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Contact photographer Klaus Ecker
What: American Airlines Boeing 737-800 en route from Dallas to Seattle,WA
Where: Dallas
When: Sep 22nd 2009
Who: 95 passengers
Why: While en route, a hydraulic system malfunctioned and the flight was forced to return to Dallas.
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Contact Photographer Bernd Sturm
What: ContactAir Fokker 100/Lufthansa en route from from Berlin Tegel to Stuttgart
Where: Stuttgart
When: Sep 14th 2009
Who: 73 passengers including Franz Muentefering and 5 crew (6 injury/issues)
Why:
Update:
According to news releases quoting Lufthansa, the Stuttgart emergency landing on Sept. 14 was “probably caused by a valve part that came loose and blocked the landing gear’s hydraulic system.”
“Part of a valve came loose internally and blocked a hydraulic line…It worked like a stopper.”
George’s Point of View
Maintenance, maintenance, maintenance. It’s a 14 year old plane. Should I repeat “maintenance” 14 times? It’s not as if the plane were self-aware and could tighten or replace its own valves.
The plane’s last inspection was in August, prior to Contact Air acquiring the plane. Even if Contact Air is not legally required to perform a post-purchase inspection, it seems like it would be a reasonable thing for a new owner to do.
If this were a used car purchase, would we take it for an inspection with our own mechanics, and to get tags?
See archives:
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Contact Photographer Miguel Nobrega
What: Aer Lingus Airbus A320-200 en route from Dublin to London
Where: Dublin
When: Sep 9th 2009
Who: 120 passengers
Why: 25 minutes into the flight, the plane indicated a hydraulics problem. The flight crew returned to London where mechanics confirmed the hydraulic problem. The landing was safe, with no reported injuries.
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Contact Photographer Thomas Ernst
What: An Air India Airbus A330-200 flight en route from Tokyo Narita to Delhi
Where: Delhi
When: Sep 10th 2009 4:55
Who: 122 people on board 111 passengers and 11 crew
Why: The pilot made a precautionary landing in Delhi when ten minutes prior to scheduled landing he had faulty readings of the plane’s hydraulics. The plane landed safely 25 minutes later, and was taxied safely. No injuries were reported.
George’s Point of View
No follow-up yet on this hydraulics issue. Was it the instrumentation? Was there a leak caused by lack of maintenance or too many flight hours squeezed in between maintenance checks? I’m sure Air India passengers would like to know.
PICTURED: A JAC De Havilland jet landing at Osaka
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Contact Photographer Javier Guerrero
What: Japan Air Commuter Bombardier DHC-8-402 en route from Osaka to Miyazaki
(Also reported as a Havilland Dash 8-400)
Where: Osaka International Airport
When: Thursday Aug 20
Who: 22 passengers and four flight crew members
Why: Breitbart reports that while en route, the Bombardier’s hydraulic system indicator light reported a hydraulics malfunction. The plane landed safely with no reported injuries and was towed off the runway. It is not clear if the hydraulics or the indicator was at the source of the problem, but JAC is investigating.
Pictured: A Tam Airbus landing on the short “airport” runway “surfing” between buildings to land at Congonhas
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Contact Photographer Alan Olivieri
What: TAM Linhas Aereas Airbus A319-100 en route from Vitoria,ES to Sao Paulo Congonhas,SP
Where: Diverted to Sao Paulo Viracopos Airport
When: Aug 8th 2009
Who: 38 people on board
Why: Hydraulics failed on approach to Sao Paulo so the pilots declared an emergency and diverted to the longer runway at Vircacopos Airport.
George’s Point of View
A good decision here! Better to divert than to have a repeat of the TAM Airlines Flight 3054 (JJ 3054) crash on July 17, 2007. The 35L runway at Congonhas is 6,365 feet long, which is why the Congonhas nickname is “aircraft carrier.” The Viracopos/Campinas International Airport has a 10630 foot runway.
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Contact Photographer Mu Yun
What: Vietnam Airlines Airbus A320-200 en route from Nha Trang to Ho Chi Minh City
Where: Ho Chi Minh City
When: Aug 7th 2009
Who: 164 passengers including 26 children and 2 infants
Why: On its landing approach, the plane developed an unusual level of hydraulic fluid in its hydraulic braking system. Two (main gear) tires blew on landing. (It is not uncommon for tires to blow when a plane lands at too high of a speed.) The passengers debarked via emergency slides. No injuries were reported.
Newspapers reported that the pilot was Captain Jual Ruiz of Peru Ruiz, who got his license from CAAV in 2005, and has 17,500 flying hours. Nguyen Khanh Thanh of Viet Nam was his copilot.
What: Air India Airbus A320-200 en route from Ahmedabad to Mumbai India
Where: Mumbai
When: Aug 4th 2009
Who: 137 passengers,
Why: The flight experienced a hydraulics failure on approach to Mumbai but had a safe landing.
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Contact Photographer Alastair T. Gardiner
What: Fedex McDonnell Douglas MD-11 en route from Anchorage to Memphis,TN
Where: Indianapolis
When: Jul 31st 200
Who: 2 crew
Why: On experiencing hydraulics failure, the flight diverted to Indianapolis, landing safely just after midnight. No injuries were reported.
It is a shame they diverted FROM Memphis, where the Fed Ex hub is, and complete repair facilities.
What: Flybe de Havilland Dash 8-400 en route from Bergerac (France) to Edinburgh
Where: Edinburgh
When: Jul 29th 2009
Who: 54 people on board
Why: On approach to Edinburgh, the crew noted a hydraulics problem and spent twenty minutes in a holding pattern while the problem was resolved. The plane landed safely.
What: Air India Airbus A320-200 from Bhubaneswar to Mumbai
Where: Mumbai International Airport
When: July 25
Who: 91
Why: After hydraulic failure, flight IC-169 landed safely and was towed off the runway.
Pictured: an American Eagle Jet
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Contact Photographer Jonathan Morgan
What: American Eagle Embraer ERJ-145 en route from Dallas to Dayton Ohio
Where: Dallas
When: Jul 11th 2009
Who: 43 passengers
Why: Just after takeoff, the flight experienced issues with hydraulics. The landing gear failed to extend. Nearly an hour after leaving, the flight landed safely at the airport of origin, although “alternate gear extension” implementation was required.
American Eagle is affiliated with American Airlines.
What: An Air India Airbus A-320 en route from Delhi to Hyderabad to Tirupati
Where: Delhi
When: Jun 29th 2009 1141 hours
Who: 68 passengers, 6 crew
Why: Thirty minutes into the flight, the control panel indicated a hydraulic problem. The pilot requested to return to Delhi, where passengers debarked safely. Passengers were provided an alternate plane to complete their flight.
No further details were available about the hydraulic problem.
What: United Flight 615 en route from Washington DC to Chicago O’Hare
Where: Pittsburgh
When: landed at 12:51 May 22, 2009
Who: 119 on board including Sen. Roland Burris (D-Ill.), Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) and White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers
Why: After a hydraulic system failure was announced, the crew announced there would be an emergency landing. There had been “loud bang” at take-off, then the noise and vibration increased.
The landing was safe; and United was providing another plane for passengers to complete the flight to Chicago.
