pilot

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In 'Miracle,' 2 Men Walk Away From Missouri Plane Crash

They can thank their lucky stars, and a parachute

(Newser) - Two men are counting their blessings after a close call in Missouri, where a small plane crash-landed into a tree line near Spirit of St. Louis Airport. Authorities say the incident happened around 6pm Tuesday as the plane was returning to the airport in Chesterfield, a St. Louis suburb, K...

Co-Pilot in DB Cooper Hijacking Dies at 86
Co-Pilot in DB Cooper
Hijacking Dies at 86
OBITUARY
Nov 13, 2025 8:34 AM CST

Co-Pilot in DB Cooper Hijacking Dies at 86

William Rataczak flew 35K hours, with several of those now cemented in crime lore

(Newser) - William Rataczak, who served as co-pilot on the infamous 1971 flight hijacked by the mysterious DB Cooper, has died. Rataczak, a former Air Force pilot and Northwest Orient Airlines employee, passed away of pneumonia at an assisted living center in Minnesota on Oct. 22 at the age of 86, his...

US Tried to Flip Maduro's Pilot in a Secret Sting

Federal agent promised a lot of cash if pilot delivered Venezuelan strongman to US authorities

(Newser) - The US recently tried to recruit Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's top pilot to help capture the embattled leader, according to an in-depth report by the AP . The plan began when an informant approached the US Embassy in the Dominican Republic, claiming to have information about planes used by Maduro....

Plane Crash-Lands, Striking Pedestrian

Yet Tuesday's incident in Long Beach 'could have been a whole lot worse'

(Newser) - A woman walking through a park in Long Beach on Tuesday afternoon unexpectedly found herself in the path of a small airplane making an emergency landing on a soccer field. Fire officials say the incident happened shortly after 4pm, when the aircraft—described by KTLA as "possibly experimental"—...

2 Minutes After the Jump, Skydiving Plane Goes Down
2 Minutes After Skydivers
Jumped, the Plane Goes Down
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Oct 5, 2025 9:30 AM CDT

2 Minutes After Skydivers Jumped, the Plane Goes Down

Veteran pilot, skydiver Paul Smith dies in crash in southern Australia

(Newser) - Eight skydivers jumped to safety just two minutes before their plane crashed Saturday on Australia's south coast, killing the pilot, who was the only person left on board. The skydivers had jumped from about 14,000 feet near Moruya airport in New South Wales just after 2pm Saturday,...

In Survey, 93% of Pilots Admit to Naps on the Job

Though the naps are controlled, the fatigue triggering them raises safety concerns

(Newser) - There's a new norm in the skies: snoozing pilots. A survey from Vereinigung Cockpit, a German pilots union, reveals that nearly all participating German pilots have dozed off during flights in recent months—a habit the union calls a "worrying reality" amid mounting fatigue in the aviation...

Spirit Pilot Set for Takeoff Busted Instead

Dominic Cipolla accused of stalking 2 minors in Kansas

(Newser) - A Spirit Airlines pilot has been taken off duty after his airport arrest on stalking charges involving minors. Dominic A. Cipolla, 40, was taken into custody July 17 while on duty at New Orleans' Louis Armstrong International Airport, stemming from a criminal complaint issued six days earlier, the Guardian ...

Delta Pilot Lands Plane, Is Immediately Arrested

Passengers watched as officers escorted Flight 2809 co-pilot off plane in San Francisco

(Newser) - Passengers on a Delta flight were left stunned when federal agents stormed the cockpit and arrested the co-pilot moments after landing at San Francisco International Airport on Saturday night, turning a routine arrival into a scene of confusion. Flight 2809 from Minneapolis, arriving around 9:35pm after a fog-related...

Pilot to Baggage Handler: 'You Saved My Life'
Pilot to Baggage Handler:
'You Saved My Life'
in case you missed it
May 11, 2025 1:25 PM CDT

Pilot to Baggage Handler: 'You Saved My Life'

Glasgow Airport employee Craig Potter named a 'super hero' for choking intervention

(Newser) - As an airport baggage handler, Craig Potter knows how to handle all sorts of cargo, and apparently emergencies, too. The 36-year-old was on the tarmac of Scotland's Glasgow Airport in December when a pilot ran off a plane in panic. "He was violently choking and patting on his...

Sightseeing Copter Broke Apart in Midair, Plunged Into Hudson

NTSB preliminary report is out in April crash that killed everyone onboard

(Newser) - The National Transportation Safety Board has released a preliminary report on the Hudson River helicopter crash that killed six people in April, including Siemens executive Agustin Escobar Canadas of Spain and his family. The report reveals that the copter came apart in midair before plunging into the river, but...

Alaska Pilot Loses $95K Plane Over 6-Pack of Beer

State's top court upholds punishment for trying to bring alcohol to dry community

(Newser) - Confiscating a $95,000 plane over a six-pack of beer isn't an "unconstitutionally excessive" or "grossly disproportionate" punishment, Alaska's top court has decided. The Alaska Supreme Court has ruled against retired pilot Kenneth Jouppi in a case that goes back to 2012, the New York Times...

Trans Pilot Sues Influencer: I 'Believe in Consequences'

Virginia National Guard's Jo Ellis says Matt Wallace accused her of piloting chopper in Potomac crash

(Newser) - A transgender pilot falsely reported to have been flying the military helicopter that collided in January with a commercial airplane, killing 67, is now suing a right-wing influencer for spreading that rumor—the insinuation being that she was hired only due to DEI initiatives. "I want to hold this...

Official: Pilot Who Landed on Lake Isn't Cooperating

Officials say John Morris Jr. wasn't authorized to fly with passengers

(Newser) - Stranded on the wing of an almost entirely sunken plane in icy Alaska, a student pilot and his young passengers defied the cold for 12 hours—but that pilot now faces federal scrutiny for what officials say was an unauthorized flight. John Morris Jr. was rescued alongside two young family...

Cops Stop Plane, Charge Pilot With DUI
Pilot Charged With DUI
Moments Before Takeoff
in case you missed it
Jan 19, 2025 12:40 PM CST

Pilot Charged With DUI Moments Before Takeoff

David Alsop was pulled off Southwest plane, arrested in Georgia after TSA officer smelled booze

(Newser) - Finding out your pilot was just arrested for DUI, moments before you were set to take off, isn't news any airline passenger wants to hear, yet here we have the story of Southwest Airlines Flight 3772. A source tells NBC News that a TSA officer at Savannah/Hilton Head International...

Squirrel for Thanksgiving? Not With This Pilot in the Skies

Alaska residents get a meal and a smile thanks to the Alaska Turkey Bomb

(Newser) - In the remotest reaches of Alaska, there's no relying on DoorDash to have Thanksgiving dinner—or any dinner—delivered. But some residents living well off the grid nevertheless have turkeys this holiday, thanks to the Alaska Turkey Bomb. For the third straight year, a resident named Esther Keim has...

Pilot Transporting Rescue Dogs Crashes and Dies

1 dog died, 2 others survived Sunday's crash in the snowy Catskills

(Newser) - A pilot who transported rescue dogs to shelter and care facilities around the country died Sunday when his plane crashed in New York's Catskill Mountains. Seuk Kim, 49, a South Korea native of Springfield, Virginia, was found dead alongside a dog he was transporting for a nonprofit, NBC News...

'She Looked Into His Eyes, and He Was Sold'

Southwest pilot Matt Prebish adopts kitten he was flying on hurricane rescue flight with 145 animals

(Newser) - What's part of Matthew Prebish's job as a volunteer pilot after natural disasters: evacuating displaced animals. What's not necessarily part of the job: adopting one of those uprooted cuties. But that's exactly what Prebish ended up doing after a weather delay earlier this month in Milwaukee,...

After Flight Departs Seattle, Pilot Collapses and Dies

Turkish Airlines flight made emergency landing in New York

(Newser) - A flight that departed Seattle bound for Istanbul was forced to divert to New York on Tuesday night after the pilot died. A rep for Turkish Airlines says Ilcehin Pehlivan, 59, lost consciousness during the flight, with the BBC reporting the pilot "appears to have got into trouble" while...

Frontier Flight Canceled After Pilot Arrested

He was taken into custody before passengers could board plane at Bush Intercontinental Airport

(Newser) - A Frontier Airlines flight that had been set to go from Houston to the Dallas area last week got canceled not because of weather, but because one of its pilots got arrested. The pilot, Seymour Walker, was arrested by officers around 4pm Thursday before passengers began to board the plane...

Pilot Shrugs Off Scary 'Textbook' Emergency Landing

No injuries reported after small plane's landing gear failed at Australia's Newcastle Airport

(Newser) - A small aircraft made an emergency landing in Australia on Monday after its landing gear failed. The AP and 9News report that the twin turboprop Beechcraft Super King Air flown by 53-year-old pilot Peter Schott, with two passengers on board, took off from New South Wales' Newcastle Airport around 8:...

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