Pilot Proficiency

At least three dashboard video cameras captured the final terrifying seconds of TransAsia Flight 235’s descent over Taipei, Taiwan, on Tuesday as the twin turboprop struggled to remain aloft before abruptly rolling left and knifing into the Keelung River. The pilot can be heard on ATC audio declaring an emergency, stating, “Mayday, Mayday, engine flameout” […]

Dramatic up-close video captured the crash of a TransAsia Airways Flight GE235 in Taipei, Taiwan, on Wednesday that killed at least 31 people and injured several others. The ATR 72-600 turboprop took off from Sungshan Airport around 11:30 a.m. local time and issued a mayday call shortly afterward, although the transmission did not include additional […]

A National Transportation Safety Board report on a Cessna 150 crash in Watkins, Colorado, last May is raising eyebrows for partially blaming the fatal accident on the pilot’s use of his cell phone to take selfies mid-flight. The 29-year-old pilot at the controls of the Cessna, who was not Instrument or night current, took off […]

The National Transportation Safety Board’s determination that a** 29-year-old Cessna pilot’s use of his cell phone to take selfies in flight caused a crash** that killed him and a passenger has a lot of folks scratching their heads. For starters, there’s no evidence that the pilot was taking pictures with his cell phone when the […]

An incident that was caught on amateur video has highlighted the incredible precision with which a fire bomber can hit a needy target. A heavy truck caught fire after it collided with a motor grader on a remote section of the Trans-Labrador Highway, which transitions the provinces of Labrador and Newfoundland in eastern Canada. Being […]

“Gentlemen, start your engines!” The crowd cheered as Mitchell Municipal Airport reverberated with the sound of 50 piston power plants rumbling to life. Dozens of slick homebuilt airplanes with flashy paint jobs and neatly applied race numbers taxied in a long line to the runway. “Race 38, cleared for takeoff,” boomed the loudspeaker, and a […]

The Cirrus SR22 pilot who pulled the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS) and was saved by a cruise ship about 250 miles east of Maui this week has released a selfie video of the incident. Leu Morton’s facial expression is incredibly calm despite the stressful situation and, through an open door, Morton’s video shows the […]

The stall warning system aboard the AirAsia Airbus A320 that crashed near Indonesia after encountering violent storms in late December sounded moments after the jet began a steep ascent and continued for more than three minutes until the jetliner impacted the Java Sea, crash investigators say. Based on flight recorder data, investigators now know the […]

Last night, after an eight-hour flight across the North Atlantic ocean, I flew into the world’s busiest airspace, acting as the pilot monitoring. I suddenly found myself perplexed by a right roll into an unexpected course change. My monitoring had obviously failed. The pilot-flying had made a mistake in his automation input, and the result […]

Despite the hard work from every segment of aviation, we have to reluctantly admit that there are still unforeseeable factors that can lead to incidents and accidents. From TWA Flight 800 to Air France 447, seemingly standard missions can be hit by disaster, with flight crews left unable to respond adequately, if at all. Through […]