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FILE - The cockpit voice recorder, left, and the flight data recorder from Continental flight 1404 airplane accident on display at the National Transportation Safety Board headquarters in Washington, Dec. 22, 2008. Federal accident investigators are pushing for better cockpit voice recorders. They are pointing to limits of the device on the jetliner that suffered a door-panel blowout last month over Oregon. The National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024 that the Federal Aviation Administration should require all current planes to have recorders that can capture 25 hours of audio, up from the current standard of two hours. (AP Photo, file)

Accident investigators push the FAA for better cockpit voice recorders on all planes

Associated Press

In this March 9, 2021, file photo, a plane arrives at Salt Lake City International Airport, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File) **FILE**

Single-engine plane loses door mid-flight and lands safely in Buffalo

By Brad Matthews - The Washington Times

A search helicopter hovers overhead in the Mojave Desert near Needles, Calif., Saturday, July 13, 2019. Authorities in California say they are searching for a bikini-clad Arizona woman who went missing while hiking in the Mojave Desert. The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Office says 69-year-old Barbara Thomas, of Bullhead City, was last seen Friday wearing a black bikini, a red baseball cap and tan hiking boots with black socks. (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills)

Helicopter crashes in California’s Mojave Desert; 6 people aboard missing

By Brad Matthews - The Washington Times

In this March 9, 2021, file photo, a plane arrives at Salt Lake City International Airport, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File) **FILE**

JetBlue planes collide at Boston airport; no one hurt

By Brad Matthews - The Washington Times

Michael Whitaker testifies during his nomination to be administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, Department of Transportation, Oct. 4, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington. FAA Administrator Whitaker says the agency will use more people to monitor aircraft manufacturing and hold Boeing accountable for any violations of safety regulations. Whitaker is expected to face a barrage of questions Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2024, about FAA oversight of the company since a door panel blew off a Boeing 737 Max 9 jetliner over Oregon last month. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib, File)

FAA chief pledges to hold Boeing accountable for any violations of safety rules

Associated Press

FAA Air Traffic Controllers work in the Dulles International Airport Air Traffic Control Tower in Sterling, Va., Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2016. Data Comm is now operational at the Dulles International Airport and gives air traffic controllers and pilots the ability to transmit flight plans, clearances, instructions, advisories, flight crew requests, and reports via a digital message service. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

FAA turned away qualified air traffic controllers based solely on race

By Editorial Board - The Washington Times

A Skywest Airlines aircraft is guided on the tarmac at Barkley Regional Airport in Paducah, Ky., Dec. 27, 2017. Laser strikes aimed at aircraft are at an all-time high. That's according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA said Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024 that it received about 13,300 reports of lasers aimed at aircraft — including airliners — last year. That's a record and a 41% increase over the previous year. FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker says pointing a laser at a plane puts everyone on the plane and on the ground at risk. Authorities blame the surge in laser incidents on factors including the widespread sale of inexpensive lasers in stores and online. (Ryan Hermens/The Paducah Sun via AP, file)

Laser strikes against aircraft including airline planes have surged to a new record, the FAA says

Associated Press

An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 awaits inspection at the airline's hangar at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport onJan. 10, 2024, in SeaTac, Wash. Alaska Airlines has begun flying Boeing 737 Max 9 jetliners again for the first time Friday, Jan. 26, since they were grounded after a panel blew out of the side of one of the airline's planes. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)

Alaska Airlines has begun flying Boeing Max 9 jetliners again and United flies plane on Saturday

Associated Press

An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 awaits inspection at the airline's hangar at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport onJan. 10, 2024, in SeaTac, Wash. Boeing 737 Max 9 jetliners will carry passengers in the United States again, starting this weekend, for the first time since they were grounded after a panel blew out of the side of one of the planes. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)

What you should know if you’re about to fly on a Boeing Max 9

Associated Press

FILE - This image taken Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024, and released by the National Transportation Safety Board, shows a section of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 that is missing panel on a Boeing 737-9 MAX in Portland, Ore. Federal officials are recommending that airlines inspect the door plugs on more Boeing 737s after one of the panel blew off a Boeing jet in midflight. The Federal Aviation Administration says airlines should also inspect the panels on an older model, the 737-900ER. Those planes have door plugs that are identical in design to the one that flew off the Alaska Airlines jetliner. Boeing said Monday, Jan. 22, 2024that it supports the FAA action. (NTSB via AP, file)

Federal officials recommend that airlines inspect door plugs on some older Boeing jets as well

Associated Press

This photo released by the National Transportation Safety Board shows the door plug from Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 on Monday, Jan. 8, 2024, in Portland, Ore. A panel used to plug an area reserved for an exit door on the Boeing 737 Max 9 jetliner blew out Jan. 5, shortly after the flight took off from Portland, forcing the plane to return to Portland International Airport. (National Transportation Safety Board via AP)

U.S. officials say 40 Boeing jets have been inspected as investigations continue into midair blowout

By David Koenig - Associated Press

This image taken Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024, and released by the National Transportation Safety Board, shows a section of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 that is missing panel on a Boeing 737-9 MAX in Portland, Ore. Federal officials are investigating Boeing's oversight of production of a panel that blew off a jetliner in midflight last week. (NTSB via AP)

U.S. intensifies oversight of Boeing, will begin production audits after latest mishap

By Tom Krisher and David Koenig - Associated Press

This photo provided by an unnamed source shows the damaged part of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9, Flight 1282, which was forced to return to Portland International Airport on Friday, Jan. 5, 2024. (The Oregonian via AP)

FAA grounds more than 170 Boeing 737 Air Max 9 aircraft after Alaska Airlines blowout

By Alex Miller - The Washington Times

A Boeing 737 MAX 8 airplane being lands following a test flight at Boeing Field in Seattle, April 10, 2019. Boeing says deliveries of airline planes are up, after being slowed earlier this year by manufacturing problems. The company said Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023, that it delivered 56 commercial planes in November. That's nearly as many as September and October combined. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)

Boeing wants airlines to investigate possible missing parts on 737 jet

By Vaughn Cockayne - The Washington Times

In this Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2015, photo, ground traffic is seen from the control tower at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green) **FILE**

Plane evacuated at Chicago O’Hare after struck by baggage cart

By Brad Matthews - The Washington Times

Visitors take in the massive sculpture carved into Mount Rushmore at the Mount Rushmore National Memorial Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023, in, Keystone, S.D. Fewer planes and helicopters will be flying tourists over Mount Rushmore and other national monuments and parks as new regulations take effect that are intended to protect the serenity of some of the nation's most beloved natural areas.(AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

Pilots flying tourists over national parks face new rules. None are stricter than at Mount Rushmore

By Heather Hollingsworth - Associated Press

Baltimore Ravens linebacker Kyle Van Noy (50) sack Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Jake Browning (6) in the second half of an NFL football game in Baltimore, Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

FAA to investigate drone that delayed Ravens-Bengals game

Associated Press

FILE - Michael Whitaker, of Vermont, testifies during his nomination to be Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, Department of Transportation, on Capitol Hill, Oct. 4, 2023, in Washington. President Joe Biden's pick to lead the FAA has moved a step closer to Senate confirmation. Whitaker was endorsed Wednesday, Oct. 18 by a voice vote of the Senate Commerce Committee. Republicans supported the nominee during the committee meeting, indicating that Whitaker appears to have a clear path to final approval by the full Senate. The FAA hasn't had a Senate confirmed leader since March 2022, even as it has dealt with a surge in close calls among airline jets. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib, file)

Biden’s choice to lead the Federal Aviation Administration wins endorsement from a key Senate panel

Associated Press

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Deputy Administrator Michael Whitaker testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, on June 17, 2015. President Joe Biden says he will nominate the former Obama administration official to lead the Federal Aviation Administration, nearly six months after his first choice for the job withdrew in the face of Republican opposition. The White House said Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023, that Biden will nominate Whitaker, currently the chief operating officer of a Hyundai affiliate working to develop an air taxi aircraft. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, file)

Biden will nominate a former Obama official to run the Federal Aviation Administration

By David Koenig - Associated Press

A United Airlines plane is pushed from the gate at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Aug. 11, 2023, in Houston. United Airlines flights were halted nationwide on Tuesday, Sept. 5, because of an “equipment outage,” according to the Federal Aviation Administration. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) **FILE**

FAA imposes temporary ground stop of United Airlines flights at carrier’s request

By Brad Matthews - The Washington Times