Boeing

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    Nippon Airways Boeing Loses AC and Cabin Pressure


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    Contact Photographer Takashi

    What: All Nippon Airways (ANA) Boeing 767-300 en route from Matsuyama to Tokyo
    Where: Tokyo’s Haneda airport
    When: Thursday August 27
    Who: 262 passengers and 8 crew
    Why: The left hand air conditioning system failed shortly after takeoff. Then, while en route, cabin pressure dropped. At that point, oxygen masks deployed; the pilot descended 10,000 feet to normalize pressure and flew the last 45 minutes of the flight. Though some passengers felt ill, there were no injuries, and the plane landed normally.

    George’s Point of View

    That must have been a fun, white-knuckled flight, leaving terror-induced claw marks etched into the armrests.

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    Engine Fire over Launceston Australia Instigates Emergency Landing


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    Contact Photographer Torin Wilson

    What: Virgin Blue Boeing 737-800 en route from Launceston to Sydney
    Where: Launceston
    When: Aug 20th 2009
    Who: 151 passengers
    Why: Shortly after takeoff, passengers heard a “bang” and flames were seen from an engine. The plane circled Launceston for thirty minutes before being cleared to land, which it did, safely. The problem was described as an “engine surge.” Passengers debarked and were provided an alternative plane to take them to Launceston.

    George’s Point of View

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    Primera Air Emergency Landing in Dublin


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    Contact Photographer Trevor Mulkerrins

    What: Primera Air Boeing 737-700 en route from Greece to Dublin
    Where: Dublin
    When: Aug 14th 2009
    Who: 148 passengers and 6 crew
    Why: High fuel consumption observed during the flight appeared to point to a fuel leak, leading to an emergency landing in Dublin. The “minor” leak that was discovered in the left engine was repaired.

    George’s Point of View

    Maintenance saves the day, again…

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    What Gets Naked on the Way to Vegas Gets Jailed in Oakland


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    Contact Baires Aviation Photography

    What: Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700 en route from Oakland,CA to Vegas
    Where: Oakland International Airport
    When: Thursday August 20
    Who: male passenger
    Why: While en route to Vegas, a male passenger apparently accosted a female passenger. He exposed himself, and hit a female passenger, at which time flight attendants became involved. By the time the passenger was arrested, he was naked. The male passenger was taken by Oakland police; the female passenger was taken to an Oakland hospital.

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    American Airlines Emergency Landing in Panama


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    Contact Photographer Javier Cáceres

    What: American Airlines Boeing 757-200 en route from Panama to Miami
    Where: Tocumen
    When: Aug 16, 2009
    Who: 190 passengers
    Why: Forty minutes into the flight, the pilot detected smoke in the cabin. An emergency was declared, and the plane returned to Toccumen airport for a safe landing. The cause of the smoke has not yet been determined.

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    Vim Avia Engine Fire Causes Diversion in Italy


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    Contact Photographer Kiskockas

    What: VIM Avia Boeing 757 en route from Alicante Spain to Moscow Russia
    Where: Rimini Italy
    When: Aug 15th 2009
    Who: 250 passengers (also reported as 225)
    Why: While en route from Spain to Russia, the right engine indicated fire, causing the crew to declare an emergency while still over Italy. The engine was shut down and the flight diverted to Rimini where it landed safely. Passengers had to wait for the replacement flight, as immediate alternatives were not available.

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    Cutbacks and Engine Failure

    What: American Airlines en route from Chicago to Dallas
    Where: Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport
    When: Wednesday, August 12, 2009
    Why: When the crew experienced engine failure, they declared an emergency and returned to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport for a safe landing.

    George’s Point of View

    Last Friday, two other flights — one coming from D/FW and the other from West Palm Beach — were forced to land due to engine problems, making this incident a third incident in the recent rash of engine failures (FAA records show 23 this year alone, in older MD-80 model jets), a failure that is attributed in general to financial cutbacks in aviation. American Airlines has bought dozens of 737-800s in 2009, which we hope will address the problem of aging planes.

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    Peruvian Boeing Emergency Landing in Peru

    What: Peruvian Air Force Boeing 737 en route to Quito
    Where: coastal city of Chiclayo, 770 km (478 miles) north of Lima
    When: Mon Aug 10, 2009
    Who: Peruvian President Alan Garcia
    Why: While en route to a summit meeting, Peruvian President Alan Garcia’s plane’s windshield suffered a crack and had to land.

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    Jet 2 Diverts to Budapest


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    Contact Photographer Sergio Domingos

    What: jet2.com Boeing 757-200 en route from Tel Aviv Israel to Manchester
    Where: Budapest (Hungary)
    When: Aug 6th 2009
    Who: 238 passengers
    Why: Four hours into the flight, the flight developed pressurization problems. The pilot dropped altitude suddenly, described as experiencing turbulence and “plummeting thousands of feet.” Oxygen was deployed. The pilot made assurances, but of course the passengers were terrified.

    The flight landed safely when it diverted to Budapest, and passengers were put up in a local hotel until a replacement flight was provided for them.

    George’s Point of View

    We need a better system to see turbulence in time to avoid it. Until we have it, airline operators are just going to need to accept the cost factor.

    Going around turbulence is a fact of aviation, and avoiding turbulence is going to cost extra fuel. Sometimes you have to wonder if our present systems are working when flights are routed through known turbulence in order to avoid the expense of going around it. Those are the kind of foolish economical decisions made by those kinds of marginal airlines that are banned in the EU, and one of the reasons they are known to fall out of the sky.

    At least our Jet 2 pilot here, had the skill to handle the situation, and a plane sturdy enough to withstand the pressures long enough to safeguard the lives of those aboard.

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    Engine Fire and Fuel Leak in Tehran


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    Contact Photographer Shary

    What: Saha Airlines Boeing 707-300 en route from Ahvaz to Tehran
    Where: Ahvaz
    When: Aug 3rd 2009
    Who: 174 passenger
    Why: On take off, engines one and two caught on fire. The crew declared emergency and landed safely where the plane landed and a fuel leak was discovered in the plane. Passengers debarked without injury.

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    Continental Boeing encounters Turbulence


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    Contact Photographer John Harris

    What: Continental Airlines Boeing 767-200 en route from Rio de Janeiro to Houston
    Where: turbulence occurred southeast of Puerto Rico; diversion to Miami.
    When: Aug 3rd 2009
    Who: 168 passengers and 11 crew members
    Why: About an hour out of Miami, the flight encountered turbulence. Four received severe injuries and there were multiple lesser injuries. 28 individuals were treated at the airport on site; 9 were taken to hospitals. (Alternate reports say 13 were taken to hospitals.) The flight landed at Miami, an hour and fifteen minutes after the turbulence.

    Uninjured passengers were routed to Houston; in fact, they remained on the plane nearly three hours after landing because it was an International flight and had to be cleared by customs to arrive.

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    British Airways Boeing Lands with Smoke Alert in Barcelona


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    Contact Photographer Gordon Gebert JR

    What: British Airways Boeing 757-200 en route from London Heathrow,EN to Barcelona
    Where: Barcelona
    When: Aug 2nd 2009
    Who: 176 passengers 2 pilots and 5 crew members
    Why: When smoke was detected in the cabin en route, the crew declared an emergency. The flight landed safely in Barcelona, and passengers debarked via slides. The examination of the plane as it was checked for fire which delayed the passengers retrieval of baggage, but no actual source of smoke or fire was ever detected.

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    Boeing Emergency landing in Little Rock


    Pictured: Substitute Boeing flown in for replacement
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    Contact Photographer Klaus Ecker

    What: American Airlines Boeing 757-20 en route from Dallas to Boston
    Where: Little Rock
    When: 7/26/2009 5:59 p.m.
    Who: 185 aboard
    Why: After smoke was observed in the cockpit, the crew diverted the plane to Little Rock where it landed safely. Passengers were transferred to an alternative plane (Pictured)

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    Nordstar Boeing Diverts to Krasnodar


    Pictured: First Nordstar Boeing
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    Contact Photographer

    What: Nordstar AKA Taimyr Avia Boeing 737-800 en route from Antalya, Turkey to Moscow
    Where: Krasnodar
    When: Jul 26th 2009
    Who: 173 passengers and 9 crew
    Why: When the Boeing’s landing gear would not retract, the flight diverted to Krasnodar Russia where it landed safely.

    George’s Point of View

    This is a huge 747.

    With so many older planes stretching their years of service, we’re going to see an increasing number of emergency landings; and we’re going to have an increasing number of incidents attributed to maintenance.

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    American Airlines Flight to Puerto Rico Cancelled due to Smoke in Cabin


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    Contact Photographer Alejandro Torres

    What: American Airlines Boeing 757-200 en route from Boston to San Juan, Puerto Rico
    Where: Logan International Airport
    When: Saturday 8:35 a.m-9:30 am
    Who: 185 on board
    Why: After smoke was detected in the cabin, the flight turned toward to Logan, and the crew found and put out the fire. The flight continued on to Logan, where passengers took alternative flights.

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    Emergency Landing of Fully Fueled plane Bursts Tires


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    Contact Photographer Jerome Mervele

    What: Air Canada Boeing 777 Toronto to Beijing
    Where: Pearson International Airport
    When: July 24
    Who: 288 passengers (or 305 also reported)
    Why: After takeoff, warning lights alerted pilots that the flight was experiencing a wing-flap problem. The crew landed the plane immediately. Because of the full load of fuel, all the tires (6) burst on landing, However, there was no loss of control of the plane and no one was hurt. The plane, in fact, is slated to resume its workload six hours later around 9:30, presumably after repairs; one extremely reputable source listed the 9:30 flight to be a different plane entirely.

    George’s Point of View

    When we have conflicting facts, we report and let you decide (to paraphrase FOX).

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    Transaero Airlines: Going to Pieces?


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    Contact Photographer Vlad Moskvin

    What: Transaero Airlines Boeing 737-300 en route from Moscow Domodedovo to St. Petersburg (Russia)
    Where: Moscow
    When: Jul 20th 2009
    Who: 41 passengers and 6 crew
    Why: On takeoff, the right wing lost a 60 by 80 centimeter “leading edge fairing”. The flight continued as usual and fortunately landed safely in St. Petersburg.

    The part was found on the Domodedova airport runway.

    George’s Point of View

    I’m sure that all of us have heard of the old saying (paraphrased from De Minimis Maxima ) the mighty oak from tiny acorns grow.

    When one considers the question of pieces falling off of a plane, it seems simultaneously a tiny pointless thing and a huge issue. Consider a miniscule hole in the roof of our house is hardly worth considering; perhaps it is even invisible to the naked eye. But look what damage it causes when it rains. Somehow I don’t think “the leading edge” is like a car’s hubcap, mostly for decoration. It’s there to do something, and when that part is gone, that something is undone and will have consequences. Maybe letting in some moisture. Maybe causing corrosion down the road.

    As a frequent passenger, I tend to be somewhat fatalistic about plane parts. Look, some engineer put that part there for a reason. I don’t know what that reason is, but if it’s good enough for the plane’s engineer, it is good enough for me, and I’d just as soon not fly without it. So many carriers get bad reputations based on careless maintenance of old planes, and this is just the kind of incident that gets people talking. (Old planes need MORE maintenance as they get older, just like old furniture, old machines, old cars, old people, old EVERYTHING.) Certainly Russia knows that maintenance deferred–especially on an airplane–is a recipe for disaster.

    I just hope they replace the part before the little acorn of a problem grows into a great big oak tree of a pending disaster. This may be the first incident in a chain of events that unravels the whole plane.

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    Greece: OA Birdstrike


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    Contact Photographer Tommy Desmet

    What: Olympic Airlines Boeing 737-400 en route from Alexandroupolis to Athens
    Where: Alexandroupolis’ Democritus Airport
    When: Jul 22nd
    Who: 60 passengers
    Why: The OA took off, and shortly afterwards flew through a flock of birds, several of which were ingested. The plane made an emergency landing back at the airport, after which passengers debarked and switched to other flights.

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    Birdstrike in Amsterdam Recalls Plane 2x


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    Contact Photographer HGabor

    What: Transavia Boeing 737-700 en route from Amsterdam to Ibiza Spain
    Where: Amsterdam
    When: Jul 20th 2009
    Who: 148 passengers
    Why: During takeoff, the flight struck a bird; it took about twenty minutes to land back at the airport where the plane was assessed to be undamaged; however, when it took off after a two hour inspection, the anti-ice system turned out to be damaged, and the plane returned to Amsterdam where the passengers were provided an alternative flight.

    George’s Point of View

    I wonder what exactly was wrong with the icing system, and why it was missed on the ground.

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    Chicago bound United Airlines Emergency Landing in Keflavik


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    Contact Photographer Flavio Guerra

    What: United Airlines Boeing 767-300 en route from London Heathrow to Chicago O’hare
    Where: Keflavik, Iceland
    When: 2:51 p.m. CDT Monday
    Who: 200 passengers (178 passengers reported also )
    Why: Just over three hours after takeoff, the flight landed at Keflavic, diverting because of smoke in the cockpit. There were no injuries; and passengers safely debarked onto the taxiway.

    George’s Point of View

    Online, the wife of a passenger aboard this flight said the following:

    There was an electrical problem in the cockpit. You could smell it.The stewards took us through the emergency landing procedure. I was sitting in the exit row, so the steward went over it with me again. I knew it was serious when I saw the steward take out his passport and wallet from the overhead and put it on him. I got mine out and did the same. (So our bodies would be ID’d if we crashed.) We were flying at altitude and then we slowly descended to about 500 feet above the water. We didn’t hear anything from the pilot during this whole time. But you could see Iceland ahead. When we landed I gave a thumb’s up to a flight attendant. She smiled and said, everything’s fine, as if it we were never in danger. But then I saw her close her eyes and silently say a prayer. We exited the plane to ambulances and emergency equipment.
    I called United customer service to ask about them getting me on another flight out of there. They said “we don’t fly to Iceland.”
    I said, now you do!

    This is attributed to the husband of Julia McEvoy.

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    On Board Smoke Diverts Cathay Pacific to Fukuoka Japan


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    Contact Photographer Ruud Brinks

    What: Cathay Pacific Boeing 747-400 en route from Hong Kong China to Sapporo Japan
    Where: Fukuoka
    When: Jul 19th 2009
    Who: 398 on board
    Why: After smoke filled the cabin, the flight diverted to Fukuoka Japan. The smoke was attributed to an air conditioning leak which was repaired so that the flight was continued less than four hours later.

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    Lion Air Emergency Landing


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    Contact Photographer

    What: Lion Air Boeing 737-300, en route from Jakarta to Mongonsidi airport, South East Sulawesi
    Where: Sultan Hasanuddin airport in Makassar
    When: 5 pm Jul 18th 2009
    Who: 132 passengers 6 crew members
    Why: The plane made an emergency landing because of a “crack on the glass of its cockpit window,” according to information released by Lion Air.

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    Southwestern: Fire or not? in Orlando


    Pictured: A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 Departing Orlando
    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact Photographer Orlando Suarez

    What: Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-300 en route from St. Louis to Orlando
    Where: Orlando
    When: Jul 14th 2009
    Who: 134 passengers
    Why: On approach to Orlando, an APU fire was indicated; however, after the passengers debarked, there was no trace of fire of heat or found by the fire crew.

    We have found conflicting reports whether or not there was an actual fire within the apu that resisted being put out, or a control panel indication of a fire that did not exist.

    *APU stands for Auxiliary power unit.

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    Southwest Airlines: Hole in fuselage


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    Contact Photographer Tim Perkins

    What: Southwest Airlines 737 en route from Nashville to Baltimore
    Where: Charleston’s Yeager Airport
    When: 6:30 p.m Monday July 13
    Who: 126 passengers and five crew
    Why: While en route, the cabin depressurized when a hole (metal fatigue?) approximately the size of a football appeared in the fuselage. The plane managed to land safely in Charleston West Virginia. The NTSB is investigating.

    (News photos don’t look football sized, but it is sure big enough to see plenty of daylight through.)

    George’s Point of View

    The 737 is a true workhorse, built to land and takeoff almost without too much delay except to load and unload passengers.

    I fly Southwest to Las Vegas all the time. It’s a short hop.

    I must admit, that every time I fly in one of these planes I have begun to worry about the age and/or the fatigue of the structure. A trip like one from LA to Vegas, most times, is a beating on the passengers and the plane itself. My guess is that 4 out of 5 of these short trips encounter turbulence, sometimes bad turbulence. This beats up the plane. In this case, the plane being beaten up was manufactured in 1994. That’s a lot of years of turbulence abuse. Metal fatigue in these conditions is not surprising, and neither is it completely unexpected. An inspection on this plane last January revealed eight cracks in the frame that required repairs.

    I’m just glad it was a BOEING, and that the pilot remained in control of the aircraft. And of course, it’s a good thing that Southwest is now inspecting all of their planes for fatigue. Last year Southwest was fined $7.5 million for overdue inspections. I hope this is not going to be a repeat of last year. All the timely inspections in the world aren’t going to make this plane any younger. Maybe it’s time to put this particular plane out to pasture.