Airport fire trucks must get to a burning plane within three minutes if they are going to save any lives. That’s the maximum response time allowed by the National Fire Protection Association, the organization that sets the standard for airport firefighters, including those working at U.S. Air Force bases.
The survivable atmosphere inside an aircraft
USA Today ran Thomas Frank’s story on the unnecessary risks posed by post-crash aircraft fires. According to Frank’s article, small aircraft fires have killed at least 600 people since 1993, burning
them alive or suffocating them after otherwise survivable accidents. Hundreds more have survived post crash fires but have been horribly burned.
I’ve written
Hall of Fame Aerobatic pilot Eddie Andreini died during the "Thunder Over Solano" air show at Travis Air Force Base in May. There was a mishap during his routine, and his Stearman biplane slid to a stop on the runway. Eddie wasn’t hurt, but he was trapped in the plane. He radio’d for help.
The
Families of those involved in five different general aviation crashes and their lawyer are suing the NTSB, charging it with obstruction of justice. The suit claims that the NTSB withheld from the families information concerning each of the crashes in violation of the Freedom of Information Act.
I’ve commented before about how the NTSB’s “
The Illinois Attorney Ethics Committee has filed a complaint against Monica Ribbeck Kelly, the Chicago lawyer who started legal proceedings on behalf of a passenger’s family shortly after Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 went missing. One of the problems for Kelly is that the missing passenger’s parents denied that they ever authorized Kelly to represent
I just returned from the American Association for Justice‘s annual convention in Baltimore, where 
I spoke on the risks automation poses to the general aviation pilot. As luck would have it, my autopilot failed departing San Carlos, so I ended up hand flying coast-to-coast. No “deskilling” happening here.
Automation risk has become a popular
A few hours ago, USA Today published a lengthy investigative report devoted to small aircraft crashes. The conclusion: aviation manufacturers have long concealed the fact that their defectively designed products cause aircraft crashes and injures. And the investigating agencies, including the NTSB and FAA, let them get away with it.
The report covers many of
US Airways Flight 735 from Philadelphia to Orlando encountered turbulence as it passed through 17,000 feet. Three passengers and two flight attendants were injured so badly that they were hospitalized when the plane returned for landing in Philadelphia.
What is the Airline’s obligation to compensate the injured? The answer varies.
Passengers who were traveling
Shortly after the crash of Malaysia Flight MH 370, Monica Kelly of the Ribbeck Law Firm announced that her firm was filing litigation in Chicago seeking to preserve evidence and identify other possible defendants who might be involved in the missing Boeing’s manufacture and upkeep. The filing
generated quite a bit of fanfare and media
Asiana now says the autopilot confused the crew of Asiana Flight 214, and blames Boeing for the crash of Flight 214. ABC Channel 7 asked me to comment.
https://abc7news.com/business/asiana-points-finger-at-boeing-for-sfo-crash/22454/