All Ops & safety articles
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NewsManufacturing issue prompts FAA to propose 787 stabiliser inspections
The Federal Aviation Administration intends to require airlines to inspect horizontal stabiliser hardware on Boeing 787s due to components possibly being assembled incorrectly by the company during manufacturing.
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NewsRyanair 737 Max crew pushed jet into steep descent after go-around altitude breach
Ryanair has introduced a ‘discontinued approach’ procedure after a serious incident at London Stansted during which a Boeing 737 Max 8-200 breached its go-around altitude, leading the crew to push the jet into a steep descent. The aircraft pitched to 17.7° nose-down in instrument conditions, reaching a descent rate of ...
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NewsInvestigators probe SAA A330’s pitch oscillation during cruise
Investigators are probing an in-flight oscillation at cruise altitude which affected a South African Airways Airbus A330-300 operating a domestic service. The aircraft – flying from Cape Town to Johannesburg on 27 October – had been cruising at 41,000ft when it started to oscillate in pitch, between nose-up and nose-down. ...
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NewsBleed-air switch lapse preceded TUI 737 cabin-altitude incident
Pilots of a Boeing 737-800 did not notice that the aircraft’s bleed-air system was not active before the jet took off from Manchester, triggering a cabin-altitude warning that remained active for over 40min. UK investigators found that the bleed-air switches had incorrectly been left off during air-conditioning pack maintenance, and ...
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NewsGE and NASA hope CODEX tests will write new chapter on contrail formation
GE Aerospace is partnering with NASA to carry out a series of flight tests designed to improve the industry’s understanding of contrails.
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NewsUnsecured cargo container shifted as 737-400 freighter descended towards Edinburgh
Investigators have been unable to determine precisely why a cargo container on board a Boeing 737-400 freighter was not secured, causing it to shift in flight during a service to Edinburgh. The West Atlantic aircraft (G-JMCZ) had been inbound from London Stansted on 26 April. It was transporting 8.9t of ...
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NewsNo wing-walkers present before Virgin 787’s pushback collision with BA A350
UK investigators have determined that a Virgin Atlantic Boeing 787-9 was being pushed back without assistance from dedicated wing-walkers when it collided with a British Airway Airbus A350-1000 at London Heathrow. The Air Accidents Investigation Branch points out that the airport’s operator “does not mandate” wing-walkers at the parking bay ...
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NewsWizz Air: New crew procedures helping to cut GPS interference impact
Central European budget carrier Wizz Air has recorded a decline in spurious terrain warnings since implementing defensive crew procedures against GPS spoofing and interference earlier this year. Wizz Air Hungary flight-data monitoring manager Akos Steigervald detailed the carrier’s experience during the annual European Union Aviation Safety Agency conference in Budapest ...
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NewsInvestigators probe another serious Aerosucre take-off incident as 727 hits ILS
Colombian investigators are probing a serious incident during which an Aerosucre Boeing 727-200 freighter struck part of the ILS array on take-off from Bogota. The aircraft (HK-5216) was departing El Dorado airport’s runway 14L on 10 November, according to the Colombian regulator Aerocivil. Upon lift-off it struck one of the ...
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NewsQantas 737 suffers engine failure on take-off
Australian investigators have opened a probe into an engine failure incident on a Qantas Boeing 737-800 that was flying from Sydney to Brisbane.
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NewsEgyptAir A320 inquiry urges review of cockpit procedures to tackle oxygen fires
Investigators analysing the fatal loss of an EgyptAir Airbus A320 are recommending a review of cockpit firefighting procedures – particularly regarding oxygen-fuelled fires – and believe greater research is needed on alternative extinguishing agents to halon. The Egyptian air accident investigation commission’s recommendations draw on analysis by French counterpart BEA ...
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NewsCockpit smoking risk should be assessed by EASA: French investigators
French investigators probing a fatal EgyptAir Airbus A320 crash in May 2016 have highlighted the potential risk of smoking in the cockpit, even though they could not establish whether a lit cigarette sparked an oxygen-fuelled fire on the jet. Investigation authority BEA has recommended that the European Union Aviation Safety ...
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NewsEgyptAir A320 crash: Circumstances of oxygen leak and ignition source remain unclear
While French investigators believe an intense oxygen-fuelled cockpit fire brought down an EgyptAir Airbus A320 eight years ago, they have yet to determine fully the reasons for the oxygen leak and pinpoint the source of ignition. Investigation authority BEA has dismissed the Egyptian air accident commission’s official explanation – detonation ...
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NewsFrench investigators dismiss Egyptian findings that explosion brought down A320
After an eight-year inquiry, Egyptian investigators have controversially concluded that ignition of explosive material behind the cockpit of an EgyptAir Airbus A320 resulted in a fire and the loss of the aircraft, an explanation dismissed by French counterparts. The twinjet – operating from Paris Charles de Gaulle to Cairo on ...
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NewsLearjet experienced in-flight upset from A330 wake during Halifax approach
Canadian investigators have disclosed that a Bombardier Learjet 35A experienced an in-flight upset from wake turbulence during an approach to Halifax.
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NewsAll on board survive as An-2 loses height and hits light pole
Russian investigators are probing an accident involving an Antonov An-2 which came down near Essentuki in the far south of the country. Four of the nine occupants were injured – with three hospitalised – when the aircraft lost height, crashing into rough ground close to a highway. The Interstate Aviation ...
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NewsSmartLynx secures US authorisation for Latvian fleet operations
Wet-lease specialist SmartLynx Airlines has secured broader authorisation to conduct US operations, with approval of its Latvian division. SmartLynx has operated US services under its Maltese air operator’s certificate since 2019. But the US FAA has since conducted an audit of the Latvian air transport regulator. SmartLynx says that, following ...
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NewsInquiry calls for action on powerlines after Norwegian near-catastrophe
Norwegian accident investigators have urged the country’s civil aviation regulator to review its policy on the marking of overhead powerlines after a light helicopter narrowly avoided a crash after flying into an unmarked cable.
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NewsTUI 737 excursion crew could have kept aircraft on Leeds runway: investigators
Pilots of a Boeing 737-800 involved in a landing excursion in wet conditions at Leeds-Bradford could have kept the jet on the runway, investigators believe, but might have been influenced by unexpected juddering from a nose-wheel bearing failure. The TUI Airways aircraft had been arriving from Corfu, in stormy weather, ...
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NewsA220 operators told to upgrade flight-control software to address ’design deficiencies’
Airbus A220 operators are being instructed to install a new production baseline software for flight-control computers to remedy a number of deficiencies reported on in-service aircraft. The upgrade is required for all three flight-control computers on the twinjet type, states a Transport Canada directive. Its mandate follows occurrences of nuisance ...