Flight Safety Information - September 16, 2026 No. 182 In This Issue : Incident: Transair B735 at Nouakchott on Sep 10th 2026, runway excursion : Accident: Sepehran B733 at Mashhad on Sep 14th 2026, rejected takeoff due to severe vibrations : Fairchild SA227-BC Metro III - Run way Exc uraion (Sweden) : 3 dead after news helicopter reporting for NBC L.A. crashes while covering fatal bus collision : Frontier Passenger Reportedly Found Unresponsive During Mid-Air Medical Emergency : This Cheap, Pocket-Sized Gadget Can Hack A Boeing 737 : Highest levels of air travel recorded since 2019 (UK) : Why Go-Arounds Save Lives: Lessons From Unstabilized Approaches : South Africa turns used cooking oil into jet fuel for $120,000 luxury flights to Antarctica : This Cheap, Pocket-Sized Gadget Can Hack A Boeing 737 : Boeing’s first 737 MAX gear swap lets American Airlines skip weeks of overhaul downtime : Families of the 67 who died in the DC midair collision want reforms to prevent the next tragedy : Calendar of Events Incident: Transair B735 at Nouakchott on Sep 10th 2026, runway excursion A Transair Boeing 737-500, registration 6V-AJD performing charter flight R2-4401 from Dakar (Senegal) to Nouakchott (Mauritania) carrying the soccer team of AS Douanes, landed on Nouakchott's runway 06 at 12:24L (12:24Z) but came to a stop off the runway with all gear on soft ground (sand). There were no injuries. According to local reports the aircraft veered sharply off the runway before coming to a stop. ADS-B data transmitted by the aircraft suggest, the aircraft landed left off the runway with an offset of about 0.5nm to the left. The aircraft remained on the ground in Nouakchott for 4 days before returning to Dakar. https://avherald.com/h?article=540fb038&opt=0 Accident: Sepehran B733 at Mashhad on Sep 14th 2026, rejected takeoff due to severe vibrations A Sepehran Boeing 737-300, registration EP-FSU performing flight SHI-4358 from Mashhad to Kermanshah (Iran), was accelerating on Mashhad's runway 31L when the aircraft suffered severe vibrations of the entire airframe also causing the overhead lockers to collapse and fall onto the passengers, who kept the ceiling structure up with their arms and hands. The crew rejected takeoff and stopped on the runway. There are no injuries being reported. Passengers reported their flight was delayed due to the assigned aircraft EP-FST suffering a technical defect, EP-FSU was to replace the aircraft. On departure the aircraft suffered severe vibrations, the cabin ceiling came down. The flight was finally completed with the originally assigned aircraft EP-FST, that arrived into Kermanshah with a delay of about 9 hours. Iran's CAA reported abnormal vibrations (shimmy) of the main landing gear due to a defective shimmy damper caused damage to the gear structure including the lower torsion link which further resulted in damage to the tyres. The condition of the tyres as well as the pilot performance did not play a role in the accident, however the condition of the shimmy damper was poor due to leakages, wear and corrosion. The occurrence came to light due to the passenger video surfacing on social media. https://avherald.com/h?article=540fa853&opt=0 Fairchild SA227-BC Metro III - Run way Exc uraion (Sweden) Date: Tuesday 15 September 2026 Time: c. 16:03 LT Type: Fairchild SA227-BC Metro III Owner/operator: Flightline Registration: EC-GJM MSN: BC-772B Year of manufacture: 1991 Engine model: Garret TPE-331-12UHR-701G Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: None Location: Malmö Airport (MMX/ESMS), Malmö - Sweden Phase: Landing Nature: Cargo Departure airport: Tampere-Pirkkala Airport (TMP/EFTP) Destination airport: Malmö-Sturup Airport (MMX/ESMS) Confidence Rating: Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources Narrative: A Flightline Fairchild SA227-BC Metro III, flight FTL323, experienced a runway excursion when landing at runway 17 at Malmö Airport (MMX/ESMS), Malmö. No reported injuries and the aircraft was not damaged, https://www.aviation-safety.net/wikibase/582308 3 dead after news helicopter reporting for NBC L.A. crashes while covering fatal bus collision A helicopter (Eurocopter AS 350 B2 Ecureuil, N358TV) affiliated with NBC Los Angeles crashed while it was covering a fatal bus collision Tuesday evening, killing the photojournalist and pilot on board and one person on the ground, the station and officials said. The aircraft crashed in a parking lot close to a self-storage facility in the community of Chatsworth, which is in Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department and news video on the ground from NBC Los Angeles. The helicopter was operated by Angel City Air and affiliated with the news station, which broadcast that it had lost contact with those on board. "We knew it was a news chopper, we knew we'd lost contact with our people out there, and we've just received the confirmation that, in fact, NewsChopper 4 went down just before 7 o'clock tonight in Chatsworth," anchor Colleen Williams said. "We're going to take a couple of minutes to think about that, to process and to regroup," Williams added, her voice becoming emotional. Angel City Air, which describes itself as "a full-service aerial production company," did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday night. Three people were dead at the scene, and two others were taken to the hospital, Fire Battalion Chief Rico A. Gross said at a late-night news conference. Their conditions were unavailable. One of the deceased appeared to be a pedestrian on the ground when the crash happened, Fire Capt. Branden Silverman said earlier. The victims aboard the helicopter were identified by NBC Los Angeles as Angel City Air employees Eliana Moreno, an aerial photojournalist familiar to viewers of the station and its Spanish-language sister station, Telemundo 52, and pilot George Marciniw. Moreno was born in Orange County, south of L.A., and graduated from its Chapman University with a degree in broadcast journalism and political science in 2010, NBC Los Angeles reported. She joined Angel City Air's helicopter team the same year and has reported for multiple Southern California news outlets. Marciniw also grew up in Southern California, where he graduated from Burbank High School, according to the station. Eliana Moreno and George Marciniw. (George Marciniw / via Facebook) NBC Los Angeles and Telemundo 52 issued a joint statement expressing condolences. "We are deeply saddened to share that a helicopter providing aerial news coverage for NBC4 and Telemundo 52 was involved in a fatal accident in Los Angeles on Tuesday evening," the stations said. "We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of those who lost their lives." The helicopter crash occurred after two people were killed and others were injured in a crash between a Los Angeles Metro bus and a passenger vehicle on Nordhoff Street, according to the fire department. It said that the bus crash happened at 5:03 p.m. and that firefighters worked to free the trapped people and assess the bus passengers. The helicopter was one of multiple aircraft covering the crash, NBC Los Angeles reported earlier. Fire and police personnel were nearby, Silverman said. They rushed to the crash, reported shortly before 7 p.m., and found the helicopter engulfed in flames, which had spread to nearby parked vehicles, he added. Witness Zareh Sevanesian was driving nearby with wife Allyona when he saw the chopper's unusual descent. "As we were driving I looked over to my left," he said. "I saw the helicopter — something didn't look right. And I told my wife, 'That helicopter is not flying right.'" Sevanesian said he saw the helicopter gradually losing altitude. Then, he said, he pulled over near the crash as fire roared. "It was one of the most violent fires I had ever seen," Sevanesian recalled. He said he soon found a person down near the wreckage and three others "screaming uncontrollably." "It was very terrifying and sad for everyone," Allyona said. LA Fire Department Chief Jamie Moore embraces NBC4 reporter Robert Kovacik at the scene of the helicopter crash. (Chris Torres / EPA via Shutterstock) The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement Wednesday that it would be involved in the investigation, which it said would be led by the National Transportation Safety Board. The NTSB said in a statement Wednesday that it was "investigating the Sept. 15 crash of a Eurocopter AS 350 B2 helicopter in Chatsworth, California." It added that its investigators are expected to arrive on scene Wednesday morning. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass during a news conference on the crash. (Ethan Swope / AP) Speaking near the scene Tuesday night, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said it was "a heartbreaking night for our city." She praised first responders for their quick reaction and expressed grief over those who were killed in the bus collision and the aircraft crash. "We lost five Angelenos today," she said, "and my heart certainly goes out to the family and friends of all of those that we lost." California Gov. Gavin Newsom also thanked first responders and offered condolences in a statement on X. "Our hearts are with the victims and families of tonight's devastating Metro bus and helicopter crashes in Chatsworth, and with the entire NBC4 family," he said. https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/3-dead-news-helicopter-crashes-024752665.html Frontier Passenger Reportedly Found Unresponsive During Mid-Air Medical Emergency Medical personnel on board the Philadelphia-bound flight were “assisting as much as they can,” according to the pilot A Frontier Airlines passenger was reportedly found unresponsive during the flight's final approach to Philadelphia Medical personnel on board assisted the passenger as the plane was given priority to land safely The incident follows another recent in-flight medical emergency involving a Delta Air Lines pilot A passenger on board a Frontier Airlines flight was reportedly found unresponsive while approaching Philadelphia, requiring the assistance of on-board medical personnel. On Monday, Sept. 14, Frontier Airlines flight 2538 departed Tampa International Airport in Florida around 10:15 a.m. local time, per FlightAware. The plane, an Airbus A321neo, was scheduled to land around 12:30 p.m. at Philadelphia International Airport. However, upon final approach, flight crews sent a message to air traffic control (ATC) informing them a passenger had become unresponsive on board. "DISPMEDICAL EMERGENCY. UNRESPONSIVE PAX SEAT 22A XXXXX XXXXX. SUSPECTED OVERDOSE," crew members sent in a text message via ACARS (Air Communications Addressing and Reporting System) obtained by AirLive.net. "ATC ADVISED REQUIRE EMS AT GATE. MEDICAL PERSONNEL ONBOARD ARE HELPING." "Medical emergency on board and we're keeping the speed up," a pilot said about 15 minutes before landing, clarifying it was a female passenger. "We have the medical personnel on board, and uh, they're assisting as much as they can." The flight touched down safely around 12:15 p.m. local time on Runway 27R in Philadelphia, per ATC.com. Upon landing, the aircraft was given priority and taxied directly to Terminal E. A spokesperson for Philadelphia International Airport deferred to Frontier Airlines, which did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment. PEOPLE has also reached out to the Philadelphia Fire Department for comment. The incident comes less than a month after a Delta Air Lines pilot reported he needed to visit a hospital mid-flight. About three-and-a-half hours into Delta flight 437 from Los Angeles to Boston on Aug. 25, pilots made an unplanned diversion toward Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) in Michigan. "This is the captain," a pilot tells an air traffic controller at the facility in an audio recording obtained by ATC.com. "I'm the one that's ill, um, I'm gonna taxi the jet to the gate and then I need to go to the hospital." https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/frontier-passenger-reportedly-found-unresponsive-152824874.html Highest levels of air travel recorded since 2019 (UK) Guernsey Ports saw the highest levels of air travel in seven years, bosses have said. They said July was the busiest month at the island's airport so far this year, with passengers numbers exceeding 75,000 for the first time since 2019. Staff also said sea travel had also recorded a consecutive year-on-year increase. Ports managing director Ross Coppolo said the figures showed the continued appeal of Guernsey as a destination and the importance of maintaining reliable connections for residents. Ports said there was also growth across ferry services, with passenger numbers on Guernsey's northern and southern sea routes 3% higher than July 2025. It said August 2026 was a "quieter" month compared to 2025, but ferry travel remained ahead of 2024, with the overall year-to-date passenger numbers 1% up on 2025, which was itself 14% higher than the year before. Private aviation "increased significantly" during 2026, with aircraft movements about 30% higher than the same period in 2025. It said Guernsey's marina's continued to perform with visiting vessel and passenger numbers close to the high levels achieved the year previous. 'Efficient and dependable' It said year-end totals for visiting leisure craft were expected to be close to those from 2025, when about 7,800 private vessels brought about 20,000 visitors to the island. Coppolo said it was "very encouraging to see continued growth" across both the airport and harbours. He said: "These figures reflect the efforts of our teams and partners to strengthen connectivity and improve the customer experience for residents and visitors alike and demonstrates the sustained demand for travel to and from the bailiwick. "Our focus remains on providing safe, efficient and dependable services while working with our partners to ensure the bailiwick remains well connected." https://www.yahoo.com/travel/news/articles/highest-levels-air-travel-recorded-101351424.html Why Go-Arounds Save Lives: Lessons From Unstabilized Approaches A cargo airplane crashed in Florida after running off the end of the runway, resulting in multiple fatalities and serious injuries, with the NTSB investigating factors such as the crew's management of the flight. "Why didn't the pilot go around?" You hear this question a lot when there is a runway overrun-especially when it is a high-profile event such as Flight 7598, an Amazon Prime Air cargo airplane that crashed in Florida last week. The jet ran off the end of Runway 30 at Miami International Airport (KMIA), through ground-based navigation aids, two fences, and struck a van and an SUV, resulting in multiple fatalities and serious injuries before the aircraft came to a stop in a parking lot and caught fire. Any time there is an accident like this it sends a ripple through the aviation training community. Determining aircraft performance is part of a pilot's training from the beginning, or should be. I predict this tragedy will become a classroom tool, from the private pilot ground school up through airline pilot training. Accident Factors The National Transportation Safety Board is still compiling information on the event. The NTSB has not released the required landing distance for the aircraft since this data will be part of the investigation as it addresses the crew's management of the flight. How much runway did the jet require for a safe landing? The runway measures 9,360 feet long. The published available landing distance is 7,913 feet. Video of the jet shows it floating over the runway, going too fast for landing. One of the first things a fledgling aviator learns is that when you have too much airspeed during final approach to landing, the aircraft will float, and you'll eat up runway. This is why your CFI has you crunch performance numbers before each flight. How much runway will be required for takeoff? How much for landing? Keep in mind those numbers change depending on aircraft weight and weather conditions. Every pilot should be briefed on this information, so there are no unpleasant surprises. Staying ahead of the airplane is critical, especially in the pattern. Airspeed and aircraft configuration are key. Your job as pilot is to maintain proper speeds in the pattern, so you can land on the numbers and be down and safely stopped, usually on the first third of the runway. If you're going too fast to make this happen, and you'll know when you're on final, it's time to go around. This is also known as a "balked landing." Learning how to do this, and more importantly when, is critical. Unless you're on fire, outrunning severe weather, or it is a dead-stick landing, you should initiate a go-around if the approach is not stable, as in on-speed, configured, and going to touch down on the predetermined spot. Per the NTSB, information from the flight data recorder (FDR) and cockpit voice recorder (CVR) indicates one of the Prime Air pilots commented a few times that the aircraft was too fast during the approach, but there was no specific mention of the need to perform a go-around. Another factor agency investigators are looking at is the power dynamic between the pilots. The captain had logged more flight time than the first officer, however, the first officer had more experience in the 767. It is possible that the first officer didn't feel comfortable calling a go-around. In this case, by the time the aircraft touched down, the pilots were out of runway and options. The FDR indicates the throttles were brought back up, as if for a go around, but it was too late. There wasn't enough runway left for takeoff, so the power was brought back again. The NTSB also noted that the speed brakes were not deployed. If we learn anything from this accident, it is that unstabilized approaches can happen to any pilot at any certification level. Strive for Stable From Start of Training Stabilized approaches are discussed in private pilot ground school and introduced during your first flight lesson. They should be practiced on a regular basis. Especially when working with airline-aspiring pilots, I am a big believer in calling out airspeeds on each leg of the pattern with the understanding that being behind the airplane results in a rushed approach that often leads to a rushed and poor landing. It is easy to fall out of this habit. You may catch yourself getting sloppy on approaches, then vow to clean it up. To my fellow CFIs: Experienced pilots can surprise you. I flew with a commercial pilot who told me his practice was to not use flaps when flying the Cessna 172 until he was on short final, then he would dump them in-all 30 degrees. He said it had been more than 10 years since he had flown. I was pretty sure something got lost in translation, and said so. He was adamant, so I had him take us up to 4,000 feet, then demonstrate his pattern technique with the understanding the cardinal compass headings were the traffic pattern legs and the "runway" was at 3,000 feet. When he dumped the flaps in the C-172, (as expected) it pitched up rapidly and entered a power-off stall much to his surprise. It was a teachable moment. We spent the next 30 minutes practicing faux pattern at altitude and focusing on aircraft configuration, meaning flaps added incrementally, and maintaining appropriate airspeeds as indicated in the aircraft POH and on the landing checklist. Touch-and-Goes and Go-Arounds The practice of the touch-and-go helps perfect the "cleanup" part of the go-around. Power up, carburetor heat off, flaps up (incrementally), positive rate of climb, gear up (if appropriate), heat up (close cowl flaps if appropriate), and fess up. Don't confuse the order. So many pilots talk first, fly second. Please don't be the pilot who drops the airplane to fly the radio. Tips for Stable Approach Per the FAA's Airplane Flying Handbook, to maintain the desired flight path on approach, the application of power and pitch must work in concert. The agency's Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge and the prelanding checklist will indicate power settings and airspeeds to use. Review these numbers before flight, especially in a new-to-you airplane. If you're too fast to safely deploy flaps, reduce the power and hold pitch until you've slowed to flap-deployment speed. Always confirm the airspeed before deploying flaps. In the training environment for a flap-equipped airplane, you may find it useful to verbalize the metrics for the approach with the understanding that if they get outside of the published numbers, a go-around is appropriate and always an option. During training, many pilots, especially those on the CFI track, find it useful to verbalize the prelanding check: "Downwind abeam touchdown, power to (insert value) white arc confirmed, first notch of flaps, descending to (appropriate altitude for base turn) second notch of flaps, airspeed (insert metric) descending to (insert metric) altitude (turning base) final notch of flaps, on glide path for landing on the second stripe, airspeed (insert value), touchdown at (insert value)." Caveat To the pilots who aspire to multicrewed cockpits: Sooner or later you may encounter Captain Macho, the pilot who insists, "I can save it," when the approach is too fast. Don't be afraid to speak up and voice your concerns and call for a go-around. If they yell at you, it's a lot more likely that you will survive that than an aircraft going off the end of the runway. https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/why-arounds-save-lives-lessons-120000236.html South Africa turns used cooking oil into jet fuel for $120,000 luxury flights to Antarctica Travellers paying as much as $120,000 to visit Antarctica will soon fly from South Africa using jet fuel made partly from used cooking oil and other biological waste. Sasol will supply locally produced sustainable aviation fuel for luxury flights from Cape Town to Antarctica. White Desert offers Antarctic trips costing between $16,500 and $120,000. The fuel is made partly from materials such as used cooking oil and will be blended with conventional jet fuel. The first flight under the agreement is expected to depart in November aboard an Airbus A340-600. South African energy and chemicals group Sasol has signed an agreement to supply sustainable aviation fuel to White Desert, a luxury-tourism company that operates flights between Cape Town and Antarctica. The agreement represents Sasol’s first commercial supply of the fuel, according to a company statement published on 15 September⁠. The first flight using the South African-made fuel is expected to depart in November aboard an Airbus A340-600, Reuters reported⁠. White Desert operates approximately one flight weekly during Antarctica’s November-to-February tourism season. Its packages range from a $16,500 one-day visit to seven-day expeditions costing as much as $120,000. The company’s guests can visit emperor penguin colonies, explore glaciers and stay in heated camps on the continent. The new agreement connects that high-end tourism market with South Africa’s emerging cleaner-fuel industry. From European imports to South African fuel White Desert has used sustainable aviation fuel since 2021 but previously sourced it from Europe. It is switching to Sasol after the South African company secured international sustainability certification for fuel produced at its Natref refinery. Natref, located in Sasolburg, has the capacity to process approximately 108,500 barrels daily. It is also South Africa’s only inland crude-oil refinery⁠. Sasol will supply sustainable jet fuel made partly from used cooking oil for luxury flights from Cape Town to Antarctica costing as much as $120,000.[Wikipedia] Sasol will supply sustainable jet fuel made partly from used cooking oil for luxury flights from Cape Town to Antarctica costing as much as $120,000.[Wikipedia] Sasol’s product is made by processing renewable materials, including used cooking and vegetable oils, alongside conventional feedstock. It can be used in existing aircraft after being blended with ordinary jet fuel, avoiding the need to replace engines or build new airport-fuelling systems. The arrangement gives Sasol a named commercial customer months after Natref received certification from Germany’s TÜV SÜD. The certification also opened a possible route into Europe, where airlines face progressively higher requirements to use sustainable fuel. Sasol has said Natref could produce approximately 100 million litres of sustainable aviation fuel annually by 2030. Combined with planned production at its Secunda complex, that figure could reach 200 million litres. Cleaner, but not emission-free The agreement does not mean the aircraft will fly entirely on recycled cooking oil or operate without emissions. Sustainable aviation fuel is normally blended with conventional fuel, and aircraft still release carbon dioxide when it is burned. Its environmental advantage comes largely from reusing renewable waste instead of extracting additional crude oil. White Desert says sustainable fuels can reduce lifecycle emissions substantially compared with conventional jet fuel. However, the actual reduction depends on the feedstock, manufacturing process and amount blended into the aircraft’s fuel. Neither company disclosed the volume covered by the agreement, its financial value or the renewable portion of the final blend. Those details will determine the project’s real commercial and environmental importance. Still, the deal moves South Africa’s sustainable aviation ambitions beyond certification and into commercial use, with one of the world’s most remote and expensive flight routes serving as its first showcase. https://africa.businessinsider.com/local/markets/south-africa-turns-used-cooking-oil-into-jet-fuel-for-dollar120000-luxury-flights-to/4c7d5sr This Cheap, Pocket-Sized Gadget Can Hack A Boeing 737 A gadget roughly the size of a US quarter can take over the flight computers on Boeing 737. Once in place, it does so quietly, rewriting where the plane is headed while keeping that change off the pilot's screen. That may sound scary at first, but the thing's actually been developed by researchers at the University of California San Diego and Oberlin College. They showed off the device – assembled for $100 in parts – in August at an academic security conference. Specifically, the device slots into a maintenance connector inside a compartment called the Electronics and Equipment bay under a 737's nose, where most of the plane's computers sit. The hatch covering that compartment has no lock either and sits low enough for a bad actor to be able to reach it from the tarmac itself, without using a ladder. The whole job would take about 60 seconds, according to the researchers. The findings cover the Boeing 737NG family, the third and most widely delivered generation of the jet, along with the MAX, the fourth generation and the one Boeing builds today. Between them, those two account for over 95% of the 737s still flying. The connector itself works by tapping the line between the Flight Management Computer, which plots the route the autopilot follows, and the display unit the pilots type into. It's able to do this because those two talk over a 1977 wiring standard with no authentication. For what it's worth, the researchers have actually never tested any of this on an actual aircraft – gaining access to one simply isn't easy. Instead, the research was performed by buying used 737 parts and then wiring them together on a bench, following Boeing's own schematics. Boeing isn't oblivious to all this. In fact, the company has known about the flaw since 2020. And in 2023, the company even let the team run the attack inside its own test facility, where it worked as well. However, Boeing doesn't seem too worried. It told Wired that the way planes get operated and the protections built into them make a real attack difficult to succeed. The attacker would firstly need months of reverse engineering before they're able to build anything. Even if they're able to clear that hurdle, they'd have to defeat security by walking up to a parked 737, and then actually opening the hatch without anyone asking why. But difficult is not the same as impossible. The Transportation Security Administration, which lawmakers established after the September 11 attacks, counted more than 1.4 million American aviation workers carrying badges for restricted airport areas in a 2017 report. That badge is all it would take for someone to gain access. Still, even if the device is able to hide from the pilot's screen, it doesn't control the rest of the cockpit. If it does manage to turn the plane the wrong way, the change of direction would still show up on other instruments. A crew would catch it and simply turn autopilot off to correct the course. https://www.yahoo.com/tech/cybersecurity/articles/cheap-pocket-sized-gadget-hack-083000107.html Boeing’s first 737 MAX gear swap lets American Airlines skip weeks of overhaul downtime Boeing and American Airlines have completed the first landing gear exchange for a 737 MAX. The exchange extends a maintenance program the manufacturer has run for years to a new generation of single-aisle aircraft. The exchange delivered a fully overhauled, Boeing-certified landing gear assembly ready to install, aimed at cutting how long aircraft sit grounded for maintenance. Boeing's Landing Gear Exchange Program has long offered airlines an alternative to purchasing and warehousing their own expensive spare gear. Instead, operators can swap in a pre-overhauled, certified assembly whenever their own gear needs servicing, avoiding the extended downtime that comes with performing a full overhaul in place. That model has already proven itself across earlier generations of Boeing single-aisle aircraft before now extending to the MAX. A first for the MAX This exchange marks the first time that established process has been applied specifically to the 737 MAX platform. William Ampofo, senior vice president of Parts & Distribution and Supply Chain at Boeing Global Services, said the milestone reinforces something customers have already come to expect. That's predictable, safe, and cost-effective outcomes from the broader program. For the completed exchange, Boeing supplied overhauled and certified main and nose landing gear assemblies along with installation kits, though wheels, tires, and brakes were not included. The swap validated the program's full process end to end, from technical overhaul and paperwork through final delivery, confirming the approach translates consistently to the newer MAX fleet. Expanding a bigger fleet Boeing is now increasing its global overhaul capacity. The company is working with certified maintenance, repair, and overhaul partners to expand where the exchange program is available and shorten lead times. Near-term priorities include growing the pool of MAX-capable exchange inventory and adding forward-exchange slots positioned closer to where customers actually operate. Boeing also plans to track operational metrics that quantify the program's downtime and cost benefits as it scales. The forward-exchange model lets airlines avoid lengthy in-place overhauls and the risk of extended groundings altogether. Rather than holding costly spare inventory themselves, operators can instead reserve forward-exchange slots, freeing up working capital while improving overall fleet predictability. Boeing manages the technical overhaul process, incorporates applicable service bulletins, handles certification, and coordinates with suppliers. That arrangement shifts inventory and obsolescence risk away from the airline itself. Ampofo said extending the program to the 737 MAX gives operators another proven tool. It helps them shorten downtime, manage costs, and align heavy maintenance work with their broader operational needs. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/technology/articles/boeing-first-737-max-gear-100000933.html Families of the 67 who died in the DC midair collision want reforms to prevent the next tragedy National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy, center, helps to comfort Christina Stovall, center with back to camera, and Laura Augendre, right, family members of victims of flight 5342, the deadly Jan. 2025 midair collision between an American Airlines plane and a Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River, during a news conference on air safety reforms, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026. The loved ones of the 67 people who died last year when an airliner and Army helicopter collided over Washington, D.C., urged Congress and regulators Tuesday to do more now so other families aren't left clutching belongings and memories instead of their spouses and children. Several of the victims' families joined with top lawmakers and the head of the National Transportation Safety Board outside the U.S. Capitol to demand action, but it may be difficult for this Congress to pass anything ahead of the midterm elections. And lawmakers are still trying to draft a compromise bill that will combine elements of the competing proposals that previously passed the House and Senate. Doug Lane said he has the U.S. figure skating jacket that his son Spencer worked so hard to earn and pieces of his wife Christine's laptop that were retrieved from the wreckage after their plane plunged into the icy Potomac River in the deadliest U.S. aviation disaster since 2001. Everyone aboard was killed when American Airlines Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kansas, and the Army Black Hawk helicopter on a training mission collided. The victims included 28 members of the figure skating community. Lane said the families don't want to see the key reforms recommended after this crash — which include requiring planes to be equipped with systems that will let pilots know exactly where other aircraft are — to wind up like some of the never-implemented measures proposed after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Airline pilots are still pushing for secondary barriers to keep someone from storming the cockpit when the door is opened. “That is what fading urgency looks like. Something everyone agrees will make people safer gets caught in process, objections, exceptions and delay until you look up and an entire generation has passed. Flight 5342 cannot follow that path,” Lane said. The FAA quickly restricted helicopter traffic around Reagan National Airport when it became clear that a helicopter route in the approach path of the airport's secondary runway didn’t ensure enough separation between helicopters and planes. But the NTSB remains unsatisfied with the FAA's response to a third of the 33 safety recommendations it received. FAA Administrator Brian Bedford testified on Capitol Hill Tuesday that his staff will work to address those concerns, but he also needs guidance from Congress. Some progress, but families want meaningful reforms Already, steps have been taken to prevent helicopters and planes from sharing the same airspace around Reagan airport, and air traffic controllers are now prohibited from relying only on pilots to see other aircraft and avoid them. But concerning incidents continue to happen, such as when an airline jet was allowed to take off just as President Donald Trump's helicopter was taking off from the White House last month. Lane and many other victims' families traveled to the nation's capital time after time in the 595 days since the crash. “We can tell them stories, we can ask questions. We can push for answers. We can take action. That’s the work that belongs to us. But we cannot do anybody else’s work for them,” Lane said. “We need the people with the power to turn this tragedy into change to do theirs and to finish it.” Senators Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell and NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said it would be a shame to reach the second anniversary of the crash, without Congress passing the reforms her agency recommended, nor the Federal Aviation Administration and Defense Department making more safety improvements. Cruz said he hopes Congress will be able to pass a bill during the lame duck session that will follow November's elections. Families say airlines and Congress should push for safety Rachel Feres, who lost her cousin and his wife and two young daughters in the crash, said she can’t believe there's still debate about whether pilots transporting hundreds of passengers should have the best collision-avoidance technology available, when most modern cars come equipped with arrays of sensors to check blind spots and even apply the brakes in an emergency. Feres and the other families have been surprised at the amount of lobbying against requiring all planes flying in crowded airspace to be equipped with existing technology that can help pilots know the location of all other aircraft flying nearby. Homendy has said those ADS-B In systems would have prevented this crash. Some airlines have endorsed them, but cost concerns from other airlines and private plane owners have been a stumbling block. The airlines have the money and power to get this done, Feres said. “This is not about whether you can afford to act … you have the leverage, you have the voice. The question is why safety so rarely gets the same urgency as the next quarterly earnings report.” “Do the thing you would demand if your wife and son were on that airplane. Do what you would do if your granddaughter was traveling home with her teddy bear. You know how to move fast when money is on the line. Move fast when lives are,” Feres said. https://www.timesunion.com/business/article/families-of-the-67-who-died-in-last-year-s-midair-22433434.php CALENDAR OF EVENTS . ALPA's 70th Air Safety Forum -September 14-17, 2026; Washington, DC . ICAO/EASA Third Global RSOO/RAIO Forum for Aviation Safety — September 29–30, 2026, in Georgetown, Guyana., https://www.icao.int/events : Aircraft Cabin Air International Conference - 22-23 September 2026 . ISASI - BOSTON 2026 - September 28, 2026 – October 2, 2026 . Global Aviation Conference Frankfurt- 29-30SEP2026 - Frankfurt, Germany . Defence Aviation Safety Conference 2026 — October 5–6, 2026, United Kingdom. . European Aviation Training Summit 3 – 5 November 2026 • Estoril Congress Centre, Cascais, Portugal . 79TH ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL AVIATION SAFETY SUMMIT MONTREAL | NOVEMBER 10-12, 2026. . Airlines 2026 conference - November 11, 2026 (London) . 2026 NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE) Oct. 20-22, 2026 | Las Vegas, NV . Gulf Flight Safety Association (GFSA)conference Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on the 28th and 29th of October 2026 . Bombardier Safety Standdown (November 10–12, 2026 in Wichita, KS) . Aircraft Fire Hazards, Protection, and Investigation17 to 19 November 2026, Woburn MA . 2027 ACSF Safety Symposium - April 6-8, 2027 - ERAU Daytona Beach, FL Curt Lewis