On January 9, 2013 Wednesday afternoon, a Lufthansa Airbus A320-214 was on the runway at Stockholm-Arlanda Airport preparing for a flight to Munich International when the plane slid off the tarmac.
Passengers disembarked and were returned to the terminal. No word on if the same plane continued their journey, if they were provided alternative transportation, or housed in the interim. No word on the cause of the incident.
A 2:10p.m GoAir flight G8302 Airbus A320 from Chennai to Mumbai made an emergency landing when the plane filled with smoke, probably from the air conditioning vents.
As soon as the plane made a safe landing, passengers disembarked and were moved a safe distance from the plane. There were over 50 passengers aboard.
The plane made it halfway to Mumbai when the pilots had to turn back to Chennai.
The problem is probably the AC system. An investigation is underway.
Dec 20, 2012, 20:38; Air Berlin Airbus A330-223 was en route from Phuket to Abu Dhabi. Not long after takeoff, the plane developed engine problems. Smoke was detected in the cabin.
Witnesses on the ground heard three “explosions” when the flight took off, and saw smoke.
Pilots returned to Phuket where they made a hard (fast/heavy) landing that blew three tires. Of the 249 passengers and ten crew, none were injured. The passengers, mostly German, were provided a hotel, and a flight the next day.
The plane was sprayed to cool it down and sent to be examined by maintenance.
What: TAM Linhas Aéreas Airbus A320-214 Where: Afonso Pena Airport, Brazil When: Dec 13, 2012 Who: 152 aboard, no fatalities Why: On takeoff, the plane suffered a bird strike.
Pilots returned to Afonso Pena Airport in the Curitiba Metropolitan Region and made a safe landing.
Passengers disembarked safely and were provided an alternative flight.
What: US Airways Airbus A319-100 en route from Charlotte to Saint Louis Where: over Tennessee When: Dec 11th 2012 Who: 2 injuries Why: While en route, the flight encountered turbulence.
Pilots made a safe landing in Saint Louis.
Two flight attendants sustained injuries from turbulence.
What: Egyptair Airbus A320-200 en route from Cairo to Kuwait Where: Egypt When: Dec 3, 2012 Who: 90 aboard Why: We have avoided this report for as long as possible, but finally decided to get it out of the way, since our mailboxes and emails are FULL of reports of: “Snake on a plane forces emergency landing”
“Cobra Forces EgyptAir Flight to Make Emergency Landing”
“Flight Crew Finds reptile”
“Real Life Snake on a plane”
“Egyptian Cobra Bites Akram Abdul Latfi, Egypt Air Passenger”
“Cobra upgraded to First Class on Flight**”
Here’s the story: Akram Abdul Latif who was aboard this Egyptair flight was bitten by a snake. Actual snake on a plane, not the terrible movie. The Jordan Times says the snake was a cobra and that Latif owns a reptile shop where he was taking it. The snake had gotten out and the pet shop owner was bitten in the hand while trying to return the snake to the carry-on (as so many are theoretically and realistically bitten while trying to get anything back in the bag.)
The flight was diverted to Al Bahr Al Ahmar where first aid was administered to the man, and apparently none to the snake, who died. Actually, the snake did not die; it apparently was with Latif when he was refusing medical treatment. Some of the reports infer Latif was allowed to bring the snake to his shop in Kuwait. Without a crystal ball, I can’t say whether or not reports will be full of “Kuwait Reptile Store Owner Jailed for Smuggling” but according to “Newsfix” the cobra was corralled and confiscated by the cops. No one indicates if the snake was returned to Latif, or if a snake license, fine or a “snake coralling fee” was levied.
One can not help but picture the plane landing, a bouncer tossing Latif, his bag and beast out on their respective keisters*, the plane closing up and zipping down the runway before Latif can get back on.
* For the sake of the paragraph, we are endowing both the snake and the bag with honorary keisters, as they are not provided their own by nature.
** Honors for the best title of an article about the snake on a plane
*** The snake photo is clipped from the youtube video
**** No snakes were harmed in the writing of this article
*****[insert your own] Etc.
What: Air India Airbus A321 en route from Kozhikode in Kerala to Sharjah Where: Kozhikode Who: 168 passengers Why: The pilot of an Air India flight alerted Kozhikode Air traffic control that there was a problem with the plane, and diverted back to Kozhikode shortly after takeoff.
The air conditioning inside the plane was shut down, and there were sparks noted from one of the engines. Whether or not the cause of the engine sparking was a bird strike has not been confirmed.
According to passengers, the plane “started vibrating as soon as it took off from the runway.”
Passengers also said they were not provided a hotel, but promised a flight at 12 pm, then at 4:40 a.m, and finally were provided an actual flight at 5:40 a.m.
What: British Airways Airbus A320-200 Where: Stockholm Arlanda Sweden When: Dec 5, 2012 Who: 0 fatalities Why: The British Airways Airbus A320 by an icing truck. Fortunately the Airbus was on the ground at the time.
Tweets say that heavy snowfall at the Arlanda Airport has passengers waiting for flights for hours
There was apparently no visual damage to the plane, but as it must be inspected prior to flying, the flight was cancelled.
What: Tatarstan Airlines Airbus A319-112 Where: Kazan, Tatarstan, Russia When: Dec 1, 2012 8:30 am Who: 109 passengers Why: Preparing for take-off to go to Moscow at 8:30, the Tatarstan Airlines Airbus overran the runway, ending up in a snowbank. The problem according to LifeNews was ice on the runway.
No passengers were injured. A wing is mired in the bank of snow, tying up the runway for takeoffs and landings.
The flight was delayed until 13:00 Moscow time. The incident is under investigation.
What: PIA Airbus 310 en route from Karachi to London Where: Quaid-e-Azam Jinnah international airport When: Nov 18, 2012, 12:20 pm Who: 168 passengers, 16 crew Why: A Pakistan International Airlines plane took off from Karachi but developed a problem, After 55 minutes into the 8 hour flight, pilots diverted to Quaid-e-Azam Jinnah international airport. They made a safe landing. Reports are there was a technical problem.
Passengers reported hearing three bangs and saw flames shooting from the engine.
A television report said there was a fire, but PIA denied there was a fire.
What: Air France Airbus A330 en route from Rio to Paris Where: Casablanca When: October 16, 2012 Who: 201 passengers, 12 crew Why: After taking of from Rio on Thursday, one of the Airbus330-200 engines was damaged.
Pilots diverted to Casablanca where they made a safe landing.
No injuries were reported.
A replacement jet was provided.
The diversion was no doubt a white-knuckled flight, as the Airbus A330 is the same model as the one that killed 216 in 2007 when pilots became confused with incorrect speed readings likely caused by obstruction of the pitot tubes and flew the plane at the incorrect angle, causing it to lose altitude and crash.
What: Emirates Airlines Airbus A380-800 en route from Sydney to Dubai Where: Sydney Who: 380 aboard When: Nov 11, 2012 Why: After takeoff, one engine on the Emirates Airlines Sydney-Dubai flight developed a problem and was shut down. Passengers reported hearing a bang and saw flames from the engine. We do not know if it was a bird strike.
Pilots dumped fuel, returned to Sydney and made a safe landing. Passengers were provided alternative flights.
What: Emirates en route from Bangkok to Dubai Where: Mumbai When: Nov 7, 2012 Who: 206 aboard, 190 passengers, 16 crew Why: The UAE flight was over Mumbai when there was an indication of an engine fire.
The pilot declared emergency at 11:22 and with one engine up, landed at 11: 36 pm. at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai. After passengers disembarked, the plane was towed to a hanger for inspection. The fire was out by the time officials inspected the engine.
The Central Industrial Security Force cordoned off the area.
An alternative flight was provided for the passengers, which left Mumbai for Dubai at 7.20 am Thursday.
What: Airbus A340 en route from Paris to New Caledonia Where: Khabarovsk Russia When: 1:10 pm Who: 242 passengers, 14 crew Why: The pilots were well underway when they received an indication that one of its four engines was on fire.
The pilots diverted to Khabarovsk. The airport responded with a 54 person emergency response team.
The flight made a safe landing, with no injuries. Passengers evacuated without incident.
What: S7 Airlines Airbus A319-114 en route from Domodedovo Where: Novokuznetsk-Spichenkovo Airport, Russia When: Nov 7 2012 Who: between 98 and 112 aboard Why: Stanislav Khokhlov, a pilot for S7 Airlines made an emergency landing at Novokuznetsk-Spichenkovo Airport. He made a smooth landing with a missing landing gear wheel.
The plane was examined in Domodedovo before take-off. The tire was not found on the runway at Novokuznetsk-Spichenkovo Airport.
No emergency teams were on standby as the plane was making a routine landing.
What: Aerolineas Argentinas Airbus A340-200 en route from Madrid to Buenos Aires Where: Madrid When: Nov 5th 2012 Why: On takeoff, the flight developed problems with the flaps.
Pilots had to dump fuel, and return to the airport where they made a safe landing an hour and a half later.
In Ezeiza due to a trade union dispute, 38 flights were cancelled, nearly half of which were Aerolíneas flights.
What: Aeroflot Airbus A320 en route from Moscow to Krasnodar Where: Krasnodar International Airport, Russia When: Oct 29. 2012 Who: 110 aboard Why: After there was smoke in the cabin, the crew decided to land because there was smoke in the cockpit. The cause of the smoke was due to an electrical short circuit.
The pilots made an emergency landing at Krasnodar International Airport. There were no injuries.
What: Germanwings Airbus A319-132 Where: Cologne Bonn German When: Oct 26, 2012 Who: 128 aboard Why: On takeoff from the airport, the flight suffered a bird strike in one engine.
Pilots shut down the affected engine, and diverted to the airport where they made a safe landing.
What: Arik Air Airbus A340-542 en route from London to Lagos Where: Lagos Murtala Muhammed International Airport When: Oct 26, 2012 Who: 1 fatality Why: The body of a man was discovered in the wheel well of an Arik Air Airbus after a flight from London to Lagos. The body had no identification. There is no indication how long the body remained there, nor where it came from.
According to officials the body was discovered “during a check on the aircraft panel as it was being prepared for another flight and that the undercarriage compartment of the Airbus A340-500 is big enough to accommodate a person, besides the space for the tires.”
Security at Lagos Murtala Muhammed International Airport is reputed to be lax, and authorities have apparently been ineffective in eliminating illicit activities.
What: Spirit Airlines Airbus A319-100 en route from Cartagena, Colombia to Fort Lauderdale Where: Palm Beach International Airport When: Oct 25, 2012 Who: 54 aboard Why: As pilots were flying from Cartagena, Colombia to Fort Lauderdale, the plane developed problems and the pilots had to divert the flight. According to one source, one of the engines developed problems and was shut down. (Reports vary on the exact nature of the issue behind the diversion.)
Pilots diverted to Palm Beach International Airport where they made a safe landing.
What: Emirates Airbus A330-200 em route from Lusaka to Dubai Where: Lusaka, Zambia When: Oct 21, 2012 Why: After takeoff, the flight developed a technical problem.
The pilot returned to the airport to make a safe landing at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport. The plane continued to the gate where passengers disembarked. Emirates representatives have indicated that earlier reports that the plane crash landed were incorrect; and that passengers were accommodated in hotels and have now been re-booked on alternative flights with Emirates or other airlines. Passengers reported hearing a bang in an engine, a bumpy thirty minute flight back to the airport and on disembarking, seeing a hole in the engine.
What: TACA airlines Airbus A321-200 en route from El Salvador to San José Costa Rica Where: Costa Rica When: October 18, 2012 Who: 146 passengers, 7 crew Why: On touchdown, three tires burst on the wet runway, resulting in an emergency landing. The plane skidded and spun to the right and when it came to a stop, it was perpendicular to the end of the runway.
There were no injuries reported when the plane landed at 4.pm. Burst tires can often occur as the result of a hard or too fast landing.
What: U.S. Airways Airbus A330 en route from Philadelphia to Tel Aviv Where: Greater Moncton International Airport When: Oct 2, 2012 Who: 233 passengers Why: When the cabin filled with smoke from an overheated oven, pilots diverted the flight to Greater Moncton International Airport at 3:00 a.m.
A replacement flight returned passengers to Philadelphia, where they were able to chose from several replacement options.
The Moncton runway wasn’t long enough to allow an A330 fully loaded and fueled for Tel Aviv to take off.
