Cause

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    Zurich Bird Strike


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

    What: Swiss International Airlines Airbus A321 en route from Zurich to London
    Where: Zurich
    When: Oct 31st 2010
    Who: 194 passengers
    Why: After takeoff, the plane suffered a bird strike.

    The pilot returned to Zurich where they made a safe landing. The plane was taken out of service to be inspected for damage, and passengers were provided alternative transportation. No description of the amount of damage or the unfortunate bird has been provided.

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    Delta Africa Flight Cut Short in NY


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

    What: Delta Airlines Boeing 767-300 en route from New York JFK,NY to Accra
    Where: over the Atlantic
    When: Oct 29 2010
    Why: While en route 300 miles out of New York, the plane developed an internal leak in the right engine, and smoke collected in the cabin.

    The pilot descended to a lower altitude and made a safe landing at JFK with rescue services on standby. Passengers did not disembark for nearly two hours.

    Maintenance determined that the oil leak or smoke from an oil leak got into the air conditioning.

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    Meridiana Emergency Landing


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

    What: McDonnell Douglas MD-82 en route from Naples to Cagliari
    Where: Naples
    When: Oct 31 2010
    Who: 33 passenger
    Why: After takeoff, the plane developed problems in the right engine and had to shut it down. The pilot returned to Naples and made a safe landing with rescue services standing by.

    Passengers were provided accommodations until a replacement flight came in the next day.

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    Turkey: Galley Smokes Cabin


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    Contact photographer

    What: Azerbaijan Airlines Boeing 757-200 en route from Istanbul Turkey to Baku Azerbaijan
    Where: Istanbul
    When: October 30
    Who: 221 aboard
    Why: After takeoff, the cabin filled with smoke coming from a galley oven.

    The plane returned to the Istanbul airport and made a safe landing. No replacement was provided. The plane received maintenance, and continued some hours later.

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    French Researchers Lost Lives in Antarctica

    What: Institut Polaire Français Aérospatiale AS 350 Squirrel helicopter carrying supplies between the French research vessel and supply ship, l’Astrolabe and the country’s Dumont d’Urville research base in Adélie Land.
    Where: Antarctica
    When: October 28, 2010
    Who: 4 Fatalities
    Why: After taking off from the French research vessel L’Astrolabe which is icebound northeast of the Dumont-d’Urville station, the helicopter went down in bad weather. The helicopter was last seen flying at 29 feet. The helicopter normally supplied the research base. Initially there was hope of one survivor. A U.S. Air Force C-17 flew over; the distress beacon was activated off Adelie Land, but cloud cover prevented visibility; bad weather complicated rescue efforts. An Australian unit which spotted three bodies dropped supplies and survival equipment. A doctor flown in later confirmed that the pilot, the mechanic and two employees of the French Polar Institute who had been aboard the helicopter were dead. The remains were recovered and flown back in an Australian Hercules C-130 to a chapel at the base. (US) McMurdo base and AMSA’s rescue coordination centre are assisting the French recovery team.

    Two researchers were from l’Institut polaire Paul-Emile Victor, in Brest, Brittany, France.

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    Kochi: Air Arabia Bird Strike


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

    What: Air Arabia Airbus A320-200 en route from Kochi to Sharjah
    Where: Cochin International Airport
    When: October 29, 2010 8:15 pm
    Who: 154 passengers, 6 crew
    Why: After takeoff, the flight suffered a problem, and according to officials a bird strike “was not ruled out”. It took fifteen minutes to return to the airport to make a safe landing after the bird strike.

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    Air Nippon Receives Ground Clearance Warning over Mountain Range


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    Contact photographer Kaoru Kojima

    What: Air Nippon Boeing 737-800 en route from Nagoya to Asahikawa
    Where: Asahikaw
    When: Oct 26 2010
    Why: 16 nautical miles east of the airport, the flight received a ground proximity warning system warning. The pilot climbed to a safe height in the mountainous area, and continued to make a safe landing at the Asahikawa Airport.

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    Flat Tire at Patna

    What: Air India Airbus A320-200 en route from Delhi to Patna
    Where: Patna
    When: Oct 26 2010
    Why: A runway inspection indicated a runway inspection at Delhi indicated debris on the runway, and that on takeoff, several runway edge lights had been destroyed, presumably from the takeoff of the Air India Airbus A320-200. The runway had to be closed for repairs.

    On landing at Patna, a tire burst on the Airbus. It is presumed that the runway edge lights may have caused some preliminary damage to the tires.

    George’s Point of View

    *Note to pilot: repeat 3 x: runway lights are not speed bumps.

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    Oil Fire Smokes Air Greenland Lavatory


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

    What: Air Greenland de Havilland Dash 8-200 en route from Nuuk to Paamiut
    Where: Nuuk
    When: Oct 25th 2010
    Who: 11 passengers and 3 crew
    Why: While en route, a fire was reported in the lavatory. Smoke was detected in the cabin. The crew returned to Nuuk where they made a safe landing.

    Maintenance found an oil leak in the bleed air system.

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    Hull Breach in American Airlines Flight


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    Contact photographer

    What: American Airlines Boeing 757-200 from Miami,FL to Boston,MA
    Where: Miami
    When: Oct 26th 2010
    Who: 154 passengers and 6 crew
    Why: A half hour after takeoff, the plane developed rapid decompression at 31,000 feet requiring oxygen masks, an emergency descent and a return to Miami.

    Maintenance found a one by two foot hole in the hull.

    George’s Point of View

    Maintenance, Maintenance, Maintenance!

    Even with AD Directives issued, this was still missed. Was there telltale evidence prior to this event that could have prevented endangering 154 passengers and six crew?

    The hole in the hull is not unprecedented. Sixteen months prior to flight AA-1640, Southwest Airlines (SWA) flight 2294, (another Boeing suffering a hole in the hull in July 13, 2009), the FAA has already issued Airworthiness Directive 2010-01-09 mandating inspection requirements. At that time, they ascribed the hull failure to a design fault: Fuselage skin failure due to preexisting fatigue at a chemically milled step.

    It’s an easy enough thing to visualize-picture slightly squeezing an empty cola can, then blowing into it; and repeating the process, over and over. In a soda can, it would not take the 20 years this plane has been flying for the stressed areas to develop a crease, and eventually crack.

    Not that a soda can is expected to sustain the significant pressures at 10,000+ feet, nor does it have the design flaw of chemical milling, nor is its skin made of single and double bonded layers. If it were, one could theoretically presume and anticipate metal fatigue to occur at the weakest location–the edges of where the metal is double-bonded.

    In the Southwest Airlines event, it was observed that the progression of metal fatigue tends to be higher at the borders between chemically milled and non-chemically milled bays.

    The inspection requirements in SB 737-53A1301 require inspections to detect cracks in the vulnerable areas (the chem-mill step) to avoid sudden fracture and failure of the fuselage skin panels.

    Did this plane undergo “repetitive external non-destructive inspections to detect cracks in the fuselage skin“?

    Carriers out there, when there are directives which indicate potential problems, pay attention!

    If not for the stellar performance of this flight crew, this plane would have been a statistic.

    Thank you, John D King for sending the links.

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    Threat Called in to Skywest


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    Contact photographer

    What: Skywest-Delta CRJ-200 commuter jet en route from Helena, Montana to Salt Lake City
    Where: Salt Lake City
    When: October 28, 2010
    Who: 46 passengers, 3 crew
    Why: A bomb threat call claiming there was an incendiary device aboard Skywest-Delta flight 4654 was reported to Skywest at St. George. Law enforcement was notified.

    Bomb-sniffing dogs did not find anything. The call is being traced, and security has been doubled.

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    Injury Delays Flight


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

    What: Delta Airlines Boeing 757-200 en route from Orlando to Salt Lake City
    Where: Orlando
    When: Oct 27 2010
    Who: 1 injury
    Why: Before takeoff, the plane made a sharp stop while taxiing, injuring one.

    The injury did not prevent takeoff, although there was a short delay while the injured party received treatment.

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    Indigo Airbus Lands without Steering


    Pictured: An IndiGo Airbus A320-232 taking off from Ahmedabad
    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Sunandan Subramaniam

    What: IndiGo Airbus A320-200 en route from Guwahati to Kolkata
    Where: Kolkata India
    When: Oct 27 2010
    Who: 169 people on board
    Why: 7.30pm on approach to Kolkata, the pilot notified ATC that his plane had developed a problem with the hydraulics, and landing gear problems were ruled out.

    The plane made a safe landing at 7:53 pm. Nose gear steering was unavailable, so the plane was towed to the gate. While the plane was stuck on the runway, the airport shut down operations, although not for long. Incoming planes had to circle for less than half an hour.

    The next leg of the plane’s itinerary was Chennai; another plane was flown in to accommodate the passengers.

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    Maintenance, Smoke Grounds UA Flight to Shanghai

    What: United Airlines Boeing 777 en route from Chicago to Shanghai
    Where: Winnipeg
    When: Oct 25, 2010 1:40 pm
    Who: 194 passengers
    Why: While en route, the plane developed smoke in the cabin. The nearest place to land a 777 (requiring a long runway) was Winnipeg, so the pilot diverted to Winnipeg and made a safe landing with emergency crews on standby on the tarmac. Monday afternoon, a UA crew was assessing the plane; but a replacement plan is scheduled to arrive Tuesday to take the passengers to Shanghai.

    George’s Point of View

    Sometimes it seems as if it takes an emergency for a plane to get maintenance.

    Airliners never stop; they land, unload passengers, cleanup, fuel up, load more passengers and they are off again.

    When do planes get maintenance? After they see smoke?

    It’s not just United.

    Look at our posts: Engine failures, engine fires, cracked windshields, no oil pressure, low air pressure, breaking landing gear, non-working nose gear, shredding tires, smokey cabins…

    When do they stop a plane long enough for it to truly get a little TLC?

    I knew a former navy mechanic who said he would never fly on a commercial plane. Before AND After every flight, the crew checks every plane from nose to tail, ensuring everything is in perfect working order. It seems like a commercial plane only gets a good once over once it’s too late.

    We don’t do that with our cars. You know once the car’s warning light comes on, it’s already too late, and damage has already happened. So we get timely oil changes, and basic care because every dollar spent on maintenance is a hundred dollars not spent on repair.

    Sure, flight 835 plane is getting a once over now, but for that to happen, a plane full of passengers had to be put at risk.

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    Emergency Landing Kuwait City


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

    What: Kuwait Airways Airbus A300-600 en route from Kuwait City to Dhaka
    Where: Kuwait
    When: Oct 23rd 2010
    Why: After takeoff, the windshield developed a crack. The pilot returned to Kuwait and made a safe landing.

    Conflicting reports:
    According to Mohammed Bursali, Public Relations Director of Kuwait Airways, The windshield was replaced and the flight resumed an hour later. However, a replacement jet arrived four hours later to resume the flight.

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    Chaos on Aero Contractors in Lagos


    Not the 500. Pictured: Boeing 737-322 exAero Contractors Nigeria lease
    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer JayDeeKay

    What: Aero Contractors Boeing 737-500 en route from Port Harcourt to Lagos
    Where: Nigeria
    When: Oct 24 2010
    Who: 84 passengers, 15 injuries
    Why: Passengers were complaining of pressure problems resulting in ear pain. Passengers reportedly “ran amuck” in the cabin when they saw smoke, apparently resulting in injury.

    Officially, ten minutes before arrival in Lagos, a smoke problem in the cabin was reported to ATC. The crew reported the smoke, and made a safe landing at Murtala Muhammed International Airport with emergency on standby at 6:30 pm. Passengers evacuated, resulting in fifteen injuries. Passenger’s luggage was not released until 8:30 pm

    According to maintenance, the smoke problem was mist and condensation from the air conditioning which had been switched to manual.

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    Plane lost in Washington

    What: Pacific Cataract and Laser Institute twin engine Cessna 304 en route from Chehalis to Lewiston Idaho
    Where: Packwood/Morton area, Southwest Washington
    When: October 25, 2010
    Who: pilot and 2 passengers
    Why: A pilot en route to Lewiston Idaho told ATC that one of his engines was down. He reported he was diverting to Chehalis but transmission stopped. Radar contact was lost at 7:44 am

    A search is being conducted by a navy helicopter and a jet ranger. There is a weak beacon signal indicating the location.

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    US Airways Diverts to Stephenville


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

    What: U S Airways Boeing 757-200 from Philadelphia to Brussels
    Where: Stephenville
    When: Oct 24, 2010, 10:00 pm
    Who: 149 passengers, 9 crew
    Why: The flight diverted to Stephenville when there was smoke in the cockpit. Passengers disembarked, and waited in the terminal until the replacement flight arrived at 5:30 a.m.

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    Cessna Crashes in Pond, no fatalities


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    Contact photographer Adam Howley

    What: Ardmore Flying School Cessna C172R
    Where: Thames New Zealand
    When: Oct 25 2010
    Who: 2 aboard
    Why: At 10:22 a.m, the plane crashed into the pond at the end of a runway. Both individuals aboard the plane were able to exit under their own power. The plane presumably is a total loss. This is not the first time a plane has crashed into the pond at the foot of the runway.

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    Emergency Landing in Malta

    What: Smartlynx Airbus A320-200 en route from Tenerife to Antalya
    Where: Malta
    When: Oct 22 2010
    Why: While en route, the flight suffered a loss of cabin pressure. The pilot diverted to Malta where they made a safe landing. In less than 24 hours, the plane was en route again. Disposition of the passengers is unknown.

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    Aero Emergency Pandemonium Causes Evacuation Injuries

    What: Aero B737-500 en route from Yenagoa to Abuja
    Where: Murtala Muhammed Airport Lagos, Nigeria
    When: Oct 24 2010
    Who: 84 passengers
    Why: On approach to lagos, the plane made a reportedly “terrifying” noise and began emitting smoke in the cabin. The pilot managed the landing and directed the crew to assist with evacuations. The passengers panicked, causing a number of injuries as they jumped out of the emergency exits.

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    Fog Diverts Delhi Flight to Patna

    What: Go Airways en route from Lucknow to Delhi
    Where: Patna
    When: October 22, 2010
    Why: While en route, weather (fog) developed in Delhi, and the flight diverted to Patna where it made a safe landing. There were no injuries. However the passengers were upset, as they pressured for information about when they would be able to continue to Delhi.

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    Small Plane Crashes in California Barn

    What: Cirrus SR-22 en route from Van Nuys to Parker, Arizona
    Where: one mile west of the Agua Dulce Airport
    When: October 21, 2010
    Who: 3 fatalities
    Why: The plane circled before it emerged from clouds, at which time if flew upside down in an uncontrolled spiral. The plane crashed next to a barn a mile short of the airport, exploded on contact; and the remains of those on board are charred and spread across a large debris field. Two horses in the barn were killed, and one was injured but is expected to survive.

    The plane was registered to OVATION MANAGEMENT INC.

     

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    Fed Ex Flight Diverts to Mumbai

    What: Fedex Federal Express McDonnell Douglas MD-11 freighter en route from Dubai to Bangalore
    Where: Mumbai
    When: Oct 22 2010
    Who: crew
    Why: The plane’s instrumentation indicated a fire in the cargo hold. The flight was diverted to Mumbai where they made a safe landing. However, at 18.24 pm on landing no fire was detected.

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    Allegiant Flies to Vegas with Damaged Nose Gear Tire

    What: Allegiant McDonnell Douglas MD-83 en route from Cedar Rapids to Las Vegas
    Where: Las Vegas
    When: Oct 22 2010
    Why: On takeoff, the plane blew a “front” tire. However, the flight continued to Las Vegas as scheduled. They landed with emergency crews on standby, and after landing taxied to the edge of the runway. The tire was repaired, and the plane continued to the gate, where passengers disembarked.