Aircraft

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    LOT Brake Fire in Chicago


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

    What: LOT Polish Airlines Boeing 767-300 en route from Warsaw to Chicago
    Where: Chicago
    When: Jul 17th 2010
    Why: The flight made a safe landing in Chicago. However, after landing, the left brakes and tires were smoking and on fire. The captain told passengers that the brakes had fractured and caused damage to the hydraulic lines leading to the fire.

    Emergency services put out the fire while on the runway–it is not mentioned if passengers disembarked, before, during or after emergency services were deployed.

    Although the left tire and brake were replaced, on return to Warsaw on the 18th, the same plane suffered another brake fire on landing.

    George’s Point of View

    I know I’m being a back seat driver again, because it’s impossible to know from my armchair in California what’s happening on the ground in Chicago and Warsaw, but it seems to me that there is obviously something going on.

    Either the wrong brakes were replaced, or the brakes were not replaced, or the pilot consistently lands too fast, or the wrong (i.e. flammable) grease lubricating the brakes caught fire, or the thrust reverser is flawed or something else is going on that caused the brake fire to repeat on the return flight. Let’s hope LOT’s home base in Warsaw will get to the bottom of it before the plane has to land on a tabletop runway like Mangalore, or an unsurfaced runway like TAM Airlines Flight 3054 at Congonhas-São Paulo International Airport.

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    China Southern 737 Loses Air Pressure

    What: China Southern Boeing 737-300 en route from Kunming to Zhengzhou
    Where: en route
    When: Jul 17th 2010
    Who: 130 passengers
    Why: After takeoff and reaching cruise level, cabin pressure was lost. Oxygen masks were deployed, and the flight returned to Kunming where it made a safe landing. Twenty passengers were hospitalized with ear pain.

    A replacement flight was provided six hours later.

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    All Nippon Airways Fuel Leak

    What: ANA All Nippon Airways Boeing 777-300 en route from London to Tokyo
    Where: en route (halfway)
    When: Jul 20th 2010
    Who: 249 passengers and 17 crew
    Why: While en route, about halfway to their destination, the pilot detected one engine burning fuel faster. The crew d to continued on to Tokyo, eventually shutting down the left engine prior to making a safe landing.

    Maintenance did discover a fuel pipe leak.

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    Air Canada Fire Discovered AFTER Flight


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

    What: Air Canada Jazz de Havilland Dash 8-300 en route from Kelowna,BC to Vancouver,BC
    Where: Vancouver
    When: Jul 19th 2010
    Who: 52 people aboard
    Why: After making a safe landing at Vancouver, the Vancouver ground crew discovered evidence of a small fire and a fluid leak. Maintenance discovered a fuel line perforation, where the wiring harness abraded it, causing arcing and a small fire and a loose, leaking oil line fitting.

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    Norwegian Air Shuttle Exercises Purchase Rights for 15 Boeing Next-Generation 737s

    FARNBOROUGH, United Kingdom, July 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA) and low-cost carrier Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA today signed an agreement at the Farnborough International Airshow for 15 Boeing 737-800s. The airline is exercising purchase rights from its landmark 2007 order for 42 Next-Generation 737s. Today’s order is valued at $1.15 billion at average list prices and increases the airline’s unfilled orders to 59 Next-Generation 737s.

    Norwegian Air Shuttle, which operates commercially as “Norwegian,” is the second largest airline in Scandinavia and has a route portfolio that stretches across Europe into North Africa and the Middle East.

    “We owe our success to our customers – almost 11 million passengers chose to fly with us in 2009. The Next-Generation 737 allows us to offer them on-time departures and arrivals, an environmentally-responsible and comfortable journey,” said Bjorn Kjos, CEO of Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA. “We recognize the tremendous value Boeing’s products and services bring to our business and are highly appreciative of the people of The Boeing Company.”

    Norwegian’s landmark order in 2007 for 42 airplanes and 42 purchase rights was the largest ever airplane order from any Scandinavian carrier. Norwegian also is among the first airlines in the world to incorporate the new, spacious 737 Boeing Sky Interior into its airplanes. The interior features soft, blue-sky-like lighting overhead, contemporary sculpted sidewalls and window reveals designed to draw passengers’ eyes to the airplanes’ windows, enhancing the passengers’ overall flying experience.
    “Increasing the production rate of the Next-Generation 737 was the right thing to do to support the growth ambitions of successful carriers like Norwegian,” said Marlin Dailey, vice president Sales and Marketing, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “At the same time, we are improving the performance of the Next-Generation 737 to reduce fuel consumption and emissions by a further 2 percent.”

    Boeing routinely seeks environmental improvements throughout its product development process. In the case of the Next-Generation 737, improved aerodynamics, a lighter airframe, and a lighter and more powerful engine produced by the French-American partnership CFMI, have led to major environmental gains compared to previous models.

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    Turkish Airlines Drops Parts on Runway


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

    What: Turkish Airlines Boeing 737-800 en route from Istanbul Ataturk to Vienna
    Where: Turkey
    When: Jul 18th 2010
    Why: The Turkish Airlines Boeing took off successfully, but a subsequent plane lining up for takeoff reported parts on the runway.

    The parts turned out to be the engine cowling around the thrust reverser from the Turkish Airlines Boeing. The Boeing returned to Istanbul and made a safe landing. An alternative (Airbus) is being flown in as a replacement.

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    Turkish Airlines Birdstrike at JFK


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

    What: Turkish Airlines Boeing 777-300 en route from Istanbul to New York
    Where: New York
    When: Jul 14th 2010
    Why: On approach to JFK, the Turkish Airlines Boeing encountered a bird. The flight made a safe landing although it incurred slat damage that will cause a delay in the return flight.

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    Turkish Airline Cautionary Landing in Istanbul


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

    What: Turkish Airlines Boeing 737-800 en route from Istanbul to Birmingham England
    Where: Sliven Bulgaria
    When: July 18 2010
    Who: 83 passengers
    Why: This Turkish Airlines flight developed a problem with the plane’s right engine, and had to divert to Istanbul. Passengers disembarked after a safe landing, and were provided an alternative flight on another Boeing that was flown in especially to replace the disabled plane.

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    Airbus Engine Failure in Sumatra


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

    What: Batavia Airbus A320-200 en route from Pekanbaru to Jakarta Indonesia
    Where: Pekanbaru, Sumatra
    When: Jul 15th 2010
    Who: 179 passengers and 7 crew
    Why: While en route, the left engine emitted several big bangs. The engine was shut down and the crew returned to Pekanbaru Sumatra where they circled to burn off fuel before making a safe landing. 42 passengers returned their tickets, and the rest, held over because of a “night curfew”, were provided hotel accommodations and flew out on an alternative flight the next day.

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    GoAir Birdstrike


    Pictured: A GoAir Airbus A320-214
    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Nisarg Vyas

    What: Go Air Airbus A320-200 en route from Indore to New Delhi
    Where: en route
    When: Jul 17th 2010
    Who: 134 passengers and 6 crew
    Why: While en route, the Go Air Airbus encountered a bird. The plane returned to Indore and made a safe landing. Mechanical damage occurred to the plane, although it is not noted exactly where, or if the bird was ingested in the engine.

    The flight was cancelled and passengers were rebooked.

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    Aardvark Strike


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

    What: South African Express Airways de Havilland Dash 8-300 en route from Johannesburg to Kimberly (South Africa),
    Where: Kimberly (South Africa)
    When: Jul 16th 2010
    Why: On landing, the nose gear of the plane struck an aardvark on the runway, damaging the nose gear. There’s no indication of the aardvark’s condition.

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    Flight Attendant Injured in Clear Air Turbulence.

    What: Delta Airlines Boeing 767-300 en route from Guam to Tokyo
    Where: Tokyo
    When: Jul 15th 2010
    Who: 192 passengers and 10 crew
    Why: While en route, the plane encountered turbulence over the Atlantic.
    A flight attendant was injured between Guam and Tokyo, about 100 minutes before landing in Tokyo. The plane made a safe landing in Tokyo


    Satellite photo of area annotated by A.H.

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    American Airlines Precautionary Landing in Amarillo a False Alarm

    What: American Airlines Boeing 777 cargo plane en route from Alaska to Dallas
    Where: Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport.
    When: July 13 2010 7 pm
    Who: 21 crew
    Why: While en route, the plane’s fire indication light indicated there was a cargo fire. The pilot landed at the closest airport (Amarillo.) The crew disembarked on landing. After inspection by firefighters, the fire was deemed a false alarm, and the flight continued on to Dallas.

    Earlier this week another American Airlines flight (N777AN) had a cargo fire indication during a demanding transcontinental flight; however, that plane was configured and operating as a passenger plane.

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    Air North Boeing Loses Electrics Over CA


    Pictured: An Air North Boeing 737-2X6C/Adv
    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Todd Martin

    What: Air North Boeing 737-200 en route from from Vancouver to Whitehorse
    Where: over Canada
    When: Jul 12th 2010
    Why: About 200 miles N of Vancouver, the plane lost electrical power, although maintaining radio contact. The pilot returned to Vancouver where the plane made a safe landing after burning off fuel.

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    Gulf Air Encounters Turbulence


    Pictured: A Gulf Air Airbus A330-243 over London
    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Michael eaton

    What: Gulf Air Airbus 330 en route from Bahrain to the Philippines
    Where: en route over Vietnam
    When: July 12, 2010
    Who: ten injured: seven passengers and three cabin crew
    Why: While en route, the plane encountered what the crew described as “air pockets,” resulting in turbulence that jolted the plane. Some individuals were tossed out of their seats; others suffered contusions. Those injured were hospitalized on landing in the Philippines.

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    American Airlines Cautionary Landing in Wyoming


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

    What: American Airlines Boeing 767-300 en route from San Francisco to New York
    Where: Casper Wyoming
    When: Jul 12th 2010
    Who: 193 passengers, 9 crew
    Why: While en route, the flight developed a smokey odor in the cockpit. The pilot decided to divert to Casper Wyoming. In Casper, when American Airlines found the source of the fumes to be a computer screen, maintenance dealt with the problem, and the plane was allowed to continue with its passengers to the destination.

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    Boeing Hosts Global Educators at Weeklong Space Camp

    CHICAGO, July 12, 2010 — The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] this week is sponsoring more than 100 teachers from around the world at the 19th Annual Boeing Educators to Space Camp program at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala.
    The five-day Boeing Educators to Space Camp program uses space exploration initiatives to enhance teachers’ skills in presenting math, science and technology lessons in a way that will inspire students and help build a skilled work force for a globally competitive technology market.
    “Sponsoring educators to attend Space Camp each year is just one of the many ways Boeing is investing in the future,” said Rick Stephens, Boeing senior vice president of Human Resources and Administration. “The number of students pursuing math-, science-, and technology-related degrees is declining, particularly in the United States. It is important to work with educators, who have a direct influence on the students starting at a young age, to bring the excitement of these subjects into the classroom.”
    The teachers will be involved in hands-on workshops that include simulated space missions, astronaut training, and presentations by rocketry and space-exploration experts. The workshops help bring the excitement of real-world engineering challenges to levels suitable for students to achieve a better understanding of scientific and mathematic principles.
    “Space Camp provides a hands-on learning environment where the excitement of science, math and technology are explored and practiced through the mysteries and wonders of space,” said Ruth Oliver, director of Education at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center.
    Boeing worked with U.S. and international education institutions to select more than 100 applicants from 13 countries for the weeklong course, making this the largest, most diverse Boeing-sponsored group ever. Since 1992, more than 700 teachers have participated in Boeing’s annual program, reaching an estimated 30,000-plus students around the world.
    Boeing’s support of Space Camp aligns with the company’s community investment focus area in primary-secondary education, which promotes the professional development of teachers and provides them with the tools and resources they need to help improve student performance.
    “The teachers’ experiences at Space Camp will give them a unique perspective to share with their students,” added Stephens. “By sponsoring Educators to Space Camp, Boeing is helping the students of today become the citizens of the future and the next generation of scientists, engineers and space explorers.”
    After graduating from Space Camp on July 17, each teacher will return home with educational resources that can be easily implemented in the classroom to help their students meet national standards for science, math and technology. Boeing will follow their progress to accurately measure the program’s effectiveness.
    Boeing is the world’s leading aerospace company and the largest manufacturer of commercial jetliners and military aircraft combined. Additionally, Boeing designs and manufactures rotorcraft, electronic and defense systems, missiles, satellites, launch vehicles and advanced information and communication systems. As a major service provider to NASA, Boeing operates the space shuttle and International Space Station. The company also provides numerous military and commercial airline support services. Boeing has customers in more than 90 countries around the world and is one of the largest U.S. exporters in terms of sales.
    # # #
    *Note to editors:
    Teachers from the following locations will attend this year’s camp: Alabama (5), Arizona (1), California (10), Florida (4), Hawaii (1), Illinois (12), Maryland (3), Missouri (10), Oregon (3), Pennsylvania (10), Texas (19), Utah (6), Virginia (4), Washington (5), Australia (1), Canada (1), Greece (1), India (1), Italy (1), Japan (1), Korea (1), Poland (1), Singapore (1), Saudi Arabia (1), United Arab Emirates (1), United Kingdom (1).

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    Cargo Fire on American Airlines flight diverts to remote air station


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Charin de Silva

    What: American Airlines Boeing 777-200 en route from Dallas to Tokyo
    Where: Bering Sea
    When: Jul 11th 201
    Who: 211 aboard
    Why: While en route, the plane received an indicator of a cargo fire. The pilot diverted to Shemya Island where they made a safe landing on Eareckson Air Station in the Alaskan Aleutian Islands.


    View Larger Map

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    Air France Bomb Threat on Rio/Paris Flight


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

    What: Air France Boeing 747-400 en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris
    Where: Atlantic
    When: July 10, 2010
    Who: 405 passengers and 18 crew
    Why: While en route, the crew was radioed that a woman had called Galeao Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport with information about a bomb aboard the flight. The flight diverted to Recife Brazil and made an emergency landing. Passengers immediately disembarked and were searched. The plane and baggage were inspected for bombs and explosives. Nothing was found.

    The airline reports that they will provide hotel accommodations for passengers. When (if) the plane is cleared, it will be allowed to continue.

    The Air France Flight 447 designation has been suspended since the Air France Airbus crashed on June 1 2009. This flight was designated AF 443.

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    Pacific Sun Encounters Turbulence

    What: Pacific Sun Twin Otter en route from Savusavu to Nadi
    Where: Nadi International Airport, Fiji
    When: July 11, 2010
    Who: two crew and 12 passengers
    Why: While en route, the flight encountered weather, wind shear and severe turbulence. The crew flew around the weather and made a safe landing at Nadi. There were no injuries.

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    FAA Issues Directive to Prevent Windshield Fires

    July 9–The FAA is issuing an Airworthiness Directive (AD) that requires operators of Boeing 757, 767, and 777 airplanes to either inspect or replace certain flight deck windows. The AD only affects the forward viewing windows, not the side windows.

    Operators have two options: Begin inspections within 500 flight hours and then continue at intervals that are specific for each of two window designs OR install a new, redesigned window. The inspection takes about an hour.

    The AD is aimed at preventing smoke, fire or cracking of the inner layer of the forward viewing window caused by loose electrical connections that are used to heat the window to prevent ice.

    Over the past two decades, there have been 11 reports of fire or flames on 757 (five events), 767 (three events), and 777 (three events) airplanes. Improper installation resulted in loose, improperly torqued or cross threaded screws that can contribute to overheating and arcing. The most recent incident was a May 16, 2010 emergency landing by a United 757 at Dulles International Airport.

    The FAA proposed the AD in March 2008. The agency received extensive comments and determined additional 757 service information was needed from Boeing. That in-depth review identified unique issues on the upper electrical connections on 757s which will be addressed in a separate AD so as not to hold up the fix for the lower electrical connector issue which constitutes the majority of the service problems identified to date. Although there have been no fire events on 747s, the FAA plans to propose an AD this fall since those later model airplane windows are similar.

    This AD affects 1,212 U.S. airplanes out of 2,619 worldwide. The estimated cost for the inspections is $103,020 total for U.S. operators. The window replacement is optional and would be an additional cost.

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    Military Crash in Romania

    What: Fortele Aeriene Române Antonov 2
    Where: Tuzla Airfield , Romania
    When: July 5, 2010
    Who: 12 fatalities (14 aboard)
    Why: Witnesses described an an explosion in the air a few seconds after takeoff. The plane crashed at the end of the runway. Three seriously injured jumped off, and were hospitalized, but only two have survived.

    The plane was normally used for parachutists’ training.

    Eight ambulances and mobile emergency intervention teams were on the scene. Two victims suffered multiple trauma There were 12 fatalities of the 14 aboard.

    Bâlsanu Captain Daniel was diagnosed with minor bruises and injuries, and military master Marius Nazare was diagnosed with contusions, trauma and burns on 10 percent of his body.

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    Alitalia Falling Parts in Mineola


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

    What: Alitalia Boeing 767-300 en route from Rome to New York
    Where: New York
    When: Jul 3rd 2010
    Why: While on an otherwise uneventful flight, the plane’s (1′ X 2′) access door disengaged and fell around 4 pm at the Nassau County Courthouse in Mineola,NY.

    Individuals at Nassau County Courthouse retrieved the access door after witnessing it strike the ground. Alitalia discovered the door missing after landing in NY.

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    FAA Issues Directive to Prevent Windshield Fires

    July 9–The FAA is issuing an Airworthiness Directive (AD) that requires operators of Boeing 757, 767, and 777 airplanes to either inspect or replace certain flight deck windows. The AD only affects the forward viewing windows, not the side windows.

    Operators have two options: Begin inspections within 500 flight hours and then continue at intervals that are specific for each of two window designs OR install a new, redesigned window. The inspection takes about an hour.

    The AD is aimed at preventing smoke, fire or cracking of the inner layer of the forward viewing window caused by loose electrical connections that are used to heat the window to prevent ice.

    Over the past two decades, there have been 11 reports of fire or flames on 757 (five events), 767 (three events), and 777 (three events) airplanes. Improper installation resulted in loose, improperly torqued or cross threaded screws that can contribute to overheating and arcing. The most recent incident was a May 16, 2010 emergency landing by a United 757 at Dulles International Airport.

    The FAA proposed the AD in March 2008. The agency received extensive comments and determined additional 757 service information was needed from Boeing. That in-depth review identified unique issues on the upper electrical connections on 757s which will be addressed in a separate AD so as not to hold up the fix for the lower electrical connector issue which constitutes the majority of the service problems identified to date. Although there have been no fire events on 747s, the FAA plans to propose an AD this fall since those later model airplane windows are similar.
    This AD affects 1,212 U.S. airplanes out of 2,619 worldwide. The estimated cost for the inspections is $103,020 total for U.S. operators. The window replacement is optional and would be an additional cost.

    The PDF is available here: