Carrier

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    Asiana Crash Updated

    On July 6, 2013 a crash occurred involving Asiana Airlines Flight 214, a Boeing 777. The crash occurred while the aircraft was landing at San Francisco International Airport and appears to be due to pilot error. Many incidents are attributed to pilot error, but there is rarely a single cause.

    There are countless victims of general aviation and military accidents, many involving foreign claimants. These accidents range from air balloons, flight training, ground school, air ambulances, banner planes, aerobatics, helicopters, and propeller, turbo–prop and jet–powered aircraft.

    The aircraft involved have been Cessna, Cirrus, Beechcraft, Piper, Bellanca, Piper, Lear Jets, Citation Jets, Bell helicopters, Sikorsky helicopters, Robinson helicopters, Aerospatiale helicopters and countless other aviation manufacturers.

    Aviation operators are not immune; they are held accountable, as are maintenance facilities and private & public air traffic control centers. Below, please find News and NTSB updates on the Asiana Accident in San Francisco on July 6, 2013.

    See Video

    NTSB B Roll of Wreckage

    In George’s Point of View

    I’m not a pilot, mechanic, engineer or lawyer, but I have seen a lot of these accidents. I am reminded of the Amsterdam event -Turkish Air Feb 2008. In this crash, it was determined that a radio altimeter fault caused auto-throttles to prematurely respond. The crew failed to respond when the plane lost airspeed resulting in a stall and crash. If I were investigating, I’d look into the radio altimeter situation to make sure it was (or was not) part of the chain of events leading to this accident.

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    Helicopter Emergency Landing in India

    On August 14, 2013, a Tej Airways Robinson R44 Raven II en route from Godhra to Amdavad ashram had to make an emergency landing at Chartoda graveyard in Gomtipu, near Ahmedabad, India.

    The helicopter had been chartered for Narayan Prem Sai by his father, Hindu Spiritual leader Asaram Babu.

    Four firetrucks and three ambulances responded to the scene.

    Two people were hospitalized.

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    Executive Runway Excursion, Barbados


    An Executive Air Piper PA-34 Seneca en route from Grantley Adams International Airport (Seawell, Christ Church on the island of Barbados) en route to Maurice Bishop International Airport (St. Georges, Granada) took off, but sustained an unsafe gear warning.

    Pilots returned to Seawell, and made a semi safe landing (as the two pilots and two passengers were uninjured) but on landing, the right main gear collapsed.

    The plane had a runway excursion. Emergency services responded to the scene, and the plane was foamed to prevent a fire.

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    Nordwind Plane Fender Bender in Thailand


    On August 14, 2013, a Nordwind Airlines Boeing 767 300 en route from Bangkok to Irkutsk, with 284 passengers aboard was (standing) on the ground when it was struck by a vehicle.

    None of the passengers aboard were injured–expressed by Phuket news as “no human casualties” but the plane suffered damage.

    The plane was on the ground in Suvarnabhumi, Thailand. Passengers (we hope) were provided alternate transportation, but there’s no indication we could find of what those circumstances might be.

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    EasyJet Falling Pieces


    On August 12, an easyJet Airbus A320-214 en route from Milan-Malpensa Airport to Lisbon took off okay, but pieces of the plane were falling.

    The control tower spotted the debris on the runway.

    After losing parts of the engine cowling, pilots made a safe, if dramatic landing back at the Milan-Malpensa. None of the 174 passengers and crew sustained injury, though most of them went through an emotional roller coaster, especially when a passenger screamed out that “A piece of the wing has gone flying.”

    Pilots circled for twenty minutes before landing; then after landing safely, when pilots put engines into reverse, more stuff fell off the engine. Although fire engines were on standby, standby is all they had to do. Passengers and crew exited via the staircase.

    In a genius of understatement, Easyjet confirmed “flight EZY2715 from Milan Malpensa Airport to Lisbon on 12 August returned from airborne shortly after take off due to a technical issue with one of the engines.”

    Passengers were provided an alternative flight.

    In George’s Point of View

    I don’t make a lot of comments, due to my copious free time, but I can’t resist. In the meantime while waiting for the updates, we are considering shipping easyJet some Superglue, or maybe a certified mechanic or two. In the words of mechanics everywhere, lefty loosie, righty tighty. I am no mechanic, but this smells to me like…dare I say it…

    Maintenance! Maintenance! Maintenance!

    Not to make light of the situation though–airline safety is no joke. We expect there will be public updates about the investigation into this incident.

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    UPS Crash in Birmingham Alabama


    A UPS Airbus A300F4-622R cargo jet en route from Louisville to Birmingham International Airport was on final approach to runway 1-8 when it crashed in Birmingham. The two pilots aboard sent no warning message, and died on impact.

    There is no indication yet if something in the cargo contributed to the crash, or if there was mechanical failure or some other factor involved.

    Visibility was 10 miles and there was a 700 ft cloud ceiling.

    KBHM 140953Z 34004KT 10SM FEW011 BKN035 OVC075 23/22 A2997 RMK AO2 SLP141 T02330222

    METAR KBHM 14th @ 0953Z, wind from 340 at 4 KT, visibility 10 statute miles, Sky: few clouds at 1100, broken at 3500, overcast at 7500, temperature 23, dewpoint 22, altimeter 29.97 inches, remarks: automated report w/precipitation discriminator, sea level pressure 1014.1 Mb, temp 23.3 dewpoint 22.2

    An NTSB team is flying in to begin the investigation.

    The UPS burst into flames on impact in a low population density area. There were numerous explosions after the plane was burning.

    Videos Below

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    Yellowstone Crash, One Fatality, One Survivor, Cause Unknown


    On August 12, 2013, an Avery Enterprises Beech E35 Bonanza crashed at Yellowstone Airport, Montana. The nose of the plane is smashed.

    Emergency responders included Gallatin County deputies, the Hebgen Basin Fire District and Forest Service personnel. The sheriff’s office is protecting the site until the arrival of the NTSB.

    67-year-old Andrezej Furmanski died in the crash. Another victim, Kevin Avery, was taken to a hospital in Idaho Falls. Avery owns Avery Enterprises, registered owner of the plane.

    The plane crashed on the north end of the West Yellowstone airport runway. The cause of the crash is under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board. The Big Sky Trail adjacent to the airport was temporarily closed.

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    Pirassununga Training Crash, Crew Lost

    On August 12, 2013, a Smoke Squadron A-29 Super Tucano crashed at around 9:10 a.m. near the Air Force Academy runway in Pirassununga, São Paulo.

    The pilot and co-pilot did not survive.

    The pilots, aviator Captain John and Captain Igor Silva Pivovar, were on a training mission. The Brazilian Air Force is investigating.

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    Virgin and Jetstar Collide in Australia


    A Virgin Australia Boeing 737-800 scheduled from Melbourne to Maroochydore had a ground accident on the tarmac.

    The plane collided with a Jetstar AirbusA320. None of the 175 passengers on the Virgin flight were injured but both planes sustained damage.

    The Boeing’s left winglet was damaged.

    The Virgin Australia plane was reversing.

    The Jetstar sustained damage to the tail. It had just returned from Sydney, and was stationary during the collision.

    An investigation is ongoing. Damages of about three million are estimated to each craft.

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    Aviation Safety Irony Emergency Landing

    At 3:35 p.m. Continental Airlines Flight 458 A320 en route from Houston to Washington diverted to New Orleans on Tuesday at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport where the pilots made a safe emergency landing with Ron Paul aboard. Paul Lampson, Ted Poe, John Carter, Solomon P. Ortiz, Ciro Rodriguez, and Henry Cuellar were also aboard.

    Ironically, the Texas congressmen were trying to get back to Washington to vote on an aviation safety bill.

    There were 120 aboard. An alternative flight was provided.

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    Connecticut Crash Update: Four Dead Identified


    The “Meridian” Rockwell 690B Turbo Commander that crashed into the East Haven home had two aboard, Bill Henningsgaard and his teenage son, Maxwell, who were visiting colleges.

    Inside one of the houses struck were Sadie Brantley, 13, and Madisyn Mitchell, 1, bringing the total fatalities up to four. The children’s mother, Joann Mitchell, 39, escaped as well as a Scottish terrier which was found outside after the crash.

    A National Transportation Safety Board official said there might be four to six fatalities.

    Updated reports indicate that the left wing lodged in one house and the right wing in the other.

    Henningsgaard was piloting the plane. He was about to land on Tweed’s Runway 2 with an instrument landing. He had missed his first approach and was about to attempt a second landing.

    Henningsgaard was a former (14 year) Microsoft executive. According to SVP, Henningsgaard Bill was a member of Social Venture Partners since 1998, was the board chair and acting executive director of Eastside Pathways, and on the board of Youth Eastside Services, co-founded the advisory board of the Institute of Learning and Brain Sciences at the University of Washington, and was treasurer of his church council. He had an undergraduate degree at Harvard, post-graduate education at the University of Oslo, Norway, and an M.B.A. from Stanford.

    He is survived by his wife, Susan Sullivan, and two children.

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    Connecticut Plane Crashes into House, Pilot and Two Children involved


    The pilot of a Rockwell International Turbo Commander 690B en route from Teterboro Airport did not alert air traffic control that anything was wrong before the plane he was flying crashed approaching Tweed New Haven at 11:25 a.m. Friday.

    The plane struck homes north of Tweed New Haven Airport at 64 and 68 Charter Oak Avenue in East Haven; a one year old and a thirteen year old may have been inside one of two houses that caught fire. Heroic attempts were made to reach the children but were unsuccessful. The children and the pilot have been reported missing.

    Witnesses say the mother of the children was in her yard screaming that her children were inside. Passers by attempted to rescue the children, and found the burning plane in a bedroom. Two houses were on fire, and a car blew up in a driveway.

    Fire engines and emergency crews from East Haven, New Haven and Brantford responded to the scene. THe houses, plane and car are a total loss.

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    Three Die in French Plane Crash

    On August 8, 2013, a Massif Central Aviation Socata TBM700N with 3 aboard was en route from Toussus Le-Novle to Clermont-Ferrand.

    The plane crashed with tourists aboard, in the town of Vertaizon, at 9:40 a.m. The tourists were a brother and sister. Everyone aboard, including the pilot, was over 70 years old. The BEA is investigating.

    The plane and it’s engine shattered on impact, leaving a debris field of a hundred square meters
    .

    Bad weather—low ceiling, low visibility and a very heavy rain—and mechanical problems are suspected to be behind the crash.

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    Emergency Landing in SFO


    On August 3rd, a United Airlines Boeing 747-400 was en route to Sydney, Australia when it made an emergency landing in San Francisco International Airport Saturday night.

    An emergency was declared on 863 after taking off at 10:45 p.m.

    One of the engines was shut down.

    The plane turned around, dumped fuel and made a safe landing at San Francisco International Airport with emergency services standing by.

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    Emergency Landing in Shannon

    A Delta Boeing 767 diverted to Shannon and made an emergency landing on August 5, 2013 with emergency services on standby.

    220 passengers and crew were aboard when the right engine developed problems and was shut down.

    Pilots dumped fuel thirty minutes into the flight and made a safe landing in Shannon.

    The flight was en route from Italy to Atlanta.

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    Korean Airlines Runway Excursion


    A Korean Airlines Boeing 737-9B5 en route from Incheon Seoul S Korea to Niigata, Japan with 115 aboard (106 crew) suffered a runway excursion.
    The plane came to rest mired in soft grass.

    Passengers exited via mobile stairs on to the tarmac where a bus picked them up to take them to the gate.

    The plane’s outbound flight has been cancelled but Nigata Airport traffic was not substantially disrupted.

    The Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport will conduct a special inspection of Korean Air because “runway overruns are classified as a “serious incident” by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)”

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    Air China Airbus Sinks into Pitch in Yiwu


    Around noon on August 4, 2013, an Air China Airbus CA4538 A319-115 was taxiing for departure in Yiwu, Zhejiang, China to Chengdu when the plane slid off the runway into a pitch covered area.

    There was no damage reported and no injuries, but the airport was shut down, and passengers taken to Xiaoshan Airport

    74 passengers were aboard.

    The incident is under investigation.

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    Rostov-on-Don plane skids off runway

    A Ural Airlines Airbus A320-214 en route from Moscow (Domodedovo airport) to Rostov-on-Don, ran off the runway on landing.

    The plane was towed to the parking lot. Passengers were carted to the gate.

    There were 119 people aboard with no injuries reported.

    The Airbus damaged two runway lights, but airport operations are continuing as usual.

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    Fiji Airlines Emergency Diversion to Auckland

    A Fiji Airways Boeing 737-700 was en route from Auckland to Suva when an engine developed issues.

    Pilots returned to Auckland International Airport where they made a safe landing with emergency services including fourteen fire engines on standby.

    After landing, the plane was escorted by half a dozen fire engines. No fire was found on the plane.

    Passengers were provided alternative transportation. None of the 122 passengers or six crew were injured.

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    False Cargo Fire Alarm in Bogota

    An American Airlines flight AA908, a Boeing 777-200 en route from Buenos Aires to Miami made an emergency landing in Bogota after a warning of a problem in the hold.

    There were 250 passengers aboard and 14 crew. No injuries were reported. The indicator was a false alarm.

    American Airlines sent a replacement flight from the Colombian capital yesterday, at 13.10 local time.

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    Kazan Emergency Landing

    On August 3, 2013, early in the morning, a UTair Express Antonov An-24 with 28 aboard en route from Nizhny Novgorod to Kazan ran off the runway on landing in Kazan.

    There were no injuries.

    The plane was towed off the runway.

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    Orient Thai Airlines Flat in Thailand

    On July 31, 2013, an Orient Thai Airlines Boeing 73703T) was en route from Guiyang to Phuket.

    Pilots diverted to Surat THani airport and made an emergency landing around 7pm. While taxiing on the runway, a main gear tire slipped off the pavement had had a flat.

    The plane was towed off the runway. Flights were disrupted till about 9 pm.

    There were 137 Chinese passengers aboard. No injuries were reported.

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    Emergency landing At Sumburgh, Scotland


    Photographer Okke Behm
    On July 31, 2013, an Eastern Airways Saab 2000 was en route when pilots observed a warning light on the flight panel. The flight had to divert to Sumburgh Airport in Shetland, Scotland. Thirty oil workers were aboard. THere were thirty-two passengers and three crew.

    Shetland’s air, sea and land rescue services responded to the scene, including auxiliary coastguard teams from Lerwick, Noness and Sumburgh. Emergency services were on standby on landing.

    Pilots sent a 5.10pm. Mayday and made a safe landing.

    None of the 35 aboard suffered injury. The fault was in the warning system.