What: SAS Scandinavian Canadair CRJ-900 en route from Copenhagen Denmark to Helsinki Finland Where: Copenhagen When: Dec 28th 2009 Who: not available Why: While en route, the pilot determined that deicing had failed. (Prior to taking off in icy weather, planes are treated with icing retardant. One can presume that the plane was icing over in spite of the de-icing procedure.) Also, conditions in Helsinki were a factor.
At the time of this posting, these are the weather conditions in Helsinki:
TAF – Terminal Area Forecast
Updated at 10:50 PM GMT on December 28, 2009 (12:50 AM EET):
TAF EFHK 282035Z 2821/2921 15009KT 9999 SCT008 BKN013
TEMPO 2821/2906 BKN008
TEMPO 2909/2921 2000 SN BKN003=
Decoded:
ID: EFHK Helsinki/Vantaa, FI
REPORT TIME: 28 20:35
VALID TIME: 28 December AT 21:00Z to 29 December AT 21:00Z.
INITIAL WX
WINDS: 150 AT 9
CLOUDS: 8 SCT
CLOUDS: 13 BKN
TEMPORARY WX FROM 21Z TO 06Z
CLOUDS: 8 BKN
TEMPORARY WX FROM 09Z TO 21Z
VISIBILITY: 1.2 MILES
WEATHER: SN
CLOUDS: 3 BKN
What: Beech Bonanza en route from Vereeniging to Margate Where: Harrismith South Africa When: Dec 28 2009 Who: 4 passengers aboard, believed to be a family Why: The flight was en route to margate but diverted to Harrismith due to technical problems. ATC lost contact with the plane during bad weather.
The plane crashed into a remote, inaccessible section of Platberg Mountain during heavy fog. The wreckage was located by another plane.
All 4 aboard the flight were fatalities, and believed to be a family group.
What: Iran Air Airbus A320-200 en route from Ahwaz to Tehran Where: Ahwaz When: Dec 27th 2009 Who: 40 passengers Why: While en route, one of the plane’s engines failed. The flight returned to Ahwaz.
What: AEROSTAR Cessna 310Q Where: Luis Eduardo Magalhaes International Airport When: Dec 26 2009 Who: pilot, 4 passengers Why: On landing at Luis Eduardo Magalhaes International Airport, the pilot experienced problems with the landing gear.
The plane made a belly landing but there were no injuries reported. The runway was closed briefly.
What: Delta/Northwest Airlines Airbus A330-300 en route from Amsterdam to Detroit Where: Detroit When: Dec 27th 2009 Who: Individual aboard Delta flight Why: On arrival to Detroit, a passenger locked himself in the bathroom and became verbally abusive. The flight crew notified law enforcement.
The passenger was a Nigerian citizen (originating in Lagos) via Amsterdam without checked luggage, similar to the Northwest incident on December 25.
George’s Point of View
One cannot help but wonder if this was
-A copy cat incident
-A co-conspirator
-A terrorist who tried to mix the chemicals inside his stomach this time instead of on his leg. (No wonder he locked himself in the bathroom)
-Some poor smuck with Montazuma’s revenge
-A random rude guy who picked the wrong day to cuss out authority
What: Jetblue Embraer ERJ-190 en route from Westchester County, NY to West Palm Beach,FL Where: West Palm Beach When: Dec 26th 2009 (just before midnight) Who: 95 people Why: Prior to landing, the pilot realized that the plane had lost nosewheel steering. After landing, he came to a full stop on the runway, and the plane was towed to the gate.
What: Air Canada Boeing 767-300 en route from Vancouver to Hawaii Where: Vancouver When: Dec 26th 2009 Who: not available Why: Moments after takeoff, the pilot detected vibration in one engine, and he returned to the airport. Inspection of the aircraft revealed that the vibration was due to a bird strike. Passengers were provided a replacement flight.
What: Delta Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-88 en route from New York to Fort Lauderdale Where: West Palm Beach When: Dec 26th Who: 147 on board Why: While en route, the flight’s generator developed problems. The plane lost electrical backup and diverted to West Palm Beach.
What: Egypt Air Boeing 777-200 en route from Cairo to Bangkok Where: Mumbai When: Dec 24/25th 2009 Who: not available Why: While en route, the plane developed an engine problem and shut down one of its engines. The flight diverted to Mumbai where it landed safely.
What: Asiana Airlines Boeing 777-200 en route from Los Angeles,CA to Seoul South Korea Where: Anchorage When: Dec 26th 2009 Who: undisclosed Why: While en route, undisclosed engine problems caused the pilot to choose to shut down and engine and divert to Anchorage. On landing, the plane was towed to the gate. No indication is provided on when alternative travel accommodations were provided for passengers.
What: Northwest Airlines Airbus A330-323X en route from Amsterdam to Detroit Where: Detroit-Metropolitan Wayne County Airport When: Dec 25, 2009 Who: 278 passengers Why: On approach to Detroit, Nigerian passenger Abdul Mudallad, an engineering student at the University College in London, attempted to set off firecrackers in an attempt to explode the plane. (Mudallad is the son of a Nigerian banker.) The passenger’s device failed to ignite the plane, although the device did make a little pop and emitted smoke. Hearing the pop, a passenger, Dutch video director Jasper Schuringa, jumped over other passengers and took care of it so the fire went out.
Later reports indicate that the passenger had a liquid and powder concealed under his pants, with the ultimate objective of having them detonate when he put them together. The detonation, however, sounded like “a firecracker exploding inside a pillowcase” as described by passengers. A woman seated near the Nigerian passenger had asked him what he was doing, causing an alert; and when the fire-cracker-like sound went off, several passengers became involved. By the time minutes had passed and stewards had brought a fire extinguisher, the passenger had already been subdued by other passengers.
His legs were burned from his efforts. He was removed to the front of the plane; and after the plane landed, was taken into custody.
What: Blue Wings Airbus A320-200 en route from Moscow to Karlsruhe Germany Where: Warsaw Poland /Dusseldorf Germany When: Dec 22nd 2009 Who: not available Why: While en route, the flight lost pressure. The plane almost diverted to Warsaw, but instead diverted to Dusseldorf where it made a safe landing.
What: Vietnam Airlines ATR 72 MTI 208 Where: Novosibirsk Russia When: Wednesday December 23 2009 Who: crew Why: Twenty minutes after takeoff, the flight had to return to Tolmachevo due to an oil leak from one of its engines. The plane was on a ferry flight to its manufacturer, as part of a program where newer model new ATR 72-500s will be provided as replacements. Seven planes are expected to be replaced.
What: Continental Airlines Boeing 777-200 en route from Newark,NJ to Tel Aviv Where: Rome When: Dec 24/5 2009 Who: 300 aboard Why: While en route, the crew received an indication of a problem (not released.) The flight diverted to Rome where the problem was handled, and then the flight continued to its destination.
What: Bolivian owned Sabreliner en route from La Paz to the southern city of Sucre Where: Jorge Wilstermann International Airport of Cochabamba When: Dec 23. 2009 Who: Bolivian President Evo Moarales Why: The plane made an unscheduled landing in Cochabamba in central Bolivia due to a failure in the hydraulics system. The 30 year old plane is planned to be replaced in 2011 by a $30 million dollar Russian Antonov BJ.
George’s Point of View
Reliable older planes…you just can not skimp on maintenance.
What: United Airlines Boeing 767-300 en route from Rome to Washington Where: Geneva When: Dec 23rd 2009 Who: not available Why: After takeoff, the plane developed a hydraulics issue. The flight diverted to Geneva and made a safe landing.
What: Spanair Airbus A321-200 en route from Madrid to Las Palmas Where: Seville When: Dec 23rd 2009 Who: 185 passengers Why: While en route, the Airbus developed a problem with one of its engines. Passengers heard an explosion and smelled burning oil. The crew decided to shut down the malfunctioning engine, and shut it down.
The flight landed safely.
A replacement jet was flown in but not all passengers opted to board the replacement flight seven hours after they arrived.
What: Delta Airlines Boeing 767-300 en route from Amsterdam to Atlanta, Georgia Where: Gander Canada When: Dec 22nd 2009 Who: not available Why: While en route, the flight developed a pressure problem, and diverted to Gander, NL with unstable cabin pressure. The flight made a successful landing, after passengers debarked normally, were eventually provided alternative transportation.
What: Ryanair Boeing 737-800 en route from Dublin to Prestwick Where: Prestwick When: Dec 23rd 2009 Who: 129 passengers Why: After a successful landing, the flight was being taxied off when it encountered ice. It slid off the runway. Passengers debarked on the verge, and were ported to the gate.
This CNN news reportage indicates 91 injured rather than the 40 discussed earlier. No one mentions how the plane came mere meters from slipping into the bay. What: American Airlines Boeing 737-800 en route from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to Miami to Kingston Where: Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston When: Tuesday Dec 22 2009 Who: 148 passengers and six crew; 40 injured; 4 passengers in serious condition Why: After a turbulent flight, while landing in heavy rain, the jet overshot the runway. According to passengers, the plane landed normally, but failed to come to a stop but bounced through the perimeter fence, and skidded down the runway ending ten feet away the sea along the Port Royal main road. While skidding, they heard a loud bang, and oxygen masks deployed. On impact, the plane went dark.
The plane was reported to have lost an engine upon landing and that the landing gear collapsed; the plane skidded, crashed starboard engine detatched, and the fuselage broke. THe port wingtip snapped off; the fuselage rutured aft of the wing. Officers at the scene reported the plane ran off the end of the runway.
The Injured have been taken to the Kingston Public Hospital.
American Airlines official statement is below:
AMERICAN AIRLINES STATEMENT REGARDING FLIGHT 331 Release #1 @ 11:58 (p.m.) U.S. Central Time
PRNewswire
FORT WORTH, Texas
FORT WORTH, Texas, Dec. 22 /PRNewswire/ — On Tuesday, December 22, 2009, American Airlines Flight 331, a Boeing 737-800 aircraft, overran the runway on landing at Kingston, Jamaica’s Norman Manley International Airport. The flight originated out of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, operated into Miami International Airport, and then operated into Kingston’s Norman Manley International Airport.
Preliminary reports indicate there are no serious injuries. The aircraft was carrying 148 passengers and a crew of six.
American Airlines is in direct contact with officials from the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration and is cooperating fully with appropriate authorities. American Airlines will not speculate as to possible causes of the incident. At this point, no additional details can be confirmed.
——–
Title: AA 331 Crash at Norman Manley International Airport
Date: Wednesday 23 rd December, 2009
Details: Press Release : American Airlines 331 Crash at NMIA
At approximately 10:25 pm American Airlines (AA 331) while in its final approach to landing overshot the runway resulting in an accident. 145 passengers and 6 crew members were on board. The injured passengers have been taken to hospitals in Kingston. No fatality has been reported.
The Airport emergency response was activated with support from emergency units in the municipality. The aircraft and crash site have been secured and the areas have been cordoned off by the security forces. Preliminary investigation is ongoing. The Airport is currently closed and the respective NOTAMS issued.
The number of persons being treated at hospitals is as follows:
38 :Kingston Public Hospital
35 :University of the West Indies
12: Andrews Memorial Hospital
5: Medical Associates
As a result of the accident, three flights have been delayed.
Access to and from Port Royal will be denied (except for emergency purposes) until 12 noon.
Please direct all queries to:
Mr. Mark Williams, Vice President, AAJ Tel# 876-322-8841
Mr. Paul Hall, Snr Vice President, AAJ Tel# 876-997-1693
Mr. Earl Richards, President, AAJ Tel# 876-990-6492
What: An Air Canada Jazz Canadair CRJ-100 en route from Vancouver to Kelowna, Canada Where: Vancouver When: Dec 17th 2009 Who: 50 passengers Why: While en route, the overhead panel emitted sparks and smoke. The plane returned to Vancouver and made a safe landing. A replacement flight was provided.
What: PIA Pakistan International Airlines Airbus A310-300 en route from Islamabad to Manchester Where: Moscow When: Dec 20th 2009 Who: 189 passengers and 12 crew Why: While en route, the crew received a fuel pump warning. The flight diverted to Moscow where the plane landed safely. Passengers were provided an alternative plane.
What: Canadian North Airlines Boeing 737-200 Where: Calgary International Airport When: Dec 21, 2009 6 a.m. Who: 1 (non-flight) crew Why: During a standard de-icing procedure engaged in flight preparation on a loaded passenger transport, a Servisair ground worker fell out of a cherry picker (bucket truck), striking the tarmac more than 8 feet down. He was not wearing his safety gear, and was discovered by another worker de-icing the opposite side of the plane. None of the 33 passengers on the flight witnessed the fall.
What: South African Express Canadair CRJ-200 en route from East London to Johannesburg Where: East London When: Dec 22nd 2009 Who: 16 people on board Why: While en route, the plane experienced engine trouble. The pilot shut down the engine and returned to East London where it made a safe landing.
What: Yemenia Boeing 737-800 en route from Sana’a to Cairo Where: Sana’a International Airport When: Dec 22m 2009 Who: not available Why: About thirty minutes after taking off from Sana’a for Cairo, one of the jet’s engines exploded.
The plane returned to Sana’a, and made a safe landing. No one aboard was reported as being injured. Passengers waited almost 3 hours for a replacement flight.
