Update: New MH-370 debris identified

On Mar 21st 2016, about 13:30L, local resident Neels Kruger in South Africa found a piece of debris (photos see below), near Klein Brak River/Mossel Bay, about 20nm west of George and about 180nm east of Cape Town (South Africa), almost as far south as Africa's most southern point Cape Agulhas (avherald.com) More...

United States, Cuba to resume scheduled commercial airline service

The United States and Cuba have agreed to restore scheduled commercial airline service between the two countries for the first time in more than five decades, exactly a year after they started the process of normalizing relations. The latest step to restore U.S.-Cuba ties after 54 years of hostility will not go into effect immediately but should eventually increase tourism and business on the communist-ruled island. (www.reuters.com) More...

Unknown object strikes Colombian A320 in cruise

Colombian investigators are trying to ascertain the nature of an object which struck an Airbus A320 at cruise altitude in the country’s airspace. (www.flightglobal.com) More...

ATC agencies 'blacklist' 787 over position-data flaw

Most of the Boeing 787s delivered to date contain a software defect that, in at least five identified aircraft, have erroneously reported their location to controllers, prompting two air traffic management agencies to put the Dreamliner on a “blacklist” for certain services. (www.flightglobal.com) More...

Flydubai crash: Yoke push 'simultaneous' with stabiliser shift

Russian investigators have disclosed that a nose-down shift in the horizontal stabiliser on the ill-fated Flydubai Boeing 737-800 occurred as a push input was recorded on the crew control yoke. (www.flightglobal.com) More...

Boeing plans new aircraft launch by end-year

Despite spending months pleading for patience, Boeing executives are now telling employees a launch decision for a new airliner aimed at the “middle of the market” (MOM) could be made by the end of the year. In an all-hands meeting with employees on 10 February in Seattle, Boeing Commercial Airplanes chief executive Ray Conner said the new project could be launched as early as 2016, sources say. (www.flightglobal.com) More...

A Southwest Airlines Landing Was So Hard It Fractured A Flight Attendant's Spine

The short runway at SNA means crew aim for less "floating" of the aircraft - this time it resulted in a flight attendant being evacuated by paramedics (simpleflying.com) More...

Regulators knew before crashes that 737 MAX trim control was confusing in some conditions

U.S. and European regulators knew at least two years before a Lion Air crash that the usual method for controlling the Boeing 737 MAX’s nose angle might not work in conditions similar to those in two recent disasters, a document shows. (www.reuters.com) More...

Boeing shares fall as analyst deems 787 cost recoup `Unachievable'

Boeing Co. tumbled after an analyst downgraded the stock to “underperform” and said the U.S. planemaker stood little chance of fully recovering almost $29 billion that’s been sunk into producing the 787 Dreamliner jet. The shares fell 1.9 percent to $130.11 at 11:25 a.m. in New York. The stock earlier dropped 3.2 percent, the most intraday since Feb. 24. Boeing had declined 8.2 percent this year through Tuesday, the fourth-worst performance among the 30 members of the Dow Jones Industrial… (www.bloomberg.com) More...

Airbus developing laser-proof airplane cockpits

Airbus is developing technology to protect pilots against high-powered handheld lasers aimed at the cockpit during the critical takeoff and landing stages. The company hopes to have a special laser-proof film available to be fitted onto the cockpit windows by the end of next year. Lasers deliberately pointed into the cockpit of a plane can temporarily blind a pilot or permanently damage their eyes, and are an increasing problem in many countries. (www.laserpointersafety.com) More...