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Contact Photographer Zach Chelsky
What: UNITED AIRLINES FLIGHT 468 AIRBUS A320
Where: SEATTLE, WA
When: 06/22/2009
Who: (not released)
Why: UNITED AIRLINES FLIGHT 468 AIRBUS A320 AIRCRAFT WAS STRUCK BY LIGHTNING WHILE INFLIGHT, POST FLIGHT INSPECTION REVEALED DAMAGE TO THE LEFT ELEVATOR
George’s Point of View
Statistically, a large plane is hit by lightning an average of once every three years.
Contact photographer Bruce Leibowitz
What: Turkish Airlines Airbus A340-300, en route from New York JFK,NY to Istanbul Ataturk
Where: divert to London Heathrow
When: Apr 16th 2009 6:30 local
Who: 185 passengers and 15 crew
Why: The cabin depressurized en route, and the flight was diverted to Heathrow for a safe landing. Although passengers experienced shortness of breath and ear pain, oxygen masks never did deploy.
British Airways flight BA-2631 made an emergency landing in Alicante, Spain, on September 18th.
The Airbus A320-200 plane took off for Gatwick Airport, England, but had to turn back due to an issue with the landing gear.
The plane landed uneventfully. All passengers and crew members remained safe.
The National Transportation Safety Board today released the agenda for the investigative hearing on the ongoing investigation into the Aug. 14, 2013 crash of UPS Airlines flight 1354, an Airbus A300-600, on approach to Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport in Birmingham, Ala.
The hearing will be held February 20 at the NTSB’s Board Room and Conference Center at 429 L’Enfant Plaza SW in Washington and begins at 8:30 a.m.
Hearing witnesses, including representatives of the Federal Aviation Administration, Airbus, UPS Airlines, Independent Pilots Association and the Transport Workers Union will testify and answer questions from NTSB Board members, technical staff, and parties about non-precision approaches, human factors and flight dispatch issues. The agenda, list of panel witnesses, biographies and other related information is available at the hearing event page at http://www.ntsb.gov/news/events/2014/ups1354_hearing/index.html
Investigative exhibits for the hearing will be placed in the electronic docket at the start of the hearing and will also be available on the hearing event page once the hearing begins.
NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman will be available to answer questions from the media at the conclusion of the hearing. Additional details about the availability will be included in an advisory on Wednesday.
Television coverage of the proceedings will be by network pool provided by CNN. Escorted cutaway for video media will be permitted for brief periods throughout the hearing. Still photographers will be permitted in the seating area of the Board Room and by escort to areas in front of the witness panels.
Because of construction at and around L’Enfant Plaza, satellite and other media trucks will have to check in for parking and running cable through the construction zone. Please RSVP to eric.weiss@ntsb.gov by Feb. 19. Media access to the Board Room is available beginning at 7:30 a.m.
A media room is also available with tables, chairs and an audio mult box. Generally-accepted media credentials will be required for access to the media room. In addition, a fully equipped overflow room has been established and will serve as a storage area for video equipment during the hearing.
Seating for the general public in the Board Room is on a first-come, first-served basis. The hearing will be webcast live. Access to the webcast can be found at www.ntsb.gov.
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The National Transportation Safety Board has scheduled an investigative hearing on February 20 into the crash of a UPS Airbus A300-600 on approach to Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport in Birmingham, Ala., on Aug. 14, 2013.
The two flight crew members were killed and the airplane was destroyed when it impacted the ground less than a mile short of Runway 18. The cargo flight had originated from Louisville, Ky. Runway 18 was being used because the main runway at the airport was closed for repairs at the time of the airplane’s arrival.
The one-day hearing will examine:
Execution of non-precision approaches, including initial and recurrent training, adherence to standard operating procedures, and proficiency
Human factors issues associated with effective crew coordination and resource management applicable to this accident, including decision-making, communication, fatigue and fitness for duty, as well as monitoring and cross-checking, policies, standard operating procedures, guidance, and training provided to UPS crewmembers.
Dispatch procedures, including the training, evaluation, roles and responsibilities of UPS dispatchers and the limitations of dispatch-related software.
The investigation is ongoing and this hearing will develop additional facts to support the investigation. The hearing will be held in the NTSB Board Room and Conference Center in Washington, D.C. A detailed agenda and a list of attendees will be forthcoming.
Parties to the hearing will include the Federal Aviation Administration, UPS, Airbus, the Independent Pilots Association and the Transport Workers Union. The accredited representative from the French Bureau d’Enquêtes et d’Analyses pour la sécurité de l’aviation civile (BEA) will participate on the technical panels.
The determination of the probable cause of the crash will be released when the investigation is complete. Just prior to the start of the hearing, the public docket will be opened. Included in the docket are photographs, interview transcripts and other documents.
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NTSB public events are also streamed live via webcast. Webcasts are archived for a period of three months from the time of the meeting. Webcast archives are generally available by the end of the event day for public Meetings, and by the end of the next day for Technical conferences.
If you wish to obtain a copy of NTSB meetings, please contact the NTSB Records Management Division at (202) 314-6551 or 800-877-6799. You may also request this information from the NTSB web site or write the following: National Transportation Safety Board, Records Management Division (CIO-40), 490 L’Enfant Plaza, SW,Washington, DC 20594.
A small plane crashed in the Magdalen Islands, Quebec, Canada, on March 29th.
The private plane, transporting Jean Lapierre, 59, a broadcaster and former Canadian transport minister, and his family members to his father’s funeral, went down while approaching the Iles-de-la-Madeleine Airport amid heavy winds and snow.
All seven people aboard, including the pilot, the co-pilot, Lapierre, and his family members, were killed in the crash.
The incident is being investigated.
AirAsia India flight I5-1629 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Hyderabad, India, on September 1st.
The Airbus A320-200 plane heading from Amritsar to Bangalore, India, was diverted due to a cargo smoke indication.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
What: Easyjet Airbus A320-200 en route from Athens Greece to Manchester
Where: Manchester
When: Jan 27th 2012
Why: On approach to Manchester, at 1300 feet the plane was struck by lightning, burning the fuselage under the cockpit window.
The first approach was aborted due (apparently) to snow on the runway. The plane circled for less than half an hour before making a safe landing.
