Federal regulators said Thursday they are investigating a near-collision of a US Airways jet and a small cargo plane that came within 50 to 100 feet of each other over Minneapolis just after takeoff. Air control radio traffic showed the cargo pilot failed to turn as directed.

The pilots of the two planes never saw each other as they passed in cloud cover at about 1,500 feet on Sept. 16, although the US Airways captain said he heard the cargo plane go by, the National Transportation Safety Board said. No one was injured and there was no damage.US Airways Flight 1848, an Airbus 320, took off from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport for Philadelphia with 90 passengers and five crew members shortly before 7 a.m. on Sept. 16. A twin-engine Beech 99 turboprop operated by Bemidji Aviation Services took off on a parallel runway on the left at about the same time. [Read the full article]

PARIS — Airlines may be ordered to check tens of thousands of aircraft passenger seats made by Japanese manufacturer Koito Industries after a scandal over questionable safety data, European and U.S. authorities said on Thursday.Shares in the company plunged 33 percent on Feb. 9 after it said it had been told by Japan's transport ministry to improve business management over the falsification of fire resistance and strength data on plane seats.Following recommendations from Japan's JCAB airworthiness authority, safety agencies on both sides of the Atlantic published draft directives that would order airlines to carry out checks of the seats. [Read the full article]

WASHINGTON — Evergreen International Airlines, a major transporter of U.S. military cargo, should be fined $4.9 million for allowing its pilots to make more than 200 flights before completing training on how to use key equipment, the Federal Aviation Administration said Friday.The equipment " a flight management system " is specialized computers that automate a wide variety of in-flight tasks, reducing the workload on the flight crew so that airliners can be flown without flight engineers or navigators.Evergreen pilots flew 232 times between February and July 2009 on planes equipped with a new flight management system that was different enough from the prior system that it required special training for pilots, FAA said.However, the Evergreen pilots made the trips before finishing a training course and weren't given manuals on the new system, FAA said. [Read the full article]

PALERMO, Sicily — At least 20 people were slightly injured on Friday when an Airbus A300 of the Italian airline Wind Jet swerved off the runway while landing at Palermo airport in bad weather, firefighters said.The 143 passengers evacuated the plane on inflatable chutes. The injured suffered minor scratches and bruises, they said.In any of these eight destinations, you'll find true grit on the gridiron and more than enough off-campus attractions to justify staying the weekend.PALERMO, Sicily — At least 20 people were slightly injured on Friday when an Airbus A300 of the Italian airline Wind Jet swerved off the runway while landing at Palermo airport in bad weather, firefighters said.The 143 passengers evacuated the plane on inflatable chutes. The injured suffered minor scratches and bruises, they said. [Read the full article]