Latest news with #airplanecrash
CNN
3 days ago
- Business
- CNN
Hydraulic hose failure and broken wire led to crash landing of cargo plane in 2023, NTSB report says
Air travel safety Airplane crashes Federal agenciesFacebookTweetLink Follow 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
10-05-2025
- Yahoo
Man killed in Cottonwood plane crash identified
The man killed in a Cottonwood airplane crash on April 29 has been identified as Delmar 'Del' Schulte, of Cottonwood. Schulte had reportedly been an airplane pilot for more than 50 years. It has not been released as to whether Schulte was the passenger or pilot of the plane when it went down near Laurel Way in Cottonwood. According to the Aviation Safety Network website, the Champion 7ECA Citabria plane was flying out of Flying N Ranch Airport in Cottonwood on Laurel Way. The airport was also reported to be the plane's destination, but it is unknown if the aircraft was leaving or returning to the airport at the time of the accident. Local Tehama County emergency and law enforcement responded to this incident and discovered the plane had crashed in a nearby field. Two men were aboard the aircraft when it crashed. One of the men was taken to the hospital due to serious injuries, while Schulte was found dead at the scene. According to the FFA, the Champion 7ECA Citabria plane was registered to Jeff Humbert of Cottonwood. Schulte retired in the 1990s after a decades-long career flying with the California Highway Patrol's Air Operations Northern Division, reported the Record Searchlight.
CNN
09-05-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Can the Dept. of Transportation and Sean Duffy fix an antiquated and frequently broken air traffic control system?
Air travel safety Aviation news Airplane crashesFacebookTweetLink Follow After 100 days as Secretary of the Department of Transportation, Sean Duffy says he has the best job in the government because he can make things safer for Americans. It's a job that didn't come with many days off since the moment the 53-year-old started. Duffy, sworn by Judge Clarence Thomas on the afternoon of Jan. 28, had his work cut out for him when the deadliest US airplane crash in nearly two decades happened the next day at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. 'Sixty-seven families now don't have their loved one,' he told CNN in an interview. 'As I thought about that, I thought about what else is out there that could bring us another situation like DCA, and if I could I'd prevent it.' Duffy, a former Republican congressman from Wisconsin and cable news co-host on the Fox Business channel, first rose to national prominence in his 20s on the MTV reality TV shows 'Real World' and 'Road Rules All Stars,' where he met his wife. The former competitive lumberjack and district attorney has dealt with a slew of aviation safety incidents in just a few months leading the DOT, and a struggling air traffic control system facing staffing shortages and antiquated technology due for an upgrade. 'I think people don't want to know who their Secretary of Transportation is because then everything is functioning really well,' he said. 'When you see these issues, we got to come out and say there's a problem. Let's tell it. They'll know who their secretary is, but this is a moment in time where we have to dig deep and go hard and serve the people.' Though he stepped into the role without much of a background in transportation, Duffy's latest aspiration is to improve air travel safety by replacing the country's air traffic control system. On Thursday, his department rolled out a 3-year plan for modernizing air traffic control. The massive plan has left some experts skeptical it can be done so quickly, but there is wide agreement something needs to be done to fix the failing system. Can the DOT do it? The ambitious plan includes 25,000 new radios, 475 voice switches, 618 new radars and six air traffic control centers, all intended to be operational by 2028. Yet, nothing can go forward without the help of Congress. Besides up front funding, Duffy called for reform to the way government permits are issued to avoid what he sees, as delays from red tape. He won't put an exact number on how much money is needed, but Duffy estimates it to be in the 'tens of billions.' 'I can't do by myself,' Duffy said. 'I don't have billions of dollars in my wallet. I need them to do it. I need them to give me the tools. But I'm begging them to let me do this and pay this forward for the families. Pay it forward for our families who travel.' Elaine Chao, who resigned as Trump's DOT Secretary after the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack, praised Duffy's work. 'Secretary Duffy has taken on an incredibly difficult role, and I've been impressed by his leadership over the past few months,' she said. 'I support his efforts to reform and modernize our antiquated ATC system. This needs to get done and I urge leaders on both sides to get behind this effort.' Michele Polese is an assistant research professor of electrical and computer engineering at Northeastern University and expert in wireless networks. He called the plan to upgrade the air traffic control system an 'initial investment' that in the long run, will allow for a financial savings on money spent on maintenance and updates. To pull off an upgrade like this, he emphasized, if there is enough money budgeted it can happen fast, but the money is key. 'The improved high bandwidth communication link with fiber optics - I think that's something that can be done more quickly if there is budget and interest,' Polese said. Duffy in the spotlight When Newark's air traffic control systems failed briefly on April 28, United CEO Scott Kirby picked up his phone and was in immediate contact with Duffy, he told CNN. 'The people of aviation do an amazing job keeping the system safe,' Kirby said Thursday, thanking Duffy for his effort. At the news conference Thursday, the heads of five of the country's major air carriers stood on stage alongside Duffy in support of the new air traffic control plan. Among them was Robert Isom, CEO of American Airlines, whose regional jet collided with the Army helicopter January 29 in Washington. 'Secretary Duffy has proven to be a thoughtful, decisive, and capable leader during some incredibly challenging times,' Isom said. 'He acted decisively to restrict helicopter traffic around DCA after the tragic accident involving Flight 5342, and he continuously prioritizes the safety and efficiency of the aviation system. He is doing his best to tackle problems that have plagued our industry for decades and I am grateful for his leadership.' The show of support was also echoed by the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, the union which represents controllers, and hasn't always agreed with the department. 'NATCA is ready to continue working with Secretary Duffy, the Department of Transportation, and the Federal Aviation Administration to ensure that all modernization efforts include involvement from the National Airspace System's most important resource – the hardworking air traffic controllers and other aviation safety professionals who keep our skies safe, day in and day out,' said Nick Daniels, president of NATCA in a statement. 'Their expertise will help guarantee that the state-of-the-art systems Sec. Duffy envisions work optimally.' Duffy has also vocalized his intentions to review the mandatory air traffic controller retirement age, which is currently set at 56, which the union opposes. 'NATCA does not believe Sec. Duffy's proposal is an effective solution to addressing the chronic air traffic controller staffing crisis,' the union said in a statement in February. 'In the next 12 months, we anticipate 49 ATCs across 35 facilities will reach age 56. This is not enough to address the nationwide staffing shortage.' Congress members from both sides of the aisle were present Thursday, and Duffy said there was bipartisan support for his plan. 'We don't want the effort to span generations,' said Rep. Rick Larsen, a Democrat and ranking member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure committee. 'We just we need to get moving on this sooner rather than later, including any new investments in policy reforms that build on the law to modernize the nation's ATC infrastructure and growing the aviation safety workforce.' CNN's Pete Muntean contributed to this report.
