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Articles on Aircraft disaster

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According to the statistics, modern airliners are safer than ever. John/Flickr

How safe is air travel today?

In light of another tragic airline crash, it’s natural to ask whether air travel is becoming less safe. In fact, air travel is safer than at almost any point in history.
Preparing for bodies – Emergency vehicles are lined up near the crash site of the Germanwings Airbus A320 Flight 4U9525. EPA/Sebastian Nogier

Recovering the bodies from the Germanwings air crash in the Alps

The mountainous terrain of the crash site of Germanwings flight 4U9525 will be a challenge for recovering the 150 people killed in the accident.
A Germanwings Airbus A320 similar to the one that crashed into the French Alps. EPA/Jan-Arwed Richter

Flying low during an emergency: from the pilot’s point of view

The European Alps where Flight 4U 9525 crashed – killing 150 onboard – are known by pilots to be a hazardous place. Just one of many things a pilot must consider during any air emergency.
Indonesian Air Force military police officers with the flight data recorder from AirAsia flight QZ8501. EPA/ Bagus Indahono

Answers needed from the flight recorders of Air Asia flight QZ8501

Now the flight data recorders from Air Asia flight QZ8501 have been found investigators have a chance to find out what really brought down the aircraft with 162 passengers and crew on board. Divers have…
A co-pilot on Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo (seen here in 2010) died after the spacecraft crashed in the Mojave desert. EPA/Mark Greenberg/Virgin Galactic

SpaceShipTwo cost a life, so why do we still use human test pilots?

Tragically, the experimental spaceplane SpaceShipTwo crashed in the Mojave desert during a test flight on Friday, killing one pilot and injuring another. It is not clear what went wrong, and the coming…
Some of the debris from the Boeing 777 Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 plane crash site. EPA/Jerry Lampen

Damage to the cockpit gives a clue to loss of flight MH17

Investigations into the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 have revealed the aircraft’s cockpit was punctured by a number of “high-energy objects”. The Dutch Safety Board has revealed the findings…
The evidence is out there, waiting to be found. Igor Kovalenko

Here’s how you find out who shot down MH17

More than a month has passed since Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 crashed with the loss of all 298 lives on board. But despite the disturbances at the crash site near the small town of Grabovo, near Donetsk…
First bodies of victims in the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 crash arrive at Eindhoven Airbase, the Netherlands. AAP/Dan Himbrechts

How dental records will help identify bodies from MH17

The first of the bodies from Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 have arrived in the Netherlands ready for forensic investigation into the remains of the 298 passengers and crew. Identifying the victims is…
Vital forensic evidence could be lost as bodies from Malaysia Airlines MH17 are moved. EPA/Anastasia Vlasova

Identifying bodies from MH17 is a challenge for forensics

Returning the 298 victims from Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 to their families with dignity and respect is a major priority for each nation involved. Disaster victim identification (DVI) is a difficult…
Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 as it takes off from Schiphol airport near Amsterdam, the Netherlands, at 12.31 PM July 17. EPA/Fred Neeleman

Who handles the investigation on downed flight MH17?

The investigation into what happened to Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 and the location of the black box recorder comes down to a series of complex treaties and international law. Calls are being made by…
Debris of the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 Boeing 777 near Donetsk, Ukraine. EPA/Alyona Zykina

Why was Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 flying over Ukraine?

As investigations continue into who brought down the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 with 298 people on board – including at least 28 Australians – questions must be asked as to why the plane was flying…
The search is over only for the Bluefin-21 underwater probe on board the Australian Navy’s Ocean Shield, now returning to port in WA. EPA/Chris Beerens/Australian Defence Department

Time to search deeper in the ocean for missing flight MH370

The search for missing flight MH370 isn’t over in the Southern Indian Ocean – it’s just going deeper in an attempt to cover the ocean floor over a much wider area. Much of the search effort so far has…
The Australian defence vessel Ocean Shield is returning from the Southern Indian Ocean search area after the final search by Bluefin-21. AAP Image/Australian Defence Department

Not the real ping – so what now for missing flight MH370?

Another phase of the search for missing flight MH370 off Western Australia has drawn to a close with still no evidence of the aircraft’s final resting place. It comes as reports from the US say the four…
The missing Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 aircraft pictured in 2013. Flickr/Paul Rowbotham

Would real-time tracking have helped missing flight MH370?

The introduction of constant tracking of commercial aircraft during the whole journey has been raised by Malaysian authorities in a preliminary report into missing flight MH370. It’s been two months now…
The Black Box flight data recorders from the 2005 fatal aircraft accident near Lockhart River, Qld, arrive at the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, Canberra. AAP/News Ltd/Ray Strange

What a black box can tell us about missing flight MH370

As the search continues for wreckage from the missing Malaysia Airlines plane it’s probable that answers surrounding the mystery of flight MH370 will not be available until the recorders are recovered…

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