All Ops & safety articles – Page 46
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NewsEngine static ports left covered on transpacific Qantas 787
Qantas and Boeing are revising aircraft maintenance procedures after one of the carrier’s 787-9s flew from Melbourne to Los Angeles without having the covers of its engine static ports removed. All four ports – two on each of the General Electric GEnx engines’ fan cowls – had been taped over, ...
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NewsE175 operators ordered to check for tip cracks after winglet-loss incident
Brazilian authorities have ordered Embraer 175 operators to conduct urgent checks for wing-tip cracks, following the in-flight loss of a winglet on the variant. Civil aviation regulator ANAC says there is a “possibility of cracks development” on the wing-tip connection area. “[This] can affect its structural integrity to the point ...
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NewsPilots of PA-28 lost over Channel unqualified to fly in cloud
UK investigators examining the disappearance of a Piper PA-28 light aircraft over the English Channel have disclosed that its pilots were flying through cloud, despite neither being qualified for instrument conditions, when contact was lost. The single-engined PA-28 was one of a group of seven aircraft undertaking a Channel crossing ...
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NewsEASA looks to revise techniques to aid pilots’ mental health assessment
European safety regulators are seeking to modernise the approach to diagnosing and treating mental health conditions for pilots and air traffic controllers, through an assessment of new medical developments. Recommendations for changes will be part of a research programme for which the European Union Aviation Safety Agency is organising a ...
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NewsFAA eVTOL certification changes could affect pilot training requirements
Developers of next-generation electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft are taking the news that the Federal Aviation Administration is reviewing the certification requirements for the aircraft in their stride.
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NewsTibet Airlines A319 suffered massive damage in runway excursion
Further details, including eyewitness accounts and images showing aircraft damage, have emerged following the Tibet Airlines Airbus A319 runway excursion at China’s Chongqing Jiangbei International airport.
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NewsEuropean safety regulators to drop face-mask rules from 16 May
European authorities have formally dropped the recommendation to wear face masks on board aircraft, and within airports, as part of a revision of pandemic-related safety measures. Revision of the joint aviation health safety protocol from 16 May takes account of advances in vaccination rates against Covid-19 and the development of ...
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NewsNTSB blames FAA for fatal air tour helicopter crash
The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has blamed the Federal Aviation Administration for failing to implement safety recommendations that could have prevented a fatal helicopter crash in Hawaii in 2019.
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NewsHydrogen refuellers to support ZeroAvia’s US flight-test programme
Hydrogen-electric propulsion specialist ZeroAvia is co-operating with Shell affiliates which will design and construct commercial-scale mobile refuellers for the company’s California test facility. The agreement will support ZeroAvia’s flight-test programme following the recent delivery of a Dornier 228 to the site. This aircraft is to be fitted with the company’s ...
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NewsCrew failed to monitor speed loss before 757's aggressive manoeuvres
US investigators have found that aggressive control inputs to increase poorly-monitored airspeed resulted in injuries to three flight attendants on an American Airlines Boeing 757-200 descending to New York JFK. The incident occurred as the aircraft was arriving from Edinburgh on 6 September 2018. According to the newly-released final conclusions ...
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NewsRepublic Airways seeks exemption from 1,500h pilot rule to alleviate shortage
US regional carrier Republic Airways has filed for an exemption to pilot aeronautical experience requirements set by the Federal Aviation Administration, in an effort to alleviate the pilot shortage.
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NewsSuperjet fire probe prepares to wrap up after pandemic-related delays
Russian investigators are expecting shortly to issue the draft final report into the fatal Sukhoi Superjet 100 landing accident and fire at Moscow Sheremetyevo three years ago. The probe into the accident, which involves several international parties, has been held up partly by restrictive measures on personnel introduced during the ...
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NewsChallenger 300 stabiliser incidents behind trim-switch directive
Canadian regulators are mandating replacement of certain trim switches on Bombardier Challenger 300 jets, and are set to order related wiring changes in response to a number of stabiliser trim incidents. Source: Bombardier Bombardier has traced the events to trim-switch snags Transport Canada states that “several” in-service ...
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NewsEASA cautions carriers over 20 safety concerns arising from conflict
European civil aviation regulators are highlighting multiple safety aspects arising from the Ukrainian conflict, drawing up a list of 20 specific issues covering such concerns as security, navigation, human performance, and infrastructure. Several of these relate directly to the potential threat to civil aircraft, both from misidentification or loss of ...
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NewsAirbus to introduce new Thales flight-management system across range
Airbus has selected Thales to provide a new flight-management system for its aircraft range, based on the French aerospace company’s PureFlyt product. The system has been adapted to Airbus’s specific requirements and is intended to become available at the end of 2026. It will be used for the A350 and ...
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NewsSoftware snag spurs urgent A350 directive on elevator control
Operators of certain Airbus A350s have been instructed urgently to implement a number of operational and dispatch restrictions over a software snag which could lead to loss of elevator control. The issue centres on the introduction of a flight-control software standard, known as X13, on production aircraft and which is ...
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NewsCargojet 767 forced into high-altitude go-around during pressurisation incident
Canadian investigators have disclosed that a Boeing 767-200ER freighter which returned to Mexico City after a depressurisation incident was forced into a go-around by a prolonged wait for landing clearance. The go-around procedure at the high-elevation airport – which included climbing to 12,000ft – triggered cabin-altitude warnings, for which the ...
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NewsWinglet missing from Envoy E175 after turbulence encounter
Investigators are probing the loss of a winglet from an Embraer 175, apparently during turbulent conditions while carrying out a domestic US service. The aircraft (N233NN) was being operated by American Airlines’ regional division Envoy Air, and was en route from Charleston to Dallas on 3 May. According to a ...
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NewsChina’s Loong spearheads Airbus evidence-based pilot training drive
Chinese carrier Loong Air has become the first to sign for a new Airbus pilot-training scheme, whereby airlines use operational and training data to tailor and adapt the programme. The evidence-based training initiative extends the competency-based training and assessment product already offered by the airframer. Chinese carriers, says Airbus, are ...
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NewsAirbus tweaks A320 software to address rare go-around pitch-up anomaly
Airbus has tweaked the flight guidance software for A320-family jets to address a pitch-up issue which could occur under certain circumstances on go-around. The modification followed an incident involving an unstable approach by an A321neo during which a go-around was initiated with the autopilot engaged. According to the European Union ...