Airplane news: Frontier and Spirit Merger, F35 Crash video, FAA vs NTSB, C120 and C140 ADs

This week in airplane news: Frontier and Spirit Airlines are merging, a new leaked video of the F35 crash, the FAA and the NTSB are at odds over space and an Airworthiness Directive for C120 and 140s.

Frontier and Spirit have announced a merger on Monday. The transaction, worth 6.6 billion, is expected to close in Q2 of this year. The goal is to expand the low-cost reach of both airlines. The airlines stated they hoped to directly add over 10,000 jobs by 2026. https://www.npr.org/2022/02/07/1078842162/spirit-frontier-spirit-airlines-merger A

leaked video shows the F35 crash on the USS Carl Vinson last month. It appears the aircraft was told to go around too late. In the second part of the video, you can see the pilot eject 7 injured, the pilot was picked up by a helicopter shortly after ejecting. https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/video-appears-to-show-f-35c-carrier-crash/

The FAA administrator, Steve Dickson has released a statement stating the FAA “has statutory authority over all aspects of commercial space launch activities” and its authority to “investigate commercial space launch mishaps is well established and codified.” He asked NTSB Admin Jennifer Homendy to pull the NPRM and “refocus on its current successful working relationship with the FAA.” This comes after the NTSB’s NPRM for investigating commercial space flight accidents. https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/faa-tells-ntsb-to-stay-out-of-space-crash-investigations/

The FAA has proposed a new airworthiness directive that will affect Cessna 120 and 140s. The FAA estimates 2033 aircraft will be affected with an estimated cost of $142.75 per airplane to fix. The problem is the weakened aluminum seatbelt bracket. This stems from a fatal 2014 accident when an aircraft nosed over and the pilot was killed. https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2022/january/27/new-ad-proposed-for-certain-textron-120-and-140-models