Sun, Jan 02, 2011
Security Paranoia Strikes Again, Pilot Error Blamed
A short-term communications failure on a scheduled airliner
resulted in yet another evacuation of a number of government
offices in the Washington, DC, area.
According to the FAA's Diane Spitaliere, Piedmont Airlines
Flight 4352 was enroute to Ronald Reagan Washington National
Airport from Hilton Head, South Carolina, and lost contact during
its approach. The result was the scrambling of the North American
Aerospace Defense Command's on-duty fighters, based a short
distance away at Andrews Air Force Base.
Spitaliere added that, "Shortly after that we reestablished
contact with the plane, and it has been on the ground at (Reagan
National Airport) for a while. Department of Homeland Security
(DHS) officials are interviewing the pilots."
Another FAA source, Jim Peters, has been quoted in media reports
saying that the feds are reviewing a "pilot readback error" that
appears to be at the core of the matter. The total comm outage
reportedly lasted approximately 15 minutes. Operated as a codeshare
flight with US Airways, the deHavilland DHC-8 (Dash 8) is one
of 44 (in various configurations) in service with Piedmont.
Among the buildings evacuated were the US Capitol, which was
fairly vacant due to the holiday recess. Capitol Police started the
evacuation order at approximately 1330 Saturday, according to
Sergeant Kimberly Schneider. A little after 1400, police reported
that the “threat had dissipated” and personnel were
allowed back to their offices.
More News
Aero Linx: JAARS Nearly 1.5 billion people, using more than 5,500 languages, do not have a full Bible in their first language. Many of these people live in the most remote parts of>[...]
'Airplane Bounced Twice On The Grass Runway, Resulting In The Nose Wheel Separating From The Airplane...' Analysis: The pilot reported, “upon touchdown, the plane jumped back>[...]
"Burt is best known to the public for his historic designs of SpaceShipOne, Voyager, and GlobalFlyer, but for EAA members and aviation aficionados, his unique concepts began more t>[...]
"Polaris Dawn, the first of the program’s three human spaceflight missions, is targeted to launch to orbit no earlier than summer 2024. During the five-day mission, the crew >[...]
There Are SO Many Ways To Get YOUR Aero-News! It’s been a while since we have reminded everyone about all the ways we offer your daily dose of aviation news on-the-go...so he>[...]