The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "aviation safety" ...
-
Flying Cheap
The February 2009 crash of Continental Flight 3407 revealed "a little-known trend in the airline industry: major airlines have outsourced more and more of their flights to obscure regional carriers." These smaller carriers operate with different safety practices with pilots that are often paid less, with less training and fewer flight hours.
Tags: airlines; aviation safety; Federal Aviation Administration; flight safety; transportation
-
"Safety for Sale"
The Federal Aviation Administration is under fire after WFAA-TV reveals that thousands of aircraft mechanics licensed by the FAA, had "questionable" training. The poor training and slow reaction by the FAA could be connected to two deadly airplane crashes. The series also revealed that repair facilities hired foreign mechanics through "immigration loopholes" who were unqualified and often could not speak English.
Tags: FAA; Federal Aviation Administration; diploma mills; U.S. aircraft mechanics; mechanic training; foreign mechanics;
-
Fatal Flights
The nation's medevac programs are dominated by private companies with stiff competition and widespread safety failings. The high rate of accidents in the medical helicopter field is due to entrenched complacency. The Post uproots the severe lack of safety in a field the public typically views as heroic.
Tags: medevac; helicopter; hospitals; safety; Washington Post; patient; rescue; Federal Aviation Administration; National Transportation Safety Board; deaths; crash; medical; flight; crew;
-
Bird strike rates at U.S. Airports
Airplanes landing and taking off at airports in Sacramento, Kansas City, and Denver have been the most liekly in the nation to hit birds , according to an NPR analysis of new data from the Federal Aviation Administration. Wildlife researchers believe they can alert birds to oncoming planes if they can come up with an appropriate visual signal, such as pulsating LED lights currently being tested.
Tags: aviation; bird strike; FAA; Federal Aviation Administration; aviation safety; wildlife; wildlife strikes;
-
Air Security - Why You're Not as Safe as You Think
"Eight years after the terrorist attacks of 2001, there are critical gaps in the nation's aviation security system, a Consumer Reports investigation found."
Tags: airline safety; screening; terrorist; attacks; security; TSA; Transportation Security Administration;
-
Close Calls
Complaints of near-miss, mid-air collisions from the Aviation Safety Reporting System indicate a growing number of close calls between airplanes in South Florida.
Tags: airplane; collision; air traffic control; aviation; FAA; Aviation Safety Reporting System; ASRS
-
Deficient Deicing
An investigation of Servisair International, the largest deicing contractor at Denver International Airport, showed that the company was cheating and taking short cuts in training of aircraft deicers. They were also falsifying documents allowing untrained workers to drive around the airfield. All of which are safety violations.
Tags: aviation; planes; Servisair International; deicing; security; safety; employee training;
-
Plastic Planes
"Plastic Planes is a two-part investigative report that examines Boeing and Airbus's investment in high-tech, reinforced plastics called composites, for the next generation of airplanes. The entire aviation industry has banked on composites for future commercial airplane designs, primarily because these materials are lighter than aluminum - making planes more fuel efficient." The investigation reveals that "both Boeing and Airbus are adopting this material too fast to guarantee its safety."
Tags: airplane safety; unsafe materials; Boeing; Airbus; aerospace engineering;
-
Deadly Express
In a 9-month investigation, The Miami Herald uncovered inaccuracies in the government's reporting of the frequency of fatal cargo plane crashes. Through the analysis of extensive government documents dating back to 2000, the reporters found that 69 planes have crashed claiming the lives of 85 people, thus "making air cargo the nation's deadliest form of commercial aviation." Despite this fact, pleas to apply more stringent safety regulations on cargo flights have been ignored. Worse yet, when these lax safety standards result in fatal crashes, the pilots are often saddled with the blame.
Tags: aviation; cargo planes; FAA; regulations; plane crash; CAR
-
Trouble on the Tarmac
The authors investigated an increase in problems at Sea-Tac International Airport when Alaska Airlines fired their baggage handlers and hired an outside firm, Menzies Aviation. to do the ramp work. Issues that arose in the report were ones of safety, training and security.
Tags: Baggage handling; ramp work; Alaska Airlines; Sea-Tac International Airport; Menzies Aviation