All Safety News – Page 41
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NewsNewquay launch facility secures UK’s first spaceport licence
UK aviation regulators have issued the country’s first spaceport licence, granting it to Spaceport Cornwall, located near the south-western town of Newquay. Spaceport Cornwall aims to use Newquay airport’s runway and other facilities to carry out horizontal satellite launches using modified carriers such as Virgin Orbit’s Boeing 747-400. This aircraft ...
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NewsInternational carriers warn new 5G altimeter requirements could prevent US flights next year
Non-US airlines are struggling to complete radio altimeter retrofits ahead of looming deadlines established to prevent 5G interference, meaning some carriers’ flights to the USA could be restricted in 2023.
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NewsUS DOT fines six airlines and forces refunds
The US Department of Transportation (DOT) has fined six airlines a total of $7.25 million dollars and forced them to refund more than $600 million to customers whose flights were disrupted during the Covid-19 pandemic.
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NewsEASA details plans to target post-crash fuel fires in helicopter fleet
European regulators have outlined proposals to close a legislative loophole that has left thousands of helicopters operating that are equipped with fuel systems that do not meet the latest crashworthiness standards.
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NewsAirbus and Qatar joust over regulatory cosiness as trial schedule is left in doubt
Airbus has expressed doubt that a trial to resolve its legal scrap with Qatar Airways over A350 fuselage-skin paint degradation will take place on time in June next year, accusing the airline of shortcomings in the disclosure process. The two sides clashed in court on 11 November during a case-management ...
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NewsLink Saab 340 cabin penetrated by propeller strap on departure
Australian investigators are probing an incident in which a Saab 340B’s fuselage was penetrated during a domestic flight, injuring a passenger. The aircraft involved (VH-VEQ) was operated by Link Airways on behalf of Virgin Australia. It departed Canberra for Sydney on 10 November, but the Australian Transport Safety Bureau says ...
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NewsSriwijaya crash: Complacency and bias contributed to pilots’ failing to see throttle split
Indonesian investigators believe complacency over automation, as well as confirmation bias, contributed to a Sriwijaya Air Boeing 737-500’s crew’s failing to notice a split between the throttle levers. The split throttles generated increasingly asymmetric thrust, as the left engine reduced power while the right engine did not, causing the aircraft ...
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NewsSriwijaya 737’s unresolved throttle snag led to fatal thrust asymmetry
Indonesian investigators have determined that the right-hand throttle lever on a Sriwijaya Air Boeing 737-500 did not move backwards when the autothrottle commanded reduced power, resulting in thrust asymmetry and a fatal in-flight upset. None of the 62 occupants of the aircraft, operating from Jakarta to Pontianak on 9 January ...
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NewsAverage passenger weight unchanged despite obesity trend: EASA
Contrary to expectations, the average weight of passengers has not changed significantly since a previous study conducted nearly 15 years ago. Lufthansa Consulting reached the finding after conducting an extensive survey at six airports on behalf of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency. Standard passenger weights are used for aircraft ...
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NewsBRA to operate corporate route with maximum-permitted sustainable fuel blend
Swedish carrier Braathens Regional Airlines is claiming to be the first to operate services with the maximum-permitted blend of sustainable aviation fuel. BRA, which uses a fleet of ATR 72s, will conduct two flights weekly between Gothenburg and Lyon, on behalf of automotive firm Volvo Group, from autumn this year. ...
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NewsLufthansa launches Airbus virtual-reality cockpit training for A320s
Lufthansa Group is to serve as launch customer for a virtual-reality procedure trainer for pilots being developed by Airbus. Airbus intends the system to allow pilots to undertake procedures training without the use of a flight simulator or fixed training equipment. The airframer showed off the development at the European ...
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NewsFatalities as Precision ATR lands short and sinks in Lake Victoria
Tanzanian carrier Precision Air believes at least 19 fatalities resulted from an ATR 42-500 accident at Bukoba during which the turboprop came to rest submerged in Lake Victoria. The aircraft – identified by the airline as 5H-PWF – had been operating a service, PW494, from Dar es Salaam. Precision Air ...
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NewsConfirmation bias over incorrect altitude put executive jet at risk of terrain collision
French investigators have emphasised the risk of confirmation bias following an incident in which a Cessna 525 executive jet suffered a simultaneous failure of an air-data system and the left-side primary flight display. Immediately after take-off from Paris Le Bourget on 14 August 2020 the left-hand primary display blanked, prompting ...
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NewsKorean Air begins ‘intensive’ inspections of A330s following spate of safety incidents
Korean Air has started “intensive” inspections on its fleet of Airbus A330s, taking them out of service in phases, following two incidents involving the type within the span of a week.
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NewsGreater consideration of risks might have averted BA 787 nose-gear collapse
UK investigators believe a British Airways Boeing 787-8 nose-gear retraction accident at London Heathrow might have been prevented if health and safety risks in an airworthiness directive had been given greater attention by the operator. The accident occurred when a nose-gear locking pin was inserted in the wrong location on ...
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In depth5G may have caused dozens of troubling in-flight avionics failures
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) suspects new 5G cellular networks may have caused roughly 80 instances of aircraft system interference this year, with pilots reporting a range of malfunctions since the latest generation of mobile connectivity went live in January.
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NewsPilots did not clarify control after SriLankan A330 inadvertently pushed into descent
Investigators believe a SriLankan Airlines Airbus A330-300 lost considerable altitude during an in-flight upset after one of the pilots nudged the sidestick during cruise, disconnecting the autopilot and pushing the jet into a descent. While the inquiry does not specify the reason for the “sharp nose-down input” by the first ...
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NewsArgentina’s new travel tax angers airlines
Airlines are blasting a new tax proposed by the Argentine government that will once again increase airfares.
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NewsViva A320neo low-fuel probe indicates less than 300kg in tanks on landing
Colombian investigators have disclosed that an Airbus A320neo landed with less than 300kg of fuel on board following two diversions on a service from Cali. The aircraft, operated by Viva Air, had departed Cali for the northern city of Riohacha on 17 October. This sector is some 530nm in length ...
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NewsUS orders 737 Classic spoiler sensor check to avert split-throttle risk
Operators of certain older ‘Classic’ Boeing 737 variants are being instructed to conduct tests to check for potential spoiler sensor failure, which could escape detection by the autothrottle computer. According to the US FAA, a review of system logic on the variants – from the 737-300 to the -500 – ...