AVIATION LAW BLOG
NTSB leading probe into helicopter crash killing Bryant, 8 others
On Sunday, a helicopter carrying Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven others crashed into a hillside near Calabasas, California. There were no survivors. The Sikorsky S-76B was headed from John Wayne Airport in Orange County to the Mamba Sports Academy in...
NTSB: US civilian plane crash fatalities were up 15% in 2018
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released figures on 2018’s civilian plane crash fatalities in the U.S. Unfortunately, 393 people died in civilian plane crashes in the U.S. last year, which was a 15% increase over the previous year. The vast...
Near crash in Boeing Max simulator delays recertification effort
After its 737 Max was grounded due to two deadly accidents, Boeing said it was confident it could correct the problem and have the plane recertified by the FAA within months. Now, the company hopes it can get the work done by the end of the year. Engineers thought...
How long should the Boeing 737 Max stay grounded?
Last week, Boeing abruptly released transcripts of pilot instant messages during the 2016 737 Max simulator tests involving the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS). That system apparently played a pivotal role in the two fatal crashes. In one...
Experts: FAA didn’t follow own rules when vetting 737 Max design
In a 69-page summary report, the Joint Authorities Technical Review (JATR) concludes that the Federal Aviation Administration failed to properly assess the risks of design changes to Boeing’s 737 Max. Those design changes are now widely considered to have been faulty,...
Federal judge rules that Bombardier doesn’t owe Comerica anything
Banking giant Comerica Inc. has been attempting to recover approximately $10.1 million from the Canadian aircraft manufacturer Bombardier Inc. This is the second attempt at litigation. In January 2016, Comerica filed a lawsuit against Bombardier. In July 2017, a U.S....
NTSB gives new safety recommendations regarding 737s
Boeing may have missed some errors while testing their 737 Max aircraft, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. The 737 has been grounded since March because of two fatal plane crashes in Ethiopia and Indonesia which killed 346 people total. According...
USAF bans Boeing KC-46 tanker from carrying cargo or passengers
Boeing’s KC-46 tanker has faced a series of challenges, but the latest one will keep the plane out of the largest-ever exercise planned by the Air Force’s Air Mobility Command (AMC). That exercise, which is expected to take place at Fairchild Air Force Base, will...
United Airlines cancels additional 5,000 Boeing 737 Max flights
United Airlines reports that it has extended its cancellation of Boeing 737 Max flights. The airline plans to do so at least until early November 2019, a move that will affect 5,000 flights. Previously, the airline extended cancellations after the Federal Aviation...
Plane crashes upon takeoff near Dallas, kills all 10 occupants
A recent crash at a general aviation airport serving the greater Dallas area has killed ten people. A Beechcraft King Air 350, a twin-engine turbine propeller airplane, took off from Addison Municipal Airport on the morning of June 30 but crashed into a vacant hangar...
