The Day the Probable Cause Report Died – the NTSB Revisits the Buddy Holly Plane Crash

The NTSB recently announced that it might re-open the February 1959 investigation of the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper (J.P. Richardson). The announcement apparently came in response to a petition by a New Engla …

Look Everyone! I’m About To Be In A Plane Crash!

In a report released last week, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) concluded that a plane crash last May near Denver was caused, at least in part, by the pilot taking pictures of himself with his cell phone. Both the pilot and his passenge …

Another Commercial Airliner, AirAsia Flight 8501, Missing In Southeast Asia

The unthinkable has happened again. Another commercial airliner is missing in Southeast Asia. AirAsia Flight 8501 disappeared Saturday evening over the Java Sea while en route from Surabaya to Singapore. There were 162 people on board at the time and, …

Turbulence Injures Passengers Aboard American Airlines Flight

American Airlines Flight 280, en route from Seoul, Korea to Dallas, was diverted and made an emergency landing today in Japan following severe turbulence. The turbulence was the result of a powerful winter storm that has been intensifying over the area …

American Airlines And Southwest Airlines Stand To Benefit From New Air Traffic Control Plan

According to the FAA, there is something special in the air over DFW and Love Field. The agency announced late last week that it has rolled out one component of its Next Generation Air Transportation System (“NextGen”) in Dallas.   The plan, as fully i …

New Location Reporting Rules For Airlines

Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared on March 8 — over eight months ago — and it seems that authorities are no closer to finding the wreckage now than they were then. Obviously the airliner needs to be found, both to provide closure to families and …

TSA Reports On Guns Discovered In Carry On Bags

Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson stated on November 5 that, in the first ten months on the year, the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) discovered 1855 firearms in carry on bags. When such a discovery is made, the TSA turns the firearms …

FAA Chooses Economics Over Safety

The Federal Aviation Administration routinely chooses between safety and economics and, usually, economics wins out. Not surprising, given the size and funding of the aviation industry. A recent USA Today article highlights this inherent conflict. A li …

So Long Wright Amendment

It’s the end of an era. As of October 13, 2014, the Wright Amendment is gone and airlines flying out of Love Field are “now free to move about the country.” The Wright Amendment, enacted in 1980, prohibited flights from the Dallas airport to locations …

Update on Ebola Scare Spreading to Airlines

If your confidence in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is dropping, this post won’t help. The second Ebola health-care provider flew from Cleveland to Dallas, just a day prior to her diagnosis, with an elevated temperature. The CDC …