Defense Daily :: Weekly coverage of air safety trends, policy and regulation

Fallout from NW Flight 188

Mon, 9 Nov 2009 0:00:00 EST

The Northwest Airlines pilots who overshot Minneapolis by 150 miles have filed appeals of their license revocations with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The appeals were filed Nov. 4, according to an NTSB spokesman, noting that appeals are...

Northwest Flight 188 Pilots Are Grounded

Mon, 2 Nov 2009 0:00:00 EST

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Oct. 27 revoked the licenses of the two Northwest Airlines pilots who overshot their Minneapolis destination by 150 miles. The two wrong-way pilots were previously suspended from flying for Delta Air Lines through...

'Distracted' Northwest Pilots Overshoot Destination

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 0:00:00 EDT

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating a Northwest Airlines flight that overshot its destination by 150 miles after pilots reportedly got into a "heated discussion." According to the Safety Board, "the crew stated...

$9M in Penalties for Two U.S. Airlines

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 0:00:00 EDT

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has proposed fines totaling $9.2 million against US Airways and United Airlines for operating planes that did not comply with FAA safety directives or the airlines' own maintenance procedures. US Airways faces a $5.4...

Fewer Close Calls on Runways

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 0:00:00 EDT

The number of serious runway incursions at U.S, airports was cut in half during Fiscal Year 2009, according to he Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). There were 12 serious incursions in FY 2009, which ended Sept. 30, with only two involving commercial...

Fatal HEMS Crash in South Carolina

Mon, 5 Oct 2009 0:00:00 EDT

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating the fatal crash of an emergency medical service (EMS) helicopter near Georgetown, SC on Sept. 25. The Eurocopter AS-350 B2 (N417AE) helicopter EMS (HEMS) crashed at about 11:30 p.m. ET during a...

Pilot Work Rules to Change

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 0:00:00 EDT

Pilot fatigue initiatives resulting from the Feb. 12 fatal crash of Colgan Air Flight 3407 in Buffalo, NY were revealed at a House aviation subcommittee hearing on Sept. 23. Among other things, Federal Aviation Administrator Randy Babbitt noted that "as...

New FAA Safety Initiatives Unveiled

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 0:00:00 EDT

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Randy Babbitt is putting a new spin on air safety, moving to improving the agency's response to public safety complaints and whistleblower charges while ensuring that air carriers comply with safety...

Air Safety in the Big Apple

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 0:00:00 EDT

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is revising flight procedures to create safe, dedicated operating corridors for all the aircraft that fly at lower altitudes around Manhattan and over the Hudson River. A New York Airspace Task Force chartered by the...

NTSB Urges MD-80 Flaps Safety Check

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 0:00:00 EDT

A year after a Spanish jetliner crashed and killed 154 people because the pilots failed to properly configure the plane's flaps before takeoff, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is urging the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), airlines...

Air France Ends 'Black Box' Hunt

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 0:00:00 EDT

The French Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis (BEA) for Civil Aviation Safety has abandoned its search for the flight data and cockpit voice recorders from the Air France passenger jet that crashed in the Atlantic Ocean while enroute from Rio de Janeiro to Paris...

FAA and Controllers Agree on New Contract

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 0:00:00 EDT

Air traffic controllers and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have reached a tentative contract agreement aimed at ending years of acrimonious relations. Members of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) have 45 days to ratify the...

GE In Agreement With FAA To Research UAS Integration Into National Air Space

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 0:00:00 EDT

General Electric [GE] yesterday said its Aviation unit has signed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to assess the integration of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) into the National Airspace System...

FAA Boss Promises Action on Pilot Fatigue

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 0:00:00 EDT

Before a large gathering of commercial airline pilots, Federal Aviation Administrator J. Randolph Babbitt vowed to develop regulations aimed at reducing the threat of fatigue in the flight deck. "We know too much," Babbitt said Aug. 5 in an address...

Mandate to Replace Airbus Pitot Tubes

Mon, 3 Aug 2009 0:00:00 EDT

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) will propose an Airworthiness Directive (AD) mandating that 200 Airbus A330/A340 aircraft currently fitted with older Thales pitot probes be fitted with at least two pitot tube made by Goodrich, allowing a maximum of...

New Faces at Safety Board

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 0:00:00 EDT

After leading the National Transportation Safety Board for four and a half years, Mark V. Rosenker has announced that he will resign his position as acting chairman and member. He submitted his letter of resignation to President Obama on July 21. He said he...

Helping Pilots Get Past Ocean Storms

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 0:00:00 EDT

Scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, CO, are working on a system that would provide pilots on transoceanic flights more precise information about violent storms and clear air turbulence in their flight path. The NCAR...

Airbus: Maybe There's a Better Way

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 0:00:00 EDT

The inability of searchers to locate the flight data and cockpit voice recorders aboard the ill-fated Air France Flight 447 has prompted Airbus, the manufacturer of the A330- 203 (F-GZCP) involved, to consider redesign of the critical air safety devices so...

Time Running Out for AF Flight 447 Investigators

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 0:00:00 EDT

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is probing two recent incidents involving Airbus A330 commercial transports that appear to have suffered similar failures reported on Air France Flight 447, which crashed into the Atlantic Ocean on June 1...

Regional Airline Summit Yields Action Plan

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 0:00:00 EDT

The nation's top-level federal aviation safety regulators have taken immediate steps to monitor the regional airline industry's pilot training and reduce the threat of fatigue on the flight deck. The voluntary measures emerged from the June 15 "call to...