A man died this morning at Gillespie Field in El Cajon after attempting to hand-crank a Piper Cherokee, a light aircraft designed for flight training, air taxi and personal use. During his attempt, the man was struck in the head by an airplane propeller around 8:30am. more ›

Folks, do us a favor this holiday season and keep your marital problems off the airplanes. One woman from Lynwood got her husband's plane grounded after calling the airline and telling them that he was planning to blow up the aircraft he was on. more ›

It was their lips that got them in trouble, but not for smooching: Earlier this week, former "L Word" star and member of the band Uh Huh Her Leisha Hailey and her girlfriend, Camila Grey, were kicked off a Southwest airplane after being reprimanded for kissing. more ›

It was a twofer last night for a 27-year-old (i.e. grown up) woman was arrested for pointing a laser beam not only at a commercial jet landing at Los Angeles International Airport, but also at the Los Angeles County Sheriff's chopper called out to investigate the report of the former. more ›

A plane crashed into a home in Santa Monica earlier this afternoon, moderately injuring the pilot but not harming anyone on the ground, reports ABC News. The crash took place at about 3:00 p.m., near the intersection of 21st Street and Dewey Street. The Cessna 172 was attempting to land at the Santa Monica Airport when it began to falter, hitting several trees and a cinder block wall before landing on the garage of the home. more ›

Remember that time (or those numerous times) when you sat helplessly in a plane on an LAX runway for hours, breathing in stagnant air, listening to the sighs and mutters of disgruntled travelers? Well, a new airline passenger bill of rights took effect on Tuesday that should help prevent long lags on the tarmac. more ›

A woman who had never flown a plane before took control of an aircraft that her husband was flying after he lost consciousness, reports KTLA. The couple was flying to Colorado from San Bernadino when the pilot, a 70-year-old man, began experiencing hypoxia, in which the body doesn't get enough oxygen. He was able to communicate the name of the airplane to air traffic controllers before passing out. more ›

Step 1) Get a laser pointer. Step 2) Point it at an aircraft. Voila! In addition to last month's North Hollywood laser showdown four more people around the southland have been arrested on suspicion of pointing lasers at L.A. County sheriff's helicopters, "imperiling the aircraft and their crews," in similar incidents, said the Sheriff's Department on Sunday. more ›

Southwest Airlines' "accidental sunroof" is a little trick they don't want to repeat, which is how about 100 of their flights have come to be canceled today, as the airline continues to put older planes in their fleet through inspections for cracks in the fuselage. more ›

Following an approval from the LA City Council, fares for taxi service to LAX will increase by $1.50 a ride, from the current fee of $2.50 to $4, reports the LA Times. The company that runs taxis to and from the airport, Authorized Taxicab Supervision, will receive some of the increased profits, an LAX will receive the rest. more ›

Mark Bixby, 44, was a cycling advocate who regularly tweeted his rides. He rallied to ensure that bike lines would be part of the Gerald Desmond Bridge replacement plan and contributed to a blog called BIKEable Communities. Bixby was recently interviewed by the CDMCyclist blog. He was "one of the leading forces" of Long Beach's biking renaissance, according to BikinginLA. more ›

Officials say a twin-engine plane crashed near Long Beach Airport on Wednesday morning, reports LA Now. Though few details were immediately available, an FAA spokesman said the aircraft caught fire after crashing. more ›

Health officials are in a hurry to determine exactly how many passenger may have been exposed to measles after an infected passenger visited 4 different airports throughout the U.S. on Feb 22. more ›

A woman is raising a ruckus about a flight she took from Los Angeles to London's Heathrow, claiming that while on board, she was attacked by bedbugs. Zane Selkirk, 28, says that the spotted the critter on the blanket British Airways had provided her for the first leg of her flight, reports KTLA. more ›

When the aliens come, the first place they're going is the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress to check out America's catalogue of culturally and historically important films. The annual addition of 25 works honors the career of the late Leslie Nielsen in the 1980 classic, Airplane!, while Blake Edwards is remembered with the addition of the 1964 Mancini score vehicle, The Pink Panther. more ›

Mr. Clerks had it out with another airline, this time because he was late and they were jerks. Eight minutes to blastoff and first class tickets in hand Kevin Smith and wife were denied boarding on a Virgin Atlantic flight from JFK on Monday having missed the ten minute pre-leave window. Pleading with the "unfriendly face" about the jetway still being attached and some much-needed medication in the checked luggage another 15 minutes went by with the couple standing in the terminal. Following Smith's tweet rant Virgin, unlike Southwest, sent an immediate apology, refund and free tix offer. more ›

Frank: It's the same old story. Boy finds girl, boy loses girl, girl finds boy, boy forgets girl, boy remembers girl, girls dies in a tragic blimp accident over the Orange Bowl on New Year's Day. Jane: Goodyear? Frank: No, the worst. more ›

Canadian comedian and actor Leslie Nielsen has passed away in a Ft. Lauderdale, Florida hospital, reports CJOB 68 in Manitoba. The "Airplane" and the "Naked Gun" star died of complications from pneumonia, according to his nephew Doug Nielsen. Story is developing. more ›

Three men bound for Torrance Airport died Sunday evening when their single-engine plane crashed into the water off Newport Beach, according to the Daily Breeze. The flight originated from Mexico, in a Beechcraft Muskateer registered to Palos Verdes Estates real estate agent Chuck Chambers; it is not confirmed if Chambers was on board. more ›

If you're planning to jet away to a surfing destination in the next few weeks, or you've got a surf enthusiast coming in to town for a visit, save room in the budget for packing a surfboard onto the airplane. Surfers have been getting increasingly gouged via fees charged by airlines to shuttle their boards on continental and international flights, according to the OC Beach Blog. more ›

In light of this week's epic freeway closures and forthcoming traffic apocalypse, please enjoy this oldie but oh-so-goodie. "405, The Movie" is a viral video about our beloved freeway created by Bruce Branit and Jeremy Hunt ten years ago in the year 2000. That's right, the year 2000 was ten years ago. Somehow. more ›

During an intense wave of this third massive winter storm to pass through the Los Angeles area, two planes approaching Bob Hope Airport were struck by lightning this morning, according to KTLA. The aircraft were both Southwest Airlines, one of which was arriving from Oakland and the other from Sacramento. "The incidents happened sometime between 9:30 a.m. and 10:00 a.m.," reports a Southwest representative. The planes landed safely, and the airline is still working to determine if the aircraft were damaged. Two passengers "aboard the Oakland flight had some kind of medical complaints and were taken to Providence St. Joseph Medical Center for treatment." more ›


The 8th Annual Precious Cheese Feast of San Gennaro, Los Angeles, begins today and runs through Sunday on Highland, just south of Hollywood Boulevard. There will be Italian eats, games, rides and entertainment. And, of course, Jimmy Kimmel and Adam Corrolla among the celebs celebrating all things Italia. Admission is $5, but kids under 12 free.
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The data from the FAA has been released showing that there have were 944 bird strikes at LAX between 1990 and 2008. Most all of those incident resulted in little or no damage, according to the LA Times. more ›

A small plane was reported as being seen hitting the water yesterday approximately 25 miles off the coast between Oceanside and San Clemente Island, according to abc7.com. The Coast Guard says as of this morning, "rescue boats have yet to find survivors or bodies." Three rescue boats and a helicopter were in use early this morning as part of the search for survivors. "Federal Aviation Administration officials believe the plane took off from San Diego's Montgomery Field," but no confirmation has been made about the aircraft, its origin, destination, or passengers. more ›

On the heels of last night's plane crash in New York, a Fiji-bound Boeing 747 carrying 441 passengers and crew landed safely at Los Angeles International Airport shortly after take-off around 2:30 a.m. this morning. Air Pacific flight 811 apparently had a "fuel transfer problem," but was also found to be overweight. more ›

No injuries have been reported after a small "ultrasport light aircraft" landed on a busy Pacoima street in the Northeast San Fernando Valley. Just after 9:15 p.m., the plane had just taken off from the nearby Whiteman Airport when it experienced engine problems forcing it to go down through power lines, making a hard landing on San Fernando Rd. at Filmore St. as vehicles veered out of the way. [LAFD, LA Times] more ›

American Airlines Flight 81 made an emergency landing at LAX around 9:30 this morning, temporarily shutting down the airport as passengers exited on the runway via the plane's emergency chutes. The pilot of the Honolulu-bound 757 reported smoke in the cockpit shortly after liftoff. The plane circled around the airport and landed soon after on runway 7-Left. LAFD assisted passengers down two emergency chutes. No injuries were reported. No fire was found and the cause of the smoke was unknown, according to the LAFD's Brian Humphrey. Click here to watch video via CBS2.com or listen via KNX1070. more ›

The world's largest passenger jet, the double-decker, 489-seat Airbus A380, is scheduled to land at LAX at 9:15 a.m. After the plane arrives, 200 to 250 invited guests will get a two-hour "familiarization'' flight. The jumbo airliner was the first to be delivered to Emirates Airlines, which will begin a nonstop LAX-Dubai service this fall (on a Boeing 777). The We regret to report that LAist has yet to receive an invitation for said "familiarization," leading us to not really care. Toulouse, France-based Airbus first exhibited the A380 at LAX in March 2007. more ›