Latest Posts   –  Page 15

Fatal Crash of LSA at Santa Monica Airport

Yesterday at around 16:30 local time, a light sports aircraft crashed onto the runway of Santa Monica Airport (SMO) in California. The aircraft was a CSA SportCruiser, a two-seater aircraft also sometimes known as a PiperShort. The SportCruiser belonged to a flying school based at the airport. Initial reports are that a 15-year-old was on…

Read more… 9 Sep 22

Verdict: Crocodile Still Not Guilty

A few days ago, my friend Beth sent me a link to what seemed an unbelievable aviation story: Plane crash caused by escaped crocodile https://t.co/p7nVvg12dw — Boing Boing (@BoingBoing) August 31, 2022 Long-time readers of Fear of Landing will recognise the story immediately: I wrote about it in 2014. At the time, I concluded that there…

Read more… 2 Sep 22

Post-Pandemic Mystery at Heathrow

In June 2021, the British Air Accident Investigative Branch (AAIB) initiated a fascinating investigation after they noticed three similar incidents at London Heathrow over a three-day period. Soon, they realised that the three incidents, all involving blocked pitot tubes, were related. As the investigation continued, several more incidents were discovered. The pitot tube measures the…

Read more… 26 Aug 22

Pilot Departs Aircraft Without a Parachute

Last week, an NTSB preliminary report was released about a tragic accident that already had the aviation world wondering what on earth had happened. On the 29th of July 2022, an air traffic controller received a bewildering call. “My co-pilot just ran out the back of the plane.” The aircraft was a CASA 212-200, a…

Read more… 19 Aug 22

Aviation Videos and Articles for August

I always collect videos and links that I think you might enjoy but apparently, I have been neglecting to actually share them with you! So here’s a “best of the best”, the top videos and a few articles from the stack of links that’s been gathering dust on my desktop all year. This one has…

Read more… 12 Aug 22

Cabri G2 crash at Gruyére

On the afternoon of the 15th of June 2022, a light helicopter crashed near Gruyère Aérodrome in Switzerland. The Cabri G2, produced by Hélicoptères Guimbal, is a two-seater helicopter powered by a reciprocating (piston) engine. The helicopter, built in 2013, was owned and operated by Swiss Helicopter AG under the registration HB-ZDQ. The first two…

Read more… 5 Aug 22

Accident Reports

Unbolted in Fairfield (Update on the 2022 Bell 407 GXP Crash)

On the 4th of June 2022, a Bell 407 GXP helicopter crashed in a field near Fairfield, New Jersey. I wrote about it at the time. The final report and…

Madness on the Runway at Manchester

The Manchester Airport Group Plc owns and operates three airports: Manchester, London Stansted and East Midlands. Manchester Airport is the third busiest airport in Britain. Their website says Manchester Airport…

Demystifying

Training an AI Copilot To Spot Gliders

My friend Maria at Daedalean wrote this article about how they are using AI to help pilots detect gliders. I thought it was fascinating and Daedalean gave me permission to…

The Missing Bolts from Alaska Airlines flight 1282

On the 5th of January 2024, Alaska Airlines flight 1282 had just taken off when it lost a door plug, leaving a gaping hole on the left side of row…

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

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…