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Nearly 18,000 FAA workers involved in activities such as airmen certificate issuance and NextGen development are furloughed as a result of the partial federal government shutdown took effect on December 22. This has been the third time the government has had a shutdown in the year.
The shutdown affects 17,791 positions that are not involved in the excepted “life and safety” positions. In addition to airmen certificate issuance and NextGen development, activities suspended include unmanned systems exemption, aviation rulemaking, facility security inspections, routine background checks, air traffic control specialist development, certain drug testing, dispute resolution, and air traffic performance analysis, among many others.
However, some hope still remains that will keep the aviation community running. Thanks to the most recent FAA reauthorization bill, the aircraft registry remains open. ATC, maintenance of ATC equipment, field inspections, and “limited” aircraft certification activities also continue. The shutdown continues to have been affecting the TSA and Customs Enforcement. It is unknown how long this shutdown will last.
Along with that, the NBAA has encouraged its members to report to them about how the shutdown is affecting their operations. “This information will be used to tell elected officials about the damage the government shutdown is doing to companies of all sizes, all across the U.S.,” the association said. It is unknown of what may happen or how long the shutdown will be.
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United Airlines Flight 516 bound for Washington D.C from San Francisco made an emergency landing back at San Fran. Not many details are known about this.
At 9:23 AM, the plane reported an unknown mechanical failure and turned around to make an emergency landing. The 737-800 successfully landed in a smooth emergency landing at 10:09 AM. The plane safely taxied to a gate and passengers deboarded. They were later rebooked.
It is still unknown what the mechanical incident was. Details will be soon to follow.
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A small aircraft has crashed into the backyard of a house, killing the pilot on board. The crash took place in the South Dakota town of Sioux Falls. It is currently unknown what caused the aircraft to go down. However, a team from the NTSB believes the cause could have been either engine failure or hydraulic failure in the aircraft. The aircraft is believed to be a Cessna 182.
“Sioux Falls Emergency Manager Regan Smith says officials got reports of exterior damage to one home. Smith says officials plan to continue working into the night.” Major exterior damage has been done to one home. Luckily, firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze before it caused any other damage. The fire was put out minutes after firefighters arrived.
The pilot has not been identified, however, details are soon to come.
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A faulty bracket has caused a jetway to collapse at Baltimore-Washington Intl. Six people have been injured.
“The jet bridge, an extendable hallway stretching from the terminal to the plane, was at Gate E-10 for Southwest Airlines Flight 822, according to the airline.” An ill woman was taken off the flight by paramedics due to a medical emergency, however, seconds later a large creek was heard before a gigantic set of booming noises. The jetway then collapsed. The ill woman made it successfully off of the jetway, however, six paramedics were trapped and injured with non-life-threatening injuries. The paramedics were taken to the hospital. “We are working swiftly to assist all passengers and crew,” Southwest said in a statement to CNN.
“BWI is 9 miles south of downtown Baltimore and 32 miles northeast of Washington, the airport’s website states. It is also the “busiest airport in the region,” the site says, and is named after Baltimore native Thurgood Marshall, who was the first African-American to serve on the US Supreme Court.”
The bridge has since been closed and remains closed. An investigation by the NTSB and FAA is now underway.
Aviation news has been quite slow this week so I pulled these stories that I found interesting and in need of reporting. I fully understand if you think I copied and pasted the articles. Some parts I did. That was only due to the lack of information that I could put into free writing. So, my apologies there. However, I will still ask if you liked this news bulletin. Don’t worry, more stories will be added soon.
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