When the National Transportation Safety Board releases its annual Most Wanted List of transportation safety improvements, it almost always contains a goal regarding operator fatigue. As part of the NTSB drive to reduce deadly aviation accidents, it has led efforts to combat pilot fatigue. That is why the NTSB is celebrating a new rule released by […]
Aviation
Sightseeing Tour Ends in Deadly Helicopter Crash
A sightseeing tour at the Lake Mead National Recreation area outside of Las Vegas ended in tragedy Wednesday. The helicopter crash claimed the lives of all four passengers as well as the pilot. The crash occurred around 5 p.m. while the helicopter proceeded on its normal course to Hoover Dam. The weather was clear with good visibility […]
FAA Safety Officials Target American Airlines
Cost cutting decisions by an airline can compromise the safety of passengers and airline personnel. The Federal Aviation Administration has ordered an increase in safety checks of American Airlines and its affiliate to ensure that the company’s financial difficulties do not lead to aviation accidents. The inspections are geared toward the areas where an airline might […]
Airplane Propeller Accident Leaves Woman Badly Injured
A 23-year-old model was struck by an airplane propeller last week at a private airport. Lauren Scruggs had just exited the plane when the accident occurred. As a result of the catastrophic injuries she received, she has had her left hand amputated and has undergone several surgeries. She is currently listed in stable condition, though the long […]
Aviation Safety on the Decline
The Government Accountability Office released a report last week outlining a significant increase in the number of mistakes by air traffic controllers over the last three years. In addition, the report shows an increase in the incidents of runway incursions at airports using control towers. Many aviation accidents occur on the runway, including the deadliest aviation […]
Birthday Helicopter Tour Ends in Tragedy
Just moments after takeoff, a helicopter pilot realized there was a problem. The aircraft’s engine stalled and the vehicle spun out of control, eventually crashing into a nearby river. The pilot escaped the craft, as well as three of the four passengers onboard. One passenger, a woman celebrating her 40th birthday was not so lucky. She […]
Reliance on Auto Pilot Features Lead to “Loss of Control” Airplane Accidents
Similar to a motor vehicle’s cruise control, modern commercial airplanes have auto pilot features. The question is, however, whether drivers and pilots rely too heavily on these automated features. A recently released study by aviation safety officials looked at this question and found an emerging problem with “automation addiction.” Heavily relying on automated flight systems […]
NTSB investigates collision at Logan International
A Boeing 767 carrying 204 passengers struck the tail of a smaller plane carrying 74 passengers while the planes were taxiing at Logan International Airport. The airplane collision took both planes out of service and is being investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The NTSB joined the investigation due […]
Combating fatigue among air traffic controllers
Overnight shifts can prove challenging for workers in many professions. For U.S. air traffic controllers, the consequences of falling asleep on the job can be deadly aviation accidents. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has reached an agreement with air traffic controllers in an attempt to help them stay alert on the job. The new policies were […]
FAA issues new rules to combat sleeping by air traffic controllers
Last week we shared a story about the ongoing problem of napping air traffic controllers. Yesterday the Federal Aviation Administration issued new rules intended to prevent air traffic controllers from sleeping during overnight shifts while they are supposed to be ensuring that airplanes are directed safely to and from their destinations, and avoiding airline accidents. Over […]
More reports of napping air traffic controllers
We recently shared a story about a flight from Chicago to Reagan International Airport that landed without the assistance of an air traffic controller because the controller had fallen asleep on the job. There have now been additional reports of air traffic controllers napping on the job. While fortunately these lapses did not result in […]
Simulated airplane crash in Peoria trains emergency responders
On Saturday, the Illinois Air National Guard and a number of local emergency response agencies held a full scale drill at the Peoria International Airport to test their response plans. The disaster drill is designed to provide responders an opportunity to refine their practices for responding to a plane crash. Approximately 70 local youths participated as […]
Airplane lands safely after losing power
Another in the recent string of near misses for the airline industry yesterday as a United Airlines flight made a safe emergency landing after the on-board power went out shortly after take-off. Without any instruments to guide them, the pilots relied on the directions from air traffic controllers and the landmarks which they could see out the […]
Boeing 737 operated by Southwest Airlines rips open during flight
About 20 minutes after taking off from Phoenix Sky Harbor Internal Airport on Friday afternoon, Southwest Airlines Flight 812 made an emergency landing after the plane’s fuselage ruptured causing a 5 foot long tear in the ceiling. Some of the plane’s 118 passengers described hearing loud pops and then seeing a gaping hole rip through […]
Construction at O’Hare poses flight safety risk
When a FedEx airplane taxied out to takeoff from Chicago’s O’Hare airport, a preflight check determined that the plane was too heavy to use the runway to which it was originally assigned because that runway was only 8,000 feet long. Air traffic controllers gave the flight the option of a new runway and the plane prepared for […]
More finger pointing regarding napping air traffic controller incident
You likely heard about a situation last week in which two airline flights, including one from Chicago, landed at Reagan National airport without the assistance of the air traffic controller who had dozed off. Fortunately both plans landed safely, but now there are rumblings within the airline industry about what should happen when a situation […]
United plane that caught fire was flown without being repaired
During a flight last may, about 30 minutes after takeoff, flames shot into the cockpit from the window of a United Airlines airplane with 112 passengers on board, according to a report in the Chicago Tribune. The flames extended 14 to 16 inches into the cockpit from the window near the captain. The captain quickly grabbed a […]
Two killed in Southern Wisconsin Airplane crash
The Chicago Tribune reports that two people were killed in a fatal airplane accident yesterday at about 6:30 in the evening. The crash occurred in south central Wisconsin about 15 miles from Baraboo. The plane had taken off from an airport in Lake in the Hills, Illinois. The intended destination of the plane has not yet been […]
Chicago Executive Airport cleared for new runway safety systems
As you may know, the south end of the main runway at the Chicago Executive Airport ends very near to Palatine Road. The owners of the airport, Prospect Heights and Wheeling, have now approved the installation of a runway safety system to be installed at both ends of the runways to help stop airplanes that […]
NTSB investigating fatal plane crash
The Chicago Tribune reports that the National Transportation Safety Board is leading an investigation into a fatal plane crash that occurred Wednesday night in Indiana. The crash of the twin engine Cessna occurred at approximately 8:15 according to Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Elizabeth Cory. The tragic plane crash occurred in a rural area of Indiana about two […]