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Contact photographer Terry Wade
What: Mexicana Airbus A318-100 en route from Cancun to Mexico City
Where: Cancun
When: Jan 19th 2010
Who: 45 passengers
Why: On takeoff, the left engine cowling separated, impacting the engine, wing and the rear fuselage. The flight crew returned the plane to the airport for a safe landing.
No injuries were reported.
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Contact photographer Stefan Sonnenberg
What: Swiss International Airlines Airbus A340-300 en route from Sao Paulo Brazil to Zurich Switzerland
Where: Sao Paulo
When: Jan 17th 2010
Who: not available
Why: On takeoff, the flight crew reported they had a cracked windshield. They entered a holding pattern, dumped fuel and landed safely under emergency overweight conditions.
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Contact photographer K. Dennis
What: Aer Lingus Airbus A321-200 en route from Dublin to Budapest
Where: Vienna
When: Jan 16th 2010
Who: not available
Why: While en route, the flight developed cabin pressure problems. The crew decided to divert to Vienna where they made a safe landing. After passengers debarked in Vienna, they were provided a bus to Budapest.
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Contact photographer Ruud Brinks
What: Iran Air Airbus A300-600 en route from Stockholm to Tehran
Where: Stockholm
When: Jan 16th 2010
Who: 173 aboard
Why: After starting the takeoff run, the left engine suffered an engine surge, causing the low speed veer to the left. Officially reported as While lining up for takeoff, the airplane went off the runway.
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Contact photographer Javier Bravo Muñoz
What: Air Berlin Airbus A330-300 en route from Nuremberg Germany to Monastir Tunisia
Where: Nuremberg
When: Jan 12th 2010
Who: 374 passengers
Why: After take-off, the flight developed problems with the cockpit instrumentation, and returned to the airport to make a safe landing. Passengers were provided an alternative plane.
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Contact photographer Carlos Vaz
What: Frontier Airlines Airbus A320-200 en route from Denver to Cancun
Where: Houston
When: Jan 12th 2010
Who: not available
Why: While en route, the fight developed an electrical problem and diverted to Houston. The issue was addressed and the flight continued to Cancun.
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Contact photographer Mark McEwan
What: Easyjet Airbus A319-100 en route from London to Tallinn Estonia
Where: Copenhagen
When: Jan 11th 2010
Who: not available
Why: While en route, the flight developed a technical problem and decided to divert to Copenhagen. No details about the problem have been released. Replacement transportation was provided.
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Contact photographer F. Camirand
What: Air Canada Airbus A320-200 en route from Toronto, Canada to El Catey Dominican Republic
Where: Toronto
When: Jan 10th 2010
Who: not available
Why: After takeoff, the Airbus thrust reverser malfunctioned and the crew had to return to the airport. They made a safe landing half an hour later, and passengers disembarked, eventually boarding another plane.
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Contact photographer Georg Noack
What: Lufthansa Airbus A320-200 en route from Munich Germany to Istanbul Turkey
Where: Istanbul
When: Jan 10th 2010
Who: not available
Why: While on approach, the airbus flew through a flock of sea gulls breaking a landing light; it was the first of six bird strikes at the airport within thirty minutes.
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Contact photographer Javier Bravo Muñoz
What: Aer Lingus Airbus A330-300 en route from Dublin to New York
Where: Shannon
When: Jan 11th 2010
Who: not available
Why: While en route, just over the Atlantic, the flight developed a navigation problem. The crew turned the Airbus around and returned to Dublin where they made a safe landing. Repairs were made or maintenance was completed, apparently; and a little over an hour and a half later, the same plane re-embarked to New York.
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Contact photographer Alejandro Ruiz
What: Swiss Airlines Airbus A319-100 en route from St. Petersburg to Zurich
Where: St. Petersburg
When: Jan 10th 2010
Who: 123 passengers and 5 crew
Why: After a successful takeoff, the flight crew informed ATC that there were vibrations in one of the engines. The plane returned to Pulkovo Airport and made a safe landing, where maintenance confirmed a bird strike.
Pictured: A United Airlines Airbus A319-131
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Contact photographer David J Transier
What: United Airlines Airbus 319 en route from Chicago to Newark
Where: Newark NJ
When: Jan 10, 2010, 9:30 a.m.
Who: 48 passengers 5 crew
Why: On landing, the plane’s right gear failed to properly deploy. After maintaining a holding pattern attempting to extend the landing gear (etc), the pilot landed. It was, apparently a safe landing, causing airport delays but no reported injuries, not even during the slide evacuation.
On landing, the plane lurched to one side; and the airport was closed down for safety concerns.
We have emergency landings all the time all over the world. This website attests to that. But after the year Airbus has had, whenever I hear there’s an Airbus incident, even if it is only a small one, my hair—what little I have—stands on end. I can’t help believing that they should take this plane back to the drawing board and start over.
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Contact photographer JRC
What: Air Berlin Boeing 737-800 en route from Nuremberg to Dusseldorf
Where: Nuremberg
When: Jan 8th 2010
Who: 133 aboard
Why: While taxiing to the runway prior to takeoff, the plane skidded off the paved surface of the runway. Passengers disembarked without further incident.
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Contact photographer Hongyin Huo
What: Air Canada Airbus A321-200 en route from St. John’s Toronto
Where: Iles de la Madeleine
When: Jan 7th 2010
Who: not available
Why: When the crew discovered a cracked windshield, the pilot descended to a lower altitude and diverted to Halifax where they made a safe landing. A replacement flight was provided.
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Contact photographer Marcel Hohl
What: United Airlines Airbus A320-200 en route from San Francisco to Santa Ana
Where: Santa Ana
When: Jan 6th 2010
Who: 112 passengers
Why: On approach to Santa Ana, the plane developed a hydraulics problem. The pilot cancelled the Santa Ana landing and diverted to Las Angeles, where the plane landed safely a quarter of an hour later.
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Contact photographer Fabian Gysel
What: Swiss Airlines Airbus A340-300 en route from Zurich Switzerland to Tokyo
Where: Tokyo
When: Jan 7th 2009
Who: 227 passengers
Why: On landing at Narita, the plane’s left gear began smoking, which engaged emergency services. Hydraulics were leaking from the top of the gear strut. Timely repairs were made so that the plane was able to make its return flight.
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Contact photographer Yunjin Lee
What: Korean Airlines Airbus A300-600 en route from Tokyo to Guam
Where: Tokyo
When: Jan 2nd 2010
Who: 2 crew
Why: After takeoff, the plane had problems with cabin pressure. The crew returned to the airport and made a safe landing. Japan’s Aviation Ministry makes a denial, although what they are denying is unclear: the report, the problem with the air pressure, the specific problem, or that the indicator was faulty. With only two crew members aboard the Airbus, perhaps it was a maintenance or test flight, but your guess is as good as mine.
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Contact photographer Gerry Hill
What: Easyjet Airbus A319-100 en route from Liverpool to Madrid
Where: Bay of Biscay
When: Dec 29th 2009
Who: 155 passengers and 7 crew
Why: While en route, the crew reported a hydraulics failure and air frame vibrations. The flight diverted to Bordeaux and made a safe landing. Another jet was provided.
Pictured: A Wizz Air Airbus A320-232
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Contact photographer Jan Menzl
What: Wizzair Ukraine Airbus A320-200 from Venice to Kiev
Where: Kiev, Ukraine
When: Dec 29th 2009
Who: 154 passengers and 6 crew
Why: On landing at Borispol Airport, the plane skidded off the runway.
Both engines incurred damage; however there were no injuries.
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Contact photographer Trevor Nelson
What: Jetblue Airbus A320-200 en route from Aruba to Boston,MA
Where: Bermuda
When: Dec 29th 2009
Who: 63 passengers
Why: While en route, the crew reported smoke from the avionics and chose to divert to Bermuda International Airport. Avionics were turned off and the smoke dissipated. The plane was able to land safely with tower clearance and no visible external smoke or fire.
Restarting the avionics systems also restarted the smoke.
After landing, maintenance checked the rear cargo hold for airline-reported smoke. The airline denies there was smoke in the cockpit.
Pictured: An Air-India Airbus A310-324 in Dubai
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Contact photographer Alastair T. Gardiner
What: Air India Airbus A310-300 en route from Hyderabad India to Dammam Saudi Arabia
Where: Dammam
When: Dec 29th 2009
Who: not available
Why: After having a hydraulics failure, the crew manually lowered the gear prior to landing. After a normal landing, the plane had to be towed to the gate.
* While there is bound to be a way to manually lower gears from inside the plane (safely), when I hear the crew manually lowered the gears, I can’t help picturing Burt Lancaster (in tights) or members of the Cirque du Soleil (in the off season) swinging around the undercarriage in impossible formation.
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Contact photographer Alastair T. Gardiner
What: Air India Airbus A310-300 en route from Mumbai to Delhi
Where: Mumba
When: Dec 26th 2009
Who: not available
Why: When the Air India Airbus encountered a technical problem, the flight returned to make a safe landing in Mumbai.
However, passengers were held inside the plane for three hours; and the replacement flight did not arrive for those passengers for 7 hours.
Those are going to be some unhappy campers. Hopefully Air India will provide them compensation beyond peanuts and drinking water.
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Contact photographer Tiyam
What: Iran Air Airbus A320-200 en route from Ahwaz to Tehran
Where: Ahwaz
When: Dec 27th 2009
Who: 40 passengers
Why: While en route, one of the plane’s engines failed. The flight returned to Ahwaz.
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Contact photographer Daan Krans
What: Delta/Northwest Airlines Airbus A330-300 en route from Amsterdam to Detroit
Where: Detroit
When: Dec 27th 2009
Who: Individual aboard Delta flight
Why: On arrival to Detroit, a passenger locked himself in the bathroom and became verbally abusive. The flight crew notified law enforcement.
The passenger was a Nigerian citizen (originating in Lagos) via Amsterdam without checked luggage, similar to the Northwest incident on December 25.
One cannot help but wonder if this was
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Contact photographer Manas Barooah
What: Northwest Airlines Airbus A330-323X en route from Amsterdam to Detroit
Where: Detroit-Metropolitan Wayne County Airport
When: Dec 25, 2009
Who: 278 passengers
Why: On approach to Detroit, Nigerian passenger Abdul Mudallad, an engineering student at the University College in London, attempted to set off firecrackers in an attempt to explode the plane. (Mudallad is the son of a Nigerian banker.) The passenger’s device failed to ignite the plane, although the device did make a little pop and emitted smoke. Hearing the pop, a passenger, Dutch video director Jasper Schuringa, jumped over other passengers and took care of it so the fire went out.
Later reports indicate that the passenger had a liquid and powder concealed under his pants, with the ultimate objective of having them detonate when he put them together. The detonation, however, sounded like “a firecracker exploding inside a pillowcase” as described by passengers. A woman seated near the Nigerian passenger had asked him what he was doing, causing an alert; and when the fire-cracker-like sound went off, several passengers became involved. By the time minutes had passed and stewards had brought a fire extinguisher, the passenger had already been subdued by other passengers.
His legs were burned from his efforts. He was removed to the front of the plane; and after the plane landed, was taken into custody.
