Latest Aviation Headlines

All the headlines from our Aviation Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Are Planes Safe? Hacker Case Points to Deeper Cyber-Risk Issues

May 26 2015 // Security researcher Chris Roberts made headlines last month when he was hauled off a plane in New York by the FBI and accused of hacking into flight controls via his under seat entertainment unit. Other security...

JetBlue: No Way to Prevent Pilot’s Meltdown

May 25 2015 // JetBlue Airways Corp. believes it had no way to know it should have grounded a former pilot before his midair meltdown forced an emergency landing, and that his $14.9 million damages lawsuit should be...

Airlines Banning Bulk Shipments of Lithium Rechargeable Batteries

May 19 2015 // Replacing smartphone batteries just got harder. Fearing cargo fires like one that caused a United Parcel Service Inc. freighter to crash into the desert near Dubai in 2010, at least 18 airlines have banned freight...

Best Sees Insurance Opportunities with Increasing Commercial Drone Use

May 12 2015 // A.M. Best’s analysis of the growth in the use of drone aircraft concludes that the “commercial use of drones presents exciting possibilities to a number of industries, but as with any new technology, unique and...

Wild Weather Leaves 1 Dead in Texas; Tornados, Flooding Reported

May 11 2015 // Several tornadoes ripped through the northern part of Texas, leaving one person dead and others unaccounted for in a sparsely populated area over the weekend, authorities said. One of the tornadoes on Saturday shattered...

Beyond Cars and Drones, Google Sees Pilotless Airlines

May 6 2015 // The chief of Google Inc.’s experimental cargo-drone program wants to see automated flight go beyond pilotless planes and extend to commercial air travel. Just as automation has proved its worth in factories by...

NTSB: Chopper Hoist Was Spinning Before Texas Nurse’s Fatal Fall

May 6 2015 // Investigators say a hoist suspended from a medical helicopter, which was carrying a nurse and patient from a Texas hiking trail, was spinning just before the nurse fell to her death. The National Transportation Safety...

NOAA in Miami to Send More Hurricane Drones into Atlantic this Season

May 6 2015 // Scientists are planning to send more drones flying into hurricanes that develop during the upcoming Atlantic storm season. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration first launched the 13-pound winged drones into...

Corporations Push for Fewer U.S. Drone Restrictions

May 5 2015 // As U.S. regulators study how to govern commercial drones, corporate America is plunging ahead on using unmanned aircraft in a bid to speed the process and win concessions on proposed restrictions. Large companies including...

Crawford & Company Adds Managing Director to American Aviation Team in Miami

May 5 2015 // Atlanta-based Crawford & Company, a provider of claims management programs, added Ken Forsyth to its Crawford Global Technical Services (GTS) as managing director Aviation – the Americas effective April 23, 2015....

Erie Insurance Receives FAA Approval to Use Drones

May 4 2015 // Erie Insurance announced on April 15 that it received conditional approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to use the unmanned aircraft system (UAS) — commonly referred to as drones — in the...

Feds Say Chicago Transit Partly to Blame for Airport Train Derailment

Apr 29 2015 // Federal investigators say the Chicago Transit Authority shares in the blame for an accident last year in which a commuter train operator fell asleep and crashed into a platform at the O’Hare airport station, sending...

Muted Public Reaction Could Speed Up Commercial Drones

Apr 27 2015 // The U.S. government’s first attempt to set widespread rules for the use of civilian drones by businesses is drawing less reaction from the public than expected, a development that may help speed implementation of the...

Suit Says Southwest Failed in Medical Emergency Over California

Apr 24 2015 // A woman filed a wrongful-death lawsuit this week against Southwest Airlines, claiming crew members mistook her husband’s medical emergency for unruly behavior aboard a California flight and didn’t assist...

Insurers Urge Faster OK for Drones in Disaster Response

Apr 21 2015 // U.S. companies including insurers and aerospace manufacturers urged federal aviation regulators on Tuesday to speed up the use of drones in disaster response and relief operations in the United States. A report sponsored...

Former Northwest Airlines CEO Steenland Named AIG Chairman

Apr 16 2015 // American International Group Inc. named Douglas M. Steenland as the insurer’s seventh chairman since 2005, replacing Steve Miller who oversaw the promotion of Peter Hancock to chief executive officer last...

It’s Insurance Buyers’ Market Now But Risk Challenges Ahead: Willis

Apr 16 2015 // Due in part to reduced catastrophe losses and the increased supply of capital, property/casualty insurance buyers can expect to face friendly market conditions on most lines of business for the remainder of 2015. But...

Erie Insurance Receives FAA Approval to Use Drones in Claims, Underwriting

Apr 15 2015 // Erie Insurance announced Wednesday that it received conditional approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to use the unmanned aircraft system (UAS) — commonly referred to as drones — in the...

Alabama College Receives FAA Approval to Offer Drone Courses

Apr 14 2015 // Alabama’s Auburn University aviation center plans to offer courses about how to fly drones. The school said last week it has received federal approval to operate a new Unmanned Aircraft Systems Flight School as part...

NTSB: Pilots in Fatal Katz Crash Ignored Safety Check on 99% of Trips

Apr 8 2015 // Investigators of the private-jet crash that killed billionaire Lewis Katz discovered that the sports mogul’s personal pilots almost never performed the required pre-flight safety checks when shuttling their boss...