Airbus

  • | | |

    Aer Lingus Airbus Overnight in Santiago de Compostela


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Timo Jäger

    What: Aer Lingus Airbus A320-200 en route from Dublin to Fuerteventura Spain
    Where: Santiago de Compostela
    When: Nov 15th 2011
    Who: 147 passengers
    Why: While en route the plane developed a problem, and diverted to Santiago to make a safe landing.

    Passengers stayed in hotels overnight, until the curfew lifted and they were able to take off.

  • | | | | | |

    Tap Airbus Hydraulics Fail Luanda Angola Emergency Landing


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Christian Bremer

    What: TAP Air Portugal Airbus A340-300 en route from Luanda Angola to Lisbon
    Where: Luanda
    When: Nov 16th 2011
    Why: On takeoff, the plane developed a hydraulic failure.

    The pilots returned to Luanda and made a safe landing. Passengers were in the air about a half hour.

  • | | | |

    Updating the Brazilian Statistics on the body count/recovery

    Of the 58 Brazilians aboard the notorious Rio-Paris Air France Flight 447, 18 have been found and identified.

    Of the 153 victims, 74 reside on the ocean floor. Some of those may be the 40 lost Brazilians.

    During the recovery process, some families chose not to disturb the remains. Some of the bodies were simply lost at sea.

    There is still a lot of finger-pointing going on. Whatever the cause, Air France Flight 447 stalled and crashed in bad weather, killing 153.

  • | | | | |

    Two Concussions from LAN ANDES Turbulence


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer AirSpeed

    What: LAN Airlines Airbus A320-200 en route from Santiago Chile to Cordoba Argentina
    Where: Andes
    When: Nov 8th 2011
    Who: 2 injured
    Why: The flight from Santiago to Cordoba encountered turbulence over the Andes.

    In a mountainous area, wind strikes the mountain causing updrafts and downdrafts. The turbulence the flight ran into occurred in an area where turbulence is frequent, and where the seatbelts are required.

    On landing, the two injured parties were hospitalized with concussions.

  • |

    153 of AF447 victims identified

    Seventy percent of the victims of Air France Flight 447 have been identified, according to Investigators of the Criminal Research Institute of the National Gendarmerie.

    DNA examiniation of bodies retrieved in April resulted in 103 more passengers found and identified, in addition to the 50 who had been identified before the plane’s location had been pinpointed.

    In France, Air France and Airbus, the aircraft manufacturer who built the A330 involved in the accident, are under investigation since last March for “manslaughter.”

    The final report of judicial experts is due in June 2012.

    Now we are going to see everyone jump on the pilots, and play the blame game. But these pilots were cleared to fly. In gathering up blame, the tragedy begins with the Airbus.

    The manufacturer should require INTENSE training to include all possible situations a pilot might encounter while in flight. Certainly, with the computers running much of the show, they have all possibilities listed within their “brains.”

    It is not enough to train a pilot to take off and land a monster like the A330.

    And, of course, the operator, Air France, should stop rushing the process of training. Pilots flying a jet should simply not be mystified by anything that happens, because whatever happens, their training should have already covered it.

    *snapshot from youtube

  • | | | |

    Ural Airbus Flight Suffers Temporary Nav Failure


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Anton Harisov CHELTEAM Photography

    What: Ural Airlines Airbus A320-200 en route from Novosibirsk to Moscow Russia
    Where: Novosibirsk
    When: Nov 6th 2011
    Who: 130 passengers and 7 crew
    Why: Just after takeoff, the plane’s navigation system indicated a failure issue. Although the system is reported to have recovered after a quarter of an hour, the pilots returned to the Tolmachyovo airport in Novosibirsk where they made a safe landing.

    Passengers waited for a replacement jet.

  • | | | |

    Qantas Airbus to London Flight, Engine Shut down, Diverts to Dubai


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Steven Austen

    What: Qantas Airbus A380-842 en route from Singapore to London
    Where: Dubai
    When: Nov 4th 2011
    Who: 258 passengers, 35 Crew
    Why: While en route, the Qantas Airbus received an indication that the Trent 972 outboard right hand engine #4 suffered from low oil quantity.

    Due to the indication, pilots shut down the affected engine and diverted to Dubai where they circled for an hour before they made a safe landing.

    Passengers left Dubai on the 5th for London.

  • | | | | |

    Jet Blue Diverts to Ft. Lauderdale

    What: Jetblue Airbus A320-200 en route from Ponce Puerto Rico to Orlando,FL
    Where: Ft. Lauderdale
    When: Oct 28th 2011
    Who: 1 sick passenger
    Why: Because of a sick passenger suffering seizures aboard the flight, the pilot diverted to Fort Lauderdale. On approach to the airport, the crew found hydraulic issues, and descended with little rudder control (due to the hydraulic issues.)

    The flight made a safe landing.

    Medical services was awaiting the passenger, who was transported to the hospital, after the safe landing.

  • | | | | |

    Airbus Emergency Landing in Perm


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Luigi Maccio – SpotIT

    What: Lufthansa Airbus A320-200 en route from Ekaterinburg Russia to Frankfurt Germany
    Where: Perm
    When: Oct 25th 2011
    Who: 116 passengers and 6 crew
    Why: While en route, smoke appeared in the cabin of the Airbus.

    The pilots reported the smoke to ATC and diverted to Perm.

    They made a safe landing. Passengers waited while a replacement flight was provided.

  • | | | |

    ANA Flight Emergency Landing


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Goye

    What: ANA All Nippon Airways Airbus A320-200 en route from Nagoya to Sapporo
    Where: Nagoya
    When: Oct 20th 201
    Who: 169 aboard
    Why: On taking off from Nagoya, the pilots found a cabin pressure problem. They returned to Nagoya to make a safe landing. The plane was in the air less than half an hour.

    The error appears to have been the indicator. An investigation is underway.

  • | | | | |

    A380 Emergency Landing at Shamshabad

    What: Emirates A380 en route from Bangkok to Dubai
    Where: Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Shamshabad
    When: October 23, 2011, 3:40 a.m.
    Who: 481 passengers
    Why: While en route, the plane developed problems. Pilots planned to land in Chennai but could not get clearance, and diverted instead to Shamshabad, where they were able to be cleared to land.

    The flight did land safely. The passengers disembarked with no reported injuries, and were provided a plane to take them the rest of the way to Dubai. Some took alternative flights.

  • | | | | |

    Air India Emergency Landing in Bhopal

    What: Air India Airbus A319-100 en route from Bhopal to Indore
    Where: Bhopal
    When: Oct 19th 2011
    Who: 70 passengers
    Why: The Air India flight took off normally but once in the air developed a hydraulic failure.

    The flight returned to the airport and made a safe landing after being in the air for a quarter of an hour.

    Passengers were booked on alternative flights.

  • | | | | | | | |

    Emergency landing in St Petersburg Russia


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Petr Gorbunov

    What: Rossiya Airbus A319-100 en route from St. Petersburg to Moscow
    Where: St. Petersburg, Russia
    When: Oct 7th 2011
    Why: After takeoff, the plane developed engine failure in the left engine.

    The pilots shut down the left engine and returned to make a safe landing.

    The flight was in the air less than twenty minutes. A replacement jet was provided within three hours.

  • | | | | |

    Boston Turbulence Leads to Rocky Trip, Terrified passengers

    What: JetBlue Airbus 319 en route from San Juan, Puerto Rico to Boston
    Where: Boston Logan International Airport
    Who: 130 passengers and five crew members

    What: Lufthansa Flight 429, which was traveling from North Carolina to Munich, Germany
    Where: Boston Logan International Airport
    Who: 245 passengers and 18 crew

    The Jetblue flight, which arrived early, was en route when it encountered turbulence severe enough to injure 9 aboard with an assortment of neck and back injuries.

    The Lufthansa flight had to land at Logan due to a turbulence encounter that injured 11 passengers on that flight.

    The turbulence was severe enough that many aboard bumped their heads on the ceiling of the plane. Several people were treated for injuries but no one was hospitalized.

    Passengers aboard both flights describe the trip as terrifying. They were certain they were going to crash.

  • | | | |

    Lightning Strike Sends Airbus Back to Starting Point


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Erwin van Hassel

    What: Austrian Airlines Airbus A320-200 en route from Vienna to Innsbruck
    Where: Innsbruck
    When: Oct 7th 2011
    Who: 57 passengers
    Why: The plane was descending over Innsbruck when it was struck by lightning. The crew aborted the approach, and returned to Vienna, where they made a safe landing. The decision was made to return to Vienna because appropriate inspection and repair could not be completed in Insbruck. The return flight was made at a lower altitude of 12,000 feet.

    (I can just imagine how the passengers felt after experiencing a lightning strike, and then having to end up going back where they started, instead of landing.)

    On arrival in Vienna, passengers were provided alternative bookings.

  • | | | |

    BMI Airbus Loses Cabin Pressure


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Galen Burrows

    What: BMI Airbus A319-100 en route from London Heathrow,EN (UK) to Berlin
    Where: Amsterdam
    When: Sep 29th 2011
    Why: The flight was over Amsterdam when the air conditioning system began to lose cabin pressure.

    The flight descended to a safe level and continued on to Berlin. A replacement jet was procured to complete the next leg of the journey.

  • | | | |

    Air Canada Turbulence Injures 9


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Alevik

    What: Air Canada Airbus A330-300 en route from Toronto to Montreal
    Where: Montreal Canada
    When: Sep 25th 2011
    Who: 257 aboard, 9 injured
    Why: On approach to Montreal, the Air Canada flight encountered turbulence.
    Six members of the cabin crew were injured in the turbulence. Three passengers were injured.

    On landing in Montreal, there was a 105 minute delay, after which the cabin crew could not work. Alternative crew members, presumably worked the next leg of the flight to Brussels

  • | | | |

    TACA Airbus Cockpit Smoking

    What: TACA Peru Airbus A320-200 en route from Lima to Cuzco
    Where: Cuzco
    When: Sep 18th 2011
    Who: 90 passengers
    Why: While en route, the windshield heating system began smoking.

    Pilots continued to Cuzco, stepping up the pace, and made a safe landing, with no injuries. Some passengers erroneously believed the turbine in the right wing was on fire.

    sobrecalentamiento en el sistema eléctrico de los parabrisas en la cabina de los pilotos originó humo y activó el proceso de emergencia preventiva“, the problem was due to overheating of the windshield heating system, according to TACA, a problem that was essentially a short circuit.

  • | |

    500 Practice Airbus Crash


    The FAA requires airports have a practice drill very three years. Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport had a disaster drill last week, practicing saving the 129 passengers and 5 crew (including 100 volunteers and 500 participants) of a simulated Airbus 320 crash.

    Emergency responders in the drill included Red Cross, Medical workers from ten hospitals, Police from from Hebron and Elsmere and airport personnel. A triage area was set up, just like in an actual event.

    Photos of the 2008 at the airport are published at http://coroners.ky.gov/Incident+Response+Team.htm

    The scenario presented an Airbus 320 involved in an accident, forced to land.

  • | | | | | |

    DGCA Gulf Air Landing Examined

    What: Gulf Air Airbus A320-200 en route from Bahrain to Kochi, India
    Where: Kochi
    When: Aug 28th 2011, 3.55 am
    Who: 137 passengers and 6 crew, 8 injuries
    Why: In examining this August incident, after doing some runway testing, the DGCA is blaming the accident on a slick runway.

    However defects have been found in the plane’s front wheel. And the statement of the DCGA’s opinion also mentions pilot error. So they have released a statement combining pilot error, plane flaws and a bad runway as being behind the runway excursion.

    Can a pilot land on a slick runway? What exactly was the pilot’s error in this situation? Does the entire runway have the identical friction coefficient or just the area tested? Runway friction is also going to be affected by the condition of the tires; what was the condition of the tire before it blew? Inquiring minds want to know.

    Airport testing at Cochin airport revealed airport friction level.

    A C K Nair, director of the Cochin airport made the following defensive statement:

    “As per the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) norms the friction coefficients of the runways should not go below 0.34, while the value was 0.61 to 0.86 till recently. On the day of the mishap the average value was hovering between 0.52 and 0.84. The value at the spot where the ill-fated aircraft touched the runway was 0.75 to 0.85. We did another test on September 3 and the value was above 0.5.’

    Read More about Gulf Air Airbus Skids into Mud On landing in Kochi

  • | | | | | | |

    Virgin Airbus Emergency Landing in Grand Junction


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Dan Miclea

    What: Virgin America Airbus en route from San Francisco to New York City
    Where: Grand Junction Colorado
    When: September 8, 2011, 2:00 a.m.
    Who: 111 passengers and 6 crew
    Why: While en route, the Virgin America flight experienced problems, described by one passenger as “the engine quit” and by another as “a giant flame from the engine.” While en route, passengers were awakened by a loud noise, and according to one passenger, flight attendants rushed to the cockpit.

    Pilots shut the engine down and continued the flight. Individuals with military experience were asked to assist in case of emergency.

    (We don’t usually get this much detail, but it is clear that the passengers were terrified. Pilots always say these huge jets with multiple engines are built to fly without one, in case of emergency; but personally I can relate more to the anxiety of the passengers than the confidence of pilots in their machines. Though one has to admit, knowing a pilot confident in his plane is flying is more comforting to a passenger than a pilot who is hysterical.)

    Pilots explained the situation to the passengers. Forty minutes later landed safely in Grand Junction.

    Passengers were provided hotel accommodation, $150 for another flight, and another flight was provided within ten hours. The incident is under investigation.

  • | | | | |

    TWO Pia Bomb Hoaxes

    What: PIA Pakistan International Airlines Airbus A310-300 en route from Lahore Pakistan to Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
    Where: Kuala Lumpur
    When: Sep 7th 2011
    Who: 176 passengers
    Why: While en route, Pakistan International Airlines received an email there was a bomb aboard the flight.

    The plane landed safely in Kuala Lumpur. No bomb was found.

    What: PIA Pakistan International Airlines Boeing 777-300 en route from Lahore (Pakistan) to Manchester,EN
    Where: Istanbul
    When: Sep 7th 2011
    Who: 378 passengers
    Why: While over the black sea, the airline received an email claiming bombs were planed on the flight. The pilots diverted to Istanbul, where the flight was inspected and no bomb was found.

    After immediate evacuation, both planes underwent thorough examination.