U.S. Department of Transportation news and stories by mail.com

U.S. Department of Transportation

Feds to probe why alarms failed in W.Va. explosion
Federal investigators are looking into why no alarms sounded as a massive natural gas explosion sent flames as high as hilltops, engulfing homes and ...
FAA: 3 killed in medical helicopter crash in Ill.
Authorities say a medical helicopter has crashed in northern Illinois, killing all three people on board. The Federal Aviation Administration reports ...
Black boxes in cars raise privacy concerns
Many motorists don't know it, but it's likely that every time they get behind the wheel, there's a snitch along for the ride. The National Highway ...
US Reps. expect deeper look at NJ derailment
Federal regulations require inspections of rail bridges and other infrastructure and reports on accidents, but leave it to freight railroad owners to ...
NJ train derailment tips tankers, sickens dozens
A freight train derailed Friday on a railroad bridge that has had problems before, toppling tanker cars partially into a creek and causing a leak of ...
Fire suppression systems urged in all cargo planes
The government should require fire suppression systems in all cargo containers or compartments of planes to prevent the kind of ferocious in-flight ...
3 pilots flying to safety meet die in Miss. crash
Three pilots flying together to a federal safety conference died when their single-engine plane faltered in midair and crashed into a house that went ...
Congress protects airlines from EU emissions tax
Congress on Tuesday stepped in to protect U.S. airlines from having to pay into a European Union program to cut emissions that its critics say is ...
With another storm, airlines take no chances
Major airlines scrapped flights in and out of the New York area Wednesday as the region was socked with the second significant storm in little more ...
Mayor: Police helicopter refurbished before crash
The Atlanta police helicopter that crashed and killed two officers on board had been completely refurbished within the last decade, and its pilot and ...
Missing from presidential race: roads, bridges
Here are a few items that largely have been missing from the presidential campaign: planes, trains, roads and bridges. But as Superstorm Sandy ...
Derailed tanker burns in Ky. with no end in sight
The blaze that authorities initially said would end in a couple of hours instead spewed flames and smoke from a derailed tanker car for a second day ...
FAA upgrades Israel's aviation safety rating
The Federal Aviation Administration says Israel is now complying with international aviation standards and its U.S. safety rating has been upgraded.
Illinois Amtrak train hits 111 mph in test run
For the first time on a key Midwestern route between Chicago and St. Louis, an Amtrak passenger train topped 110 mph Friday, ripping through ...
Fatal air crash decline presents safety challenge
It's been 43 months since the last deadly airline crash in the United States, the longest period without a fatal domestic accident since commercial ...
American says it will work on seats on more planes
American Airlines says it will modify seats on 49 more planes to prevent rows of seats from coming loose during flight. It's addressing the same ...
American Airlines inspecting jets for loose seats
The federal government is examining two separate incidents in which passenger seats came loose midflight on American Airlines planes in the last three ...
Leader of American pilots: Don't slow down flights
With American Airlines threatening legal action, the leader of the pilots' union is telling it members not to delay flights — if that's what they're ...
Report: More fees, less choice for air travelers
Airline passengers can expect fewer carriers to choose from, fewer flights to smaller cities and more baggage and other fees as the industry continues ...
Obstacles may delay drones' access to US skies
Difficult to resolve safety and security obstacles may prevent the Federal Aviation Administration from meeting a deadline to allow civilian drones ...
Common type of rail car has dangerous design flaw
For two decades, one of the most commonly used types of rail tanker has been allowed to haul hazardous liquids from coast to coast even though ...
FAA chief says voting claim under federal review
The head of the Federal Aviation Administration says an independent federal agency is investigating allegations that FAA managers in Seattle urged ...
Problems dogging new high-tech air traffic system
A high-tech overhaul to the nation's air traffic control system is mostly on track to completion, but has yet to produce the benefits that airlines ...
NTSB: Trim tab failure caused 2011 Reno race crash
The World War II-era P-51 Mustang hurtled over the race course in Nevada at more than 500 mph, its skin wrinkling and canopy separating from the sheer ...
FAA to study use of electronics on planes
It's going to be a while before airline passengers can use iPads and other electronic devices during the whole flight. The Federal Aviation ...