>> U.S. aircraft problems prompt scrutiny in Vietnam The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has called on Vietnam to scrutinise certain aircraft, which were manufactured by the U.S. For all Boeing 737-300, 737-400 and 737-500, inspection is compulsory, the FAA said. Jestar Pacific is the only airline in Vietnam that has been operating these aircraft, which were manufactured by the U.S. between 1992 and 1996. An official of Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV) said Jestar Pacific would complete these inspections in the next five days. Any problems found will be reported to FAA immediately for further guidance, he noted. As of morning April 7, Jeststar began checking the exterior of two aircraft upon the FAA’s request. “We often carry out regular maintenance for our fleet to ensure safe flights. But we are also responsible for conducting these checkups to comply with the safety standards,” an official of Jestar Pacific said. Over the past few days, … [Read more...] about FAA urges checkups on U.S. aircraft in Vietnam
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Capital Airlines flight to Vietnam turns around after cracks appear in window: Xinhua
By Reuters  May 30, 2018 | 11:28 am GMT+7 A China Eastern Airlines plane takes off at an airport in Taiyuan, Shanxi province, April 5, 2013. Photo by Reuters/Jon Woo The airline said cracks had appeared in a window and not the windshield as some passengers had claimed. A Capital Airlines flight from China to Vietnam was forced to turn around after cracks appeared in a window, Chinese state media reported on Wednesday. Flight JD421 from the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou to Nha Trang on Vietnam’s coast turned back one hour into the journey on Tuesday afternoon, the official Xinhua news agency said. Capital Airlines said cracks had appeared in a window but not the windshield as some passengers had claimed, the agency reported, citing a company statement. A video circulating on Chinese social media showed a Capital Airlines staff member telling passengers there were cracks in the windshield. The aircraft was an Airbus A321, according to plane … [Read more...] about Capital Airlines flight to Vietnam turns around after cracks appear in window: Xinhua
US, Europe order emergency checks on engine type in Southwest accident
U.S. NTSB investigators are on scene examining damage to the engine of the Southwest Airlines plane in this image released from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., April 17, 2018. Photo source: NTSB/Handout via REUTERS U.S. and European airline regulators on Friday ordered emergency inspections within 20 days of nearly 700 aircraft engines similar to the one involved in a fatal Southwest Airlines engine blowout earlier this week, citing risks of a similar mishap. The directives by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and the European Aviation Safety Agency for inspections of CFM56-7B engines, made by CFM International, indicated rising concerns since a similar failure in 2016 of the same type of engine. The engine explosion on Southwest Airlines flight 1380 on Tuesday was caused by a fan blade that broke off, the FAA said. The blast shattered a window, killing a passenger, in the first U.S. passenger airline fatality since 2009. "The unsafe condition," the FAA said in the order, … [Read more...] about US, Europe order emergency checks on engine type in Southwest accident
One dead as jet engine fails on New York-Dallas flight
PHILADELPHIA — Catastrophic engine failure on a Southwest Airlines flight from New York to Dallas killed one person and forced an emergency landing on Tuesday, the first fatal incident in US commercial aviation for nearly a decade. The Boeing 737-700 took off without incident but minutes into the flight, passengers heard an explosion in the left engine, which sent shrapnel flying through the window, shattering the glass and leading oxygen masks to drop, witnesses said. "We believe there were parts coming out of this engine," Robert Sumwalt, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, told a news conference, confirming engine failure but no fire. "There is one fatality," Sumwalt said. US media said seven people were slightly injured. The identity of the dead person was not immediately disclosed. "We are saying this is an engine failure," Sumwalt said. Southwest Airlines said flight 1380 had been en route from New York’s LaGuardia domestic airport to Dallas Love … [Read more...] about One dead as jet engine fails on New York-Dallas flight
Safety board says nose tilt caused Southwest Airlines accident
The nose of a Southwest Airlines plane that crash-landed at New York's La Guardia airport tilted down just before landing, the US National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday. NEW YORK CITY: The nose of a Southwest Airlines plane that crash-landed at New York's La Guardia airport tilted down just before landing, the US National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday. The safety body said its preliminary investigation had found that the plane had been nose-up when it was just 32 feet above ground but was pitched down by three degrees at touchdown. As a result, the Boeing 737-700's front landing gear, which collapsed on landing, hit the ground first. Ten passengers were wounded in the incident. The NTSB did not say if the nose-down angle of the plane was responsible for the landing gear collapsing or if it should have been capable of coping with the shock. The investigation is continuing, with conversations recorded on the cockpit voice recorder due to be transcribed and … [Read more...] about Safety board says nose tilt caused Southwest Airlines accident