Honduras Plane Crash Kills 4

(NEWSER) - Regulators have warned Airbus for years that speed sensors on its A330 planes were unreliable and made flying unsafe. In the wake of last week's Air France disaster, which killed 228 people when an A330 crashed in an Atlantic storm, Reuters has unearthed regulatory warnings to Airbus. "Lost or erroneous airspeed indications could result in lack of sufficient information ... to safely operate the airplane," the FAA wrote 8 years ago. More»

Beijing hopes to compete with Boeing and Airbus

(NEWSER) - China unveiled its first passenger jet today, the first step in its goal to become a major player in the global aviation industry, Bloomberg reports. The ARJ21, which seats up to 90, will make its maiden voyage in March, and the first planes will be ready for customers in 2009. Beijing hopes to meet soaring domestic demand and someday compete with the likes of Airbus and Boeing. More»

Move would help settle vast estate of missing aviator

(NEWSER) - The wife of Steve Fossett, who went missing in September while flying his plane over the rugged terrain of northwest Nevada, asked an Illinois court yesterday to declare him legally dead, the AP reports. If granted, the request would allow the vast estate of the millionaire adventurer to be settled, said an attorney for Peggy Fossett. More»

Search for millionaire adventurer yields no clues

(NEWSER) - Searchers combing Nevada for Steve Fossett's plane have found six other uncharted wrecks, but no sign of the millionaire adventurer who's been missing since Monday. One downed plane thought to be his was found to have been last registered 30 years ago, CNN reports. Fossett's family remains optimistic, despite the discovery that Fossett took off with only one water bottle. More»

Authorities blame airplane crash on poor runway conditions

(NEWSER) - In the wake of Tuesday's catastrophic plane crash, Brazilian officials are calling for the closure of Sao Paulo's Congonhas airport pending a review of safety conditions, the BBC reports. The Tam Airlines Airbus 320 landing in heavy rain skidded off a wet runway that was resurfaced last month and had not yet had drainage grooves inscribed on the new concrete. More»