A.L.U.'s Articles — Aviation Lessons Unlearned

Aircraft Accidents and Lessons Unlearned XX: LAS Registration Number HK-4246X

LAS was a Colombian airline. The December 2003 accident investigation should have been focused on what happened, not unpopular theories.

Photo by Casper Kolenbrander

Stephen CarboneDecember 1, 2018Comment

Aircraft Accidents and Lessons Unlearned XIX: Fine Air 101

Fine Air 101 demonstrated conflicts within the investigatory groups and a focus on issues that were not contributory to the accident.

Stephen CarboneNovember 3, 2018Comment

Aircraft Accidents and Lessons Unlearned XVIII: AirNow 352

AirNow 352 had two things working against the investigation: it was a single pilot and it was a cargo aircraft.

Stephen CarboneOctober 6, 2018Comment

Aircraft Accidents and Lessons Unlearned XVII: Ryan Air Service 103

Ryan Air Services 103 was a major accident investigation. The accident report’s findings demonstrated the investigators’ fundamental misunderstanding of the Federal Aviation Regulations.

Stephen CarboneSeptember 1, 2018Comment

Aircraft Accidents and Lessons Unlearned XVI: Asiana 214

Asiana 214 was a culture-caused accident. The investigation focused on anything but culture.

Stephen CarboneAugust 4, 2018Comment

Aircraft Accidents and Lessons Unlearned XV:LAX02GA201 and DEN02GA074

These two accidents were two aircraft over five decades old, with no modification to their maintenance programs. Despite the simple fix to these accidents, the maintenance program modifications that should have been reflected throughout all industry, never moved forward, never happened.

Stephen CarboneJuly 7, 2018Comment

Aircraft Accidents and Lessons Unlearned XIV: American 191

American 191 was the textbook investigation of why manufacturer procedures must be followed exactly.

Stephen CarboneJune 2, 2018Comment

Aircraft Accidents and Lessons Unlearned XIII: Colgan Air 3407

Colgan 3407 was an accident caused by Colgan’s culture, not by the industry. Unfortunately, the NTSB allowed the emotions of the accident to conceal what actually occurred.

Photo by Parisot Frederic

Stephen CarboneMay 5, 2018Comment

Aircraft Accidents and Lessons Unlearned XII: Liberty Helicopters N350LH

The Liberty Helicopters, registration number N350LH, should never have happened. The idiocy of the tour helicopter’s restraint design cannot be understated.

Stephen CarboneApril 7, 2018Comment

Aircraft Accidents and Lessons Unlearned XI: Eastern Flight 66

Eastern flight 66 was a victim of circumstances in a time when windshear alerts were problematic. If given the technology of today, Eastern 66 may not have happened. That does not mean that nothing can be learned from the past.

Photo by Erik Simonsen

Stephen CarboneMarch 3, 2018Comment

Aircraft Accidents and Lessons Unlearned X: BOAC Flight 781

One of the first efforts of man to determine cause with little-to-nothing to work with, the BOAC 781 investigation provided superior talent and experience to a puzzle with few pieces.

Stephen CarboneFebruary 3, 2018Comment

Aircraft Accidents and Lessons Unlearned IX: United 232

Probably the most famous effort of man over machine, United 232 symbolized the will to survive.

Stephen CarboneJanuary 6, 2018Comment

Aircraft Accidents and Lessons Unlearned VIII: Emery 17

Emery 17 was an accident that should not have been committed to the background. The NTSB should have focused more attention on cargo aircraft accident causes.

Stephen CarboneDecember 2, 2017Comment

Aircraft Accidents and Lessons Unlearned VII: Continental Express 2574

What accident investigations continue to demonstrate is that the most important facts are short-lived and often fated to repeat themselves.

Stephen CarboneNovember 4, 2017Comment

Aircraft Accidents and Lessons Unlearned VI: Eastern 401

With all the changes aviation technology has gone through since the Wright Brothers, Eastern 401 proves that nothing should be forgotten; we can always learn from the past.

Stephen CarboneOctober 7, 2017Comment

Aircraft Accidents and Lessons Unlearned V: N6142N

Although the owner has the last word on accident aircraft recovery, the opportunity for the owner to keep safety issues from the FAA and industry should be strongly considered when recovering an aircraft.

Stephen CarboneSeptember 10, 2017Comment