The internal Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) memorandum of 24 January concerning the British Airways flight 038 B777 crash 17 January at Heathrow is apparently not for public consumption, or release if specifically requested under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Reason: the information is based on “Preliminary Reports” and is “For Official Use Only” (FOUA). These caveats are printed prominently at the bottom of each of the seven pages of the memorandum, facilitating denial of release under FOIA.

The pilots heard a “clunk,” then the flight deck became very dark as the British Airways (BA) A319 was approaching 20,000 feet during climb after departure from London’s Heathrow Airport in October 2005 with 82 passengers and crew aboard. Most of the affected systems were restored in about 90 seconds, when the crew switched the AC Essential Feed to alternate (“ALTN”). The UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) just recently issued its report of investigation into what was described as a “serious incident.”

A flight by a double deck Airbus A380 had to be abandoned the evening of 10 January after it rolled off a taxiway at Singapore. The 446 passengers on Singapore Airways flight SQ221 were unhurt and were switched to a B747 while the A380 was checked for damage.

The “cause another aircraft to abort” myth is confirmed. Filed under the heading of “flight crew human performance,” this from an ASRS (Aviation Safety Reporting System) report from a B737 captain at Las Vegas International Airport: