airline safety

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I Know What Happened to Flight 447: Trump

Posts theory on his blog about 'plastic rudders'

(Newser) - Donald Trump: entrepreneur, reality show host, airline safety investigator. The real estate mogul has a friend who makes handcarts out of the same material the Airbus 330 rudders are made of, so the Donald has a theory about Air France Flight 447, the New York Post reports.

Safety Worries Mount as Regional Airlines Soar

Pilot pay and training eyed amid recent accidents

(Newser) - Regional airlines have risen to new heights in recent years as major carriers outsource to the smaller firms. But as the regional outfits have grown, so have safety concerns, reports the Chicago Tribune. Pilots for the smaller airlines are often driven by modest salaries to work overtime, and some wonder...

Buffalo Crash Puts Pilot Fatigue Under Microscope

(Newser) - You want to be a flashy, high-flying pilot? Get ready for poverty-level wages, grueling commutes, and near-constant exhaustion, the New York Times reports. The inquiry into the crash of Flight 3407 near Buffalo has thrust regional airlines into the spotlight, and with that attention comes concerns about pilots’ challenging lives....

EU Prohibits 6 Kazakh Airlines From Airspace

Cites safety, won't say if Borat mockery lies behind ban

(Newser) - The European Union has banned six Kazakh airlines from its airspace, citing safety reasons, the Guardian reports today. No specific reason was given, though perhaps comedian Sacha Baron Cohen’s skit about Borat flying on “Air Kazakh”—a rickety plane with a drunken one-eyed pilot—may have finally...

Sullenberger: Airline Cuts Invite Risks

(Newser) - Hero pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger told Congress today that cost-cutting by carriers is forcing experienced colleagues out of jobs, to the detriment of safety in the skies, the Chicago Tribune reports. “We will see negative consequences to the flying public,” the US Airways captain said. Sullenberger himself...

NTSB: Buffalo Plane Was on Autopilot

(Newser) - A federal aviation official says the plane that crashed into a house near Buffalo, killing 50 people, was on autopilot when it went down, a possible violation of airline policy in icy weather. Steve Chealander of the National Transportation Safety Board says Colgan Air recommends pilots fly manually in icy...

US Airline Safety Record Best Ever

No fatal crashes for two years

(Newser) - Airline safety has improved so much that the chances of dying in an air crash are now less than being elected president, according to a safety expert. For the first time since jet travel began, not a single person died in a crash of a US carrier for two years,...

Canadian Airline Loses Life Vests to Save Fuel

Move saves 55 lbs. per flight for carrier that stays near shore

(Newser) - An Air Canada regional airline is removing life vests from its fleet to reduce weight and increase fuel economy, the AP reports. Citing Canada’s regulations, which do not require life vests on flights that stay within 50 miles of shore, Jazz advises passengers to use their seat cushions as...

FAA Questions American's Lightning Safety

Mechanics grumble after airline stops inspections

(Newser) - The FAA is questioning American Airlines' new policy on lightning inspections, and its opener is: Why doesn’t American do them anymore? American recently forbade its mechanics from doing extensive lightning damage checks unless pilots suspected a strike, a move designed to reduce delays and cancellations. Big airlines are typically...

American Airlines Report Roasts FAA

Airline blames policy switch for thousands of canceled flights

(Newser) - American Airlines blames the FAA for its recent grounding of thousands of flights, the Wall Street Journal reports. The airline is set to deliver a report today that says 3,300 flights were canceled because FAA headquarters reversed a "handshake deal" the airline had with regional aviation officials that...

Air Safety Experts Most Worried About Runways

Ground incidents increase over last six months

(Newser) - FAA-mandated wiring fixes have grounded thousands of flights lately, but the runway is no safe place for planes, New York Times reports. Serious runway incidents nearly doubled to 15 over the past six months, compared with the same period a year ago. “Where we are most vulnerable at this...

Washington Vows Better Airline Safety

Teamsters prez blasts plan as 'window dressing'

(Newser) - Today Washington vowed to beef up airplane inspections and demanded to know why American Airlines stranded 250,000 travelers last week, the AP reports. "No one at all was well served by what happened," US Transportation Secretary Mary Peters said. But she defended federal regulators, saying they did...

Flight Chaos to Continue as FAA Gets Tough

Crackdown will continue through June 30

(Newser) - Air travelers should brace themselves for several more months of chaos: the wave of FAA audits that began March 30, producing more than 2,000 canceled flights this week, will continue through June 30. In an effort to toughen enforcement of safety standards, the agency has moved to relying less...

Jury Sees 'Martyr Videos' in UK Terror Plot Trial

Discussed bringing families on suicide missions

(Newser) - In London yesterday, prosecutors introduced “martyrdom videos” as evidence against eight British Muslims accused of plotting to destroy US-bound airliners in 2006, the Times  reports. One video, found in a man’s garage, envisioned “your people’s body parts responsible for these wars and oppression decorating the streets....

FAA Too Cozy With Airlines, Whistle-Blowers Say

Lawmakers cite agency's 'complacency' in letting safety risks fly

(Newser) - An overly cozy relationship between airlines and the federal agency tasked with inspecting them has lawmakers worried in the wake of hearings yesterday on Capitol Hill, the Chicago Tribune reports. Federal Aviation Administration officials let serious safety issues fly, ignoring maintenance and inspection regulations, safety specialists, government overseers and whistle-blowers...

Southwest Tried to Cover Up Safety Issues: Inspectors

FAA too cozy with airlines, they say

(Newser) - Southwest Airlines tried to cover up maintenance problems, and the FAA almost let them, according to two inspectors who will testify before Congress today that the agency is too cozy with airlines. When the inspectors realized Southwest was flying dozens of jets without required inspections, their superiors did nothing, they...

Southwest Grounds 44 Planes
 Southwest Grounds 44 Planes 
Mar 12, 2008 2:15 PM CDT

Southwest Grounds 44 Planes

Missed inspections for cracks drew fine from FAA—which didn't take immediate action

(Newser) - Southwest Airlines grounded 44 planes today after having admitted to flying aircraft that were past due for inspections for structural cracks, the AP reports. The FAA fined Southwest $10.2 million—the largest ever levied on an airline—but the agency itself is under fire for not grounding the jets...

French Seek Manslaughter Charges in Concorde Crash

Continental, others could be charged over 2000 accident that killed 113

(Newser) - A public prosecutor in France is calling for Continental Airlines to face manslaughter charges over the 2000 crash of an Air France Concorde that killed 113 people, Reuters reports. The supersonic jet crashed minutes after takeoff when a burst tire sent debris into an engine. A French investigation found that...

Airline Sleuths Dig Up Data to Save Lives

Flight record scans reveal hidden risks, prevent crashes

(Newser) - Airlines and air safety investigators have a new way to snoop for clues that can help avoid future accidents, the Washington Post reports. While they once depended on crash remains for evidence, they have now gone digital, pursuing daily probes of thousands of computer records and pilots' reports to dig...

NASA Releases Pilot Gripes on Tired Crews, Air Traffic

Surveys uncover twice as many problems as official reports

(Newser) - Bowing to pressure from Congress, NASA has grudgingly released thousand of pages of pilot complaints, CNN reports. They include complaints about crowded skies, tired crews, and communication problems. The surveys of more than 30,000 pilots found twice as many collisions with bird, near-collisions with other aircraft, and runway incursions...

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