American Airlines flight AA-141 had to divert and make an emergency landing at Shannon Airport, County Clare, Ireland, on May 23rd.
The Boeing 777-200, en-route from London, England, to New York, was mid-air when the crew reported indications of vibrations and decided to divert.
The plane landed uneventfully.
All 89 people onboard remained unharmed.
Pictured: An Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 767-3BG/ER
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Pieter-Jan Van De Vijver
What: Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 767-300 en route from Addis Ababa to Lagos
Where: Lagos Nigeria
When: Dec 13th 2009
Who: 180 passengers
Why: On approach, ATC communication failed. With air traffic control’s radar and communication radio out of service, the flight circled, and after two hours in a holding pattern, landed after declaring a fuel emergency.
Other flights also had the same experience.
Nigeria’s Airspace Management Agency NAMA was unavailable for two hours.
Southwest Airlines flight WN-411 suffered a bird strike near Tampa International Airport, Florida, on November 15th.
The incident happened shortly after the Boeing 737-800 plane departed Tampa International Airport for Buffalo, New York.
The crew decided to continue the flight to Buffalo, where the plane landed safely.
All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact Photographer Alasdair Mulhern
What: Qantas Airbus A380-800 en route from Singapore to London
Where: London Heathrow
When: Jul 4th 2009
Why: The first approach was aborted due to a nose gear issue. After landing, nose gear steering failed, and the plane was towed. However, repairs were made so that on the return flight, the delay was only about two hours.
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Contact Photographer
What: Lion Air Boeing 737-300, en route from Jakarta to Mongonsidi airport, South East Sulawesi
Where: Sultan Hasanuddin airport in Makassar
When: 5 pm Jul 18th 2009
Who: 132 passengers 6 crew members
Why: The plane made an emergency landing because of a “crack on the glass of its cockpit window,” according to information released by Lion Air.
First Air flight 7F-866 had to return and make an emergency landing in Montreal, Canada, on September 19th.
The Boeing 737-400 plane took off for Kuujjuaq, Canada, but had to turn back after a strong odor was noticed in the cabin and cockpit.
The plane landed safely. All 69 people aboard remained unhurt.
A small plane crashed shortly after taking off from Grants-Milan Municipal Airport, Grants, Cibola County, New Mexico, on the evening of September 26th.
The Piper PA-32R-300, carrying 2 passengers and the pilot, had its engine sputtering before it went down.
All three people miraculously survived the crash with no injuries whereas the plane burst into flames.
The crash remains under investigation.
