Upside Down Air Accident Investigation Down Under

Pel-Air medical evacuation airplane. Photo from ATSB

I am not one to encourage politicians to start sticking their noses into matters of aviation safety. It is WAY too tempting for them to grandstand. But in the case of the Australian Senate and the ditching of a medical transport plane in November of 2009, how could they not?

After all, it is not often that government bureaucrats behave so badly that the politicians wind up looking moderate, but that is just what's happening in Canberra. Worse, the unfolding scandal seems to indicate that the two agencies that should be more attuned than the average Joe to the complexities of causal chains and the futility of blame in accident investigations have been tone deaf. 

Is Delta's Advantage Over Distracted American Soon To End?

Nobody likes a diversion, least of all the airline.  But despite their desire for destination-focused business plans, for the last few years, United, American Airlines and US Airways have had their attention hijacked as they concentrate on the industry's latest craze, consolidation. 

Perhaps that's soon to be in the past, with the announcement on Valentine's Day that American and US Airways have pulled the trigger on their anything-but-shotgun wedding. 

What's Sexy About Certification Review? Plenty.

Over the phone, I could hear reporters' eyes glazing over during the latest Dreamliner teleconference when NTSB chairman, Deborah Hersman said these oh-so-unsexy words; "certification review". Alright, the words do land with a thud, but that's better than a crash, which is what you can get when FAA certification is not reviewed. 

What's In A Name? At Canberra Airport, No Black Box References

From every single angle the Dreamliner is a sensational story. The world is riveted to the mystery and the drama, the politics, the economics and the engineering. So what do you say we take a break from all that? 

Today, I'm writing about an enthusiastic school girl from Sydney, Australia who has taken on a campaign to honor an air safety hero. 

Most children are happy when their homework assignment gets them a good grade, but after writing a report about David Warren, the Australian who invented the black box,  11-year old Eve Cogan set her sights on convincing the executives of Australia's capital city airport in Canberra to name the airport after him.  

Dreamliner Use of Hazardous Battery Like Whack-a-Mole

American Airlines seats on A B737

Two breaking news stories that have consumed my attention recently seem on the surface to be unrelated, beyond the obvious - both are about air safety. The first is the revelation I made in APEX magazine on Tuesday that American Airlines has once again been flying a Boeing 757 with seats installed incorrectly.  The entire coach cabin seats were placed 2 inches off, blocking access to the airplane's over wing exits. You can read the full story here. 

What knocked me off my seat is the statement the FAA made when I asked if this latest  problem would be part of its ongoing investigation into the airline and its supervision of its outsourced maintenance supplier, Timco. I was told the two situations are not related.   In this recent case, "the seats were installed correctly, but in the wrong place. The previous investigation had to do with seats that popped loose from their tracks," the agency spokesman said.