Airbus

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    Ecuador Bound International Flight Makes Emergency Landing in Charleston

    TAME Airlines Airbus A330-200 heading to Ecuador from New York’s JFK Airport made an emergency landing at Joint Base Charleston at 2:05 on March 25.

    The medical emergency was declared because of a female passenger having breathing trouble. However, she refused to go to the local area hospital for medical treatment. The plane left after refueling at 4.30 a.m. without dropping the passenger.

    The flight was directed to the Joint Base since no international flights operate between midnight and 4 a.m. at the Charleston International airport, and the ground crew is not available during this time.

    The plane had 70 passengers and 9 crew members on board.

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    Malaysian Airlines Flight MH066 Makes Emergency Landing in Hong Kong

    Malaysian airlines

    Malaysian Airlines flight MH066 had to make an emergency landing in Hong Kong after its main electrical power generator failed.

    The flight was on its way from from Kuala Lumpur to Seoul when the main generator of Airbus A330-300 stopped working.

    The plane, carrying 271 passengers, safely landed at the Hong Kong International Airport on Monday, March 24, before 3 am.

    Malaysian Airlines maintains that even though the main generator failed, the plane’s auxiliary power unit was able to continue delivering electric power.

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    US Airways Flight 1702 Crash Lands at Philadelphia International Airport

    US Airways Flight 1702, which took off from Philadelphia to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, crash landed at Philadelphia International Airport, after an aborted take off. 1

    The incident took place on Thursday evening, when the plane, carrying 149 passengers and 5 crew members, experienced some faults during take-off and hence attempted to land back, which caused the front landing gear of Airbus A320 to collapse.

    Airport officials confirm that two passengers suffered minor injuries while all other passengers as well as crew members were evacuated safely.

    According to initial reports, high wind gusts might be the reason behind the aborted take-off as high wind advisory, with warning of wind gusts as high as 60 mph in effect at the time of incident.

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    Air France Airbus Flight Cancelled

    On March 2, 2013, an Airbus A380 (flight 275) scheduled to fly from Narita International Airport to Paris aborted a takeoff on runway 34L at Tokyo-Narita. The takeoff was delayed because of a nose gear problem, and subsequently towed to the gate. After maintenance, the takeoff was rescheduled but aborted a second time because of the same trouble, canceling the flight. None of the 537 aboard were injured.

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    Automation at Fault?


    Here’s the question: do pilots rely too much on automation? This question has been on my mind since hearing the parallels between the UPS Cargo jet crash and the Asiana passenger jet crash. This is on my mind not only as one who works toward aviation safety but also as a very frequent flyer. You can only imagine how my work carries me into international situations. I don’t fly as frequently as a pilot, but sometimes I fly internationally several times a month. I am on these planes frequently. I rely on them.

    So I find it disturbing that the NTSB’s hearing Thursday revealed parallels between the crash of UPS Flight 1354 and Asiana Filght 214. While I don’t know the answers, I can only hope the investigation shines light on ways to deal with this problem. What is the solution? Less reliance on Automation? Better training for pilots?

    On the other side of the coin, some parties will want even more automation, but I am reluctant to go in that direction. The idea of even more reliance on automation is anathema to me because the engineers and advocates of reliance on even more automation will not be on those even-more automated planes. While the technology and/or training will be on the chopping block, their actual necks won’t be.

    What I don’t find disturbing is the professionalism of the hearings. The webcast is well worth watching.

    The hearing webcast is recorded here: http://ntsb.capitolconnection.org/022014/ntsb_archive_flv.htm

    Note the NTSB cautions participants in the hearing not to engage the media and to stick to the facts.

    Or the recorded captions (unformatted) are here.
    https://airflightdisaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/ntsb022014.htm.pdf

    bio docket: https://airflightdisaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/biodocket.pdf

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    UPS Flight 1354 Agenda and Media Logistics for Investigative Hearing


    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.

    ===
    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.

    ____________________________________________________________________________________________

    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.

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    Dulles Crew Finds Dead Stowaway

    A South African Airways Airbus A340 at Dulles International Airport flew from Johannesburg, South Africa to Dakar, Senegal to Virginia with an extra passenger. Crew discovered the body in the wheel well on Thursday. FBI, U.S. customs, border patrol, fire and rescue crews and Dulles police responded to the scene. Fairfax County Medical Examiner’s Office has custody of the body.

    See the Videos


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    A Disgraceful Attitude

    Here are a couple of facts:

    – Yemenia Flight 626 was an International Airbus A310-324 from Sana’a, Yemen, to Moroni, Comoros, that crashed on 30 June 2009 killing 152.

    –French authorities charged Yemenia Airways with manslaughter over the Yemenia Airways crash.

    –A judicial source said that Yemenia’s Airbus A310 “should not have been allowed to fly”.

    –152 people died in the crash.

    In spite of this, Yemenia announced they are “ready to challenge any allegation regarding the pilot’s competence, or the plane’s maintenance.”

    They kept on flying a plane which was judged unsafe. Now Yemenia Airways is denying responsibility for the crash, which in all likelihood was a consequence of flying an unsafe plane.

    Any way you look at it, no matter how vehemently they dismiss it, no matter how many times they make an “official” statement, in refusing responsibility for a plane crash on their watch —a plane crash which killed 152 people who trusted the airline to deliver them safely and which is clearly their responsibility—Yemenia Airways has displayed a disgraceful attitude.

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    NTSB to Hold Investigative Hearing Into August 2013 UPS A300 crash in Birmingham, Ala.


    NTSB to Hold Investigative Hearing Into August 2013 UPS A300 crash in Birmingham, Ala.

    Jan. 30, 2014
    WASHINGTON – 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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    Will Yemenia Airways Be Held Accountable at Last?

    In 2007 there was this Airbus A310 that failed to pass inspection in France and was therefore banned from French Airspace. The plane was still in use though. Yemenia Airlines quit flying the plane over French Airspace, limiting its routes to non-euro airspace like the hop from Sanaa to the Comoros.

    Listen, I’ve heard some bad things about some planes but the descriptions I saw of this plane are so vivid I remember them, even though its been nearly five years. Frankly, the description sounded straight out of Romancing the Stone like the bus that takes Kathleen Turner (romance novelist Joan Wilder) to Cartagena, Colombia—crowded to the gills, livestock inside, seats rolling around, standing room only, everything that was portrayed in the movie, except (one hopes) people hanging off the outside of the plane. This rickety plane, which failed to meet safety standards continued to be in use until it crashed one stormy night in 2009.

    Now, five years later, France is charging Yemenia Airlines with manslaughter.

    I wonder at the timing. Apparently Yemenia Airlines is no longer on the EU banned list.

    I wonder if they waited for Yemenia Airlines to become more solvent before they charged them.

    I wonder if International Lease Finance Corporation is going to be held accountable. They leased the plane to Yemenia; and, like a father who hands his fifteen year old the keys to his car, they could have taken away the keys, or withheld them till the plane was brought up to code.

    I wonder if the delay was five years worth of research, and maybe evidence found.

    I wonder if another accident or enlightening incident happened that pointed the finger at Yemenia.

    I wonder if it was pressure from the families of the 153 passengers and crew (and little Bahia Bakari the twelve year old miracle survivor) aboard that international flight from Sana’a, Yemen to Moroni, Comoros that crashed on 30 June 2009.

    Pressure from the families brings change. I have a lot of confidence in family groups. Plane crash victims are united by a common cause, a cause which is ethical and pragmatic and yet impossible, because they are seeking justice when there can really be none. Because all these people want, if they could have their way, would be to have their loved ones back. They have the power of right on their side; and to make a galvanizing cause even more magnetic, they are fighting for the safety of every future airline passenger. I wish my friend Hans Ephraimson-Abt, who died last October, could be here to witness the charges being brought. He lost a daughter when her plane was shot down in 1983, and ever after made it his business to advocate for families. I think of him now because up until October, whenever I’d post an editorial concerning crashes, or family groups, he would always write back with encouragement, or some pithy bit of advice.

    Maybe I should be objective. After all, helping families in crashes is my business. But when you’re on the front lines of aviation safety trying to get better treatment for victims and the families of victims, it doesn’t take long to feel very personal. There are a lot of people who saw those headlines that France is charging the carrier with manslaughter who think that after four and a half years, it is about time. I just hope that somehow the 152 victims—and Hans—could know that the responsible parties may yet be held accountable.

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    Emergency Landing in Baku

    A Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 en route from London to Singapore diverted to Baku in the first week of January 2013, after developing pressurization problems. The plane made a safe landing with no injuries.

    Four hundred sixty seven passengers were aboard the flight, and twenty-seven crew, none of whom were injured. Passengers were provided hotel accommodations pending a replacement aircraft from Singapore.

    A faulty door seal was reported to be the cause of the incident. The sound of the leaking air was audible and the flow of air was cold, an beyond the plane’s ability to manage. A replacement door was fitted before the plane flew out. Airbus is participating in the investigation by sending a team to Baku.

    Singapore airlines operates 19 A380’s.

    A photo tweeted by passenger Steve Murphy showed the oxygen masks deployed during the flight, after it began losing cabin pressure on January 6, 2013.

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    Wing Damage, low fuel, Fog, Flat tire to Air India

    In Jaipur at 9:30 on January 5, 2013, after having to divert due to visibility issues, an Imphal-Delhi Air India flight was out of fuel and made an emergency landing in Jaipur damaging a wing and suffering a flat tire. The video says the wing damage was due to a tree-strike after the tire burst.

    The Gauhati to Delhi flight diverted Jaipur due to dense fog but in Jaipur too, the pilot landed in fog and low visibility. 168 passengers and 5 crew were aboard. We have heard no reports of injuries on the Airbus A320-231 #VT-ESH but the damage looks pretty bad, if the twitter post is of the correct incident. (That’s the correct # as far as we can tell.) You can click through our link to the twitter discussion.

    Emergency services responded to the scene.

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    Mishaps of the day

    Some events that happened today:

    • December 16, 2013, on JetBlue Flight 836#N661JB, the Airbus A320 arrived at the gate at JFK airport, New York, and the left wing struck the jet bridge. There was only minor damage and no injuries reported.
    • In Farmington NY on December 17, 2013, a Piper PA28#N43080 engine caught fire when the plane started up. The fire was extinguished, with unknown damage.
    • December 16, 2013, a Lancair/235#N15TG landing at John’s Island Charleston SC, when the nose gear collapsed. Minor damage was reported.
    • December 16, 2013, a Cessna/172 #N421ER was taxiing when the wing struck a light pole. The accident occurred in Wickenburg Arizona. Minor damage was reported.
    • December 16, 2013, an experimental plane, a Zenith 601#N581SL crashed in Leakey Texas under unknown conditions.
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    Thai Emergency Landing

    On August 30, 2013, a Thai Airways Airbus A380 en route from Bangkok,Thailand, to Hong Kong flew into turbulent air that caused loose property to bounce to the ceiling. Some of the passengers bounced from the ceiling to the floor as well. Some of the loose items caused minor damage inside the plane, to lockers and ceiling.

    The turbulence lasted only a few seconds.

    Pilots landed safely.

    Of the 504 passengers 38 passengers were injured by turbulence and hospitalized.

    One of the 26 crew was injured and hospitalized on landing.

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    Emirates Airbus Diverts to Kuwait after engine shut down

    On Oct 25, an Emirates Airlines Airbus A380 en route from New York to Dubai had to shut down a right engine.

    Pilots diverted to Kuwait where they made a safe landing.

    A replacement airbus was provided to carry the passengers to Dubai. We don’t have information how long passengers waited or if they were provided accommodations during the interim.

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    Emergency Diversion in Brazil

    An Avianca Brazil Airbus A318-100 en route from Porto Alegre to Sao Paulo had taken off from Porto Alegre’s runway 11 when the plane developed problems with the hydraulics system.

    After burning off fuel, the pilots returned to Porto Alegre and made a safe landing.

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    Indigo Emergency Landing

    No injuries occurred when Indigo Airlines #6E125 Airbus veered off the runway and hit runway lights at Bangalore International Airport. The incident closed the runway for hours, diverting more than ten flights.

    110 passengers and six crew escaped injury when the plane landed in heavy rain and hydroplaned off the runway veering to the right and damaging the landing gear tires on the right side of the plane.

    Alarmist newspaper headlines called the event “a narrow escape” for Indigo passengers. This was probably something of an exaggeration, though it probably felt terrifying at the time.

    The DGCA is investigating.

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    Australia: Near Miss

    Two planes that had a near miss avoided a collision by about 700 vertical feet were over Perth when one of the pilot’s collision collision alarm alerted him of the impending collision.

    Flight QF581 from Sydney to Perth had gotten permission from ATC to go from 38,000ft which put them on a collision course with incoming QF 576.

    Both planes swerved out of the way over Gulf St. Vincent.

    Qantas Airbus A330-200, flight QF-576 was en route from Perth,WA to Sydney,NS. Qantas Airbus A330-200 was from Sydney,NS to Perth,WA. ATC gave clearance to QF581 whose pilot had averted disaster by the time clearance was rescinded.

    The “loss of separation” incident is under investigation.

    According to the vice-president of the Australian and International Pilots Association, TCAS typically warns about 25 seconds out.

    * ACAS / TCAS (In-cockpit) TA alerts when there is a risk of collision in 40 seconds.


    Video

    TCAS ALERT

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    Drunken Pilot Detained in Leeds

    A pilot caught drunk in the cockpit of a Pakistan International Airways Airbus is in custody, and bound to appear in court in October over the breech of trust. PIA suspended the 20 year pilot.

    The UK Civil Aviation Authority, said: “A pilot attempting to fly while under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs is a major threat to flight safety.”

    Irfan Faiz was four times over the legal limit when he was taken into custody, and charged with “breaching the trust of the public.”

    He was arrested as he was carrying out pre-flight checks. Officers had him take a breath test at ten pm just prior to his scheduled ten pm. flight of an Airbus 310 from Leeds to Islamabad. 177 passengers were put up at hotels when the pilot was removed.

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    EasyJet Emergency Landing in Pisa

    On Sept 14, 2013, an Easyjet Airbus en route from Pisa to London was taking off from Pisa when it suffered a bird strike.

    The pilots entered a holding pattern and made a safe landing in Pisa around 11:30.

    THe extent of the damage to the plane #G-EZIZ is not known.

    No injuries were reported.

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    Thai Airways Airbus with Nosegear Failure skids off Bangkok runway, 14 Hospitalized


    A Thai Airways International Airbus A330-321 en route from Guangzhou Baiyun International to Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi International (i.e. China to Thailand) had a runway excursion when it landed at its destination.

    Fortunately emergency services were on hand to put out the fire that started in the engine.

    The Thai Airways statement said there was a “landing gear malfunction.”

    The plane went off the right side of the runway, and the nosegear failed.

    There were fourteen crew and 388 passengers. Fourteen people were injured and hospitalized in Bangkok. Emergency slides were used to exit the plane. We presume the injuries occurred on the emergency slides.

    Theguardian reported that Thai Airways covered up the logo after the accident. This practice is known as the “crisis communication rule” from Star Alliance, and is a measure to save face and reputation.

    See Footage below

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    Tam Runs into Wild Winds

    A TAM Linhas Aereas Airbus A330-200 was en route from Madrid to Sao Paulo when the flight sustained an episode of turbulence.

    A dozen passengers were injured, and the members of the flight crew. They were hospitalized when the pilots diverted to Fortaleza. One person had a fractured spine.

    A replacement flight was provided for passengers from Fortaleza to Sao Paulo Guarulhos. There were 168 passengers and 16 crew.

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    Airbus Emergency Landing

    On August 29, 2013, an Airbus A321 en route from Antalya to Moscow. made an emergency landing at Domodedovo Airport with a problem with its left main gear.

    There were seven crew members, 219 passengers including 12 children. No injuries were reported.

    No injuries were reported.

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    Thai Airways Airbus Suffers Turbulence Injuring almost Forty

    A Thai Airways Airbus A380-800 en route from Bangkok to Hong Kong encountered turbulence just prior to landing.

    The turbulence caused disruption in the plane as things flew about. The seatbelt light was reported to be on.

    Of the 500 passengers and 26 crew, about forty people were injured and hospitalized. The flight landed with emergency services on standby.

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    Tiger Flight Stuck in Kalibo

    A Tiger Airways Philippines Airbus A320 was taxiing on the runway at Kalibo International Airport in the Philippines when the plane got stuck on the runway. Passengers were provided accommodations at a local hotel as they waited for the situation to be amended. A dozen flights had to be rerouted, in the meantime.

    50 passengers were aboard the flight bound for Singapore when it got mired while making a 180-degree turn at the end of Runway 05.

    Airport traffic was halted as the situation was resolved. The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines announced that the front wheel “stuck on a soft spot and got stalled while making a 180-degree turn at the end of Runway 05.”

    The Aircraft Accident Investigation & Inquiry Board is investigating.