update
The Dana Air flight crashed into a suburb of Lagos on Sunday. All 153 people on board and an unknown number of residents on the ground were killed in the crash.
Using cadaver dogs and cranes, emergency crews recovered 48 bodies. Local residents helped with spraying water on the fire, but after three hours, there was apparently no water to put it out.
Passengers aboard the plane included four Chinese citizens, and two Lebanese citizens (identified as Nadim Chediac and Roger Awwad.) The pilot was reported to be American, and the co-pilot Indian.
What: Neptune Aviation Services Inc.Lockheed P2V-7 Neptune Where: Iron County, Utah When: June 3, 2012, 1 pm Who: 2 fatalities Why: While fighting a fire east of the Utah/Nevada border, two fire fighting pilots working with the Ely division of the Bureau of Land Management lost their lives.
The plane was carrying 2000 gallons of water and 1,600 gallons of fuel, and was approaching the fire when it crashed in rocky terrain.
Pilot 48-year-old Todd Tompkins, and co- pilot, Ronnie Chambless, 40 were on their second run dropping retardant on the fire when the plane went down.
No probable cause of the accident has been released.
What: Minden Air Corp Lockheed SP-2H Neptune Where: Minden-Tahoe Airport in Carson Valley When: June 3, 2012 3:30 pm. Who: 2 aboard Why: The inbound tanker was unable to lower all of it’s landing gear, and burned off (about 7000 gallons) of fuel before it made a belly landing at 3:30 pm.
Neither the pilot nor the co-pilot were injured but the plane did skid off the runway.
The air tanker is a fire-fighting plane which had been engaged in fighting a wildfire south of Reno.
What: Emirates Airlines Airbus A380-800 en route from Dubai to Toronto Where: Ottowa When: Jun 1st 2012 Who: 530 aboard Why: On approach to Toronto, the pilot entered a holding pattern due to bad weather, but on approach, was alerted to windshear, and made another precautionary go-round due to gusty conditions. They diverted to Ottowa where they made a safe landing. the plane touched down safely shortly after 5 p.m.
The plane refueled, and made a safe landing in Toronto at Pearson after 9 pm.
Pilots had declared (and undeclared) a fuel emergency on approach to Ottowa. After landing, the runway was inspected.
What: Air Canada Boeing 777-333ER Where: Toronto Canada When: May 28 2012 Who: 318 passengers, 16 crew Why: After a louder than normal take-off, fifteen minutes into the flight, pilots of the Air Canada Boeing en route from Toronto to Japan shut off an engine. Witnesses reported smoke and fire coming from the right engine.
The flight had to return to Toronto following engine problems. Falling bits of engine debris “hot bits of blackened metal” fell from the sky and caused some damage to parked vehicles near Derry and Kennedy Rds in Mississauga. The entire circuit of the flight took about an hour and a half.
There were no injuries on the flight, but emergency services were on standby on landing, in expectation of trauma.
What: US Airways B767 from Paris to Charlotte Where: Bangor Maine When: May 22, 2012 Who: 179 passengers, 9 crew Why: Around noon, Two F-15 fighter jets scrambled to intercept a US Airways plane where a French woman from Cameroon had handed a note to a flight attendant claiming that she had a surgically implanted bomb. She was traveling alone and had no baggage.
The flight which made a safe landing in Maine.
The flight was interrupted for three hours when passengers were evacuated, and federal customs agents escorted the woman off the plane in handcuffs. The plane was examined and reboarded.
A passenger said the crew initially blamed the unexpected landing on fuel and weather issues.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net Contact photographer Mark Kryst What: American Airlines en route from Raleigh to Chicago Where: Raleigh-Durham International Airport When: May 20, 2012, 8:15 Who: 138 passengers Why: The American Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-80 en route from Raleigh to Chicago developed an oil leak in one engine after take-off.
Pilots made a loop over central North Carolina and returned to Raleigh, aborted an attempted landing, and then made a successful emergency landing. Emergency services, crash-fire-rescue trucks and firefighters were on standby.
American Airlines provided a replacement flight for passengers. No injuries were reported.
What: Icelandair Boeing en route from Keflavik to Orlando Where: Reykjavik When: May 18, 2012 Who: 200 passengers Why: After being delayed by a wheel falling off, and burning off fuel for hours on May 19, 2012, the Icelandair flight had to return to Reykjavik, where they made an emergency landing one wheel short and left a trail of smoke. A replacement flight delivered about 200 passengers to Sanford International Airport in Orlando at 3:00 a.m. on Saturday.
What: Philippine Air Force SIAI Marchetti SF.260TP Warrior Where: Mariveles, Bataan, Philippines When: May 18, 2012 Who: 2 aboard Why: The Philippine Air Force trainer that took off from Danilo Atienza Air Base in Sangley Point at around 6:55 a.m and failed to return was reported to have crashed in waters off Mariveles, Bataan. No distress call was made.
Witnesses say the plane tilted sideways and nosedived into the sea, with no smoke or explosion. Some of the wreckage— fuel tank, a pilot helmet and one of the seats of the plane—was recovered at 7:30 a.m in 180 foot deep water. Coast guard divers have been searching. The missing pilots, Major Neil Tumaneng, a graduate of Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class 1995, and his co-pilot, Lt. Michael Arugay, of PMA Class 1999, are still missing.
The Philippines Coast Guard, the Philippine National Police, and Philippine Army found some wreckange; however a fishermen found partial remains in deep waters.
The crash occurred near Fortune Isle, a tiny rocky island near Mariveles.
What: Far Eastern Air Transport McDonnell Douglas MD-82 en route from Taipei to Makung Where: Makung When: May 16th 2012, 10:45am Who: 165 aboard Why: On landing in Making in rain and wind, the plane exceeded a stop line on the runway which was abbreviated due to construction. Minimal damage occurred to the plane but runway lights were damaged.
Although a Taipei news report calls into question the pilot’s braking, the weather and the fact that the runway was shortened due to construction should be mentioned.
The Aviation Safety Council has begun an investigation into the incident.
What: Lufthansa Airbus A319-100 en route from Frankfurt to Erbil Where: Nuremberg When: May 15th 2012 Why: After taking off from Frankfort, the plane was struck by lightning.
There was a storm front around Nuremberg. The plane remained on the ground; and a replacement jet took passengers to Erbil.
What: US Airways Boeing 757-200 en route from Philadelphia,PA to Orlando,FL Where: Orlando When: May 11th 2012 Why: The flight was en route when there was a bird strike impacting the nose. The bird made a “significant” dent in the plane. ATC says “Looks like you guys got punched in the nose, US Air”
What: Qantas Boeing 737-800 en route from Perth to Kalgoorlie Australia Where: Kalgoorlie When: May 13th 2012 Why: The flight was on approach to Kalgoorlie when it was struck by lightning.
Pilots returned to Perth and made a safe landing. A replacement jet was provided for the passengers.
What: Skywork Airlines Dornier Do-328-100 en route from Bern to Vienna Where: Zurich When: Mar 14th 2012 Why: While en route, the plane developed a problem with cabin pressure. The crew had perform a descent to safe levels.
Pilots returned to Bern where they made a safe landing.
What: Bond Offshore Helicopters Ltd. Eurocopter EC225LP Super Puma Mk2+ Where: 24 nautical miles off the coast of Aberdeen, North Sea When: May 10, 2012 Who: 16 passengers, 0 fatalities Why: The Bond helicopter was en route from Aberdeen Airport to the Maersk Resilient drilling rig when an emergency developed.
Pilots had to make a controlled descent into the North Sea when the gearbox oil pressure tanked. With the use of flotation equipment, the ditched helicopter stayed afloat.
The two crew and twelve passengers were safely recovered by afternoon. A cautionary measure suspending Eurocopter EC225 flights has been issued pending investigation. Examination revealed that the helicopter suffered a crack to the gearbox shaft.
The passengers were employed by Halliburton, Ensco, Brundt and Stag, and Conoco. The Jasmine field is operated by Conoco Phillips.
The rescue was coordinated by the Aberdeen coastguard, who was alerted at 12.15pm, and RNLI lifeboats. The initial call indicated that added that all everyone was on the raft. Nine were flown to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, and five were taken by life boat.
In George’s Point of View
The choice to suspend the EC225 model until the kinks are worked out is a smart move. Better monitoring of potential cracks to the gearbox shaft may eliminate more “catastrophic failures” like the one that Eurocopter that crashed in 2009. In that event, the operator had put off replacing the main rotor gearbox, resulting in the death of 14 offshoremen and two helicopter crew.
The skill and training of the (May 10, 2012) 100% successful pilots and rescue crew cannot be commended highly enough. Sure, the media is calling this a textbook rescue, but somehow that description feels inadequate to me, leaving out the heroic human element involved. These guys are heroes.
What: Air India Boeing 777 en route from Frankfurt to Chicago Where: Bucharest When: May 12, 2012 10:25 Who: 303 passengers and 17 crew Why: The flight was en route over Romania when a door warning went off, alerting the pilot of a potential problem.
One source reported the problem as a door alarm; another source said there was a cargo smoke indication.
Passengers deplaned via stairs as on examination, no indication of fire or heat was found. Passengers were then provided hotel accommodations.
The pilot informed ATC in Bucharest and shortly later made a safe landing. The cargo door was examined but no problems were found. The issue was chalked up to being a false alarm.
The plane awaited takeoff pending an allocated scheduled landing-time in Chicago.
What: US Airways/ Air Wisconsin Canadair CRJ-200 en route from Portland Maine to Philadelphia Where: Boston When: May 10th 2012 Who: 50 passengers and 3 crew Why: A passenger with a history of seizures and on medication attempted to open the door while en route.
The disruptive passenger was caught by a flight attendant, who stopped him. He told her he was going to the bathroom. The attendant led him to a seat in the rear of the plane where state police found him. Other passengers may have been upset or frightened by the incident, but under normal conditions, it’s not physically possible to open the door while in flight anyway.
Pilots diverted the flight to Boston where the disruptive passenger was offloaded, presumably by gentlemen in white coats.
Michael Ensalaco, 40, of Mooresville, N.C was charged with interfering with a flight crew. His lawyer explained that his seizure disorder is similar to sleep walking.
In George’s Point of View
While a medical event should not be handled in the same way as a malicious act, perhaps someone with this tendency should not fly, or else they should not sleep during the flight, and also be obligated to inform the flight crew ahead of time. It could happen to anyone taking Ambien!
What: US Airways Boeing 757-200 en route from Dublin to Charlotte Where: Gander When: May 8th 2012 Why: After taking off from Dublin, one of the engines developed a situation not unlike a stuck carburetor.
Pilots troubleshooted (troubleshot?) the problem but then shut down the engine and diverted to diverted to Gander, where they made a safe landing.
The mechanical repair was performed. (The issue was mechanical, not digital.) Meanwhile, a replacement flight was provided to transport the passengers to Charlotte.
What: China Southern Airlines Boeing 777-200 en route from Guangzhou to Shanghai Where: Guangzhou When: May 10th 2012 Who: 9 injured Why: Twenty minutes after taking off from Guangzhou, the plane encountered clear air turbulence.
Those who weren’t buckled in, including flight attendants, were injured during the turbulence. Injuries included fractures, and other injuries. The extent of the turbulence is being reported as “a pocket of extreme turbulence.”
One passenger blogged “I had a horrible feeling that I was going to die at that moment because I suddenly felt being weightless.”
A flight attendant and her dining cart were tossed in the air.
Pilots continued to Shanghai, where nine injured were transported to hospital facilities.
The plane was grounded for inspection but later released for service.
A team of around 200 police, military and rescue workers are headed in vehicles and on foot towards Salak mountain where the plane went missing.
A passenger list of 36 names posted at Halim airport showed that most of the people on board were Indonesian airline and aviation representatives, as well as five journalists and a representative of French aircraft engine maker SNECMA.
What: Sukhoi Superjet 100-95 en route from Jakarta to Jakarta Halim Perdanakusuma Airport Where: Indonesia When: May 9th 2012 Who: 36 passengers, 6 crew and 2 Sukhoi official Why: The Sukhoi Sukhoi Superjet was thirty minutes into a demo flight over Jakarta when it disappeared from radio contact. It had already flown to Myanmar, Pakistan and Kazakhstan. After Jakarta, it was supposed to visit Laos and Vietnam.
The flight has not been reported landing at any airport. According to an individual who was supposed to be on the flight, it was only to last thirty minutes, and would have run out of fuel by now, if it had been flying all this time.
At 15:30L the crew asked ATC to descend to 6000 feet in an area where there is a 6,200 foot-high mountain. The plane lost contact on a descending right turn and has been reported as missing.
No crash site has been located; it may have crashed into Mount Salak.
The plane was flown by plane was operated by senior test-pilot Aleksandr Yablontsev and co-pilot Aleksandr Kochetkov, and there were six other russians aboard, Aero navigator Oleg Shvetsov, flight engineer Aleksey Kirkin, leading test flight engineer Dennis Rakhmanov, test flight deputy head Nikolay Martyshenko, “Sukhoi” company Sales Director Evgeny Grebenshchikov, and contract manager Kristina Kurzhukova.
Hijacking is unlikely, and appears to be a media rumor.
In George’s Point of View
Along with the rest of the world, we are hoping and praying the plane will be found intact.
One helicopter was sent out on a search mission, according to a local twitter. (See video below.)
Passenger Manifest
1. Kornel M. Sihombing (DI),
2. Edie Satiyo (Pelita Air),
3. Darwin Pelawi (Pelita Air),
4. Gatot Purwoko (Airfast),
5. Budi Rizal (Putra Arta Dirgantara),
6. Syafrudin (Carpedrem Mardin),
7. Peter Adler (Sriwijaya),
8. Herman Suladji (Air Maleo),
9. Donardi Rahman (Aviastar),
10. Eloni (Kartika),
11. Hurdiana Widjanda (Kartika),
12. Arief Wahyudi (TR),
13. Nam Tran (Snecma),
14. Ruli Dermawan (Indo Asia),
15. Ahmad Fazal (Indo Asia),
16. Insan Kamil (Indo Asia),
17. Edward Edo (Indo Asia),
18. Ismie (Trans TV),
19. Aditya Sukardi (Trans TV),
20. Indra Halim (PT KAI),
21. Rietyan S. (PT KAI),
22. Dody Aviantara (Angkasa),
23. Don Yusuf (Angkasa),
24. Femi (Bloomberg),
25. Stephen Kamaci (Indo Asia),
26. Capt. Aan (Kartika),
27. Yusuf Ariwibowo (Sky),
28. Maria Marcella (Sky),
29. Henny Stevani (Sky),
30. Mai Syarah (Sky),
31. Dewi Mutiara (Sky),
32. Sussana Vamella (Sky),
33. Nur Ilmawati (Sky),
34. Rossy Withan (Sky),
35. Anggi (Sky),
36. Aditya (Sky).
What: Ryanair Boeing 737-800 en route from Gothenburg Sweden to London Where: Gothenburg When: May 8th 2012 Who: one injury Why: A flight attended closing the door fell out of the plane.
Presumably wind may have been a factor in the door issue.
The injured attendant was taken to the hospital. A number of passengers deplaned, presumably to keep the Ryanair crew/passenger ratio at least one flight attendant for every 50 passengers.
What: Niki Airbus A321-200 en route from Malaga to Vienna Where: Vienna When: May 6th 2012 Who: 1 injury Why: The plane had made a safe landing but at the gate, a loading bridge malfunction occurred. The bridge lifted the plane and damaged the door. Passengers did not disembark through the bridge, but instead through the back. One person who had initially said she was unhurt had a fracture. The plane received substantial damage.
The airline reported that docking was correct but a sensor malfunctioned.
What: Aerosvit/Dniproavia Embraer ERJ-145 en route from Dnepropetrovsk to Moscow Where: Moscow When: May 5th 2012 Who: 22 passengers Why: While landing in Moscow, halfway down the runway the plane veered right and stopped on soft ground. No injuries or damage to the plane was reported. The Embraer was formerly owned by Alitalia Express, along with another Embraer, UR-DNS.
What: Sichuan Airlines Airbus A319-100 en route from Nantong to Wuhan Where: Wuhan When: May 5th 2012 Why: On approach to Wuhan, the plane suffered a bird strike on the left wing slat and rib.
Airbus sent a repair crew to perform repairs in Whuhan.
