Aviation Safety

Our long national nightmare is over: By a vote of 98-0, the U.S. Senate on October 24 confirmed Michael Whitaker to a five-year term as FAA Administrator. The position had been vacant since Steve Dickson resigned on March 31, 2022, and was filled by a succession of acting administrators. This won’t be Whitaker’s first rodeo […]

Thank you for publishing my recent note about traffic pattern entry in your November issue, which originated with October’s article “Parallel Runway Traps.” You gave me an answer, but sorry to say, I’m not satisfied with it. While I think the overflight followed by a right 270-degree turn to enter left traffic is an excellent […]

Turning before you reach the missed approach point can place you between a rock and a hard place.

The long-ago misuse of a torque wrench on a fuel injector eventually came back to haunt this pilot.

Displays fail. The following is derived from maintenance facility submissions to the FAA’s Service Difficulty Reports database.

Cessna 402B utililiner Oil Leaks On descent, the pilot noticed oil streaking back from top cowl louvers, then dropping oil pressure. Pilot shut down engine and feathered propeller, continuing to the nearby destination without issue. Examination revealed engine oil was bypassing the seals on the turbocharger (p/n 4066109025). Part total time: 9.0 hours Diamond DA40 […]

A coworker and I needed to get to a reliever airport in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, leaving from the Washington, D.C., area. We were going to use my Piper Saratoga SP, which could make the trip without stopping. It was late spring, and winter’s remnants included a fast-moving cold front lying across our preferred route. It […]

August 1, 2023, Sandersville, Ga. Velocity V-Twin Experimental At about 0922 Eastern time, the airplane was substantially damaged in an apparent loss-of-control event following engine failure shortly after takeoff. The pilot sustained serious injuries; the passenger was fatally injured. The day before the accident flight, the airplane’s powerplants were inspected by a local mechanic authorized […]

We’ve all been there: At an en route fuel stop—or after a precautionary landing—we find something wrong with the airplane. Could be a bad magneto, a cold cylinder, a starter that won’t engage or a dead battery. If we’re lucky, the airport at which we find ourselves has a shop that can handle the challenge. […]

Ending weeks of speculation, President Biden on September 7, 2023, submitted Michael Whitaker as his nominee to become the 19th confirmed Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration. If confirmed, he would be the first non-acting head of the agency since Steve Dickson resigned on March 31, 2002. Since then, the position has been filled by […]