Airbus

The catastrophic failure of one of its four Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines caused damage to several systems on board a Qantas Airbus A380. A chain of failures had the pilots using all their available skills to bring the megaliner back to Singapore for a safe landing earlier this month. No one on board was injured, […]

A Cathay Pacific Airways Airbus A330-342, powered by two Rolls-Royce Trent 777-60 engines, experienced a loss of thrust in both engines during approach. The airplane landed at 230 knots with its two engines producing about 20- and 70-percent power respectively. The pilots apparently had no control over engine power. The airplane was landed safely and no injuries were reported.

In 1944, his father, Wolfgang, wrote the definitive text on seat-of-pants flying, Stick & Rudder. Now, William Langewiesche has published a book examining details of the Miracle on the Hudson ditching. In his new book, Fly By Wire: The Geese, the Glide and the “Miracle” on the Hudson, the younger Langewiesche (who is an accomplished […]

One of the best resources that I can access in the cockpit is available without a three-ring binder. This resource does not involve a red warning light, an electronic siren or a SATCOM radio. The best resource that I have is by far the guy or gal who’s seated to my right. At no other […]

When US Airways Flight 1549 splashed down on the Hudson River in January, Captain Chesley Sullenberger and Copilot Jeffrey Skiles became instant celebrities. They attended President Obama’s inauguration, made the rounds of television talk shows, and continue to be a huge draw as motivational speakers. But their best audience was probably the overflow crowds who […]

At approximately 1530 Eastern time, USAirways flight 1549 incurred multiple bird strikes during initial climb, lost thrust to its engines and ditched in the Hudson River. Visual conditions prevailed. To date, of the five crewmembers, and 150 passengers on board, one serious injury has been reported. A total of 26 people were transported to hospitals, including two emergency response personnel. A final injury count is still to be determined.

At about 07:10 PST, a passenger sustained a fractured hip on America West Airlines Flight 5 while en route from Tampa, Fla., to Las Vegas. The aircraft was in cruise flight at flight level 310 when it encountered light to moderate turbulence. The seat belt sign was illuminated and several announcements had been made for the passengers to remain seated with their seat belts fastened. A 70-year-old male passenger got up and began walking toward the aft lavatory. One cabin attendant told the passenger to return to his seat. The passenger, who has two artificial legs, ignored the cabin attendants instruction and continued to the aft galley area where he fell, fracturing his hip. The crew obtain…

At 14:45 EDT, an American Airlines A300 landed successfully after the flightcrew experienced multiple rudder deflections that caused the airplane to yaw excessively from side to side while on final approach to runway 9R. There were no reported injuries. During the initial approach to runway 9R, as the crew configured the airplane for landing with flaps 40 degrees and the landing gear down, the airplane began to yaw left and right. The flightcrew said the rudder pedals did not move, but the yaw was enough that the captain abandoned the approach. During the go around the yaw deviations increased and became extreme. Initial examination of the flight data recorded shows that that rudder deviated…

At about 12:22 eastern time, an Airbus A300B4-605R operated by American Airlines as flight 1291 had a flight attendant receive fatal injuries during an emergency evacuation after the flight returned to Miami. In addition, one passenger was seriously injured and 15 suffered minor injuries. The captain stated both automatic cabin pressurization controllers would not control cabin pressure while climbing through 16,000 feet and that the forward outflow valve went to the full open position. He told controllers he was unable to control the pressurization and that he would need to return to Miami. During the return, the flight attendant call chime continually chimed erratically and the forward lav…

At 02:43 Alaska time, an Airbus Industrie A-340-300 operated by China Airlines took off from taxiway Kilo instead of runway 32 at Anchorage International Airport. The takeoff was without incident. The airplane was taxiing from the gate, southbound on taxiway Romeo and made a right turn onto Kilo. The airplane was cleared to take off on runway 32, but instead of taxiing on Kilo to the runway, the airplane accelerated down the 6,800-foot taxiway and took off. After departure, landing gear tire impressions were found in a snow berm at the end of the taxiway….