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Fear of Landing Grounded Briefly

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I am going to have to take a week or two off. I was already overloaded, and now there has been a family emergency that requires my full and immediate attention. Unfortunately I don’t have anything already lined up, so I’m afraid you may need to get by without me for a bit. I’m in…

Read more… 28 Nov 25

Dangerous Take Off in Guyana

On the 6th November 2025, the residents of a small Indigenous community in Guyana’s South Rupununi looked up from their errands to see a Cessna Grand Caravan landing on the road bside their brand-new secondary school. The Caravan, registered in Guyana as 8R-THR and operated by Air Services Limited, had departed normally from Eugene F.…

Read more… 21 Nov 25

Bomber 139’s Third Run: What the Investigation Found

In order to follow this analysis, you’ll need to have the details of the flight and the crash from last week’s article about the flight. When we last saw Bomber 139, they had just flown into a ridge and subsequently crashed on the high ground. Amazingly, the flight crew were able to walk out of…

Read more… 14 Nov 25

Bomber 139’s Third Run: Downhill to Disaster

On the 6th of February 2023, a Boeing 737-3H4 Large Air Tanker crashed into a ridge line of 222 feet elevation in Fitzgerald River National Park in Western Australia. There were two pilots on board. The captain was very experienced with multi-engine air tankers and held his United States Forest Service (USFS) Air Tanker Training…

Read more… 7 Nov 25

Another quick round of questions and answers

It’s time for another Questions and Answers session. I started this series a few years back, when a reader asked if there was a way to pose aviation questions outside of specific posts. I’d love for this to become a more regular feature but for that I need more questions! The format is simple: post…

Read more… 31 Oct 25

Guest post from Rudy: 22,000 Hours and a Lot of Luck

I’ll be travelling for the next few weeks but I am glad to say I’ve got some great content lined up for you, starting with a new guest post from Rudy! I’m sure you’ll love the final image as much as I do. Please give Rudy a warm welcome and say hello in the comments!…

Read more… 24 Oct 25

Accident Reports

It's clear, but just barely: Ground collision at Seattle

There was light snow and congestion on the morning at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on the 5th of February 2025. Visibility was good but the temperatures hovered just above freezing and…

"A Group of Pissed Off Hornets": An Instructor's Snapchat Story of a Fatal Flight

I don’t like to be negative about flight instructors; it’s a difficult job that usually pays badly and requires superhuman levels of focus and patience. I had two amazing instructors…

Demystifying

Durga Puja Pandal Shows Air India Flight 171 Crash

The following video from a religious festival in West Bengal, India, has caught a lot of social media attention. It shows a detailed representation of an Air India Boeing Dreamliner…

Pilots or Toilets: Is This Viral ATC Audio Real?

There’s a YouTube video by ATC Audio making the rounds with a shocking title: She says Both Pilots INOPERATIVE. Real ATC Audio. The video claims to have real ATC audio…

History

Gladys Ingle Inflight Wheel Change: Emergency Action or Stunt?

This video of a mid-air wheel exchange goes viral once a year or so, but I never get tired of watching it. Last week, it showed up on Reddit and…

The Disappearance of the Hawaii Clipper May Not Be as Mysterious as Was Thought

This week, we have a guest post by J.B. Rivard who wrote an article for the American Aviation Historical Society (AAHS) and used one of my articles as a reference.…

Fun Stuff

The Mystery of the Caged Tyres and the Porcupine Who Flew Home

This photograph was posted to r/shittyaskflying, a subreddit dedicated to asking silly questions and giving silly answers. In this case, the photograph is enough to make one wonder what’s going…

Songs About Failed Spacecraft and Space Disasters

This week, I’m handing over Fear of Landing to my friend Jack Keller who promised me a playlist of music relating to my interests. All of the titles except one…