Friday, August 17, 2012

NTSB responds to fatal parasailing accident in Florida

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is sending an investigator to Pompano Beach, Fla. to investigate a fatal parasailing accident that occurred on Wednesday.
 
At about 3:15 p.m. EDT, a female passenger, parasailing in tandem with another individual, fell from her harness approximately 150-200 feet into water. The woman was fatally injured. The other passenger was unharmed. The parasailing trip was being operated by Waveblast Water Sports. The NTSB has investigated a number of parasailing accidents, and will examine the circumstances of this accident for any recurring safety issues.
 
NTSB investigator Larry Bowling will join the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the U.S. Coast Guard investigating the accident, the board said on Friday.

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

NTSB: Not much to say on Lufthansa/Colgan collision at Dulles

On Friday, at about 3:15 p.m. EDT, Lufthansa flight 417, an Airbus A330, collided with Colgan Air flight 3912, a Bombardier DHC-8-400, on the ground at Washington Dulles International Airport in Dulles, Va. The two aircraft collided while the Airbus was taxiing for takeoff.

“At the time of the accident, the DHC-8 (tail number N341NG) was stationary and waiting for ramp workers to assist with parking at gate A1C,” the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said in a preliminary report filed on Monday. “There were no injuries to any of the passengers or crewmembers on either airplane. The DHC-8 received substantial damage to its rudder and vertical stabilizer and the Airbus (tail number D-AIKE) sustained minor damage to its right wingtip.”

The NTSB continues to investigate the accident.

Navy contract RFP for first unmanned flight aboard aircraft carrier

The U.S. Navy's Unmanned Carrier Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike program will release a request for proposal "soon" for the first operational unmanned vehicle that will launch and recover from an aircraft carrier. [Source: Federal Business Opportunities]