Latest news with #NationalTransportationSafetyBoard
Forbes
6 hours ago
- Automotive
- Forbes
Tesla Cybertruck Banned In UK But Slated To Launch In Australia
The Cybertruck is headed Down Under. Photo by Tesla In February, we brought you a story about the Tesla Cybertruck being banned, seized and impounded by British police in the U.K. due to its lack of a conformity certificate, its sharp edges, it being too big and too heavy for British roads, its illegal light bar, and its supercar-like acceleration. Britain's National Transportation Safety Board chairwoman Jennifer Hominy said of the Tesla, 'The Cybertruck is an over-6000 lb piece of steel that has no business going a quarter mile in under 11 seconds.' Since Elon Musk's controversial foray into U.S. politics, and the subsequent backlash from the motoring public, all Tesla models, including the Cybertruck are suffering falling sales. Owners of the edgy, poorly built truck are now finding it hard to sell or trade-in their vehicles as resale values fall through the floor. But it's not all bad news. There is a ray of light for Tesla on the horizon, and it comes, strangely enough, from Down Under. That's right, the Cybertruck is being seriously considered to go on sale in Australia. According to ' a local site, Tesla Australia has been briefed on the Australian Design Rule (ADR) changes required to launch the Cybertruck in Australia, as the controversial truck prepares to debut there. Country Director for Tesla Australia, Thom Drew, says the Cybertruck was 'never off the table' for a local launch – despite the vehicle reservation system being stripped from the Tesla Australia site – and instead says demand in the USA pushed back any global rollout. But while Mr Drew stopped short of confirming a local launch, he says it has 'always been on the radar,' suggesting a debut Down Under is close. Generally considered as a one million car sales per year market, the Australian car market is one of the most progressive and open in the world, with virtually every car brand on sale except Acura, Citroen, Chrysler, Dodge and Infiniti. By contrast, Australia was one of the first markets to open up to Chinese brands such as BYD, Geely, Chery, GWM, MG, Zeekr, Deepal, JAC, XPeng, NIO, Leapmotor and Haval and has remained arguably the world's best test bed for Chinese cars. The local Tesla team have sought a briefing on how to get the Cybertruck to comply with ADR regulations, following a 12-month Australian roadshow with a US-spec left-hand-drive truck. As far as design regulations stipulate, the truck apparently does not require much modification to meet local design standards. 'There are small changes to bumper widths, some external lighting requirements, and obviously left to right-hand drive, and just a few engineering changes like that, but fundamentally it'd be the same vehicle.' These changes could add between $5,000 to $10,000 to the price of a truck. Drew adds, 'I can't tell you a timeline, or if or when, but just locally, we're advocating for it as much as we can.' If it is launched, and that would be in early 2026 at the earliest, it will be the first version of the Cybertuck to debut with right-hand-drive anywhere in the world.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
NTSB cites hydraulic and electrical failures in FedEx 757 gear failure
The National Transportation Safety Board has determined that a FedEx Boeing 757-200's belly landing in Chattanooga, Tennessee, was caused by the failure of the alternate gear extension system, which prevented the landing gear from being lowered during an emergency. On Oct. 4, 2023, FedEx (NYSE: FDX) flight 1376 experienced an 'abnormal runway contact' when the flight crew was unable to extend the landing gear during the approach to Chattanooga's Lovell Field. Shortly after takeoff from Chattanooga, the captain called for gear up, and the first officer raised the landing gear control lever to retract the landing gear. Both the main landing gear and nose landing gear retracted to their up and locked position. Digital flight data recorder data showed that 22 seconds after gear retraction, the hydraulic fluid quantity and pressure in the left hydraulic system began to decrease. After troubleshooting the hydraulic issue per procedures in the Quick Reference Handbook, the flight crew made the decision to return to Chattanooga. While preparing to land, the landing gear did not extend as expected when the landing gear control lever was positioned to its down position.'Gear disagree. The gear is not coming down,' the first officer confirmed, according to cockpit voice recorder data documented by the NTSB. Despite multiple attempts to deploy the landing gear using both normal and alternate extension systems, the crew was forced to perform a belly landing. The aircraft slid off the departure end of Runway 20 and impacted localizer antennas before coming to rest about 830 feet beyond the end of the runway. Postaccident inspections of the landing gear system found that hydraulic fluid was leaking from the left landing gear door actuator retract hydraulic hose. Inspections also found that the engine indication and crew alerting system showed the left hydraulic system had only 32% fluid quantity remaining after the main landing gear door retraction shortly after takeoff, which is considered fully depleted. Analysis of the failed hydraulic hose revealed multiple broken wire strands along its length and a rupture in its inner liner. The cause of the broken wire strands most likely originated from an overload event as evidenced by the necking down of the wire strands and a reduction in their area, investigators critically, electrical system inspections of the alternate extension system found no electrical continuity between the alternate gear extend switch and the alternate extension power pack. A visual examination revealed a break in a wire between the circuit breaker and the alternate gear extend switch, which prevented the system from functioning as a backup. 'Analysis of the wire's fracture surfaces showed a reduction in area and circumferential cracking of the coating, consistent with tensile loading,' the final report stated. 'No obvious defects or anomalies were observed on the fracture surfaces.' The investigation also identified issues with the aircraft's evacuation equipment. After the airplane came to a stop, the jumpseat occupant attempted to open the L1 door, which only rotated halfway open and would not fully deploy. The R1 door also became lodged on the slide pack before the jumpseat occupant used force to open it. Investigators found that the R1 door's bannis latch did not conform to the configuration required by an FAA Airworthiness Directive from 1986, which caused the slide pack to jam during evacuation. The NTSB determined the probable cause of this accident to be 'the failure of the alternate gear extension system, which prevented the landing gear from being lowered. The cause of the system failure was a broken wire, due to tensile overload, between the alternate gear extend switch and the alternate extension power pack, preventing the AEPP from energizing and supplying hydraulic fluid to the door lock release actuators for the nose landing gear and main landing gear.' Contributing to the accident was 'the loss of the left hydraulic system due to a ruptured left main gear door actuator hose from fatigue, which prevented normal landing gear operation.' The NTSB noted that the crew of FedEx flight 1376 demonstrated good Crew Resource Management during the emergency, remaining calm and professional throughout the accident sequence. They displayed effective workload management by distributing tasks among themselves, with the captain flying and the first officer working to resolve the issue with air traffic control. 'The crew maintained clear and concise communication between all crewmembers to include a jumpseat occupant, and with ATC, actively soliciting feedback and input, and crosschecking with one another to ensure everyone was working with the same mental model,' the report a result of this investigation, the NTSB issued four new safety recommendations to the FAA and three new recommendations to Boeing on March 27, 2025. These recommendations address the need to inspect and modify bannis latches on Boeing aircraft doors and update aircraft maintenance manuals with correct configurations. Following the accident, FedEx implemented a 275 Flight Hour check on the alternate extension system, including performing a general visual inspection while the nose landing gear and main landing gear doors are open while on the ground. Related: FedEx 757 accident prompts NTSB call for door latch inspections (This article is republished from Airline Geeks.) The post NTSB cites hydraulic and electrical failures in FedEx 757 gear failure appeared first on FreightWaves.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Hydraulic hose failure and broken wire led to crash landing of cargo plane in 2023, NTSB report says
A FedEx plane landed with its landing gear up, skidding off the runway in Chattanooga, Tennessee in 2023 after a leak in a hydraulic hose caused the system to fail and a broken wire kept the backup system from working, according to a final National Transportation Safety Board report. Federal Express flight 1376, operating a Boeing 757, took off from Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport-Lovell Field late in the evening of October 4, 2023, headed to Memphis. When the pilots raised the landing gear, the fluid pressure and quantity in the left hydraulic system, which operates the gear, decreased and an alarm sounded in the cockpit. 'Gear disagree. The gear is not coming down,' the first officer is quoted as saying on the cockpit voice recorder. The crew declared an emergency and planned to return to the airport. They repeatedly tried to lower the landing gear using a backup system but were unsuccessful. 'The crew used all available resources and included some non-standard attempts at troubleshooting,' the report said. When landing, the plane skidded for nearly a mile along the ground, crashing into antennas and ending up 830 feet off the end of the runway. The three people on board were not hurt but struggled to open the aircraft doors before evacuating down an emergency slide. The NTSB report praised the crew for being 'calm and professional throughout the accident sequence of events' and 'actively soliciting feedback and input and crosschecking with one another to ensure everyone was working with the same mental model.' After the crash landing, inspections found that hydraulic fluid leaked from a hose that opens the door for the left landing gear and had fully depleted the supply. Investigators determined the damage to the more than 35-year-old hose was likely caused by fatigue after it was, at some point, overloaded with force. An electrical wire used to operate a backup system was found to be broken, which is why the alternative method of lowering the gear didn't work either. Since the accident, FedEx started inspecting these backup landing gear extension systems after every 275 hours of flight, the NTSB said. Investigators also found a misrouted strap and missing parts on the escape side latch on the left door, which kept it from opening during the emergency. The right door of the plane also did not have all the slide's latch hardware, which caused it to initially jam when the crew was trying to evacuate. The plane was manufactured in 1988, after the Federal Aviation Administration had mandated these latches be changed, and the NTSB could not determine why they were used on this aircraft. A FedEx inspection found 24% of its planes with similar latches were missing parts, the NTSB said. No other aircraft were found to have misrouted straps. The NTSB reviewed Boeing's parts catalog and FedEx's maintenance manuals and found that they had 'inconsistent depictions' of the latches, and none showed all required modifications. 'These inconsistent, conflicting depictions would likely be confusing to maintenance personnel and could lead to the installation of and failure to detect nonconforming latches, which could result in another incident of an evacuation slide not deploying properly when needed,' the report said. As a result of this accident, Boeing issued a notice to other operators of the 757 around the world to inspect their latches and provided details on what they should include. The NTSB issued recommendations to Boeing to update their manuals and parts catalog to 'to ensure they depict the correct configuration' for the latches and called on the FAA to require inspections of the latches 'and modify or replace them, if necessary, so they comply with the correct configuration.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Cause of failed Alaska Airlines landing gear that sent passengers screaming revealed
Nearly two years after passengers screamed while sparks flew down a runway during the landing of an Alaska Airlines flight, the cause has been revealed. A final report by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released on Tuesday points to "incorrect" maintenance work. The flight, which departed from Seattle, Washington, made a hard touchdown in Santa Ana, Calif., during Tropical Storm Hilary after the left main landing gear collapsed on touchdown. Video recorded by a passenger captured the plane slamming into the ground at high speed. Sparks were seen flying as the plane appeared to drag its left wing along the tarmac. Alaska Airlines Passengers Scream As Plane Makes Hard Landing Amid Tropical Storm Hilary: 'Sparks Outside' Investigators revealed that the incident was caused by a "fatigue crack" of a metal trunnion pin, which is part of the left landing gear. The fracture formed from excessive grinding during a 2018 maintenance overhaul, which introduced heat damage to the metal. While the crack was initially not visible, it grew over time and ultimately "caused the pin to fracture during landing," the NTSB report said. Read On The Fox News App "Results of this examination and previous NTSB investigations demonstrate that even relatively mild heat exposure from grinding and/or machining during overhaul can lead to cracking, which can lead to fatigue crack growth and failed landing gear components, as occurred in this accident," the report stated. Delta Plane's Landing Gear Collapsed During Toronto Crash-landing, Investigators Say The report added that the pin had endured more than 4,000 landing cycles since undergoing the 2018 maintenance work. The crack itself had likely been present for approximately 800 landing cycles, the NTSB found. Although the aircraft sustained substantial damage from the hard landing, all 112 passengers and crew members were able to deplane safely and without injury. Alaska Airlines previously said, "our focus is taking care of our guests who were on board, including retrieving their checked bags." "We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate their patience during this situation." Alaska Airlines did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. Fox News' Chris Pandolfo contributed to this article source: Cause of failed Alaska Airlines landing gear that sent passengers screaming revealed
USA Today
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Explaining The Rehearsal's season 2, a show that defies explanation
Explaining The Rehearsal's season 2, a show that defies explanation Nathan Fielder opened season two of The Rehearsal with a premise. After studying aviation accidents (relatable to anyone who Wikipedia wormholes their way through a bunch of crashes a few times per year because my brain is broken in that one specific way), he came to the conclusion several are the result of ineffective cockpit communication. The pilot makes an error. The co-pilot doesn't correct. Disaster ensues. While this is a minor slice of plane crashes, which are a truly minor slice of air travel, Fielder made this the sticking point of the latest season of his HBO docu-comedy. After spending season one documenting social situations and, ultimately, the connections and communication of parenting, season two appeared to take a more serious bent. Except, well, it's Nathan Fielder -- a comedian whose portfolio is rooted in escalating ridiculous situations in search of answers instead of quiet reflection. And, yep, that's what we get. Fielder's first step was to observe pilots from a wide range of employers (though all with the common denominator of signing up for an HBO show). He determined they don't make personal connections, leaving barriers between them fueled by the uneven status of a co-pilot and pilot. He does this with the aid of a full-size replica of roughly four gates worth of Houston's Bush International Airport. Is this vital? Nope! Is it a great visual? Absolutely. Fielder's plan to get these pilots better attuned to delivering harsh news in tough situations dialed in to his former experience working behind the scenes at Canadian Idol, a show that's exactly what you're picturing. He devised Wings of Voice, a pilot-judged (and fake) singing competition to sharpen his pilots' ability to deliver bad news. He interjected in one devastatingly shy pilot's personal life to help him pick up on cues that a potential love interest is giving him the green light. He worked on ways to role play scenarios to make cockpit communication better and examined his own inability to connect sympathetically with contestants to whom he delivered bad news (this does not include the one disgruntled contestant who'd later complain about the farce, allegedly because HBO declined to promote their album). Despite that, he found himself unable to bring his developments in front of Congress, even with the backing of former National Transportation Safety Board executive John Goglia. This led to a (neuro)divergent path. Sometime after Season 1, online communities of autistic people began praising season one of The Rehearsal for accurately depicting masking -- running through and going along with social situations even when they aren't fully understood in an effort to suppress autistic traits. Fielder used this connection to meet with Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD) founder Dr. Doreen Granpeesheh, eventually joining the Center's board and opening up the use of his airport set for practice purposes for autistic people. It also shed light on Fielder's potential autism diagnosis -- though whether that's legitimate or merely something ginned up to make compelling television is one of Fielder's mysteries. Fielder's work with CARD opened the door for a meeting with U.S. Representative Steve Cohen (D-Tennessee) -- senior member of the Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure to discuss his research into cockpit communication. But whether by accident or design, Fielder stumbled through the meeting with little success. It was time for Plan B, which may have been Plan A all along. The final episode of the season revealed Fielder had spent two arduous years training for and receiving his pilot's license. He was certified to fly 737s -- though not commercially with paying passengers. The actors who've been studying his method since the first season and throughout the second instead played the role of travelers for a two-plus hour flight from California, into Nevada, and then back to the West Coast. One of the pilots who'd expressed an interest in producing television served as his co-pilot, leaving him with a barrier for criticism -- Fielder could squash his hopes of moving his content to a more visible medium. Ultimately, the two shared a stilted conversation in the cockpit that eventually allowed the co-pilot to raise some minor concerns. And, because we didn't hear about a disaster on a private airstrip where hundreds perished as a gag, Fielder landed the plane without issue. (Oh, and at one point Fielder tried to replicate the lives of three cloned dogs in order to see if he could systematically instill the traits of a good pilot into a new generation of fliers. Scant evidence of that led him to speedrun through Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger's life. He shaved his entire body and breastfed from an enormous puppet of the heroic pilot's mom, simulated a midwestern upbringing and got aroused in the cockpit of a (simulated) flight. Ultimately, Fielder (cribbing from Sullenberger's autobiography) came to the conclusion an iPod and an Evanescence song -- whose chorus is coincidentally the exact length of radio silence following the bird strike that preceded his miracle landing on New York City's Hudson River -- awakened Sully's ability to communicate and served as his therapy, allowing him to save the lives of his passengers that fateful chilly day. It's a lovely, weird sentiment, albeit one almost certainly unmoored from reality.) Ultimately, that tenuous connection to the world itself can apply to most things from season two. What is not fake is Fielder's flying credentials; some of the last moments of the season show him working for a company that relocates 737s to new homes, shedding light on why more than 100 actors would put their lives in the hands of a man who, before 2024, was perhaps best known for creating Dumb Starbucks and creating a line of outdoorswear that doubled as Holocaust education efforts (another sore point in season two, as Fielder rehearses a meeting with Paramount Plus executives, who have scrubbed that episode from their streaming service). Fielder wrapped the season staring down a voicemail from a doctor who wanted to discuss the results of an fMRI test that could shed light on a potential autism diagnosis. He deletes it while watching the winner of his fake singing competition belt out Evanescence's Bring Me to Life. He concludes 'only the smartest and best people are allowed to fly planes of this size. It feels good to know that if you're here, you must be fine.'
