s been some very interesting issues and articles posted into the comments of the previous articles. First of…

Read more… 17 May 19

Stall and Fatal Crash at Houston Hobby

On the 9th of June 2016, a Cirrus SR20, registration N4252G crashed during a go-around at William P. Hobby airport, killing the pilot and two passengers. I first heard of this accident as a result of the AOPA Air Safety Institute’s video series although it happened a few years ago. I recommend the video but…

Read more… 10 May 19

The Amazing Survival of Lauren Elder

It been forty-two years since Lauren Elder survived a plane crash in the “Nevada Triangle”, the region in the Sierra Nevada mountains that claimed Steve Fossett’s life in 2007. The Nevada Triangle runs from Las Vegas, Nevada to Fresno, California at its base and Reno, Nevada as the top point. Lauren Elder’s flight was on…

Read more… 26 Apr 19

Flight AA300 Strikes Runway Sign on Departure

American Airlines flight 300 from New York to Los Angeles had a bit of a run-in last week. The aircraft, an Airbus A321-231 (registration N114NN) was on runway 31 at JFK with 109 passengers on board when they struck a runway sign showing 5,000 feet distance remaining. As the aircraft levelled out at FL200, 20,000…

Read more… 19 Apr 19

What happened on Ethiopian flight 302: a breakdown of the preliminary report

Yesterday, the 4th of April, the Ethiopian Accident Investigation Bureau investigating the crash of Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 released the Preliminary Report (local version stored at bottom of this post). Ethiopian Airlines flight 302, in the Boeing 737-8(MAX) registration number ET-AVJ, was a scheduled passenger flight from Addis Ababa to Nairobi. There were two flight…

Read more… 5 Apr 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

Accident Reports

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…

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…

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…