Boeing

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    Westjet Turbulence Injures Attendant


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

    What: Westjet Airlines Boeing 737-800 en route from Toronto Pearson to Vancouver, BC
    Where: Vancouver
    When: Oct 4th 2009
    Who: 130 on board
    Why: While en route, the flight encountered turbulence. The turbulence threw a flight attendant to the floor, who then struck a metal bar protruding from the left jump seat. The plane landed safely with no other injuries reported.

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    Unruly Holy Roller Forcibly Debarked in Nashville


    Pictured: A Delta Boeing 757-232
    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Erick Lopez

    What: Delta Boeing 757 en route from Seattle to Atlanta
    Where: Nashville
    When: Oct 13 2009
    Who: 178 passengers and a six-person crew
    Why: The Delta plane diverted to Nashville when a passenger became unruly. According to WSMV TV, the passenger had to be subdued by other passengers after he began quoting Bible passages. The suspect would not allow the passenger beside him to go to the bathroom, and kept telling her that his blood would be on her and he was not going to let her leave no matter what happened.

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    Air France: Heart Attack Diverts Plane


    Pictured: An Air France Boeing 777-328/ER
    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Sean Mowatt

    What: Air France Boeing 777 en route from Paris to Singapore
    Where: Henri Coanda Airport, Bucharest
    When: Oct 7th 2009
    Who: 307 passengers and 18 crew
    Why: When a passenger suffered a heart attack on the plane, and the flight diverted to Bucharest where he was removed from the plane, the rest of the passengers debarked. It was determined he died of the heart attack. There is no mention if the flight had (or used) an on board a defib machine.

    The flight could not continue because of a technical problem. The other passengers stayed in the terminal or were put up in hotels and rerouted.

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    LAX: United Airlines Hydraulics Leak


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    Contact photographer Gerry Stegmeier

    What: United Airlines Boeing 777-200 en route from Los Angeles ,CA to Narita
    Where: Los Angeles
    When: Oct 5th, 2009
    Why: About twenty minutes after takeoff, the plane experienced a hydraulics leak. The flight crew decided to return to LAX, where it landed safely at 2:21 p.m.

    Maintenance crews are inspecting the plane.

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    AirTran Airways Engine Sparks Emergency Landing


    Pictured: An Airtran Airways Boeing in Flight
    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Jaysen F. Snow

    What: AirTran Airways Boeing 717-200 en route from Orlando to Akron
    Where: Orlando
    When: Oct 4th 2009
    Who: 122 on board (117 passengers and 5 crew)
    Why: The flight experienced engine problems–fire in the left engine– and made an emergency landing shortly after takeoff.

    Ground personnel witnessed sparks from the left engine. When passengers debarked by emergency chute, one was injured. Passengers were bussed off the tarmac where they were eventually transferred to a replacement Boeing.

    George’s Point of View

    Maintenance, maintenance, maintenance!

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    Hot Boeing Returns to Mumbai


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

    What: British Airways Boeing 747-400 en route from Mumbai to London
    Where: Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport
    When: Thursday Oct 1 2009
    Who: 207 passengers
    Why: Half an hour after takeoff, the fire alarm went off in the cockpit. The plane immediately returned to the airport, landing an hour after takeoff. Passengers debarked safely.

    The only heat maintenance found was hot brakes.

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    Incidents:


    Click to view large photo at Airliners.net
    Contact Photographer Oleg Chaplin

    What: Vladivostok Tupolev TU-204-300from Vladivostok to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Russia
    Where: Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
    When: Sep 21st 2009
    Who: 95 passengers and 5 crew
    Why: On approach to Sakhalinsk, the flight underwent a “switch-off” of the right engine, but landed safely.
    __________

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

    What: Lufthansa Boeing 747-400 en route from Frankfurt to New York JFK,NY
    Where: southwest of Iceland
    When: Sep 19th 2009
    Who: 334 passengers
    Why: After finding an oil leak over Iceland, the plane returned to Frankfurt; an alternative flight was provided for passengers who arrived in NY after a delay of less than 10 hours.
    _________

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

    What: Egyptair Boeing 777-200 en route from London to Cairo
    Where: near London
    When: Sep 23rd 2009
    Who: 234 passengers
    Why: Due to an undisclosed technical failure, the flight returned to Heathrow. The flight was cancelled and passengers were provided accommodations.
    __________

    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact Maciej Klatt

    What: SAS Scandinavian Airlines Boeing 737-600 en route from Dusseldorf to Stockholm
    Where: Dusseldorf
    When: Sep 22nd 2009
    Why: The flight reported engine problems after takeoff. Passengers were rebooked on other flights. Unverified passenger quotations posted on the Aviation Safety net indicate the crew may have known ahead of time there were issues; and they were attempting to fly the plane back to its base for repairs.
    _________

    George’s Point of View

    It’s all about maintenance, doesn’t matter your nationality.

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    Turbulence Strikes Outside of DC


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact Photographer Jason Bisson

    What: United Airlines Boeing 757-200 en route from Los Angeles Washington DC
    Where: United Airlines B752
    When: Sep 8th 2009
    Who: 177 passengers
    Why: Prior to landing at Dulles, the plane’s “fasten seat belt” sign flashed. The plane experienced turbulence; the turbulence was severe enough that galley carts fell over and spewed drinks on passengers, and a passenger was caught by turbulence coming from the bathroom, where she was flung about the plane, sustaining enough injury that on landing she was sent to the hospital for examination.

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    Bomb Threat on American Airlines and…Air France?


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact Photographer Daniel Werner

    What: American Airlines Boeing 757-200 en route from Miami to Boston
    Where: Miami
    When: Thurs September 17, 2009
    Who: 168 passengers and six crew
    Why: After take-off, a bomb threat note was found on board. The plane returned to Miami where it was investigated. No bomb or explosives were found.

    George’s Point of View

    Ladies and Gentlemen of the aviation world, please consider this and bear with me as I traipse off into the world of conjecture.

    It is a mere day after someone left a note in the bathroom of the above-mentioned plane, and already that fact has been picked up by all the news services. An unsigned, unattributed note that could have been written by anyone on board, for all we know on toilet paper written in lipstick, by anyone from someone hoping to miss a dental appointment, to employees wanting the flight cancelled so they could go take their fatigued selves home to bed. And the threat made the news.

    Even the whisper of bomb threats make the news.

    So when I read now, months after the fact that there was an Air France bomb threat on a completely untraceable and unverifiable phone call on May 27 prior to the Air France flight 447 crash, I hear with very skeptical ears.

    If you followed the coverage after the crash, you’ll be aware of how many ears were pinned to the ground, listening for every hint of possible news. The media hounds pretty much sniffed out every findable trace of even faintly related information and posted it repeatedly, echoing across the internet and print media like (if you will pardon the cliché) ripples in a pond. So this leaves me two choices of thought regarding how to consider the tidbit of a so-called Air France bomb threat.
    1. It’s not true.
    2. It’s true but somehow remained unbroadcast in spite of the ravenous appetite for news coverage of everything Air France/Air France flight 447 related.

    1 is the end of the line for that thought process.
    2…well, we can think about a little. If it is true, where has that little nugget of information been? Why hasn’t a bomb threat listed in an obscure Indian blog in June become big news regarding the Air France crash?

    THis brings me to two more conclusions:
    1. it was true and that fact was suppressed.
    2. it is a rumor.

    1. If it is true and the fact was suppressed, then that’s a very bad thing; the only ones who would suppress such a news item would be someone who would be hurt by Air France’s business being damaged, namely Air France.

    If it is a rumor, then why would anyone spread such a rumor? Who would profit from the rumor? I only think of maybe two or three possibilities offhand. Any party fearing to be held responsible for the crash could float just such a rumor. OR any unscrupulous journalist, or media glutton with an appetite for attention of any kind. A paranoiac (or a writer) who sees plots or the possibilities of plots, without regard to reality. Or anyone in a competitive travel industry who might get a couple of extra travelers if a few borderline fliers turned their back on the convenience of air travel.

    Now I am not saying any of this is true; I am just saying that I am skeptical about the rumors of a threat to a different flight BEFORE the Air France Flight 447 crash coming out as a new development in news months after the crash.

    I’m just saying.

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    Air Europa Lineas Aereas Boeing Engine Problem over Barcelona


    Pictured: An Air Europa Boeing over Barcelona
    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact Photographer Rui Miguel

    What: Air Europa Lineas Aereas Boeing 737-800 en route from Barcelona to Madrid
    Where: El Prat airport, Barcelona
    When: Sep 13th 2009 12.35
    Why: After takeoff, the indicator light for engine failure lit, a noise was heard and the plane experienced what is described by passengers as a “tremor.” After the safe landing at El Prat, the airport of origin, passengers continued on another plane to Madrid.

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    Generator Failure Takes Down Delta Plane

    What: Delta Boeing 767-300 en route from Atlanta to Paris, France.
    Where: GSP Airport
    When: September 10, 2009
    Who: h 213 passengers and 11 crew
    Why: Nearly an hour into the flight, the plane had problems with the on board generator. The plane landed at GSP airport without event, and passengers debarked at 2:30 am. No injuries were reported; fire and emergency crews were on standby.

    George’s Point of View

    This is a generator. Why is this something the pilot lucked into in mid-flight? This is what maintenance crews are for. When do they get serviced, only after they stop working?

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    Bulgaria Air Cockpit Window Cracks


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact Photographer Gerry Stegmeier

    What: Bulgaria Air Boeing 737-300 en route from Varna Bulgaria to Moscow
    Where: Varna Bulgaria
    When: Sep 6th 2009
    Who: 106 passengers
    Why: Just after takeoff, the cockpit window cracked. The plane landed safely back at the airport about an hour after takeoff, at 4:30 pm. Passengers were provided an alternative flight.

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    Runway Fire Damages Boeing

    What: NACL B747-400 en route from Mumbai to Riyadh
    Where: Mumbai
    When: Sept 4 2009, 5:30
    Who: 229 aboard
    Why: NACIL B747-400 aircraft was en route from Mumbai to Riyadh with 213 passengers and 16 crew members onboard. While taxing for takeoff, the controller informed the aircraft that there was a heavy fuel leak from the left side of the aircraft and instructed to switch off the engines immediately as the fire had developed. The crew carried out the emergency shut down for all the engines. The Cabin crew ordered evacuation. Passengers and crew evacuated the aircraft safely through slide chutes. Fire services reached the aircraft and put off the fire.

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    Hijacking

    Please note that the hijackers have been taken into custody and the crew is no longer being held hostage.

    What: AeroMexico Boeing 737 en route from Cancun Mexico was hijacked in Mexico on Wednesday and flown to the Mexican capital,
    Where: Mexico City
    When: Sept 9 2009
    Who: all of the 112 American, French, and Mexican passengers and crew got off the plane. Five suspects have caught on film handcuffed being escorted into custody; up to 8 are being detained.
    Why: Hijackers threatened to blow the plane up unless they were allowed to speak to President Felipe Calderon. No bomb was on board

    The hijackers are Bolivian citizens.

    Passengers debarked with their carryon luggage. Some passengers were unaware they’d been hijacked until they arrived and saw police. Others indicate the pilot had made an announcement that they were being hijacked. The hijackers were never able to enter the cockpit.

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    Southwest Emergency landing in Tampa

    What: Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-300 en route from Orlando,FL to Denver,CO
    Where: Tampa
    When: Sep 7th 2009
    Who: 129 (124 passengers and 5 crew)
    Why: After the smoke indicator lights indicated the possibility of smoke, and smoke in the cabin was confirmed by fire crews, the flight landed in Tampa and passengers debarked via emergency slides (which caused a few minor injuries.) However a Southwest spokesperson denied there was smoke, and claimed that the emergency landing was a precaution. But passengers reported a strong smell of smoke, and that the fire alarm had gone off in the lavatory.

    George’s Point of View

    Hmm. Someone smoking in the bathroom?

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    TV Shorts Tel Aviv-NY Flight


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact Photographer Erezms

    What: El Al 747-400 flight traveling from Tel Aviv to New York
    Where: Keflavik Iceland
    When: Aug 25th 2009
    Who: 371 passengers
    Why: When the smell of smoke was detected on the plane, the flight made an emergency landing in Iceland. After landing, the problem was found to be a short circuit in a television screen. However, there was a delay while it was decided who was to make the repairs. During the 22 hour delay, passengers were provided hotel accommodations.

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    Emergency Landing in NC

    What: Sky King Boeing 737 en route from Greenville / Spartanburg to Greensboro, N.C
    Where: Hickory Regional Airport, NC
    When: Saturday September 5 10:21 a.m
    Who: 78 on board
    Why: While en route, an indicator light was showing a fire on board; however after a safe landing at Hickory Regional Airport, no cause was found for the indication and the flight continued on its way after an inspection.

    George’s Point of View

    Any time a smoke or fire detector goes off, it reminds me of the dryer setting off ion-type fire alarm. Maybe I should ask one of my pilots if the fire alarms on planes are the ion type, or the photoelectric type (which is unlikely to react to cooking. Not that any of the passengers brought a hot plate. )

    You an always say better safe than sorry.

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    Air New Zealand Emergency Landing at Wellington


    Pictured: An Air New Zealand Boeing 737
    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact Photographer Jonathan Rankin

    What: Air New Zealand Boeing 737 en route from Auckland to Christchurch
    Where: Wellington
    When: Wednesday Sep 02, 2009
    Who: 95 passengers
    Why: Ten minutes after takeoff, smoke was streaming from the plane’s right engine, and the cabin filled with the smell of burning rubber. The plane diverted to Wellington where it landed safely, and passengers debarked.

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    Qantas Emergency Landing in Perth


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact Photographer Paul Spijkers

    What: Qantas Airways Boeing 747-400
    Where: emergency landing in Perth
    When: Sep 2, 2009
    Who: 290 passengers
    Why: Four hours into the 7/12 hour flight, a fuel leak occurred. Engine 4, the source, was shut down as a consequence. 90 minutes after the leak was detected, the plane made a safe emergency landing in Perth. Last year an exploding oxygen tank blew a hole in this very plane; but there is no connection.

    George’s Point of View

    Last year an exploding oxygen tank blew a hole in this very plane; but there is no connection, except perhaps that Qantas crew was able to handle and contain the situation both times.

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    Qantas Turbulence Downs Plane in Sydney


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact Photographer John Richard Thomson

    What: Qantas Boeing 767-300 en route from Sydney to Christchurch
    Where: Christchurch
    When: Aug 26th 2009
    Who: not available
    Why: While on route, the flight experienced severe turbulence. Fortunately the plane landed safely; however, the turbulence damaged the plane and cancelled the return trip so that the plane’s damage could be addressed.