What: Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-300 en route from Saint Louis,MO to Dallas
Where: Saint Louis
When: Dec 7th 2011
Who: 137 passengers and 5 crew
Why: After takeoff, systems revealed unsafe gear.
The pilot returned to Lambert and made an emergency landing. No injuries were reported, and passengers were provided alternate flight.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Alevik
What: US Airways Airbus A320-200 en route from Philadelphia,PA to Las Vegas
Where: Philadelphia
When: Dec 7th 2011
Why: After taking off from Philadelphia, those aboard noticed what was described as “the stench of dirty socks.” The plane returned to Philadelphia and made a safe landing. Passengers were provided an alternative flight.
Note that in spite of the uncharming description of the smell,the caution was due not to excessive fear of stinky feet but to caution over the kind of lawsuit that Boeing is dealing with right now over toxic air fumes from tricresyl phosphates (TCPs), carbon monoxide and other toxic components bleeding from faulty “bleed-air” systems. Drowsiness, disorientation and memory loss may occur as a result of exposure to aerotoxicity.
Pictured: Sundance Chopper from company video
What: Sundance Helicopters Aérospatiale AS-350B
Where: Near Lake Mead, Nevada
When: Dec 7 2011, 5 pm
Who: 5 fatalities
Why: Las Vegas police search and rescue team conformed that a luxury sunset tour of the Las Vegas Strip and Hoover Dam crashed into the River Mountains. The pilot Landon Nield of Las Vegas and four passengers were killed in the crash thirty miles from the Vegas strip were in a remote area. Officials airlifted to the crash site confirmed the condition of the victims. Recovery will continue Thursday after sunrise.
Sundance Helicopters of Las Vegas has had at least five accidents and has been the subject of 10 federal enforcement actions since 1994 but Nield had no history of accidents or violations.
Two of the passengers, tourists Delwin and Tamara Chapman of Utica, Kan were renewing their vows and celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary.
Two of the victims, 28-year-old Lovish Bhanot and 26-year-old Anupama Bhola, were a couple of newlyweds from New Delhi, India.
The crash was reported by an employee of Alfred Merritt Smith water treatment facility who witnessed the event.
A 12-member team is being sent to investigate the crash.
In September of 2003, a Sundance Aerospatiale crashed Near Grand Canyon West Airport, Arizona.
NTSB LAUNCHING TEAM TO INVESTIGATE TOUR HELICOPTER ACCIDENT IN NEVADA
The National Transportation Safety Board has launched a 12- member Go-Team to investigate the crash of a helicopter on a sight-seeing tour that occurred near Las Vegas at about 5:00 p.m. PT on Wednesday. Preliminary reports indicate that all five persons on board the helicopter were fatally injured.
Senior Air Safety Investigator Bill English will serve asInvestigator-in-Charge. Member Mark Rosekind is among those traveling to the site and will serve as principal spokesman during the on-scene phase of the investigation.
Peter Knudson is the public affairs officer accompanying the team; he may be reached on his cell phone at 202-557-1350.
