Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Fred Seggie
What: Delta Airlines Boeing 757-200 en route from New York to San Francisco
Where: Lambert-St. Louis International Airport
When: Mar 30
Who: 171 aboard (165 passengers and 6 crew)
Why: When smoke fill the cabin, the crew diverted the flight to St Louis. They made a safe landing with no reported injuries.
Passengers disembarked on the runway and were bussed to the gate.
Jet Airways flight 9W 469 made an emergency landing in Delhi, India, on October 1st.
The plane heading from Chandigarh to Mumbai, India, was diverted due to a bird strike.
The plane landed safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
Envoy Air flight AA-4680 had to return and make an emergency landing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on January 14th.
The Embraer ERJ-145 plane took off for Ottawa, Canada, but had to turn back after the crew received indication of an engine problem.
The plane landed safely. All fifty people aboard remained unharmed.
A medical emergency prompted Air India flight AI 331 to make an unscheduled landing in Kolkata, India, on November 5.
The flight was heading from Bangkok, Thailand, to Mumbai, India, when the pilot informed the Air Traffic Control (ATC) that a passenger had become seriously ill and sought permission for an emergency landing.
The emergency medical services were put on standby at the airport, however, after some time, the pilot again informed that the passenger’s condition was quickly deteriorating and immediate medical advice was needed. A team of doctors was then taken to the ATC tower where they advised the pilot on the best possible emergency treatment which could be given to the patient onboard.
The flight, carrying 244 passengers, safely landed at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport at around 10 p.m.
The sick passenger, identified as J Babariya, 58, of Gujarat, was immediately shifted to a local hospital where he later died.
The flight resumed its journey after some time.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Trevor Mulkerrins
What: Aer Lingus/Aer Arann Avion de Transport Regional ATR-72-200 en route from Manchester to Shannon
Where: Shannon
When: Jul 17th 2011
Who: 21 passengers, 4 crew
Why: The pilot made a safe landing in turbulence but the front wheel collapsed (on landing or during taxi). The plane veered on to the grass.
Passengers had to disembark on to the runway via stairs and were ported to the gate.
IndiGo flight 6E-565 had to return and make an emergency landing at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai, India, on January 9th.
The plane took off for Bangalore, India, but had to turn back due to an engine failure.
The plane landed safely. All one hundred and eighty-three passengers aboard remained unharmed.
George’s Point of View
Continental Pilot Craig Lenell’s quiet but dramatic death is going to be all but overlooked in the media buzz over the Air France Airbus catastrophe. None of his passengers even knew he’d died. In an interview, his Lenell’s wife called him the “kindest, gentlest man” she ever knew. His last communication to her had been a promise to bring her chocolates.
You never know what you’re going to get.
The 32 year veteran of Continental Airlines was also an Vietnam vet who served in the Air Force.
The first officer and (what is probably) the international relief officer took over when the captain became incapacitated. It was sheer luck that a cardiologist was on board. And even though he was unable to save the captain’s life, Dr. Julien Struyven’s accidental presence on that flight may be a comfort to the captain’s wife and family. At least they won’t be asking “what if a doctor had been on board? What if there had be a defib on board?” Because on this flight there was a doctor, and a defibrillator. Perhaps it was just the captain’s time.
Maybe one man’s death aboard a flight that did not crash isn’t going to be a headline for more than a day, but you can bet that the people aboard that Continental Flight 61 from Brussels to Newark–those passengers who are alive now because Continental did something right–they won’t ever forget.
