Lufthansa flight LH-1626 returned to Munich, Germany, on July 11th.
The Airbus A319-100 plane took off for Krakow, Poland, but had to turn back after the crew noticed a smell on board.
The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
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Contact photographer Oleg Chaplin
What: Asiana Airbus A321-231
Where: RJBB, Osaka
When: October 28, 2009
Who: 147 on board
Why: On touchdown, after the plane’s tail struck the runway, the pilot performed a go-round. On the second pass, the plane landed safely.
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Contact photographer Stelios Ioannou
What: Airblue Airbus A319-100 en route from Karachi to Peshawar
Where: Karachi
When: May 4th 2012
Why: After take-off, the flight developed cabin pressure problems.
Pilots returned to Karachi and made a safe landing.
GoAir flight G8-720 had to return and make an emergency landing in Ahmedabad, India, on February 7th.
The Airbus A320-200 plane took off for Delhi, India, but had to return shortly afterwards due to a bird strike.
The plane landed safely. All one hundred and sixty-six people aboard remained unharmed.
Los Angeles – International approaching Sepulveda
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Contact photographer Sandro Mederle
What: Qantas Airbus A380-800 en route from Singapore to Sydney
Where: Sydney
When: Mar 31st 2010
Who: 244 passengers
Why: On landing, the plane blew its left tires; and there were sparks and and a brief fire from the brakes. The plane left a rubber trail. Damage assessment was made on the tarmac by engineers, with the plane sitting on its rims.
Qantas denies classifying this as an “emergency” landing.
I’m thinking how smart Boeing is to have held up release of their big jumbo, especially when I see A 380 incidents.
I am reminded of all the flaws that popped in the Airbus A310 (reputedly a rush copy of the Boeing 737); and I also remember reading about Airbus struggling to get the A-380 shipshape before Airbus rushed it to market. In development, Airbus wrestled with a plane that was severely overweight, withstructural, and production problems. Remember the trouble the A-380 had getting launched:
I can think of 3 other A380 incidents. Feb of this year, Air France A380-861 (F-HPJA) had fuel system issues that turned back a New York-Paris flight. A380 muss wegen Problemen mit Treibstoffsystem umkehren
On Dec 4 2009, QANTAS Airbus A380-842 (VH-OQA) Singapore to London- On the runway, the plane’s nose gear became unsteereable. The plane was towed to the gate and spare parts had to be flown in to deal with the problem.
On July 4 2009, Qantas Airbus A380-842 (VH-OQA) Singapore to London- the approach was aborted due to nosegear problems. On landing, steering failed.
In March of 2008, Qantas removed all 3 of its A-380s due to fuel system problems (two unserviceable with a ‘”fuel tank indication system problem”.)
The A380 is a part of the Air France, Emirates, Qantas and Singapore airlines fleets , and in which fuel gauge problems, nosegear problems and braking problems are becoming known issues. Problems also arise because the prohibitive size of the plane limits where it can land.
Some Worrisome Airbus History
In 2004, Joseph Mangan, an Airbus whistleblower told European aviation authorities of flaws on a computer chip on the Airbus A380. (These were microprocessor flaws that could cause the valves that maintain cabin pressure on the A380 to accidentally open during flight, allowing air to leak out so rapidly that everyone aboard could lose consciousness within seconds.)
Mangan was chief engineer for the Viennese company TTTech Computertechnik, which supplied the chips and software controlling the A380 cabin-pressurization system assembled at the French Airbus plant. TTTech fired Mangan, filed civil and criminal charges against him for revealing proprietary company documents. Austrian law has no whistleblower protection, and there is currently a gag order imposed on Mangan. They claim his allegations have been disproved.
What did he know? Have the problems behind his concerns been addressed? What else do we not know? Without transparency, how can we ever know?
Tiger Airways flight TT413 had to divert and make an emergency landing at Adelaide Airport, Australia, on March 15.
The plane, en-route from Melbourne to Perth, had to be diverted after a strange odor was noticed in the cabin.
The flight landed uneventfully and all 171 passengers were provided free overnight accommodation.
The airline said in a statement, “Tigerair Australia apologises for any inconvenience to affected passengers, however safety is always our first priority and always comes before schedule … The airline is currently awaiting the review of the engineers’ assessment and is prioritising travel arrangements to get affected passengers to their destination as soon as possible.”
Pictured: An Air Arabia Airbus A320-214
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Contact photographer Steve Brimley
What: Air Arabia Airbus A320-200 en route from Sharjah to Chittagong
Where: Karachi
When: Apr 25 2010
Who: 155 passengers
Why: After a smoke detector indicated smoke in the cargo hold, the pilot made a cautionary landing in Karachi. Passengers were accommodated in the airport lounge while the plane was inspected.
The smoke detector later was determined to be faulty.
