Pilot Proficiency

The August 2013 crash of a UPS cargo plane short of the runway in Birmingham, Alabama, was caused by a combination of crew errors and pilot fatigue, the National Transportation Safety Board said in its final accident report released on Tuesday. UPS disagrees with the findings, saying the carrier provides adequate rest for crews and […]

Editor’s note: Capt. Sullenberger contacted us after publication of this article to clarify that he did call “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday” immediately after birds struck his Airbus A320 on January 15, 2009, but his radio transmission was stepped on by a simultaneous call by the air traffic controller and so was never broadcast. The final NTSB […]

When flying IFR, one of the most important things is to know what your priority should be at any given time. Cockpit technology and autopilots today are highly sophisticated and can help you fly safer, but they won’t save you in every case. And while portable tablets have allowed pilots to carry much more information […]

An airplane flying a qualifying race in the Sport Class at the National Championship Air Races near Reno, Nevada, crashed yesterday, killing the pilot on board. The pilot was identified by the Reno Air Race Association (RARA) as Lee Behel, one of the founders and the current president of the Sport Class, who was flying […]

In a preliminary accident report of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 released by the Dutch Security Board on Tuesday, investigators said the Boeing 777 “broke up in the air probably as the result of structural damage caused by a large number of high-energy objects that penetrated the aircraft from outside.” The report did not, however, assign […]

The pilot of the TBM 900 that crashed in the sea near Jamaica after straying hundreds of miles off course on Friday twice asked Atlanta Center for clearance to a lower altitude because of an unspecified problem, but the controller handling the flight apparently didn’t comprehend the seriousness of the emergency that was unfolding. Minutes […]

An unresponsive TBM 900 turboprop on a flight plan Friday from Rochester, New York, to Naples, Florida, triggered the North American Aerospace Defense Command to launch two F-15s in pursuit of the airplane after the pilot failed to respond to communications from air traffic control. Instead of making a turn toward the eastern coast of […]

If you missed your chance to register for the Flying Aviation Expo in Palm Springs, California, this fall (and enter for a chance to win a Bose A20 headset), you’re in luck. We’re extending the early bird registration deadline to September 14. Tickets for the show, planned for October 31 to November 2 at the […]

During stall recovery training, fighting the urge to use the aileron to overcome a sudden wing drop can take forethought and even sheer will power on the part of the student pilot. In a true stall emergency, which can take us completely by surprise, picking up a dropping wing with the aileron can be an […]

A six-seat Piper PA-46 crashed in Erie, Colorado, around noon on Sunday as it was approaching the Erie Municipal Airport in the northwest corner of the Denver metropolitan area, killing five people aboard. The airplane was returning from a flight to Centennial Airport in the southern part of Denver, the local 9NEWS station reported. The […]