Latest news with #Flight445
Hindustan Times
24-07-2025
- General
- Hindustan Times
Plane crashes in Russia, India, US: 2025 deadliest in years in aviation safety
The plane crash in Russia that is feared to have claimed 49 lives on Thursday comes barely a month-and-a-half after the Air India crash in Ahmedabad. Even before the July 24 crash in Russia's eastern Amur region, the year 2025 was already way above the past decade's average of deaths in air crashes per year. A large portion of the damaged plane fuselage is lifted from the Potomac river during recovery efforts after the American Airlines crash. (Getty Images/AFP) The number of civil aviation fatalities in 2025 had crossed 460 after the Ahmedabad crash claimed 260 lives. The average over the past decade is 284, as per Jan-Arwed Richter, founder of Jacdec, a German consulting firm that tracks aviation safety. Now, if the Russia crash indeed causes the number of deaths feared — all 49 onboard — the total for 2025 will cross 500, which will be almost double the average. In between, an air force jet crash in Bangladesh caused 29 deaths, most of them civilians on the ground. Year began with American Airlines collision In January, American Airlines Group Flight 5342 collided with a US Army helicopter near Washington. It killed all 67 people aboard both aircraft — 64 passengers and crew on the airliner and three crew on the helicopter. A day after that crash, on January 29, the African nation of South Sudan saw a smaller plane, a Beechcraft 1900D, on a charter transporting oil workers crashed shortly after takeoff, killing 20 out of 21 on board. January ended with another crash in the US, this one of an air ambulance in Philadelphia that killed eight people. The Bering Air Flight 445 in Alaska first went missing and then its wrckage was found a day later, on February 7. All 10 onboard were dead. Those onboard the Delta Connection Flight 4819 from Minneapolis-Saint Paul in the US to Toronto, Canada, were lucky as no one was killed even as the plane crashed upon landing on February 17. In Honduras, a charter, a plane crashed into the sea, which killed 13 of the 18 passengers and crew. Singer-politician Aurelio Martinez was among the victims. April saw a crash in the US again, when a helicopter on a sightseeing tour in New Jersey crashed into the Hudson river, killing all five passengers and the pilot. Boeing 737 shot down amid civil war A strange but deadly crash took place on May 3, when a cargo Boeing 737-290C Advanced was shot down in the city of Nyala by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), owing to suspicion that it was carrying weapons for the rebel Rapid Support Forces (RSF) engaged in a civil war. Twenty people died. The US saw a crash in May too. On May 22, a Cessna plane crashed in San Diego, killing six people onboard. Ahmedabad tragedy On June 12, India saw the biggest air disaster in its history when Air India Flight 171 from Ahmedabad to London crashed soon after takeoff. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner was carrying 242 passengers and crew, all of whom, except one passenger, died. Another 19 people were killed on the ground as it crashed second after takeoff onto a nearby medical college and hostel. A month later, on July 13, a smaller plane crashed shortly after takeoff from an airport in Essex, UK. Four occupants died. Then came the Bangladesh disaster when the air force plane crashed on a school building. On July 24, Thursday, a Russian passenger plane carrying 49 people, including six crew members, crashed in the eastern Amur region.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Yahoo
Newark air traffic slowed as official says flights 'are absolutely safe'
The air traffic in and out of Newark will be slowed on Wednesday, officials said, while insisting travel in and out of the busy hub near New York City remains "absolutely safe." The slowdown comes in the wake of stunning revelations that controllers lost radio contact with pilots flying into one of the nation's busiest airports in recent months. "The FAA has been slowing arrivals and departures at Newark Liberty International Airport due to runway construction at Newark and staffing and technology issues at Philadelphia" where the Terminal Radar Approach Control system (TRACON) guides regional air traffic, according to an FAA statement. "The FAA is taking immediate steps to improve the reliability of operations at Newark Liberty International Airport. This includes accelerating technological and logistical improvements and increasing air traffic controller staffing." Scott Kirby, CEO of Untied Airlines, one of the EWR's major carriers, insisted that travelers should feel safe flying out of Newark. "First and most importantly, all the flights in and out of EWR are absolutely safe," Kirby said in a statement on Wednesday. "When there are FAA issues — technology outages, staffing shortages, etc. — the FAA requires all airlines to slow down aircraft and/or cancel flights to maintain the highest levels of safety." Even if a airliner loses contact with air traffic controllers, pilots know how to safely guide their jets, the airline executive said. "We do our part to maintain safety as well. As you all know, our pilots have thousands of hours of flight experience and supplement that with regular simulator training — we also have procedures that our pilots follow to re-establish communication if controllers lose radio contact to navigate the airplane safely to its destination," Kirby added. "In short, neither the FAA nor United pilots will ever compromise on safety." Despite these assurances, air safety has come under increasing scrutiny in the wake of several tragedies that've unfolded this year. An American Eagle jet and a military Black Hawk helicopter collided in the air over Reagan Airport outside of Washington D.C., killing all 67 people aboard both crafts on Jan. 29. An air ambulance crashed in northeast Philadelphia, killing seven people and injuring about two dozen more on Feb. 1. Bering Air Flight 445 crashed on its way from Unalakleet, Alaska to Nome on Feb. 6, killing all 10 people on board. This article was originally published on
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Yahoo
Southwest flight tried to take off from Florida taxiway after crew mistook it for runway
A Southwest Airlines flight nearly took off from a Florida taxiway on Thursday before an air traffic controller stopped the potentially dangerous departure, officials said. The incident involving Flight 3278 unfolded at Orlando International Airport at 9:30 a.m. as the plane attempted to depart for Albany, officials said. Southwest Airlines said its crew 'mistook the surface for the nearby runway' and no injuries were reported. Taxiways are used by planes to get to runways, from gates and hangars. They're not designed for takeoffs. "An air traffic controller at Orlando International Airport canceled the takeoff clearance for Southwest Airlines Flight 3278 ... after the aircraft began its takeoff roll on a taxiway," according to a Federal Aviation Administration statement. "The taxiway runs parallel to the runway. The flight was headed to Albany International Airport in New York. No other aircraft were involved. The FAA is investigating." All the Albany-bound travelers were put on another flight, with a new crew, the airline said. While federal officials continue to remind Americans that air travel is as safe as it's ever been, a series of recent catastrophes and incidents has spooked the flying public. A midair collision near Ronald Reagan National Airport on Jan. 29 killed 67 people aboard a military helicopter and American Flight 5342 from Wichita. An air ambulance crashed in northeast Philadelphia on Feb. 1, killing seven people. All 10 people on board Bering Air Flight 445 died when the plane crashed on its way to Nome, Alaska, on Feb. 6. Delta Air Lines Flight 4819, from Minneapolis, flipped upside down on the runway at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Feb. 17. No one was killed but 18 people were injured. Southwest Flight 2504 and a private jet nearly collided at Chicago's Midway International Airport on Feb. 25. "Nothing is more important to Southwest than the safety of our customers and employees," SWA said of its latest incident. This is a developing story. Please check back for article was originally published on
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Plane crash which killed 10 in Alaska was half a ton overweight, investigation finds
The plane involved in the Alaska regional airline crash that killed 10 people was found to be about half a ton overweight for a flight in icy conditions, US investigators said on Wednesday. Bering Air Flight 445 was reported missing just before 4pm local time on 6 February while en route from Unalakleet to Nome in the west of Alaska, yet the flight ended in one of the deadliest plane crashes in the state for 25 years. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said in a preliminary report that calculations showed that the plane's estimated gross takeoff weight at departure was 9,865lbs, around 1,058lbs (roughly just under half a ton) heavier than the maximum for icy conditions, the NTSB said. Clint Johnson, from NTSB's Alaska region, told the Associated Press that the weight, however, is just a 'data point' in the ongoing investigation and a final report including probable causes will take a year or more after the crash. Records also show the aircraft used a payload extender, allowing planes to increase the maximum weight, but despite this, the plane was still 803lbs over the limit for any flight operations. Mr Johnson added that it remains to be determined whether the weight of the plane would have been a factor in the accident. The NTSB said a senior engineer will conduct a detailed review of the plane's performance, including its centre of gravity location. The investigators will also be reviewing all weather factors pertaining to the accident, as well as what information was relayed to the pilot about the weather and if ice conditions existed at the crash locations. Mr Johnson said that icing conditions were forecast along the route, and it was snowing, with some freezing rain in Nome. The report also reveals that contact was lost minutes after air traffic control told the pilot the runway in Nome would be closed for about 15 minutes for de-icing. 'The controller added that if the pilot wanted to 'slow down a little bit' to prevent the flight from arriving before the runway reopened, that would be fine, and the pilot acknowledged,' the report states. The pilot handbook specifies that an air speed of 95 knots must be maintained to fly in icing conditions if de-icing equipment is fully functional. The pilot was told to descend and maintain 4,000 feet at his discretion, then the autopilot disengaged at 99 knots, then dropped within seconds to 70 knots and was at about 3,100 feet, the report says. The final satellite tracking data came less than one minute later at 3.20pm at an altitude of 200 feet. The report also looked into the anti-icing system on the wings and the tail of the turbo-propeller plane. The operator said the quantity of de-icing fluid was checked during each preflight inspection, with the pilot being responsible for ensuring there was a sufficient quantity onboard. However, no record is required when the fluid is added to the plane. A worker at the Unalakleet airport told the pilot that the fluid was available, but the pilot told her the tank was full, the report says. The plane, a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, had been carrying nine adult passengers and a pilot on a 'regular commuter flight' before it disappeared. The plane took off from Unalakleet, a small community of 690 people, at 2.37pm towards Nome, before officials lost contact with it less than an hour later. Two days later, the Nome Volunteer Fire Department said in a Facebook post that the bodies of all 10 victims who died in the crash had been recovered. 'All 10 individuals aboard the Bering Air plane have been officially brought home to Nome,' they wrote.
The Independent
20-03-2025
- Climate
- The Independent
Plane crash which killed 10 in Alaska was half a ton overweight, investigation finds
The plane involved in the Alaska regional airline crash that killed 10 people was found to be about half a ton overweight for a flight in icy conditions, US investigators said on Wednesday. Bering Air Flight 445 was reported missing just before 4pm local time on 6 February while en route from Unalakleet to Nome in the west of Alaska, yet the flight ended in one of the deadliest plane crashes in the state for 25 years. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said in a preliminary report that calculations showed that the plane's estimated gross takeoff weight at departure was 9,865lbs, around 1,058lbs (roughly just under half a ton) heavier than the maximum for icy conditions, the NTSB said. Clint Johnson, from NTSB's Alaska region, told the Associated Press that the weight, however, is just a 'data point' in the ongoing investigation and a final report including probable causes will take a year or more after the crash. Records also show the aircraft used a payload extender, allowing planes to increase the maximum weight, but despite this, the plane was still 803lbs over the limit for any flight operations. Mr Johnson added that it remains to be determined whether the weight of the plane would have been a factor in the accident. The NTSB said a senior engineer will conduct a detailed review of the plane's performance, including its centre of gravity location. The investigators will also be reviewing all weather factors pertaining to the accident, as well as what information was relayed to the pilot about the weather and if ice conditions existed at the crash locations. Mr Johnson said that icing conditions were forecast along the route, and it was snowing, with some freezing rain in Nome. The report also reveals that contact was lost minutes after air traffic control told the pilot the runway in Nome would be closed for about 15 minutes for de-icing. 'The controller added that if the pilot wanted to 'slow down a little bit' to prevent the flight from arriving before the runway reopened, that would be fine, and the pilot acknowledged,' the report states. The pilot handbook specifies that an air speed of 95 knots must be maintained to fly in icing conditions if de-icing equipment is fully functional. The pilot was told to descend and maintain 4,000 feet at his discretion, then the autopilot disengaged at 99 knots, then dropped within seconds to 70 knots and was at about 3,100 feet, the report says. The final satellite tracking data came less than one minute later at 3.20pm at an altitude of 200 feet. The report also looked into the anti-icing system on the wings and the tail of the turbo-propeller plane. The operator said the quantity of de-icing fluid was checked during each preflight inspection, with the pilot being responsible for ensuring there was a sufficient quantity onboard. However, no record is required when the fluid is added to the plane. A worker at the Unalakleet airport told the pilot that the fluid was available, but the pilot told her the tank was full, the report says. The plane, a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, had been carrying nine adult passengers and a pilot on a 'regular commuter flight' before it disappeared. The plane took off from Unalakleet, a small community of 690 people, at 2.37pm towards Nome, before officials lost contact with it less than an hour later. Two days later, the Nome Volunteer Fire Department said in a Facebook post that the bodies of all 10 victims who died in the crash had been recovered. 'All 10 individuals aboard the Bering Air plane have been officially brought home to Nome,' they wrote.
