Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Gary Shephard
What: South African Express Airways de Havilland Dash 8-300 en route from Johannesburg to Kimberly (South Africa),
Where: Kimberly (South Africa)
When: Jul 16th 2010
Why: On landing, the nose gear of the plane struck an aardvark on the runway, damaging the nose gear. There’s no indication of the aardvark’s condition.
Click to view large photo at Airliners.net
Contact Photographer Frank Robitaille
What: Continental Airlines Flight 3407, Bombardier Q400 turboprop operated by regional carrier Colgan Air en route from Newark, New Jersey to Buffalo Niagara International Airport
Where: Clarence Center, New York.
When: Thursday Feb 12 2009 10 pm.
Who: 44 passengers and four crew members, 1 off-duty pilot, 1 person on the ground, all fatalities. The passenger manifest has not officially been released.
Why: The New Jersey-to-Buffalo flight was cleared to land on a runway pointing to the southwest. But the plane crashed with its nose pointed to the northeast. Seconds after two automatic warnings to the pilots that the plane was not moving fast enough to stay aloft, the twin turboprop aircraft went through a “severe pitch and roll” after positioning its flaps for a landing. It did not dive into the house, as initially thought, but landed flat on the house.
Although Icing is emerged as a factor for why flight 3047 fell, it has been found that the flight’s captain had lied on his job application to Colgan Air and only reported one of three failed FAA check rides. The co-pilot who could not afford to live in NY on her salary had flight-hopped across the country from Seattle and is recorded mentioning “a couch with her name on it.” The FAA investigators believe pilots made errors that contributed to the crash.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Petr Volek
What: Travel Service Boeing 737-800 en route from Sharm el Sheikh Egypt to Prague
Where: Cairo
When: May 17th 2010
Who: 160 passengers
Why: While en route, the flight crew found indication of a wheel well fire and diverted to Prague. The flight landed safely, and the indication proved to be groundless, causing only a minor delay at the airport.
What: KMT Consultants Piper PA-28-180 Cherokee C en route from St Clair County Airport to Lebanon- Springfield Airport
Where: west of Lebanon-Springfield Airport
When: Feb 23 2010
Who: Pilot Kent Douglas Shilling of Springfield (lost in crash)
Why: The Piper 28 airplane disappeared from radar about 4 miles west Lebanon Springfield Airport. Kent Douglas Shilling was piloting the plane. Shilling, who owns a flight school, was returning to Kentucky from Alabama. When his arrival in Lebanon-Springfield was overdue, a search ensued. The Emergency Operations Center received a call concerning the crash at 4:10 p.m.
A state trooper found the wreckage in a wooded area off of Kentucky Highway 55 thirty minutes after the flight disappeared from radar.
What: 1930s single-engine de Havilland Tiger Moth
Where: East Windsor, Conn
When: Saturday August 30
Who: pilot and passenger
Why: The plane lost power 200 feet from the runway at the Skylark Airpark Saturday. The pilot and passenger crashed in treetops and were stuck in the tree until help arrived. A tree surgeon climbed the tree, and set up a pulley to rescue the pilot and passenger who were apparently unhurt. The pilot was an instructor who “maintained an airspeed where he was in control and buffeted [the plane] into the top of the trees. That’s what saved both their lives.”
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Rutvij Talavdekar
What: Turkish Airlines Airbus A340-300 en route from Istanbul Turkey to Mumbai India
Where: Mumbai
When: Sep 2nd 2011
Who: 93 passengers and 11 crew
Why: After a fast landing in Mumbai on a slippery runway, the plane skidded off the runway onto mud, where it still sits.
Passengers were provided an alternative flight. Photos of the jet on the runway show emergency slides. No injuries were published. The incident is under investigation.
VABB 012310Z 19005KT 1200 R27/1400 RA FEW012 SCT015 FEW030CB BKN090 25/25 Q0999 TEMPO 0800 +SHRA
VABB 012210Z 19005KT 2100 HZ FEW012 SCT015 FEW030CB BKN090 26/26 Q0998 TEMPO 1500 SHRA
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Bruce Leibowitz
What: Frontier Airlines/Chautauqua Airlines Embraer ERJ-135 en route from Saint Louis to Milwaukee
Where: Milwaukee
When: Nov 30th 2010, arriving in Milwaukee at 10:02 a.m.
Who: 26 passengers, 3 crew, 6 injuries
Why: While en route, the plane encountered turbulence which injured five passengers and a flight attendant. Rescue services were waiting when the plane landed. The Embraer aircraft incident is out of service for repairs.
Frontier officials commented that passengers should keep their seat belts fastened.
