What: Virgin Airlines Airbus A-340 en route from London to Washington DC. Where: St Johns International When: May 2011 Who: 269 passengers Why: While en route, a passenger was ill. The flight diverted to DC to get the passenger assistance, and made a safe landing. THe passenger was transported to the Health Sciences Centre and the flight resumed.
What: Kingfisher Airlines en route from Delhi to Bangkok Where: NSC Bose International Airport, Kolkata, India When: May 29, 3011 4:00 am Why: The flight made an emergency landing at NSC after what is called a “technical snag.”
Passengers were provided another Kingfisher flight.
What: Austrian Airlines Boeing 767-300 en route from Vienna Austria to Washington DC Where: Vienna When: May 27th 2011 Why: After takeoff, the gear would not retract.
The pilot returned to make a safe landing in Vienna; repairs were made and the flight left again less than an hour later.
Anonymous Expert Opinion
One common occurrence in Commercial Aviation is when a maintenance person forgets to remove the Landing Gear Safety Pin that is connected before starting the push back procedure during the aircraft start-up. It happens that that pin prevents the hydraulic system to actuate the nose gear allowing the tractor to freely steer the aircraft free from the gate. However that pin also locks the landing gear in the “down” position preventing the hydraulic system to retract in when commanded by the pilots. The result is that the aircraft is prevented from retracting its landing gear (one pin prevents them all) and returning is mandatory.
If the airplane is engaged in an intercontinental flight (thus carrying a huge amount of fuel) the crew invariably must dump a great amount of fuel in order to reduce the weight to within the manufacturer’s certified maximum landing weight in order to perform a safe landing. After dumping the fuel as the aircraft’s weight reaches its maximum allowed for landing the crew land the airplane. Unfortunately it causes delays and it is a nuisance, although not a harmful one. The worst part is for the maintenance crew whom was responsible for the tow out procedure to explain to his (or hers) superiors the quite expensive forgetfulness.
What: Air China Airbus A330-300 en route from Beijing to Shanghai Where: Shanghai When: May 25th 2011 Who: passenger Why: While en route, passengers smelled smoke in the cabin. The source was pinned down to an overhood bin, and turned out to be a passenger’s camera battery which caught on fire. The flames were between seven and eight inches.
The battery was isolated and the fire extinguished in the lavatory.
What: Lonn D. Greiner’s Cessna 180 en route from Birchwood to Seldovia Where: Alaska When: May 27, 2011 Who: 5 aboard Why: Not long after a successful takeoff, the nose of the cessna pitched up, then it banked and fell. Witnesses say that the engine sounded fine.
The cessna crashed on train tracks, resulting in a fire. All 5 aboard were killed in the crash. The Alaska Railroad shut down the tracks until the wreckage was removed.
All aboard were members of the Greiner family from the Anchorage suburb of Eagle River. Lonn Greiner, 46, from Eagle River; three of his children, Glory, 13, Nathan, 11, and Grace, 10; and his 69-year-old mother, Carolyn Greiner. They were on a Memorial Day holiday.
Greiner performed jet maintenance at Ted Stevens Anchorage International.
What: Delta Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-88 en route from Pittsburg, to Atlanta Where: Atlanta When: May 28th 2011 Who: 43 passengers and 5 crew Why: On landing in Atlanta, the right main gear tire blew and started a fire. The runway was vacated and the passengers disembarked via emergency slides.
Emergency services responded to contain the fire. Foam was employed.
What: Allegiant McDonnell Douglas MD-83 en route from Youngstown to Orlando Where: Pittsburgh When: May 26 2011 Who: 142 passengers and 5 crew Why: While en route, the right engine was running hot and low on oil. They shut down the engine and diverted to Pittsburgh where they made a safe landing. Maintenance examined the leaky engine.
What: Spicejet Boeing 737-800 en route from Mumbai to Hyderabad Where: Mumbai When: May 27th 2011 Who: 140 passengers Why: While en route, the cargo hold indicated a fire. The crew followed procedures (checklists) and returned to Mumbai where they made a safe landing half an hour after take off. A replacement jet was provided.
What: Aero Resources Corp. of Hazard Beechcraft 58 Baron en route from Georgia to Kentucky Where: Unaka, about 125 miles west of Asheville, NC When: May 25, 2011 Who: 4 fatalities: pilot Mat Shuey, Tiffany Maggard, Kassie Robinson and Miranda Morgan Why: Pilot Mat Shuey was flying at 9,000 feet, above the area peaks when he reported an emergency over North Carolina when it crashed north of Lake Hiwassee near the Tennessee border, and started a brush fire.
The wreckage was spotted on the afternoon of the 25th but the site was not immediately accessible. The pilot and three female passengers died in the crash. The four bodies were recovered by rescue crews on Thursday.
Tiffany Maggard, Kassie Robinson and Miranda Morgan, who had all graduated from a Knott County Kentucky high school, had been visiting a friend in Alabama. The pilot’s name was not released.
What: Air Charter Services Pvt. Ltd Pilatus PC-12/45 en route from Jagdish Memorial Hospital to Apollo Hospital. Where: Faridabad When: May 25, 2011 10:45 pm Who: 7 aboard, 3 on the ground, 10 fatalities Why: After the pilot reported flying into bad weather, the plane transporting a patient from a Patna hospital to Apollo Hospital (Delhi) and carrying two doctors, two attendants, the pilot and the co-pilot crashed onto the rooftop of two houses in Parvatiya Colony. The plane’s nose broke off and fell to the street below. It appears that local residents may have taken the propellor and other parts of the plane. It did not carry a cockpit voice recorder or a data recorder.
After the crash, the plane and scattered medical equipment remained on the roof. The 22-year-old patient, was Rahul Raj and the plane’s crew was Dr Rajesh, Dr Arshad, Captain Harpreet, co-pilot Manpreet Kataria, Ratnesh Kumar and male nurse Cyril. Rahul and Ratnesh were cousins, and both residents of Bettiah in West Champaran. Raj, who was in a coma and on a ventilator was being transported to treat jaundice and complications of hepatitis.
In the Sehrawats house, fifty five-year-old Vedvati, her daughter Sarita (19) and daughter-in-law Rani (20) died in their house in Gali, 3 Mukesh Kunj at 10.35 pm. Because of the heat, they were on the roof at the time of the crash.
Sobharam Sehrawats, his son Deepak, and nephew Yash were injured.
The other house that was damaged (but no fatalities) was owned by 37-year-old Chittaranjan Singh.
Both the 3 residents of the house(s) and the 7 aboard the plane were burned beyond recognition.
An Indian Airlines flight to Delhi which was due to leave at the same time stayed on the tarmac at Patna instead of flying into the strong winds.
The plane disappeared from radar at 10:45 pm. It was reported that at the time of crash, strong winds were affecting planes landing at IGI airport. The DCGA is not carrying out the investigation, but it will be carried out independently.
What: TUIFly Boeing 737-800 en route from Alicante to Nuremberg Where: Alicante When: Mar 15th 2011 Who: 144 passengers Why: After takeoff, the pilots and crew of the flight felt dizzy and impaired. Passengers also reported feeling dizzy after the ground power unit started the engines. The pilot reported the emergency and returned to Alicante and made a safe landing.
We don’t see a statement from the ministerio de fomento regarding this incident.
What: Aviheco Bell 206L-3 LongRanger III en route from Bucaramanga to Sardinata Where: El Alto, Lourdes, Norte de Santander Colombia When: May 23, 2011 4 pm Who: 2 aboard, both fatalities Why: Pilot Rodrigo Javier Acosta and tech Jorge Velez Valbuena died in the Aviheco helicopter crash in Colombia. The helicopter may have been struck by lightning or taken down by other storm related condition. The wreckage went down in an area known as “Los Cables” on the “La Aguadita” farm in the village of El Alto. The helicopter was on a reconnaissance flight sponsored by an oil company with local wells . The bodies have been recovered by the Civil Defense commission.
What: British Airways Boeing 777-200 en route from London Heathrow to Boston,MA Where: Shannon When: May 23rd 2011 Who: 221 passengers Why: En route over the Atlantic, smoke developed in the cockpit and the pilots declared emergency and diverted to Shannon.
(There is some speculation that the smoke was ash drawn into the cabin.)
The smoke increased on descent, but the pilot made a safe landing. The smoke is being blamed on an undesignated mechanical problem.
Above FL200, the atmosphere was (reported as) clear of Grimsvotn ash.
Passengers were provided hotel accommodations until the replacement flight arrived (May 24.)
What: Air India Airbus A319-100 en route from Mumbai to Nagpur Where: Nagpur When: May 24th 2011 Who: 153 passengers Why: On approach to Nagpur, the pilot reported “a technical fault.” The plane developed a hydraulic problem. Pilots made a safe landing at the Nagpur airport. There is no mention if the foam was employed or if emergency services were on standby. The return flight was cancelled. Passengers were provided accommodations until the replacement flight.
What: Delta Airlines DC-9 en route from Detroit to Minneapolis Where: Ashwaubenon When: May 21, 2011 Who: 81 passengers, 5 crew Why: The plane was en route when the pilot smelled smoke from burning plastic in the cabin, and announced to passengers they would be diverting to Green Bay with rescue services from De Pere, Allouez, Ashwaubenon, Hobart and Howard on standby.
They made a safe landing in Green Bay at Austin Straubel International Airport at 2:25 pm
What: Westjet Boeing 737 en route from Toronto to Victoria Where: Victoria When: May 20, 2011 Who: 116 passengers and six crew Why: While en route, the flight encountered turbulence, injuring a flight attendant, who was bruised, and a passenger who injured an ankle. Injuries tend to occur when a passenger takes off their seat belt, or a flight attendant is up performing duties when the turbulence strikes.
The injuries suffered aboard the Westjet flight are not serious.
What: Qantas Boeing 747-400 en route from Bangkok (Thailand) to London Heathrow,EN Where: Bangkok When: May 20th 2011 Who: 308 passengers Why: After takeoff from Bangkok, the engine vibration and temperature increased beyond the norm in one engine and the engine is reported to have salled. That (Rolls Royce) engine was shut down, and the pilots returned to Bangkik to make a safe landing with the remaining three engines. It has not yet been announced if the problem is due to the internal pipe irregularities which were indicated in an airworthiness directive just released, but with problems that go back several years.
By the look of cursory evidence, it appears this could be the same manufacturing defect in an oil pipe, which led to an internal oil leak in the Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engine that failed in a Qantas A380 in 2010 causing a midair explosion, but investigators will have to reveal the details.
What: Flugsportklub Volkswerft Stralsund Evektor-Aerotechnik EV-97 Eurostar training flight Where: Klein Kedingshagen, near Flugplatz Stralsund Germany When: May 20, 2011 Who: 2 aboard, 2 fatalities Why: After a touch and go near Klein Kedingshagen, the sport plane crashed and both aboard died on the scene. Aboard was the 41 year old flight instructor and his 47 year old (beginning) student from Stralsund on Rügen aus Sellin Island. The instructor had been teaching in that plane for three years. This was the student’s third maneuver.
Witnesses say the vehicle lurched and fell out of the sky. Four forensic scientists traveled to the scene.
Evektor-Aerotechnik is a manufacturer located in Kunovice, Czech Republic.
What: Campbell Helicopters Ltd. Bell 212 Twin Two-Twelve Where: Slave Lake, Alberta, Canada When: May 20, 2011 Who: 1 fatality Why: The chopper responding to a (wildfire) fire call crashed for unknown reasons 30 meters offshore Slave Lake, Alberta. The forest fire leveled a third of the Slave Lake community. The pilot’s name has not yet been released.
The STARS Air Ambulance call was cancelled. The pilot died in the crash. Emergency responders were treated for hypothermia.
What: Qantas Boeing 767-300 en route from Melbourne to Perth Where: Perth When: May 20th 2011 Who: 2 injured Why: While on a landing approach, the plane encountered severe turbulence which forced a go-around. The 2nd attempted landing was made safely.
Transport Canada’s Enhanced Monitoring System http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/civilaviation/opssvs/managementservices-referencecentre-documents-sur-sur-002-1028.htm is an aviaition surveillance program, the entry into which is based on an airline’s failure to meet minimum requirements. A score of 3, 4, 5 or a score of 2 where there are minor or moderate findings and there is no evidence of systemic failures, will return the certificate holder to routine monitoring. A score of 1 will result in the issuance of a Notice of Suspension.
A plane which made an emergency landing (termed a miracle landing, and the pilot heavily lauded) while carrying three Grade 9 geography students from White Oaks Secondary School was under enhanced monitoring at the time; and since the emergency, has been suspended.
The plane made an emergency landing with the students in a field. For twenty years, Spectrum Airways has had an agreement with the Halton District School Board to provide scenic flights for Grade 9 geography students. The Cessna Skyhawk 172 had run out of fuel, and the pilot landed with no damage or injuries, landing in a field behind Corpus Christi Catholic Secondary School.
Burlington Airpark, Spectrum Airways and Kovachik Aircraft Maintenance are responsible for maintenance.
What: Ontario Limited-Spectrum Airways Cessna 172M Skyhawk en route from Burlington Airport Where: 1 KM south of Corpus Christi Catholic Secondary School, Canada When: May 5, 2011 Who: 23 year old pilot, 3 passengers Why: The plane made a safe emergency landing behind the school. On landing, the gas tank was empty. The pilot avoided homes, power lines, and a student rally in the parking lot.
What: Spanair Airbus A320-200 en route from Barcelona to Stockholm Where: Belgium When: May 20th 2011 Why: While over Belgium, radio communication was disrupted. (This occurred during the handover to Dutch ATC.)
A Dutch escort was sent (2 F-16s) to intercept.
The Spanair pilots re-established contact, and were escorted into German airspace. The plane landed on schedule in Stockholm.
What: Chartered Bombardier Challenger 300 en route from Manila to Caticlan, Aklan Where: Manila When: May 19 2010, 12:36 p.m. Why: The pilot reported engine problems just after takeoff, and requested an emergency landing at Ninoy Aquino International Airport. The flight landed safely, with one engine shut down. The flight landed safely with emergency teams on standby.
What: Kauai Aero Sport P&M Pegasus Quick 912S en route from Port Allen Airport, Hawaii Where: North Shore of Kauai, 100 yards offshore near Honopu beach When: May 17, 2011 10:53 a.m Who: 2 aboard Why: The ultralight belonging to Kauai Aero Sport landed in the water 100 yards off shore.
Witnesses saw the ultralight in trouble and tried to come to the aid of the two men in the crash. (see video below)
Captain Bob Butler describes hearing a (possible) aluminum strut break, and the aircraft hit the water at a 70 degree angle. They pulled the craft to the surface but not soon enough to save those aboard.
The bodies of both men were recovered as well as the wreckage. The pilot/owner of Kauai Aero Sport is Steve Sprague.
What: Sol Líneas Aéreas Saab 340A en route from Córdoba to Mendoza to Neuquén to Comodoro Rivadavia Where: Prahuaniyeu, Rio Negro, Argentina When: May 18, 2011, 22:00 Who: 19 passengers and three crew (two pilots and a stewardess) Why: After departing from Neuquén at 20:08, the plane sent out a distress call declaring an emergency
Locals saw a ball of fire fall from the sky 35 kilometers from the town of Los Menucos in an area not available to cell phone usage. Rescue units (three ambulances and civil defense team including the police force of Black River (Rio Negro), Sierra Colorado, General Roca and Los Menucos) were deployed but there were no survivors.
The number for family members to call for information is 0810-122-7765.
