Latest Posts – Page 11
“Totally a visibility issue.”
On Sunday, the 27th of November 2022, a single-engine aircraft made national US news when it crashed through power lines in Gaithersburg, Maryland, coming to rest on a lattice tower. I wrote about the incident at the time as Mooney crashes into power lines but that piece was focused on the crash and the rescue.…
Read more… 6 Dec 24
A Concorde Close Call — Not!
One of the great things about doing a month of guest posts is that I get to talk to interesting people and ask if I can share their work with you. Mike Riley is the perfect example. Mike Riley went from soloing a glider at 16 to flying the Concorde until his retirement in 1997.…
Read more… 29 Nov 24
Navigating Instrument Failure at 10,000 Feet
I’m not here! I’m celebrating Thanksgiving in the US for the first time in 30 years, so I do hope someone has organised a double-batch of cranberry sauce. Don’t worry though, I have a great guest post from my friend Lola Reid Allin. Lola was among the first female commercial pilots, breaking barriers in aviation…
Read more… 22 Nov 24
“I kept my eyes closed”: Rudy’s adventures in aerobatic flying
Last month, we lost Chuck Coleman in Las Cruces during an advanced aerobatic manoeuvre. The tragedy has sparked many conversations in our community about limits, risk assessment and aerobatic flying. Our regular contributor Rudy sent me this thoughtful piece about his own journey with aerobatics, from a student who initially kept his eyes closed during…
Read more… 15 Nov 24
Catalina Night Departure: NTSB Preliminary Report Released
On the 8th of October 2024, a Beechcraft Baron crashed shortly after taking off from Catalina Airport at night, killing all five occupants. I wrote about it on the 18th: Night Flight from Catalina: Beechcraft Baron Incident but here’s a quick recap. Earlier that day, three people from a Santa Monica flight school had flown…
Read more… 8 Nov 24
Airbus A321 Landing Attempt in Typhoon
Yesterday, the 31st of October 2024, a Starlux Airlines flight bounced on the runway at Taoyuan International Airport in Taipei while attempting to land during the most severe typhoon that Taiwan has seen in thirty years. Typhoons are not uncommon in Taiwan, with a typhoon season spanning June to October. However, Typhoon Kong-rey arrived surprisingly…
Read more… 1 Nov 24
Accident Reports
Any Landing You Can Float Away From: Successful Ditching in the Arctic
On the 29th of July 2024, a light aircraft encountered engine trouble off the coast of Greenland and was forced to ditch in the North Atlantic. The aircraft was a…
Bomber 139's Third Run: What the Investigation Found
In order to follow this analysis, you’ll need to have the details of the flight and the crash from last week’s article about the flight. When we last saw Bomber…
Demystifying
Another quick round of questions and answers
It’s time for another Questions and Answers session. I started this series a few years back, when a reader asked if there was a way to pose aviation questions outside…
Durga Puja Pandal Shows Air India Flight 171 Crash
The following video from a religious festival in West Bengal, India, has caught a lot of social media attention. It shows a detailed representation of an Air India Boeing Dreamliner…
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…
