All Ops & safety articles
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NewsNo ‘single point of failure’ during London Heathrow power loss: UK transport secretary
While investigation into a prolonged electrical power outage to London Heathrow is continuing, UK transport minister Heidi Alexander has told the country’s parliament that back-up power systems did not fail and acted as intended. A large fire broke out at an electrical substation – located about 4km northeast of the ...
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NewsNTSB’s Bering Air crash inquiry focuses on take-off weight and possible ice build up
The Bering Air Textron Aviation Cessna 208B that crashed in February, killing 10 people, had exceeded the maximum take-off weight allowed in icing conditions and had slowed significantly in the moments before going down.
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NewsHong Kong regulator tightens lithium-ion device rules days after A320 incident
Hong Kong’s civil aviation regulator is tightening rules on carriage of lithium-ion devices, days after an in-flight fire over China reportedly resulted in an Airbus A320 diversion. The Civil Aviation Department says it is “highly concerned” about “recent safety incidents” on board aircraft suspected to have involved lithium-battery power banks. ...
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NewsUK government orders investigation into Heathrow power-supply failure
Independent specialists have been tasked with probing the electrical power-supply failure which forced the closure of London Heathrow airport on 21 March. The UK government has commissioned the National Energy System Operator – formed last year to oversee electricity and gas network planning – to investigate the power outage which ...
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NewsNo survivors from Kenyan DHC-5 crash in Somalia
Somalian authorities state that there are no survivors after a De Havilland DHC-5D freighter crashed outside the capital Mogadishu. The aircraft came down 24km southwest of the city at around 17:43 on 22 March. Five personnel were on board. The Somali Civil Aviation Authority says none of the occupants survived. ...
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NewsEndeavor CRJ900 crash probe confirms lack of flare prior to hard landing
Investigators’ preliminary findings regarding the Endeavor Air regional jet crash at Toronto confirm the initial impression that the aircraft exhibited little flare before the hard landing. The flight operations manual for the MHIRJ CRJ900 indicates that a flare for landing should be initiated 20-30ft above ground. Pilots should increase pitch ...
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NewsCanadian investigators highlight CRJ900’s descent rate prior to February Toronto crash
Canadian investigators probing the 17 February crash of a Endeavor Air MHIRJ CRJ900 while landing in windy conditions at Toronto Pearson airport are focussing on the descent rate of the regional jet.
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NewsHong Kong A320 reportedly diverts after overhead luggage compartment fire
Images circulating on social media are purporting to show an in-flight fire in an overhead luggage bin which led a Hong Kong Airlines Airbus A320 to divert to Fuzhou. The aircraft had been bound for Hong Kong from Hangzhou on 20 March. Several Chinese outlets are reporting that the fire ...
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NewsCollision-risk restructuring of Zurich airspace temporarily limits arrival capacity
Swiss air traffic controllers are to impose temporary capacity reduction at Zurich airport, in order to implement a new airspace structure which has been based on collision-risk modelling. The redesigned airspace – intended to minimise infringements – will come into effect from 20 March. Swiss air navigation service Skyguide will ...
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NewsLanhsa Airlines Jetstream 32 crashes after taking off from Roatan
Twelve people died when a Lanhsa Airlines British Aerospace Jetstream 32 turboprop crashed shortly after taking off from the Honduran island of Roatan on 17 March.
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NewsFAA ‘permanently’ closes helicopter route near DC's National airport, part of broader response to collision
The Federal Aviation Administration will shutter the Route 4 helicopter corridor near Ronald Reagan Washington National airport in response to the deadly 29 January midair collision involving a passenger jet.
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NewsProbe into fatal Swiss A220 cabin-smoke event finds damage to engine gear system
Examination of a Swiss Airbus A220-300 engine following a fatal smoke and diversion event over Austria has revealed damage to the fan drive gear system as well as bearings. But investigators probing the occurrence, on 23 December last year, have yet to draw specific conclusions over the circumstanes and the ...
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NewsTrump nominates Republic Airways chief as FAA administrator
US president Donald Trump has nominated Republic Airways chief executive Bryan Bedford as the next administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, a move widely supported by US airlines and aviation groups.
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NewsFAA complies with court order to reinstate fired employees
In response to a court order, the Federal Aviation Administration has reinstated 132 employees it had fired in February amid a broad effort by the Trump administration to curtail the size of the US government.
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NewsUK regulator highlights upcoming deviations from new EU lost-comms procedures
Civil aviation regulators are highlighting that certain European Union procedures for radio communication failure, due to take effect from 1 May, are not being adopted in the UK. The EU published an amendment in April last year detailing the procedural revision. But the UK Civil Aviation Authority states that “no ...
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NewsRyanair 737 descended unnoticed during go-around after crew did not clarify autopilot status
Neither pilot of a Ryanair Boeing 737 Max 8-200 noticed that the aircraft was descending from its assigned altitude during a go-around, after the captain wrongly assumed the autopilot and autothrottle were engaged. The aircraft, inbound from Szczecin on 8 March last year, had conducted a go-around at 15ft during ...
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NewsFire engulfs American 737’s engine after diversion to Denver
7An American Airlines Boeing 737-800 caught fire at Denver International airport the evening of 13 March after the pilots had diverted there due to engine vibrations.
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NewsFAA to mandate 787 forward-pressure bulkhead inspections
The Federal Aviation Administration plans to require airlines to inspect 787 forward-pressure bulkheads to address a concern involving gaps caused by manufacturing defects.
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NewsJazeera Airways heavily fined over A320 collision with Kuwaiti military balloon
Kuwaiti budget carrier Jazeera Airways has been fined over KD72.8 million ($236 million) by a court after one of the airline’s Airbus A320s collided with a tethered military balloon eight years ago. The occurrence involved flight J9787 which had been inbound from Riyadh on 27 August 2017. As it conducted ...
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NewsNew EU regulations set out ground-handling safety requirements from 2028
Newly-published European Commission legislation set to come into force this month lays down regulations for ground-handling operations for the first time. The safety regulations – compliance with which must be achieved in three years’ time – bring the sectors under the regulatory framework of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency. ...