All Ops & safety articles
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News
Three Turkish flights inaugurate triple-independent runway operations at Istanbul
Istanbul’s international airport has implemented a triple-independent runway operation, which will increase hourly traffic capacity from 120 to 148 aircraft movements. The airport’s operator, IGA, claims the hub becomes the first airport in Europe to operate such a system. It demonstrated the triple-runway introduction on 17 April with simultaneous departure ...
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DOT to review FAA’s handling of 737 Max smoke issue as Boeing develops software fix
The US Department of Transportation’s (DOT) top inspector is reviewing a controversial Federal Aviation Administration decision related to an engine issue that can cause thick smoke to quickly inundate Boeing 737 Max cockpits and cabins.
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Unreported high-load incident spurs Airbus to warn pilots over rudder use
Airbus has emphasised to pilots that rudder pedals should not be used to counter turbulence- or vortex-induced roll, and to ensure any high-load event is documented and promptly reported. The airframer has highlighted an incident involving an A320 which, during a climb from 30,000ft to 36,000ft, unexpectedly rolled into a ...
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FAA revokes New York Helicopter’s certificate after company fired operations chief
The Federal Aviation Administration has yanked the operating certificate held by New York Helicopter, the firm that operated the Bell 206 L-4 that crashed into the Hudson River on 6 April, killing all six people aboard.
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Chinese inquiry confirms ignition of leaking oxygen destroyed Tu-204 freighter
Chinese investigators have found that the fire which destroyed a Tupolev Tu-204C freighter at Hangzhou originated from a crew oxygen system malfunction in the right-hand side of the cockpit, with leaking oxygen and hot components igniting combustible material. The Aviastar-Tu twinjet (RA-64032), with eight occupants, had been departing for a ...
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Operator of Bell 206 that crashed into Hudson River last week stops operating
The company that operated the Bell 206 L-4 helicopter that crashed into Hudson River near New York City on 10 April is ceasing flights.
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Crew survives after landing excursion destroys Hawker 800XPi at Fez
Morocco’s transport ministry has initiated an investigation into a landing accident which destroyed a Hawker 800XPi executive jet at Fez’s Saiss airport. The aircraft was being operated by Air Ocean Maroc on a service from Marrakech on 11 April. According to the ministry, the jet “veered off the runway” during ...
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South African R44 crashed during lift-off after unsecured penguin fell on controls
South African investigators have determined that the pilot of a Robinson R44 helicopter did not assess the risk of transporting a live penguin in the cockpit before the aircraft crashed just after lift-off. None of five occupants – a pilot, three passengers and the penguin – was injured during the ...
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Workload and inaccurate airport ‘mental model’ led to A320 wrong-intersection take-off
Investigators have attributed an EasyJet Airbus A320’s wrong-intersection take-off at Toulouse to the crew’s limited attention capacity – a consequence of high workload – and confirmation bias. The aircraft (G-EJCI) had arrived 90min late into Toulouse on 30 July 2023, putting pressure on the crew during the return service to ...
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A320 captain unwittingly initiated go-around after first officer engaged reverse-thrust
UK investigators have found that an Airbus A320 captain, having initiated a go-around on touchdown at Corfu, cycled the thrust levers forward and back after realising reverse-thrust had already been selected. Although the first officer had been flying the night approach, to runway 34 at Kerkira airport, an early and ...
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Condor prepares to introduce A330neo with enhanced low-speed performance
Airbus has secured European certification for an A330-900 performance-enhancement package which includes new take-off configurations and faster landing-gear retraction. German leisure carrier Condor is set to introduce aircraft with the modification, following the approval from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency. Airbus says the package – which is designated ‘Step-4’ ...
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Cessna 525 entered right turn after take-off before crashing in woodland
US investigators have disclosed that a departing Cessna 525A jet was supposed to enter a left climbing turn, but started turning to the right before it descended and crashed after take-off from Mesquite Metro airport. The aircraft (N525CZ) took off from the airport, located in Texas, for Addison airport near ...
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Grounded Transair aims to resume operations after appeal against certificate revocation
Grounded US cargo carrier Transair is aiming to resume flights from Hawaii later this year, after a judging panel apparently dismissed an attempt to revoke the certificate of operator Rhoades Aviation. Rhoades Aviation says the US FAA’s complaint against the company has been “dismissed with prejudice” by National Transportation Safety ...
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All five occupants survive as HA-420 skids off Oregon runway into water
Five occupants of a Honda Aircraft HA-420 have survived after a landing accident in Oregon which resulted in the light jet coming to rest in water. The aircraft had been approaching runway 05 at Southwest Oregon regional airport on 7 April, following a flight from St George in Utah. According ...
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Flight procedures re-approved at main South African airports but others suspend services
South African air navigation service ATNS is suspending instrument flight procedures at three airports after regulatory approvals expired. No access to Bloemfontein airport, as well as Richards Bay and Upington, will be available during poor visibility conditions until restoration work is complete. But certain approach procedures for several key airports ...
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E190 low-speed climb incident spurs Alliance to act on crews’ recurrent take-off mode error
Australian carrier Alliance Aviation has taken action to stop recurrent speed-mode selection errors by Embraer crews, after an incident in which pilots of an E190 initially failed to notice their jet was slowing as it climbed away from the Solomon Islands. The first officer, who was flying the jet from ...
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Circumstances of Swiftair 737 crash appear to parallel previous anti-ice switch errors
While Lithuanian investigators have yet to reach conclusions on last November’s fatal Boeing 737-400 freighter crash near Vilnius, they are likely to consider a possible switch mix-up that has previously occurred on other 737 flights. Preliminary indications point to the Swiftair jet’s losing height and descending beneath the glideslope after ...
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NTSB fears emergency slide problem may be widespread on 737s and 757s
US investigators are urging the Federal Aviation Administration to require airlines to inspect Boeing 737 and 757 cabin door hardware after finding that many 757s contain hardware that fails to meet federal regulations.
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Emerald ATR 72 nose-wheel loss inquiry points to improper maintenance
UK investigators believe bearing overheat led to a nose-wheel being shed from an ATR 72-500 on departure from Edinburgh in October 2023, but the reason behind the failure could not be determined. The Emerald Airlines aircraft – with 55 passengers and a crew of four – continued to Belfast City, ...
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UK government pledges £20 million to spur eVTOL and UAV industries
The UK government has confirmed over £20 million in funding as part of a push to pave the way for electric air taxi use from 2028.