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Contact photographer Carl Hendriks
What: Danu /Avanti Air Aerospatiale ATR-42-300 en route from Skien to Bergen Norway
Where: Bergen
When: Nov 5th 2009
Who: 16 people on board
Why: On approach to Flesland Airport, the crew got an unsafe gear indication. Landing was aborted, until the problem was determined to be an indicator issue; at which time, the final pass was made, when it landed safely.
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Contact photographer Terry Wade
What: Jetblue Airbus A320-200, en route from Fort Lauderdale,FL to Santo Domingo
Where: Fort Lauderdale
When: Dec 20 2010
Why: After takeoff, the crew noticed substantial structural vibration of the plane’s airframe.
They decided to return to Fort Lauderdale and made a safe landing.
A replacement jet was provided.
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Contact photographer Gareth harvey
What: American Airlines Boeing 757-200 en route from New York to Madrid
Where: Madrid
When: Aug 31 2010 6.58 a.m.
Why: Prior to arriving in Madrid, the plane indicated problems with the braking system. The pilot “raised the alert” so that emergency crews were on standby. However, flight 94 landed safely. (No indication yet on what the brake problem was.)
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Contact photographer William Verguet
What: Tunis Air Airbus A300-600 en route from Tunis to Paris
Where: French Airspace
When: Aug 19 2010
Why: Over France, the Tunisian flight was met and escorted to Orly by French Fighters. Then there’s a discrepancy: Tunis Air says they were in contact with Air Traffic Control the entire time, but the airport, apparently did not get a response on the radio, which brought in the “big guns.” Or to be exact, “There was a concern for communication, the aircraft was flying a little low and not responding to radio, the alert was triggered.” The incident was called a “miscommunication.” Air Tunis was taken completely by surprise.
It will be interesting to see what the BEA makes of all this.
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Contact photographer
What: Chartered Andes Lineas Aereas McDonnel Douglas MD-82 (also reported as -83) en route from Bariloche Argentina to Buenos Aires
Where: Neuquen Argentina
When: August 17 2010
Who: 152 Brazilian tourists
Why: While the chartered jet was transporting Brazilian tourists home from a skiing trip, the plane suffered sudden depressurization. Oxygen masks were deployed, and the plane made an emergency landing in Neuquen.
The pilot made a safe landing in Neuquen. The incident occurred shortly after takeoff. Passengers were provided two replacement planes by the carrier.
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Contact photographer Bianca Renz
What: Jetblue Airbus A320-200 en route from Long Beach,CA to Sacramento,CA
Where: Sacramento
When: Aug 26th 2010
Who: 86 passengers and 5 crew
Why: On making a “hard” landing at the Sacramento airport, a brake problem developed (brakes locked?).
The main gear tires blew, and caught afire. Emergency services on hand responded to the fire.
Passengers evacuated by slide with 15 injured.
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Contact Photographer Daniel Werner
What: American Airlines Boeing 757-200 en route from Miami to Boston
Where: Miami
When: Thurs September 17, 2009
Who: 168 passengers and six crew
Why: After take-off, a bomb threat note was found on board. The plane returned to Miami where it was investigated. No bomb or explosives were found.
George’s Point of View
Ladies and Gentlemen of the aviation world, please consider this and bear with me as I traipse off into the world of conjecture.
It is a mere day after someone left a note in the bathroom of the above-mentioned plane, and already that fact has been picked up by all the news services. An unsigned, unattributed note that could have been written by anyone on board, for all we know on toilet paper written in lipstick, by anyone from someone hoping to miss a dental appointment, to employees wanting the flight cancelled so they could go take their fatigued selves home to bed. And the threat made the news.
Even the whisper of bomb threats make the news.
So when I read now, months after the fact that there was an Air France bomb threat on a completely untraceable and unverifiable phone call on May 27 prior to the Air France flight 447 crash, I hear with very skeptical ears.
If you followed the coverage after the crash, you’ll be aware of how many ears were pinned to the ground, listening for every hint of possible news. The media hounds pretty much sniffed out every findable trace of even faintly related information and posted it repeatedly, echoing across the internet and print media like (if you will pardon the cliché) ripples in a pond. So this leaves me two choices of thought regarding how to consider the tidbit of a so-called Air France bomb threat.
1. It’s not true.
2. It’s true but somehow remained unbroadcast in spite of the ravenous appetite for news coverage of everything Air France/Air France flight 447 related.1 is the end of the line for that thought process.
2…well, we can think about a little. If it is true, where has that little nugget of information been? Why hasn’t a bomb threat listed in an obscure Indian blog in June become big news regarding the Air France crash?THis brings me to two more conclusions:
1. it was true and that fact was suppressed.
2. it is a rumor.1. If it is true and the fact was suppressed, then that’s a very bad thing; the only ones who would suppress such a news item would be someone who would be hurt by Air France’s business being damaged, namely Air France.
If it is a rumor, then why would anyone spread such a rumor? Who would profit from the rumor? I only think of maybe two or three possibilities offhand. Any party fearing to be held responsible for the crash could float just such a rumor. OR any unscrupulous journalist, or media glutton with an appetite for attention of any kind. A paranoiac (or a writer) who sees plots or the possibilities of plots, without regard to reality. Or anyone in a competitive travel industry who might get a couple of extra travelers if a few borderline fliers turned their back on the convenience of air travel.
Now I am not saying any of this is true; I am just saying that I am skeptical about the rumors of a threat to a different flight BEFORE the Air France Flight 447 crash coming out as a new development in news months after the crash.
I’m just saying.
