Disasters/Accidents

Listen to article(2 minutes)It’s a nervous parent’s dream: finding out your children’s risk of a driving accident before they get behind the wheel of a car.Many of us might think we can predict what kind of drivers our kids will be, but it’s impossible to know whether teens will brake too hard or steer straight when they finally are able to drive. Insurance companies have apps to track teen driving, but that information only comes after they’re on the road.Copyright ©2024Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.…

Updated Jan. 9, 2024 5:07 pm ETBoeing CEO David Calhoun said the company needs to acknowledge its mistake as the aircraft maker reels from a door-plug failure that has resulted in roughly 170 of its planes being grounded and spooked its customers. “We are gonna approach this—No. 1—acknowledging our mistake,” Calhoun said Tuesday in an address to employees just days after the incident on an Alaska Airlines flight. “We’re gonna approach it with 100% and complete transparency every step of the way.”Copyright ©2024Dow Jones…

After an emergency exit-sized hole opened in the side of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 at 16,000 feet, a separate chaotic episode erupted when the cockpit door mysteriously flew open.That meant the pilots were subjected to the deafening wind and noise from the back of the plane—and also made the cockpit accessible to anyone inclined to try to force their way in.Copyright ©2024Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8 After an emergency exit-sized hole opened in the side of…

It has been more than two days since Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 made an emergency landing after a section of the aircraft ripped off midair, leaving a hole in the plane at 16,000 feet. Here’s what we know so far about an investigation that officials from the National Transportation Safety Board opened into the incident.At this point, the probe is focused on the Alaska incident and not on a broader set of aircraft, such as separate versions of the 737 MAX or other planes. The focus could change as evidence surfaces about…

The Federal Aviation Administration has approved procedures for airlines to inspect their grounded 737 MAX 9 jets, clearing the way for the planes to return to service.Air-safety regulators had issued an emergency order Saturday temporarily grounding MAX 9 jets after a panel plugging an unused emergency exit blew out of an Alaska Airlines flight shortly after its takeoff from Portland, Ore., leaving a gaping void in the side of the plane. Copyright ©2024Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.…

Updated Jan. 8, 2024 12:00 am ETA burning inferno on the runway, followed four days later by a midair emergency involving a gaping hole in the side of the plane, isn’t the way the airline industry wanted to start 2024.After a fraught 2023, in which safety specialists and regulators raised alarms about mounting risks, the air-travel business has experienced two near-catastrophic accidents already this year—one with multiple casualties.Copyright ©2024Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.…

Updated Jan. 6, 2024 11:09 pm ETAfter a section of an Alaska Airlines flight ripped away midair, travelers are once again asking about the safety—and future—of their flights on Boeing’s 737 MAX.The Federal Aviation Administration grounded 171 Boeing MAX 9s on Saturday and ordered immediate inspections. The inspections take four to eight hours per aircraft, the agency said.Copyright ©2024Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8 Updated Jan. 6, 2024 11:09 pm ETAfter a section…

Updated Jan. 5, 2024 8:04 am ETHONG KONG—Tesla is conducting its largest ever recall in China that regulators said was to fix issues with its driver-assistance features that could increase the risk of crashes, a move that follows similar fixes in the U.S.The software fix, which will be delivered remotely, comes as the electric-vehicle maker faces fierce competition in the world’s largest auto market, where it trails homegrown rival BYD.Copyright ©2024Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.…

Updated Jan. 4, 2024 2:13 pm ETIn its certification, Airbuswas required to prove that its A350 aircraft can be evacuated in less than 90 seconds. In Tuesday’s collision in Japan, the last crew member escaped the aircraft after 18 minutes—but there were still no casualties.The sizable discrepancy, for the moment, represents a puzzle for the industry: Does the safe and deliberate evacuation represent a triumph of new aircraft designs and improved procedures? Or was it a one-off, a fortunate confluence of events that…

By Rolfe Winkler and Brianna AbbottDec. 16, 2023 9:00 pm ETMatthew Perry’s death from the effects of ketamine brought new scrutiny to the booming business to prescribe the powerful anesthetic to patients in clinics and online. Perry was receiving ketamine infusions for depression and anxiety before he was found unresponsive in the pool at his Pacific Palisades, Calif., home on Oct. 28. Drowning, coronary artery disease and effects of buprenorphine, a medication used to treat opioid-use disorder, contributed to his…