What: Mesa Airlines Canadair CRJ-700 en route from Portland to Chicago Where: South Bend When: July 22 2011 Who: 57 passengers Why: Some time after taking off from Portland, the flight developed hydraulic issues. The pilots diverted to South bend, and made a safe landing.
Passengers were provided transport to Chicago via bus.
What: Kingfisher en route from Colombo Where: Chennai When: July 19, 2011 Who: 132 passengers, 6 crew Why: While en route, the plane ran out of gas. The pilot was supposed to circle the airport but that was not possible.
The pilot explained his situation and ATC gave him permission to land although the runway was closed for maintenance work. Mintainers were informed of the landing and cleared the runway.
What: DAVCRON PTY LTD Bell 206 Where: South Turramurra, Sydney Australia When: July 22, 2011 Who: 2 fatalities Why: While on a routine flight from Rosehill to the owner’s hanger in Wyee, the bell chopper crashed north of Sydney while flying in a heavy downpour. The wreckage was spread in a hundred meter area at the foot of a cliff in Lane Cove National Park. The pilot and passenger were confirmed dead. Emergency services could only reach by rappelling down. Recovery has been postponed till the weekend because of continued bad weather.
Witnesses say they may have seen something fly off the back of the helicopter and one witness said the helicopter was upside down when it fell. Descriptions of the troubled helicopter included “clattering” and “explosion.”
Initially the victims of the crash were not known, but their names have been released. The bodies of pilot Colin Greenwood, 35 and 85 year old Businessman Bruce Campbell were found in the wreckage.
Officials say the pilot had filed a flight plan although it was not required.
Campbell founded Davcron Engineering Pty Ltd and owned the chopper which regularly on Fridays flew him to his semi-rural home. Campbell has three sons and is a grandfather of five.
What: TAM Linhas Aereas Airbus A330-200 en route from Orlando,FL to Sao Paulo Brazil Where: Miami When: July 19th 2011 Why: While en route, the odor of smoke was detected.
The crew diverted the flight to Miami where they made a safe landing less than half an hour after smoke was detected.
Seven hours later, hopefully after a good inspection, the flight continued to Sao Paulo.
What: 1946 Piper J3C-65 Cub Where: Waterford Township When: July 19, 2011 7:10 p.m. Who: pilot Why: The pilot was attempting to make a lake landing with the single engine seaplane when he hit trees near Ideal Terrace and crashed in a field near Williams Lake. The pilot managed to avoid houses in the area, but was injured in the crash with severe injuries to his neck and cuts on his legs.
What: Thai military Black Hawk chopper Where: Myanmar border When: July 18, 2011 Who: 9 aboard Why: The chopper was on a search and rescue mission looking for 5 bodies in Saturday’s chopper crash in Krachan National park.
Those aboard the chopper were On board were Major General Tawan Ruangsri, the 9th Infantry Division chief and commander of the Surasee Task Force, Major Prapan Jiamsoongnoen, the 1st pilot, Major Chuphan Polwan, the 2nd pilot, Sargent Major Somkid Wongtoksaeng, the senior flight mechanic, Sargent Aram Wongsing, the second mechanic, Captain Jate Sudchai, Captain Chakraphan Bamrungphuet, Lance Corporal Itthisak Hinasuthi, and Sornwichai Kongtannukul, a TV Channel 5 cameraman.
While the chopper was en route, weather turned bad, and two of the three choppers on the mission returned to base. The third chopper was reported missing. Radio contact was lost at 11:55 a m.
What: Ural Airlines Airbus A320-200 en route from Bourgas to Ekaterinburg Where: Ekaterinburg When: Jul 19. 2011 0:20 Moscow time Who: 119 passengers Why: While en route from Bourgas to Ekaterinburg, the plane developed a hydraulic problem. (Specific details about the hydraulic problem have not been released.)
The flight continued to Koltsovo Airport in the Urals where it made a safe landing.
What: Air Transat Airbus A330-300 en route from Toronto to Dublin Where: Toronto When: Jul 15th 2011 Who: 314 passengers Why: During takeoff, a tire was damaged. The tire caused damage to several parts of the plane, which initially had been attributed to a bird strike. Tire debris (tread) was found on the runway.
The flight continued to Dublin, where the plane made a safe landing on a tire which had lost tread. On inspection, it was found that a wing panel and a landing gear door needed repair, having been damaged on takeoff by tread.
A replacement flight was sent to Dublin to make the return flight.
What: Tarom Romanian Air Transport Avion de Transport Regional ATR-42-500 en route from Hungary to Romania Where: Budapest When: June 17, 2011 Who: 34 passengers and 4 crew * corrected Why: After taking off from Budapest, the right engine made abrasive noises, and began smoking. The engines power turbine failed followed by the gearbox. The plane was stopped on taxiway. * corrected
The pilot shut down the engine, and returned to the airport where they made a safe landing. The plane was shut down on the taxiway.
What: Tom Air Evektor EV-97 Eurostar Where: Osek, Czech Republic When: July , 2011 Who: 2 fatalities Why: The Tomair flight school flight was en route when it crashed in fields near Osek village. A student pilot and teacher died on impact.
The wreckage was spotted by chopper hidden in shrubs between two fields.
What: Qantas Boeing 747-400 en route from Johannesburg South Africa to Sydney Where: Johannesburg When: Jul 15th 2011 Why: While en route, the plane developed engine problems with engine 3. Passengers reported hearing a bang before the captain announced returning to Johannesburg.
The pilot dumped fuel and returned to Johannesburg, where he made a safe landing. A replacement flight was provided, delaying the flight by a day.
What: Jetblue Airbus A320-200 en route from Boston to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic Where: Bermuda When: Jul 13th 2011 Who: 129 passengers Why: While en route NW of Bermuda, the plane indicated smoke in the electronic bay, and did a flyby for emergency services to view the right side of the plane. There was no visible smoke.
The pilot diverted to Bermuda and made a safe landing. The plane underwent an inspection prior to leaving for Punta Cana.
Click to see video
Southwest just reported that El Paso-Phoenix jet that landed at 9:30 p.m. in Phoenix with one engine did so because of an engine exhaust problem. Good for them for catching it.
This was certainly less of an issue that the April 1 2011 surprise, the fuselage rupture in the roof of the Southwest Phoenex-Sacramento flight. That fifteen year old plane lost pressure (kind of a given, one would think, with a huge hole in the roof) and had to make an emergency landing in Yuma, 150 miles southwest of Phoenix. There were no injuries except to Southwest’s reputation.
On April 4, the FAA sent out a letter mandating operators of specific early Boeing 737 models to conduct initial and repetitive electromagnetic inspections for fatigue damage.
The NTSB is investigating. And all of the onus is not on Southwest–it’s also on Boeing, as they examine that
Southwest is a busy airline operator. The stats of take offs and landing every 24 hours must be staggering. Their 737s are renowned workhorses that don’t tire, but they have to be taking a beating.
Let’s not wait for something terrible to happen. Let’s double on maintenance. Let’s do the footwork to prevent another metal fatigue occurrence to happen again, busting a hole in the fuselage at 36,000 feet.
What: Air India Boeing 777-300 en route from Delhi to New York JFK,NY Where: Delhi When: Jul 17th 201 Why: After takeoff from Delhi, the right engine developed problems. The pilot returned to Delhi and made a safe landing.
Passengers disembarked, and were provided a different plane and crew twelve hours later.
What: Thomas Cook Boeing 757 en route from Glasgow to Heraklion Where: Frankfurt Who: not available Why: The flight was en route over Holland when one of the planes engines developed engine failure. The pilot shut down engine two and diverted to Frankfort, where they made a safe landing. Emergency services were on standby when the plane landed.
Passengers were provided accommodations and flew out the next day, although there was no Thomas Cook affiliate there, and they were not kept informed of their situation.
What: Aer Lingus/Aer Arann Avion de Transport Regional ATR-72-200 en route from Manchester to Shannon Where: Shannon When: Jul 17th 2011 Who: 21 passengers, 4 crew Why: The pilot made a safe landing in turbulence but the front wheel collapsed (on landing or during taxi). The plane veered on to the grass.
Passengers had to disembark on to the runway via stairs and were ported to the gate.
What: Cessna C-210 Where: Airport Road near Pastoral Center St. Charles Borromeo, Romeoville, near Lewis University Airport When: June 26, 2011, 2:49 p.m. Who: Pilot Victor Pantaleo and passenger Why: After experiencing engine problems on taking off from the Brookeridge Airpark in Downers Grove, the pilot was attempting to return to the airport, when the plane struck trees before impacting the ground front of St. Charles Barromeo Pastoral Center in Romeoville. The plane took down powerlines when it crashed.
The passenger was half ejected from the plane, and rescuers had to disengage him but he survived. Pantaleo was airlifted to Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove and was pronounced dead.
Firefighters from the Lockport Township Fire Department responded to the crash.
The NTSB is investigating.
The mass for Panatelo was held at at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church.
What: Aires Boeing 737-700 en route from Bogota to San Andrés Island Colombia Where: Gustavo Rojas Pinilla International Airport on the Colombian island of San Andres When: August 15 2010, 2:15 a.m. Who: 131 aboard, 6 crew, 4 minors, 121 adult passengers Why: Prior to touchdown, the plane was struck by lightning (11 strikes recorded within 6 miles of the runway within a five-minute span of the crash)
According to Colombian media sources, Colombian aviation inspectors blame the pilot for not “adjusting” to flying in the high wind due to flying in too low an altitude.
The plane crashed and broke into three pieces. 115 were injured and one died; Maria Camila Angarita was a second casualty when she died in the hospital.
What: Royal Thai Army Aviation Bell UH-1H Huey Where: between Phetchaburi and Ratchaburi, Thailand When: July 16 2011 Who: 5 fatalities Why: A chopper on a mission (air ambulance flight) to rescue civilians trapped in Kaeng Krachan National Park crashed, killing 5 army officers aboard. Visibility was poor, with heavy rain and thick fog.
The chopper had taken off from Thap Phraya Sua Camp in Ratchaburi’s Suan Phung district.
The soldiers lost in that crash were Maj. Kitisak Chin-iam (First pilot), Lt. Pratya Nualsri (Second Pilot), Maj. Kitiphum Ekkaphan (Deputy Commander of the 2nd Infantry Battalion of the 9th Infantry Regiment), Sgt. Maj. Rangsan Polsaibua and Sgt. Maj. Narongdet Pongnumkul (both Flight Mechanics).
The crash occurred between Phetchaburi and Ratchaburi in the jungle. Retrieval has been hampered by continued bad weather, but four helicopters have participated in recovery, as well as forest rangers and border patrol.
Condition and status of the stranded civilians has not been released but they appear not to have been aboard the chopper at the time of the crash.
What: Continentavia Tupolev TU-154 en route from Barnaul to Norilsk, Russia Where: Abakan When: Jul 16th 2011 Who: 56 passengers, 7 crew (also reported as 46 passengers) Why: The Continentavia TU-154 developed engine vibration and diverted to Abakan.
The pilot shut down engine number two and made a safe landing in Abakan. The flight took 40 minutes on two engines.
What: Turkish Air Force Cessna T-37C Tweet Where: Aegean Sea off the coast of Güzelbahçe, Turkey When: July 14, 2011, noon Who: 2 aboard Why: The Turkish Airforce flight fell into the Aegean Sea, killing both the pilot and passenger. The Cessna is normally used for training. The flight took off from the Jet Base Flight Training Center but it has not been released if this was a training exercise. The pilot and passenger have not yet been recovered.
What: Saudi Arabian Airlines Airbus A330-300 en route from Jeddah to Paris Where: Athens When: Jul 14 2011 Who: 168 (?) 187 aboard Why: While en route, the Airbus experienced instrument failure. The pilot decided to divert to Greece.
The pilot made an visual (ILS?) approach to Athens airport, with its instruments inoperable.
The plane made a safe landing with no injuries reported. After maintenance went over the plane, it was back in the air within five or six hours.
On July 12, a Saudi Arabian Airlines Boeing 777 en route from Washington to Riad made an emergency landing in Athens due to instruments indicating a fire in the luggage compartment. (No fire was found.) according to Thailand News Agency.
What: Horizon Air de Havilland Dash 8-400 en route from Billings to Seattle Where: Billings When: Jul 8th 2011 Who: 1 injured Why: Encountering turbulence while en route, one flight attendant aboard the Horizon Air flight was injured. The pilot returned to Billings and made a safe landing.
What: Hewa Bora Airways Boeing 727-100 en route from Kinshana N’Djili to Kisangani (Democratic Republic of Congo) Where: Kisangani When: Jul 8th 2011 Who: 112 passengers and 6 crew Why: Attempting to land in heavy rain, limited visibility, thunderstorms in the area, the plane broke up on impact, and came to rest 984 feet from the runway. The plane struck a tree about 1000 meters short of runway 13.
53 survived the crash. Emergency services rescued 43. Two flight attendants were the only surviving crew.
85 died as a result of the crash. Prior to this posting, the number of reported dead grew from 46 to 68 to 85. *
The cause of the crash has been attributed to a mistake by a trainee air traffic controller but ATC service provider at Kisangani Airport, denies allegations of controller error.
Update: Hewa Bora’s license “has been suspended until further notice.”
The captain had a total experience of 7,000 hours with around 5,000 hours on the Boeing 727.
Survivors are in hospital care in various hospitals of Kisangani
What: Angara Airlines Antonov 24RV en route from Tomsk-Bogashevo Airport to Surgut Airport, Russia Where: near Strezhevoy, Russia When: July 11, 2011, 11:55 Who: 4 crew, 33 passengers, 6 fatalities Why: The plane took off from Tomsk at 10:10, and developed an engine fire around 11:48. The pilot attempted to divert to divert to Nizhnevartovsk Airport and had to make an emergency landing, crashing into the Ob river. The tail and port engine detached on impact.
Twenty passengers were hospitalized, and seven passengers died in the crash.