All Ops & safety articles – Page 41
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NewsChinese authorities test alternative turbulence index to account for aircraft type
Chinese authorities have been testing a new in-flight turbulence measurement technique intended to take into account different aircraft types and provide more accurate crew perception. Under ICAO standards turbulence is categorised as light, moderate, or severe based on a cube-root function of the eddy dissipation rate. But this dissipation rate ...
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NewsWing-strike on landing badly damages Angara An-24
Russian investigators are probing a landing accident which damaged the wing-tip of an Antonov An-24 at Ust-Kut airport in Siberia. The turboprop was being operated by Angara Airlines on a 17 August service, according to the federal Investigative Committee’s eastern inter-regional transport investigation division. It states that the aircraft “contacted ...
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NewsAerospace council urges standardisation to ease firefighting aircraft certification
Aerospace industry representatives are urging ICAO to prioritise international standardisation of certification and operation of firefighting aircraft, arguing that greater flexibility is needed as climate change threatens to prolong and intensify wildfire seasons. While the requirement for aerial firefighting capability is rising, the International Co-ordinating Council of Aerospace Industries Associations ...
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NewsHeathrow seeks to tap more ground-handling capacity as it extends passenger cap
London Heathrow’s operator has opened a review into airline ground-handling in order to determine whether it can achieve additional capacity gains in the short and longer term. Ground-handling resource remains a “core constraint” on the airport’s capacity, it says, and the cap aims to alleviate pressure on ground-handling operations which, ...
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NewsPilot incapacitation preceded Citation V’s fatal spiral dive
US investigators believe the pilot of a Cessna Citation V became incapacitated before the aircraft entered a tight spiral descent from 31,000ft and disintegrated on impact with terrain in Oregon’s Mutton mountain range. The pilot was not type-rated on the executive jet – having discontinued training before completion – and ...
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NewsMalaysia urges ‘proactive’ safety management at flight schools after spate of incidents
The Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) has “strongly advised” flight training schools in the country to tighten safety management measures, following a spate of incidents, including a fatal accident that killed a pilot.
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NewsPost-evacuation procedures sought to cut risk of straying passengers
Standardised guidance to prevent hazards involving straying passengers, following an aircraft evacuation, is being sought by delegates to the upcoming ICAO Assembly. Several incidents involving aircraft evacuation – such as that involving a Gulf Air Airbus A321 at Kuwait in July last year – have resulted in passengers wandering into ...
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NewsThai A350 sank far below glideslope after shortened approach stressed pilots
German investigators believe a shortened approach route given to a Thai Airways Airbus A350-900 crew generated increased time stress, resulting in a botched high-speed descent to Frankfurt that took the twinjet far below the glideslope. The aircraft, arriving at night, was just 668ft above ground, while still 6.43nm from the ...
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NewsIATA to press for ICAO review of pilot upper age limits
IATA is seeking a review of commercial pilot age limits to help relieve forecast demand for cockpit crews. It has submitted a paper to the upcoming ICAO Assembly which refers to the age limit of 65 imposed on pilots by the Chicago Convention. The paper urges ICAO to examine the ...
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NewsMC-21 model reflecting domestic-composite wing undergoes flutter tests
Russian analysts are conducting tests with an Irkut MC-21-300 model with wings representative of those created with domestically-sourced composites. The research at the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute is intended to explore the potential for flutter on the twinjet. Irkut and RSK MiG have assisted with development of the 1:7-scale model which ...
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NewsTUI 737 tail-strike pilot’s training interrupted by pandemic
UK investigators believe pandemic-related interruptions to a first officer’s flight training probably contributed to a Boeing 737-800 tail-strike incident on take-off from Manchester earlier this year. The first officer rotated the TUI Airways jet too rapidly on departure from runway 23R, causing the tail to contact the ground, and the ...
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NewsBoeing resumes 787 deliveries, handing aircraft to American Airlines
American Airlines has taken delivery of the first Boeing 787 Dreamliner to leave the production line after the US aviation regulator green-lighted the airframe following a 21-month pause
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NewsUS inquiry probes fatal Cessna-Piper collision on approach path to same runway
US investigators probing a fatal mid-air collision between two light aircraft at North Las Vegas airport are trying to ascertain why both appeared to be on the approach path to the same runway. The aircraft collided on 17 July around 0.25nm from the end of runway 30R which runs parallel ...
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NewsBoeing will resume 787 deliveries ‘in the coming days’: FAA
Boeing will resume deliveries of its beleaguered 787 Dreamliner “in the coming days”, according to the FAA.
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NewsHard 737 landing seriously injured harnessed flight attendant
US investigators have disclosed that a seated cabin crew member suffered a serious spinal injury after a Boeing 737-700 landed hard at Santa Ana airport in California. According to the National Transportation Safety Board, the flight attendant – harnessed in the aft jumpseat – said the Southwest Airlines jet “hit ...
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NewsRussian civil aviation violations put ICAO credibility at risk: European Commission
Continuing Russian government violation of civil aviation safety procedures threatens the broader credibility of ICAO, the European Commission has warned. Russia is an ICAO Council member but the Commission states that it is “actively working against” principles laid down to ensure air transport safety. Such actions put ICAO’s overall credibility ...
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NewsDassault revises 7X and 8X manuals over slat-extension snag
Operators of Dassault Falcon 7X and 8X executive jets have been instructed urgently to amend the aircraft’s flight manual, owing to a technical issue relating to slats. The order follows an occurrence involving a failed extension of the inboard slats during landing. While the flight-control synoptic correctly depicted the retracted ...
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NewsCanadian DC-3 crash probe flags culture of skirting safety margins
Investigators believe a Canadian carrier’s operational culture, which prioritised mission completion over regulatory compliance, contributed to breaches of safety procedures and the crash of a modified Douglas DC-3 during an attempt to land at Sachigo Lake airport in Ontario. The inquiry highlights, in particular, the decision by the North Star ...
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NewsIndonesia probes Wings Air ATR 72 which struck taxiway ditch
Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC) is investigating an incident involving a Wings Air turboprop which struck a taxiway ditch in Bali.
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NewsNew EASA analysis to explore air traffic controller fatigue risk
Safety analysts are looking to assess fatigue risks for European air traffic controllers, particularly in light of advances in technology and future evolution of the operational environment. Some 18,000 controllers operate in Europe and a comprehensive view of the way fatigue risk is managed – five years since the introduction ...