airliners.net

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    RAAF Hercules Rescues 3 Adrift at Sea


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    Contact photographer Phil Vabre

    What: Qantas Boeing 767-300 en route from Melbourne to Perth
    Where: Esperance
    When: May 10th 2010
    Who: 3 men aboard a life raft
    Why: While en route, the flight got a message to assist in keeping an eye on a drifting raft while rescue crews came in to assist. An RAAF Hercules C130 was en route, but had not yet arrived–but the rescue arrived before the Boeing so the Qantas flight continued as usual. The Hercules rescued three survivors from a sunken fishing boat. Their emergency beacon had gone off about 7 a m about 93 nautical miles SW of Esperance. The distress flair had been witnessed by rescue personnel. The nearest boat was 50 miles away.

    The owner of the sunken crayfishing boat, Paddy Daniels and his crew Corey Major and Anthony Mansted, were rescued at 1:45pm after a harrowing day in freezing conditions on the life raft. They had boarded it with a hurried selection of supplies at 6 a m after discovering the boat taking on water.

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    Singapore Airlines “big badda bang” causes Cautionary Landing in Indonesia


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    Contact photographer KianHong

    What: Singapore Airlines Airbus A330-300 en route from Adelaideto Singapore
    Where: Denpasar Indonesia
    When: May 10th 2010
    Why: While en route, the engine made a banging noise. The pilot shut down the affected engine, and tge flight immediately diverted to Denpasar where they made a safe landing.

    No mention is made of how (or whether) the passengers got where they were going, nor of what exactly happened to the plane. (Does a plane make a banging noise when it blows a gasket?)

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    Nepal: Stranded Passengers to the Rescue


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    Contact photographer Vivek Manvi

    What: Agni Air Dornier Do-228 en route from Pokhara to Kathmandu Nepal
    Where: Pokhara
    When: May 11th 2010
    Who: 16 passengers and 2 crew
    Why: After takeoff, the crew detected a hydraulic leak and turned around to make an immediate (less than ten minutes later) landing.

    Apparently passengers disembarked and helped the crew push the plane off the runway.

    George’s Point of View

    I’d like to see pictures of that happening in New York. Or LA for that matter.

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    Continental: Hydraulic Leak over Newark Cancels Japan Flight


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    Contact photographer Mark Kwiatkowski

    What: Continental Airlines Boeing 777-200 en route from Newark,NJ to Tokyo Japan
    Where: Newark
    When: May 9th 2010
    Who: 275 passengers and 16 crew
    Why: After take-off, exterior observers saw the gear out and observed a leak which was determined to be the hydraulics. The flight returned to Newark for a safe landing after spending about an hour in the air. They made a safe landing and were towed to the gate. Continental arranged for alternative transportation.

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    Turbulence over Albany


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    Contact photographer Juan Carlos Guerra

    What: Continental Airlines/Expressjet Embraer ERJ-145 en route from Cleveland to Albany,NY
    Where: Albany
    When: May 8th 2010
    Who: 6 injured, 2 taken to hospital.
    Why: On approach to Albany, the plane encountered severe turbulence, slamming a flight attendant and passenger from the ceiling to the floor. With Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting Department and Town of Colonie Emergency Services on standby, the flight made a normal landing at the Albany airport, where 4 injured were taken care of at the airport and the two most severe cases—a male passenger and female flight attendant— were transported to the hospital.

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    A Flat…and Airports Need Maintenance Too


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    Contact photographer Christian Waser

    What: United Airlines Boeing 767-300 en route from Washington to Brussels Belgium
    Where: Dulles (Washington DC)
    When: May 8th 2010
    Who: 176 passengers and 11 crew
    Why: About five minutes after takeoff, the on board crew was informed that pieces of the plane were left on the runway. Those pieces turned out to be the remains of tires. The plane went into a holding pattern to burn off fuel, then landed safely back at Dulles between two and three hours after takeoff. A piece of runway pavement was missing, leading to the conclusion that the runway popped the tire…

    George’s Point of View

    Most times I fly United and hope that their maintenance is better than the look of their wearing interiors. I don’t usually worry too much about the airport.

    If I knew that the plane I was on had left pieces of itself on the runway, I’d rather be circling the airport than over the Atlantic. On the other hand, if I knew a shaggy runway was going to pop a tire on the plane I was on, I’d have walked the runway myself before taking off.

    What is a frequent flier to do but nag the FAA?

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    Southwest Flight loses Pressure


    Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 over Islip – Long Island MacArthur
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    Contact photographer Gerard Isaacson

    What: Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-300 en route from Islip Long Island to Chicago
    Where: Buffalo-Niagara International Airport
    When: May 07, 2010
    Who: 120 passengers
    Why: While en route, the plane developed a cabin air pressurization problem. The pilot decided to divert to Buffalo, and made a safe landing. Passengers disembarked and boarded an alternative flight to Chicago.

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    SW and Heli: Near Miss over Houston


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    Contact photographer Dmitriy Shapiro

    What: Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700 en route from Houston to Baltimore
    Where: Houston
    When: Apr 28th 2010
    Who: 135 passengers and 5 crew
    Why: Over Houston, both the helicopter pilot and the plane pilot noticed their proximity and took evasive action. (Their separation was 100 feet vertically and 125 feet laterally.) Apparently after both got clearance, the helicopter converged on the Boeing’s flight path. The Boeing pilot’s only option to avoid the helicopter was to fly under him.

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    China Airlines:Bomb Joke bombs.


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    Contact photographer Jing-Kai Chiou

    What: China Airlines Boeing 747-400 en route from Taipei Taiwan to Shanghai
    Where: Hangzhou
    When: May 1 2010
    Who: Lin, 58 yr old male passenger
    Why: While en route, the passenger told someone he had explosives in his luggage. Consequently, the flight diverted to Hangzhou where it made a safe landing–without blowing up. The passenger denied there were explosives (it was a joke.) He was taken into custody, and the flight continued to Shanghai without him, arriving nearly 6 hours late.

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    American Airlines Encounters Turbulence over Chicago


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    Contact photographer Tom.Alfano

    What: American Airlines Boeing 767-200 en route from San Francisco to New York
    Where: Chicago
    When: Apr 29 2010
    Who: 3 flight attendants
    Why: While en route to NY, the flight encountered turbulence. Several flight attendants received bumps and bruises from the encounter. The flight diverted to Chicago, landing there half an hour after the incident, and remained In Chicago for an hour and a half prior to taking off again for New York.

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    Cessna Field Landing


    Pictured: A Cessna 150M Commuter filmed in Milwaukee
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    Contact photographer Bruce Leibowitz

    What: single engine Cessna 150 M en route from Harlingen.
    Where: Los Fresnos TX
    When: April 29 2010
    Who: Pilot
    Why: The pilot is a flight instructor who has just bought the Cessna involved. En route, he experienced engine trouble (in-flight engine power loss) and landed safely in a sorghum field in Los Fresnos with no injury and no plane damage reported.

    George’s Point of View

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    Poland: Lot’s Emergency Landing


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    Contact photographer Michal Raczynski

    What: Eurolot Polish Airlines Eurolot ATR 72 en route from Krakaw to Warsaw
    Where: John Paul II Balice International Airport, Warsaw Poland
    When: April 29 2010
    Who: 27 passengers and 4 crew
    Why: In mid flight, the pilot detected cabin pressure problems, and had inconsistent readings. He reduced his altitude to handle the cabin pressure, and told ATC he would be crash-landing; however, the landing was normal.

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    Spanair Airbus Landing Gear Glitch


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    Contact photographer Alejandro Hdez Leon

    What: Spanair Airbus A321-200 en route from Palma to Brest to Deuville.
    Where: Brest
    When: Apr 28th 2010
    Who: 157 passengers
    Why: On approach, the flight developed a technical problem with the landing gear. The problem delayed landing by half an hour, but eventually the plane did land safely, although it did have to be towed to the gate. An alternative jet was flown in eight hours later for the final leg of the flight.

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    $1.2 Million Helicopter Settlement

    What: Midwestern Air Services LLC, Robinson R44 II, Raven, four-place, two-bladed, single main rotor, single-engine helicopter en route from Horseshoe Casino Heliport to Kenosha Regional Airport
    Where: Kenosha, Wisconsin
    When: September 21, 2008
    Who: pilot Alan Sapko and passenger Joan Anzalone
    Why: The National Transportation Safety Board ruled pilot error. A judge ruled that the pilot’s estate will pay the heirs of Joan Anzalone 1.2 million.

    The report of the crash states that the helicopter:
    “… was destroyed when it impacted an occupied house and terrain near Kenosha, Wisconsin. A ground fire subsequently occurred. The personal flight was operating under 14 CFR Part 91. Night instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. No flight plan was on file. The private pilot and a passenger were fatally injured. The five occupants in the house were uninjured. The flight originated from the Horseshoe Casino Heliport (2IG3), near Whiting, Indiana, about 0507, and was destined for the Kenosha Regional Airport (ENW), near Kenosha, Wisconsin, when the accident occurred.

    According to information provided by Horseshoe Casino, the pilot landed at 1907 on September 20, 2008. The pilot and passenger had dinner, they observed a concert, and gambled. The pilot had a glass of wine with his dinner about 1930. About 0139 on September 21, 2008, a beverage confirmed to be a Captain Morgan’s and diet Coke in a short glass was given to the pilot. About 0146, another Captain Morgan’s and diet Coke in a tall glass was given to the pilot. About 0213, the pilot set the first glass down empty. About 0423, the pilot took a drink from the second drink glass. The glass was about half full. The pilot gambled until about 0449 and then he and his passenger departed for 2IG3. The pilot and passenger departed from 2IG3 about 0507.

    A Wisconsin State Patrol Trooper who was outside the weight facility on Interstate 94 at the Illinois and Wisconsin State Line about six miles south of the accident site heard a helicopter heading north at a “very low altitude” and estimated it at 500 feet. He did not see the helicopter or its lights due to the “dense fog.” He stated that the visibility there was about 300 to 500 feet.

    A witness who lived near the accident site gave a statement to the Kenosha Police Department. The witness stated that a low flying helicopter was heard. It circled once then went away and came back. The witness saw an orange flash through the window and heard a “boom.” The witness said the helicopter sounded “really low” and the “engine sounded like it was at low RPMs.”

    A witness from the occupied house on the northwest corner of 97th Avenue and 70th Street that was impacted by the helicopter gave a statement to the police department. The witness, in part, reported:

    My family and I were fast asleep in our residence when I heard and
    felt a loud bang like thunder, and then a cloud of debris came
    [through] our bedroom door. My wife and I were in the southeast
    bedroom. Our two sons were in the northeast bedroom and our
    daughter was the bedroom over the garage. We got our kids and
    [with] the help of our neighbors made it down the stairs and outside.
    None of us were injured. I saw the flames across the street and one
    of our neighbors told me a helicopter hit our house.

    The pilot held a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) private pilot certificate. He held a FAA third-class medical certificate issued on April 3, 2006, with no limitations. At the time of that medical, he reported 60 hours total flight time to date and 30 hours in the six months prior to that examination. The pilot’s logbook indicated that the pilot had accumulated 329 hours of total flight time. The pilot recorded 37.25 hours of night flight time.

    A certified flight instructor (CFI) that instructed the accident pilot indicated that two previous CFIs had instructed the accident pilot and had endorsed the accident pilot for solo flight training operations. According to the CFI, the two previous CFIs believed that the accident pilot was flying in violation of his solo privileges and the CFIs removed the accident pilot’s solo endorsement. The CFI stated that he had no problems with the accident pilot’s training and solo activities.

    The accident pilot’s medical certificate and student pilot certificate had a solo endorsement with “revoked” written across it.”

    No one in the house was injured.

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    Delta Bangor Diversion


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    Contact photographer Jeffrey Schäfer

    What: Delta Airlines Airbus A330-300 en route from Paris to Atlanta
    Where: Bangor
    When: Apr 27th 2010
    Who: 235 passengers and 8 crew
    Why: While en route, Derek Stansberry of Apollo, Florida passed a note— “Forgive me, I f—ed up, I’m sorry”—to a flight attendant and muttered that he had explosives in his bag and claimed he had a false passport. (There were no explosives and no fake passport.)

    Two federal air marshalls isolated Stansberry in the rear of the plane and insulated him with pillows and blankets in case of an explosion.

    (As if that would do any good in case of an explosion! I’m sure the action marshals took was the protocol for such things, however, from a layperson’s position I’m wondering what do they think a blanket can do to muffle a bomb exploding in a plane at 20,000 feet? Keep you warm while you explode? It’s like hiding behind a thimble while being run over with a steamroller, isn’t it?)

    The flight diverted to Bangor.

    Stansberry, who remained in custody after the rest of the passengers flew on to their destination, is an Air Force veteran who had taken a valium and a sleeping pill prior to the flight.

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    Rochester NY: Canadair Emergency Landing


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    Contact photographer Nigel Harris

    What: Delta/ Pinnacle Airlines Canadair CRJ-200 en route from Detroit to Rochester
    Where: Rochester
    When: Apr 27th 2010
    Who: 15 passengers and 3 crew
    Why: On approach to Rochester, the crew smelled smoke in the cockpit, and smoke was visibly detected. The flight made a safe landing, ostensibly planning to evacuate on the runway. However, after the safe landing, the plane taxied to the gate.

    Maintenance confirmed that the smoke was caused by burning hydraulic fluid.

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    Beechcraft Lost in Kentucky

    What: Island Trading Ltd. Hawker Beechcraft 58 en route from from Frederick, Maryland to Olive Branch MS
    Where: Leslie County
    When: April 27 2010
    Who: pilot and passenger
    Why: While en route, the plane lost contact, and is believed to have wrecked in eastern Kentucky, in a remote, mountainous area of Leslie County. It is believed the wreckage was located at 5:30 pm, with no survivors.

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    Spanair Cautionary Landing in Madrid


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    Contact photographer Jose Muñoz

    What: Spanair McDonnell Douglas MD-87 en route from Madrid to Valencia
    Where: Madrid
    When: Apr 25 2010
    Who: 43 passengers
    Why: After takeoff, the flight developed an issue with the hydraulics. The crew decided to return to Madrid where they made a safe landing. A replacement jet was provided for the passengers.

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    Vueling: Engine problems and Bird Strike


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    Contact photographer Darren Varney

    What: Vueling Airbus A320-200 en route from London to La Coruna
    Where: London
    When: Apr 23rd 2010
    Why: While en route, the plane indicated low engine oil pressure. The flight landed safely at Heathrow and was cancelled.


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    Contact photographer Alfredo La Marca

    What: Vueling Airbus A320-200 en route from Seville to Barcelona
    Where: Sevilla
    When: Apr 26 2010
    Why: After takeoff, the Vueling Airbus impacted a bird, which was ingested in the right engine. After the crew shut down the affected engine, they made a safe landing at Seville’s San Pablo Airport, where the Airbus was taken out of service for examination, maintenance and repairs. A replacement aircraft was flown in by Vueling for the passengers.

    Although both jets involved were Vueling Airbus A320-200, they were different jets, and neither problem had anything to do with volcanic ash.

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    US Airways Landing Gear issues over DC


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    Contact photographer Joseph A. Del Guidice

    What: US Airways Airbus A319-100 en route from Boston Washington DC
    Where: DC
    When: Apr 26th 2010
    Why: On approach to Washington, the plane developed hydraulic problems with the landing gear. The pilot entered a holding pattern while the on board crew repaired the problem, after which the flight made a safe landing.

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    Toronto: BA Engine Shut Down


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    Contact photographer Mark Kwiatkowski

    What: British Airways Boeing 777-200 en route from London to Toronto
    Where: Toronto
    When: Apr 25th 2010
    Why: Over Toronto, the crew reported an engine problem and had to shut down the right engine. The flight made a safe landing.

    The cause has possibly been attributed to a crack in one of the engine’s parts.

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    Warsaw: Royal Falcon Cautionary Landing


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    Contact photographer Mohammad Razzazan

    What: Jordanian Royal Falcon Boeing 767-200 on behalf of Iraqi Airways en route from Stockholm to Baghdad/ Al Najaf
    Where: Warsaw
    When: Apr 25 2010
    Why: After one of the cockpit window panes cracked, the plane made a landing in Warsaw. No one was injured.

    How the passengers will be finishing their journey has not been published.

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    Air Arabia Cautionary Landing in Karachi


    Pictured: An Air Arabia Airbus A320-214
    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Steve Brimley

    What: Air Arabia Airbus A320-200 en route from Sharjah to Chittagong
    Where: Karachi
    When: Apr 25 2010
    Who: 155 passengers
    Why: After a smoke detector indicated smoke in the cargo hold, the pilot made a cautionary landing in Karachi. Passengers were accommodated in the airport lounge while the plane was inspected.

    The smoke detector later was determined to be faulty.

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    Turbulence over Kochi

    What: Emirates Airlines Boeing 777-200 en route from Dubai to Kochi India
    Where: Bangalore
    When: Apr 25th 2010
    Who: 350 passengers and 14 crew
    Why: Prior to landing at Kochi, the plane encountered severe turbulence which resulted in 20 people being hospitalized. At the time of the turbulence, baggage fell from overhead hatches, and those not belted slammed upward. The flight landed at Kochi and was removed from service for ten hours. All injuries were minor.

    Two theories have been presented involving the turbulence. Meteorologists speculate that “the aircraft could have flown into an air pocket.”

    Another theory is that “…World Area Forecast centre wind/temperature charts did not reveal thunderstorm cloudd, but it showed a slight wind shear condition off the coast of Mangalore. At 35,000 feet, the chart shows strong westerly wind with a speed of 60 kts dropping to 25-30 kts. It’s one of the indicators of clear air turbulence (CAT).’’

    There are reports that say the plane suffered some damage after dropping from 20,000 to 5,000 feet.

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    Burbank: Close call


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    Contact photographer Jason Whitebird

    What: Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700 en route from Oakland to Burbank,CA
    Where: Burbank on Apr 19th 201
    When: Apr 19 2010
    Who: 119 passengers and 5 crew
    Why: Approaching the runway prior to takeoff, a a Cessna 172 passed over the passed over the 737, with a clearance of 200 feet (vertical) and 10 feet (lateral).

    The NTSB is investigating.