Etihad Airways flight EY-927 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Kuwait City, Kuwait, on September 27th.
The Boeing 777-200 freighter plane heading from Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, to Amsterdam, Netherlands, was diverted after the captain fell ill and became incapacitated.
The plane landed safely. The captain was pronounced dead.
Alaska Airlines flight AS-892 had to return and make an emergency landing in Honolulu, Hawaii, on April 5th.
The Boeing 737-800 plane took off for San Diego, California, but had to turn back after an unusual odor in the aft cabin caused nausea and headache to four crew members.
The plane landed back uneventfully. The affected crew members were taken to a hospital.
Ryanair flight FR-8422 had to divert and make an emergency landing at Dublin Airport, Ireland, on August 14th.
The plane was en-route from Fuerteventura, Canary Islands, to Edinburgh, United Kingdom, when a female elderly passenger fell ill, prompting the crew to declare an emergency.
The plane landed uneventfully and the patient was immediately shifted to hospital.
The plane departed again after a short delay.
A Qatar Airways flight had to make an emergency landing in Gander, Newfoundland, Canada, on March 22.
The Boeing 777, heading from Miami to Doha, had to be diverted after a passenger went into labor midair. According to Gander International Airport safety manager Brian Hicks, “Thirty minutes before the plane was preparing to land, she gave birth to a baby boy… There were two doctors on board, they assisted with the birth.”
The plane landed uneventfully. The mother and baby were shifted to hospital.
The flight resumed shortly afterwards.
Delta airlines flight 284 had to make an unscheduled landing at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport in Anchorage, Alaska, on the morning of March 4.
According to the airline, the Boeing 777-200LR was diverted “in response to a customer medical situation on board”. The flight was heading from Narita International Airport, Japan, to Los Angeles at the time.
Delta confirmed in a statement, “The flight landed without incident and paramedics met the aircraft on arrival.”
The plane later took off again and landed in Los Angeles with a 2-hour delay.
A Germania Airlines flight had to make an emergency landing at Burgas Airport, Bulgaria, on February 25.
According to a statement issued by Burgas Airport, the flight, en-route from Düsseldorf, Germany, to Samsun, Turkey, made an emergency stop after an 86-year-old Turkish woman died onboard.
The plane resumed its journey shortly afterwards.
United Airlines Flight 1218 had to return and make an emergency landing at O’Hare International Airport, Chicago, Illinois, on February 3.
The plane departed for Denver at 9:01 a.m. but had to return shortly afterwards due to issues with cabin pressure.
The Boeing 737-900 landed safely and medics checked 175 people complaining of nausea and ear pain. Authorities confirmed that none of the passengers or crew members was taken to hospital.
An airline spokesperson said, “Maintenance is inspecting the aircraft as we accommodate the customers.”
The FAA is investigating.
Southwest airlines flight 623 had to make an emergency landing in Los Angeles, California, on the morning of December 9.
The flight, heading from San Francisco to Phoenix, was diverted to Los Angeles International Airport after a passenger went into labor and gave birth midair.
The plane landed safely and the mother and her new born were shifted to a hospital. According to spokesperson of Los Angeles Fire Department Erik Scott, “LAFD praises an ER RN that assisted the mother in giving birth prior to our arrival.”
The flight was able to resume the journey with a 2.5 hours delay.
U.S. Airways flight US797 had to make an unscheduled landing at Fiumicino Airport in Rome, Italy, at around 1:38 a.m. Local time on December 6.
The Airbus A330, carrying 129 passengers and 14 crew members, was en-route from Tel Aviv, Israel to Philadelphia when a foul odor started to sicken the passengers and crew members.
Authorities said the pilot had to divert to Rome after 2 passengers and all 14 crew members suffered from red eyes and started vomiting midair. The plane landed uneventfully and all 16 of them were given medical treatment.
According to the airline, “The aircraft is being evaluated by our maintenance team to determine what may have caused the odor.”
An Air New Zealand pilot collapsed shortly after she landed the Flight NZ175 full of passengers in Perth, Australia, on October 26.
It is suspected that Captain Ann Barbarich, 59, one of the first female pilots to work for Air New Zealand, suffered a brain aneurysm, just minutes after landing the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. One of the 3 other pilots took controls and taxied the aircraft to the gate.
Captain Barbarich was examined by 2 doctors aboard and was then rushed to the Royal Perth Hospital where she died 2 days later on October 28.
None of the 233 passengers aboard was injured.
According to Air New Zealand chief pilot David Morgan, “Ann was at the controls when the aircraft landed in Perth and the aircraft landed normally…Unfortunately after landing she became seriously ill. Another pilot took over and taxied the aircraft to the gate while the other pilots began to assist Ann. The aircraft was safe and under control at all times…Ann will be sadly missed by everyone at Air New Zealand. We have been actively supporting her family over recent days and will continue to do so. Our thoughts continue to be with them at this difficult time.”
Ebola scare prompted American Airlines flight 2791 to land in emergency at Midland International Airport and Spaceport, Texas, at 11:05 p.m. on October 7.
The emergency landing was made after a female passenger aboard the flight from Dallas to Midland, vomited and showed flu-like symptoms midair. The passenger was travelling from Istanbul, Turkey to Midland, through Dallas-Fort Worth international airport.
The plane landed safely and the patient was shifted to Midland Memorial Hospital. The other 69 passengers aboard the flight were allowed to leave but were told to carefully look for Ebola symptoms.
After extensive tests and consultations with CDC officials, the Midland Memorial Hospital confirmed that the patient was not affected by Ebola virus. According to the MMH press release, “As a reminder, the two primary cues that would suggest the potential for this virus are a fever at or above 101.5 degrees Fahrenheit and recent travel to an endemic area where several Ebola cases have been confirmed…Over the course of this event, the patient in question never had a fever nor have they traveled to or from an endemic region.”
A medical emergency prompted Monarch Airlines Flight ZB403 to make a priority landing at Birmingham Airport, UK.
The incident happened on June 17, after a diabetic male passenger aboard the Airbus 321, flying from Faro, Portugal to Birmingham, became unwell mid-air.
The paramedics were put on alert as the plane approached Birmingham shortly before 1:00 p.m.
According to a Monarch spokesperson, “Monarch Airlines can confirm that a passenger was taken ill on this flight into Birmingham earlier today… It was met by paramedics who attended to the passenger immediately.”
US Airways Flight 715 en route from Venice, Italy to Philadelphia had to be diverted to Dublin Airport, Ireland for making an emergency landing on May 19 because five of its crew members and one passenger fell sick midair.
The Airbus A330-200 had 238 passengers and 12 crew members on board at the time of the incident.
This was the second incident in two weeks when a US Airways flight has been forced to make an emergency landing after its crew members fell sick. Earlier, another US Airways flight on the same route had to be diverted to the same airport in Ireland nine days ago on May 10.
The causes of sickness is not yet known. The sickness symptoms included nausea, watery eyes and dizziness, as per health officials in Ireland.
EL AL flight 289, en route from Tel Aviv to Venice, had to make an emergency landing in Dubrovnik, Croatia, after its first officer fell ill mid air.
The plane departed from Tel Aviv at around 6 a.m. on May 15. After about 2 hours, the first officer went to use the bathroom and upon returning, told the captain that he was not feeling well. The captain informed the first flight attendant, and was searching for the nearby airports to make an emergency landing, when the first officer passed out. A doctor who was on board among the passengers gave him medical treatment during the flight.
The captain successfully made a safe emergency landing in Dubrovnik, where the first officer was taken to a hospital.
The airline later issued a statement confirming the incident.
“El Al flight 289 from Tel Aviv to Venice, with 98 passengers on board, landed in Dubrovnik after the first officer fell ill during the flight and was unable to fulfil his duties,” maintained the airline.
Seventy-two children aboard Emirates flight EK007, coming from Cape Town, South Africa to Heathrow airport on Sunday, suffered from diarrhea mid air.
The children aged 10 to 14, were part of a Welsh choir. They were on their way back after performing in Cape Town when they began vomiting. The crew members then requested emergency services at Heathrow airport to provide medical aid to the sick children.
Especially trained paramedics from the ‘Hazardous area response team’ were waiting at the scene when the Airbus A380 touched the ground. Sixty Children were treated at the spot while 12 were taken to a hospital. The hospital sources confirmed that all children were released late night after they received treatment for diarrhea.
On March 23, 2013, an American Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-83 Newark-Dallas flight diverted to Dulles when the first officer got sick.
There were 141 passengers aboard American Airlines 1589, who disembarked in Dulles and boarded another flight at 2:00 pm.
The first officer was hospitalized.
What: Pilot/operator Ângelo Rafaeli D’élia Beechcraft V35 Bonanza # PT-CTL en route from Ponta Porã to Viracopos-Campinas
Where: Marabá Paulista, São Paulo, Brazil
When: October 1, 2011, 21:30
Who: 4 fatalities
Why: In the night, as rain was falling, the Beechcraft Bonanza en route for Campinas in Sao Paulo never made it to its destination, but crashed on farmland near Marabá Paulista, leaving a five foot crater. Four people died in the crash: entrepreneur Ângelo Rafaeli D’elia, 51, who was piloting the aircraft, the children Bruna D’Elia, 18 and Rafael Ângelo, 12 years, and Syhlvia Katheiny Torreta.
Reports are that the pilot was lost, and that someone aboard the plane was sick. They asked for assistance from London’s control tower.
Locals reported hearing an explosion when the plane impacted the ground.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Alejandro Ruiz
What: American Airlines Boeing 767-300 en route from San Francisco to Chicago O’Hare
Where: en route
When: Jun 14 2010
Who: 225 passengers and 7 crew
Why: When the first officer became ill aboard 1612 from San Francisco, a fight attendant with a commercial pilots license stepped in as copilot (taking the first officer’s seat) for the landing.
Ride ’em cowboy, American Airlines. Way to go.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Christopher Liao
What: Miami Air International Boeing 737-400 en route from Minneapolis to Miami
Where: Chicago
When: Apr 4th 2010
Who: the “Miami Heat”
Why: While en route, the flight’s mechanic became sick. The flight diverted to Chicago for an hour where the mechanic was hospitalized in a diabetic coma.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Alejandro Ruiz
What: LAN Airlines Airbus A319-100 en route from Concepcion to Santiago
Where: Concepcion
When: Dec 20th 2009
Who: pilot
Why: After takeoff, one of the pilots had an attack of appendicitis.
The flight returned to Concepcion and was cancelled. Passengers were booked on a later flight.
What: Delta Flight 680 en route from Atlanta from Ecuador
Where: Orlando
When: May 29 2009
Who: 118
Why: Three passengers became sick because of possible food poisoning before boarding the plane.. Two of the passengers were transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center for treatment. The third passenger declined treatment.
George’s Point of View
Find the chef-
And fire him…
Pictured: an Alitalia Boeing-767-3S1
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Josh May
What: Alitalia Boeing 767, travelling from Milan in Italy to New York’s JFK
Where: Shannon Airport
When: Wednesday April 15 2009 5 PM
Who: 168 passengers and eleven crew
Why: When the pilot became ill, the flight landed at Shannon Airport. The pilot was hospitalized in Limerick and the passengers were treated to an overnight hotel stay and will continue to JFK on Thursday. Rumor on the pilot network is that the pilot had a heart attack.
Click here for full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact Photographer Jack Tasker
What: United Airlines Boeing 777-200 registration N219UA en route from Tokyo-Narita to Washington-Dulles
Where: unscheduled landing in Winnipeg
When: Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Who: One passenger on a full commercial flight
Why: Eight hours into the 11-hour trip, a 41 year old passenger became incoherent, began having difficulty breathing and collapsed. A flight attendant performed CPR and provided oxygen. A doctor (passenger) used the plane’s defibrillator to restart her heart. The plane then made an unscheduled stop in Winnipeg, where the woman was transported to an area hospital.
What: United Airlines Flight 167 en route to Los Angeles from Boston
Where: diverted to O’Hare International Airport
When: Wednesday 8:37 p.m
Who: 138 people were on board.
Why: When about a dozen passengers became sick during a flight, the flight was diverted to O’Hare and an EMS Plan 2 was called which sends at least 10 ambulances to the scene. Some passengers became sick from the smell of vomit on the plane. Those who fell ill were reportedly part of the same tour group of about 40. One among them reported feeling sick prior to takeoff. Four were hospitalized at Lutheran General Hospital. Fourteen declined to be hospitalized when examined by paramedics though the entire tour group was examined by paramedics. No food was served on the flight.
