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Lithium-battery incidents involving power banks aboard aircraft have increased 15%, prompting renewed advice on the risks and preparation needed to manage onboard fires or other battery-related events. The trend highlights an escalating operational and passenger-safety challenge as portable power use expands.
Aviation Safety & Regulation
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Lithium-battery incidents involving power banks aboard aircraft have increased 15%, prompting renewed advice on the risks and preparation needed to manage onboard fires or other battery-related events. The trend highlights an escalating operational and passenger-safety challenge as portable power use expands.
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The Air Mobility Command says the U.S. Air Force intends to procure Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, making it the type’s first military operator and expanding its C-40 VIP fleet. Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg separately said FAA certification of the 737 MAX 10 is expected “very soon,” with deliveries still targeted for next year.
The FAA has proposed an airworthiness directive requiring operators to perform inspections on Pratt & Whitney PW1500G and PW1900G engines to address a high-pressure compressor issue. The mandated work would formalize inspections already outlined by Pratt & Whitney in service bulletins.
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A bipartisan bill introduced in August to improve airport vehicle-driver training and expand the use of surface safety technology has cleared a Senate committee. The measure advances congressional efforts to reduce runway incursions by strengthening safeguards for airport personnel and airfield operations.
Incidents involving lithium batteries aboard aircraft increased 15% over the past year, with power banks now the largest source, according to David Wroth of UL Standards & Engagement. The trend highlights continuing risks from passenger-carried batteries and the need for effective onboard safety and handling measures.
The FAA has issued an advance notice of proposed rulemaking seeking public input on transporting firefighters aboard restricted-category aircraft, more than two years after Congress directed the agency to address the issue. The process could shape operating requirements for aerial firefighting organizations and the aircraft they use.
A Congolese inquiry has disclosed that Trans Air’s 56-year-old DC-8 freighter was returning to Kinshasa for an emergency landing before it left the runway. Investigators have provided additional details on the occurrence, but the full circumstances remain unresolved.
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An NBC Los Angeles NewsChopper 4 Eurocopter AS350 B2 crashed in Chatsworth while covering an earlier fatal bus collision, killing an aerial journalist, the pilot and a person on the ground. Two other people were hospitalized after the helicopter descended onto a commercial property.
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