AeroTime
• Clement Charpentreau
The Royal Air Force’s first loss of a BAE Systems Hawk T2 occurred on Sept. 23 shortly after the advanced jet trainer departed RAF Valley on a training mission. Both trainee pilots ejected and parachuted to safety as the aircraft crashed near the North Wales base, amid scrutiny of fleet technical issues.
Accident
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The Royal Air Force’s first loss of a BAE Systems Hawk T2 occurred on Sept. 23 shortly after the advanced jet trainer departed RAF Valley on a training mission. Both trainee pilots ejected and parachuted to safety as the aircraft crashed near the North Wales base, amid scrutiny of fleet technical issues.
An unintended nose-down pitch-trim input during final approach caused a JSX Embraer ERJ-145LR to touch down at nearly 3.9g at Houston Hobby Airport two years ago, badly damaging the aircraft and fracturing its wing. Investigators are examining the captain’s approach technique and aircraft control inputs.
Canada’s Transportation Safety Board found that a fractured low-pressure compressor rotor blade caused the 2023 inflight failure and fire involving a De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400 powered by Pratt & Whitney Canada’s PW150A. Investigators cited mechanical resonance and identified 13 similar incidents in their review.
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Embraer is working with Honeywell to resolve a satellite-navigation instability affecting E190-E2 and E195-E2 jets worldwide. The GPS fault has led to flight cancellations and delays, while Embraer says it does not compromise operational safety and is pursuing a software-based remedy.
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A U.S. Air Force F-16 assigned to Spangdahlem Air Base in western Germany crashed Tuesday while attempting to land after a routine training or local mission. The pilot ejected safely before impact and was receiving medical treatment; the base’s F-16CM fleet supports the “Wild Weasel” mission.
A Royal Navy Merlin HC4 helicopter ditched fatally after its crew misdiagnosed an emergency and shut down two functioning engines while attempting to land on HMS Queen Elizabeth at night. The crew had intended to practice night deck landings, according to the report.
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French investigators are examining whether runway lighting standards and surface-movement radar use should change after an inbound Nouvelair A320 aligned with the wrong runway at night and overflew a waiting easyJet aircraft at Nice last year, creating a serious proximity event.
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A Fly Precision Eurocopter AS332L1 crashed Sept. 20 while conducting water drops on Yosemite National Park’s 3,000-acre Dome Fire, killing both crewmembers. The incident highlights the operational risks facing rotary-wing crews supporting wildfire suppression in complex terrain and demanding conditions.
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