Air Law Blog

Australian Crash Prompts Decisive Action Against Operators of Robinson Helicopters

In February 2012, I wrote about an Australian crash that killed two film makers sparking a debate about the safety of Robinson helicopters. Now, another crash in March of this year has added fuel to the fire (so to speak) and is prompting the Australia …

Airport Control Towers on the Chopping Block

The FAA has stated that it will publish its final list of control tower closures on Friday, March 22, 2013. The forced government spending cuts that began earlier this year has among its casualties 189 of the nation’s 251 contract control towers. The t …

Is The Dreamliner a Nightmare?

It appears that the Boeing 787 “Dreamliners” may not be so dreamy. The Federal Aviation Administration grounded U.S. registered 787’s for precautionary inspection, and authorities in other countries quickly followed suit. Why were the planed pulled out …

Southwest Airlines Flight Experiences Sudden Loss of Cabin Pressure

A recent Southwest Airlines flight en route from Kansas City to Dallas lost cabin pressure at 35,000 feet, with about 135 people on board. The oxygen masks were deployed and the plane rapidly descended. According to news reports, a passenger stated tha …

FAA Releases New Airworthiness Directive Regarding Airbus A300 Rudder System

Eleven years ago today, November 12, 2001, American Airlines Flight 587 crashed shortly after taking off from JFK International Airport in Queens, New York, killing all 260 people on board and 5 others on the ground. The aircraft involved was an Airbus …

What’s Going On At American Airlines?

Just when the flying public thinks it can’t get any worse, it does. American Airlines has recently seen an uptick – a large one – in flight delays and cancellations. This is reportedly attributable to an unusually high number of maintenance requests an …

NTSB Closer to Finding Cause of Reno Air Race Crash

When a plane crashed into the crowd at last year’s Reno Air show eleven people were killed, including the pilot of the plane involved, and over 70 were injured. The disaster naturally raised questions concerning the cause of the crash and the safety of …

American Airlines Flight Attendants Approve New Contract

Earlier today, flight attendants at American Airlines approved a labor contract offer. It was a reasonably close vote – 59%. And nearly everyone eligible to vote did so. The flight attendants’ union is, of course, not happy with the deal, or the manage …