All Ops & safety articles – Page 77
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News
French investigators probe unstable A318 approach to Orly
French investigators have disclosed that they are probing an incident in which an Airbus A318 landed after an unstable approach which triggered altitude alarms. The Air France service had been operating to Paris Orly from Biarritz on 12 September. Investigation authority BEA states that the crew had been cleared to ...
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Opinion
How to recover from flying as the world recovers from Covid-19
While not flying is clearly painful for airline crews, the enforced downtime may offer the opportunity to reset tired bodies and minds.
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News
Emirates fined over JetBlue codeshare flights in Iranian airspace
Middle Eastern carrier Emirates is set to be fined by the US Department of Transportation for operating services through Iranian airspace while carrying a codeshare with US budget operator JetBlue Airways. US investigations have determined that, during the first three weeks of July last year, Emirates operated services with the ...
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News
Tarom ATR 42 crew skipped checklist before Chisinau excursion
Romanian investigators have disclosed that the pilots of a Tarom ATR 42-500 did not perform the descent checklist before a landing incident at Chisinau in which the crew lost lateral control and the aircraft swerved off the runway. Investigation authority AIAS says the cockpit-voice recording revealed the omission, adding that ...
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News
‘Incorrect mental model’ led to Qantas 737 runway incursion
The captain of a Qantas Boeing 737-800 had developed an “incorrect mental model” of exit taxiways at Perth airport, believing that the aircraft would not need to cross an active runway after exiting the taxiway. Even when he saw an illuminated stop bar, he believed it was installed incorrectly. This ...
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News
US bill details certification and training upheaval in 737 Max’s wake
US legislators have unveiled a proposed overhaul of aircraft certification intended to reform and reinforce the process in the aftermath of the fatal accidents involving the Boeing 737 Max. The bipartisan bill has been submitted jointly by two Democrat and two Republican representatives, including chair of the House Committee on ...
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News
Touchdown normal before Omni 767’s main-gear collapse
Romanian investigators have disclosed that the Boeing 767-300ER which suffered a landing-gear collapse at Bucharest Baneasa airport did not touch down abnormally before the accident. It had been inbound from Kabul on 28 August, and the ILS approach to runway 07 was stable, with checklists and call-outs performed as normal, ...
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News
Aerodynamic impact of engine damage surprised A380 incident crew
Such was the extent of damage to an Airbus A380’s engine after an uncontained failure over Greenland that its crew was forced to descend to a much lower cruising altitude than expected. The Air France aircraft, en route to Los Angeles on 30 September 2017, suffered the failure of its ...
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News
Confusion surrounds engine 'failure' before Ukrainian An-26 training crash
Confusion has emerged as to whether the Ukrainian military Antonov An-26 which crashed near Kharkiv suffered an engine failure before the accident. Ukraine’s defence ministry indicates there was a problem with an engine sensor before the aircraft came down in darkness, at about 20:45 on 25 September. Defence minister Andriy ...
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News
Dreamlifter pilots did not cross-check navigation before wrong-airport landing
Seven years after the incident, US investigators have disclosed the awkward radio exchange which underlined that a Boeing ‘Dreamlifter’ crew had unintentionally landed at the wrong Wichita airport. Just over a minute after the pilots had landed at Colonel James Jabara airport, the local controller for McConnell air force base ...
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News
A380 fan-hub disintegration traced to misunderstood ‘cold dwell’ fatigue
French investigators have traced the serious engine failure involving an Air France Airbus A380 over Greenland to a phenomenon known as ‘cold dwell’ fatigue, which had caused a failure in a fan hub slot which houses the root of the fan blade. The analysis by investigation authority BEA closes a ...
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News
EASA seeks alternative to FAA’s newly-adopted 777 fuel-tank order
Europe’s air safety authority is to seek further data to address a centre fuel tank ignition risk perceived by the US FAA on early Boeing 777s, but has opted against adopting the US regulator’s mitigation directive. Several foreign operators, among them British Airways and KLM, had objected to the FAA ...
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News
Boeing intends software update to address 787 localiser capture failures
Boeing is developing updated software for 787s to correct an erroneous localiser mode behaviour during ILS approaches. The US FAA is advising operators of the three 787 variants to notify crews about potential failure by the autopilot flight-director system to capture the localiser, notably during intercept of the localiser at ...
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News
Go-around airprox exposed risks of questionable Schiphol runway procedure
Dutch investigators have warned that Amsterdam Schiphol is approaching a limit in terms of the amount of traffic it can safety handle, owing to the complexity of the airport’s design. The Dutch Safety Board made the remark after concluding an inquiry into a serious airprox incident that occurred during simultaneous ...
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News
Cabin-swap freighters' flight-time limited to reduce fire risk
European safety regulators are intending to impose a 2,000h flight-time limit on passenger aircraft converted to transport freight, as part of a mitigation strategy to reduce the risk of catastrophic fire. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency has drawn up a proposed deviation from normal freighter certification requirements, in order ...
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News
UK pilots seek assurance on sensor and trim aspects of 737 Max redesign
UK cockpit crew representatives are seeking assurances on several aspects of the Boeing 737 Max’s redesign, including scenarios relating to the angle-of-attack sensors and the potential need for two pilots to turn the trim wheel if the jet is out of trim. Pilots union BALPA has formally responded to a ...
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News
MD-83 veered off Kiev runway after unstable approach and spoiler omission
Ukrainian investigators have determined that the crew of a Boeing MD-83 that veered off the runway at Kiev Zhulhany during a thunderstorm had chosen to continue an unstabilised approach, and failed to arm the aircraft’s spoilers before landing. The Bravo Airlines twinjet (UR-CPR) was following an ILS approach to runway ...
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News
US rule on early 777 fuel-tank inerting overrides foreign carriers’ objections
US safety regulators have adopted a controversial rule aimed at modifying early Boeing 777s to reduce the risk of a centre fuel-tank explosion, having dismissed multiple objections by foreign operators of the type. Part of a long-running FAA effort to reduce the risk of fuel-vapour explosion across a range of ...
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News
Silverstone Fokker 50 wrecked in Mogadishu excursion
Images circulating on social media indicate that a Kenyan-registered Fokker 50 turboprop has been substantially damaged in a 19 September accident at Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia. The aircraft (5Y-MHT) has come to rest apparently after striking a concrete wall off the right side of runway 05, suffering severe damage ...
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Analysis
Evacuating passengers re-entered cabin after refusing to jump from E195’s wing
Investigators are seeking a reduction in height criteria for assisted emergency exit escape, after passengers evacuating a Flybe Embraer 195 re-entered the jet after refusing to jump from the wing. Several passengers were escorted back into the aircraft and directed to other exits where slides had been deployed. The aircraft ...