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Contact photographer Georgiy Shvetsov
What: Air Europa Boeing 737-800 en route from Madrid to Valencia
Where: Valencia
When: Apr 16th 2010
Who: Atletico Madrid soccer team
Why: On approach to Manises Airport in Valencia the plane was struck by lightning. The flight made a safe landing, and the team was able to continue to the planned match.
What: US Airways Boeing 737-400 en route from Dallas to Charlotte.
Where: Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport
When: April 18, 2011, 1 pm
Who: 94 passengers, 5 crew (also reported as 107 aboard)
Why: After pilots smelled smoke in the cockpit, they diverted the flight to Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport where they made a safe landing with local emergency responders as well as fire crews from Pelham-Batesville and Boiling Springs, and Greenville and Spartanburg EMS were on standby when the plane landed.
After the plane was grounded, passengers were taken by bus to Charlotte.
Swift Air flight WQ-1997 returned to Miami, Florida, on June 9th.
The Boeing 767-300 plane took off for Caracas, Venezuela, but had to turn back due to an engine issue.
The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Canadian North flight 5T-436 had to return and make an emergency landing in Ottawa, Canada, on March 28th.
The Boeing 737-200 plane took off for Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada, but had to return shortly afterwards due to an engine overheat indication.
The plane landed uneventfully. There were 49 people aboard at the time; all of them remained safe.
American Airlines flight AA-63 made an emergency landing at Shannon Airport, Ireland, on November 29th.
The Boeing 777-200 plane heading from Charles de Gaulle Airport, France, to Miami, Florida, was diverted due to an engine issue.
The plane landed uneventfully. All two hundred and six passengers and thirteen crew members remained safe.
Icelandair flight FI-828 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Boston, Massachusetts, on May 30th.
The Boeing 757-200 plane heading from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Keflavik, Iceland, was diverted after a strong smell of rubber was noticed in the aft cabin.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
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Contact photographer
What: Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747-400 en route from Orlando,FL (USA) to Manchester
Where: Gander
When: Oct 21 2010
Who: 451 passengers and 17 crew
Why: While underway, a drunken passenger got into a brawl with his wife and father in law. The pilot diverted to Gander where the disruptive passenger, UK citizen Roy Anthony Heaps, was escorted out of the airport by Mounties.
The court ordered Heaps to pay a fine of $15,000 for charges of assault, uttering threats, mischief and interfering with an air crew; and restitution to the airline along the lines of 13,000 Canadian Dollars.
