Air Canada flight 8650 had to return and make an emergency landing at London International Airport in London, Ontario, on September 21st.
The plane took off for Toronto, Ontario, Canada, but had to return shortly afterwards due to engine problems.
The plane landed safely. All 75 passengers aboard remained unharmed.
Air India flight AI-496 made an emergency landing in Udaipur, India, on October 2nd.
The Airbus A319-100 plane heading from Raikot to Delhi, India, was diverted due to a cargo smoke indication.
The plane landed safely. All one hundred and twenty-three people aboard remained unharmed.
A Thai Airways International Airbus A330-321 en route from Guangzhou Baiyun International to Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi International (i.e. China to Thailand) had a runway excursion when it landed at its destination.
Fortunately emergency services were on hand to put out the fire that started in the engine.
The Thai Airways statement said there was a “landing gear malfunction.”
The plane went off the right side of the runway, and the nosegear failed.
There were fourteen crew and 388 passengers. Fourteen people were injured and hospitalized in Bangkok. Emergency slides were used to exit the plane. We presume the injuries occurred on the emergency slides.
Theguardian reported that Thai Airways covered up the logo after the accident. This practice is known as the “crisis communication rule” from Star Alliance, and is a measure to save face and reputation.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Agustin Anaya
What: Delta Air Lines McDonnell Douglas MD-90-30 en route from Phoenix,AZ to Salt Lake City,UT
Where: Phoenix
When: Nov 2, 2009
Who: 127 passengers, 5 crew
Why: A couple of minutes after takeoff, the plane struck a flock of birds, and had to return to the airport.
The strikes damaged the windshield, the airplane’s skin, and the damage affected the pressurization in the cabin.
United Airlines flight UA-1270 had to make an emergency landing at O’Hare International Airport, Chicago, Illinois, on April 14th.
The Airbus A320-200 plane flying from Jacksonville, Florida, was on final approach to Chicago when the crew went around reporting an issue with the flaps.
The crew worked the checklists and subsequently landed at higher than normal speed.
All passengers and crew members remained safe.
Southwest Airlines flight 3348 made an emergency landing in Newark, New Jersey, on April 29th.
The plane, heading from Long Island MacArthur Airport, New York, to Baltimore, Maryland, was diverted due to an issue with one of the engines.
The plane landed safely. All 131 passengers and 5 crew members remained unharmed.
A replacement plane was arranged for the passengers.
Emirates Airlines flight EK-147 had to return and make an emergency landing in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on August 20th.
The plane was heading to Amsterdam, Netherlands, when the passenger oxygen masks deployed, prompting the crew to turn back for an emergency landing.
The plane landed uneventfully. Everyone aboard remained safe.
