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Contact Photographer Bernhard Bauske
What: Air Malta A319 en route from Malta (Mala) to Reggio Calabria
Where: Reggio Calabria
When: Jul 23rd 2009
Why: After the bird strike, the plane landed safely and was towed. Passengers transferred to another plane to complete the trip to Rome
Masry and Vititoe Partners, MIAMI, March 26 /PRNewswire/ PRESS RELEASE — Internationally recognized aviation attorneys Steven C. Marks and Ricardo M. Martinez-Cid with the Podhurst Orseck law firm have filed a series of lawsuits on behalf of families of passengers killed in Brazil’s worst airline disaster. On July 17, 2007, 199 people perished when TAM Airlines Flight 3054 slid off the runway at Congonhas Airport and slammed into an air cargo building in Sao Paulo. Today, Podhurst attorneys filed 59 wrongful death complaints related to the catastrophe in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
In addition to TAM NYSE: TAM, which is charged with its own negligence and that of its pilots and maintenance personnel, the defendants in the lawsuits are Pegasus Aviation IV, Inc.; Airbus S.A.S.; Airbus Industrie G.I.E. (EADS) (EAD.PA); Airbus Customer Services, Inc.; Goodrich Corporation NYSE: GR; and International Aero Engines AG.
“Responsibility not only lies with the companies that manufactured and handled maintenance for the aircraft,” said Marks, “We believe Airbus provided inadequate customer support, simulator services, and training materials for the pilots and flight crew that replicates the performance of the aircraft in all normal and abnormal conditions.”
Marks said it’s clear the flight crew knew there were problems with the aircraft before the disaster because the plane’s right thrust reverser had been deactivated before the flight.
“The thrust reverser is used to slow the jet down upon landing. Without an operational right thrust reverser, it didn’t have enough room to stop on the runway, ending in a horrific crash when the plane skidded off the runway’s edge,” he said.
Podhurst Orseck filed the first lawsuit related to the crash on behalf of the family of 35-year-old Ricardo Tazoe of Miami, an employee with Banco Santander. In all of the cases, the plaintiffs are seeking a jury trial to recover financial damages for pain and suffering; lost value of life; funeral expenses; and all other damages they may be entitled to under the law.
Marks and Martinez-Cid have extensive experience handling Brazilian aviation matters. They currently represent the families of numerous passengers who were killed when Gol Transportes Aeros Flight #1907 collided with an Embraer Legacy 600 business jet over the Amazon Rainforest in September 2006.
They have represented victims in countless significant major commercial airline crashes, including those killed in the crash of Comair Flight 5191 at the Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, Ky. in August 2006. Marks has acted as co-lead trial counsel for the California State Court plaintiffs after a Silk Air crash between Jakarta and Singapore in 1997 (successfully obtaining one of the most significant and largest verdicts in a mass disaster aviation case) and acting as lead liaison counsel for the state court and federal multi- district litigation plaintiffs’ steering committees over the ValuJet Flight 592 crash in Miami-Dade County in 1996.
Based in Miami, Podhurst Orseck, P.A. concentrates exclusively in trial and appellate litigation. The firm’s general tort practice places a major emphasis on aviation, automobile, products liability and medical malpractice litigation. In addition, the firm has a substantial practice in commercial, matrimonial and criminal litigation, as well as complex commercial tort litigation. Attorneys serve clients and corporations throughout the United States, and in many foreign countries. You can learn more about Podhurst Orseck by visiting the firm’s website at www.podhurst.com.
Yamal Airlines flight YC-509 had to reject taking off at Simferopol International Airport, Ukraine, on July 29th.
The Airbus A320-200 heading to Nizhnevartovsk Airport, Russia, was about to take-off when the crew reported a hydraulic failure.
The plane taxied back to the apron safely.
No injuries were reported.
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Contact photographer Paul Carlotti
What: Air Canada Airbus A319-100 en route from Toronto to Winnipeg
Where: Sault Ste Marie
When: Mar 8 2011
Who: 125 aboard
Why: While en route, the plane was over Canada when the displays quit. The loss of the displays is being attributed to an electronic power failure. (Wonder if there was a short or if it was something else?) The displays were only offline for less than a minute, and subsequently began flashing error messages. Pilots continued on to Winnipeg and managed to land safely. The plane was taken out of commission in order to have an Airbus inspection to determine what exactly was going on.
Flying an Airbus without electronic displays is, I think, tantamount to suicide. I am surprised they didn’t divert somewhere and land immediately. Is it not somewhat risky to continue flying an airbus when the display connections are flakey? This same sort of thing happened on a BMI Airbus A321. Apparently catastrophic failure in rough conditions is not unheard of. In fact, rough conditions are not required to cause the need for a reboot. The term for “rebooting” an airbus that has lost its electronics is called “recycling,” a common enough thing that there is recognizable pilot humor regarding it.
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Contact photographer Hongyin Huo
What: Air Canada Airbus A321-200 en route from St. John’s Toronto
Where: Iles de la Madeleine
When: Jan 7th 2010
Who: not available
Why: When the crew discovered a cracked windshield, the pilot descended to a lower altitude and diverted to Halifax where they made a safe landing. A replacement flight was provided.
Emirates Airlines flight EK-724 returned and made an emergency landing in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on September 25.
The Airbus A330-200 was heading to Dubai, UAE, when a bird struck its right engine, forcing the crew to shut down the engine and declare an emergency.
The plane landed safely.
No injuries were reported.
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Contact photographer Szabo Gabor
What: Egyptair Airbus A320-200 en route from Cairo to Nairobi
Where: Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi
When: June 6, 2012, 3.36am
Who: 143 aboard
Why: While landing at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, the plane veered off the runway on to soft ground, shutting down the airport and causing delays for the rest of the day. Passengers were evacuated with no injuries reported. Flights were diverted to Mombasa and Entebbe.
Passengers disembarked on the soft ground and were ported to the gate.
