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NEWS ABOUT: air disasters

Want a Beer From the Hindenburg? $8K, Please

Burnt, undrinkable 1937 bottle could be most expensive ever sold

(Newser) - “You wouldn't want to drink it,” the auctioneer tells the BBC . “It is probably quite putrid to taste.” And yet, if the bottle of beer sells as expected, it will be the most expensive ever bought. Why? It’s a Lowenbrau rescued from the smoldering ruins... More »

Searchers Find, Can't Recover 8th Body

Olympian Torres rode copter over Hudson 2 days before crash

(Newser) - Crews searching the Hudson River for the victims of Sunday's collision between a sightseeing helicopter and a small plane located an eighth body yesterday in the submerged plane but were unable to recover it, 1010 WINS radio reports. Rough water and silt impeded the efforts of divers, who suspended work... More »

7 Bodies, Chopper Pulled From Hudson

Five bodies recovered; poor visibility, currents stymie efforts

(Newser) - New York City police today spotted wreckage of the small plane that crashed into a helicopter and landed into the Hudson River yesterday, killing nine people, the Daily News reports. Crews also fished out the chopper remains and four more victims, bringing the body tally to seven. "We're continuing... More »

Autopilot Safety Under Scrutiny

(Newser) - One minute Qantas Flight 72 was cruising at a level altitude, autopilot humming. Then suddenly, for no apparent reason, the Airbus A320 went into a nosedive, as the pilots helplessly watched. Eventually, they righted the plane, but not before 115 passengers were injured. Nor was this an isolated incident. Automated... More »

168 Dead in Iran Plane Crash

(Newser) - A Russian-made passenger plane traveling from Tehran to the Armenian capital of Yerevan crashed in northwest Iran today, killing all 168 people aboard, Iranian state media reports. Television footage showed the smoking wreckage of the plane, and one official said it burst into flames while still airborne. A representative from... More »

Teenage Air Crash Survivor Reunited With Family

French gov't flies 14-year-old to Paris

(AP) - The young girl believed to be the only survivor of Tuesday's Indian Ocean plane crash flew back to Paris today, to the waiting arms of her father and siblings. Bahia Bakari, 14, returned to France alongside a government minister and other French officials. The other 151 people on Yemenia flight... More »

Air France Jet Was Moving Too Slowly

Airbus to give thrust guidelines today

(Newser) - The crashed Air France jet was flying too slowly, insiders have told Le Monde. Airbus, which built the plane, plans to notify airlines of the right thrust levels for flights in bad weather today, the Daily Telegraph says. Whether speed could be at fault for the jet’s series of... More »

Air France Tragedy Stumps Investigators

Pilot on separate flight may have seen fire in ocean

(Newser) - As French and Brazilian military aircraft continue to search the Atlantic Ocean for signs of lost Air France Flight 447, investigators are mulling a range of possible explanations—lightning, bad electronics, a pilot error, or a combination of the three. Late last night the Brazilian airline TAM said its pilots... More »

Sarkozy: Chance of Finding Jet Survivors 'Very Small'

(Newser) - A missing Air France jet hit thunderstorms over the Atlantic, likely crashing and killing all 228 people on board, the AP reports. Half an hour after falling out of Brazilian radio contact, the Airbus A330 "crossed through a thunderous zone with strong turbulence”; Nicolas Sarkozy told families of those... More »

Pilots' Union Warned Spanair: Operations Are a 'Disaster'

Union told management fleet was too old as early as 2007

(Newser) - Pilots at Spanair, operator of the MD80 airliner that crashed in Madrid this week, killing 153, warned management repeatedly that passenger safety was compromised by the “chaotic” way the airline was operated, the Times of London reports. Emails from the Spanish pilots union claimed the fleet  wasn’t being... More »

Clues Sought in Madrid Crash

Black boxes found; authorities rule out foul play in crash that killed 153

(Newser) - Investigators are searching through wreckage for clues to why a passenger jet bound for the Canary Islands crashed shortly after takeoff from Madrid yesterday killing 153 passengers, the BBC reports. Witnesses reported hearing an explosion before the crash but officials say foul play has been ruled out. The voice recorders... More »

153 Dead, 19 Survivors: 'Closest Thing to Hell'

MD-82 had technical issues earlier in the day; sister jet also had problems

(Newser) - The death toll from today's crash of a jetliner in Madrid reached 153—with only 19 survivors—as investigators sought to figure out what happened. The Spanair plane had aborted one takeoff because of an unspecified technical glitch, and passengers were warned they might have to disembark and change aircraft,... More »

Fatal Plane Crashes Fall 65%

Better equipment and focus on crash prevention makes air travel safer

(Newser) - The fatal domestic plane crash rate has fallen 65% in the last decade. It's not quite the 80% decrease over 10 years the government demanded in 1996 after two crashes killed 375 people, but it's a significant improvement, the Times reports. The decline rests on tighter air traffic control, better... More »

Plane in Brazil Crash Had Brake Problems

Demand for answers, heat on absent president grow

(Newser) - The Airbus A320 that crashed at the Sao Paulo airport Tuesday was flying with part of its braking equipment disabled, the manufacturer said today, as pressure on the government escalated. Flying without one of the aircraft's two thrust reversers is legal, but the revelation suggests the slick, short runway probably... More »

Officials Demand Sao Paulo Airport Shutdown

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... More »

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