Tag Archives: FAA

Bloomberg News reports: Two weeks ago, SpaceX engineer Ted Malaska showed up at the FAA’s headquarters in Washington to deliver what he described as a directive from his boss Elon Musk: The agency will immediately start work on a program to deploy thousands of the company’s Starlink satellite terminals. Malaska told those in attendance that the employees had up to 18 …

Rolling Stone reports: Elon Musk’s satellite business Starlink may not have officially taken over Verizon’s $2.4 billion contract with the Federal Aviation Administration yet to upgrade the systems it uses to manage America’s airspace. However, on Friday, FAA officials ordered staff to begin finding tens of millions of dollars for a Starlink deal, according to a source with knowledge of …

The Washington Post reports: The Federal Aviation Administration is close to canceling a $2.4 billion contract to overhaul a communications system that serves as the backbone of the nation’s air traffic control system and awarding the work to Elon Musk’s Starlink, according to two people briefed on the plans. The move to cancel a major contract in favor of a …

CNN reports: An American Airlines flight arriving at Ronald Reagan National Airport was forced to abort its landing to avoid another aircraft Tuesday, officials said, less than a month after a midair collision killed 67 people near the same airport and roughly 90 minutes before a close call between a passenger plane and a private jet in Chicago. The Tuesday …

CNN reports: The Federal Aviation Administration has agreed to use SpaceX’s Starlink internet system to upgrade the information technology networks it uses to manage US airspace, raising new concerns about conflicts of interest for CEO Elon Musk in one of his other roles, that of recommending funding cuts at federal agencies, including the FAA. The size of this contract was …

Newsweek reports: Southwest Airlines plane and a private jet had a close call at Chicago Midway Airport on Tuesday morning, forcing the flight crew to perform a go-around to avoid a potential incident. Southwest Flight 2504 safely landed after maneuvering to avoid the other aircraft on the runway, the airline confirmed to multiple media outlets. Video shows the Southwest plane …

CNN reports: The Trump administration has started firing hundreds of Federal Aviation Administration probationary employees who maintain critical air traffic control infrastructure, according to their union. An exact number of firings is not yet known, but the head of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, AFL-CIO, said that “several hundred” workers started getting firing notices on Friday — and that they …

First, just a bit of the Musk-FAA history: In a Sept. 17, 2024, post on its website, the FAA said that in June 2023 SpaceX used a new launch control room for an uncrewed satellite mission that had not been approved by the FAA. It also failed to conduct a required and routine safety poll of flight controllers before the …

The New York Times reports: The Federal Aviation Administration was using a backup system to send real-time safety alerts to pilots late Saturday because its primary one was “experiencing a temporary outage,” the Transportation Department said. “The primary NOTAM system is experiencing a temporary outage, but there is currently no impact to the National Airspace System because a backup system …

“Trump has made clear he has less than zero evidence that the FAA’s hiring of people with disabilities contributed to yesterday’s crash, so this whole conversation is a non-sequitur. But since he has started the conversation, some facts. “The same FAA website language Trump blasted today, about hiring people with intellectual and psychiatric disabilities and other significant ‘targeted’ disabilities, was …

The Meidas Touch reports: Sean Duffy, former congressman and President Donald Trump’s Secretary of Transportation, is now investigating the tragic midair collision between American Eagle Flight 5342 and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter near Washington, D.C. However, Duffy’s past legislative record reveals he previously voted against a 2019 appropriations bill, H.R. 267. According to the bill’s summary, the legislation …

NBC News reports: The Federal Aviation Administration has launched an investigation after a private jet carrying the Gonzaga University men’s basketball team nearly crossed a runway as another flight was taking off Friday at Los Angeles International Airport. The plane operated by Key Lime Air was ordered by air traffic controllers to stop as a Delta aircraft took off. No …

The Associated Press reports: Federal officials are investigating a Southwest Airlines jet that triggered a low-altitude alert as it prepared to land in Oklahoma City but was still nine miles from the airport. The Federal Aviation Administration said Thursday that an air traffic controller notified the Southwest pilots after an automated warning sounded around 12:05 a.m. Wednesday morning. According to …

Axios reports: The Federal Aviation Administration has authorized Amazon’s delivery drones to fly longer distances without visual spotters, a key hurdle that will allow the retailer to expand its fledgling Prime Air service. Amazon’s goal is to deliver 500 million packages a year by drone by 2029. But first, it had to satisfy government regulators that it could fly safely …

CBS News reports: After being notified by Boeing that some company employees failed to complete specific inspections on some 787 Dreamliners but reported the checks as having been completed, essentially falsifying inspection records, the Federal Aviation Administration has opened a formal investigation. The inspections verify there is adequate bonding and grounding of the fasteners connecting the wings to the fuselage. …

CNBC reports: An engine cowling fell off of a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-800 and struck a wing flap during takeoff from Denver International Airport, the Federal Aviation Administration said Sunday. The FAA said Southwest Flight 3695 was on its way to Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport and safely returned to the gate at Denver at 8:15 a.m. local time. Southwest …

ABC News reports: The FAA said Tuesday it will investigate after a tire under the front nose of a Delta Boeing 757 fell off one of the wheels and rolled down a nearby embankment. The incident occurred on Saturday around 11:15 a.m. local time at Georgia’s Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport while Delta Flight 982 was taxiing before takeoff to Bogota, …

Business Insider reports: A second plane has been dragged into the Boeing 737 Max 9 saga as the Federal Aviation Administration recommended a new set of inspections on Sunday. The Boeing 737-900ER uses the same door-plug design as the Max 9, which has come under scrutiny since the Alaska Airlines blowout on January 5. The Max 9 remains grounded as …

Reuters reports: The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration is launching a formal investigation into the Boeing 737 MAX 9 after a cabin panel blew off an Alaska Airlines flight last week in mid-air, forcing an emergency landing, the regulator said on Thursday. The FAA on Saturday grounded 171 Boeing MAX jets with the same panel pending safety inspections. Most are operated …

CNBC reports: The Federal Aviation Administration on Saturday ordered airlines to ground more than 170 Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft for inspections, a day after after a panel on one blew out in the middle of an Alaska Airlines flight. The emergency airworthiness directive will affect planes worldwide and applies to U.S. airlines and carriers operating in U.S. territory. Images …