Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Alevik
What: British Airways Boeing 767-300 en route from London to Nassau Bahamas
Where: Gander Canada
When: Dec 8th 2009
Who: 147 passengers
Why: While over the atlantic, crew detected the smell of smoke in the cabin. The flight diverted to Gander, where it was examined for 3.5 hours, and no traces or problems reported. Passengers continued on the same plane to Nassau.
What: American Airlines en route from Chicago to Dallas
Where: Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport
When: Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Why: When the crew experienced engine failure, they declared an emergency and returned to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport for a safe landing.
George’s Point of View
Last Friday, two other flights — one coming from D/FW and the other from West Palm Beach — were forced to land due to engine problems, making this incident a third incident in the recent rash of engine failures (FAA records show 23 this year alone, in older MD-80 model jets), a failure that is attributed in general to financial cutbacks in aviation. American Airlines has bought dozens of 737-800s in 2009, which we hope will address the problem of aging planes.
United Airlines flight UA-351 made an emergency landing at O’Hare International Airport, Chicago, Illinois, on July 7th.
The Boeing 757-200 plane heading from Boston, Massachusetts, to San Francisco, California, was diverted due to problems with crew oxygen supply.
The plane landed safely.
A Turkish Airlines flight made an emergency landing in Kolkata, India, on January 1st.
The plane heading from Istanbul, Turkey, to Bangkok, Thailand, was diverted after a passenger suffered a medical emergency.
The plane landed safely. The patient was rushed to a hospital.
Cathay Dragon flight KA-854 had to return and make an emergency landing in Hong Kong, China, on December 1st.
The Airbus A321-200 plane took off for Wuhan, China, but had to turn back due to issues with the navigation systems.
The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact Photographer Bernd Sturm
What: ContactAir Fokker 100/Lufthansa en route from from Berlin Tegel to Stuttgart
Where: Stuttgart
When: Sep 14th 2009
Who: 73 passengers including Franz Muentefering and 5 crew (6 injury/issues)
Why:
Update:
According to news releases quoting Lufthansa, the Stuttgart emergency landing on Sept. 14 was “probably caused by a valve part that came loose and blocked the landing gear’s hydraulic system.”
“Part of a valve came loose internally and blocked a hydraulic line…It worked like a stopper.”
George’s Point of View
Maintenance, maintenance, maintenance. It’s a 14 year old plane. Should I repeat “maintenance” 14 times? It’s not as if the plane were self-aware and could tighten or replace its own valves.
The plane’s last inspection was in August, prior to Contact Air acquiring the plane. Even if Contact Air is not legally required to perform a post-purchase inspection, it seems like it would be a reasonable thing for a new owner to do.
If this were a used car purchase, would we take it for an inspection with our own mechanics, and to get tags?
See archives:
Asiana Airlines flight OZ-521 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia, on December 5th.
The Boeing 777-200 plane heading from Seoul, South Korea, to London, United Kingdom, was diverted due to an engine fire indication.
The plane landed safely. All 199 people aboard remained unharmed.
