United Airlines flight UA-870 had to return and make an emergency landing in Sydney, Australia, on April 17th.
The Boeing 787-900 plane took off for San Francisco, California, but had to return shortly afterwards due to an unusual odor in the cabin.
The plane landed safely. There were 238 passengers aboard at the time; all of them remained unharmed.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Dennis Löffler
What: American Airlines Boeing 777-200 en route from London to Dallas/ Ft. Worth
Where: Chicago
When: Jan 3rd 2010
Who: not available
Why: After crossing the Atlantic, the crew of the American Airlines Boeing 777 suspected a fuel leak, and diverted to Chicago where they made a safe landing. Passengers were provided an alternative flight to complete the journey.
British Airways flight BA-2715 had to divert and make an emergency landing at Bordeaux–Merignac Airport, France, on October 19th.
The plane heading from Malaga, Spain, to Gatwick Airport, England, was diverted after it underwent a rapid descent.
The plane landed safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
Condor flight DE-1686 made an emergency landing in Munich, Germany, on August 12th.
The Airbus A320-200 plane was en-route from Hamburg, Germany, to Heraklion, Greece, when the crew decided to divert due to a hydraulic failure.
The plane landed safely. Everyone aboard remained unhurt.
What: TACA airlines Airbus A321-200 en route from El Salvador to San José Costa Rica
Where: Costa Rica
When: October 18, 2012
Who: 146 passengers, 7 crew
Why: On touchdown, three tires burst on the wet runway, resulting in an emergency landing. The plane skidded and spun to the right and when it came to a stop, it was perpendicular to the end of the runway.
There were no injuries reported when the plane landed at 4.pm. Burst tires can often occur as the result of a hard or too fast landing.
Passengers disembarked on to the runway.
The incident is under investigation.
Delta Airlines flight DL-2239 had to return and make an emergency landing in Atlanta, Georgia, on February 10th.
The plane took off for Charleston, South Carolina, but had to turn back due to an engine problem.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Frank-Thomas Klütsch
What: Air India Avion de Transport Regional ATR-42-300 en route from Silchar to Guwahati
Where: Lokopriya Gopinath Bordoli International Airport in Guwahati
When: Jun 10th 2012
Who: 48 passengers, 4 crew
Why: On takeoff from Silchar, the (left) nose wheel detached.
The crew was en route when the pilot received a message that one of the plane’s nosewheels had been found on the Silchar runway by someone at ATC.
There were five wheels remaining on the plane-one remaining nosewheel, and two pairs of main wheels.
Passengers were alarmed when the crew removed heavy items from the cockpit to shift the center of gravity further back in the plane, and when landing, keep the nose up as long as possible.
The pilot, Captain Urmila Yadav performed a flyby for visual confirmation, circled to burn off fuel and made a safe landing. She and co-pilot Yashu were later commended for her skill by the DGCA. Yadav has 4,000 hours in the cockpit.
Emergency crews were on standby during the landing.
An inquiry into the emergency has been initiated.
And while there are many pilots who consider this a “routine” emergency, and the fact that the 4,000 hr pilot is a woman is irrelevant because as long as she is in the Captain seat, she is a pilot first, we do believe in recognition for a job well-done. Good job, Captain Urmila Yadav. Maybe the good captain agrees with us that someone should give maintenance a slap on the wrist.
