Flight Safety Information - September 14, 2026 No. 180 In This Issue : Incident: Envoy E170 at Chicago on Sep 10th 2026, control yoke loose : Accident: Amerijet B763 at Guatemala City on Sep 6th 2026, hard landing : Incident: Wamos A332 at La Reunion on Sep 3rd 2026, GNSS interference : 14 September 2026 - Bikini Jet Charter Cessna 680A Citation Latitude accident : Amazon suspends use of 21 Air, cargo carrier involved in fatal Miami crash : Passengers Use Cable Ties to Restrain 2 Men After Alleged Threat on 14-Hour Flight : 11 Miles Off: Business Jet Lands At US Bomber Base RAF Fairford By Mistake : Private jet departing Istanbul catches fire in Libya; Misrata Airport suspends flights : Air Force fighter pilots fall below sortie minimum to be deemed combat ready : Woman taken into custody after allegedly undressing during American Airlines flight : Calendar of Events Incident: Envoy E170 at Chicago on Sep 10th 2026, control yoke loose An Envoy Embraer ERJ-170 on behalf of American Airlines, registration N781EJ performing flight AA-3551 from Chicago O'Hare,IL to Minneapolis,MN (USA) with 52 people on board, was climbing out of O'Hare's runway 09C when the crew stopped the climb at 9000 feet reporting the captain's control yoke had become loose. The first officer took control of the aircraft and returned the aircraft for a safe landing on runway 10C about 25 minutes after departure. A replacement ERJ-170 registration N748RR reached Minneapolis with a delay of about 7:40 hours. The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground for about 23 hours before performing a test flight and subsequently returning to service. https://avherald.com/h?article=540c7a47&opt=0 Accident: Amerijet B763 at Guatemala City on Sep 6th 2026, hard landing An Amerijet Boeing 767-300 freighter, registration N373CM performing flight M6-8743 from Miami,FL (USA) to Guatemala City (Guatemala), landed on Guatemala City's runway 02 at 23:30L (05:30Z Sep 7th) but touched down hard nose gear first. The aircraft rolled out without further incident and taxied to the apron. Post flight inspection revealed substantial structural damage and creases in the fuselage skin. The aircraft is still on the ground in Guatemala City on Sep 12th 2026. https://avherald.com/h?article=540ab03f&opt=0 Incident: Wamos A332 at La Reunion on Sep 3rd 2026, GNSS interference A Wamos Air Airbus A330-200 on behalf of French Bee, registration EC-ORP performing flight BF-5700 (dep Sep 2nd) from Paris Orly (France) to La Reunion (Reunion), had experienced GNSS interference enroute, the crew thus decided to perform a conventional approach based on Reunion's VOR. The controller noticed a significant deviation from the published trajectory as well as a descent below 3000 feet. When the aircraft descended through 1000 feet MSL the controller instructed an immediate climb. The aircraft began to climb again to 3000 feet and positioned for an approach to runway 14 about 20 minutes after erroneously descending through 1000 feet. The French BEA rated the occurrence an incident, category CFIT without loss of control, failure or malfunction of a component not part of the power train and opened an investigation. https://avherald.com/h?article=5409fb9c&opt=0 14 September 2026 - Bikini Jet Charter Cessna 680A Citation Latitude accident Type: Cessna 680A Citation Latitude Owner/operator: Bikini Jet Charter Registration: TC-AKF MSN: 680A-0470 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3 Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: Destroyed Category: Accident Location: Misrata International Airport (MRA/HLMS) - Libya Phase: Landing Nature: Private Departure airport: Istanbul-Atatürk International Airport (IST/LTBA) Destination airport: Misrata International Airport (MRA/HLMS) Confidence Rating: Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources Narrative: A Cessna 680A Citation Latitude suffered an accident while landing at Misrata Airport and was destroyed by fire. During landing on runway 15, the aircraft veered left and departed the paved surface at a distance of about 1400 meters past the threshold. The aircraft was steered back toward the runway and crossed the runway shoulder about 500 meters further on. A fire broke out. https://www.aviation-safety.net/wikibase/582100 Amazon suspends use of 21 Air, cargo carrier involved in fatal Miami crash Online retailer Amazon said Sunday it was suspending its use of cargo carrier 21 Air after one of its Amazon-branded aircraft crashed upon landing in Miami this month, killing five people. Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel did not divulge specific factors but said the decision came after the company reviewed some of the circumstances around the crash as it supported the National Transportation Safety Board's investigation into its cause. "After the tragic incident last weekend, we've spent time supporting the investigation and reviewing some of the surrounding circumstances, and we've decided to pause our operations with 21 Air, the operator of Flight 7598," Nantel said. Amazon has said it will use other carriers to transport shipments that would have been assigned to 21 Air. Its other carriers include Sun Country Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, Air Transport International, ABX Air, ASL Airlines and Cargojet. North Carolina-incorporated 21 Air, which specializes in cargo shipments to and from Mexico, said in a statement Sunday that it remains focused on supported those affected by the crash "as well as working closely with the NTSB and all our partners, like Amazon, as the investigation continues." "We are confident in our safety policies, procedures and training," 21 Air said. In the hours after the crash, 21 Air CEO Keith Winters offered condolences to the families of the dead and injured and cooperation to investigators. "Our deepest condolences are with the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives," he said in a statement. "Our immediate priorities are supporting those affected, assisting the authorities, and ensuring that accurate information is communicated as it becomes available." Five people were killed and five were injured when a 21 Air Boeing 767-300 overran a runway at Miami International Airport just before 2 p.m. ET Sept. 6 while it was landing, according to officials. Amazon has said it will use other carriers to transport shipments that would have been assigned to 21 Air. (Chandan Khanna / AFP via Getty Images) It struck two vehicles, including a van carrying workers for an airline cleaning service. All five people who were killed were on the ground; authorities identified them as Yoel Rodriguez Naranjo, 53; Rolando Aleman Leon, 55; Julio C. Pineda, 75; Carlos Acosta Fajardo, 53; and Javierkys Reyes Quevedo, 47. Flight 7598 was arriving from San Juan, Puerto Rico, when it overran Runway 30 and struck two vehicles before it stopped, Miami-Dade County Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz said. Data from the flight's cockpit voice recorder (CVR) revealed that as one pilot was trying to land, the other cautioned repeatedly that the aircraft was going too fast, but there was no "consistent verbal response to the comments about speed," according to a summary of the CVR data released by the NTSB. The data suggested that the plane touched down, and about 15 seconds later a pilot called for a go-around, a maneuver in which a plane aborts its landing by pulling up and circling around to try to land again. The NTSB's investigator in charge of the probe, Chihoon Shin, said the aircraft's flight data recorder showed its thrust increased during landing in a way that was consistent with a go-around attempt. He also said, "The speed brakes and the thrust reversers were not deployed." Speed brakes are active flaps commonly deployed to help an aircraft slow down, while thrust reversers are often used to help slow a plane upon landing. Shin said it was not clear why they might not have been deployed. The investigation into the crash continues. Nantel of Amazon said, "We'll continue working to support the investigation and everyone affected." https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/amazon-suspends-21-air-cargo-005907659.html Passengers Use Cable Ties to Restrain 2 Men After Alleged Threat on 14-Hour Flight Two men were restrained by passengers and crew on a 14-hour international flight after making threats, claiming to have a gun, and assaulting flight attendants before landing in Doha, Qatar. Friday, Sept. 11, aboard Virgin Australia Flight VA7 from Melbourne to Doha, a route operated by Qatar Airways. According to passenger accounts, the two men seemed agitated from the moment they boarded, repeatedly moving around the cabin, drifting into other passengers' space and rummaging through their own luggage. Things escalated about six hours before landing. Witnesses said the men began fighting and made threats about hurting and shooting people, and claimed they had a gun; when flight attendants tried to intervene, passengers said the men headbutted and spat on them. Crew and fellow passengers eventually worked together to subdue the two, and by several accounts it took six or seven people to hold down each man, with cable ties used to keep at least one of them secured. Video from the cabin showed a cluster of passengers struggling to pin one of the men in the aisle. Qatar Airways confirmed that two male passengers were involved in what it described as a "physical altercation," and said in a statement that "both passengers were restrained and subsequently handed over to the relevant authorities upon arrival in Doha." The airline added that the safety and well-being of its passengers and crew remained its highest priority. The flight continued to Doha and landed safely, where authorities boarded the aircraft and took the two men into custody. Video shared from the cabin showed passengers applauding as officials came aboard — a rare instance of anyone welcoming more people onto a plane after 14 hours in the air. As of now, authorities have not publicly confirmed whether a firearm was ever found; the claim that the men said they had a gun came from witnesses aboard the flight. https://www.yahoo.com/news/world/articles/passengers-cable-ties-restrain-2-153617378.html 11 Miles Off: Business Jet Lands At US Bomber Base RAF Fairford By Mistake A private business jet inadvertently landed at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire on Saturday after apparently approaching the wrong airport, triggering a security response at the US Air Force's principal bomber base in the United Kingdom. The aircraft, a German-registered Cessna Citation XLS+, had departed London City Airport (LCY) earlier that morning. Aviation reporting indicates it was intended to reach another destination nearby but instead arrived at Fairford, a few miles east of the airport it was supposed to use. The incident involved D-CJMK, a Cessna 560XL Citation XLS+ built in 2019 and operated by VistaJet Germany. Aviation tracking records identify the aircraft, and local airport movement records list D-CJMK among the business jets operating from the airport LCY. The aircraft's unexpected arrival at Fairford was particularly sensitive because the base hosts strategic US aircraft, including B-1B bombers, and is regularly used for military exercises and deployments. RAF Fairford is not an ordinary diversion airport. The Gloucestershire installation is operated by the RAF but serves as a forward operating location for the US Air Force, particularly its bomber force. Recent activity at the base has included B-1B Lancers, B-52 Stratofortresses, and other American military aircraft. Movement records show multiple B-1Bs operating from Fairford immediately before the business jet incident. Four B-1Bs were recorded arriving or departing the day before on September 11, illustrating the level of military activity around the base at the time. The unexpected arrival therefore generated a security alert rather than being treated as an ordinary general-aviation landing. According to The Aviationist, the aircraft landed without authorization, and security personnel responded after the jet appeared at the military installation. Available reporting indicates no deliberate threat from the aircraft. The circumstances instead point toward an apparent navigation or destination error. The Jet Had Been Operating From London City Flight-tracking and aircraft records identify D-CJMK as a business jet with a history of operation by Air Hamburg and VistaJet. The aircraft carries construction number 560-6265. Local London City movement records list D-CJMK among general-aviation aircraft at the airport on September 12. The aircraft's presence at London City is also consistent with its operating history. Photographic records show it at the airport in January, while aircraft databases identify VistaJet Germany as its current operator. Citation D-CJMK today landed at the wrong airport. Destination was Kemble but aircraft landed at military airport RAF Fairford. Aircraft is not allowed to depart before filling in some paperwork @flightradar24 pic.twitter.com/XZEzcpp226 — ᗰᗩᖇᑕEá’ª ᐯᗪ á—·Eá–‡G (@marcelvandenber) September 12, 2026 The available tracking information establishes the aircraft's identity and London City connection, but it does not explain how the crew selected or approached RAF Fairford. No public investigation has established whether the error involved flight planning, navigation, communications, or a misunderstanding during the approach. That uncertainty matters because a military airfield can have procedures that differ substantially from those at a civilian airport. An aircraft approaching the wrong aerodrome may therefore prompt immediate scrutiny even when the underlying mistake is straightforward. RAF Fairford is a specialized military installation built to support specialized strategic aircraft, with the runway, parking areas, and support infrastructure required for heavy bombers. Its role in NATO operations means an unexpected civilian landing presents a different set of concerns from a routine wrong-airport arrival. The immediate incident has now raised questions about how the business jet reached the military airfield and whether any changes are warranted to reduce the likelihood of a similar occurrence. The available reporting has not established a specific navigation or communications failure, so it would be premature to assign responsibility for the mistake. Authorities and aviation operators may therefore focus on what can be learned from the event, particularly whether existing identification, communication, and airspace-monitoring procedures provided sufficient protection around Fairford. Any follow-up could also determine whether additional safeguards are appropriate for civilian aircraft operating in the surrounding area. For RAF Fairford, the episode is likely to remain an unusual security incident rather than a disruption to its broader military mission. However, the circumstances provide British and US authorities with an opportunity to examine how an unintended civilian arrival occurred and whether relatively simple procedural changes could prevent another business jet from reaching a runway it was never supposed to use. https://simpleflying.com/business-jet-lands-raf-fairford-bomber-base-mistake/ Private jet departing Istanbul catches fire in Libya; Misrata Airport suspends flights Flights at Misrata International Airport in Libya were suspended after a private jet arriving from Istanbul ran off the runway and caught fire during landing Monday, while the three-member flight crew escaped without injuries. The Cessna Citation Latitude, registered as TC-AKF, took off from Istanbul Ataturk Airport at 5:45 a.m. and flew to Misrata to pick up passengers, without any passengers on board. Flights halted after crash The jet ran off the runway after touching down and caught fire. Airport firefighters responded to the blaze, while ARFF teams rescued the two pilots and one cabin crew member from the aircraft. The crew was reported to be in good condition, and all three escaped without injury. Libya's Transportation Ministry said it suspended flights after the incident. Emergency authorities moved in to contain the blaze and ensure air navigation safety at the airport, with measures underway to clear the way for flights to resume, the ministry said. Misrata International Airport is one of Libya's main airports, located about 7 kilometers (4.35 miles) south of the city of Misrata. The airport has a passenger capacity of 500,000 and five ground stations, according to Libya's Airports Authority. Turkish billionaire owns private jet The Cessna Citation Latitude is a midsize business jet designed by Cessna, part of U.S.-based Textron, with a capacity of 9 passengers. Turkish media reported that Turkish businessman Hamdi Akin owns the aircraft. Akin, who leads Türkiye-based conglomerate Akfen Holding, ranks among the top 10 richest people in Türkiye, with a fortune of $2.6 billion, according to Forbes' list. In a statement, Akfen Holding confirmed that the aircraft belongs to the conglomerate and is operated by BKNJET Aviation Co. The group added that the operator had informed the company that authorities were continuing their investigation into the cause of the accident. https://www.turkiyetoday.com/region/tinder-romance-with-russian-born-woman-sparks-nato-spy-alert-3228127 Air Force fighter pilots fall below sortie minimum to be deemed combat ready The U.S. Air Force’s fighter pilots are not getting the number of sorties per month necessary to be deemed combat mission ready, a Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies expert said, down from around five and a half per month in fiscal 2023 to only around one currently. For combat readiness, the average fighter pilot needs about nine or 10 sorties a month to be considered combat mission ready, according to past service statements. But based on conversations with commanders and line pilots, John Venable, a senior resident fellow at the Mitchell Institute, said pilots are being afforded the opportunity to fly only one sortie a month for nondeployed jets in the country and “other locations.” During a Friday Mitchell Institute roundtable event, Venable said that the last time the Air Force released data on sortie rates was in fiscal 2023, when pilots flew around five and a half sorties a month, roughly 60% of what they needed. “That has withered again in the last couple of years, and the Air Force has stopped reporting it,” he said. Venable noted that the official pilot shortage number is 2,000, but anecdotally, it has risen to about 2,400. Former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, who served under the Biden administration, reallocated funding from 6,000 aviation-related maintenance positions to other priorities in fiscal 2025, which Venable says “exacerbated itself into the readiness scheme.” During Rising Lion and Midnight Hammer — military operations conducted by Israel and the U.S. in June 2025 against Iran’s nuclear and military infrastructure — U.S. air superiority “came on the backs” of the Israelis because their pilots were flying significantly more sorties. Venable said that Israelis are flying 20 sorties a month, with line pilots getting 25 to 30 hours. In Operation Epic Fury, the U.S. has 25 squadrons, comprising of about 325 aircraft, Mitchell Institute data provided at the roundtable showed. That is out of the total active inventory of 1,084 aircraft with 634 mission capable jets as seen in fiscal 2024. Venable compared that figure to Desert Storm, saying the number of aircraft is about half of what the Air Force alone used in the Gulf War operation. “If you look schematically at the whole picture, 325 aircraft, combat-coded fighter aircraft, is half of what we had in Desert Storm, and it’s about all we can muster today,” Venable said. By the time an April White House release was published, more than 10,200 total air sorties had been flown in Epic Fury overall, with more than 13,000 combat flights. Flying hours have been a topic for Air Force officials for years, with pilots previously getting around 17 hours a month in fiscal 2017. More recently, in the Department of the Air Force’s fiscal 2027 budget request, the service allotted funding for 1.1 million flying hours in the Flying Hours Program, which is the “maximum executable level for the total force.” https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2026/09/11/air-force-fighter-pilots-fall-below-sortie-minimum-to-be-deemed-combat-ready/ Woman taken into custody after allegedly undressing during American Airlines flight An American Airlines airplane flies over South Portland, Maine, Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023. Law enforcement officers met an American Airlines flight in Miami after a passenger allegedly undressed and engaged in indecent acts during the flight. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, file) MIAMI (WKRC) - Law enforcement officers met an American Airlines flight in Miami after a passenger allegedly undressed and engaged in indecent acts during the flight. American Airlines Flight 1779 departed Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport on Friday night and landed in Miami about 11:30 p.m., per Fox News. During the flight, a lead flight attendant reported that a woman had removed her clothing and behaved indecently in view of nearby passengers, according to Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System, or ACARS, messages published by AirLive. AirLive report The crew notified American Airlines’ operations center and requested law enforcement, the report said. Officers were waiting at the gate and took the passenger into custody, according to the news outlet. The passenger’s identity and any potential charges were not immediately available. It was not clear how the crew managed the incident during the flight. https://local12.com/news/offbeat/american-airlines-passenger-undresses-nude-indecent-acts-flight-miami CALENDAR OF EVENTS . ALPA's 70th Air Safety Forum -September 14-17, 2026; Washington, DC . ICAO/EASA Third Global RSOO/RAIO Forum for Aviation Safety — September 29–30, 2026, in Georgetown, Guyana., https://www.icao.int/events : NATA Ground Handling Safety Symposium - September 15-16, 2026 Dallas/Fort Worth, TX www.nata.aero/ghss : Aircraft Cabin Air International Conference - 22-23 September 2026 . ISASI - BOSTON 2026 - September 28, 2026 – October 2, 2026 . Global Aviation Conference Frankfurt- 29-30SEP2026 - Frankfurt, Germany . Defence Aviation Safety Conference 2026 — October 5–6, 2026, United Kingdom. . European Aviation Training Summit 3 – 5 November 2026 • Estoril Congress Centre, Cascais, Portugal . 79TH ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL AVIATION SAFETY SUMMIT MONTREAL | NOVEMBER 10-12, 2026. . Airlines 2026 conference - November 11, 2026 (London) . 2026 NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE) Oct. 20-22, 2026 | Las Vegas, NV . Gulf Flight Safety Association (GFSA)conference Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on the 28th and 29th of October 2026 . Bombardier Safety Standdown (November 10–12, 2026 in Wichita, KS) . Aircraft Fire Hazards, Protection, and Investigation17 to 19 November 2026, Woburn MA . 2027 ACSF Safety Symposium - April 6-8, 2027 - ERAU Daytona Beach, FL Curt Lewis