Latest news with #accidentInvestigation
New York Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- New York Times
Duffy Backs Safety Audit After Deadly Crash Near National Airport
Sean Duffy, the secretary of transportation, on Wednesday endorsed calls for the department's inspector general to audit air safety protocols around the nation's capital after a fatal January crash between a commercial flight and a military helicopter, as officials told senators the Federal Aviation Administration and the Army would soon sign a policy agreement to avoid such accidents in the future. Mr. Duffy's pledge to fully support the audit comes after a bipartisan majority of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation earlier this week called on the watchdogs overseeing the Department of Transportation and the Army to examine their safety measures. They asked both inspectors general to investigate whether changes could have helped prevent an Army Black Hawk helicopter from ramming into American Airlines Flight 5342 as it approached Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Jan. 29, killing all on board both aircraft, as well as a series of near misses that have occurred in the same region. The National Transportation Safety Board has already started an investigation into the Jan. 29 crash. On Wednesday, its chairwoman, Jennifer Homendy, told senators on the commerce committee during a closed-door meeting with N.T.S.B., F.A.A. and Army officials that the probe would be completed by Jan. 29, 2026, according to Senator Jerry Moran, Republican of Kansas and the chairman of the panel's aviation subcommittee. In the meantime, the F.A.A. and the Army plan to conclude a memorandum of understanding for safely coordinating air operations, according to senators on the panel and Chris Rocheleau, the acting F.A.A. administrator, who told reporters after the closed-door briefing that they were 'getting close' to an agreement. Since the crash, the F.A.A. has closed the flight route used by the Army Black Hawk on Jan. 29 to military traffic, and the military has limited the availability of V.I.P. flights — the missions for which the Army pilots were training that night — to just a handful of senior officials, Mr. Moran said. Previously, he added, V.I.P. flights were available to generals with at least a three-star rank; now, they are only available to the secretary of defense, his under secretary, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and his deputy. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
BBC News
3 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Action needed after Leicester City crash, says coroner
Urgent action must be taken to address concerns about helicopter rules after a crash killed five people near Leicester City's stadium, a coroner football club's chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, fellow passengers Kaveporn Punpare and Nusara Suknamai, pilot Eric Swaffer and Mr Swaffer's partner Izabela Roza Lechowicz all died in the crash on 27 October 2018.A prevention of future deaths report was sent to the European Union Aviation Safety Authority (EASA) and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) after an inquest into the Prof Catherine Mason said current aviation rules may not adequately prevent crucial parts from wearing out prematurely and cause failures. Part makers may not receive all the detailed flight and system test data from manufacturers, so they cannot fully check if they are safe, the coroner Mason said concerns were raised about the lack of clear rules on how long some important helicopter parts should last and how they should be inspected, especially for aircraft already in coroner wrote of worries that helicopter makers are not currently required by regulations to thoroughly check critical parts after removal from service, which could help catch problems highlighted concerns raised during the inquest about the lack of clear rules for calculating stresses on key helicopter parts and the need for better standards to ensure ongoing report pointed to "failure modes analysis at a system level".The coroner wrote: "In my opinion, action should be taken to prevent future deaths, and I believe that each of EASA and the CAA have power to take such action."On October 27 2018, after a match between Leicester City and West Ham, the Leonardo AW169 helicopter spun out of control after it took off from the helicopter began to spin when Mr Swaffer tried to do a right-hand turn over the stadium to take Khun Vichai and the other passengers to Stansted Airport, an inquest jury previously Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) report found that the helicopter began uncontrollably spinning when a bearing in the tail rotor "seized" after its lubrication broke down, jurors were aircraft landed on its left-hand side on a 1.6ft (0.5m) concrete step, causing a fuel leak which ignited and "rapidly" engulfed the helicopter in jury of 11 people, who heard evidence over two weeks, concluded that the deaths were of the five victims, including Khun Vichai, died due to smoke inhalation and it was likely they would have survived their injuries if the fire had not started, it was cause of Ms Lechowicz's death was given as "significant" head and chest injuries, and she would have died "extremely quickly" after the helicopter crashed into the ground.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Yahoo
Motorcyclist dead after crash in Westminster: Police
DENVER (KDVR) — Police are on the scene of a deadly crash, according to a post on X from the Westminster Police Department. Police said the crash happened around 7:40 p.m. at 92nd Avenue and Perry Street. Three Denver Nuggets star players on injury report Police said that a motorcycle and a vehicle occupied by a single driver crashed, and the motorcyclist was pronounced dead at the scene. An update was provided around 9:30 p.m. on Saturday that preliminary information suggests the two people involved in the crash seemed to know each other and were driving back from an event. The driver of the vehicle, 79, hit the motorcyclist, 77. Police are investigating whether alcohol was a factor in the crash. 92nd Avenue is closed from Raleigh Street to Newton Street, while investigators are on the scene. It is advised to use different routes. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Free Malaysia Today
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Task force to probe crash that killed 9 FRU men, says Loke
Transport minister Loke Siew Fook said the special task force will first investigate the cause of the accident. PUTRAJAYA : The transport ministry will form a special task force to investigate the tragic accident in Teluk Intan that claimed the lives of nine Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) personnel earlier today. Transport minister Loke Siew Fook said the task force would comprise government and independent experts who would advise the transport ministry on the next course of action. 'The special task force will investigate the cause of the accident and identify proposals to improve road safety aspects,' he said, adding that the police were investigating the crash. Loke said this at a press conference, which was also attended by deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. The 8.40am crash, which left two more FRU officers critically injured, occurred when a gravel-laden lorry collided with a FRU truck transporting personnel who were returning from a security deployment in Ipoh. While the cause is still under investigation, preliminary findings suggest that the lorry may have suffered a steering failure. The driver has since been arrested. Zahid said while the preliminary findings suggested a steering issue, the accident could have been prevented if the vehicle had undergone a Puspakom inspection. 'We are not placing the blame solely on the driver but on the (transport) company as well.' Separately, Loke revealed that the Cabinet committee on road safety had agreed to ask the finance ministry to channel 50% of the revenue collected from traffic summonses issued by the Road Transport Department back to the transport ministry. The funds, he said, would be used to support road safety initiatives, such as installing street lighting. Commenting on the recent death of a baby elephant after it collided with a lorry, Loke said that the transport ministry had implemented several measures to protect wildlife and road users. 'For instance, the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project includes mitigation measures such as dedicated wildlife crossings,' he said. On Sunday, a lorry hit the calf when it ran onto the road from the forest on the left side of the East-West Highway. The incident caught the attention of social media users who posted videos of the mother elephant, which they said had patiently waited until daybreak for its baby to be removed from under the lorry. Earlier today, natural resources and environmental sustainability minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said connecting wildlife habitats, especially those of elephants, through ecological corridors was among the long-term measures that could be implemented to deal with human-wildlife conflict. He added that elephant corridors could be established near habitats, including in plantation areas, on private land, and in forested areas. Nik Nazmi said oil palm plantation companies would need to work together to create a network of mini corridors within their respective plantations.
