Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Samuel Dupont
What: AirAsia X Airbus A340-300 en route from Kuala Lumpur to Paris France
Where: Paris
When: Mar 1st 2012
Why: On landing in Paris, a main gear tire burst.
Passengers for the return flight were provided overnight accommodations as a couple of tires and other parts were replaced.
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Contact photographer
What: AirAsia Airbus A320-216 en route from Kuala Lumpur to Kuching
Where: Kuchin
When: Jan 10th 2011, 22:02
Who: 123 passengers and 6 crew
Why: While landing in heavy rain, the plane skidded off the runway and came to a stop between two taxiways.
4 passengers were hospitalized, but no injuries were reported.
Substantial tire and gear damage may have occurred from the recovery efforts.
Pictured: AirAsia plane
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer WT
What: AirAsia’s flight from Penang to Kuching
Where: Kuala Lumpur.
When: October 21, 2009
Who: Liew Siaw Hsia (and child)
Why: Although 11 weeks short of being full term, Liew Siaw Hsia unexpectedly delivered her son at 2000 feet. Luckily there was a doctor aboard to assist with the delivery.
Air Asia promises the mother and baby will get lifetime of free flights.
The incident brings a new meaning to the phrase “baby on board.”
George’s Point of View
Welcome to the world.
Pictured: Air Asia Airbus A320
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact Photographer T.Laurent
What: Air Asia Airbus A320 en route from Kuala Lumpur to Macao
Where: Macao International Airport
When: 2009 08 24
Who: 148 passengers
Why: While en route, a warning light signaled that the emergency door was open
The plane made a safe landing. Apparently the warning message went off in error on a securely locked door.
George’s Point of View
The issue here is not simply a warning light. It is the fact that warning lights on aircraft are crucial, life-saving equipment and cannot afford to fail. A warning that goes off for no reason may cause the “boy who cried wolf” syndrome (i.e. let’s ignore it because that warning always goes off;) or it can indicate some mechanical underpining that is faulty (loose wire, blown gasket); or a miniscule software error that could range in significance from mundane to catastrophic.
So let’s hope that maintenance looks at that door until they determine exactly what did happen to cause the warning to go off. Because the only way to prevent problems in the future is to pin down every issue now, before it escalates into another Airbus disaster.
