The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration are beginning their investigation of the fatal small plane crash that claimed the lives of five people yesterday. Investment banker Jeffrey Buckalew was flying a single-engine turboprop plane, with his wife Corinne, their young children Jackson and Meriwether and the family dog, plus his business colleague Rakesh Chawla, from Teterboro Airport in NJ to Atlanta when their plane suddenly made an "uncontrolled descent," apparently exploding, and eventually hit part of Interstate 287 in Harding, NJ. A nearby homeowner said to the NY Times, "This plane was very loud because it was so close, and its engines would stop and start. And the pilot was trying to rev it to keep the engines going." more ›

Yesterday, Suffolk County authorities announced that 21-year-old David Smith was arrested for pointing a laser at a plane. And he didn't stop there—when a police helicopter flew above to find the offender, the suspect turned continued his illegal activity: Suffolk County police inspector Stewart Cameron said, "We sent one of our helicopters to investigate and it was also lased." Don't lase me, bro! more ›

Yes, lasers are cool, but that doesn't mean you should go around shining them at planes and potentially blind pilots! Yesterday, the Suffolk County Police arrested a 21-year-old Long Island man for his laser antics. more ›

Laser pointer pranksters, be warned: the Federal Aviation Administration is coming for you! The FAA has launched a manhunt for laser-wielding criminals after a spate of suspiciously connected attacks against pilots at LaGuardia Airport over the weekend. more ›

Two years ago, a sightseeing helicopter and a small private plane collided over the Hudson River, killing a total of 9 people and raising questions about air traffic safety. Now, the Post reports, "The federal government has struck a secret deal with operators of tourist helicopters -- allowing them to fly in airspace over the Hudson River supposed to be reserved only for small, private aircraft." To make matters worse, "Even the private pilots who use the corridor are not warned by FAA flight briefers to be on alert for the choppers they don’t expect to encounter." more ›

Yesterday, the NY Post reported that the FAA redrew the boundaries of Laguardia Airport's "safety zone" to allow for a huge trash facility. And since birds love trash, there are concerns that it'll become bird strike central, a la Flight 1549 (more fodder for the Post's war on birds). Which is why Flight 1549 hero Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger has waded into the debate. And he thinks this is "terrible." more ›

Laser pointers are one of man's most useful tools, whether it's adding that extra pizazz to your Powerpoint on deforestation in Guinea, driving your dog insane, or as the perfect gift for that 13-year-old who has everything. But a few bad apples keep pointing them at planes coming into New York City's major airports. The Post reports that 40 such incidents have been reported this year alone, which is more than double the number for the same period last year, and an "86 percent increase over 2009." How about people shine them at the operators of the porno-scanners instead? more ›

We all already knew our minuscule mayor has a travel bug—and we would too if we had houses in Bermuda, Boston, London, New York and Vail! Its the fact that he doesn't like to tell us when and where he is going that makes us fret (we worry!). Claiming his privacy, Bloomberg refuses to admit when he leaves town (witness his Christmas trip to Bermuda) but that doesn't mean he doesn't leave clues&mdahs;it isn't like the man flies coach. Today, the Wall Street Journal makes some educated guesses about hizzoner's whereabouts by studying the flight logs for Bloomberg LP's fleet of private planes. more ›

Last month, an American Airlines Boeing 777 from JFK was in a near-miss with two U.S. military C 17 cargo planes 80 miles south of NYC. The plans were within a mile of each other and National Transportation Safety Board announced it was investigating the incident today. A source told the Post, "Authorities suspect errors by Long Island-based air controllers and the jetliner’s pilot in the incident." more ›

When you travel, you probably try to save money. That's why when you chose the flight that took you through Sheboygan and left you waiting on the tarmac for four hours, you thought to yourself, "Well, at least I can funnel the money I saved into boosting our great nation's economy." Thanks to that delay, they're going to need it even more. A new study from the Federal Aviation Administration and researchers at University of California, Berkeley says the country lost $32.9 billion in 2007 due to flight delays, with just over $4 billion drained right from the GDP. Yes, with a B. more ›

The weather was gorgeous so Barry Maggio, 59-year-old Massachusetts resident, decided to fly an ultra lightweight aircraft around New York City—and within 150 feet of the Statue of Liberty. According to the Wall Street Journal, "the U.S. Parks Police notified the Federal Aviation Administration, the New York Police Department launched a chopper to intercept the flight. The police helicopter radioed Mr. Maggio as he neared the George Washington Bridge" yesterday morning. more ›

The Park Slope set's rally against aircraft noise is still going strong in the neighborhood. Last night they went face to face with federal aviation officials to describe the overhead aural assault that they face daily. Jim Williams of Brooklyn Against Aircraft Noise (it's a thing!), told them: “We can’t sit on our deck anymore! Every minute — whoosh whoosh! We can watch them fly overhead.” Not feeling any sympathy for the guy who has the luxurious deck? According to the Brooklyn Paper, there was also a resident who said her cancer was exacerbated by low-flying planes. more ›

After news broke yesterday that an air traffic controller at JFK airport let his young son clear planes for takeoff five times on February 16th, it emerged that the father did it again the next day with the boy's twin sister. The controller, Glenn Duffy, 48, of Stony Brook, Long Island, has been suspended, along with one supervisor; they'll both draw full salaries during the investigation. The Post has audio of the girl clearing planes for take off—she sounds even cuter than her brother, and a pilot can be heard telling her "nicely done, see you later." Now, these shenanigans may seem reckless to the layman, but professional pilots insist it was all completely harmless. more ›

Park Slope NIMBYS have a new enemy: the FAA. New data validates local's fears that the air up there has become too cluttered with plane traffic, which is threatening their mental health! One resident told the Brooklyn Paper, “I play loud music in the house or otherwise I’ll go insane.” more ›

After a photo emerged yesterday of an overweight man on an American Airlines flight, flooding the aisle with flab, Federal aviation authorities investigated the image. Apparently before being airborne, flight attendants gave the man two extra seats, which is in line with safety rules, according to the NY Post. This was accomplished by offering another passenger a ticket for a later flight, so the overweight man could have an entire aisle to himself. more ›

Technology! The FAA says that a computer glitch has affected its "ability to process flight plans electronically"—which is now resulting in flight delays across the country. more ›

The new FAA rules regarding air traffic over the Hudson River go into effect Thursday, separating pilots into three altitude corridors: in the lower two (below 1,300 feet), local commuter planes and sightseeing helicopters would still rely on the "see and avoid" method, but would also be required to tune their radio to a frequency of 123.05; announce their location, description and route; and obey a speed limit of 140 knots or less. Longer flights under the jurisdiction of air traffic controllers will fly above 1,300 feet. But critics say the rules don't go far enough to prevent another crash like the August 8th collision between a small plane and a sightseeing helicopter that claimed nine lives. more ›

Rep. Jerrold Nadler predicts the FAA's new rules for the Hudson River air corridor will make the situation worse, and Senator Chuck Schumer says the FAA needs to "go back to the drawing board." On Wednesday the FAA released its redesign plan, which, as you surely know, was prompted by the August 8th collision between a small plane and a sightseeing helicopter. While the new rules call for reorganizing air traffic over the Hudson into three separate altitude corridors, some critics still want air traffic controllers to start managing all flights over the Hudson. Currently pilots flying under 1,100 feet and over the river avoid each other simply by looking out the cockpit window; that "see and avoid" method will continue, though augmented by enhanced radio communication between aircraft. Despite the fierce criticism, Mayor Bloomberg expressed lukewarm support for the changes yesterday, telling reporters, "I'm just not going to second guess [Administrator Randy Babbitt] or the FAA. I'll ride with whatever the FAA judgment is in terms of making the city safer." See, this is exactly the kind of bold, independent leadership you get when a mayor isn't beholden to the special Interests! more ›

There's simply no consensus about how to regulate aircraft in the crowded airspace above the Hudson River. Yesterday the FAA announced new rules for the area—rules that fundamentally differ from those recommended by the National Transportation Safety Board, which issued its own recommendations last month. And neither of those sets of rules have satisfied some local politicians, who want an immediate ban on the kind of helicopter tourism that contributed to the horrific midair collision on Aug. 8th between a single-engine plane a chopper packed with Italian tourists. more ›

New footage from a tourist on a Circle Line cruise showing last Saturday's collision between a small plane and a sightseeing helicopter was released tonight, just as the FAA announced that the air traffic controller and his supervisor at Teterboro Airport in NJ were suspended. Apparently the air traffic controller was on the phone with his girlfriend while handling the small plane's flight and his supervisor had left the room. The FAA said, in a statement, "We learned that the controller handling the Piper flight was involved in apparently inappropriate conversations on the telephone at the time of the accident... We also learned that the supervisor was not present in the building as required." more ›

NYPD divers and the Army Corps of Engineers managed to raise some of the wreckage of the small plane that crashed into a helicopter this past Saturday. Two more bodies were recovered, meaning that all nine victims' bodies have been found; three were on the plane while six were on the sightseeing helicopter. The Hudson River's murky conditions have been an obstacle to divers during the recovery effort; they explained to the Times they have been doing much of the search by touch. more ›

In the wake of the fatal collision between a small fixed-wing airplane and a sightseeing helicopter, officials gathered today at the 30th Street Heliport on the west side to demand that the F.A.A. and the city ban tourism helicopter flights over the densest parts of Manhattan. Meanwhile, outside an East Harlem elementary school, Mayor Bloomberg said he was leaving the decision up to the F.A.A., telling reporters, "They don’t need me weighing in. They know certainly well what goes on there. They are professionals. I assume they’re going to wait until the National Transportation Safety Board to make its report and then they’ll make their decisions." more ›

According to the Wall Street Journal's sources, "The captain of a commuter plane that crashed Feb. 12 near Buffalo, N.Y., had flunked numerous flight tests during his career and was never adequately taught how to respond to the emergency that led to the airplane's fatal descent." The 49 passengers and crew members aboard Continental Airlines Flight 3407, which took off from Newark and was headed to Buffalo, were killed, as was a man on the ground. The plane was a Bombardier Q400; the WSJ adds, "Capt. Marvin Renslow had never been properly trained by the company to respond to a warning system designed to prevent the plane from going into a stall...As the speed slowed to a dangerous level, setting off the stall-prevention system, he did the opposite of the proper procedure, which led to the crash, these people said." The NTSB will be holding three days of hearings about the crash in D.C., starting tomorrow; the NY Times reports that while the FAA requires "sterile" (meaning no irrelevant conversation) cockpits below 10,000 feet, "According to one investigator familiar with the contents of the cockpit voice recorder from the plane, the pilots’ 'heads weren’t in the game.'" more ›

Today, the Federal Aviation administration will release data on bird strikes, reversing its earlier position that it would keep the information secret. The demand for the bird strike data grew after US Airways Flight 1549 splash-landed into the Hudson earlier this year—birds had hit the plane's engines. The FAA claimed that the data might give people negative perceptions about certain airports or airlines, but lawmakers and the National Transportation Safety Board criticized the attempt at secrecy, pointing out indepedent researchers could help examine the data and provide comparisons. At any rate, bird strikes do happen and they are hard to prevent, though there are programs to limit the populations of birds (specifically Canada geese) at airports. The FAA's new bird strike data website will be here. more ›

In the wake of the the bird strike that caused Flight 1549's crash landing into the Hudson, the FAA now wants to keep its bird strike data private. The agency was about to turn over its database to the Associated Press, but then changed its mind, claiming the public might compare airports' or airlines' approaches to dealing with birds, "Inaccurate portrayals of airports and airlines could have a negative impact on their participation in reporting bird strikes." However, a former head of the NTSB said, "To have the government actually chill public access to safety information is a step backward. Public awareness is an essential part of any strong safety program," and Rep. Brad Miller (D-NC) said, "Whether the public should worry is for the public to decide, not FAA." Wildlife biologist Steve Garber who worked on the database also told the Post that publicly available information is inadequate, "It's terrible... What I wanted was something where we could take all this data that was secret, and make it so people could analyze it and compare it." more ›

In the wake of America's first fatal airline accident in 30 months, the Times takes a look at how the FAA has responded to other crashes over the years. Perhaps unsurprisingly, reporter Matthew Wald's tour of the FAA sausage factory concludes that the bureaucracy is a tad "cumbersome." The National Transportation Safety Board, which advises the FAA on regulations, currently cites 429 "outstanding recommendations" which have still not been acted on by the FAA. 146 of them are more than five years old, such as a proposed fix for the malfunction that caused the explosion of T.W.A. Flight 800 (pictured) over Long Island in 1996, which investigators concluded was caused by an electrical flaw in the fuel tank. (Many others have speculated that a shoulder-fired missile took down the plane.) After some 12 years of debate about a solution, the FAA now reports that airlines should finally have the problem fixed... in another eight years. more ›

The FAA says a "communication failure" is why flights on the East Coast are being delayed. WABC 7 says the delays are "at airports east of the Mississippi River." The problem is at a "National Airspace Data Interchange Network facility south of Atlanta," so the processing for all flights is at a facility in Salt Lake City. But don't worry--the FAA hasn't lost contact with planes and can still speak to pilots. So far, delays at LaGuardia are over an hour, 41 minutes at JFk and 15 minutes at Newark. more ›

The FAA made immediate changes to the take off and landing procedures at JFK Airport, after two jets came within 600 feet of crashing into each other yesterday afternoon. The incident was the second near collision at the airport in a week, and personnel from the National Transportation Safety Board were at JFK investigating the circumstances of the first incident when the second occurred. more ›