Alaska Airlines flight 644 had to return and make an emergency landing at Portland International Airport, Oregon, on April 13th.
The plane took off for Phoenix, Arizona, but had to return shortly afterwards after it lost pressurisation.
The plane landed uneventfully. There were 144 passengers and 5 crew members aboard at the time; all of them remained safe.
The airline arranged a replacement plane for the passengers.
Nippon Cargo Airlines flight KZ-192 had to return and make an emergency landing at O’Hare International Airport, in Chicago, Illinois, on January 21st.
The plane took off for Frankfurt–Hahn Airport, Germany, but had to turn back after a flock of birds impacted the windscreen.
The plane landed back safely. Everyone aboard remained unharmed.
Norwegian Air Shuttle flight DY-4464 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Stavanger, Norway, on March 27th.
The plane, flying from Edinburgh, United Kingdom, to Stockholm, Sweden, was diverted after the crew noticed smoke in the cabin.
The plane landed safely. All 161 people aboard remained unhurt.
The airline arranged a replacement plane for the passengers.
What: 1980 Cessna 421 en route from Lantana airport
Where: John Prince Park in Lake Worth
When: December 8, 2012
Who: 1 fatality
Why: The Cessna slammed into a stand of palm trees at 1:30 p.m. on the south shore of Square Lake, exploding at John Prince Park, west of Lake Worth, on Saturday afternoon. The pilot died in the impact.
The park is located between Palm Beach State College and Lantana airport. People who were at the park who witnessed the crash described the explosion and black smoke. THey immediately tried to help but the plane burst into flames.
The plane was registered to SDSEF Leasing of Miami Lakes.
Thirty minutes after impact, Palm Beach County sheriff’s cars and Palm Beach County Fire Rescue vehicles arrived and secured the area.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Raymond Wang
What: Malaysia Airlines Airbus A330-200 en route from Chennai to Kuala Lumpur
Where: Penang International Airport
When: Sep 15 2012 8:04
Who: 195 passengers
Why: While en route, the plane developed cabin pressure issues. The Free and Independent News site reported that the pilot dropped the Airbus rapidly from 39,000 to 10,000 feet. Passengers aboard the flight were screaming, crying.
Apparently the crew wasn’t in much better shape. (Panic mode)
Apparently an automated voice announced the emergency to passengers. (I wonder if it was the automatic pilot?) In the chaos, some of the oxygen masks failed. (That source also indicated 120 passengers aboard. Maybe people in a panic can’t count?)
Also this item was twittered: Samy Vellu was on board troubled Chennai-KL flight
Pilots diverted to Penang and made a safe landing. There were twitters by passengers swearing it was the worst flight ever
Air Canada Rouge flight 1849 made an emergency landing in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on December 19.
The Airbus A319 plane, en-route from Toronto, Canada, to Phoenix, Arizona, was diverted after it lost cabin pressure.
The plane landed uneventfully. There were131 passengers aboard at the time; all of them remained safe.
The passengers were accommodated in hotels and were transported to their destination next day in a replacement aircraft.
A small plane crashed near Corona Municipal Airport, California, on January 17th.
The single-engine plane had just taken off from the airport when the pilot noticed some issues and attempted to make an emergency landing.
There were two people aboard at the time; both were taken to hospital with moderate to severe injuries.
The FAA and the NTSB are investigating.
