Latest news with #near-miss
The Sun
29-06-2025
- Automotive
- The Sun
Huge chunk of metal fired through my windscreen as I drove at 70mph on the motorway… it missed my head by INCHES
A STUDENT narrowly avoided being impaled after a huge strip of metal fell off a car and lodged in her windscreen. Alannah was driving on the M3 from Bournemouth to her parents' home in Addlestone, Surrey, on Tuesday, June 24. 8 8 The terrifying incident occurred at 2.25pm, around a mile before junction four, which Alannah compared to film series Final Destination. The 22 year-old, a graphic design student at Arts University Bournemouth, had no time to react as the huge metallic pole smashed into her windscreen - leaving her inches from death. She told The Sun: "It looks like a step from the side of a car. It hit me when I was going about 70 miles per hour. "I tried to swerve a bit but I was in the fast lane and there were cars to my side, so I couldn't move lanes. "When I saw the item blow off the car, I put my hand on the horn and I didn't let go, because my first instinct was to make everyone aware something's happened. "Then it hit. In that initial shock, I burst out crying because it was the biggest bang, everything sounded like it smashed. "I thought the whole thing came through the windscreen, it was really confusing, I was just in shock that there was this massive thing in my car." Alannah initially pulled over to the hard shoulder to ring her dad, but was terrified that her tiny Fiat 500 would be flattened by a passing lorry. She said: "I called my dad, and he knew that I was terrified of being on the side of the motorway. When a lorry goes past, it really shakes, it was petrifying." After less than a minute she pulled back on to the motorway with the intention of reaching the next service station. Alannah's plan was to stay behind a lorry to avoid any stones flying up and shattering what remained of her windscreen. However, she was flagged by a fellow driver, who forced her to pull over and then called the emergency services. Alannah said: "He came straight up and helped me get out of the car and over the barrier to make sure I was okay. "It's so annoying that I don't remember his name, but I'm so grateful for him because he helped calm me down, he helped get everything sorted. He was the one who called everyone to help me. "He stayed with me until the emergency services arrived before leaving." Fire services and police attended the scene while Alannah spoke to an ambulance team over the phone, but miraculously she sustained no physical injuries. Firemen told Alannah that a 'guardian angel' must have been watching over her because the metal object split when it hit the windscreen, stopping it from passing all the way through and potentially killing her. Alannah said: "The firemen actually did say the windshield actually helped the metal split. 8 8 8 8 8 "They said if it didn't split, it would have come all the way through and hit me. "It could have ended up being really, really serious, I'm incredibly lucky that I kept control of the car after it hit and carried on driving until I could pull over. "The firemen, my friends and family all said that it was a guardian angel watching over me, which was lovely to hear." And shockingly, despite the huge gaping hole in the windscreen, Alannah's car - her first ever vehicle, that she acquired in January 2020 - sustained no damage to the bodywork whatsoever. She said: "The policeman laughed, actually, when I had finally calmed down, because he said, 'I can't believe there is not one single scratch on your car'." Police removed the metal chunk and put duct tape over the hole, then closed off part of a lane of the motorway in order to escort Alannah to the next services. They conducted a short investigation at the scene but determined that the incident was entirely accidental, Alannah said. The emergency services also commended the young student's driving and said without keeping a cool head and remaining in control of her car, things could have been much worse. Alannah's friends joked that her ordeal was like the famous scene from the action film Final Destination 2 in which logs fall off the back of a truck. She said: "A lot of people keep saying it reminds them of that scene. That's been kind of the laughing joke today about it." She added: "I just feel very lucky with how it turned out. I feel very unlucky it happened, but very lucky I survived. "Luckily, it's only the windshield which is damaged, but it could have gone so seriously wrong. "All my friends that I've told, they were like, you honestly could have died, you could have been seriously injured. "I've walked out of it intact though, I haven't even got a scratch on me. "My parents were very grateful that I was okay. My mum said it was my granddad who was watching over me, and looking after me." Alannah is soon heading back to university but shared her advice for other drivers in similar situations. She said: "I know it sounds stupid, but try and keep control of the car, and just try not to suddenly slam your brakes on. "Just try and stay in contact and get yourself somewhere safe."
The Sun
11-06-2025
- The Sun
Harrowing moment plane comes terrifyingly close to helicopter as it takes off at airport
BONECHILLING video has captured the moment an airplane appeared to barely miss a hovering helicopter while taking off from the runway. The plane appeared to swerve quickly and desperately avoid a mid-air tragedy. 6 6 6 Surveillance footage showed the Phenom 300 executive jet taking off from the runway as the chopper flew overhead. They seemed to almost collide mid-air in terrifying scenes filmed at the Costa Esmeralda Airport in Porto Belo, south of São Paulo, Brazil, on Sunday. The small airfield does not have a control tower. After the footage was shared online, one local posted on X, 'Looks like a go-around by the aircraft on approach to accommodate the takeoff of the departing aircraft. 'Sequence spacing didn't quite work out.' Another person said, 'Didn't they coordinate between aircraft? 'Someone screwed up.' But another video, taken from a different angle, appeared to show that there was a much greater distance between the two aircraft. The clip, filmed by Henrique Garcia, showed that the helicopter was further ahead of the jet than first thought. Airfield administrator Tiago Neves said the two pilots were in contact throughout the takeoff, as reported by What's The Jam. Six dead in San Diego plane crash as Cessna slams into ocean after pilot made haunting final call to air traffic control He told local media, 'The occurrence is absolutely normal, the two aircraft were being coordinated, and the two pilots had communication with each other. 'The video that was released creates sensationalism as the angle makes it seem like the aircraft are very close, which does not correspond to reality.' Neves pointed out that the airfield does not have a control tower, and pilots carry out procedures via communication and visual contact. He said the helicopter's approach occurred outside the runway so as not to interrupt the jet's takeoff. He added, 'It is common for the tower, when there is one, or the pilots themselves, when at uncontrolled airfields, to coordinate the approach. 'That's why the helicopter goes directly to the grassy area. 'Everything was done responsibly and within normal limits.' The video surfaced just months after a Black Hawk crashed into a plane as it was landing in Washington DC. The horrific accident left all 67 people on board the two aircraft dead. And another helicopter wrecked in New York City in April, killing all six people on board. 6 6 6
Reuters
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Trump FAA nominee calls near-miss incidents at DC airport unacceptable
WASHINGTON, June 10 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's nominee to head the Federal Aviation Administration said on Tuesday that the 85 near-miss incidents at Reagan Washington National Airport since 2021 were unacceptable. On January 29, a Black Hawk helicopter collided with an American Airlines (AAL.O), opens new tab regional passenger jet near Reagan, killing 67 people. "In the years preceding that tragic night in January, there were 85 similar near misses at Reagan National. How did this go unaddressed? It's unacceptable," FAA nominee Bryan Bedford said, adding that the FAA needs significant investment in air traffic control. The National Transportation Safety Board said in March that since 2021 there were more than 15,200 occurrences at Reagan between commercial airplanes and helicopters with lateral separation distance of less than 1 nautical mile and vertical separation of less than 400 feet, and 85 close-call incidents during that period. "If confirmed, my top priority will be public safety and in restoring the public's confidence in flying," said Bedford, who has raised questions about the FAA's leadership and culture. On Wednesday, acting FAA administrator Chris Rocheleau, National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy and Army Aviation Brigadier General Matthew Braman will answer questions from senators about a May 1 incident in which two passenger airline flights were forced to abort landings at Reagan because of a nearby Army helicopter. The FAA barred the Army from training or priority transport flights around the Pentagon after the incident. A bipartisan group of 10 former FAA administrators and acting heads of the agency endorsed Bedford, including his predecessor Mike Whitaker, who stepped down on January 20, a little over a year into his five-year term. "In the years ahead, the FAA will be at the center of efforts to modernize and rebuild our nation's air traffic control system - an undertaking that requires immediate action," the former FAA officials wrote in a letter to senators, saying Bedford was "exceptionally qualified to lead this effort from day one." Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy wants tens of billions of dollars to overhaul air traffic operations. Separately, two dozen U.S. senators on Monday asked the inspectors general for the Pentagon and Transportation Department to open audits in response to the January 29 collision.
The Sun
10-05-2025
- The Sun
Watch shock moment couple cheat death as they fall off 5,000ft mountain while taking risky shortcut to avoid queue
THIS is the heart-stopping moment a couple cheats death when they come inches from tumbling down a huge mountain face. The pair almost paid the ultimate price for seeking a shortcut to skip a long queue at Mount Tai in Shandong, China. 5 5 Shocking footage that went viral in China shows the woman clambering down a wall at the top of a cliff face, helped by her partner. He stands at the bottom to help the woman lower herself onto the level below. But the descent goes wrong and the woman falls back - landing awkwardly on the man's shoulder. The collision sends the two of them staggering backwards over the perilous cliff edge. The entangled couple tumbles down the rocks - and it looks to be all over. But fortunately, the man catches hold of a safety wire and is able to stop the fall. He wedges himself in a rock gap and grasps his wife by the leg to catch her from flying down the hill. The pair manage to right themselves and, miraculously, escape serious injury. The Mountain Tai in east China's Shandong Province is a dizzy 5,000ft above sea level. Millions of tourists flock to the spot each year to take in the staggering natural landscape and historic constructions. Terrifying moment Scotland's top ranked skier plunges down mountain & suffers horror injuries The site is particularly busy during public holidays, when certain spots become incredibly crowded. Many climb the mountain to watch the sunrise - which seems to have been the draw in this video. Other angles of the close calls show hoards of people lining the peak gazing out at the view. On the first day of the holiday this year, over 45,000 tourists visited the mountain. 5 5 Officials have now tightened security at the summit to stop people breaching the barriers. Another mountain adventurer was less fortunate when she tragically fell to her death from a cliff near Malaga, Spain. The Irish victim, 21, was killed after plunging around 500ft off a ravine. Her body was recovered by emergency services after the alarm was raised. A male friend she was with miraculously survived by grabbing onto a bush-covered rock that was jutting out as he fell.
RNZ News
07-05-2025
- General
- RNZ News
Near mid-air crash between planes sparks calls for change
File image. Photo: A near mid-air crash at night between two planes has sparked calls for improvements to visibility measures and pilot communication, a new report outlines. The two aircrafts got "dangerously close" to crashing as they made final approaches towards Ardmore Airport, south of Auckland, during a night-time flight in October 2023. The airport, which is about 5 kilometres southeast of Manurewa, is uncontrolled or unattended, meaning it operates without a control tower. In a report released on Thursday, the Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) said a twin-engine Beech Duchess flew over a single-engine Cessna 172, missing it by about 20 feet, or 6 metres. The Cessna pilot initiated a "go-around" before both aircrafts landed safely. "The pilot flying and the instructor on the Beech were unaware of their proximity to the Cessna in the circuit," the report said. The Beech pilot was unaware how close they were to the Cessna because it was hard to see, even though they had the required lighting. Both aircrafts also flew different paths on final approach, increasing the risk of one aircraft not seeing the other, the report said. "Contributing to the different vertical profiles flown was that a local altitude restriction for Ardmore Airport was published in their operations manual and not in the Aeronautical Information Publication New Zealand (AIPNZ) available to all pilots," the report said. There were two missed chances where radio calls could have helped the pilots detect the developing risk, TAIC said. Chief investigator of accidents, Naveen Kozhuppakalam said the findings are relevant to every unattended aerodrome in New Zealand. "There are unattended aerodromes all over the country, where pilots rely on aircraft visibility, shared airspace awareness, and good communication to stay safe. When those break down, so does the last line of defence against mid-air collisions," he said. The commission has made two recommendations to the Civil Aviation Authority following the incident. These include further guidance on how to make aircrafts easier to see at night and taking action to ensure all procedures applied by local aerodrome operators are recorded in the AIPNZ. "The ability to clearly see another aircraft is also a pillar of 'see and avoid' at an unattended aerodrome. This can be difficult at night with aircraft fitted with olderstyle lighting. Aircraft conspicuity at night can be improved by installing modern lighting such as light-emitting-diode (LED) lighting," the report said. TAIC has previously investigated three fatal mid-air collisions at unattended aerodromes since 2008, all involving "breakdowns in radio communication and situational awareness". "This report is essential reading for anyone flying into or managing New Zealand's busiest unattended aerodromes," Kozhuppakalam said. "Night or day, knowing where other aircraft are-and being seen-is non-negotiable."
