Southwest Airlines flight headed to Las Vegas takes dramatic plunge in response to nearby aircraft
Passengers posted on social media that the plane took a dramatic drop soon after takeoff. 'Pilot said his collision warning went off & he needed to avoid plane coming at us,' comedian Jimmy Dore posted on X. The plane was not in the immediate vicinity of the Hollywood Burbank Airport north of Los Angeles at the time, said Mike Christensen, an airport spokesman. Christensen said that neither the control tower nor the operations department, which tracks planes departing and arriving, have any record of the Southwest flight plunging in their airspace. Southwest said the flight continued to Las Vegas, where it landed uneventfully. The airline said that it is working with the Federal Aviation Administration to further understand the circumstances of the event.
This close call is just the latest incident to raise questions about aviation safety in the wake of January's midair collision over Washington D.C. that killed 67 people.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
8 hours ago
- Arab News
At this summer camp run by grandmas, kids learn cooking skills and life advice
LOS ANGELES: The smell of frying garlic and ginger is inescapable as it wafts through the room, while a row of fidgety kids watches an older woman in a blue plaid apron cooking in front of them. 'When I was growing up my mom used to make this a lot,' she says, showing a chicken stir fry recipe. At this 'Intergenerational Summer Camp' in a Southern California suburb, the grandmas are in charge. Every week, they taught a group of 8-to-14-year-olds how to cook a new dish and a do a handicraft such as sewing, embroidering, clay jewelry and card marking. 'Isolation and loneliness is something that seniors are challenged with, and they love having younger people around them,' said Zainab Hussain, a program manager at Olive Community Services, a nonprofit aimed at bringing older adults together that hosted the camp. The camp was held at a community center in Fullerton, a city in Orange County that's home to a large Arab population, and many of the campers and grandmas come from those communities. In between activities, the small room bustled with energy as the girls chatted and munched on snacks. Some of the volunteer grandmas milled around and watched, content to just be around the youngsters. In July, during the final week of camp, Janna Moten and her friends were learning how to use a sewing machine and make pouches. 'Slowly, slowly,' one grandma chided as Moten stomped on the machine's pedal, causing the needle to rapidly jerk up and down. She pressed her foot down again, gingerly, and managed to sew a straight line. 'Honestly, I'm just here for the food,' the 9 year old quipped. Still, she beamed as she showed the two pieces of fabric she sewed together and turned inside out, forming a rectangular pocket. Moten said she's been practicing hand-stitching at home after learning embroidery a previous week. 'Sewing's pretty easy, it's just hard keeping the lines straight,' she said. She added that her own grandma was stricter than the ones at summer camp. Haqiqah Abdul Rahim, the instructor for sewing, said many kids don't learn these skills at school anymore through home economics classes, so they're 'filling in a gap.' She stood in front of the room at the start of the activity, holding up various tools and explaining what they were: seam roller, thread snipper, rotary fabric cutter. Rahim also doesn't get to spend a lot of time with her grandchildren because they don't live close. 'It is heartwarming to be able to interact with those who love being around you,' Rahim said. The kids have learned about kitchen safety and how to cook with a grandma's touch — such as mixing spices with water before adding them to a dish so they don't burn, or using fresh turmeric. The summer camp was held in partnership with the Golden Connections Club, started by high school student Leena Albinali last year to foster interactions between teens and elders. The 14-year-old lives with her grandma but realized other students didn't have the same opportunity to spend as much time with their grandparents. She also learned about ageism and other challenges faced by senior adults in one of her classes. At monthly lunches, they invite seniors to the school and discuss topics where both groups can learn from each other, Albinali said. 'They treat us like we're their grandchildren,' she said. The teens share what they know about artificial intelligence and its impact on their lives, and the elders share life stories and advice. One of the most important things they've shared with her is to live in the moment, something that's taken on new meaning for her. 'The people we have right now, they're not going to be with us forever,' she said.
Arab News
a day ago
- Arab News
Night vision goggles may have hampered helicopter pilots before crash with jet, experts tell NTSB
The pilots of a US Army helicopter that collided with a passenger jet over Washington in January would've had difficulty spotting the plane while wearing night vision goggles, experts told the National Transportation Safety Board on Friday. The Army goggles would have made it difficult to see the plane's colored lights, which might have helped the Black Hawk determine the plane's direction. The goggles also limited the pilots' peripheral vision as they flew near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The challenges posed by night-vision goggles were among the topics discussed at the NTSB's third and final day of public testimony over the fatal midair crash, which killed all 67 people aboard both aircrafts. Experts said another challenge that evening was distinguishing the plane from lights on the ground while the two aircraft were on a collision course. Plus, the helicopter pilots may not have known where to look for a plane that was landing on a secondary runway that most planes didn't use. 'Knowing where to look. That's key,' said Stephen Casner, an expert in human factors who used to work at NASA. Two previous days of testimony underscored a number of factors that likely contributed to the collision, sparking Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy to urge the Federal Aviation Administration to 'do better' as she pointed to warnings the agency had ignored years earlier. Some of the major issues that have emerged so far include the Black Hawk helicopter flying above prescribed levels near the airport as well as the warnings to FAA officials for years about the hazards related to the heavy chopper traffic there. It's too early for the board to identify what exactly caused the crash. A final report from the board won't come until next year. But it became clear this week how small a margin of error there was for helicopters flying the route the Black Hawk took the night of the nation's deadliest plane crash since November 2001. Army Col. Andrew DeForest told the NTSB that 'flights along the D.C. helicopter routes were considered relatively safe,' but some pilots in the 12th Battalion that flew alongside the crew that crashed told investigators they regularly talked about the possibility of a collision because of the congested and complicated airspace. The American Airlines jet arrived from Wichita, Kansas, carrying, among others, a group of elite young figure skaters, their parents and coaches, and four union steamfitters from the Washington area. The collision was the first in a string of crashes and near misses this year that have alarmed officials and the traveling public, despite statistics that still show flying remains the safest form of transportation. 'Significant frustration' NTSB members scolded FAA officials during Friday's hearing, accusing them of saying the right things about safety in public while failing to cooperate in private. They said the FAA has repeatedly refused to provide information requested by investigators. Board member Todd Inman said there was 'significant frustration between what's actually occurring' and 'what's being said for public consumption.' Frank McIntosh, the head of the FAA's air traffic control organization, said he would start working immediately to make sure the agency complies with the investigation. McIntosh also acknowledged problems with the culture in the tower at Reagan National, despite past efforts to improve compliance with safety standards. 'I think there were some things that we missed, to be quite honest with you, not intentionally, but I was talking about how certain facilities can drift,' McIntosh said. Homendy told McIntosh she believes agency leaders are sincere about wanting to improve safety, but the solution must be more than just sending a top-down message of safety and also actually listening to controllers in the field. Questions over lack of alcohol testing Tim Lilley, an aviation expert whose son Sam was a pilot on the passenger jet, said he's optimistic the tragic accident will ultimately lead to some positive changes. 'But we've got a long way to go,' he said. Lilley said he was particularly struck by the FAA's lack of alcohol testing for air traffic controllers after the crash. 'And they made a bunch of excuses why they didn't do it,' Lilley said. 'None of them were valid. It goes back to a whole system that was complacent and was normalizing deviation.' Homendy said during Thursday's hearings that alcohol testing is most effective within two hours of a crash and can be administered within eight hours. Nick Fuller, the FAA's acting deputy chief operating officer of operations, testified that the controllers weren't tested because the agency did not immediately believe the crash was fatal. The FAA then decided to forgo it because the optimum two-hour window had passed. Controller didn't warn the jet FAA officials testified this week that an air traffic controller should have warned the passenger jet of the Army helicopter's presence. The controller had asked the Black Hawk pilots to confirm they had the airplane in sight because an alarm sounded in the tower about their proximity. The controller could see from a window that the helicopter was too close, but the controller did not alert the jetliner. In a transcript released this week, the unidentified controller said in a post-crash interview they weren't sure that would have changed the outcome. Additionally, the pilots of the helicopter did not fully hear the controller's instructions before the collision. When the controller told the helicopter's pilots to 'pass behind' the jet, the crew didn't hear it because the Black Hawk's microphone key was pressed at that moment. 'Layer after layer of deficiencies' Jeff Guzzetti, a former NTSB and FAA crash investigator, told the AP that a combination of factors produced this tragedy, like 'holes that line up in the Swiss cheese.' Any number of things, had they been different, could have prevented the collision, he said. They include the Black Hawks having more accurate altimeters, as well as a key piece of locating equipment, known as ADS-B Out, turned on or working. In turn, air traffic control could have seen the problem earlier. Just a few feet could have made a difference, Guzzetti said. 'It just goes to show you that an accident isn't caused by one single thing,' Guzzetti said. 'It isn't caused by 'pilot error' or 'controller staffing.' This accident was caused by layer after layer of deficiencies that piled up at just the right moment.' Ex-official: FAA and Army share blame Mary Schiavo, a former US Department of Transportation Inspector General, told the AP that both the Army and the FAA appear to share significant blame. The Black Hawks' altimeters could be off by as much as 100 feet and were still considered acceptable, she said. The crew was flying an outdated model that struggled to maintain altitude, while the helicopter pilots' flying was 'loose' and under 'loose' supervision. 'It's on the individuals, God rest their souls, but it's also on the military,' Schiavo said. 'I mean, they just seem to have no urgency of anything.' Schiavo was also struck by the air traffic controllers' lack of maps of the military helicopter routes on their display screens, which forced them to look out the window. 'And so everything about the military helicopter operation was not up to the standards of commercial aviation ... it's a shocking lack of attention to precision all the way around,' she said. Schiavo also faulted the FAA for not coming off as terribly responsive to problems. 'I called the Federal Aviation Administration, the Tombstone Agency, because they would only make change after people die,' Schiavo said. 'And sadly, 30 years later, that seems to still be the case.'
Al Arabiya
3 days ago
- Al Arabiya
Coast Guard says rotten wood and poor inspections led to deadly schooner mast collapse
Rotten wood and poor inspections appear to have played roles in the collapse of the mast of a historic Maine schooner in an accident that killed one person and injured several others – the US Coast Guard said in a report made public on Thursday. The Coast Guard launched a formal investigation after the main mast of the Grace Bailey splintered and fell onto the deck in October 2023 as the 1882-built schooner was returning from a four-day cruise. The report stated that deterioration went unnoticed and unaddressed due to a lack of thorough inspections. It also said oversight and reporting about mast inspections and inspection processes were not adequately documented. Inspections were not adequately documented and there were no formal expectations set for reporting inspection findings. This lack of oversight likely contributed to delayed or inadequate responses to emerging issues allowing hazards to persist and escalate unchecked, the report states. The collapse killed Rockland physician Dr. Emily Mecklenburg 40 who was on board. The report states that it is not recommended that criminal prosecution be taken against any person or entity. But the report faults not just the operators of the vessel but also the Coast Guard itself. It states that Coast Guard mast inspection procedures were insufficient for detecting rotted conditions in Grace Bailey's masts. The owners of the vessel, the Grace Bailey Navigation Company of Rockland, said in a statement that the Grace Bailey crew continues to hold Emily closely in our hearts and minds. The owners said they fully cooperated with the investigation and are they appreciate the focus on increasing safety for wooden sailing vessels. After a thorough overhaul of the Grace Bailey and passing a regular safety inspection by the Coast Guard, the Grace Bailey is back sailing allowing our passengers to enjoy the beauty of Maine's coastline, the statement said. The report includes nine recommendations for the Coast Guard to implement to try to prevent mast collapses in the future. The top recommendation states there should be broad collaboration with sailing industry organizations and others to identify wooden mast material characteristics and conditions that can contribute to decay. The Grace Bailey is one of a group of vessels commonly called the windjammer fleet which provide excursions along the Maine coast. The vessel is 118 feet (36 meters) and can carry 29 passengers.
