Aeroflot Airlines flight SU-1955 had to return and make an emergency landing in Aktau, Kazakhstan, on February 26th.
The plane took off for Moscow, Russia, but had to return shortly afterwards after the crew received indication of an issue with air conditioning systems.
The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Malaysia Airlines flight MH148 had to return and make an emergency landing at Tullamarine airport in Melbourne, Australia, on June 12.
The flight was en-route from Melbourne to Kuala Lumpur when the crew reported a possible engine fire and requested an emergency landing.
The plane landed safely and none of the 300 passengers reported any injuries.
According to the airline, the initial inspection of the aircraft showed “no physical evidence of fire externally”.
Virgin Australia flight VA-319 made an emergency landing in Melbourne, Australia, on October 20th.
The Boeing 737-800 plane took off for Brisbane, Australia, but had to turn back after the crew suspected a bird strike.
The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Delta Airlines flight DL-2421 had to make an emergency landing in Salt Lake City, Utah, on May 21st.
The Boeing 737-900 was flying from Phoenix, Arizona, when lightning struck it, causing minor damage to the nose cone.
The plane landed safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
Hong Kong Express Airways flight UO-1845 had to return for an emergency landing in Osaka, Japan, on April 15th.
The Airbus A320-200 plane took off for Hong Kong, China, but had to turn back after the crew needed to shut down one of the engines.
The plane landed safely.
There were 194 people aboard at the time; all of them remained unharmed.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Mirko Krogmann
What: Saudi Arabian Airlines Boeing 777-268ER en route from Washington to Riyadh
Where: Greece
When: April 14, 2011
Who: 240
Why: While en route, the plane indicated a fire aboard. The pilot diverted to Athens where they made a safe landing.
The plane had “dry ice” aboard, which gave the appearance of fire. Though from the accounts we have heard, we’re not sure if the smoke was visually detected, or if the ions from the offgassing of dry ice fooled a smoke detector.
A small plane made an emergency landing in a field in White Lake Township, Oakland County, Michigan, on October 20th.
Authorities said the plane started experiencing engine issues shortly after taking off from Oakland County International Airport.
The plane landed safely. The pilot, who was the only one aboard, remained uninjured.
