Boeing

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    Nigeria: Arik Air 737 Bird Strike

    What: Arik Air Boeing 737-700 en route from Owerri to Lagos
    Where: Owerri Nigeria
    When: May 8th 2011
    Who: 69 passengers
    Why: While en route, the plane incurred a bird strike. The bird was ingested in an engine. The flight continued until there were severe vibrations on the right side of the plane (where the strike occurred).

    Passengers aboard the flight said they experienced five minutes of terror (that lasted forever) as the right side of the plane was vibrating. Presumably pilots shut down that engine after five minutes.

    The pilots made a safe landing in Lagos.

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    Boeing Engine Shut Down


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

    What: KLM Boeing 737-400 en route from Amsterdam to Stavanger
    Where: Amsterdam
    When: May 8th 2011
    Why: Moments after takeoff, the pilots had to shut down a Boeing engine; the flight returned to Amsterdam and made a safe landing. The flight was cancelled, and a smaller plane was provided for some of the passengers, while others stayed at hotels waiting for a later flight

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    St. Louis: Unruly Passenger Left Behind

    What: Continental Airlines Boeing 737-800 en route from Houston to Chicago
    Where: Saint Louis
    When: May 8th 2011
    Who: disruptive passenger
    Why: While en route, a passenger attempted to open a plane door, saying he had to get out of the plane. He was subdued and restrained, as the flight diverted to Lambert International Airport, where the passenger in question was released into police custody. Charges may be pending.

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    American Airlines Diverts to Vegas

    What: American Airlines Boeing 757 en route from Miami to San Francisco
    Where: Las Vegas
    When: May 6 2011, 11:00 am.
    Who: 159 passengers, 6 crew
    Why: While en route, the pilot reported that there was smoke in the cockpit.

    The flight was diverted to Las Vegas, and made a safe landing at McCarran International Airport

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    Air New Zealand Loses Engine, Makes Safe Landing


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    Contact photographer George Canciani

    What: Air New Zealand Boeing 737-300 en route from Auckland to Wellington
    Where: Hamilton
    When: May 8, 2011
    Who: 101 aboard
    Why: While en route, the pilots shut down the right engine. Low oil pressure is suspected to be the problem.

    Passengers heard the right engine make an explosive noise. In the plane, passengers panicked as they dropped for several seconds—screaming, crying, praying, panic attacks.

    The plane rolled right, then straightened.

    After a few moments, the pilot came out and reassured the passengers, explaining that they’d lost an engine, but it was a routine procedure they practiced all the time and that everything was under control.

    Pilots diverted to Hamilton, where they made a safe landing. As passengers exited, the pilot told them “this was the first time an Air New Zealand 737 had had a total loss of engine.”

    Passengers were bused or rented cars to go back to Auckland and engineers examined the downed plane.

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    Air Tran Engine Shut Down, Return to Greenville-Spartanburg IA

    What: Air Tran Boeing 717-200 en route from Charlotte to Atlanta
    Where: Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport
    When: May 4 2011
    Who: 115 passengers
    Why: After taking off, the left engine compressor stalled. The pilots shut down the left engine and returned to the airport.

    Spartanburg EMS, and Boiling Springs, Greer, Pelham and Tyger River fire departments were on the scene

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    Southwest Electric Emergency, Diversion to El Paso


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    Contact photographer Ron Carter

    What: Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-500 en route from Houston to Phoenix
    Where: El Paso Texas
    When: May 4, 2011, 5 pm
    Who: 138 aboard
    Why: While en route, an electrical smell was detected. Oxygen masks were deployed.

    The flight diverted to El Paso and made a safe landing. Passengers did not have to use emergency slides. They were provided an alternate flight to Phoenix while the plane was ferried for inspections.

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    Air Tran Emergency Landing in Greenville

    What: AirTran Airways Boeing 717-200 en route from Charlotte to Atlanta
    Where: Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport
    When: May 4, 2011
    Who: 115 passengers, 5 crew
    Why: The flight took off as usual but while en route, the twin engine plane developed a problem in one engine, with the compressor stalling. The left engine had to be shut down.

    The flight diverted to Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport where they made a safe landing.

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    Alarm ON Fed Ex Canada Flight


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    Contact photographer Barry Shipley

    What: Fed Ex/Morningstar Boeing 737-200 en route from Winnipeg to Calgary
    Where: Winnipeg
    When: May 3rd 2011
    Why: The plane was on the runway when the pilot received an indication of fire. The fire indication would not shut down, even after the plane stopped. Emergency services responded. The plane was “rebooted” and the indication shut down.

    (Just like my kitchen alarm that goes off whenever I cook, regardless of whether something is burning or not. I promise it wasn’t me. I promise I wasn’t cooking in the non-existent galley.)

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    Moncton: American Airline Smokey Cockpit Emergency Landing


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    Contact photographer Jan Bialas

    What: American Airlines Boeing 777-200 en route from London to Chicago
    Where: Moncton
    When: May 3rd 2011, 3 pm
    Who: 150 aboard
    Why: While en route, the crew reported the smell of smoke, and diverted to Moncton in Canada.

    The plane landed with emergency services on standby and emergency services stayed until 5:20 p.m. The smoke in the cockpit turned out to be from an overheating battery. Dieppe Fire Department examined the plane. There were no injuries, and passengers were provided a room in the airport, so they didn’t have to go through customs.

    A replacement jet was flown in.

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    Boeing Lands at McCarran with One Engine Down

    What: US Airways Boeing 737-300 en route from Reno, to Phoenix
    Where: Las Vegas
    When: May 1st 2011
    Who: 90 passengers
    Why: After takeoff, the right engine developed problems. The pilot shut down the engine and diverted to McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas where they made a safe landing.

    Passengers were provided alternative flights. There were no injuries.

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    Flight Cancelled Due to UFO (Unidentified Foul Odor)


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    Contact photographer

    What: Continental Airlines Boeing 737 en route from San Antonio to Houston
    Where: San Antonio
    When: Apr 28, 2011
    Who: 151 aboard
    Why: The plane had taken off and developed a “strong chemical odor.” The pilots returned to San Antonio International Airport and made a safe landing; however they did not know the cause of the odor and for caution’s sake, took the plane to the “ramp” area. Several passengers developed respiratory distress.

    The crew boarding wore hazmat suits. The source of the chemical odor was not identified.

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    Boeing News Across the board

    • CEO Jim McNerney said that the 5-foot rip in the roof of a Boeing 737 was due to a “workmanship issue” in a single plane. “The initial data that I think we’re all seeing is suggesting a possible workmanship issue on an airplane rather than a design issue across a fleet of airplanes.” It appears that the holes drilled in the plane’s skin were too big for the rivets and were not properly lined up. Other experts do not agree, and believe the problem is unlikely to be a single plane, and more likely to be more widespread.

    • Boeing reports that its Vigilare network centric command and control system has passed its last formal operational test. Testing of the system took place at Royal Australian Air Force Base Williamtown’s Eastern Regional Operations Centre from March 28 to April 8.

    • In other Boeing news, Piloted by Captains Keith Otsuka and Ron Johnston, with Ralph Chaffin serving as system operator and Greg Lichneckert as flight analyst, the second Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental RC021made a three-hour, twenty-minute flight. This was its first flight, the beginning of 600 hours of flight testing.

    • In response to today’s ruling by Federal District Court in the Central District of California, overturning California Senate Bill 990, a state law governing the cleanup of Santa Susana Field Laboratory, a former federal government rocket engine and energy testing facility in southern California:

      “We are pleased that Federal District Court agreed that the cleanup of Santa Susana should not be treated differently from the cleanup of other sites in California. “We look forward to continuing our ongoing work with the state to clean up the site under the comprehensive Consent Order issued in 2007. We will apply the same standards to Santa Susana that are applied to cleanup sites throughout the state in a manner that also ensures protection of the invaluable natural and cultural resources for future generations. Boeing intends to continue to clean up the site to a suburban residential standard, more stringent than would be required for its future use as open space.”Boeing has met every obligation of our 2007 cleanup agreement with the state, and we will continue our discussions with the state Department of Toxic Substances Control so that we can move toward the goal of cleaning up Santa Susana in the most expeditious manner, which is in the best interest of the public and the state of California.”

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    Gol Boeing Drops Panels


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

    What: Gol Linhas Aereas Boeing 737-700 en route from Salvador to Sao Paulo
    Where: Sao Paulo
    When: Apr 26th 2011
    Who: 144 passengers
    Why: On landing at Sao Paulo, the plane touched down, and the vibration from landing knocked the ceiling panels to the cabin floor.

    According to reports, the vibrations came from the nose gear, and the airline claims that the falling panels caused no danger. The vibrations could have been the result of a hard landing on the Congonhas runway.

    Airport Code: CGH
    Longitude: 46° 39’ 19” W
    Latitude : 23° 37’ 36” S
    Runway Length : 6365 ft.
    Runway Elevation : 2631 ft.
    City: Sao Paulo



    View conganhasmap in a larger map

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    NTSB Directive Contradicts Boeing Statement

    On April 25, the NTSB released information about the April 1 Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-300 fuselage incident where the rupture in the fuselage caused depressurization and forced pilots to make an emergency landing in Yuma.

    From the release

    The NTSB Materials Laboratory work is actively conducting additional inspections and examinations in the following areas:

    1. Removal of rivets and examination of rivet hole dimensions, rivet dimensions, and rivet hole alignment between upper and lower skins.
    2. Detailed fractographic analysis of the skin fractures emanating from the rivet holes using optical and scanning electron microscopes.
    3. Fatigue striation analysis using a scanning electron microscope of specific skin fractures to determine the rate of crack propagation.
    4. Additional portions of the lap joints from the accident aircraft.

    Of 136 airplanes inspected worldwide four had crack indications at a single rivet and one plane was found to have crack indications at two rivets.

    In spite of these findings, Boeing Chief Executive Jim McNerney told Reuters“I think the initial data that I think we’re all seeing is suggesting a possible workmanship issue on an airplane, rather than a design issue across a fleet of airplanes.”

    If Boeing believes that the problem was workmanship on a single plane, then how did other planes reveal conditions precursing the same type of rupture incident as was incurred on Southwest Airlines Flight 812?

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    ANA Boeing Encounters Turbulence


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    Contact photographer Tokyo Spotter

    What: ANA All Nippon Airways Boeing 767-300 en route from Miyazaki to Tokyo
    Where: Tokyo
    When: Apr 27th 2011
    Who: 111 passengers, 8 crew
    Why: 150 miles outside of Tokyo, the flight ran into clear air turbulence. Three flight attendants and two passengers were injured at 4:55 PM. One of the flight attendants suffered a broken bone (pelvis).

    The incident is currently under investigation.

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    Rocky Skies over Pacific Injure Four Flight Attendants


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    Contact photographer

    What: American Airlines Boeing 777-200 en route from Tokyo to Los Angeles
    Where: Tokyo
    When: Apr 11, 2011
    Who: 231 passengers, 4 flight attendants
    Why: While over the pacific, the Tokyo to Los Angeles flight encountered fifteen seconds of turbulence severe enough to injure four flight attendants. The flight continued as scheduled, and on arrival in the US, the flight attendants were treated.

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    US Airways Flight Rocked by Eastern Turbulence


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    Contact photographer

    What: US Airways Boeing 757-200 en route from Orlando to Philadelphia
    Where: Lynchburg
    When: Apr 16th 2011
    Who: flight attendant
    Why: The plane took off as normal with no problem, but encountered turbulence near Lynchburg Virginia, during which a flight attendant was seriously injured.

    The pilot descended to a lower altitude, and landed safely in Philadelphia less than an hour later.

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    Smoke Sends US Airways Passengers on a Bus

    What: US Airways Boeing 737-400 en route from Dallas to Charlotte.
    Where: Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport
    When: April 18, 2011, 1 pm
    Who: 94 passengers, 5 crew (also reported as 107 aboard)
    Why: After pilots smelled smoke in the cockpit, they diverted the flight to Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport where they made a safe landing with local emergency responders as well as fire crews from Pelham-Batesville and Boiling Springs, and Greenville and Spartanburg EMS were on standby when the plane landed.

    After the plane was grounded, passengers were taken by bus to Charlotte.

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    SAS Scandinavian Airlines: Baby Scalded On Board


    What: SAS Scandinavian Airlines Boeing 737-800 en route from Oslo to Trondheim
    Where: Trondheim
    When: Apr 18th 2011
    Who: infant
    Why: The mother was in the aisle seat with a 2 year old infant on her lap when water from the cart spilled on to the baby. It is said a passenger bumped the cart.

    Medical services on board the flight treated the baby.

    This reminds me of Liebeck v. McDonald’s Restaurants. Remember that case? A jury awarded her $2.86 million for getting burned by a cup of hot Mcdonalds coffee. They reduced that award to $640,000 but I think the final settlement was confidential. Of course Liebeck wasn’t an infant in her mother’s lap. She was 79, presumably familiar with the process of coffee drinking, and the water gave her third-degree burns on six percent of her body. No wonder they treated the baby while still on board.

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    Boeing Emergency Landing in Sochi, Russia

    What: Donavia Boeing-737-500 passenger airliner flying from Rostov to Tel Aviv
    Where: Sochi, Russia
    Who: 99 passengers * also reported as 103
    Why: The flight made a scheduled stop at Sochi, but after takeoff had undesignated problems in the air, and had to return to make an emergency landing. A replacement plane arrived to perform the remainder of the flight about six hours later.

    The problem was due to cabin pressure from a leaking door seal.

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    Faulty Indicator Cancels Jamaica Flight


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    Contact photographer Christian Waser

    What: Cayman Airways Boeing 737-300 en route from Grand Cayman to Jamaica
    Where: Grand Cayman
    When: April 15, 2011
    Why: After takeoff, the passengers aboard had a scare when they had to make an emergency return to the airport. The plane indicator light indicated a landing gear problem that did not materialize on landing. The plane made a safe landing, and passengers were boarded on to a later flight to Jamaica three hours later.

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    Windshield Crack Lands Taiwanese Passengers in Manila

    What: Malaysian Airlines Boeing 737-400 en route from Sabah (Kota Kinabalu) to Kaohsiung International Airport
    Where: Manila
    When: April 16, 2011 5:30 p.m.
    Who: 128 passengers
    Why: While over Philippine airspace, a member of the crew found a cracked cockpit window that caused pressurization problems.

    The plane diverted to Manila and made a safe landing. The passengers, mostly from Taiwan, had to overnight in Manila but were provided hotel accommodations. Intervention from the Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs was apparently required.

    On the company website, the airline has a press release about its new A330-300 but does not make reference to its plane down in Manila.

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    Qantas “No Leak” Emergency Landing


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    Contact photographer Allen Zhao

    What: Qantas Boeing 737-800 Aukland to Sydney
    Where: Sydney
    When: Apr 13 2011
    Who: 130 passengers
    Why: While en route, the plane reportedly had a fuel leak and an engine problem while over the Tasman sea. They made a “priority” landing in Sydney, with no injuries, although the fuel leak problem was mistakenly announced.

    The problem was diagnosed as a fuel transfer valve, which was subsequently replaced.

    Prior to landing safely in Sydney, the problem was announced on Twitter.

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    Dry Ice Cargo Smoke “Emergency”


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    Contact photographer Mirko Krogmann

    What: Saudi Arabian Airlines Boeing 777-268ER en route from Washington to Riyadh
    Where: Greece
    When: April 14, 2011
    Who: 240
    Why: While en route, the plane indicated a fire aboard. The pilot diverted to Athens where they made a safe landing.

    The plane had “dry ice” aboard, which gave the appearance of fire. Though from the accounts we have heard, we’re not sure if the smoke was visually detected, or if the ions from the offgassing of dry ice fooled a smoke detector.