A passenger plane bound for Kyiv has crashed close to Tehran's main international airport, killing 176 people. Video circulated by Iranian news agencies appears to show the Boeing 737-800 bursting into flame minutes after takeoff and plummeting to earth. There was no early indication the crash was linked to Iran's Wednesday morning missile strikes on bases in Iraq hosting US and coalition troops
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Iran plane crash: footage appears to show burning wreckage – video
Footage released by Iran Press TV appears to show burning wreckage from moments after a Ukrainian passenger jet crashed near Tehran.
The Ukrainian airliner, which had 176 people onboard, crashed soon after taking off from Tehran's Imam Khomeini airport. Iran's Red Crescent said there was no chance of finding survivors
Iran crash: Ukraine Boeing with 176 onboard comes down near Tehran
Iranians, Canadians, Ukrainians, Swedes, Afghans, Germans and three Britons killed in crash, reports say
A passenger plane carrying 176 people bound for the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, has crashed a few minutes after taking off from Tehran’s main international airport.
Iran’s Red Crescent has said there was no chance of finding survivors, and Pir Hossein Kulivand, an Iranian emergency official, later told state TV all those on board were killed in the crash.
Continue reading...Boeing Starliner space capsule goes off course on first test flight
Officials say spacecraft is in stable orbit but problem may delay mission to carry Nasa astronauts
Boeing’s new Starliner capsule ran into trouble and went off course in orbit minutes after blasting off on Friday on its first test flight, a crucial dress rehearsal for next year’s inaugural launch with astronauts.
Initially everything went flawlessly as the Atlas V rocket launched with the Starliner shortly before sunrise. But half an hour into the flight, Boeing reported that the capsule had not got into the position needed to get to the International Space Station.
Continue reading...FAA let Boeing 737 Max continue to fly even as review found serious crash risk
Analysis from US regulators found plane could have averaged a fatal crash about every two to three years without design changes
US regulators allowed Boeing’s 737 Max to keep flying even after their own analysis found the plane could have averaged one fatal crash about every two or three years without intervention.
According to a report dated a month after a Lion Air 737 Max crashed in October 2018, killing 189 people, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) concluded the plane could become involved in more fatal crashes without design changes.
Continue reading...Boeing 737 Max jets could fly again by January with safety checks under way
World’s biggest planemaker hopes aviation authorities will soon approve plane’s flight control software
Boeing said on Monday it could have its fleet of 737 Max jets flying again by January as safety checks on the aircraft’s troubled flight software reach completion. The planes were grounded in March in the wake of two fatal crashes in the space of five months that killed 346 people.
The world’s biggest planemaker said it hoped the Federal Aviation Administration would approve certification of the plane’s flight control software before the end of the year. A fault with the plane’s anti-stall mechanism is believed to have caused the Lionair crash in Indonesia last October and then the Ethiopian Airlines disaster in March.
Continue reading...Qantas 737 cracks: airline pulls three Boeing planes from service
Aircraft grounded after hairline cracks found between wing and fuselage
Qantas has pulled three of its Boeing 737 planes from service after finding hairline cracks but have said they will not ground all 737s they fly.
Three planes have now been affected by cracks in the “pickle fork” structure between the wing and the fuselage. On Thursday, the aircraft engineers union said the airline should ground the entire 737 fleet.
Continue reading...Lion Air crash report ‘criticises design, maintenance and pilot error’
Advance copy of report says several factors were to blame for crash that killed 189 in Indonesia
The final report by Indonesian investigators into the crash of a Boeing 737 Max plane flown by Indonesia’s Lion Air that left 189 people dead has found that problems with Boeing’s design, the airline’s maintenance of the jet and pilot errors contributed to the disaster.
The report into the October 2018 crash criticised the US planemaker’s new anti-stall system, MCAS, that automatically pushed the plane’s nose down, leaving pilots fighting for control.
Continue reading...Ethiopian Airlines crash: families to subpoena US operators of 737 Max
Subpoenas to Southwest Airlines and American Airlines seek information about flight crew training and 737 Max software MCAS
Lawyers representing families of passengers killed in a Boeing 737 Max crash in Ethiopia in March are set to issue subpoenas to Southwest Airlines and American Airlines, the two biggest US operators of the jet, according to documents seen by Reuters.
The subpoenas will be issued over the next couple of days, the lawyers separately told Reuters.
Continue reading...Boeing removes CEO as chairman amid 737 Max crisis
Board reshuffle follows report saying planemaker failed to fully inform FAA about changes to flight control system
The Boeing chief executive officer, Dennis Muilenburg, has lost his other title as chairman of the planemaker, nearly a year after the first of two crashes of its 737 Max that together killed 346 people.
Boeing announced late on Friday that company directors decided to separate the two jobs and elected one of their own, David L Calhoun, to serve as non-executive chairman.
Continue reading...Scotch whisky and French wine hit by $7.5bn US tariffs
The 25% levies also include British knitwear and EU cheese and aircraft as White House retaliates for subsidies given to Airbus
The US is set to impose $7.5bn (£6.1bn) of tariffs on exports from the EU including scotch whisky, French wine and cheese and aircraft in retaliation for subsidies given to the aerospace group Airbus after a World Trade Organization (WTO) ruling..
Related: Airbus on course to overtake Boeing as biggest planemaker
Continue reading...Boeing 777X test halted after reports of cargo door failure
Door of new model reportedly exploded outwards during ground-based stress testing
Boeing has suspended load testing of its new widebody 777X aircraft as media reports said a cargo door failed in a ground stress test.
“During final load testing on the 777X static test airplane, the team encountered an issue that required suspension of the test,” Boeing spokesman Paul Bergman said in a statement on Saturday.
Continue reading...Boeing says it could halt production of 737 Max after grounding
The company lost $2.9bn in the three months to the end of June, compared to a profit of $2.2bn for the same period last year
Boeing said it could halt production of the 737 Max jet on Wednesday as it reported the company’s largest ever quarterly loss following two fatal accidents involving the plane.
The company lost $2.9bn in the three months to the end of June, compared to a profit of $2.2bn for the same period last year. Sales fell 35% to $15.8bn. Chief executive Dennis Muilenburg said production of the plane could be slowed or halted if regulators do not move to lift the ban on the plane.
Continue reading...Boeing Max 737: airlines delay plane’s return until November
Southwest, American and United Airlines all put back return date for troubled jet
The swift return of Boeing’s 737 Max aircraft to the skies was put further in doubt this week with airlines signalling that they do not hope to operate the plane any time soon.
With more than four months already elapsed since the plane was grounded by regulators, Southwest and American, two of the jet’s main US operators, followed United Airlines in saying they would be taking the Max out of their schedules until November.
Continue reading...Ryanair to cut flights due to Boeing 737 Max crisis
Budget airline says it plans to close some bases and will carry fewer passengers
Ryanair has warned delays to deliveries of Boeing’s 737 Max aircraft will reduce passenger numbers next year and it plans to downsize or close bases at some airports as a result.
Europe’s biggest budget carrier has ordered 135 of the 737 Max models, which remain grounded after two crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia killed a total of 346 people. Boeing has yet to convince regulators that software modifications are sufficient to ensure the plane’s safety.
Continue reading...Boeing 737 Max ordered by Ryanair undergoes name change
Decision fuels speculation that troubled plane will be rebranded once it is given all clear to fly
A Boeing 737 Max due to be delivered to Ryanair has had the name Max dropped from the livery, further fuelling speculation that the manufacturer and airlines will seek to rebrand the troubled plane once it is given the all clear to fly again.
Photos have emerged of a 737 Max in Ryanair colours outside Boeing’s manufacturing hub, with the designation 737-8200 – instead of 737 Max – on the nose. The 737-8200 is a type name for the aircraft that is used by aviation agencies.
Continue reading...Pilots reveal safety fears over Boeing’s fleet of Dreamliners
Company admits that fire extinguisher switch has failed a ‘small number’ of times
Airline pilots have voiced fears over the safety of a fleet of Boeing aircraft after a crucial fire-fighting system has been found to have the potential to malfunction.
Boeing has issued an alert to airlines using its flagship B787 Dreamliner, warning that the switch used to extinguish an engine fire has failed in a “small number” of instances. The switch also severs the fuel supply and the hydraulic fluid to prevent flames spreading.
Continue reading...Further safety issue found in grounded Boeing 737 Max planes
Airlines told to check aircraft as affected components may be at risk of premature failure
Safety regulators in the US have identified a further problem in Boeing’s grounded 737 Max model and the generation of planes that preceded it.
The Federal Aviation Administration has told airlines to check more than 300 737 aircraft, including 179 of the Max model, for improperly manufactured parts.
Continue reading...Boeing 737 Max will be grounded until August, says airline trade body
Plane taken out of service after Ethiopian Airlines crash may not fly before peak season
The Boeing 737 Max aircraft will not return to the skies before August, according to the boss of aviation’s main trade body.
The 737 Max was grounded by regulators in the wake of two crashes, and although manufacturer Boeing has been working on a fix to allay safety concerns, the timetable is now likely to see it out of service for another 10 to 12 weeks, into peak season for many airlines.
Continue reading...Pilots confronted Boeing with 737 Max fears after first fatal crash, audio reveals
- Boeing appeared to play down concerns of a second crash
- Audio release comes as House committee reviews FAA role
American Airlines (AA) pilots angrily confronted a Boeing official about an anti-stall system suspected in two fatal crashes of the manufacturer’s 737 Max aircraft, according to a new recording.
Related: Boeing boss rejects accusations about 737 Max jets that crashed
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