Cause

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    Mangalore: Two Pilot Tales, Which is true?

    There are two accounts of the Pilot Alexander Glusicia’s situation prior to the Mangalore-Dubai-Mangalore flight. We wonder which of these versions is true.

    1. Alexander (Zlatko) Glusica was initially not rostered by Air India to fly on the day of the crash— not scheduled to fly till May 23.. His schedule had last minute changes, when Glusica was asked to fly though he was fatigued, having just returned from a Serbian vacation.

    2. Capt Glusica had landed in Mangalore two days in advance, and was plenty rested prior to flying.
    Officials claim the family had opportunity to appear before the Court of Inquiry but they never came.

    PILOT NOT ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED TO FLY

    What: Air India Express Boeing 737-800 en route from Dubai to Mangalore
    Where: Mangalore airport
    When: 6:00 a.m May 22 2010
    Who: Passengers include 23 children, 6 crew, 158 fatalities and 8 survivors

    First report

    Remember Flight 812

    Read More

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    Lufthansa and Egyptair Close Call


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Khor

    What: Lufthansa Airbus A340-600 en from New York to Munich


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Howard Pain

    What: Egyptair Boeing 777-300 en route from New York Cairo
    Where: JFK’s runway 22R
    When: Jun 20th 2011

    Why: The Lufthansa Airbus was next and at high speed when ATC cancelled their clearance. Lufthansa subsequently rejected takeoff and slowed. Takeoff was delayed for about two hours, until after brakes were checked.

    Simultaneously, the Egyptair Boeing was taxiing for departure and holding, but missed their turn and accidentally turned on to runway 22. The Egyptair flight vacated the runway as directed. The flight took off 75 minutes later.

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    Lufthansa having a bad day

    What: Lufthansa Airbus A330-300 en route from Frankfurt/Main to Seattle,WA
    Where: Calgary
    When: Jun 18th 2011
    Who: 197 aboard
    Why: Over Greenland, the Airbus A330-300 developed APU and generator failure. On board electrics failed (right hand generator (engine Trent 772), affecting reading lights, cabin and lav lighting. The crew initially was going to divert to Edmonton, but diverted to Calgary when there was a medical emergency.

    The flight made a safe landing.

    And about fifteen minutes later…
    What: Lufthansa Airbus A340-300, registration D-AIGX performing flight LH-494 from Frankfurt/Main (Germany) to Calgary,AB
    Where: Calgary
    When: June 18, 2011
    Who: 213 aboard
    Why: The Lufthansa flight made an emergency landing with rescue services on standby when they developed a hydraulic problem while approaching Calgary.

    The plane made a normal landing.

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    Emergency landing on Midway Atoll

    What: Delta Airlines Boeing 747-400 en route from Honolulu to Osaka
    Where: 300 nm southeast of Sand Island/Midway Atoll
    When: June 17, 2011
    Who: 359 passengers, 19 crew
    Why: While en route, a windshield cracked. Although they did not lose cabin pressure, the crew decided they had to land while it was daylight. The plane had two birdstrikes and had flap damage also.

    The pilots made a safe landing on a 7,900 foot runway on the atoll, Sand Island’s Henderson Field.

    Passengers waited on board until a replacement jet was provided within 16 hours. The replacement 747 jet left at 5:00 am before the “sea birds woke up.”

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    Emergency Landing in Caracas

    What: Delta Airlines Boeing 757-200 en route from Atlanta,GA to Brasilia
    Where: Caracas
    When: Jun 19th 2011
    Who: 119 aboard
    Why: En route near Caracas, the plane developed an issue with the right hand engine.
    The crew diverted to Caracas where they made a safe landing.

    A replacement jet was provided within 20 hours.

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    Turbulence Over Burlington Injures Jetblue Flight Attendants


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Alejandro Torres

    What: Jetblue Airbus A320-200 en route from New York to Burlington,VT
    Where: Burlington
    When: Feb 19th 2011
    Who: 2 injured
    Why: On approach to Burlington, the plane encountered severe turbulence, which injured two flight attendants. The pilot continued, to make a safe landing in Burlington. Both attendants were hospitalized, one with bruises, and one with broken ribs.

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    Delta from Atlanta-Emergency Exit after Engine FIre


    Lare photo
    Contact the photographer John E. Jauchler

    What: Delta Airlines Boeing 757-200 en route from Atlanta to Los Angeles
    Where: Atlanta
    When: Jun 21st 2011
    Who: 174 passengers
    Why: Taking off out of Atlanta, the left hand engine indicated fire.

    The engine was shut down, and pilots made a landing back in Atlanta, ten minutes after takeoff. Passengers exited via emergency slides, resulting in three injuries.

    External examination of the engine reveals charring, and results of a fire inside the cowl.

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    Russian Rusline/RusAir Tupolev Crash Kills 44, 8 Gravely Injured Survive


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Alexey Litvinov

    What: Rusline/Rusair Tupolev TU-134A en route from Moscow to Petrozavodsk
    Where: outskirts of the Besovets village, Petrozavodsk, Russia
    When: Jun 20 2011 at 11:40 pm
    Who: 43 passengers and 9 crew
    Why: On approach to the airport, the plane struck the ground about 2600 feet shy of runway 2. On impact, the plane burst into flame, and skidded into the gardens of a residential area, although missing residences.

    Eight passengers were retrieved alive from the wreckage, in conditions ranging from severe (6) medium severe (1), critical grave (1). 44 were killed. The injured were ported to Moscow via IL-76 with a full medical team aboard (15 doctors, 5 psychologists.) One crew member survived, Julia Skvortsova, an attendant, is struggling for survival.

    The fire was under control by 1 a m on June 21. The investigation has just begun, and is cautioning the local papers not to jump the gun assuming runway lighting failure.

    Metars: ULPB 201949Z 10002MPS 2100 RA BR OVC004 15 Q0993 TEMPO 1500 RMK QBB120 QFE741/0988 SC0, 6
    ULPB 201900Z 15001MPS 3000 BR OVC005 15/14 Q0994 NOSIG RMK QBB170 QFE741/0989 SC0.6

    The RusAir site expresses condolences to all who lost loved ones in the tragedy. The local family hotline numbers are:

    8 (495) 626 37 07 ?oskva
    8 (814) 256 16 34 ?etrozavodsk

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    India’s BJP Chief’s Chartered Chopper Crashes

    What: SAR Aviation Bell 407 helicopter en route from Dehradun, Uttarakhand, to Sahastradhara India
    Where: Ladpur Jungle near Raipur, India
    When: June 19, 2011
    Who: 2 aboard, 0 fatalities
    Why: One of the choppers hired for porting Bharatiya Janata Party chief Nitin Gadkari and his family to Sahastradhara crashed, injuring a pilot and an engineer.

    The weather was clear at the time of the crash, and a technical problem is presumed. Two of the three choppers in the party landed safely. The BJP chief and family were not aboard the Bell helicopter at the time of the crash.

    The chopper broke in to pieces on impact and just missed Vigyan Vihar, a residential area. There were no casualties on the ground.

    SAR is Swajas Aviation Company based in Chennai.

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    Unglued Hallucinating Terrorist LIkely Heading for Siberia


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Svido Stanislav

    What: Gazpromavia Boeing 737-700 en route from Moscow to Nadym
    Where: Nadym
    When: Jun 16th 2011
    Who: 51 passengers and 5 crew
    Why: Unruly passenger had hallucinations, threatened airline crew, claimed his phone was a bomb, etc. Emergency services met the flight when it landed and took the passenger off their hands, where he was taken to a mental hospital and diagnosed with “alcoholic hallucinosis.”

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    Cracking Windshield Leads Delta to Vegas


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Jason Whitebird

    What: Delta Airlines Boeing 757-200 en route from Los Angeles to New York
    Where: Las Vegas
    When: Jun 16th 2011
    Why: While en route, the right windshield of the Boeing developed a crack.

    The flight crew diverted to Las Vegas where they made a safe landing. The disposition of the passengers is not known, though we presume that the passengers were provided alternative flights to Kennedy airport

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    Bad Day for Air Europa Flaps


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Galen Burrows

    What: Air Europa Boeing 737-800 en route from Madrid,SP to Lanzarote,CI
    Where: Lanzarote
    When: Jun 16th 2011
    Why: On approach to Lanzarote, the plane developed flap problems. The crew responded by entering a holding pattern, and shortly afterward landed with flaps up. Touchdown was lower and at a higher speed but a safe landing.

    What: Air Europa Boeing 737-800 en route from Lanzarote,CI to Bilbao,SP
    Where: Bilbao
    When: Jun 16th 2011
    Why: The same plane was on approach to Bilbao and suffered a reoccurrence of the flap problem.

    The pilots diverted to Madrid. Touchdown was lower and at a higher speed but a safe landing.

    In George’s Opinion
    One can not help but wonder what was going on behind the scenes here–if they had an attempted-but-failed flap repair in maintenance, or if someone had a boneheaded thought process of flying a disabled plane.

    We do not have a record here that this was a ferry flight, so whether or not there were commercial passengers aboard, someone else will have to enlighten us.

    Hopefully the flaps problem will be repaired rather than continuing to subject the crew to a less-than-airworthy plane. Good on you to the flight crew of EC-III

    .

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    Croatian Pilots Survive Coyote Crash but not the Fire

    What: Rans S-6 Coyote
    Where: Letjelište Zvekovac, Croatia
    When: June 16, 2011
    Who: 2 fatalities, one injury
    Why: A home built ultralight carrying two passengers on a training exercise crashed at an airfield two hundred feet from the runway between 10:00 and 10:15 pm. The plane fell from the sky, and exploded when it impacted the ground. A local farmer who was on site to cut the grass attempted to come to the aid of the pilots who were calling for help, and was injured by the fire.

    The light aluminum frame burned quickly.

    Apparently Vladimir Bodiš and Marinko Lovri? survived the impact but died in the fire. Bodiš was an Eagle test pilot with a commercial license, and Lovri? taught military pilots although a Croatian newspaper said they found no license for him.

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    Delta Flight Cancelled over Jacksonville—Engine Lost and Recovered

    What: Delta Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-88 en route from Jacksonville FL to Atlanta.
    Where: Jacksonville
    When: Jun 15th 2011, 10:30 p.m
    Who: 135 aboard
    Why: Taking off from Jacksonville, they had a compressor stall.

    The pilots recovered the left engine, and made a safe landing back in Jacksonville, in spite of a loud bang that occurred. They stopped on the runway (which had been inspected for debris). A passenger told reporters that there was an engine sparking.

    Emergency vehicles were on hand.

    Passengers disembarked, and were provided an alternative flight.

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    Virgin Emergency Diversion to Hobart

    What: Virgin Australia Boeing 737-700 en route from Brisbane to Launceston
    Where: Hobart
    When: Jun 16th 2011
    Who: 56 passengers
    Why: On approach to Launceton, the crew noted a flaps asymmetry, and aborted the approach. They burned off fuel, and diverted to Hobart where they made a safe landing. Passengers feared for their lives but apparently were not in as much danger as they feared.

    Subsequently, due to Puyehue ash concerns, they took a bus to Launceston. The flight was carrying the Gold Coast Suns football team.

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    Piper Crashes in Australia


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Ignatius

    What: TRENK Contracting Pty. Ltd. Piper PA-46-310P en route from Doolgunna to Meekatharra
    Where: Meekatharra Airport Australia
    When: June 15, 2011, 9:00 am
    Who: Pilot and passenger
    Why: The pilot and passenger in a piper that was flying from Doolgunna to Meekatharra are both hospitalized today, after crashing short of the Meekatharra runway.

    The plane’s right wing and undercarriage were smashed, and the hood was lost. Meekatharra voluntary brigade reported a fuel spill but nothing that would cause a fire.

    Both pilot and passenger only had minor injuries, and one was already discharged from Meekatharra Hospital. One injured party was flown to Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Perth.

    The crash is under investigation by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau who declined to make a statement.

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    5 Die in Mountainous Crash in Andorra, 1 Burned Crewman Struggles For Survival

    What: Inaer/Helland Helicopter en route to Juclar
    Where: Estany de Juclá – Canillo, Andorra
    When: June 15, 2011
    Who: 6 aboard, 5 fatalities, 1 serious injury
    Why: At 10:30 am, a flight transporting equipment and supplies to Juclar crashed in a mountainous area near the Andorran town of Canillo. Four bodies were immediately being recovered; one was missing, having been ejected from the chopper. One individual survived with serious burns on 70% of his body, and was evacuated to Barcelona by chopper to the Hospital Vall d’Hebrón de Barcelona..

    The helicopter is reported to be of French origin and registered in Spain. Forensic and technical experts are on scene; and the investigation will include Spanish officials, and representatives of the French helicopter buildern.

    A field hospital has been set up to care for the victims’ families whose names were not released but were all reported to be “members of the crew.”

    Inaer, the company which owns the helicopter, stated the accident is due to bad weather and low visibility due to foggy conditions.

    Although the original report lists one as missing, the body of the missing person was found.

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    Bird Strike Damages American Airlines, Endangers Flight


    Capture from video posted below

    What: American Airlines MD-80 en route from Dallas/Fort Worth to Norfolk Virginia
    Where: DFW airport
    When: June 13 2011, 6:15 pm
    Who: 122 passengers and 5 crew
    Why: On takeoff from Dallas/ Fort Worth , Monday’s American Airlines flight struck a flock of (20+) pigeons, damaging the cone and right wing and requiring an emergency landing. The plane had to be taken out of service for repairs, and bird part extractions. Dead birds littered the runway.

    Birds can be a problem at the 29 square mile airport. Attached you can view a wildlife management news clip demonstrating a wildlife expert’s noise system used to disrupt the birds.

    View more videos at: http://nbcdfw.com.

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    Nabo Rings Danger and Caution over African Skies (and Spreading)

    It is June 15, three days after Eritrea’s Nabo volcano erupted, and traffic is still being disrupted. Ethiopian Airlines announced flights to Northern Ethiopia, Dijbouti and Kartoum are still disrupted by the ash cloud, although their other flights are running smoothly. Care is being taken because the ash, which is mainly made up of silicates melts at about 1100°C and fuses inside the engine, often to catastrophic results.

    The Toulouse VAAC (Volcanic Ash Advisories) maps out the ash cloud:

    And the official text advisory of June 15 from VAAC is below:

    VA ADVISORY (text)
    DTG: 20110615/1200Z
    VAAC: TOULOUSE
    VOLCANO: NABRO 0201-101
    PSN: N1322E04142
    AREA: AFRICA-E
    SUMMIT ELEV: 2218M
    ADVISORY NR: 2011/09
    INFO SOURCE: METEOSAT IMAGERY
    AVIATION COLOUR CODE: NIL
    ERUPTION DETAILS: STRONGER ERUPTION MAINLY PRODUCING SO2
    OBS VA DTG: 15/1200Z
    OBS VA CLD: SFC/FL200 N1105 E03935 – N1240 E04130 – N1105 E04300 –
    N1105 E03935 FL200/400 N1310 E04205 – N1255 E03715 – N1455 E03815 –
    N1310 E04205
    FCST VA CLD + 6H: 15/1800Z SFC/FL200 N1215 E04155 – N1105 E04420 –
    N1105 E04035 – N1215 E04155 FL200/400 N1310 E04215 – N1215 E04040 –
    N1225 E03705 – N1435 E03735 – N1310 E04215
    FCST VA CLD + 12H: 16/0000Z SFC/FL200 N1240 E04200 – N1205 E04330 –
    N1050 E04440 – N1050 E03950 – N1240 E04200 FL200/400 N1305 E04155 –
    N1230 E03900 – N1235 E03515 – N1415 E03535 – N1305 E04155
    FCST VA CLD + 18H: 16/0600Z SFC/FL200 N1225 E04205 – N1205 E04430 –
    N1015 E04530 – N1020 E03905 – N1225 E04205 FL200/400 N1430 E03405 –
    N1305 E04150 – N1155 E03930 – N1235 E03400 – N1430 E03405
    RMK: VOLCANIC CLOUD MAINLY COMPOSED OF SO2
    NXT ADVISORY: NO LATER THAN 20110615/1800Z

    See our article Hot Volcanoes Cool Air Travel for more details.

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    Bomber Crashes in Chicago Outskirts


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Danny Fritsche

    What: B-17 bomber (Boeing B-17G-105-VE Flying Fortress)
    Where: Chicago
    When: June 13, 2011, 09:30
    Who: 7 aboard
    Why: A working B-17 bomber which had been in a $3.5 million dollar restoration (Tim Reilly Vintage Aircraft conservators) for fourteen years, took off from Aurora Municipal Airport on a test flight—and caught fire. John Hess, the pilot, made an emergency landing in a cornfield.

    Witnesses described a “cracking noise” before the plane landed in the field, streaming black smoke. Fire fighters were impeded by the muddy cornfield, and the plane burned.

    This weekend the plane was grounded with a leak.

    No one sustained serious injury although one person did have a minor head injury.

    The plane was described as a “national treasure,” and one of a dozen B-17s still operable.

  • Medical Emergency(s) In the Air


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Trevor Mulkerrins

    What: Continental Airlines Boeing 757-200 en route from Paris to Washington DC
    Where: Shannon
    When: Jun 13th 2011
    Who: 1
    Why: While en route, a 79 year old passenger suffered a heart attack.

    The flight detoured to Shannon, where the passenger was ported to a hospital; the flight continued to Washington.


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Robin Orszulik

    What: Spanair Airbus A320-200 en route from Las Palmas to Madrid
    Where: Madrid
    When: Jun 13th 2011
    Who: 1
    Why: On approach to Madrid, a 50 year old passenger who was traveling for treatment became ill. On landing in Madrid, the passenger was declared dead.


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Stefan Sonnenberg

    What: Ryanair Boeing 737-800 en route from Milan to Oslo
    Where: Frankfurt
    When: Jun 11th 2011
    Who: 1 passenger
    Why: While en route from Italy to Norway, a woman had a heart attack over Germany; the flight diverted to Frankfurt and made a safe landing. The passenger was admitted to a German hospital, delaying the flight on the ground for almost an hour and a half. The flight continued on to Torp (Oslo) and made a safe landing.

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    Romania: Emergency landing


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Santo Cuce

    What: Carpatair Fokker 70 en route from Timisoara to Iasi Romania
    Where: Timisoara
    When: Jun 13th 2011
    Who: 72 passengers, 4 crew
    Why: After pressure problems were detected on board, the flight returned to Timisoara where it made a safe landing.

    A replacement Fokker was provided, although passengers experienced a delay.

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    Possible Suicide Crash in ultralight in Baru Rumania

    What: Mircea Chira’s Flight Design CTSW
    Where: Baru Romania
    When: June 13 2011
    Who: pilot
    Why: The ultralight took off from Deva airport, and crashed 60 kilometers away in rough topography between Pui and Baru Mare. The plane was loaned by the owner, Mircea Chira, to a businessman with more than 200 flight hours.

    The wreckage was found in a a rocky and forested area in Hunedoara county.

    The 47-year-old German pilot who lived in the Romanian town of Orastie apparently sent a farewell letter which some have interpreted as a suicide note.