United Airlines flight UA-804 had to return and make an emergency landing in Tokyo, Japan, on April 4th.
The Boeing 777-200 plane took off for Washington Dulles International Airport, Virginia, but had to turn back after smoke was noticed in the cabin.
The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
The latest brouhaha in the aviation set is that the safety directive on Rolls Royce Engines–which are liable to ice up–does not ground the planes for repair, but instead has a repair date of 2011. The engines are in Boeing 777s, and have been acknowledged to be responsible for engines shutting down while in flight.
Two questionable parts do not require replacement until 2011.
Read the directive below:
SUMMARY: We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for the products listed above. This AD results from mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) issued by an aviation authority of another country to identify and correct an unsafe condition on an aviation product. The MCAI describes the unsafe condition as:
Under certain ambient conditions, ice can accumulate on the walls of the fuel pipes within the aircraft fuel system, which can then be released downstream when fuel flow demand is increased. This released ice can then collect on the fuel-to-oil heat exchanger (FOHE) front face and limit fuel flow through the FOHE.
We are issuing this AD to prevent ice from blocking the FOHE, which could result in an unacceptable engine power loss, and loss of control of the airplane.
What: US Airways Boeing 737-400 en route from Dallas to Charlotte.
Where: Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport
When: April 18, 2011, 1 pm
Who: 94 passengers, 5 crew (also reported as 107 aboard)
Why: After pilots smelled smoke in the cockpit, they diverted the flight to Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport where they made a safe landing with local emergency responders as well as fire crews from Pelham-Batesville and Boiling Springs, and Greenville and Spartanburg EMS were on standby when the plane landed.
After the plane was grounded, passengers were taken by bus to Charlotte.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Paulo Carvalho
What: Piper PA-28-161 Warrior III registration EC-IYU en route from JEREZ DE LA FRONTERA
Where: two miles northwest of the JEREZ DE LA FRONTERA runway 20
When: 8. FEB-2009
Who: pilot
Why: A pilot’s training flight was interrupted at 1:30 when he had to make an emergency landing two miles from the airport. He was transported to the hospital with minor injuries.
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.
TAP Air Portugal flight TP-494 had to return and make an emergency landing in Lisbon, Portugal, on October 13th.
The plane took off for Toulouse, France, but had to turn back due to smoke on-board.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Mattia Vichi
What: Delta Airlines Boeing 767-300 en route from New York JFK,NY to Accra
Where: over the Atlantic
When: Oct 29 2010
Why: While en route 300 miles out of New York, the plane developed an internal leak in the right engine, and smoke collected in the cabin.
The pilot descended to a lower altitude and made a safe landing at JFK with rescue services on standby. Passengers did not disembark for nearly two hours.
Maintenance determined that the oil leak or smoke from an oil leak got into the air conditioning.
