What: Protocole Aviation Douglas DC-8 freight flight from Pointe-Noire to Brazzaville
Where: Brazzaville
When: Sep 12th 2011
Who: 4 crew
Why: En route transporting food from Pointe-Noire to Brazzaville in the Congo, the flight landed hard. A tire burst on landing, resulting in the plane going off the runway.
The landing gear was damaged.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Dan Miclea
What: Virgin America Airbus en route from San Francisco to New York City
Where: Grand Junction Colorado
When: September 8, 2011, 2:00 a.m.
Who: 111 passengers and 6 crew
Why: While en route, the Virgin America flight experienced problems, described by one passenger as “the engine quit” and by another as “a giant flame from the engine.” While en route, passengers were awakened by a loud noise, and according to one passenger, flight attendants rushed to the cockpit.
Pilots shut the engine down and continued the flight. Individuals with military experience were asked to assist in case of emergency.
(We don’t usually get this much detail, but it is clear that the passengers were terrified. Pilots always say these huge jets with multiple engines are built to fly without one, in case of emergency; but personally I can relate more to the anxiety of the passengers than the confidence of pilots in their machines. Though one has to admit, knowing a pilot confident in his plane is flying is more comforting to a passenger than a pilot who is hysterical.)
Pilots explained the situation to the passengers. Forty minutes later landed safely in Grand Junction.
Passengers were provided hotel accommodation, $150 for another flight, and another flight was provided within ten hours. The incident is under investigation.
What: Nordavia Boeing 737 en route from Arkhangelsk to Antaliya
Where: Arkhangelsk
When: Sept 9 2011
Who: n/available
Why: After takeoff, the plane lost pressurization.
As the plane lost cabin pressure, the pilot turned back to Arkhangelsk and made a safe landing. No injuries were reported.
What: Air India plane en route from Guwahat to Kolkata
Where: NSCB International airport
When: Sept 9 2011
Who: 105 passengers
Why: On approach to the airport, the plane developed issues with the landing gear, and declared an emergency.
Rescue services were on standby as the pilot landed the plane. No injuries were reported.
One of the SA-227’s in the Aerocon fleet.
CP-2548 is missing. (CP-2527 is pictured )
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Robert Domandl
Minor Vidal, the sole survivor was found in the Amazon jungle. Minor said “I did not eat anything, nothing, just drank my urine when I was thirsty. The first night I slept on the plane and two nights in the jungle. I did not understand why the plane was flying so low. Then there was a heavy blow. I do not remember more. When I awoke, I saw the airplane game, could not move. I stayed in my seat, I was in the back of the plane. The next day [Wednesday], I went and did my blood with an arrow on a shirt to get me. They were all dead. I walked day and night to be found by the patrol.”
Colombian Oscar Valencia, the William Lara Ecuador and Bolivian indigenous leader Eddy Martinez died in the crash.
What: Aerocon Swearingen SA-227 Metroliner en route from Santa Cruz to Trinidad Bolivia
Where: Trinidad
When: Sep 6th 2011
Who: 7 passengers, 2 crew
Why: On final approach to Trinidad, the pilots lost contact with ATC.
The instrument approach to the airport requires overflying North and then turning back. (See the airport chart below.)
The last contact was reporting the flight was “in the procedure turn” but the flight did not land on the runway, and went missing in a mountainous area.
Rescuers reached the crash site in the afternoon of Sept 8 and confirmed that there were survivors.
The wreckage of the plane was located 30km north-east of the city of Trinidad, in the Amazon jungle province of Beni. Chacon reported on thursday that a helicopter crew had seen the plane “completely destroyed” in a difficult-to-reach jungle region.
Six bodies were recoverable immediately when the wreckage was found. Two bodies trapped in the wreckage required rescue teams and equipment.
What: PIA Pakistan International Airlines Airbus A310-300 en route from Lahore Pakistan to Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
Where: Kuala Lumpur
When: Sep 7th 2011
Who: 176 passengers
Why: While en route, Pakistan International Airlines received an email there was a bomb aboard the flight.
The plane landed safely in Kuala Lumpur. No bomb was found.
What: PIA Pakistan International Airlines Boeing 777-300 en route from Lahore (Pakistan) to Manchester,EN
Where: Istanbul
When: Sep 7th 2011
Who: 378 passengers
Why: While over the black sea, the airline received an email claiming bombs were planed on the flight. The pilots diverted to Istanbul, where the flight was inspected and no bomb was found.
After immediate evacuation, both planes underwent thorough examination.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Andrew Bowden
What: All Nippon Airways Boeing 737-700 en route from Okinawa to Tokyo Haneda
Where: Hamamatsu
When: Sep 6th 2011
Who: 2 crew injured
Why: While en route, the co-pilot accidentally activated the rudder trim switch instead of the door mechanism.
The plane descended 6000 feet and rolled, injuring a couple of flight attendants. The first officer—2400 hours— leveled off, and was able to admit the captain who was stuck outside the cockpit, waiting to get in.
The flight continued without incident.
If there is a problem, it comes out, eventually. My pilots tell me that after there is some kind of incident, we need to keep an eye on new incidents, reports, recalls, and especially advisories, directives and safety alerts. There can always be a relationship, no matter how obscure it seems at first glance.
You know how everyone has been looking at Air France Flight 447 with a new eye, ever since examination into the Air France Flight 471 on July 22 apparently fooled the autopilot into quitting with a swift descent. And Airbus investigators looked at this event twice because you have two the same plane types doing something similar?
Well, on the surface, this Nippon incident reminds me of Ethiopia Flight 409. It only reminds me because I saw a line drawing of the route of the plane as it spiraled out of control. It also was a 737.
I’m not calling the situation identical. Certainly if one of the pilots were locked out on a bathroom break—not that a pilot would do this on takeoff!—it would turn up on the voice recorder.
What if on Ethiopia Flight 409, someone had needed admission into the cabin?
It just makes me wonder if it is possible that the cabin crew accidentally activated the rudder trim switch. The Ethiopian Airlines plane had just taken off; it would not have been high enough to drop 6000 feet before recovery.
I know this thought is right out of the blue, and probably has no basis in anything but my wild imagination, but I am told by my pilots that although the switches are dissimilar, the door unlock switch is right next to the rudder trim. So, is it possible the trim switch could have been inappropriately engaged by accident on Flight 409?
Some airlines rectify this by requiring a third party to open the door if someone leaves the cockpit, but I have to wonder if this could be a design problem.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Senior
What: Tatarstan Air/ Yak Service Yakovlev Yak-42 en route from Yaroslavl Russia to Minsk Belarus
Where: Yaroslavl
When: Sep 7th 2011, 16:05
Who: 37 passengers (including the Lokomotiv Yaroslav Hockey Team) 8 crew
Why: The flight took off from Yaroslavl but failed to climb, and struck an antenna outside of the airport, then struck the ground. Tunoshna ATC and other witnesses saw the flight roll (list) left and impact the ground.
Five fire brigades and a group of psychologists are on the scene.
Visibility was above 50km and it was partly cloudy according to local radar.
The plane is broken in two, the fuselage in the Volga river and the tail of the plane on the bank, a thousand feet from the airport. Reports are that the plane hit an antenna and Russian media quoted a flight traffic controller saying that the pilot failed to gain adequate height on takeoff.
Two passengers, flight engineer and the Russian player Alexander Galimov have been hospitalized with severe burns to 90% of their bodies. A third (unnamed) individual also has been hospitalized. Currently all bodies have been recovered. 103 rescue personnel were on hand, and 44 machines, including TSEPP aircraft.
The team was heading to Minsk, the capital of Belarus, where it was to play Thursday against Dinamo Minsk.
The charter flight was operated by Yak-Service Airlines, a Tatarstan Air plane. According to Russian FAA press officer, the plane “went through cursory maintenance service before departure to Yaroslavl and fully complied with all safety standards. The plane was built in 1993 and was certified airworthy until October 1.”
There has been discussion whether RA-42433 or RA-42434 was involved.
* updated: 44 fatalities reported
The Russian Hotline: : 8 (495) 626-37-07
Manifest
Flight crew
Andrei Solomentsev — pilot
Igor Zhivelov — copilot
Nadezhda Maksumova — flight attendant
Vladimir Matyushin — flight engineer
Elena Sarmatova — flight attendant
Elena Shavina — flight attendant
Sergey Zhuravlev — mechanic
Alexander Sizov — flight engineer – survived[21]
Passengers
Defenceman Vitaly Anikeyenko, 24 (Ukraine)
Defenceman Mikhail Balandin, 31 (Russia)
Centre Gennady Churilov, 24 (Russia)
Centre Pavol Demitra, 36 (Slovakia)[12]
Defenceman Robert Dietrich, 25 (Germany)
Right winger Alexander Galimov, 26 (Russia) – survived[13] [14]
Defenceman Marat Kalimulin, 23 (Russia)
Right wing Alexander Kalyanin, 23 (Russia)
Right wing Andrei Kiryukhin, 24 (Russia)
Centre Nikita Klyukin, 21 (Russia)
Goaltender Stefan Liv, 30 (Sweden)[15]
Centre Jan Marek, 31 (Czech Republic)[15]
Left wing Sergei Ostapchuk, 21 (Belarus)
Defenceman Karel Rach?nek, 32 (Czech Republic)[15]
Defenseman Ruslan Salei, 36 (Belarus)[16]
Defenceman Maxim Shuvalov, 18 (Russia)
Defenceman K?rlis Skrasti?š, 37 (Latvia)[17]
Forward Pavel Snurnitsyn, 19 (Russia)
Centre Daniil Sobchenko, 20 (Ukraine)
Left wing Ivan Tkachenko, 31 (Russia)
Defender Pavel Trakhanov, 33 (Russia)
Defenceman Yuri Urychev, 20 (Russia)
Centre Josef Vaší?ek, 30 (Czech Republic)[15]
Left winger Alexander Vasyunov, 23 (Russia)[18]
Goaltender Alexander Vyukhin, 38 (Ukraine)
Left wing Artem Yarchuk, 21 (Russia)
Team staff
Head coach Brad McCrimmon, 52 (Canada)[19] (1989 Stanley Cup champion)
Assistant coach Alexander Karpovtsev, 41 (Russia)[20] (1994 Stanley Cup champion)
Assistant coach Igor Korolev, 41 (Russia)[20]
Yuri Bakhvalov, video operator
Aleksandr Belyayev, equipment manager/massage therapist
Nikolai Krivonosov, fitness coach
Yevgeni Kunnov, massage therapist
Vyacheslav Kuznetsov, massage therapist
Vladimir Piskunov, administrator
Yevgeni Sidorov, coach-analyst
Andrei Zimin, team doctor
The Russian Emergencies Ministry sent out the following letter (loosely translated)
Russian Emergencies Ministry Ministry of the Russian Federation for Civil Defense, Emergencies and Disaster Relief www.mchs.gov.ru
The collapse of the Yak-42 in the Yaroslavl region RE: the fall occurred 07.09.2011g 5.16 Yak-42 (to fire) in the locality Tunosha Yaroslavl region Yaroslavl region (2.5 km northwest of the airport Tunosha) follow the route of “Yaroslavl-Minsk”.
According to preliminary data, on board were 45 people, 37 passengers and 8 crew members. Emergency rescuers recovered the two male survivors. They were taken to the hospital. The accident attracted 103 people and 44 units of machinery, including the Russian Emergencies Ministry – 64 men and 17 units.
Psychologists Main Directorate of Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia in the Yaroslavl region, the group TSEPP Russian Emergencies Ministry sent aircraft, an additional leave of two psychologists from Moscow. Conducted on-site rescue activities. Water extracted from the body 26. Center for emergency psychological care Russian Emergencies Ministry opened a telephone hot the Emergencies Ministry of Russia:
8 (495) 626-37-07
The operator of the jet in question has been under scrutiny over failing to pass safety standards from Russian and European regulators.
One of the SA-227’s in the Aerocon fleet. CP-2548 is missing. (CP-2527 is pictured
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Robert Domandl
What: Aerocon Swearingen SA-227 Metroliner en route from Santa Cruz to Trinidad Bolivia
Where: Trinidad
When: Sep 6th 2011
Who: 7 passengers, 2 crew
Why: On final approach to Trinidad, the pilots lost contact with ATC.
The instrument approach to the airport requires overflying North and then turning back.
The last contact was reporting the flight was “in the procedure turn” but the flight did not land on the runway, and is currently considered to be missing in a mountainous area.
What: Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 en route from Dallas to Little Rock to Baltimore
Where: Little Rock Arkansas
When: Sept 7 2011,
Who: 103 aboard
Why: While en route, an overhead light fixture in the Flight 871 cockpit caught on fire.
The crew put out the fire and informed Little Rock Airport ATC to assemble emergency teams as they made an emergency landing in Little Rock.
The plane made a safe landing with no injuries.
An alternative flight was arranged for the next leg of flight to Baltimore.
What: Russian Mikoyan Mig-31 en route from Bolshoye Savinovo
Where: Perm, Russia
When: Sept 6, 2011
Who: pilot and copilot, 2 fatalities
Why: A Flight Data Recorder from the Russian MiG-31 Foxhound fighter jet which took off on a routine training flight and exploded in Perm, Russia, has been found. The flight took off and exploded while still in the air, landed and flipped over, on fire. The explosion is being blamed on an engine malfunction.
All all Mig-31s have been grounded.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Alberto U.
What: Sol Linaeas Aereas Saab 340A
Where: 20 km (12.5 mls) N of Prahuaniyeu, RN Argentina
When: May 18, 2011
Who: 3 crew, 19 passengers
Why: Was it wing icing, a failure of the inlet deicing system or pilot error which caused the May crash which killed 22 people? The plane was flown by pilots John Raffo and Adriano Bolatti.
The brother of John Raffo, Víctor Raffo cites his brother’s 2400 flight hours, and denies that the crash was the pilot and copilot’s fault. With that many hours under his belt, John knew how to fly, he knew the area, he knew about icing.
These are the questions which are nagging at experts who disagree over the causes. The investigation is ongoing, but there is disagreement.
The flight stalled and then lost control, and impacted the ground, apparently due to wing icing. Was the pilot’s flight plan at fault? Was there a lack of situational awareness among the crew? It is all speculation now, until facts are turned up the investigation.
The pilot’s decision to descend is also being questioned.
Some say the pilot’s decisions are moot, and that the plane was not in optimal flying condition to begin with, as it had failed two mandatory inspections.
Portions of the transcription of the pilot’s dialogue have been published, but we have not heard the actual audio. Desde la Asociación de Pilotos de Líneas Aéreas, a pilot association, is threatening action because of transcription inaccuracies, mistakes and misinterpretation. We apologize for any errors, as we can only repost the transcription, as we don’t have the audio.
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What: Air France Airbus A340-300 en route from Caracas Venezuela to Paris
Where: NW of Point A Pitre Guadeloupe
When: Jul 22nd 2011
Why: In an experience that is being compared to Air France Flight 447, in night/instrument conditions, the AF Airbus flew through turbulence (reported by pilots, not on METAR) at 35,000 feet, accelerated (to 0.66 mach), and autopilot quit. Pitch attitude increased to 11 degrees and decelerated. Turbulence reduced, and pilots were able to level off and return the flight to normal parameters.
Hopefully the events of this flight will inform us of what is going on in the Airbus at high altitude
Pilots blame the equipment. The BEA blames the pilots. Air France blames the instruments.
When the dust settles and the finger-pointing stops, we want those involved to stop blaming, and start taking responsibility.
What: Cessna 210
Where: Blackburn Canyon, Tehachapi, California
When: Sept 4, 2011
Who: 2 aboard, 2 fatalities
Why: A Cessna that crashed in Blackburn Canyon, Tehachapi, California killed both people aboard the flight and ignited a fire that caused the evacuation of hundreds of homes south of Bakersfield. Two were confirmed dead in the crash, and it has not (yet) been confirmed if there were more than 2 aboard.
As of Monday, the number of evacuations had grown from 100 to 650 to about 1,500 homes homes. The threatened area was the mountains around the crash and a seven square mile burn area, all threatened by a raging forest fire. Firefighters concentrated on creating a fire-break.
A DC-10 water tanker has been part of the firefighting team, including 600 firefighters and more than a dozen aircraft.
Tehachapi, with a population of 8,000, has some renown as an area with wind farms. Smaller fires spread to San Bernardino National Forest and rural areas of San Bernardino County.
The fire has been 95% contained.
raw video
Early news report
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Peter Tsagaris
What: Trans States Airlines Embraer ERJ-145/United Airlines en route from Chicago to Ottawa
Where: Ottawa International Airport
When: Sep. 04 2011
Who: 44 passengers, 3 crew
Why: On landing in Ottawa, the plane slid, and veered off the side of the runway, with collapsed main gear struts.
On Apr 28th 2011, an Embraer ERJ-145 landed in Moscow with collapsed main gear.
Last year, another plane with the same airline also skidded off the runway into soft ground.
Sunday’s passengers describe coming down from a dark cloud to land in rain.
The landing is under investigation.
I do not know if this runway is incorrectly graded for drainage, or if the ERJ-145 has a special problem with main gear struts or struts in hard landings.
I do know I fly 100,000 miles on United in order to keep my status as a 1K member.
I do not know if the maintenance of the aircraft is as terrible as the typical maintenance of United plane interiors. If so, then we have huge problems. The refurbished planes of two years ago already look worn out. The galleys are grimy looking the toilets are terrible.
I could say bad things about the food, the lav hot water is not hot enough to meet standards required by most states for food workers, (where I have never seen Waterless Hand Sanitizers and for sure, NEVER have seen a food preparer or server wear gloves.)
Is United maintenance absolutely out of control? Maybe this stretches to other airlines, economizing on staff and maintenance due to the times.
I fly Delta, American, Virgin, they have some of the same issues, but, I see these problems in the United flights, no matter which direction I am headed.
Who knows yet if this incident is runway or plane, pilot training or just an old plane that needs better maintenance. But whatever truths the investigation reveals, the fact remains that no one steps up to the plate until something bad happens.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Shahram Sharifi
What: Mahan Airbus A300-600 en route from Tehran to Mashad
Where: Mashad
When: Sep 4th 2011
Who: 230 passengers
Why: The hard landing of Mahan flight W5-613 blew out the nose wheel tires, causing the flight to skid off the runway on collapsed nose gear.
Slides were used to evacuate the flight, injuring eleven in the process, all of whom initially went to the hospital. Three were retained with serious injuries.
Expediency Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaii was among the injured.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Rutvij Talavdekar
What: Turkish Airlines Airbus A340-300 en route from Istanbul Turkey to Mumbai India
Where: Mumbai
When: Sep 2nd 2011
Who: 93 passengers and 11 crew
Why: After a fast landing in Mumbai on a slippery runway, the plane skidded off the runway onto mud, where it still sits.
Passengers were provided an alternative flight. Photos of the jet on the runway show emergency slides. No injuries were published. The incident is under investigation.
VABB 012310Z 19005KT 1200 R27/1400 RA FEW012 SCT015 FEW030CB BKN090 25/25 Q0999 TEMPO 0800 +SHRA
VABB 012210Z 19005KT 2100 HZ FEW012 SCT015 FEW030CB BKN090 26/26 Q0998 TEMPO 1500 SHRA
What: Batavia Boeing 737-300 en route from Jakarta to Malang
Where: Malang Indonesia
When: Sep 2nd 2011
Who: 146 aboard
Why: On landing, a tire blew out.
No injuries were reported
What: Grupo 10, Fuerza Aerea de Chile CASA 212 Aviocar en route from Santiago to isla Juan Fernandez
Where: near the Juan Fernandez islands
When: Sept 2, 2011 4:58 p.m.
Who: 21 aboard, 21 fatalities
Why: The Chilean air force plane on a relief flight attempted to land, but the landing was aborted twice as pilots fought hard winds. On the third attempt, the flight disappeared from radar, as witnesses saw it veer left.
The plane went down off the coast of the island. Four hours after takeoff, the flight lost contact with ATC.
No survivors have been found but some wreckage has been recovered.
This was TVN’s second flight in support of the Desafío Levantamos Chile (rebuilding project.)
Television personality 44 year old Felipe Camiroaga was aboard the plane to document reconstruction of Juan Fernandez island after the Feb. 27 magnitude-8.8 earthquake and tsunami. Business man Felipe Cubillos (brother-in-law of the defense minister ) was also aboard the plane.
Rescue teams found an intact door and several knapsacks in the water about 2,000 meters yards from the airport.
Those aboard the plane were:
Televisión Nacional de Chile: Felipe Camiroaga, Roberto Bruce, Sylvia Slier, Carolina Gatica y Rodrigo Cabezón.
From Desafío Levantemos Chile: Felipe Cubillos, Sebastian Correa, Joel Lizama, Catalina Vela Montero, Jorge Palma y Joaquín Arnold.
Consejo de Cultura: Galia Carolina Díaz Riffo y Romina Isabel Irarrázabal Faggiani.
Chilean air force: group commander from the Department of Communications, Rodrigo Fernández, and department journalist, José Cifuentes.
From the crew: Hero 26-year-old pilot Carolina Fernández Flavio Olivo, Juan Pablo Mallea, first sergeant Eduardo Jones, Eduardo Estrada and Erwin Núñez.
A navy frigate and a Hercules C-130 are among the search and rescue vehicles.
What: Atlantic/Southwest Airlines Bombardier CRJ-200 en route from Atlanta to Baton Rouge
Where: Baton Rouge Metro Airport
When: September 1 2011, 4:35 pm
Who: 50 passengers, 3 crew
Why: Outside of Baton Rouge, the crew notified ATC of problems with the left wheel assembly, and circled over Baton Rouge. Fifteen minutes from the airport, the crew announced the emergency to passengers.
Passengers were warned to exit immediately on landing.
The pilot made an emergency landing in Baton Rouge with emergency services from metro Baton Rouge and Airport on standby.
On touchdown, the left wing collapsed. Passengers exited promptly as the plane filled up with smoke. Airport spokesman Jim Caldwell said that there were no injuries.
This was not the first problem the passengers encountered. They had boarded this plane in Atlanta after leaving another plane that encountered mechanical problems.
What: Ryanair Boeing 737-800 en route from Poznan (Poland) to Madrid,SP (Spain)
Where: Frankfurt
When: Aug 30th 201
Why: While en route, the flight developed cabin pressure problems. The crew diverted to Frankfurt Germany where they made a safe landing.
Passengers were provided an alternative flight.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Jens Breuer
What: Jetblue Embraer ERJ-190 en route from Fort Lauderdale to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Where: Fort Lauderdale
When: Aug 29th 2011
Why: After takeoff, the plane lost cabin pressure.
Although they did not declare emergency, the crew did alert ATC, and descended to a safe altitude before returning to the Fort Lauderdale airport.
Passengers were provided an alternative flight with an alternative jet flown in.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Paul Spijkers
What: PIA Pakistan International Airlines Boeing 747-300 en route from Jeddah Saudi Arabia to Lahore Pakistan
Where: Lahore Pakistan
When: Aug 30th 2011
Who: 5 injured
Why: On approach to Lahore, the flight encountered turbulence.
Five passengers were injured during the turbulence. The flight made a normal (safe) landing. Published reports say the five injured passengers were not transported to the hospital, and that they were transported to the hospital.
Pia spokesmen say the injured ignored the seat belt instructions. (We believe this.)
The report that said there were 50 injured said they refused medical treatment.
Some received treatment at the airport.
The report that said there were 5 injured said they went to the hospital.
What: Gulf Air Airbus A320-200 en route from Bahrain to Kochi, India
Where: Kochi
When: Aug 28th 2011, 3.55 am
Who: 137 passengers and 6 crew, 8 injuries
Why: On landing in gusty wind and severe rain at Cochin International Airport, the plane skidded to the right and slid ten meters from the pavement into mud. The nose was damaged, and according to some reports, interfered with the operation of the slides; some slides were brought to the plane. Those who were injured were the ones who jumped. Said Muhamad, 47, sustained a fractured right ankle, left rib and left elbow and is recovering at Little Flower Hospital.
One report says flight 270 hit an air pocket and overshot (or landed too far down) the runway. It may have been simple turbulence.The approach appears to have been too fast on the slick runway. No mention has been made of the runway surface, or if the runway had been resurfaced.
According to Said Muhamad, the flight crew apparently did not adequately direct passengers, or explain what was going on, which may be why he did not wait for slides, and just jumped off the plane.
The Metars:
VOCI 282300Z 00000KT 4000 HZ FEW005 SCT015 OVC080 26/24 Q1008 NOSIG
VOCI 282130Z 29005KT 3000 HZ SCT010 SCT080 26/24 Q1008 NOSIG
Passengers disembarked quickly after it appeared (to them) that the pilot had lost control. Evacuation occurred promptly, after “Mayday!” “Evacuation!” was shouted in the plane’s cabin.
Reports conflict as to the success of the emergency slides which did not apparently deploy perfectly, and some people jumped from the plane. There were 8 injured, one with extreme fractures.
Evacuation was reported to be in more than twenty seconds. (though I interpret that to mean that the evacuation began within twenty seconds of landing—one can hardly picture 137 passengers and six crew members making it out of a disabled plane within twenty seconds.)
The interior of the plane smelled like some kind of fumes, and the pilot was described as being in shock.
Although the English video says otherwise, the flight originated In Bahrain, and landed in Kochi.
What: Air Methods Corp Eurocopter AS-350 en route from a hospital in St. Joseph, MO
Where: a field a mile north of Midwest National Air Center. Missouri
When: April 26, 2011, 7 pm
Who: 3 crew and one patient
Why: The St. Joseph Missouri medical chopper was on the way to Liberty Kansas about to refuel at Midwest National Air Center in Mosby when it went down in a Clay County field. There is no indication what went wrong that caused the crash and skies were reported to be clear. The wreckage is reported to be mangled. According to the video below the wreck might have been a failed landing, hitting the skids, then flipping.
There were no survivors. The crew lost in the crash were Randy Bever, Flight Nurse, 47, of Savannah, Mo., Chris Frakes, Flight Paramedic, 36, of Savannah, Mo. and James Freudenberg, Pilot, 34, of Rapid City, Sd.
The name of the 58-year-old female passenger has not yet been released.
The helicopter was certified in 2005, good until 2013. Key Equipment Finance Inc. out of Boulder, CO.holds the lien and it was being operated by LifeNet, a subsidiary of Air Methods Inc. of Englewood, CO.
The NTSB is investigating.
