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AW169 Leicester Crash
Why Spotlights

The AW169 Crash at King Power Stadium in Leicester: What Happened?

The investigation team recreated the Leicester AW169 scenario in the simulator with a test pilot: Every single attempt resulted in a crash 💥 If I asked you: “What would you do if you suddenly lost tail thrust during take-off?” You’d Read more…

By Jop Dingemans, 5 daysMay 24, 2026 ago
Thumbnail for an article titled 'How One Incorrect Number Crashed a Boeing 747-200' showing a sunset background, a white airplane graphic near a runway, a large warning triangle with 'Vr = Error!', and orange accents including a 'Why Spotlight' badge.
Why Spotlights

How One Incorrect Number Crashed a Boeing 747

We have a Boeing 747, a full runway, and engines set for take-off power 🛫 Yet… it didn’t take off. It crashed, and turned into a fireball, killing everyone on board. No technical failures or weather issues. So what happened? Read more…

By Janine Lythe, 3 weeksMay 10, 2026 ago
Cover image: blue sky with white helicopters, orange dashed flight path, and bold 'Pilots Who Ask Why' text.
Why Spotlights

What Can We Learn From This Fatal Helicopter Collision Over the Gold Coast?

I’ve had days where departing to a patient from a busy airport in the middle of summer feels like you’re trying to thread a needle (while someone keeps nudging your elbow) 👀 The airspace is saturated, everyone’s talking, and you’re Read more…

By Jop Dingemans, 1 monthApril 26, 2026 ago
Mission-based CRM
Notes From the Cockpit

Why CRM Can Look Different in Mission-Based Flight Operations

Good Crew Resource Management (CRM) doesn’t always look the same. We’re taught that it should look clear and structured. But take the same principles into a really dynamic mission, at night, under pressure, with multiple moving parts and different cultures… Read more…

By Jop Dingemans, 2 monthsApril 12, 2026 ago
Why Spotlights

Do Helicopter Wire Cutters Actually Work? Here’s What the Data Says

I still remember flipping my Night Vision Goggles down before departing an industrial site at 2 AM in the UK, knowing there was a wire right in front of us that we had carefully briefed beforehand 🔎 I knew it Read more…

By Jop Dingemans, 2 monthsMarch 29, 2026 ago
Notes From the Cockpit

56 Seconds to Live: The Brutal Reality of Helicopter Inadvertent IMC

Sometimes accident chains take minutes, or even hours. But in specific cases: it’s just seconds ⏱️ A study by the US Helicopter Safety Team (USHST) looked at fatal helicopter accidents where pilots unintentionally flew into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). By Read more…

By Jop Dingemans, 3 monthsMarch 15, 2026 ago
Washington Collision
Why Spotlights

How a Black Hawk and a CRJ700 Ended Up Colliding Over Washington

On the night of January 29, 2025, two professional crews flew in night VMC towards one of the most controlled pieces of airspace in the world 🌎 One was a CRJ700 inbound to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The other Read more…

By Jop Dingemans, 3 monthsMarch 1, 2026 ago
Negative Training
Notes From the Cockpit

Negative Training: How Practice Can Quietly Make You a Worse Pilot

In the aviation industry, we sometimes have this attitude that everything can be solved with training. Partly because it’s the building block of everything we do. 🔸 Someone forgot to do something on the line? More training. 🔸 Certain checks Read more…

By Janine Lythe, 3 monthsFebruary 15, 2026 ago
Morecambe Bay Crash
Why Spotlights

What can we Learn From the Morecambe Bay Dauphin Crash?

There are accidents that are caused by very loud and obvious things: Mechanical failures, fire warnings, things that are obviously wrong 👀 Then there are accidents caused by sneaky threats that weren’t managed well enough. The Morecambe Bay crash is Read more…

By Jop Dingemans, 4 monthsFebruary 1, 2026 ago
Notes From the Cockpit

From Clueless to Capable: Finding Your Way Through the 4 Stages of Competence

There’s a phase of flying where everything feels… fine. Even when it probably isn’t! ⚡️ The checks flow, the weather behaves, and nothing really surprises you. You go home thinking, yeah, that was alright. No stress. No drama. No reason Read more…

By Jop Dingemans, 4 monthsJanuary 18, 2026 ago

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