American Airlines flight AA-105 had to return and make an emergency landing at Heathrow Airport, London, United Kingdom, on July 12th.
The plane took off for John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York, but had to return shortly afterwards after the crew reported smoke in the cockpit.
The plane landed uneventfully. Everyone aboard remained unhurt.
United Airlines flight UA-125 had to return and make an emergency landing in Athens, Greece, on June 19th.
The Boeing 767-300 plane took off for Newark, New Jersey, but had to return shortly afterwards due to a leading edge slat asymmetry.
The plane dumped excess fuel before it landed safely. Everyone aboard remained unhurt.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Conor Clancy
What: Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 en route from Las Vegas to San Jose
Where: Mineta San Jose International Airport
When: July 3, 2012, 10:30 am
Who: 99 aboard, 3 crew
Why: 25 miles east of the airport, the pilot declared emergency. There was no smoke visible but there was the smell of smoke.
The plane taxied to the gate, where passengers disembarked.
Twenty firefighters remained at the scene in case of escalation, as investigators went through the plane.
I fly Southwest and I know enough about aircraft to say that the planes are wearing out.
They are made to take off and land and not stop, but aging planes need extra maintenance. Most of these planes gotta go in for real hard look.
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.
UTair flight UT369 had to make an emergency landing at Pulkovo International Airport in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on March 25.
The crew sought permission for an emergency landing after one of the engines of Boeing 737 aircraft failed. The flight was en-route from Moscow to St Petersburg at the time.
The plane landed safely. None of the 78 passengers and crew members was harmed.
What: small turboprop plane
Where: Charlotte/Douglas International Airport.
When: 7 a.m
Who: information not available
Why: Pilot reported a hydraulic problem at 6:30 am and landed safely at 7. Passengers were taken off the plane and transported by bus to the concourse.
Brussels Airlines flight SN-3667 made an emergency landing in Toulouse, France, on February 20th.
The Airbus A319-100 plane flying from Brussels, Belgium, was on approach to Toulouse when the crew reported an issue with the flaps and went around.
The plane subsequently landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
