Cathay Pacific flight CX-3290 made an emergency landing in Hong Kong, China, on June 19th.
The Boeing 747-400 plane took off for Anchorage, Alaska, but had to turn back after the crew noticed a gear problem.
The plane landed safely after dumping excess fuel. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
On December 18, Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 767-383ER #ET-AQW en route from Addis Ababa to Zanzibar-Kisauni Airport diverted to Arusha Airport. On landing on the too short runway, the plane’s wheels departed the pavement and became mired in soft ground.
No one was injured in the landing.
There is a rumor that the pilots diverted from the Zanzibar airport because they were unable to land there because there was a vehicle on the runway with a flat tire. The plane was nearly out of fuel and the best/closest option was Arusha. Passengers waited aboard as air stairs were driven from Kilimanjaro airport to Arusha—time consuming, but stairs eliminate the likelihood of injury by emergency evacuation on slides.
The diversion to Arusha is under inquiry; they apparently landed without clearance and once they were down, asked where they were. It is unknown if, even under the most favorable conditions (i.e., empty with experts at the helm), the plane can take from the short runway. It remains to be seen how the crew will fare for this decision, but some credit should be given for landing a 767 safely onto a 4500′ runway with zero casualties. Some armchair pilots are guessing that the pilots mistook Arusha for Kilimanjaro airport, mistaking Mount Meru for Kilimanjaro.
MELBOURNE, Victoria, March 3, 2011 — Boeing [NYSE: BA] subsidiary Boeing Defence Australia and Thales Australia signed a Memorandum of Understanding today at the 2011 Australian International Airshow to pursue Project Air 9000 Phase 7 – Helicopter Aircrew Training System (HATS) for the Australian Defence Force.
The companies will work together to design a fully integrated HATS solution for the Australian Army and Navy that makes maximum use of instructors, flight simulators, computer-based instruction and training aircraft. The HATS request for proposal is expected to be issued later this year.
“Boeing and Thales have been partners in defense flight training and simulation for more than 15 years,” said John Duddy, Boeing Defence Australia vice president and managing director. “Both companies have proven track records in delivering training courses on time and producing mission-ready pilots. Our combined strengths offer the best team to support HATS.”
The companies’ partnership began on the F-111 program in the mid-1990s. Thales operated the F-111 simulator and training programs and Rockwell, a Boeing heritage company, held the F-111 avionics upgrade contract. The partnership continued with Boeing subcontracting Thales to provide simulator support for the Boeing 737 Airborne Early Warning & Control Wedgetail Operational Flight Trainer and for in-country Boeing C-17 Globemaster III aircrew training simulators.
“Our long-term partnership with Boeing provides customers with a highly effective combination of local and global expertise,” said Chris Jenkins, Thales Australia’s chief executive officer. “We will offer an integrated approach that will result in cost-effective solutions for helicopter aircrew training, improving Australian Defence Force capabilities over the years ahead.”
Boeing also provides helicopter pilot, aircrew and technician training for the Australian Army under the Army Aviation Training and Training Support (AATTS) contract. The company trains aircrews on S-70A-9 Black Hawks and Bell 206-B1 Kiowa helicopters at Oakey Army Aviation Centre, southeast Queensland, and on Boeing CH-47D Chinooks at 5th Aviation Regiment in Townsville, north Queensland.
Since 2007, Boeing has completed 100 percent of training courses and aircrew graduations on time; flown 7,000 training sorties while logging 8,000 flying hours; and performed 4,000 services on Black Hawk and Kiowa training aircraft. Boeing employs more than 200 Australians across its AATTS operations and has one of the largest military instructional aircrew teams in Australia.
“The excellent support we have delivered to the Australian Army is underpinned by our proven performance on AATTS and The Boeing Company’s experience supporting training on 24 different defense aircraft and 150 associated trainers worldwide,” Duddy added.
The Boeing and Thales team will hold an open, competitive tender for helicopter manufacturers over the coming months to select a training aircraft to meet the Australian Defence Force’s requirements.
IndiGo flight 6E-923 had to return and make an emergency landing in Chennai, India, on January 3rd.
The plane took off for Kolkata, India, but had to turn back after the crew needed to shut down one of the engines.
The plane landed back safely. All one hundred and thirty-six people aboard remained unharmed.
What: VivaAerobus Boeing 737-300 en route from San Jose Cabo to Monterrey
Where: San Jose Cabo
When: Aug 21st 2011
Why: On takeoff, flight systems indicated there was a cargo fire.
The flight returned to San Jose Cabo where it made a safe landing. Examination proved there was no fire, and the flight was delayed, but continued on to Monterrey.
Etihad Airways flight EY-38 had to divert and make an emergency landing at Munich Airport, Munich, Germany, on April 16th.
The Airbus A340-600, heading from Paris, France, to Abu Dhabi, UAE, was diverted after it lost cabin pressure mid-air.
The plane landed uneventfully. All people onboard remained safe.
A Thai Airways Airbus A380-800 en route from Bangkok to Hong Kong encountered turbulence just prior to landing.
The turbulence caused disruption in the plane as things flew about. The seatbelt light was reported to be on.
Of the 500 passengers and 26 crew, about forty people were injured and hospitalized. The flight landed with emergency services on standby.
