Taban Air flight HH-6243 suffered a gear collapse during landing at Ardabil Airport, Iran, on March 27th.
The Boeing 737-400 plane was coming from Mashhad, Iran, when its right hand main gear collapsed.
There were 163 people aboard at the time; all of them remained unharmed.
The plane sustained considerable damage.
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What: Ryanair Boeing 737-800 en route from Milan, Italy to East Midlands
Where: Frankfurt
When: Apr 4th 2012
Who: 134 passengers
Why: Fifteen minutes after takeoff, while over Lugano Switzerland, the cabin lost pressure, deploying oxygen masks. Pilots made a Mayday announcement heard by passengers on the public address system, and descended to 9000 feet. Passengers were alarmed as they watched the alps approach at a rapid rate. In five minutes, they descended four miles. They diverted to Frankfurt Germany where they made a safe landing at at 12:00 local time.
A replacement jet was provided.
Three passengers were injured and hospitalized with ear problems. A news report said there were ten passengers with minor injuries. Some passengers told reporters they were panicking, but no one was screaming.
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Contact photographer Christian Waser
What: United Airlines Boeing 767-300 en route from Washington to Brussels Belgium
Where: Dulles (Washington DC)
When: May 8th 2010
Who: 176 passengers and 11 crew
Why: About five minutes after takeoff, the on board crew was informed that pieces of the plane were left on the runway. Those pieces turned out to be the remains of tires. The plane went into a holding pattern to burn off fuel, then landed safely back at Dulles between two and three hours after takeoff. A piece of runway pavement was missing, leading to the conclusion that the runway popped the tire…
Most times I fly United and hope that their maintenance is better than the look of their wearing interiors. I don’t usually worry too much about the airport.
If I knew that the plane I was on had left pieces of itself on the runway, I’d rather be circling the airport than over the Atlantic. On the other hand, if I knew a shaggy runway was going to pop a tire on the plane I was on, I’d have walked the runway myself before taking off.
What is a frequent flier to do but nag the FAA?
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Contact photographer Valeriy Fedorov
What: Kyrgyzstan/Altyn Air Tupolev 134A-3 en route from Bishkek to Osh
Where: Osh Airport, Kyrgyzstan
When: 28 DEC 2011
Who: 6 crew, 82 passengers, 25 injured
Why: After a hard landing in dense fog, the plane skidded off the runway, collapsing the right main gear, and flipped. As it rolled over, the right wing separated, and the ensuing fire was quickly contained by rescue services standing by. Passengers inside were hanging upside down, suspended by their seatbelts, but had to find a way to evacuate quickly, before the plane had a chance to explode. A fire occurred from a fuel leak in the remaining wing, but it was controlled.
The metar at the time of the landing was:
UAFO 280700Z 02002MPS 0300 R12/0550 FG VV001 00/00 Q1023 R12/19//50 TEMPO 0300 FZFG VV002 RMK QFE691/0922 BASE050M
Wind from 020 degrees at 2 m/sec; visibility 300m; on runway 12, touchdown zone visual range is 550m in fog; vertical visibility 100 m; pressure: 1023 hPa; temperature: 0°C.
Six crew members and nineteen passengers were hospitalized, but there were no fatalities reported. Nine children were aboard. The plane was evacuated.
Because of the incident, the airport (runway) was temporarily closed, and Osh-Bishkek flights are delayed.
Of the 25 reported injured and hospitalized, these have been identified: Rustamov A. b. 1977, Ismatova A. b. 1993, Turgunaliev Charles b.1960; and two injured, Mamatov A., born 1992, and Suyunbaeva A. 2011g.r. who are in a children’s hospital in Osh. The most seriously injured is a 19 year old girl.
Kyrgyzstan Airlines is on the EU banned list.
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Contact photographer Mark Kryst
What: Flair Airlines Boeing 737-400 en route from Stephenville to St. John’s
Where: St. Johns
When: Dec 15th 2009
Who: not available
Why: While on approach, the flight developed a flaps problem and performed a go around. The crew landed the plane safely a quarter of an hour later with no complications.
A helicopter crashed into Lake Nakuru in Kenya, on October 21st.
The helicopter, carrying five people, was en-route to an election campaign rally when it went down.
According to a statement issued by Kenya Civil Aviation Authority, “Initial indications are that there are no survivors.”
Nakuru Senator Susan Kihika said three people aboard the helicopter were members of her communications team.
The search and rescue operation is underway.
The Thai Lion Air flight SL8537 from Hat Yai to Bangkok, Thailand, had to return for emergency landing on August 20, after the co-pilot collapsed midair.
The Dutch co-pilot Peter Esberte, 47 lost consciousness just 20 minutes after the Boeing 737-900 aircraft took off. The pilot then decided to return to Hat Yai airport where he made an emergency landing at 1:21 p.m.
Esberte later died on the way to hospital from the airport. The cause of death is not yet known, however, the Aeronautical Radio of Thailand (Aerothai) said Esberte died of a heart attack.
Worawut Kongkositkul, in-charge of flight operations for the low cost airline, said that Esberte joined the airline last year at its launch and was completely healthy.
All 152 passengers aboard the plane remained unharmed.
