Latest Posts   –  Page 4

Crosswind Landing Gone Wrong: TUI Boeing 737 at Leeds Bradford

Leeds Bradford Airport in England, perched on a windy hilltop, is known for its challenging conditions. But even by Leeds standards, the conditions on the 20th of October 2023 were rough, as Storm Babet battered the British Isles with high winds and heavy rain. The thirteen-year-old Boeing 737-8KS registered in the UK as G-TAWD started…

Read more… 7 Feb 25

Mid-Air Collision over the Potomac

A tragic mid-air collision took place near Washington DC on the 29th of January 2025. A Bombardier CRJ700, operating as American Eagle flight 5342 and a Sikorsky H-60 “Black Hawk” military helicopter crashed into each other at around 200 to 300 feet above ground level over the Potomac River. Flight 5342 was a scheduled domestic…

Read more… 31 Jan 25

Bankstown Belly Landing Follow-Up

Last year, I wrote about a Cessna 210 which suffered an engine failure while downwind at Bankstown Airport in New South Wales, Australia. I’ll quickly recap the controller and pilot interactions from the event which was the main information that we had. At the time, I wrote that the pilot and one passenger were on…

Read more… 24 Jan 25

Jeju Air flight 2216

On the 29th of December 2024, a Boeing 737-800 operated by a low-cost South Korean airline crashed after an emergency landing and overshooting the runway at Muan International Airport in South Korea. Jeju Air flight 2216 was a scheduled passenger flight in a Boeing 737-8AS, registered in the Republic of Korea as HL8088, enroute form…

Read more… 17 Jan 25

Drone Strike Grounds Quebec Firefighting Aircraft in Los Angeles

Yesterday, the 9th of January 2025, a Canadian firefighting aircraft was grounded after it was struck by a small civilian drone. The aircraft is a Canadair CL-415, an amphibious aircraft known as the Super Scooper. The twin-engine, high-wing aircraft can fly at relatively low speeds in gusty conditions, allowing it to come in closer to…

Read more… 10 Jan 25

Azerbaijan Airlines flight 8243: Shot Down Over Grozny

On the 25th of December 2024, Azerbaijan Airlines flight 8243, a scheduled passenger flight from Baku, Azerbaijan to Grozny, Russia, crashed on approach to Aktau International Airport in Kazakhstan with 62 passengers and five crew on board. The Embraer 190AR, registration 4K-AZ65, took off from Heydar Aliyev International Airport in Baku at 07:55 local time…

Read more… 3 Jan 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 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…

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…

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…