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Triumph... Then Tragedy: Cirrus SR20 Down in SC, 4 Lost

In the wake of an amazing week in which somewhat controversial safety systems such as the BRS manufactured Cirrus Airplane Parachute System (CAPS) was credited with saving the lives of 5 people (and one alleged feline) in two aircraft in serious trouble, tragedy has struck the Cirrus community. At approximately 1400, Monday afternoon, a Cirrus SR20 (file photo, below) departed the Greenwood County airport in South Carolina, with four adults on board and went down about a mile from the 5000 foot runway, in trees and unimproved terrain.

Accident Could Have Dire Consequences For California Airport

Airport Opponent Wants Details

The man with a plan to turn Buchanan Field into a housing tract wants a report on the crash-landing of a single-engine GA aircraft last week in which a young girl's leg was severely injured by the plane's propeller.

PLB Problems

Some Work Poorly, Some Just Don't Work

All GPS-equipped 406 MHz Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs) and marine Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRBs) are not created equal. In a finding of a recent test of PLBs and EPIRBs from three manufacturers, the GPS location function of one manufacturer's products routinely failed to acquire a GPS location when tested under other than ideal conditions. An equally important test finding was that the international standards to certify the GPS-enabled 406 MHz beacons fail to take into account the real-world conditions that often exist when beacons are activated.

Italy Jails Aviation Officials In Wake Of 2001 Crash

Airport Director, Controller Get Eight Years!

You can imagine Vincenzo Fusco and Paolo Zacchetti feel terrible already. Ditto for Sandro Gualano and Francesco Federico. They were all involved to one degree or another in the worst aviation accident to hit Italy in more than 30 years. But to compound their misery, an Italian court has sentenced all four men to prison.

Rate Cut! AVEMCO Chops Rates on Non-Owned Insurance Policies

Ready For Some GOOD News?

Here's a story you don't see that often... One of the aviation industry's most well-known companies is cutting it's prices... AVEMCO Insurance Company has announced that it has reduced its premium rates for several categories of its popular Aviator Series Non-Owned (Renter's) insurance. Decreases of 7-8% have been made in the Gold and Platinum levels of the Aviator Series packages without any changes in coverages.