Category: Accidents and Incidents – Page 32
Draco Written Off
One of the big events of the aviation calendar is the STOL competition which takes place every May in Valdez, Alaska. I wrote about the 2019 Valdez Fly In and STOL Competition a few months ago, specifically about an amazing home-built “bush plane” named Draco: The STOL competition was broadcast live and you can watch…
Read more… 20 Sep 19
Size Matters
This morning, I woke up to headlines about spilling coffee in the cockpit (thank you R and Mom) and so of course I had to find out what happened. The case was released yesterday in the British Air Accidents Investigation Branch S2/2019 Special along with a number of other interesting incidents. The incident in question…
Read more… 13 Sep 19
Fire Fighting and Rising Terrain
The following clip was posted to Twitter on the 13th of August. Oh F*** pic.twitter.com/235hlKFAHr — Aviões e Músicas (@avioesemusicas) August 13, 2019 The video shows a small four-engine jet coming in low to drop fire retardant and then climbing away over a low ridge, flying so close to the rising terrain that the aircraft…
Read more… 30 Aug 19
Three Cheeseburgers and a Rental Car
Aircraft hijacks are pretty rare since airport security started checking bags before allowing them on the flight. However, I was intrigued by the story of Glenn Kurt Tripp who appeared to attempt a DB Cooper style hijack in 1980 and then again in 1983, at the end of which he was shot and killed by…
Read more… 26 Jul 19
Human Factors Breakdown: C-17 Crash at Elmendorf
Last week, we looked at a fatal C-17 accident at Elmendorf in 2010. I now want to focus on the analysis of the situation leading up to the stall. It’s clear that the flight crew did not react to the warning signs as they attempted their manoeuvres at low altitude without reaching their target airspeed.…
Read more… 19 Jul 19
Dangerous Aerobatics : C-17 crash at Elmendorf (2010)
In 2010, a US Air Force transport plane crashed just one minute after take-off while practising for the Arctic Thunder Air Show at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska. The Boeing C-17 Globemaster III, a large military transport aircraft, was being flown by a highly qualified commander and three crew members, all of whom…
Read more… 12 Jul 19
Accident Reports
Ferry Tank Failure: Successful SR22 Ditching in the Pacific
In 2015, I shared a video of an SR22 whose pilot successfully deployed his Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS) off of the coast of Maui, Hawai’i. I wrote at the time…
The Man in the Right Seat at Prestwick
On the 23rd of April 2024, a Piper Archer II crashed in South Ayrshire, Scotland, after losing power. There were two on board. Both suffered serious injuries and the light…
Demystifying
Meowing on Guard (an attempt at an explanation)
Last week a video went viral and it’s been fun to see the mainstream media coverage try to cover two pilots who were heard making animal noises on the radio. …
Trump Threatens to Ground Canadian Aircraft Over Gulfstream Certification
The US President, Donald Trump, posted the following to Truth Social last night. Based on the fact that Canada has wrongfully, illegally, and steadfastly refused to certify the Gulfstream 500,…
History
Four Point Two Stars Where You Only Stop If You Have To
I always look up airports when I’m writing about them, partly out of habit and partly because I’m afraid I’ll miss an important detail. When I was writing Any Landing…
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…
Fun Stuff
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…
Nathan Pyle Strange Worlds
Thank you so much for all the kind words. I don’t quite have the wherewithal to respond to each of you individually but I very much appreciate all of you…
