Atlas Air cargo flight 5Y-33 had to return and make an emergency landing at Miami International Airport, Florida, on February 17.
The Boeing 747-800 plane took off for Buenos Aires, Argentina, but had to return shortly afterwards after tire debris was found on the departure runway.
The perimeter road around the airport was closed for traffic while the plane, carrying 6 crew members, landed safely. No injuries were reported.
Ryanair flight FR-5464 had to divert and make an emergency landing at Brussels Airport, Brussels, Belgium, on February 27.
The Boeing 737-800, en-route from Madrid, Spain, to Brussels, Belgium, was on approach to Charleroi Airport when the crew detected asymmetry in the flaps, deciding to divert to Brussels Airport.
The plane landed safely.
All passengers and crew members aboard remained unhurt.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Rudy Chiarello
What: American Airlines Boeing 737-800 en route from Miami,FL to Washington National,DC
Where: Washington
When: Mar 22nd 2011
Who: 97 people on board
Why: On approach to Washington National, the crew found themselves without feedback from ATC. They declared the airport uncontrolled. The tower frequency was declared an advisory frequency and landed safely without clearance.
Ellinair flight EL-920 made an emergency landing in Novosibirsk, Russia, on August 9th.
The plane was flying from Thessaloniki, Greece, when the captain became unwell and later on fell unconscious. The first officer took control and landed safely.
The captain was shifted to hospital where the doctors diagnosed a brain haemorrhage.
What: Gulf Air Airbus A320-200 en route from Bahrain to Kochi, India
Where: Kochi
When: Aug 28th 2011, 3.55 am
Who: 137 passengers and 6 crew, 8 injuries
Why: In examining this August incident, after doing some runway testing, the DGCA is blaming the accident on a slick runway.
However defects have been found in the plane’s front wheel. And the statement of the DCGA’s opinion also mentions pilot error. So they have released a statement combining pilot error, plane flaws and a bad runway as being behind the runway excursion.
Can a pilot land on a slick runway? What exactly was the pilot’s error in this situation? Does the entire runway have the identical friction coefficient or just the area tested? Runway friction is also going to be affected by the condition of the tires; what was the condition of the tire before it blew? Inquiring minds want to know.
Airport testing at Cochin airport revealed airport friction level.
A C K Nair, director of the Cochin airport made the following defensive statement:
“As per the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) norms the friction coefficients of the runways should not go below 0.34, while the value was 0.61 to 0.86 till recently. On the day of the mishap the average value was hovering between 0.52 and 0.84. The value at the spot where the ill-fated aircraft touched the runway was 0.75 to 0.85. We did another test on September 3 and the value was above 0.5.’
Read More about Gulf Air Airbus Skids into Mud On landing in Kochi
Vietnam Airlines flight VN-7344 made a hard landing at Cam Ranh International Airport, Cam Ranh, Vietnam, on April 29th.
The Airbus A321-200 flying from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, was cleared to land on runway 20R, but it touched down on runway 20L which was under construction.
The plane rolled out, and its engines sucked a few objects from the runway.
All 203 passengers aboard remained safe.
Company delivers 462 airplanes
– 530 net orders booked as global economy shows recovery
SEATTLE, Jan. 6, 2011 — Boeing recorded 462 commercial airplane deliveries in 2010, meeting company guidance of approximately 460 deliveries during the year. Boeing posted 530 net commercial orders for the year as air carriers transition from economic recovery to expansion. Boeing Commercial Airplanes maintains a strong order base of 3,443 unfilled orders.
“With 376 deliveries in 2010, the Next-Generation 737 set a company delivery record for the second consecutive year,” said Jim Albaugh, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “The 737 is the industry’s most in-demand airplane with 486 net orders as carriers continue to rely on its superior economics, versatility and continuous performance enhancements.”
The 777 led Boeing’s twin-aisle programs with 74 deliveries and 46 net orders in 2010 as the airplane continues to rank at the top of operator, investor and frequent traveler polls for its efficiency and passenger comfort.
Program orders, deliveries and backlog at the end of 2010 were as follows:
|
Gross Orders |
Net Orders |
Deliveries |
Backlog Units |
||
|
737 |
508 |
486 |
376 |
2,186 |
|
|
777 |
76 |
46 |
74 |
253 |
|
|
747 |
1 |
(-1) |
0 |
107 |
|
|
767 |
3 |
3 |
12 |
50 |
|
|
787 |
37 |
(-4) |
N/A |
847 |
|
