Aircraft

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    Boeing 777 Air Emergency: Engine thrust rollback events


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Zach Lautzenheiser

    George’s Point of View

    come on Boeing/Rolls Royce, FIX-IT, waiting can be life-costly!

    As you can see by the NTSB Press Release, It is time for Rolls-Royce and Boeing to move forward on a corrective redesign of Rolls-Royce RB211 Trent 800 Series engines.

    Take a look at these two incidents:

    The solution is to amend the safety vulnerability. Redesign the FOHE and eliminate the potential of ice build-up.

    NTSB agents believe there’s a good chance this will happen again; we would hazard a guess that it has already happened more than the twice we’ve mentioned here, and will continue to happen until the solution suggestion is implemented, built, and installed asap before we have to write here about 777 incidents or fatalities.

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    American Airlines Emergency Landing in NY


    Pictured: MD-82 at rest at New York-La Guardia Airport
    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Matthew I. Smith

    Examining debris on Flushing roof; includes a closing shot of a blade of metal embedded in the concrete roof

    What: American Airlines MD-80 Flight 309 en route from LaGuardia Airport to O’Hare International Airport
    Where: Pilot chose to make his emergency landing at JFK, where the runways are longer
    When: March 11, 2009
    Who: 88 passengers and five crew members
    Why: Fifteen minutes after takeoff, the pilot reported a problem in the right engine, and made an emergency landing at LaGuardia. Debris found in Queens may have been from the plane. Birds were not the problem. Pieces of the shattered blades of the Pratt & Whitney turbofan were found embedded in the fuselage.

    CORRECTION: The plane is reportedly a MD-83

    On March 26-27, and April 8-12 a FAA safety audit grounded AA MD-80s, canceling 5700 flights.

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    Ultra Light Crash in Suwannee

    What: Experimental Light Sport (ultra light) flying from Flying Little River Airport in McAlpin.
    Where: Suwannee County off Highway 90 and 89th Road just past Live Oak
    When: Mar 10, 2009
    Who: An early report said that pilot Walter Richard of Louisiana has been flown to Shand’s Hospital in Gainesville. The name now released is Jimmy Burkholder, 68, of McAlpin, who is in the burn unit at Shands UF. A woman passenger was dead on the scene; her name has been released: Linda Sturtevant, 58, of Rhode Island
    Why: The pilot dropped below power lines as the plane lost altitude, and struck the tree line.

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    Helicopter Fatality in McPherson


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Ted Quackenbush
    What: Bell 206 registered to Hillcrest Aircraft Company en route from Ogallala, Nebraska to Wichita. to Virginia for the U.S. Forest Service.
    Where: Buckskin Road between 19th and 20th Avenues in McPherson County, 40 miles north of Wichita.
    When: 2:45 p.m. Sunday March 8, 2009
    Who: Pilot Roger Hershner was the only one aboard.
    Why: The helicopter crashed after being in route for 2 hours; the crash is under investigation.

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    Nascar Spectators in Fatal Cessna Crash in Georgia

    What: 1975 single-engine Cessna 182P registration number of N1913M en route from Cobb County Airport-McCollum Field to Kobalt Tools 500 NASCAR race in Henry County.
    Where: Crash occurred in Shadinger Lake. Carrollton, Georgia
    When: Sunday morning 08-MAR-2009
    Who: Pilot Kearney, and his wife Christa Kearney, and Timothy Dean Miller
    Why: All the bodies were recovered from the lake. The crash is under investigation

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    Storm Blows Indonesian Lionair Flight of the Runway


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Snorre – VAP
    What: Lionair McDonnell Douglas MD-90 flight JT-793 from Makassar to Jakarta. Lionair is on the List of air carriers banned in the European Union.
    Where: Jakarta
    When: Mar 9th 2009
    Who: 166 passengers and 6 crew (Detikcom reported 168)
    Why: While landing in heavy rain, the airplane caught a gust from the left which ran the plane off the runway. Damage was incurred to the front gear, wings, and the main gear struts collapsed.

    The subsequent airport closure forced a Citilink Garuda Boeing 737 in a fuel emergency to reroute.


    View Larger Map

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    Airbus Bird Strike in Greece


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Martin Stephen
    What: Easyjet Airbus A319-100 en route from Thessaloniki Greece to London’s Gatwick
    Where: Thessaloniki Greece
    When: Monday, Mar 9th 2009
    Who: 139 passengers and 6 crew
    Why: After take-off, the Airbus flew through a flock of birds, damaging its engine (s) and was forced to return to the airport, where the crew safely landed the plane.

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    AA Emergency Landing in Austin Texas


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Dan Brownlee
    What: American Airlines MD-80 Flight 311 en route from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport to Los Angeles
    Where: Austin-Bergstrom International
    When: Monday, March 9, 2009
    Who: 123 passengers, 5 crew
    Why: After take-off, one engine made a “boom.” The pilot powered down to idle, and returned to the airport so that the plane could be examined and repaired.

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    AUA Emergency Landing in Vienna


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Gerhard Vysocan
    What: Austrian Airllines Boeing-737-800 en route from Vienna to Sofia Bulgaria
    Where: emergency landing at Vienna airport
    When: 06. 03. 09.
    Who: 72 passengers
    Why: After the crew of AUA flight OS 797 found smoke filling the cabin, the plane made an emergency landing–shortly after take-off. It was a really short flight. THey took off at 1:47 pm and landed at 1:52pm. Economy Minister Nina Radeva was among those on board.

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    Turbulence Rocks Air France Boeing over Narita Japan


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Walter Pietsch

    George’s Point of View
    There is wisdom in keeping your seats belts fastened even when the seat belt sign is off —

    What: Air France passenger plane Boeing 777-200 flight 276 en route from Paris to Narita airport
    Where: Narita airport
    Who: 261 passengers and 16 crewmembers. Passsengers had no injuries, but 2 crew members suffered hip and thoracic fractures.
    Why: The plane was hit by turbulence while circling above waters off Chiba Prefecture while waiting to land at Narita airport. The plane landed safely and was sent back to France after examination.

    See Air France’s Corporate statement

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    Hainan Airlines Emergency Landing


    Pictured: Hainan Airlines Boeing 737-84P
    Click to view full size photo
    Contact photographer Kevin Scott
    What: Hainan Airlines Boeing 737-300, HU7871 en route from Xi’an, Shaanxi Province to Shenzhen in Guangdong Province
    Where: landing at an airport in the island province of Hainan (extreme south of China)
    When: 2009-03-05 19:21:09
    Who: 112 passengers and a crew of six
    Why: The crew reported a mechanical problem and requested an emergency landing. They turned off one engine, and landed. Reportedly, there were “problems with the throttle that might have led to an excessively fast landing.”

    No injuries were reported.

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    Helicopter Crash Lawsuit Filed

    A wrongful death suit has been filed in Multnomah County Circuit Court seeking $8 million on behalf of Shawn Blazer, one of nine men killed in a helicopter crash on Aug. 5. The helicopter crashed right after take-off as it was transporting crews battling Northern California wildfires at Trinity Alps Wilderness. Two other suits, each seeking $10 million were filed on behalf of Matthew Hammer and Bryan Rich. Negligence and design flaws are among the allegations.

    Additional negligence and liability suits are anticipated.

    Read more here and here

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    4 Fatalities in Colombian Helicopter Crash


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Javier Franco TOPPER
    What: Huey II police helicopter
    Where: crashed in South Colombia
    When: March 4
    Who: four people on board; 4 fatalities: Lts. Juan Valero and Hernan Leal – the pilot and co-pilot, respectively – and agents Yesid Vidal and Gustavo Ibañez.
    Why: The helicopter was missing since early Tuesday. It was located by search and rescue teams in the southern Colombian province of Putumayo. The wreckage was found 10 km from the town of Villa Garzon, Republic of Colombia. The helicopter’s last known operation was returning from transporting workers with the government to manually eradicate local illegal coca crops; the last known communication was with air traffic controllers at 1.25 a.m. Tuesday.

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    Air Traffic Controllers Audio Released

    4 Marine Corps officers have lost their jobs. 9 individuals are being disciplined. The audio is damning, but who does it damn?

    What: F/A-18 Military Jet from the carrier Abraham Lincoln landing at Marine Corps Air Station Miramir
    Where: San Diego neighborhood
    When: DEC 8
    Who: the pilot, who was part of a training squadron, ejected. He had been aiming the plane at a deserted canyon to avoid homes and the 805 Freeway. 4 Individuals in the house are dead. The pilot has been transported to Balboa Naval Hospital
    Update: F/A-18 Crash in San Diego

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    Safe Belly Landing in Canada


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Gary C. Orlando
    What: Perimeter Swearingen SA-226TC Metro, registration C-FSLZ en route from from Sainte Therese Point to Winnipeg Canada
    Where: James Richardson International Airport
    When: 3 March 2009 12:15 p.m.
    Who: 2 crew members, 8 passengers
    Why: The landing gear would not go down, so the crew had to take a belly landing. There were no injuries.

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    German Airbus Flies to Seattle on One Engine


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Anne Deus
    What: Lufthansa Airbus A330-300, registration D-AIKE en route from Frankfurt/Main to Seattle,WA
    Where: Seattle Washington
    When: Sunday, Mar 01, 2009
    Why: When the pilot reported the loss of power in one engine, the flight assumed a lower altitude and continued on one engine to Seattle to land without a problem an hour later.

    Flight Aware

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    Cabin Pressure Issue on Boeing 757


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Michael Brazier
    What: Boeing 757-200, G-LSAA operating a Charter flight LS2113 en route from Manchester Airport to Taba, Egypt
    Where: Athens
    When: Monday afternoon Mar 2 at 3:40 p.m
    Who: about 192 passengers
    Why: The flight made “a controlled, rapid descent” when the pilot noted a problem with the cabin air pressure. About half a dozen passengers–including a child–were taken for medical evaluation. A Boeing 757-200, G-LSAH from Manchester was sent to pick up the marooned travelers.

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    Piper Emergency Landing in Jerez


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Paulo Carvalho
    What: Piper PA-28-161 Warrior III registration EC-IYU en route from JEREZ DE LA FRONTERA
    Where: two miles northwest of the JEREZ DE LA FRONTERA runway 20
    When: 8. FEB-2009
    Who: pilot
    Why: A pilot’s training flight was interrupted at 1:30 when he had to make an emergency landing two miles from the airport. He was transported to the hospital with minor injuries.

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    Mooney Crash on the Roy Hayer Memorial Speedway


    Pictured: a Mooney M-20E
    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Tony Zeljeznjak
    What: MOONEY M20E registered to David Michaud
    Where: on the west side of Rio Linda airport, Sacramento Ca, Roy Hayer Memorial Speedway
    When: 02/28/2009
    Who: 2 on board were fatally injured
    Why: The Mooney M2OE crashed on the west side of Rio Linda Airport . On crashing on the speedway, the plane caught fire. The plane’s owner, Dave Michaud, was an on-call reserve deputy, formerly a C-5 Flight Engineer in the 301st Airlift Squadron at Travis.

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    Update: Turkish Boeing Crash at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport

    Minutes before the Turkish Airlines Boeing crashed at at 10:26 am, a Northwest Airlines Boeing 757 landed, leaving behind a trail of “wake turbulence.” Just as a speedboat moving in water leaves a dramatic ripple of water, a jet leaves a deadly invisible “wake” behind. If this is indeed what happened to the Turkish Airlines jet, then the control tower is at fault for scheduling the flights too close together. (The Turkish Airlines jet was following only four miles behind.) Records show that the Northwest flight landed at 10:24 a.m.


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Joop Stroes – Global Aviation Photography
    What: Turkish Airlines Boeing 737-800 (TC-JGE) Flight 1951 en route from Istanbul to Amsterdam.
    Where: Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport
    When: 10:40 a.m. Wednesday Feb 25
    Who: 135 passengers on board; eight crew members. (numbers vary)
    Why: The plane crashed as it approached the runway to land. Witnesses say the approach was too low and the pilot tried to go higher to avoid crashing into the A-19 (hwy.) The wreckage is in three pieces lying in a field next to the runway; emergency crews are tending injured passengers on site. The cockpit was intact, adn the fuselage broke at the wings.There was an immediate report of one fatality which was later denied. There were at least 20 injured and at least 50 survivors. Another report estimated the majority of the passengers are injured. (Sorry the numbers don’t mesh, but this is the news as it came in–) There was no fire. Fights to and from Schiphol were suspended temporarily after the crash.

    The number of deceased has been increased to 9.

    More than 80 suffered injury.

    25 suffered “serious” injury.
    6 are hospitalized in critical condition.

    Numbers corrected (again): 127 passengers 7 crew.

    According to various passenger accounts, prior to the crash, twelve minutes to the scheduled landing, the plane was flying low, and an announcement was made that the plane was landing. (No announcement was made that the plane was in an emergency.) Immediately on landing, those who were able left the plane, and when there was no fire, they went back in and pulled the others out, especially in the front of the plane, where there was screaming. Outside help arrived within 20-25 minutes.

    See the Original Post

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    Louisiana Cessna Crash Kills 3 from Mississippi

    What: Cessna 182 en route from Slidell, La., to Marksville, La.
    Where: in a wooded area west of Independence, La., near the town of Albany.
    When: went down just before midnight Friday Feb 28, 2009
    Who: Passengers were 39-year-old Tabitha Dolbare, of Vancleave, Miss.; 39-year-old Glyn Ray Johnson, of Gautier, Miss.; and their son Nelson Dolbare, 13, of Vancleave.
    Why: After the plane disappeared from radar about 11:50 p.m., Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office received phone calls that they heard an engine sputtering and a plane crash. The plane crashed in a heavily wooded unpopulated area not long after takeoff. Rescuers had difficulty getting to the wreckage and were assisted in their search with the use of thermal imaging equipment and a search light.

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    Saab Lands with Stuck Landing Gear


    Pictured: Carpatair Saab in flight
    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Bogdan Pop
    What: Carpatair Saab 2000 en route from the Moldovan capital, Chisinau, to Timisoara in Rumania
    Where: emergency landing at Timisoara International Airport in Western Romania
    When: Feb 28, 2009
    Who: 51 people-47 passengers, 4 crew.
    Why: Six miles from the airport, the crew discovered that the plane’s landing gear was stuck. After the flight circled for two hours burning fuel, the plane landed safely on the main landing gear on a 200-yard long bed of foam. No injuries were reported.

    Carpatair vice-president Dan Andrei is reported to have said, “When it landed, the plane came down on the side wheels; it braked sharply and at a low speed it came on its front belly, while the front landing gear remained stuck.”


    View Larger Map

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    Homebuilt Crash in Torrance

    What: TOLAND S/THORNBURGH J TWIN 503SL Glider owned by SURE FLIGHT INC
    Where: Torrance Airport
    When: 02/27/2009
    Who: Two men were injured in the crash
    Why: The homebuilt “experimental class”ultralight was taxiing on a ramp at Torrance Airport when it clipped a parked aircraft and went airborne up to approximately 100 feet; the flight crashed off the runway fatally injuring at least one passenger.