Latest Posts   –  Page 16

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

Taking Off In The Dark

On the 27th of July 2021, an Airbus A320, registration 9V-JSM, was scheduled for a passenger flight from Changi Airport in Singapore to Jakarta, Indonesia. Changi Airport started operation in 1981 with just one terminal and one runway. Now, it is one of the largest transportation hubs in Asia with three runways and four terminals.…

Read more… 29 Jul 22

MV-22B Osprey crash onto side of USS Green Bay

On the 5th of August 2017, an MV-22B Osprey crashed while on a routine training mission off the coast of Rockhampton in Queensland, Australia. The crash resulted in three deaths, 23 injured and the total loss of the aircraft. The US Marines were part of a greater simulation, including an embassy reinforcement mission. The crew…

Read more… 22 Jul 22

Airbus Flying Too Close To The Ground

On the 23rd of May 2022, an Airbus A320, registration 9H-EMU, departed Stockholm Arlanda airport bound for Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport as flight NSZ 4311. There were six crew and 172 passengers on board. The captain was the Pilot Flying and the first officer was the Pilot Monitoring. The initial flight was uneventful. The flight…

Read more… 15 Jul 22

President’s Award 2021, Archie League Medal of Safety

Every year, I look forward to the Archie League Medal of Safety Awards, an annual event to honour exceptional air traffic controller work in the previous year. In the past, I have collected the information and written about the event; this year, I’m happy to see that NATCA has written a great narrative that I’m…

Read more… 8 Jul 22

Twin Pioneer Down in Libya: Structural Failure in 1956

On the 7th of December 1957, a Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer 1, registration G-AOEO, departed an airstrip at Anshan in Libya for a routine flight to Tripoli-Idris Airport. There were two crew and four passengers on board, including David McKintyre, the co-founder of Scottish Aviation Limited. They never arrived. The Twin Pioneer was the most…

Read more… 1 Jul 22

Accident Reports

The Unstallable Plane That Stalled

The Cessna 185 Skywagon is a high wing, single engine aircraft: basically a Cessna 180 with six seats, a strengthened fuselage and a slightly more powerful engine. It’s a popular…

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…

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…