Shed a tear: "In this case, while other people were still manipulating their own phones, this one employee singled me out to put my phone away." more ›

300 flights have been cancelled and 79 jets are grounded as investigators look into the Southwest Airlines near-disaster on Friday after the fuselage of a Boeing 737 bound for Sacramento cracked open at 36,000 feet causing a depressurization in the cabin and forcing a quick emergency landing. Passengers aboard the aircraft captured the incident with cell phone cameras. more ›

A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 Phoenix-to-Sacramento flight carrying 118 passengers made a "rapid, controlled descent" emergency landing on Friday afternoon after the aircraft's fuselage cracked open at 36,000 feet causing an explosion-like sound and sudden loss of cabin pressure, reports LA Now. more ›

A small, twin-engine Piper Comanche plane crashed into the roof of a home in Big Bear on Sunday injuring two people. According to an FAA spokesman, the accident happened around 7:20 a.m. on Mountain View Boulevard shortly after takeoff from Big Bear Airport, says KTLA. The pilot was reportedly able "to extract himself" from the aircraft and was taken to an local hospital with unknown injuries. A person inside the house was also hurt. The incident is now under investigation by the NTSB and FAA and authorities have not yet released the names of the involved parties. The plane, according to FAA records, is reportedly registered to Tower General Contractors in Sun Valley. 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 ›

A Southwest Airlines passenger discovered a, "fully loaded ammunition clip," while in flight today from Burbank to Phoenix, reports the Daily News. The clip belonging to a law enforcement officer's service weapon was accidentally dropped by an air marshal or a police officer on a previous flight. All passengers were taken off the aircraft and rescreened in Phoenix. It is unclear how long the ammunition was on the plane and what caliber bullets the clip contained. No other weapons were found. more ›

A flight between Los Angeles and Florida this morning was diverted to Albuquerque, New Mexico after a passenger allegedly tried to open a cabin door, says the Associated Press. The FBI believes that 46-year-old Stanley Dwayne Sheffield's actions were not related to terrorism, but he will likely face charges. Delta flight 2148 landed in New Mexico around 1:30 a.m., but eventually made it to Tampa by 4 a.m. more ›

A small plane carrying three people crashed this afternoon near the Hawthorne Airport off the 105 freeway, according to KNX1070. "Hawthorne Municipal Airport, also known as Jack Northrop Field, is an FAA-designated general aviation reliever airport owned by the City of Hawthorne," according to its webpage. It's located at 12101 S. Crenshaw Boulevard. more ›

Whoa! A luggage container was "drawn" into an engine of a Japan Airlines jet as it pushed from its gate at LAX at approximately 1:30 p.m. The plane was immediately grounded and the 245 passengers safely departed back into the terminal as authorities investigated what-at-the-time was an unknown object. The type of luggage container involved was not immediately identified, but an example of one type is shown here. more ›

It only takes 20 minutes from take off to landing for a plane to go from Catalina Island to John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana. The chartered Bonanza plane, piloted by Mark Hogland, was carrying two others and took off around 4:50 p.m. yesterday with weather causing low visibility. It was supposed to land at 5:10 p.m., but never made it. The Coast Guard was eventually warned, nearly five hours later, at 10:30 p.m. who began and still continue search and rescue efforts. more ›

A small airplane crashed at Santa Monica Airport around 5:05 p.m. tonight leaving at least two people dead inside. "The single-engine airplane crashed during take-off at the west end of the airport runway," according to Ian Gregor, Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson, per KABC. Upon impact, the plane was engulfed in flames. No one on the ground was hurt. It's been a crazy and unfortunate two days in Los Angeles. Twitter user Marc Chambers summed it all up: "Plane crash at santa monica airport, u-haul chase, murder/suicide yesterday ... its the apocalypse." A police officer also died early this morning in a head on crash on the 10 freeway. more ›

"We all jumped him. He was struggling hardcore. I was holding down his arm. Somebody had a foot on his head. Everyone was holding down a different body part. He was going nuts. I was telling him to chill because he's not going anyplace." That's Chris Llewellyn of Asher Roth's band talking to the LA Times about the mid-morning incident where a man on board claimed he had a bomb as a a Delta flight from Atlanta was landing and taxiing in Los Angeles. The Pennsylvania based band was traveling to town for an appearance on the boring "Last Call With Carson Daly." More details of the incident and a live Twitter play-by-play from LAist's earlier report can be read here. more ›

A man who apparently made a bomb threat and tried to open the back door of a Delta plane as it was landing at Los Angeles International Airport today. "The passenger is reported to have made a threat aboard the plane and was subdued by passengers," LAX officials said in a statement. "The incident is under investigation by FBI agents and Los Angeles Airport Police." more ›

A FA-18 Delta military jet that crashed into a San Diego neighborhood shortly before noon killed at least three people who have not been identified yet. Investigators know that a grandmother, a mother and two children lived in the residence and say one person is unaccounted for, according to AP. The pilot who ejected himself before the crash and landed at a nearby high school playing field is listed in stable condition at the hospital. more ›

The Van Nuys-bound Learjet carrying DJ AM and former Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker that crashed Saturday morning killing four others has sad twist. One of the victims, Chris Baker who was Barker's personal assistant, lost his brother last month. "Baker's death was the second tragedy to hit the family. Last month, Baker's 24-year-old brother, Rob, was killed in a motorcycle in Sacramento," the SacBee reported. more ›

The crash in South Carolina that claimed the lives of four and critically injured DJ AM and Travis Barker may have been caused by a blown-out tire, according to National Transportation Safety Board investigators. The Van Nuys Airport bound learjet was flown by two pilots and carried two friends of the musicians (bodyguard Chris Baker and Charles Still), after a concert at the University of South Carolina. Both pilots and the two friends were killed. An ad hoc memorial was set up at Barker's Fast Life store on Crescent Heights. more ›

Reports are just coming out now regarding a Cessna 210 that almost landed with its wheels up. "My heart was just pounding. The guy was 20 to 30 feet above the ground," Carlos Rodriguez, an Ontario Airport air traffic controller, said who was informed by a Southwest Airlines pilot who first saw the Cessna trying to land. Rodriguez then quickly informed another controller, Bruce Bradigan who told the pilot to abort landing. The pilot, William R. Otto, has been flying private planes for 30 years and didn't use his checklist for landing. As he told the LA Times: "I made a mistake." more ›

A plane carrying 136 passengers is burning fuel while circling LAX before performing an emergency landing with a shredded tire. American Airlines flight 1586, a Boeing 757, from LA to Toronto blew a leftside landing gear tire upon its 10:30 a.m. takeoff. It is expected to land during the 12:00 p.m. hour PST. Over 100 Los Angeles Fire Department personnel are standing by just in case something happens but as LAFD Spokesman Brian Humphrey noted to LAist over the phone, standby requests occur approximately 217 times a year at LAX. However, they are usually not at this level. A live stream can be seen at CBS 2. Update: The plane landed safely shortly before 1:00 p.m. PST. more ›

LAistory is a series that takes us on a journey to what came before to help us understand where we are today. So far we've been to Val Verde (the "Black Palm Springs"), Thelma Todd's Roadside Cafe, a house in Beverly Hills, Echo Park's Bonnie Brae House, and the long-gone Marineland of the Pacific. Now we're taking to the skies and flying back to the Golden Era of air travel right here in Glendale... more ›

Score one for the passengers: budget airline carrier JetBlue is announcing that they will begin service between LAX and airports in New York and Boston this May. They also have plans to increase service from their Burbank and Long Beach locations, meaning more flights for consumers to choose from, which will increase competition with other carriers (like Southwest) and thereby lower airfares. They'll now be flying to JFK Int'l three times a day, and Boston's Logan Int'l once a day. more ›

Tired of the same old gifts? Who needs another tie, or some tchotchke that just becomes one more thing to dust? How about giving someone a gift certificate to swim with great white sharks? I'll bet that's one gift they will always remember - hopefully for the right reasons. 99 Blue Bananas provides gift packages that arrive at the recipient's door in a tasteful blue folder including a gift card and relevant information for the... more ›

MUSIC: CalTech isn’t just about nerdy rocket scientists. They have glee clubs, too! All kidding aside, tonight's concert will feature traditional holiday favorites as well as the Women's Club taking on Porpora’s Magnificat, written in the 1730s. 8 pm // Dabney Lounge at California Institute of Technology // 1200 East California Blvd., Pasadena // Free. DANCE: From CalTech, we’ll head over to CalArts in Valencia. The Sharon Disney Lund School of Dance is holding its... more ›

The man responsible for killing a woman and her two young children in a street-racing accident last month has been tracked down and arrested in Mexico; Martin Marones is expected to be charged with three counts of murder. So many questions! Has "Heroes: Origins" been shelved? Or just "postponed" due to the writers strikes? Will we ever find out who's been offing the group of twelve? And what's up with this ADAM guy??? Two... more ›

After the Trojans' plummet in the polls following the loss to Stanford and the release of the first BCS poll, many thought the team couldn't or wouldn't drop any further. Not so, as the AP is reporting that a chartered plane with 82 players aboard, headed to Indiana for tomorrow's Notre Dame game experienced an extreme drop while flying through a severe thunderstorm. Weather was so bad that the pilot had to abandon his first... more ›

That's an average of 90.1 mph for the 2,794 miles between Classic Car Club in Manhattan and the Santa Monica Pier in California. Get this, and no traffic stops, no tickets (that would cost a detrimental 15-minutes). Feel bad now about getting pulled over recently? more ›

Current Carolla co-pilot Danny Bonaduce will not be charged with felony battery for tossing "Survivor" contestant Jonny Fairplay onto a stage at the Fox Reality Really Awards Monday. Prosecutors said Fairplay "initiated contact and acted offensively." How much of a dude is Bonaduce for throwing a guy on a stage and getting the prosecutors to say the other guy was offensive? A man died today after his plane crashed into the median divider at... more ›

Strike Three - Thursday was the third day this week with no major sports action in Los Angeles. more ›

Top Chef hasn’t suffered from sophomore – okay, junior – slump at all. Bravo’s reality show is turning out to be one of the most consistently entertaining programs on television, thanks to one simple rule that’s all too often overlooked in the reality game: talented people make good television. Unfortunately, not everybody agrees: Regina Schrambling over at the LA Times recently decried the “tentacles” of advertising that have a firm grip on the show’s... more ›

If you've missed Ken Burns' latest sprawling effort on PBS, you can catch it today when it drops on DVD. Silver Surfer was better than the original Fantastic Four, but that's not really saying much. Got to love Doug Jones, though. 1408 was a surprise summer hit. I think it'll work even better when you're watching it alone at home with the lights turned off. Entourage was never the same after the Aquaman arc,... more ›

Ducks 4, Kings 1 - After Los Angeles shocked Anaheim 4-1 in Saturday's season opener in London (yes, London), the defending champs showed who really is king. Despite 10 goals in two days, British fans were reportedly most excited about a good ol' fashioned hockey fight. Welcome back, NHL. Welcome back. A's 3, Angels 2 - The AL West champion Halos hit a skid when they clinched the pennant, but they saved face in their... more ›