Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Mark Kopczak
What: Delta/Freedom Air Embraer ERJ-145 en route from Cincinnati, KY to Saint Louis, MO
Where: Louisville
When: Dec 6th 2009
Who: 53 on board
Why: After takeoff, the crew reported elevator problems. The flight diverted to Louisville and landed safely.
Lufthansa flight LH-144 had to return and make an emergency landing in Frankfurt, Germany, on July 1st.
The Airbus A319-100 plane took off for Nuremberg, Germany, but had to turn back after an unusual odor was noticed in the cockpit.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
The Mozambique Airlines Embraer 190 disappeared from radar when entering Namibian airspace but Mozambican authorities took over three hours to inform Namibian ATC that the plane had gone missing. Heavy rain in the area led to poor visibility. Was the pilot was deliberately flying low or had lightning possibly damaged the plane?
Head of the Mozambique’s Civil Aviation Institute (IACM) Joao Abreu made some statements to the press.
Abreu said just before the Embraer 190 hit the ground, Captain Herminio dos Santos Fernandes locked himself in the cockpit, ignored warnings and did not allow his co-pilot back in.
Abreu said that Captain Herminio dos Santos Fernandes manipulated the Embraer 190’s autopilot in a way which “denotes a clear intention” to bring the plane down;
Abreu said that “During these actions you can hear low and high-intensity alarm signals and repeated beating against the door with demands to come into the cockpit.”
Input from the black boxes indicated that the altitude was changed three times from 38,000 feet to 592, and the spoilers were deployed and held.
The captain had 9,053 hours of flying time, 1,395 of them as the captain of an Embraer.
Do we really know what was going on in the cockpit of the plane as it went down in the Bwabwata National Park in north-east Namibia? Do we have any idea what went on in the mind of Captain Herminio dos Santos Fernandes?
I think not. I think it is too soon to make presumptions. I believe the investigation, if it is performed to industry standards—which may be a challenge, given Mozambique’s safety standards as regarded by the EU—has much more to reveal.
*Don’t watch the video below if you have a weak stomach. U.S. News does not carry such graphic images.
American Airlines Flight 1610 made an emergency landing at Orlando International Airport, Florida, in the night of August 20.
The decision for emergency landing was made after the windshield of the Boeing 737, heading from Miami to Toronto, cracked midair.
The plane landed uneventfully and all 131 people aboard remained unharmed.
An American Airlines representative said that their maintenance crew is trying to figure out the cause of the crack.
The passengers were provided an alternate plane to resume their journey.
An American Airlines flight made an emergency landing in Meridian, Mississippi, on December 5.
The plane, operated by ExpressJet, was heading from Dallas, Texas, to Columbia Metropolitan Airport, South Carolina, when the crew reported a crack in the windshield and requested an emergency landing.
The plane landed safely. Everyone aboard remained unhurt.
The airline arranged another aircraft for the passengers.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact Photographer Stewart Andrew
What: US Airways Airbus A330-300 en route from Frankfurt/Main to Charlotte
Where: Charlotte
When: 06/14/2009
Who: The number of passengers was not reported
Why: U S Air Flight 705 was in descent when it encountered turbulence. A flight attendant sustained minor injuries. She was apparently the only injury; otherwise, the flight landed safely.
Transavia flight HV-6915 made an emergency landing in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on November 21st.
The Boeing 737-700 plane took off for Olbia, Italy, but had to turn back due to an issue with the air conditioning system.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
