Cause

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    JetBlue Flight 597 Diverts to Minot due to Electrical Odor

    JetBlue

    JetBlue flight 597 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Minot, North Dakota, due to electrical odor.

    The plane was en route from Boston to Seattle on June 18, when the pilot reported an electrical odor and requested to make an emergency landing. The Airbus A320-200 was then diverted to Minot International Airport, where it made a safe emergency landing at about 9:50 a.m. All 126 passengers aboard remained unharmed.

    The JetBlue maintenance technicians examined and cleared the plane. After about 4:15 hours, the plane was able to continue its journey towards Seattle where it landed with a delay of 4.5 hours from its scheduled time.

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    Monarch Airlines Flight Makes Priority Landing due Medical Emergency

    MonarchA 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.”

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    Ikar Flight Makes Emergency Landing at Haikou Airport, China

    IkarIkar airlines flight IK-2474 had to make an emergency landing at Haikou airport, China on June 18.

    The incident happened when the Boeing-767-300 was en route from Thailand to Yekaterinburg, located in the Russian Urals.

    According to authorities, the decision to make an emergency landing was due to a power generator malfunction. The plane landed safely, with a delay of 3 hours from its scheduled landing time of 1:40 a.m. No one was hurt.

    Gennady Chuprov, the airline’s Deputy Director General for flight safety, said that 231 passengers were accommodated at a Wuhan city hotel.

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    Qantas Flight Diverts to Tamworth due to Damaged Tire

    QantasA Qantas flight en route to Armidale from Sydney had to divert and make an emergency landing in Tamworth, NSW, Australia, on June 17.

    The incident happened after one of the plane’s tires blew off during take-off. According to Qantas, the plane carrying 44 people was diverted to Tamworth because maintenance facilities were available at the airport.

    The fire brigade, ambulances and police responded. The Tamworth Base Hospital was also put on alert.

    The plane made a safe landing at about 9 p.m., after burning off extra fuel. No one was injured.

    The passengers were transported to Armidale by bus.

    Qantas engineers replaced the damaged tire.

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    Experimental Plane Lands in Emergency in Walcott

    A 1994 experimental aircraft owned by Raging Thermal Sky Sports LLC, and known as “Meyer Goat” made a safe emergency landing at the Eagle Springs Golf Club located in Walcott, Colorado after 11 a.m. on June 16.

    The decision to make an emergency landing was made after the small aircraft lost oil pressure during the flight.

    The pilot and passenger remained unharmed. Their identities have not yet been disclosed by the authorities. The plane sustained minor damage after landing in high winds while en route from Golden to Boulder County. The plane landed on the golf course’s 547-yard par 5 second fairway.

    The Eagle County Sheriff’s Office, Eagle County Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting, Greater Eagle Fire Protection District, Eagle River Fire Protection District and Eagle County Paramedic Services responded to the call.

    The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating.

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    Twin-Engine Aircraft Crashes at Idaho-Montana Border

    montanacrash
    A twin engine plane (#N888GG) crashed and caught fire at around 5:30 pm on June 17 in the parking lot at Lost Trail Pass, Conner, Montana at the summit of Lost Trail Pass on the border of Idaho and Montana.

    The Ravalli County Sheriff office confirmed that the aircraft was destroyed to the extent that it was not possible to recognize that it was a Grumman G-21A. Witnesses say the plane spun down, dropped hard and flat, and on impact was immediately engulfed in flames. Nothing recognizable remained but the wing tips.

    Only the pilot was aboard.

    Ravalli County Sheriff and Federal Aviation Administration investigator Allen Kenitzer are looking into the details and causes of accident.

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    Report on Boeing 787 Ground fire Heathrow July 12, 2013

    This Special Bulletin contains information on the progress of the investigation into a ground fire on an unoccupied Boeing 787-8, registration ET-AOP, at London Heathrow Airport on 12 July 2013.

    It follows the publication of Special Bulletin S5/2013 on 18 July 2013. The AAIB are assisted in the investigation by Accredited Representatives from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) (representing the State of Design and Manufacture), the Civil Aviation Authority of Ethiopia (representing the State of Registry and the Operator) and the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) of Canada (representing the State of component manufacture), with technical advisors from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the operator and the aircraft and component manufacturers.

    In Special Bulletin S5/2013, the AAIB reported the existence of extensive heat damage in the upper portion of the aircraft’s rear fuselage, particularly in an area coincident with the location of the Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT). The absence of any other aircraft systems in this area containing stored energy capable of initiating a fire, together with evidence from forensic examination of the ELT, led the investigation to conclude that the fire originated within the ELT battery.

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    Plane Returned to Philadelphia International Airport Due to Landing Gear Issues

    lufthansabombardierA Lufthansa flight returned and made an emergency landing at Philadelphia International Airport due to issues with its landing gear.

    The plane took off for Frankfurt, Germany, at around 5:45 p.m. on June 15. However, shortly after take-off, it was noticed that the landing gear of the plane was stuck.

    The plane turned back toward Philadelphia, where it made an uneventful emergency landing after venting off extra fuel.

    Authorities confirmed that the plane safely touched the runway at around 7:45 p.m. and all crew members and 270 passengers aboard remained safe.

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    US Airways Flight Returned to Bluegrass Airport for Emergency Landing

    US AirwaysA US Airways flight returned to Bluegrass Airport, Lexington, Kentucky, immediately after taking off at around 12:40 p.m. on June 14 and made a safe emergency landing.

    The small plane was scheduled to go to Philadelphia with 33 people on-board.

    Airport officials said that the decision for emergency landing was made after the thrust reverser of the plane, which is used to slow the plane down during a landing, got overheated.

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    Medical Helicopter Made Emergency Landing at Lanai, Hawaii

    indiahelicrashA medical helicopter flying from Kona to Honolulu, Hawaii, made an emergency landing at Lanai at about 6:30 p.m. on June 13 due to engine failure.

    The incident happened when the helicopter was carrying 4 people, including a female patient.

    Ian Gregor, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman confirmed that the EC135 helicopter landed safely at Lanai.

    Another plane was arranged to transport the patient to Honolulu.

    FAA records show that the helicopter is registered to Utah-based air medical transport company Guardian Flight.

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    Bhutan Air Flight Lands in Emergency at Kolkata

    A Royal Bhutan Airlines flight heading to Mumbai, India, from Paro, Bhutan, had to make an emergency landing at the NSC Bose International Airport, Kolkata at 9:30 a.m. on June 15.

    An official at NSC Bose International Airport said that the captain sought permission to make an emergency landing because the windshield of the aircraft cracked while the flight was underway.

    Airport authorities also confirmed that the plane landed safely and all passengers and crew remained unharmed.

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    Helicopter Crashed Near the Cerfontaine Airfield in Belgium; 1 Killed, 1 Injured

    helicopterA helicopter crashed near the Cerfontaine airfield, in the province of Namur in southwestern Belgium, at around 5:00 p.m. on June 13.

    One of the two people aboard died and the other one suffered multiple serious injuries.

    According to the local rescue center, firefighters and paramedics from close by town arrived on the location.

    It is believed that the accident happened during an annual test being carried out under the supervision of an experienced pilot.

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    Small plane crash kills Rockefeller

    The weather in White Plains was foggy and rainy when a Piper Meridian single-engine turbo prop missed a residence and crashed on a horse farm near Westchester County Airport, killing the pilot, Richard Rockefeller. Rockefeller was a doctor who had just celebrated his father’s 99th birthday. Weather may have been responsible for the accident. Rockefeller did not report a mayday.

    There was no one else aboard.

    The debris field covered a hundred feet. Rockefeller was 64 years old, and leaves behind two adult children and a wife.

    The FAA and NTSB are investigating. The crash occurred on Friday June 13th.

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    IATA Members Seek Measures to Deter Unruly Air Passenger Behavior

    IATA-logo
    In the recently held 70th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), IATA members unanimously passed a resolution focused on effectively deterring and managing the issue of unruly behavior of air passengers.

    In the resolution, IATA members prompted government and industry to join hands to develop a balanced set of measures for addressing the problem of unruly air passenger, including disturbing order, committing physical assault or violating crew instructions during the flight.

    According to Tony Tyler, the director general of IATA, “This resolution confirms the determination of airlines to defend the rights of their passengers and crew. Everybody on board is entitled to enjoy a journey free from abusive or other unacceptable behaviour. Many airlines have trained both ground staff and cabin crew in procedures, not only to manage incidents of unruly behaviour but also in measures to prevent them. But a robust solution needs alignment among airlines, airports, and governments.”

    In 2013 alone, some 8,000 cases of unruly passenger behavior were reported by airlines to IATA.

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    Delta Flight 5358 Lands in Emergency at Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport

    DeltaDelta Airlines flight 5358 had to make an emergency landing at Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport (XNA), at about 10:20 p.m. on June 12.

    Airport director Kelly Johnson confirmed that the flight, which departed for Atlanta at about 9:20 a.m., was forced to return and make an emergency landing, after which, the aircraft lost the directional steering of its nose wheel.

    He further said that all 50 passengers and 3 crew members aboard the plane were unharmed.

    After landing, the pilots learned that one of the tires was flat.

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    2 Injured after a Light Plane Crashed in NSW

    A light plane made a crash landing in scrub land, around 40km south of Narrabri, New South Wales, Australia.

    The incident happened at about 4:30 p.m. on June 12.

    According to the police, they were informed that the emergency landing occurred due to suspected engine failure.

    The plane was carrying 2 people at the time of crash; both of them were injured. The 69 year old pilot was flown to Tamworth Hospital with broken ribs and cuts to his head while the 32 year old passenger suffered minor leg injury and was shifted to Narrabri Hospital. Authorities confirmed that both of the injured are in stable condition.

    Police have launched an investigation into the incident.

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    Pakistan’s Karachi Airport Under Attack by Taliban

    KarachiA highly trained squad of Taliban attacked the Jinnah International Airport, in Karachi, Pakistan, shortly before midnight on June 8.

    Wearing Airport Security Force uniforms, running shoes and large backpacks stuffed with water, dried fruits and heavy ammunition, a group of 10 insurgents arrived at the airport’s cargo terminal in two mini vans. They then started firing, entered the airport and split into two groups. One of them attacked the airport’s ‘Fokker’ gate as a diversion while the other assaulted the cargo terminal.

    According to the authorities, the insurgents intended to reach the nearby passenger terminal, which at the time, was packed with hundreds of passengers and staff members. However, security forces, including paramilitary rangers, put up a strong resistance and did not let the attackers achieve their target.

    The intense gun battle lasted more than five hours. Security forces killed 7 attackers. Three others died after they detonated the suicide-bomb belts they were wearing.

    Authorities confirmed that in addition to the insurgents, at least 18 people, including airport security forces personnel and other airport employees, were killed in the incident. No passengers were harmed. All flights were diverted to other airports.

    Claiming responsibility for the attack, the Taliban said it was a response to the recent air strikes in their area near Pak-Afghan border. Their motive was to hijack a passenger aircraft. A Taliban spokesman, Shahidullah Shahid, said, “The main goal of this attack was to damage the government … by hijacking planes and destroying state installations…This was just an example of what we are capable of, and there is more to come. The government should be ready for even worse attacks.”

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    Vintage Airplane Crashed in Minnesota

    A vintage plane veered off the runway into a deep drainage ditch during landing at the Rush City Airport in east-central Minnesota.

    The incident happened during the Rush City Fly-in on the morning of June 8.

    The pilot from Amery, Wisconsin, was uninjured.

    The 1936 Tailor J2 aircraft sustained damage at the front end, including a broken propeller and broken landing gear.

    The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the cause of crash.

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    Air Nelson Flight Averts Emergency Landing at Christchurch

    Air NelsonA plane landed safely in Christchurch, New Zealand, after emergency landing protocol was deployed at the airport.

    The plane, belonging to Air Nelson, a subsidiary of Air New Zealand, was on its way from Invercargill and Christchurch when the pilot discovered a potential problem with landing gear. He then alerted the authorities at Christchurch Airport that the plane may have to make an emergency landing.

    However, the plane landed safely and no emergency assistance was required.

    A spokesperson of Air New Zealand confirmed the incident and said, “Air Nelson flight NZ8078, operating between Invercargill and Christchurch with 48 passengers on board, landed without incident this morning after a cockpit warning indicator suggested a possible landing gear issue on approach to Christchurch.”

    The aircraft is currently being examined.

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    Delta Flight 6077 Makes Emergency Landing at JFK

    DeltaDelta Airlines flight 6077, which took off from Port Columbus International Airport, Ohio at 5:35 p.m., had to make an emergency landing at JFK Airport’s Runway 22L at 6:55p.m. on June 3.

    It was learned after landing that the shreds of the tire came off during the take-off. The pilot, not being sure of what happened, decided to make an emergency landing.

    The Embraer ERJ 145 aircraft, being operated by Chautauqua Airlines, had 47 people on board.

    The plane was inspected by the Port Authority Police Aircraft Fire Rescue Unit, who discovered the damage.

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    ORNGE Chopper’s Door Blows Open Midair in Haliburton, Canada

    ORNGEA door of an ORNGE helicopter, an air ambulance, blew open midair near Haliburton, Canada, at 8:15 p.m. on May 31.

    The main cargo door flew open just 300 metres over Balsam Lake and cargo of the chopper fell into the lake.

    The incident happened when the chopper was going from Toronto to Haliburton to pick up a patient from a local hospital. All aboard remained safe.

    Transport Canada has been informed of the incident and ORNGE is investigating it. “(ORNGE) will take whatever steps necessary to minimize the chance of this happening again,” ORNGE spokesman James MacDonald said on June 3 while talking to media.

    MacDonald further said the pilots did a visual inspection after landing the chopper, “concluding that there had been no damage.” The chopper resumed its flight to pick up the patient from Haliburton, who was later flown to St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto.

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    Plane Makes Hard Landing in Benton County

    small planeA small plane made an emergency landing in a corn field near the intersection of Mt. Auburn Road and Main, Benton County, Iowa, at 4:10 p.m. on June 3.

    The pilot decided to make this hard landing after some mechanical problem started generating smoke in the plane.

    The Benton County Sheriff’s Office said that the pilot was the only person on-board and he was not injured.

    Benton County, Black Hawk County, and La Porte City Fire and Police responded to the call.

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    Compensation after Fifteen Years

    I know I’ve said before how cases take a long time. Sometimes they drag on in unexpected ways. Take for example the LAPA case. On August 31 1999 Líneas Aéreas Privadas Argentinas scheduled Flight 3142 (LV-WRZ) to fly Buenos Aires–Córdoba with a hundred and one persons aboard. The twenty-nine year old Boeing 737-204C failed to get in the air because the flight crew forgot to put the flaps in the appropriate position for flight. Instead of shooting into the air, the plane sped through the perimeter fence, across a street, struck a car and collided with a median and machinery on the road.

    The accident took sixty-five lives, two of them not even on the plane. Forty aboard were injured, seventeen of them seriously. NTSB records say there were 80 fatalities and 21 minor injuries.

    That’s what is widely known. What many do not know is that after the accident, nine families were given the wrong bodies. Those bodies were exhumed, checked, delivered to the correct families, and reburied at the cost of Argentina’s First Chamber of the House. The financial cost associated with all of this was covered. Not the emotional cost.

    Three of those families affected will be compensated 100 thousand dollars plus interest.

    In my heart of hearts, I do believe no amount of money can ever compensate for the wear and tear on the families due to the mix-up, even if at the time, the hasty mistake was well-meaning (or expedited due to politics.) Can you imagine what the families went through, seeing the resting places disturbed, then having to endure new funerals? It must have been like losing them more than once—refreshing the whole misery of loss a multiple of times. I cannot help but wonder about the families who were not compensated. I wonder if it has been so long that there is no one left to pay.

    This can be of no assurance to the families of Malaysia Airlines flight 370. It is further proof that aviation crash cases do take a long time. Tragedy is tragedy. There is no best case scenario in a tragedy.

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    US C-12 Aircraft Makes Emergency Landing at Fukushima Airport

    A U.S. C-12 logistics support aircraft, en route from Naval Air Facility Atsugi in Tokyo to Naval Air Facility in Misawa, northern Japan, had to make an emergency landing at the Fukushima Airport.

    The decision for emergency landing was made after the crew noticed smoke in the cockpit. The plane made uneventful emergency landing at about 7pm on May 22.

    According to Daniel Sanford, Senior chief Misawa public affairs, “They did some emergency procedures and the smoke dissipated, but they asked to make a precautionary landing.” He also confirmed that none of the 6 people on-board were injured.

    The aircraft is being examined by the Misawa maintenance personnel.

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    Singapore Airlines Airbus Veers off the Runway in Myanmar

    Singapore airlinesAn Airbus A330 plane registered to Singapore Airlines slipped off the runway while it was landing on Yangon International Airport, Myanmar.

    The incident happened at about 9:20am on May 21 when the flight SQ998, carrying 265 people was making a landing attempt during heavy rain in Yangon. None of the passengers or crew members were hurt.

    The plane was later steered back and towed to the gate. The airline sent another plane to Yangon for the return flight.