Flight instructor attempts to kidnap and deport student

A pilot at a Californian flight school and his assistant have been arrested after kidnapping and attempting to deport a Chinese flight student back to China. Jonathon McConkey is a pilot, qualified flight instructor and general manager of IASCO Flight Training School. He is alleged to have carried out the kidnapping with his assistant and ground instructor Kelsi Hoser. (www.airlive.net) More...

Closer inspection interval detected cracking on 747 pylon

Qantas’s decision to halve the time between inspections on the engine pylons of its Boeing 747-400 fleet allowed it to detect fatigue cracking before it became a safety issue. The affected 747, registered VH-OJT, was undergoing maintenance in Hong Kong on 5 October 2016 when an inspection of the number two engine pylon identified cracks that had started to develop in the outboard strut ribs in the torque box of the pylon. (www.flightglobal.com) More...

Both flight recorders retrieved from Ethiopian 737 crash site

Recovery personnel have retrieve both flight recorders from the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 which crashed shortly after take-off from Addis Ababa on 10 March. The airline states that personnel have recovered the cockpit-voice and digital flight-data recorder from the crash site. It reiterates that the carrier has grounded the remainder of its 737 Max fleet pending clarification over the cause of the accident. (www.flightglobal.com) More...

An-225 marks 30 years as world's largest aircraft

Antonov is marking the 30th anniversary of the maiden flight of its unique An-225, as it prepares to surrender – possibly – its title of the world’s largest aircraft to another six-engined giant. For three decades the ‘Mriya’ – the Ukrainian word for ‘vision’ or ‘dream’ – has reigned undisputed, setting several world records. The An-225 was developed from the four-engined An-124, modified with a stretched fuselage, broader 88.4m wingspan and six Ivchenko-Progress D-18 turbofans. (www.flightglobal.com) More...

Ethiopian Transport Ministry releases preliminary report about Ethiopian Airlines #ET302 Boeing 737MAX crash

ET302 Crash Ethiopian authorities have released their initial findings into the plane crash which killed 157 The transport minister said the crew of the Boeing 737 Max 8 followed all correct procedures, but could not control the plane. During a press conference from a hotel in Addis Ababa, Ethiopian Transport Ministry released investigation preliminary report about Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737MAX crash. Pilots found to be capable and Pilots followed manufacturer’s procedures and tried to… (www.airlive.net) More...

Departing 737 fatally strikes person on Moscow runway

Russian investigators are probing an accident in which a departing aircraft fatally struck a person on the runway at Moscow Sheremetyevo. Moscow’s regional transport division of the federal Investigative Committee says the Boeing 737 was taking off on a service to Athens at around 20:10 local time on 20 November. It says a man, 25 years of age, was struck by the undercarriage of the jet and suffered fatal injuries, according to preliminary information obtained by the committee. (www.flightglobal.com) More...

Aeromexico Boeing 737-800 sustained serious damage as it allegedly collided with a drone on approach to Tijuana International Airport, Mexico

An Aeromexico Boeing 737-800 aircraft allegedly collided with a drone as it approached the runway at an airport in Tijuana, Mexico, according to local media. The Boeing 737-800 (reg. XA-ADV) sustained damage to its radome and weather radar on approach to runway 09 at Tijuana International Airport, Mexico. The flight #AM770 from Guadalajara completed the descent without complications, according to Diario de Colima, which noted that passengers disembarked from the plane normally. (www.airlive.net) More...

French police releases footage of helicopter targeted by a rocket over Notre-Dame-des-Landes

French authorities opened an investigation on Tuesday following a rocket fired against a police helicopter flying over Notre-Dame-des-Landes. New clashes erupted on Tuesday morning between the police and the illegal occupants of Notre-Dame-des-Landes. Notre-Dame-des-Landes is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France. The commune was the planned site of the new Aéroport du Grand Ouest, intended to replace Nantes Atlantique Airport. (www.airlive.net) More...

FAA will meet today with air safety authorities from 53 countries to talk about clearing Boeing 737MAX for flight

The Federal Aviation Administration is gathering dozens of the world’s top aviation officials in Fort Worth for a day-long conclave Thursday to talk about the Boeing 737 Max. The gathering in Fort Worth, Texas is expected to provide clues as to whether the aviation safety authorities will be willing to set aside any skepticism about the FAA, which has not yet given the green light for the 737 MAX to fly again. (www.airlive.net) More...

Transavia #HV5666 diverted to Faro after a man’s body odour caused passengers to vomit

The Transavia flight #HV5666 to Amsterdam was forced to divert when travellers became distressed by the stench of a man who “smelt like he hadn’t washed in weeks”. The man smelt so bad other passengers started to faint and vomit after the flight took off from Gran Canaria in Spain. The crew tried to quarantine him in a washroom of the Boeing 737 before the pilots were forced to divert the flight. They landed in Faro in southern Portugal so the foul-smelling man could be removed from the flight. (www.airlive.net) More...