Category: Accidents and Incidents – Page 44
BFU Interim Report: Bizjet Flipped by Passing Airbus
The Bundesstelle für Flugunfalluntersuchung (BFU) also known as the German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation, released a preliminary report on the Bombadier CL604 which encountered extreme wake turbulence in January. I usually wait for the final report but, in this case, it is very straight-forward and I’d be surprised if further details will come…
Read more… 19 May 17
The Database Error And The Turkish Airlines Airbus
On the 4th of March 2015 a Turkish Airlines Airbus A330-303 left the runway when landing at Kathmandu. The headlines called it a database error. When I read the accident report, however, I discovered that it wasn’t that simple. The Captain was 55 years old and had almost 15,000 hours with 1,500 on type: he’d…
Read more… 12 May 17
How will we stop the engine, then? Kigali Crash into VIP lounge
You may recall these photographs from the mainstream media in 2009, when an aircraft crashed into an airport building, killing one passenger. The CRJ-100 had just taken off from Kigali International Airport when the flight crew declared an emergency after developing a fault with the throttle. They returned to Kigali and landed safely. At the…
Read more… 21 Apr 17
Pilot Suicide Disputed by Family: Germanwings 9525
The tragedy of Germanwings 9525 happened two years ago and I reported on the final report from the Bureau d’Enquêtes et d’Analyses (BEA) when it was released in March of last year. The BEA concluded that the crash was caused by the deliberate and planned action of the first officer who decided to commit suicide…
Read more… 7 Apr 17
Dubious New Technique: Wing-Stop Manoeuvre
There’s been a lot of chatter about the Peruvian Boeing 737 which collapsed on landing a few days ago. Obviously there’s not a report yet, but I wanted to try to collect the information so far because three days after the incident. It’s still not clear to me what actually happened. (Also, I love the…
Read more… 31 Mar 17
The Problem With Horses in the Hold
PH-BFT is a Boeing 747-406(M) operated by KLM. It’s a 747 combi for mixed passenger and freight operations. The aircraft was travelling from Amsterdam to New York JFK, cruising at flight level 360 (36,000 feet). They were about 330 nautical miles (600 kilometres) north of St John’s in Newfoundland, Canada when the captain fell ill.…
Read more… 10 Mar 17
Accident Analysis
Fatal SR22 Stall on Final at Barwick LaFayette
On the 20th of March, 2025, a Cirrus SR22 crashed in LaFayette, Georgia during an instructional flight, killing both the pilot and the flight instructor. It was a good flying…
There Is a Parachutist in Front of You
On the 15th of June 2023, a light aircraft crashed into the runway at Aversi private airfield in Denmark. The aircraft, registered in Germany as D-EPRR, was a Cessna TU206G…
Demystifying
The Pilots, the Probes, and the AF447 Verdict
On the 21st of May 2026, the Paris Court of Appeal convicted Airbus and Air France of involuntary manslaughter for their roles in the crash of Air France flight 447,…
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. …
History
The CIA's Shark Screen
Today we have a guest post from the CIA! In their archives, researching something completely different, I found the answer to a question I never thought to ask. I immediately…
The First Jet to Land on an Aircraft Carrier (Deliberately)
“The Vampire was the first jet to land on a moving aircraft carrier deliberately.” This quote from Airshow Luke, our MC at the Legacy of Liberty airshow, made me almost…
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…
