Latest Posts   –  Page 3

How to tell a Russian Su-27 from a British Typhoon

This is not an article that I ever thought I would feel compelled to write! However, given the confusion over a photograph chosen in a regional English paper, apparently it’s a conversation that we need to have. Let’s start by working out what went wrong. Estonia, 2019 On the 25th of June in 2019, the…

Read more… 28 Mar 25

Intolerable Risk: Dangerous Design behind the Washington DC Mid-Air Collision

On the 11th of March, the NTSB released an aviation investigation preliminary report on the mid-air collision between PSA Airlines flight 5342 and a Sikorsky UH60L US Army helicopter. At the same time, they released an an urgent recommendation report calling for the FAA to close the helicopter route that the military helicopter was following…

Read more… 21 Mar 25

American Airlines Fire at Denver: What We Know So Far

The big news this week is video footage of American Airlines flight 1006 which caught fire at Denver airport yesterday. American Airlines flight 1006 was a passenger flight scheduled for a two-hour flight from Colorado Springs Airport to Dallas-Fort Worth, departing Colorado Springs on time at 16:37 local time.  There were six crew and 172…

Read more… 14 Mar 25

Guest Post: The “Miracle on the Levée”

I’m on the road this week but luckily for us, my friend Elisa Bird agreed that I could share one of her great articles with you all. Given the frantic pace of aviation news lately, I thought perhaps a visit to an accident of yesteryear with Elisa’s insight would be welcome, specifically around the emergency…

Read more… 7 Mar 25

Near Miss at Midway

This year is turning out to be quite the collection of aviation incidents, with the dramatic video of Southwest flight 2504’s go-around at Chicago Midway making headlines around the world. This is feeding into a growing narrative of aviation issues, especially in the US, with many expressing concern that aviation is no longer safe. Part…

Read more… 28 Feb 25

CRJ900 Overturns on Canada’s Busiest Runway

On the 17th of February 2025, Delta flight 4819 from Minneapolis, Minnesota to Toronto, Ontario suffered a hard landing and flipped over, bursting into flames. The aircraft was fully loaded with 76 passengers and four crew on board. One passenger wrote about the experience on Reddit: I felt what seemed like too violent of jerking…

Read more… 21 Feb 25

Accident Reports

No Masks, No Oxygen, No Chance

On the 4th of June 2023, a Cessna Citation 560 aircraft crashed in Montebello, Virginia, killing the pilot and three passengers. The NTSB released their report on the 14th of…

Hand on Thrust, Brain on Autopilot

On the 28th of June 2024 a Boeing 777-236, registered in the UK as G-VIIT, rejected a take-off after reaching V1 during the take-off roll on 26L at London Gatwick…

Demystifying

How to tell an F-16 Fighting Falcon from a Eurofighter Typhoon

There are a number of reasons why you might need to quickly point out the differences between a General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon and a Eurofighter EF2000 Typhoon. You might…

Extreme Turbulence in Singapore Airlines flight 321

A few days ago (21st of May 2024), Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 encountered heavy turbulence on a passenger flight from London-Heathrow to Singapore. There were 229 on board, including eighteen…

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

Friday Lightness: A Short Respite from Crash Reports

It seems a good time for something a bit more lighthearted. After weeks of analyzing serious incidents and technical failures, I thought I could a moment to appreciate aviation humuor…

Flights of Fantasy: Aviation April Fools Worth Celebrating

I’m going to admit that I’m not a great fan of April Fools’ pranks, especially not attempts to trick people into believing something and then pulling the rug out from…