Federal Aviation Administration/Airlines&Airplanes

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Flight attendant pleads guilty to secretly recording a 14-year-old girl in plane bathroom

BOSTON (AP) — A former American Airlines flight attendant has pleaded guilty to secretly recording video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom and having recordings of four other girls using the lavatories.

https://apnews.com/article/flight-attendant-american-airlines-bathroom-camera-f590f80f8f5a330058bd9b8c0d326af4?

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Plane crash

A small plane crashed into the parking lot at a retirement community in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Sunday afternoon, injuring the five people aboard and damaging around a dozen vehicles, according to local authorities. There was no structural damage to the Brethren Village retirement community building and no one on the ground was injured, according to the Manheim Township Fire chief. Video of the scene showed the wreckage of the single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza plane engulfed in flames and dark smoke. The Federal Aviation Administration said it will investigate the crash, which comes after a devastating midair collision in January and a string of plane crashes across the country. The National Transportation Safety Board told CNN it is also opening an investigation and will evaluate the documentation and initial examination gathered by FAA investigators at the crash site. The pilot reported the plane had an open door in a radio conversation with an air traffic controller. The controller instructed the pilot to “pull up” moments before the crash. The plane was scheduled to depart from Lancaster Airport, just north of the crash site, and was headed toward Springfield, Ohio, according to FlightAware.

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? Alarmed air traffic controllers

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Some air traffic controllers are worried about safety, staffing and more amid the Trump administration's purge of federal workers, they tell Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick. Why it matters: Aviation safety has been in the spotlight since January's tragic midair collision near DCA, with some travelers afraid that flying is suddenly more dangerous, despite contrary data. ? Zoom in: Axios spoke to six current and retired air traffic controllers and instructors. "I have friends and family [asking], 'Should I get on an airplane?' one retired controller tells Axios. "I'm like: 'Well, it's not there yet.' But it seems to be trending that way." Keep reading.

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Medical helicopter crash in Mississippi kills 3

MADISON COUNTY, Miss. (AP) — A medical transport helicopter crashed in Mississippi on Monday, killing a pilot and two hospital workers on board, officials said.

https://apnews.com/article/medical-helicopter-crash-mississippi-7e4217021760a7e5d90d096ab9eeb732?

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NTSB urges ban on some helicopter flights at Washington airport where 67 people died

Federal investigators looking for the cause of the January collision between a passenger jet and an Army helicopter near Washington, D.C., that killed 67 people recommended a ban on some helicopter flights Tuesday to improve safety. Read More.

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At Southwest Airlines, checked bags will no longer fly for free

Southwest Airlines will begin charging customers a fee to check bags, abandoning a decades-long practice that executives had described last fall as key to differentiating the budget carrier from its rivals. Read More.     ✈️ Southwest once bragged that “bags fly free” — not anymore. The airline just announced the end of its free checked bag policy amid pressure from infamous private equity investor Elliott Investment Management. Since Elliott’s 2024 investment in the airline, Southwest has upped ticket prices and — for the first time in 50 years — laid off staff. The company’s transformation reflects a consolidated industry with few competitive incentives to court customers with low prices or quality service. Meanwhile, airlines are generating more revenue than ever. In September, Southwest officials admitted that while the company could reap up to $1.5 billion in new checked bag fees, the move would likely result in a $1.8 billion loss of market share.

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Plane fire

Dozens of passengers were forced to stand on the wing of an American Airlines plane at Denver International Airport as they evacuated the aircraft after one of its engines caught fire Thursday evening, sending thick black smoke billowing into the air. The Boeing 737-800 — en route to Dallas-Fort Worth from Colorado Springs carrying 172 passengers and six crew — diverted to Denver after the crew reported “engine vibrations,” the Federal Aviation Administration said. It caught fire while taxiing to the gate, according to the FAA. Twelve passengers were taken to the hospital with minor injuries, the Denver Fire Department told CNN. The incident comes just three weeks after a Delta Air Lines flight crashed, turned upside down and caught fire on the runway at Toronto Pearson International Airport. That incident was preceded by deadly crashes this year in Alaska, Philadelphia and Washington, DC, where an American Airlines plane collided midair with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter in January, killing 67 people.

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FAA closes helicopter route near D.C. airport after fatal crash

The Federal Aviation Administration is permanently halting non-essential helicopter operations near Reagan National Airport in D.C., the agency announced Friday.

https://www.axios.com/2025/03/14/faa-dc-airport-closure?

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FAA issues environmental take on SpaceX request for more launches, new landing pad

If SpaceX gets its way, the Space Coast will get a lot more rocket rumbles and sonic booms as the company increases Falcon 9 launches and builds out new landing pads at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and Kennedy Space Center.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/03/15/faa-issues-environmental-take-on-spacex-request-for-more-launches-new-landing-pad/?

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Helicopters permanently restricted on route near Washington airport where 67 died in midair crash

WASHINGTON (AP) — Helicopters will be permanently restricted from flying near Washington, D.C.'s airport on the same route where a passenger jet and an Army helicopter collided in midair, killing 67 people, the Federal Aviation Administration said Friday.

https://apnews.com/article/dc-crash-investigation-faa-helicopter-restrictions-3590d713589559aa55ced29e00c79fa4?

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Alaska plane crash

A pilot and his two daughters were rescued this week after their plane crashed into an icy Alaska lake. The Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser was on a sightseeing tour from Soldotna to Skilak Lake on the Kenai Peninsula Sunday when it went missing. Social media posts written by the pilot’s father prompted about a dozen residents to launch aerial searches for the missing family. Twelve hours after the plane went down, one of the pilots flying over Tustumena Lake spotted the partially submerged aircraft with the trio standing on top of the wing. Members of the Alaska Army National Guard rescued the family; they were taken to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. “It was literally the best possible scenario and outcome,” Lt. Col. Brendon Holbrook, commander of the 207th Aviation Regiment, said.

 

Pilot and 2 young daughters survive the night on airplane wing after crashing into icy Alaska lake

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A pilot and his two young daughters survived on the wing of a plane for about 12 hours after it crashed and was partially submerged in an icy Alaska lake, then were rescued after being spotted by a good Samaritan.

https://apnews.com/article/alaska-plane-submerged-ice-rescue-f385057ebd03c32cd6d766d2c521e856?

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FAA closes investigation into Blue Origin New Glenn booster failure

The Federal Aviation Administration said Monday that it will allow Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket to fly again, following a review of the January mishap in which the rocket made a successful debut launch but crashed during landing.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/03/31/faa-closes-investigation-into-blue-origin-new-glenn-booster-failure/?

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Close calls

It’s one of the country’s busiest airports — and the site of numerous near accidents between helicopters and commercial jets. Senators recently grilled the Federal Aviation Administration on why this was the case at Reagan National and were told “something was missed.”

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FAA

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, one of the busiest airports in the country, has been dealing with a number of serious safety issues recently. According to the NTSB, there were 15,214 “near miss events” at the airport between 2021 and 2024. And since the start of 2025, there have been a string of incidents, including an aborted landing to avoid another aircraft, collision warnings in commercial jets attempting to land and the midair collision of an American Airlines jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter that killed 67 people. Last Thursday, an air traffic controller was arrested for assault and battery and placed on administrative leave after an “incident” in the control tower, and on Friday, there was yet another close call after an apparent breakdown in communications. In response, the FAA has announced plans to send a “stress management team” to meet with air traffic controllers and offer support. The agency will also conduct regular “wellness checks” at the facility and evaluate the rate at which planes are allowed to arrive each hour. 

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Air traffic controllers to get more support after a fight and latest near miss at Washington airport

Air traffic controllers at Washington’s Ronald Reagan National Airport will be offered crisis counseling and additional supervision after a fight in the tower and another alarming near miss two months after a midair collision between a passenger jet and an Army helicopter killed 67 people.

https://apnews.com/article/dc-plane-crash-congress-faa-helicopter-controller-14b42dc9df30bfda6875b5deb6260c1b?

ps:All would've been fine had it not been for the genius and his co-president!!!!!

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Wall Street Wants To Fix Your Airplane

Private equity firms are increasingly targeting the little-known companies that fix planes for commercial airlines — preying on an industry with already weakened oversight and further stoking aviation safety advocates’ fears.

https://www.levernews.com/wall-street-wants-to-fix-your-airplane/?

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Flying high

The world’s best airports for 2025 were just revealed, and none of the top 20 are in the United States. The winner — for the 13th time — boasts a waterfall and a dinosaur theme park.

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Luxury at 30,000 feet

Some airlines have declared first class dead, and instead they’re focusing on improving the experience for business customers. Other carriers — including Air France, Emirates and Lufthansa — are doubling down and upgrading their offerings.

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✈️ Several members of Congress from the New York metro area were ushered off a flight Thursday after another plane clipped its wing while taxiing at Washington Reagan National Airport. Go deeper

Helicopter crash

A sightseeing helicopter crashed into the Hudson River off the New Jersey shoreline on Thursday afternoon, killing six people — including three children. Agustín Escobar, a Siemens executive from Spain, and his family were just 16 minutes into a sightseeing excursion above Manhattan when the aircraft suddenly dropped from the sky and slammed into the river upside down. The pilot also perished. The cause of the crash is under investigation.

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? Scrapping boarding passes

Illustration: Gabriella Turrisi/Axios

Boarding passes and flight check-in could soon be obsolete: The International Civil Aviation Organization — the UN body that crafts airline policy and that the FAA takes cues from — is considering the biggest shake-up to air travel in 50 years, The Times of London reports. Zoom in: Under the new rules, passengers will be issued a "journey pass" when they book a flight, which will be continually updated with changes and replace the boarding pass.   ✈️ Wall Street Wants To Fix Your Airplane. The airline-repair business has been beset by corporate outsourcing and spotty oversight. Venture capitalists want a piece of the action. Passengers also be able to upload their passports to their phones and skip manual check-in. Airlines will just be notified when they've arrived at the airport via facial recognition scanners. These changes could come in two to three years, The Times notes.

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The dead in upstate New York plane crash included 2022 NCAA woman of the year and family members

A private plane that crashed in upstate New York over the weekend was carrying six members of a close-knit family of physicians and distinguished student-athletes on a trip to the Catskills for a birthday celebration and the Passover holiday.

https://apnews.com/article/fatal-plane-crash-upstate-new-york-3e2979d4d0c62397413849363361e165?

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FAA says company whose sightseeing chopper crashed, killing 6, is ceasing operations immediately

NEW YORK (AP) — The Federal Aviation Administration said Sunday that the helicopter tour company whose sightseeing chopper broke apart in flight and crashed in New York, killing the pilot and a family of five visitors from Spain, is shutting down operations immediately.

https://apnews.com/article/helicopter-new-york-tour-industry-crash-bcd2e4ed8143d50d550b8d88ce77496e?

Helicopter crash

The tour company whose sightseeing helicopter crashed into the Hudson River off the New Jersey shoreline last week has shut down its operations, the FAA said on Sunday. Siemens executive Agustín Escobar, his wife and their three children were just 16 minutes into the tour above Manhattan last Thursday afternoon when the aircraft suddenly dropped from the sky and slammed into the river upside down. The pilot, former Navy SEAL Seankese Johnson, also perished. The cause of the crash is currently under investigation. The FAA plans to launch a review of New York Helicopter Tours’ license and safety record as well.

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✈️ New data: Top 10 airports

Image: Airports Council International Here are the world's 10 busiest airports by total 2024 passengers, according to new Airports Council International (ACI) data: Atlanta (ATL) Dubai, UAE (DXB) Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) Tokyo (HND) London Heathrow (LHR) Denver (DEN) Istanbul, Turkey (IST) Chicago O'Hare (ORD) New Delhi, India (DEL) Shanghai, China (PVG) Explore the data.

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Drones pose increasing risk to airliners near major US airports

WASHINGTON (AP) — A commercial airliner was on final approach to San Francisco’s international airport in November when the crew spotted a drone outside the cockpit window. By then it was too late “to take evasive action,” the pilots reported, and the quadcopter passed by their windshield, not 300 feet away.

https://apnews.com/article/drones-risk-airports-planes-safety-collisions-d8bb7192173d90b46258c91152454cf3?

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? Inside DCA crash

Emergency crews at the crash site on the Potomac River in January. Photographer: Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty Images The New York Times' Kate Kelly and Mike Walker reviewed documents and audio recordings and interviewed pilots, officials and air traffic controllers for a sweeping investigation (gift link) into what led to the Jan. 29 crash at Ronald Reagan National Airport, which killed 67 people. "You have to have an aggressive defensive posture coming into DCA," Dennis Tajer, a spokesman for the Allied Pilots Association, who is also an American Airlines pilot, told The Times. "You have to take your A-game and add a plus to it." Zoom in: The Times identified missteps and risky practices that contributed to the tragedy. "See and avoid": This aviation practice relies on pilots visually detecting and avoiding other aircraft, often without controller help. It's common for pilots flying helicopters or smaller aircraft to do this, but it can be problematic. Difficulty in "see and avoid" has been implicated in at least 40 fatal collisions since 2010, per the National Transportation Safety Board. "On the night of the crash, the Black Hawk ... either did not detect the specific passenger jet the controller had flagged, or could not pivot to a safer position." The Times reports. "Stepped on": Radio communications also broke down. Some controller instructions were "stepped on" — cut off when the helicopter crew pressed a microphone to speak — and important information was likely missed. Tracking technology on the Black Hawk was turned off per Army protocol to simulate a secret evacuation, but some experts believe this eliminated a key safety measure. Runway 33: Moments after they crossed the Tidal Basin, the Black Hawk crew was informed that Flight 5342 was circling to Runway 33. "Aviation experts said that development may have blindsided Captain Lobach. Though she had flown four or five similar practice rides there over the years, she might have never confronted a landing on Runway 33, because it is used only 4 to 5 percent of the time." Go deeper: N.Y. Times' 5 findings (gift link).