Sikorsky, Keystone Helicopters and their parent company, United Technologies Corp. have settled in court with the the families of passengers who died on March 12, 2009. In court last July plaintiffs “voluntarily discontinued” the lawsuit to begin negotiations on a possible settlement. That settlement has been resolved, but the details are not public.
Because pilots believed the Sikorsky met U.S. FAA regulations that the aircraft could operate for 30 minutes after losing oil, they flew toward the shore rather than landing on the water.
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What: Blue and white homebuilt plane (described as a small homemade plane with a tube-like frame, cloth covering and a small fiberglass cockpit) en route from the Salt Lake County area. Where: Crashed into side of the Oquirrh Mountains near West Canyon a few miles north of Cedar Fort, a small town west of Eagle Mountain and Saratoga Springs off state Route 73. When: Around 11:00 a.m. 10-28-2008 Who: pilot and passenger, both fatalities. Why: The crash was witnessed by several onlookers who said the engine died, and the plane began dropping in a spin. and the pilot couldn’t pull the plane’s nose up. (Some witnesses said the plane was doing aerobic stunts; others described a loss of control. The wreckage was on fire when officials arrived. Officers and investigators from Saratoga Springs, Cedar Fort and Eagle Mountain fire departments, Utah County Fire, Utah County Sheriff’s Office, and the state medical examiner were on scene Tuesday.
What: Egyptair Airbus A320-200 en route from Cairo to Kuwait Where: Egypt When: Dec 3, 2012 Who: 90 aboard Why: We have avoided this report for as long as possible, but finally decided to get it out of the way, since our mailboxes and emails are FULL of reports of: “Snake on a plane forces emergency landing”
“Cobra Forces EgyptAir Flight to Make Emergency Landing”
“Flight Crew Finds reptile”
“Real Life Snake on a plane”
“Egyptian Cobra Bites Akram Abdul Latfi, Egypt Air Passenger”
“Cobra upgraded to First Class on Flight**”
Here’s the story: Akram Abdul Latif who was aboard this Egyptair flight was bitten by a snake. Actual snake on a plane, not the terrible movie. The Jordan Times says the snake was a cobra and that Latif owns a reptile shop where he was taking it. The snake had gotten out and the pet shop owner was bitten in the hand while trying to return the snake to the carry-on (as so many are theoretically and realistically bitten while trying to get anything back in the bag.)
The flight was diverted to Al Bahr Al Ahmar where first aid was administered to the man, and apparently none to the snake, who died. Actually, the snake did not die; it apparently was with Latif when he was refusing medical treatment. Some of the reports infer Latif was allowed to bring the snake to his shop in Kuwait. Without a crystal ball, I can’t say whether or not reports will be full of “Kuwait Reptile Store Owner Jailed for Smuggling” but according to “Newsfix” the cobra was corralled and confiscated by the cops. No one indicates if the snake was returned to Latif, or if a snake license, fine or a “snake coralling fee” was levied.
One can not help but picture the plane landing, a bouncer tossing Latif, his bag and beast out on their respective keisters*, the plane closing up and zipping down the runway before Latif can get back on.
* For the sake of the paragraph, we are endowing both the snake and the bag with honorary keisters, as they are not provided their own by nature.
** Honors for the best title of an article about the snake on a plane
*** The snake photo is clipped from the youtube video
**** No snakes were harmed in the writing of this article
*****[insert your own] Etc.
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What: Philippine Air Force GAF N22B Nomad en route from Awang Airport in Cotabato City to Zamboanga Where: Virgo Subdivision in Rosary Heights 9. When: January 28, 2010 Who: 8 fatalities including Maj. Gen. Butch Lacso, Two pilots and five crewmen and one fatality on the ground Why: After takeoff, the plane suffered an engine failure. The pilot was attempting an emergency landing when the plane crashed in Cotabato City, a residential area outside Manila.
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