FAA

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    Small Plane Makes Emergency Landing in Tulsa

    A Cessna 172SP plane made an emergency landing in a field along 41st Street and Lynn Lane in east Tulsa, Oklahoma, on January 11.

    The pilot decided to make an emergency landing after the plane, that took off from Jones Riverside Airport, developed an engine problem. According to Terry Maurer with the Tulsa Police Department, the pilot first thought of landing at Harvey Young Airport but it is surrounded by a residential area and “he didn’t want to try and land a disabled plane around a residential area.”

    The plane landed safely. The pilot Zach Prewitt, who is a flight instructor at the Christiansen Flight School, Jones Airport, remained uninjured.

    The FAA is investigating.

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    Small Plane Crashes at Savannah-Hilton Head International Airport; 2 Injured

    A nine-seat single-engine plane crashed at Savannah-Hilton Head International Airport, Georgia, on January 6.

    Authorities said the Cobalt Air 727, a Pilatus PC-12 plane, developed some issues while it was taking off for Lexington, Kentucky. The pilot was attempting to land back when the plane ran off the runway 1 and came to stop in a ditch.

    There were two people aboard at the time; both of them were injured. They were taken to Memorial University Medical Centre.

    The FAA will investigate.

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    2 Killed as Small Plane Crashes Near Idaho-Wyoming Border

    A small plane crashed in eastern Idaho near the Wyoming border, on January 4th.

    Authorities said the vintage Yak 52 Russian trainer aircraft went down about 2 miles north of the Alpine Airport, Wyoming.

    There were two people aboard, including Reade Genzlinger, 61, of Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, and MacKenzie Ruston, 17, of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Both of them were killed in the crash.

    The FAA is investigating.

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    Pilot Killed as Civil Air Patrol Plane Crashes into Downtown Anchorage Buildings

    A Civil Air Patrol (CAP) plane clipped an office building and crashed into a commercial building in downtown Anchorage, Alaska, early morning on December 29.

    Authorities said the Cessna 172, piloted by Doug Demarest, 42, of Anchorage, crashed into the Brady Building and the nearby Whale Building before igniting a fire.

    Demarest, who is believed to be the only one aboard, was killed in the crash. He was first lieutenant with the CAP.

    No one on the ground was injured.

    The FAA and the NTSB are investigating.

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    CommutAir Flight Returns to Greater Rochester International Airport

    CommutAirCommutAir Flight 3585 had to return and make an emergency landing at Greater Rochester International Airport, New York, on December 25.

    The plane took off for Washington Dulles International Airport, Virginia, but had to return shortly afterwards due to an engine-related issue.

    The plane landed safely. No injuries were reported.

    The FAA is investigating.

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    Medical Helicopter Crashes in Arizona; 2 Killed, 1 Injured

    A medical helicopter crashed near Apache Junction, Arizona, on December 15.

    The helicopter, operated by Air Methods, was flying from Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport to Globe when it went down.

    There were three crew members aboard at the time; two of them were killed. The deceased were identified as the pilot David Schneider, 51, of Gilbert, and flight nurse Chad Frary, 38, of Mesa.

    The third crew member, identified as the paramedic Derek Boehm, 38, of Gilbert, was critically injured.

    The FAA and the NTSB are investigating.

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    Pilot Killed as Small Plane Crashes in Iowa

    A small plane crashed in the median of Interstate 29, north of downtown Council Bluffs, Iowa, on December 10.

    The Piper Malibu Meridian single-engine plane had just taken off from Eppley Airfield when it started experiencing some issues. Authorities said the pilot radioed to the airport and sought permission to return for an emergency landing, however, the plane clipped a power line and went down.

    The pilot, who was the only one aboard, was killed in the crash. He was identified as John Rogers, 65, of Omaha.

    The FAA and the NTSB are investigating.

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    Two Killed as Small Plane Crashed at Apple Valley Airport

    An L39 jet crashed at Apple Valley Airport in San Bernardino County, California, on December 6.

    Authorities said the plane caught fire after the crash.

    Two people were killed in the crash. One of them has been tentatively identified as Michael (Mike) Mangold, 60, who was an aerobatics champion for Red Bull.

    The airport was shut down following the accident.

    The FAA and the NTSB will investigate.

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    2 Killed as Small Plane Crashed into Lake in Orlando

    A Beechcraft Bonanza plane crashed into Clear Lake in Orlando, Florida, on November 20.

    The six-seater aircraft, carrying two people, took off from Orlando Executive Airport but crashed just fifteen minutes later into the lake located off Rio Grande Avenue.

    Both occupants of the plane, including a man who appeared to be in his 50s and a teenage girl, were killed in the crash.

    Authorities said the plane was en-route to Gainesville, Texas, at the time.

    The NTSB and the FAA are investigating.

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    Luxair Plane Crash-Lands in Germany; No Injuries Reported

    LuxairLuxair flight LG 9562 had to return and make a gear-up landing at Saarbrücken airport, Germany, on September 30.

    Authorities said the pilots of the Luxembourg-bound Bombardier Q400 aircraft decided to abort take off due to a cabin fire warning. The plane then landed on its underbelly because apparently the landing gear failed to deploy.

    There were 16 passengers and 4 crew members aboard at the time; none of them was hurt.

    According to an airline spokesperson, the passengers were transported to Luxembourg by road.

    The FAA was investigating.

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    Allegiant Air Allegedly Fires Pilot for Making Emergency Landing

    AllegiantA pilot’s union claims that the pilot of the Allegiant Air flight 864 that made an emergency landing at St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport, Florida, on June 8 has been fired.

    The pilot decided to make an emergency landing due to reports of smoke in the Maryland-bound aircraft’s cabin. Four passengers and a crew member sustained minor injuries while exiting through evacuation slides.

    The airline told the FAA that the mechanics could not find any problem in the aircraft.

    The president of the Airline Professionals Association Teamsters Local 1224, Dan Wells, said, “Believe me, the message was intentional and loud and clear: Don’t you dare push the safety stuff too far.”

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    Small Plane Crashed at Granbury Municipal Airport; 2 Killed

    A single-engine plane crashed at Granbury Municipal Airport in Hood County, Texas, on September 24.

    Authorities said the plane went down and burst into flames just a few hundred yards from Granbury High School.

    There were 2 people aboard at the time; both of them were killed in the crash.

    The NTSB and the FAA are investigating.

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    Small Plane Crashes in Berks County Cornfield

    A small plane crashed into a cornfield in Washington Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania, on September 21.

    The plane ended up in an upside down position near 1600 block of Route 100. According to a witness Tyler Moyer, “We heard the engine stall, and then it started back up… The farmer was still picking the corn. The farmer didn’t even notice it, and the dust was flying everywhere from the tractors and stuff,”

    The pilot, who was the only one aboard, was injured and was taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital.

    The FAA and the NTSB are investigating the cause of crash.

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    2 Injured as Small Plane Crashes in College Station

    A single-engine Cessna 172 plane crashed in a parking lot in College Station, Texas, on September 17.

    Authorities said the plane, travelling from Edgewood to Port Aransas, lost power before it went down around 10 miles south of Easterwood Airport.

    There were 2 people aboard, including the pilot Daniel Albert Fox and his wife Charlynn. Both of them sustained non-life-threatening injuries and were taken to College Station Medical Center.

    The DPS and the FAA are investigating.

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    Thai Carriers Face Flying Ban to US

    Following a 5-day audit of Thailand’s aviation safety standards, the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has pointed out several flaws that need to be addressed in order to continue flight service to the US.

    The audit was conducted after Thailand’s DCA failed to address the concerns identified by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) within the given 90-day period.

    According to Thailand’s Transport Minister Prajin Juntong, the FAA has given them 65 days to fix the shortcomings and if they fail to do so, Thai carriers could face a ban on flying to the US.

    The flaws identified by the FAA include shortage of qualified air safety inspectors and redundant inspection methods etc.

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    NTSB Recommends More Sophisticated Flight Tracking Technologies

    NTSBIn the wake of recent aviation tragedies, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has issued new recommendations, on January 22, aimed at enhancing the flight tracking technologies.

    In a letter to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the NTSB said, “Recent events have highlighted that recovering flight data can be costly and difficult when an accident occurs in a remote area, outside radar coverage.” To prevent such difficulties, the NTSB has recommended installation of tamper-resistant location transmission devices in all aircrafts.

    Furthermore, the NTSB called for regulations mandating that the flight data and cockpit voice recorders of all commercial airliners be equipped with low-frequency underwater beacons capable of being easily located.

    Cockpit video recorders and longer lasting batteries on the beacons are also among other recommendations submitted for consideration by the FAA.

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    FAA has Authority to Regulate Drones: U.S. Aviation Safety Board

    On November 18, the U.S. Aviation Safety Board ruled that the Federal Aviation Administration has the authority to regulate drone flights.

    According to the ruling, the FAA has the power to hold the operators of unmanned aircrafts accountable, when they are using them recklessly. The decision came after the FAA appealed a ruling of an NTSB judge that overturned a $10,000 FAA fine against Raphael Pirker.

    In 2011, Pirker remotely operated his 56-inch foam glider to make an aerial video for the University of Virginia. According to the FAA, he operated the aircraft in a reckless manner and at one point, a person had to duck out to avoid it.

    Pirker appealed the fine, saying that his glider was only a model aircraft and therefore, should not be held under the FAA regulations about manned aircrafts. In March, an NTSB judge ruled that FAA has no authority to regulate the unmanned aircrafts.

    Following the new decision, the Raphael Pirker case will be again sent to an administrative law judge who will determine if the aircraft was operated recklessly.

  • Amateur-Built Raven Crashes Long Island Sound, Pilot Killed

    The pilot of an amateur-built fixed-wing Raven powered by a Lycoming engine was killed when he crashed into Long Island Sound eight miles north of Mattituck Inlet, on July 7, 2014. The pilot was alone aboard the plane. Divers recovered his body from the Sound and is in the custody of the Suffolk County Medical Examiner.

    The submerged plane was still floating around noon, and a tow boat has been scheduled to tow it to Mattituck. Emergency responders included Coast Guard Station New Haven, rescue personnel, Suffolk County police marine unit and Southold EMTs, Jamesport Fire Department and Riverhead police.

    A seaplane pilot witnessed and reported the plane going down about 9:30 a.m. Initially his Cessna was incorrectly reported as being the one that went down.

    An investigation is underway.

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    The ‘Near Midair Collision’ at the Newark Airport Prompts FAA to Take Action

    The April 24’s incident where two passenger planes were noticed to be in a near-collision situation midair at Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey, has led to changes in the landing and takeoff protocols of the airport.

    The Federal Aviation Administration said in recent statement, “The FAA has investigated the recent air traffic incident at Newark and has taken steps to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.”

    According to the new rules administered by the FAA, the east-west Runway 29 will not be used for arrivals simultaneously with another plane taking off from north-south Runway 4R.

    On April 24, a United flight and an ExpressJet flight came at a distance of 200 feet horizontally at the intersection of these two runways. The NTSB’s initial report termed the incident as ‘a near midair collision’.

    This post is an update of: Two Passenger Planes ‘Nearly Collided’ Midair in New Jersey Says NTSB’s Report

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    Home-built Experimental Aircraft Crashed in Fountain County: Pilot Killed

    experimental planeCharles Coffing of Covington, a 72-year-old man, was killed in a small plane crash in Fountain County, Indiana , near the Rob Roy covered bridge, north of Terre Haute.

    The accident happened at 1:30 p.m. on May 9.

    First-responders told that there was no sign of fire at the scene. Officials said that the plane was a home-built experimental aircraft approved by the FAA.

    One of the eye-witnesses said that the plane “came down nose first into the ground.”

    The National Transportation Safety Board and FAA are investigating the reasons of the crash.

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    FAA Proposes $547,500 Civil Penalty Against Hawaiian Airlines

    The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is proposing a $547,500 Civil Penalty against Hawaiian Airlines, Inc. for operating a Boeing 767-300 that was not in compliance with Federal Aviation Regulations.

    The FAA alleges Hawaiian operated the aircraft thousands of times when it was not in compliance with a July 2000 Airworthiness Directive (AD) that required inspections of certain engine thrust reverser components. The purpose of the AD was to prevent a portion of the thrust reverser from coming off in flight, which could cause a rapid decompression of the aircraft.

    The AD required initial and repetitive inspections of the components to detect damage and wear, and corrective actions if necessary. It required replacement of the components with new and improved parts within four years of the AD taking effect.

    During a July 2012 inspection, the FAA discovered that some of Hawaiian’s records erroneously showed the AD did not apply to one of its Boeing 767 aircraft. The FAA alleges Hawaiian operated the aircraft more than 5,000 times – mostly on passenger carrying flights – between July 2004 and July 2012 when it was out of compliance with the AD. The FAA further alleges Hawaiian operated the aircraft on 14 passenger flights after the agency alerted the carrier that some of its records erroneously indicated that the AD did not apply to the aircraft.

    Additionally, the FAA alleges Hawaiian failed to keep required records of the status of the AD for the aircraft in question.

    Hawaiian has requested an informal conference with the FAA to discuss the matter.

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    FAA Announces the Republic of the Philippines’ Aviation Safety Rating

    The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today announced that the Republic of the Philippines complies with international safety standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and has been granted a Category 1 rating.

    The country previously held a Category 1 rating until January 2008, when it was downgraded to a Category 2. A Category 2 rating means a country either lacks laws or regulations necessary to oversee air carriers in accordance with minimum international standards, or that its civil aviation authority – equivalent to the FAA for aviation safety matters – is deficient in one or more areas, such as technical expertise, trained personnel, record keeping or inspection procedures.

    The return to Category 1 status is based on a March 2014 FAA review of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines. A Category 1 rating means the country’s civil aviation authority complies with ICAO standards. With the International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) Category 1 rating, the Republic of the Philippines’ air carriers can add flights and service to the United States and carry the code of U.S. carriers.

    As part of the FAA’s IASA program, the agency assesses the civil aviation authorities of all countries with air carriers that have applied to fly to the United States, currently conduct operations to the United States or participate in code sharing arrangements with U.S. partner airlines and makes that information available to the public. The assessments determine whether or not foreign civil aviation authorities are meeting ICAO safety standards, not FAA regulations.

    In order to maintain a Category 1 rating, a country must adhere to the safety standards of ICAO, the United Nations’ technical agency for aviation that establishes international standards and recommended practices for aircraft operations and maintenance.

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    FAA Proposes $304,000 Civil Penalty Against Great Lakes Aviation


    The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is proposing a $304,000 civil penalty against Great Lakes Aviation of Cheyenne, Wyo., for allegedly conducting 19 flights with aircraft that were not in compliance with Federal Aviation Regulations.

    Great Lakes operated the aircraft in conditions in which the carrier could reasonably expect frost, snow or ice to adhere to the planes, the FAA alleges. The FAA maintains that Great Lakes flew Beech 1900 aircraft out of Hays, Kan., in January 2011 with deicing fluid that exceeded the maximum temperature of 180 degrees Fahrenheit. The Great Lakes deicing manual states that fluid heated to more than 180 degrees could damage the aircraft or the deicer.

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    International Progress on Environmental Standards


    Earlier this year, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP) advanced two important goals to make air travel cleaner and quieter worldwide. As a member of CAEP, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) played a crucial role.

    “Air transportation continues to grow within and amongst nations,” said FAA Administrator Michael Huerta. “These new environmental standards and procedures recognize that we can work together internationally to achieve positive advancements in making aviation as environmentally efficient as possible.”

    Relating to aircraft noise, CAEP has recommended a new international standard for newly designed aircraft that would reduce noise by 7 decibels relative to the current noise standard. The new requirement would become effective in 2017 for large aircraft and in 2020 for smaller models.

    To address global warming greenhouse gases produced in air travel, CAEP has agreed to new international certification procedures for aircraft relating to carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. At previous CAEP meetings, the committee had agreed on how to measure CO2. These new certification procedures now open the door for CAEP discussions on how stringent the standard should be set and whether the standard should only be applied to newly designed aircraft or some application to in-production aircraft. These discussions are expected to be completed by 2015.

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    FAA Approves Boeing 787 Battery System Design


    The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today took the next step in returning the Boeing 787 to flight by approving Boeing’s design for modifications to the 787 battery system. The changes are designed to address risks at the battery cell level, the battery level and the aircraft level.

    Next week, the FAA will issue instructions to operators for making changes to the aircraft and will publish in the Federal Register the final directive that will allow the 787 to return to service with the battery system modifications. The directive will take effect upon publication. The FAA will require airlines that operate the 787 to install containment and venting systems for the main and auxiliary system batteries, and to replace the batteries and their chargers with modified components.

    “Safety of the traveling public is our number one priority. These changes to the 787 battery will ensure the safety of the aircraft and its passengers,” said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.
    “A team of FAA certification specialists observed rigorous tests we required Boeing to perform and devoted weeks to reviewing detailed analysis of the design changes to reach this decision,” said FAA Administrator Michael Huerta.

    To assure proper installation of the new design, the FAA will closely monitor modifications of the aircraft in the U.S. fleet. The FAA will stage teams of inspectors at the modification locations. Any return to service of the modified 787 will only take place after the FAA accepts the work.
    As the certifying authority, the FAA will continue to support other authorities around the world as they finalize their own acceptance procedures.