American Airlines flight AA-892 had to divert for an emergency landing in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on June 24th.
The Airbus A321-200 plane heading from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Seattle, Washington, was diverted due to indication of an unsafe thrust reverser.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Egyptair Flight MS804 (AKA EgyptAir Flight 804) was a Paris to Cairo flight that ended in the Mediterranean on May 19, 2016. Sixty-six people lost their lives: three security crew, fifty-six passengers, seven crew.
Egyptian authorities published a progress report on 28/06/16 that the BEA repaired the recorders. On 17/06 that the Technical Investigation Committee of the A320 accident studied FDR data as well as performing time correlation between FDR and CVR data and cockpit voice recordings before the occurrence of the accident where the existence of a “fire” was mentioned. That report did not determine the reason or location where that fire occurred. Smoke was reported during the flight in the bathroom and the avionics bay.
The investigation has been fraught with controversy. On 22 May, 2016, M6 (French TV) reported that a pilot told Cairo air traffic control about smoke in the cabin, and the pilot consequently made an emergency descent.
On May 20th 2016 The Aviation Herald received information from three independent channels, that ACARS (Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System) messages with following content were received from the aircraft:
No sooner did the report come out that the Egyptian Civil Aviation Ministry dismissed it as false.
One truism I have found in accident investigation is that it takes time to find the truth. Another is that facts can be misleading. Reportage from official sources moves slowly; reportage from commercial, so-called “news,” or social sources is frequently speculative, unsourced, or purely imaginary. Sometimes it is actually correct. It is difficult to tell the difference. Contradictions are a frequent finding, such as this:
How does a close reader respond to a statement that “traces of explosives were found WITH human remains?” A close reader finds more questions. With the remains is not ON the remains. But it could be either way since we are dealing with languages. In English, WITH the remains could mean a bomb was floating in the water near the bodies, or ashes, or gasoline or TNT residue. And what constitutes near? Inches? Miles? It all is relative. Or if the original report is loosely translated, did the original document use a preposition such as ON the remains? And then, there are the forensic questions. Were explosive remains washed off of bodies that were submerged in the ocean?
If the case goes to court, the court will want to know if something failed on the plane, and if so, what it was. Manufacturers of failed components are considered responsible parties. No matter what the cause, international treaty determines carrier responsibility to the victims of the crash.
The determination of failed components provides additional responsible parties. The discovery of a bomb would make airport security one of the potential responsible parties. In addition, international treaty provides guidelines for what carriers owe to the families. (Which treaty is involved depends on which treaty/treaties the involved country/countries are signatory to. If it sounds like it can get complicated, you are correct.)
It has been nearly a year since the accident, and though some things may be believed in the court of public opinion to be one way or another, questions remain unanswered. How grievous and how difficult for the families that must wait so long to find out what brought about this tragedy that took their loved ones.
The FAA is investigating a Spirit Airlines fight that diverted to Myrtle Beach to make an emergency landing, and stranded some two hundred passengers at the airport. By Sunday morning, passengers had managed to get a flight to their destination, Atlantic City NJ.
Spirit Airlines Flight 348, an Airbus A320, was en route from Tampa to Atlantic City when it had to make the emergency diversion.
The image below is an A320 interior posted on the Spirit Airlines website which they say is “for editorial use. They are not for commercial use. Photo credit must be given to Spirit Airlines.” However, their site has no mention that I can find of the emergency landing or accommodations for the passengers.
In a completely separate incident, Spirit Airlines may be facing a battle in court. A claustrophobic student, Nadia Majed, filed a discrimination complaint with the Michigan Department of Civil Rights after she was kicked off the plane after requesting an available window seat.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Paul Nichols
What: American Airlines Boeing 777-200 en route from New York to Sao Paulo
Where: New York
When: Feb 21st 2010
Why: Twenty minutes into the flight, the plane began to smell of smoke. The flight returned to JFK and made a safe landing.
Jet Airways flight 9W-536 had to divert and make an emergency landing at Muscat International Airport, Oman, on the afternoon of July 9.
The plane, en-route to Dubai from Mumbai, had to be landed in emergency after Air Traffic Controllers alerted the pilot about a bomb threat.
A Jet Airways spokesperson Manish Kalghatgi confirmed, “There was a bomb threat on the flight. It was a serious threat prompting the pilot to land at the closest airport.”
The plane landed uneventfully and all 54 passengers and 7 crew members remained safe. The flight continued after security clearance.
EASA Emergency AD No.: 2011-0122-E has been published limiting the life of A330 and A340 landing gear parts.
During ground load test cycles on an A340-600 aeroplane, the MLG bogie beam prematurely fractured. The results of the investigation identified that this premature fracture was due to high tensile standing stress, resulting from dry fit axle assembly method. Improvement has been introduced subsequently with a grease fit axle assembly method.
