The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has awarded a $2 million grant to San Diego International Airport to reduce the use of conventional fuels at the airport to improve air quality.

The grant through the FAA’s Voluntary Airport Low Emission (VALE) program is part of a major airport improvement project at San DiegoInternational Airport called “The Green Build.” The grant will enable the airport to install a land-side power unit and pre-conditioned air unit at each of 10 new aircraft gates, as well as seven air units at existing gates. The units will allow aircraft arriving at the gates to shut off their auxiliary power units and connect to a cleaner central heating and cooling system, saving fuel and reducing aircraft emissions on the ground.

What: Virgin Australia/Pacific Blue Boeing 737-800 en route from Brisbane,QL to Denpasar Bali
Where: Brisbane
When: Oct 14th 2011
Who: 1st officer
Why: The plane was in its parking bay as the first officer was inspecting the plane prior to departure, when the exhaust of a departing Qantas jet blew the mobile stairs, including the first officer, over. Both stairs and pilot ended up on the tarmac, the first officer ending up with a broken arm and leg. The plane was in its parking bay. The pilot departed for the hospital, presumably by ambulance, and the plane departed for Bali, with only a 90 minute delay.

I don’t think I’ve ever heard of this happening!

What: Delta McDonnell Douglas MD-88 en route from Flint Michigan to Atlanta Georgia
Where: Cincinnati
When: Oct 18, 2011
Who: 130 passengers, 6 crew
Why: While en route, the cabin began to smell “smokey.” The crew diverted to Cincinnati where they made a safe landing. They disembarked, and were able to leave Cincinnati around noon. The cause of the smokey smell was not released.

Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Pieter-Jan Van De Vijver

What: Spanair McDonnell Douglas MD-83 from Ovideo to Barcelona
Where: Bilbao
When: Oct 13th 2011
Who: 96 passengers
Why: While en route, the plane developed problems with cabin pressure. The pilots diverted to Bilbao, where they made a safe landing.

Passengers were provided alternate flights.

What: Moremi Air Cessna 208B Grand Caravan en route from Xakanaka Airstrip to Pom Pom Camp Airstrip
Where: Xaxanaka (Botswana)
When: OCT 14 2011
Who: 12 aboard, 8 fatalities
Why: A Moremi Air Cessna crashed in Botswana in the Okavango Delta soon after takeoff. Fatalities include the pilot and seven tourists. Four Swedes, two Brits, and two French were burned beyond recognition. One of the twelve people aboard actually jumped out of the plane while it was in the air, to avoid the fire, and that individual died at Maun Airport.

The four who survived include two Botswanan officials of the Department of Road Transport and Safety, and a french couple treated at Delta Private Hospital in Maun. The husband had burns, the wife was unhurt. One of the vehicle examiners, Bernard Lottering, kicked out a window when the plane landed, then facilitated his colleague’s exit.

The crash is under investigation.

Moremi Air Charters has grounded their fleet.

What: PNG Airlines de Havilland Canada DHC-8-102
Where: 20 km (12.5 mls) S of Madang Airport (MAG) (Papua New Guinea)
When: Oct 13, 2011
Who: 4 crew, 28 passengers, 4 survivors
Why: The Png flight crashed 20 miles south of Madang, and was lost and later discovered on fire. 28 died in the crash, but pilots, one passenger and an attendant survived. The Australian Captain broke both legs in the crash. The surviving passenger is a Chinese man who incurred serious burns.

“Based on the information that the pilot gave to the towers which was there’s smoke coming out of the engines and we’re running out of power, doing a forced landing, that’s what they said, which resulted in it crash landing.” The Ministry of Civil Aviation in Papua NG announced unofficially that there was a mechanical problem with the plane. The black box was recovered and sent to Australia for analysis.

A Canadian team from de Havilland is doing an independent investigation.

What: China United Airlines flight en route from Beijing to Urumqi
Where: Jiayuguan Airport in Gansu province
When: Oct 13, 2011
Who: Mrs. Wang
Why: Apparently 27 year old Mrs Wang wanted to make her husband worry, so she made a fake bomb and said it was aboard the flight, which diverted to Jiayuguan Airport. There was no actual bomb, which investigators discovered, and the plane was sent on its way after the inspection.

Mrs. Wang was detained. Her husband was not aboard the plane.

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Contact the photographer Michael Hohryakov

What: Russian Emergency Chopper Mil Mi-8MTV-1 #RF-31129
Where: Altan, Trans-Baikal area Russia
When: 09-OCT-2011
Who: 7 aboard
Why: The missing chopper was located and all aboard are alive. 15 units of equipment and 115 rescuers were engaged in the search. When the flight failed to check in at 12:45, it was declared missing.

Three crew members and 4 Avialesookhrana representitives were all in good condition, found in the Trans-Baikal region of Kyrinskom. An emergency chopper picked up the 7 and flew them to the First Municipal Hospital in Chita.

Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Raymond Ngu

What: PNG Airlines de Havilland Canada DHC-8-102
Where: 20 km (12.5 mls) S of Madang Airport (MAG) (Papua New Guinea)
When: Oct 13, 2011
Who: 4 crew, 28 passengers, 4 survivors
Why: About 5.15pm, while en route from Lae to Madang, the flight went down in dense forest in bad weather. The pilots managed to send a distress call. Four survivors were pulled from the wreckage and taken to Yamad clinic. The survivors include an 64 year old Australian pilot and a New Zealand pilot and an Asian passenger who was sitting in the seventh seat, who crawled through a crack in the fuselage, and who suffered burns on 27% of his body (including back and arms). Survivors are being transported by boat to Modilon hospital in Madang.

First responders were initially blocked when they could not cross the Guabe river, then a boat suffered engine problems, then the third attempt made it to the scene of the crash. A violent storm and dense forest hampered the rescue efforts, which were facilitated by chopper.

Australia engaged four army Blackhawk helicopters to assist in the rescue. Rescuers on the Gogol river were impeded due to heavy rains. It took four boats to reach the crash site.

PNG quarantined Laes Nadzab airport and grounded the Dash 8 fleet.

Witnesses saw the plane crash on the Guabe River bank and on impact, burst into flame. Most of the passengers were local Papuan parents of Madang’s Divine Word University students. According to a resort manager who went to pick them up from the airport, six of the plane’s occupants — one passenger and five crew members – had reservations to stay at Madang Resort.

PNG Accident Investigation Commission’s spokesman Sid O’Toole talked to the media.

PNG Airlines released the following:

POMSOX/MEDIA RELEASE – PORT MORESBY 10:30 PM THURSDAY, 13th OCTOBER 2011 – AIRLINES PNG ANNOUNCEMENT

We are sad to confirm that there has been an accident involving an Airlines PNG Dash 8 aircraft near Madang late Thursday afternoon.

Email: media.relations@apng.com

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