Airplane News: CA Midair, Last B747, DOT Issues Ultimatum to Airlines, Airline Pilots Fall Asleep

This week in airplane news: Another midair collision has occurred this time in California, The last Boeing 747 is in production and is expected to be delivered later this year, the US DOT has issued an ultimatum to airlines regarding delays, cancellations, and refunds, and an Ethiopian Airlines flight missed the airport because the pilots had fallen asleep. A Mid-Air occurred this week in Santa Cruz County, CA between a Cessna 152 and a Cessna 340 All three people were killed. Sad listening to the radio, one person sounded like they understood was was happening and attempted to avoid the mid-air stating that he was going around because the other pilot was approaching him too quickly. https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-08-22/3-victims-identified-in-crash-involving-two-planes-at-watsonville-airport The Last B747 is in production currently and will soon roll off the line. The aircraft will be delivered to Atlas Air, and will be the final delivery of a 747 by Boeing. It’s the end of an era in terms of production for these large aircraft, which are still primarily operated by UPS and Atlas Air. https://simpleflying.com/boeing-building-last-747/ The DOT has issued an ultimatum to airlines, telling them they need to improve customer service or the agency will proceed with a rule change. The DOT also is creating a website that it hopes will easily show airline’s policies for delays and cancellations. “The message to the airlines is that you’ve got to make it easier for passengers to understand their rights. And you’ve got to support passengers when they experience delays or cancellations,” In the first 6 months of the year, 24% of flights have been delayed, and 3.2% have been cancelled. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/summer-flight-delays-cancellations-dot-plans-website-passenger-rights-rcna43860 Ethiopian Airlines pilots missed their stop because they’d fallen asleep this week. The 737 followed the approach path, but failed to descend. This resulting in the aircraft flying over the runway at FL370. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/ethiopian-airlines-pilots-suspended-falling-103736649.html