Fixed Wing

Aeroplanes

C-130J Control Restriction Accident, Jalalabad

Accidents & Incidents, Fixed Wing, Human Factors / Performance, Military / Defence, Safety Management

C-130J Control Restriction Accident, Jalalabad The US Air Force (USAF) Air Mobility Command (AMC) has released its accident report into the fatal loss of control (LOC-I) accident involving of Lockheed Martin C-130J 08-3174 during a night-time take-off from Jalalabad Airfield, Afghanistan on 2 October 2015.  The accident was caused by the failure to remove a loose article that had been deliberately placed […]

C-130J Control Restriction Accident, Jalalabad Read Post »

A319 Double Cowling Loss and Fire – AAIB Safety Recommendation Update

Accidents & Incidents, Design & Certification, Fixed Wing, Human Factors / Performance, Maintenance / Continuing Airworthiness / CAMOs, Regulation, Safety Management

A319 Double Cowling Loss and Fire – AAIB Safety Recommendation Update The UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has issued an update on responses to their safety recommendations from their investigation into British Airways Airbus A319 G-EUOE.  G-EUOE, powered by IAE V2500s, lost both engine fan cowlings and suffered an associated fire on take-off from London Heathrow

A319 Double Cowling Loss and Fire – AAIB Safety Recommendation Update Read Post »

C-130 Fireball Due to Modification Error

Accidents & Incidents, Design & Certification, Fixed Wing, Maintenance / Continuing Airworthiness / CAMOs, Military / Defence, Safety Management, Special Mission Aircraft

C-130 Fireball Due to Modification Error A botched modification program unnecessarily changed the original design for a hydraulic system modification when a drawing was misread.  A longer hydraulic hose was necessary after that change but an inappropriate design process short-cut meant the shorter hose remained listed as an alternative.  The shorter hose was fitted to the modified fleet

C-130 Fireball Due to Modification Error Read Post »

Fatigued Flight Test Crew Superjet 100 Crosswind Accident

Accidents & Incidents, Air Traffic Management / Airspace, Airfields / Heliports / Helidecks, Crises / Emergency Response / SAR, Design & Certification, Fixed Wing, Human Factors / Performance, Regulation, Safety Management

Fatigued Flight Test Crew Crosswind Accident The Icelandic Transportation Safety Board (ITSB), the RNSA, recently issued their report into a wheels up runway excursion accident that occurred on 21 July 2013 to Sukhoi RRJ-95B ‘Superjet 100’ 97005 during flight tests by Sukhoi at Keflavik airport. The Flight Test Objective and the Accident Flight The purpose of

Fatigued Flight Test Crew Superjet 100 Crosswind Accident Read Post »

Germanwings: Psychiatry, Suicide and Safety

Accidents & Incidents, Fixed Wing, Human Factors / Performance, Regulation, Safety Culture, Safety Management

Germanwings: Psychiatry, Suicide and Safety The French Bureau d’Enquêtes et d’Analyses (BEA) has issued their report into the loss of Germanwings Airbus A320 D-AIPX and 150 lives in the French Alps on 24 March 2015, which was due to the actions of the Co-Pilot.  Below we focus on the highlights from the 110 page report. The Co-Pilot

Germanwings: Psychiatry, Suicide and Safety Read Post »

Forgotten Fasteners – Serious Incidents

Accidents & Incidents, Fixed Wing, Human Factors / Performance, Maintenance / Continuing Airworthiness / CAMOs, Safety Management, Special Mission Aircraft

Forgotten Fasteners – Serious Incidents We examine three incidents where fasteners were forgotten during maintenance.  It two cases these maintenance errors resulted in parts falling from the aircraft.  In a third, a massive fuel leak occurred. Incident 1 – Twin Otter Mission Pod The Irish Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU) has recently reported on a

Forgotten Fasteners – Serious Incidents Read Post »

First Eleven: Guidance for Designers on Maintenance Human Performance

Design & Certification, Fixed Wing, Helicopters, Human Factors / Performance, Maintenance / Continuing Airworthiness / CAMOs, Safety Management

First Eleven: RAeS Guidance for Design Organisations on Maintenance Human Performance The Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS) Human Factors Group: Engineering (HFG:E) has published a short guidance document on 11 steps an aviation Design Organisation (DO) can take to “deliver safer, more effective and reliable aircraft through improved design for maintenance”. The RAeS say: Aircraft safety

First Eleven: Guidance for Designers on Maintenance Human Performance Read Post »

EASA and Ejection Seat Certification

Design & Certification, Fixed Wing, Military / Defence, Regulation, Special Mission Aircraft, Survivability / Ditching

EASA and Ejection Seat Certification The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) have issued a series of Certification Review Items (CRIs) for proposed Special Conditions and Equivalent Levels of Safety for a Part 23 ejection seat equipped tandem two-seat trainer aircraft to be certified in the Normal and Acrobatic categories.  The CRIs consist of: CRI 102 Special

EASA and Ejection Seat Certification Read Post »

Machining Defect Cause of V2500 Failure

Accidents & Incidents, Fixed Wing, Safety Management

Machining Defect Cause of V2500 Failure On 18 September 2014 JetBlue Airways Airbus A320-232 N656JB experienced a Number 2 IAE V2527-A5 engine failure and under-cowl fire during initial climb out from Long Beach, California. The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) say in their report: The flightcrew shutdown the No. 2 engine, discharged both fire bottles, and

Machining Defect Cause of V2500 Failure Read Post »

UKMFTS Fixed Wing Aircraft Service Provision Contract Awarded

Design & Certification, Fixed Wing, Maintenance / Continuing Airworthiness / CAMOs, Military / Defence

UK Military Flying Training System  Fixed Wing (UKMFTS) Aircraft Service Provision Contract Awarded The contract to provide Elementary, Basic and Multi-Engined training aircraft to the UK Military Flying Training System (UKMFTS) through to 2033 has been awarded. The contract was placed by Babcock / Lockheed Martin joint venture Ascent Flight Training. Ascent, selected as the UK MOD’s

UKMFTS Fixed Wing Aircraft Service Provision Contract Awarded Read Post »

Credit: Boeing

The Passengers Who ‘Caused’ a 737 Tail Strike: Ground Handling Lessons

Accidents & Incidents, Fixed Wing, Safety Management

The Passengers Who ‘Caused’ a 737 Tail Strike On 12 January 2003 a serious incident occurred involving Transavia Boeing 737-800 PH-HZB at Rotterdam. The Dutch Safety Board (DSB) report says the aircraft: …pitched nose-up just after take -off thrust had been selected. The pitch up movement stopped when the aft fuselage and the tailskid assembly contacted the

The Passengers Who ‘Caused’ a 737 Tail Strike: Ground Handling Lessons Read Post »

Our Top 20 Articles of 2015

Accidents & Incidents, Business Aviation, Crises / Emergency Response / SAR, Design & Certification, Fixed Wing, Helicopters, Human Factors / Performance, Maintenance / Continuing Airworthiness / CAMOs, Military / Defence, News, Offshore, Oil & Gas / IOGP / Energy, Regulation, Safety Culture, Safety Management, Special Mission Aircraft, Survivability / Ditching

Aerossurance: Our Top 20 Articles of 2015 As we start the new year we look back on the 20 articles that proved most popular with our readers in 2015.  In reverse order: Number 20: Building St Helena Airport – An Industrial Scale ‘Grand Design’ This started with the building of the first airport on the volcanic

Our Top 20 Articles of 2015 Read Post »

Dangers of Aircraft Tyre Inflation

Accidents & Incidents, Fixed Wing, Helicopters, Human Factors / Performance, Maintenance / Continuing Airworthiness / CAMOs, Military / Defence, Safety Management

Dangers of Aircraft Tyre (US: Tire) Inflation The Royal Canadian Air Force  are investigating two recent tyre inflation burst accidents.  Both involve visiting aircraft using borrowed equipment: 25 August 2015 CT-114 Tutor CT114058 A Snowbird aircraft was diverted from the rest of the deployed team due to an in-flight emergency.  The aircraft was repaired, including a successful

Dangers of Aircraft Tyre Inflation Read Post »

B1900C PSM+ICR Accident in Pakistan 2010

Accidents & Incidents, Fixed Wing, Human Factors / Performance, Oil & Gas / IOGP / Energy, Safety Management

B1900C PSM+ICR Accident in Pakistan 2010 The Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has recently published the report into the loss of a Beechcraft B1900C in 2010. The aircraft, AP-BJD, was being operated by JS Air (as subsidiary of the JS Group) when it crashed on 5 November 2010, killing 21 people.  The accident featured what a

B1900C PSM+ICR Accident in Pakistan 2010 Read Post »

Back to the Future: Error Management

Accidents & Incidents, Air Traffic Management / Airspace, Airfields / Heliports / Helidecks, Business Aviation, Crises / Emergency Response / SAR, Design & Certification, Fixed Wing, Helicopters, Human Factors / Performance, HUMS / VHM / UMS / IVHM, Logistics, Maintenance / Continuing Airworthiness / CAMOs, Military / Defence, Mining / Resource Sector, Offshore, Oil & Gas / IOGP / Energy, Resilience, Safety Culture, Safety Management

We look at some of the problems of error management and ask if we are still making the error management mistakes James Reason warned of in 1997 (spoiler: some organisations are). We also look at drift and how some have failed to grasp its more than poor compliance.

Back to the Future: Error Management Read Post »

When Down Is Up: 747 Actuator Installation Incident

Accidents & Incidents, Design & Certification, Fixed Wing, Human Factors / Performance, Maintenance / Continuing Airworthiness / CAMOs, Safety Management

When Down Is Up: 747 Actuator Installation Incident The UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has published their report into a serious incident involving Boeing 747-443 G-VROM on 29 December 2014. History of the Flight The AAIB report that: The aircraft departed from London Gatwick Airport for a scheduled flight to Las Vegas. Following retraction of the

When Down Is Up: 747 Actuator Installation Incident Read Post »

Regulation (EU) 376/2014: Reporting, Analysis and Follow-up of Occurrences in Civil Aviation

Accidents & Incidents, Air Traffic Management / Airspace, Airfields / Heliports / Helidecks, Design & Certification, Fixed Wing, Helicopters, Human Factors / Performance, Maintenance / Continuing Airworthiness / CAMOs, News, Safety Management

Regulation (EU) 376/2014: Reporting, Analysis and Follow-up of Occurrences in Civil Aviation On 15 November 2015, a new European Union wide aviation reporting regulation came into force.  The European Commission has created a safety reporting portal. Previously Mandatory Occurrence Reporting (MOR) was effectively regulated by a Directive 2003/42/EC to each nation to create compatible national regulation. That directive is

Regulation (EU) 376/2014: Reporting, Analysis and Follow-up of Occurrences in Civil Aviation Read Post »

AC-130J Prototype Written-Off After Flight Test LOC-I Overstress

Accidents & Incidents, Fixed Wing, Safety Management, Special Mission Aircraft

AC-130J Prototype Written-Off After Flight Test LOC-I Overstress The prototype US Air Force (USAF) AC-130J Ghostrider, 09-5710, has been declared a total loss after the airframe was “severely overstressed” after a Loss of Control – Inflight (LOC-I) during a flight test from Eglin AFB, Florida on 21 April 2015.  Loss of the aircraft is estimated at $115.6 million. The Occurrence The

AC-130J Prototype Written-Off After Flight Test LOC-I Overstress Read Post »

Scroll to Top