Let’s Use xLS
xLS is a concept that has been developed by Airbus for A320 family, A330, A350, and A380 aircraft to ease the flight crew's task of flying all straight approaches. It is now the standard for all the newly manufactured Airbus aircraft of these types.This article describes the xLS concept, its various functions, their advantages, and […]
Use of Rudder
The use of rudder by the flight crew on Airbus aircraft is limited to the takeoff and landing roll, crosswind landings, or to counteract the yaw effect caused by an engine failure until the rudder is trimmed. Several events have been reported where the flight crew used rudder inputs after encountering turbulence, causing unnecessary trajectory […]
Preventing Loss of Engine Generators on A320 Family, A330 and A340 Aircraft
Some cases of emergency electrical configurations on A320 aircraft were reported to Airbus where both Integrated Drive Generators (IDGs) failed in sequence due to worn components inside their Constant Speed Drive (CSD).This article describes one of these events and explains why worn IDGs may have frequency regulation issues in certain circumstances that may lead to […]
Safety First #39
Further Preventing Loss of Control In-flight
Loss of Control In-flight (LOC-I) has been one of the main categories of fatal accidents since the beginning of commercial jet aviation. While flight envelope protections in fourth-generation aircraft have reduced LOC-I incidents by 90% compared to third-generation aircraft, the continuous enhancement of aircraft systems is necessary to further prevent potential future accidents. Airbus has […]
Editorial – January 2025
by Yannick MALINGE - SVP - Head of Aviation Safety
Engine Relight After an All-engine Flameout
An all-engine flameout is one of the most stressful situations where flight crews need to urgently relight the aircraft engines. Incorrect application of the engine relight sequence can lead to delayed or unsuccessful engine restarts.This article describes an in-service event in which such a situation was encountered. It recalls the various steps of the engine […]
Preventing Tailstrike During Go-around Near the Ground
The focus of this article is go-around near the ground, sometimes called, “rejected landing”. This follows our previous article: “A Focus on the Landing Flare” article published September 2020 and “A Focus on the Takeoff Rotation” published January 2021. Those articles provided recommendations for avoiding tailstrikes when performing landing flare and takeoff rotation. There is […]
Under the Spotlights
Two recent events with damage to the passenger windows of the aircraft were reported to Airbus. Similar events also happened on non-Airbus aircraft. The damage was caused by the heat of spotlights used during promotional filming sessions. One of these events could have had serious safety consequences as damage was not detected on ground, and […]
Bird or Hail Strikes on the Radome
Abnormal events such as bird strikes and hail strikes can occur at any time. When the aircraft is struck by birds or Foreign Object Debris (FOD), the correct inspection process must be followed, before the next flight, to determine if the aircraft is safe to fly.This article focuses on the effect that a bird or […]